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438 responses so far ↓
Straight talk // December 16, 2007 at 4:40 PM
Thank you, David.
Are you there, Bush Tea?
The floor is yours, I’m intrigued by your analogy, and now is the time to “tell it like it is”.
Bush tea // December 16, 2007 at 7:36 PM
My Thanks too David.
Just got back St. Let me try to put some coherent ideas together…
If you don’t mind I will take a short while to summarize the discussion so far and we can go from there…
Bush tea // December 16, 2007 at 10:49 PM
Ok St,
…The story so far.
The question was “What is the whole purpose behind this experience that we call ‘life on earth’”? Specifically we were interested in the role of human beings in the whole scheme of things.
I suggested that, based on the level of complexity, sophistication and elegance of all we see around us, it would indeed be foolhardy to suggest that some level of superior intellect and design did not go into the ‘bringing into being’ of the reality around us.
..thus my conceptualization of our BIG BOSS ENGINEERS (BBE) – the designers and creators of the experience we call life.
I am tempted to suggest that you are willing to accept that BBE provided a manual of sorts in the form of the Bible and can surely be credited with having some coherent plan and objective in their creation.
We were at the point where I suggested that the problem we face on earth now, is that the project appears to be quickly approaching the termination stage, and that this will have dire consequences for all of us.
I took the liberty to use the example of my hero ‘Lowdown’ Hoad in deciding to establish his goat farm in order to sell milk and support his family. However happy and contented his goats are, (especially the favorite ram), should Lowdown decide to end his project next week (because he had achieved his objectives), chances are that sweet life will be over for Rambo and friends….
We also agreed that even our own observations suggest that with fuel shortages, over-population, global warming and increasing geographical instability it is clear that we are approaching the end of an era of relative global stability.
You appeared to be concerned about the ‘fairness’ of condemning billions of unfortunate humans to unfulfilled endings, and as I recall, I pointed you to the miracle of human birth where hundreds of millions of sperm, each one a potential perfect human baby- meet unfulfilled ends when typically ONE succeeds in fertilizing the egg and going on to birth and great rejoicing in the lucky family. …where is the great sadness and sorrow about the loss of those millions of other potential children?
I chose those examples deliberately.
Main points to note:
Human beings are simply temporary limited beings and our ‘value’ is largely in our own minds. In the grand scheme of things, a human life is neither here nor there. Of course in our own minds, nothing can be of greater importance….
There is one component of Humanity however that is SPECIAL. It is a difficult to define characteristic which comes with being created in ‘the image of God’. It gives us the ability to rationalize right and wrong; to reason and design; to love and hate, etc. (in other words we are MMEs (Mock Micro Engineers)
In other respects, we are very much like the other animals of this world.
Can you see yet what the project represents from BBE’s perspective?
Other questions to ponder:
Why is the Bible so confusing?
Why did Jesus speak in parables?
BLP & DLP TV Broadcasting On A Computer Near You « // December 17, 2007 at 6:54 AM
[...] Submissions ← The Relevance Of The Brian Mulroney Affair [...]
Straight talk // December 17, 2007 at 10:51 AM
Bush Tea:
or should I address you CSME (Company Secretary of Micro Engineers)?
My interest was piqued by your theory because even though we are travelling
different roads the ultimate destination and our ETA are startlingly similar.
I will come out and say now that I tend towards Evolution as against Creation.
However, as said previously, my mind is always open to be convinced of my error.
Nothing I have noticed necessitates a BBE hand, Nature and it’s myriad methods
of improving survival are, for me, sufficient justification for driving creation.
The widespread nature of religion throughout our world does puzzle me somewhat.
Why would the highest of mammals evolve such a sophisticated brain as you describe,
only for it to find solace in the continuation of some authoritarian moral code—religion?
Our unique, logical, scientific brain still clings to ancient folklore for comfort.
Maybe crowd control and the respect for our elders and betters, but who knows.
The past actions of the church in secreting all scientific and religious texts in
monasteries and all written in scholarly Latin to ensure only the chosen had access,
certainly points to mind control.
Anyway, I am drifting, back to your theory.
Human life is, as you say, inconsequential at an individual level vis a vis the grand scheme
of things, that is why I’m rather puzzled by the rather elitist notion of MMEs and so look
forward to your next episode.
notesfromthemargin // December 17, 2007 at 11:08 AM
Dave,
I like the new look. The “Look Both Ways” is particularly well suited
Marginal
Softman // December 17, 2007 at 6:30 PM
What do you guys and gals make of the hospital user fees issue? I think the Minister of Health needs to hold a press conference to explain what is going on. Where is the PM in all of this? Health care is a serious issue and cannot just be left up to a board.
David // December 17, 2007 at 7:12 PM
Softman we suspect that the prime Minister being the master political tactician that we know him to be would prefer to be reactive to this issue on the eve of an election which will be his most challenging. Why would he ‘pull the lion’s tail’ by broaching the issue of the QEH to a public which has shown its propensity to be passive on the issues?
There is a Board in place at the hospital and the accountability should rest with them first. The PM should not feel constrain to meddle. The CEO and Chairman should be communicating to the taxpayers and only then should the PM comment if he wishes. The fact that the public, union and relevant stakeholders continue to ‘toe’ the line these fires will flicker and die as time passes and the PM knows this very well.
Bush tea // December 17, 2007 at 11:30 PM
Hi Straight talk,
…slight correction, my title is TMME (trainee micro mock engineer). More seriously though, I am a bit disappointed that someone of your perceptiveness would be swayed by Evolution. That theory was openly welcomed by a world drunken with their newfound ’science’ in the mid 20th century and anxious to find some alternative to accepting a devine presence.
Upon careful checking, you will find that all the REALLY great genius scientist were ultimately convinced of the reality of a divine existence.
In any case, as I said in another post to Mosquito, it is far more likely, statistically that something like the ABC highway project or the Suez or Panama canals could have evolved naturally than that this complex INTERCONNECTED existence that we experience daily could have evolved from un-intelligent chance evolution.
Tune into National Geographic sometime and watch an episode of ‘The incredible Human Machine’ and tell me afterwards that you believe in Evolution.
Now back to the ‘chase’
Mankind did not ‘evolve’ a sophisticated brain.. our human mind was specially created and is in fact the CENTRAL factor in ALL creation. (not our Intelligence, our wisdom our wealth our strength or any thing else)
Here is the bottom line…
Life is a process that was designed to create ideal conditions for the creation, nurturing and refinement of righteous CHARACTER.
‘righteous character’ is the characteristic of, having the option to freely choose; to always CHOOSE to make the righteous choice- however difficult, tempting, unfair, painful or otherwise the situation.
…a kind of maturity of the mind.
So what we have had on this planet for the last centuries, has been a crucible of conditions built around a procession of human candidates, the goal of which has been to facilitate the development of true godly character.
I challenge you to suggest any better method through which such ‘character’ could be created.
Two more points you raised….
Why did the church operate so secretively?
Two main reasons… First most have no real idea what the real story is. The secrecy is a good way on not letting on that they are also in the dark…
..second scenario is like Jesus choosing to speak in parables in order NOT to reveal the truth purpose of life. (Basically Jesus said “You expect me to tell the goats my business plan? It is not for them to know that… so when they ask, I speak to them in parables so as to confuse their backsides”) (well he probably put it more eloquently)
Finally the ELITIST attitude of the MME;
The thing that is special, elitist, unprecedented, newsworthy great and GOSPEL about MMEs (mankind) is the POTENTIAL to become BBEs.
…like the inconsequential single sperm, one of millions – but with the POTENTIAL to become a human being if that holy grail of the female egg can be reached and penetrated…
Have you ever experienced the great joy in a family when this happens? Do we question the other millions of sperm that did not realize this great potential?
…Now based on the examples i have given, reconsider Jesus’s answer to the question posed to him of what a man must do in order to inherit eternal life….
..he said to the man “You must be born again….”
David // December 17, 2007 at 11:43 PM
Bush Tea and Straight talk we read your thesis and you provoked us to ask some simple questions.
1. Why is it that Christians always expect non-believers to follow the good book or manual as you call it blindly?
2. Why is it that you ask people who have been highly educated to follow the ‘manual’ which from people who have read it thoroughly is filled with contradictions?
3. Why is it that Christians just don’t ask people to believe in God because of the amazing display of nature if they cannot justify it otherwise??
BT if you want to encourage people to explore the big doubt about religion you need to focus on these simple question. We are sorry to have slipped into our provocative role.
Bush tea // December 18, 2007 at 12:25 AM
David, you know i like provocative…
Last question first – then maybe I won’t need to attempt to answer all the others.
I could care less if “others explore the big doubt about religion”. That is everyone’s individual right and responsibility.
I never saw Jesus wringing anyone’s hand to believe him so why should I? I enjoy discussing concepts with interested folk like you and St but i am not a prophet.
Christians are largely like sheep who believe what their pastors tell them to believe. They try to force their beliefs on others so that they feel more comfortable in large flocks (like real sheep do) I would be happy to be the only one to follow my concepts.
Who are these ‘highly educated people of whom you refer? the Cave Hill types? The moneyed folks? or do you mean the people with CXCs?
You will always hear me ridicule anyone who claims to be ‘educated’ and have NO IDEA what the objectives of their life are..’ and i certainly don’t “ask anyone to follow the Bible… I like to quote from that book because it is so well known, consistent and relevant to the lines of argument that I tend to follow.
The whole “Christian” thing is a farce anyhow… even Jesus said that the greatest of deceivers will “come in his name…” (be called ‘Christians…’ you go figure…
Floyd // December 18, 2007 at 9:28 AM
How this QEH thing is handled will influence my vote a lot. User fees at the QEH will primarily hurt the poor and lower middle class. The govt is the main financier and I will not accept that its a board decision. Such a fundamental change in health care delivery requires a political consensus, or the courtesy of a public announcement.
On balance I have tended to favour the current administration, but this issue is a make or break one for me. The Minister of Health should have held a press conference on Monday. He did not, I find this indifference intolerable and insulting . The Pm has not commented on this. I can only conclude that there was a nod and a wink with these user fees and if BAMP had not come out so strongly it would have remained under the radar.
Thank god for BAMP to hell with the administration and their political games. health care is not a matter for games. I have zero confidence in the Minister of health and my confidence in the govt has seriously dipped.
I need an explanation:
What is the precise nature of these fees?
Who knew what and when?
Why was there not a public announcement of any policy changes?
Are the persons who paid these fees going to be compensated?
Has the govt relinquished control of the qeh to the board?
How could the board be unaware of such changes?
Owen and his crew can attempt to deal with this after the elections. I will deal with it at the voting booth.
Floyd // December 18, 2007 at 9:29 AM
I think you guys need to start a thread on this topic on the website. Submissions never generate as much comment as a main thread.
Straight talk // December 18, 2007 at 10:58 AM
Bush TEA ( Trainee Engineering Apprentice )
I am not “swayed” by evolution theory, after examining the evidence, it is up to now the most plausible explanation.
I accept that the ability to choose is what sets man apart from all other creations, oops should I say evolutions.
Modern man alone can choose to ignore the laws of natural selection, if he so desires, and he can also freely choose the path he takes through life.
This individuality is not, as I see it, the intelligent design of a creator ( BBE ), but the engine of our advanced evolution.
In the same way, a gene can replicate itself ad infinitum, but it requires an occasional mutant gene, and an even more occasional mutant gene with a distinct advantage in its own environment, to progress the species.
If this is what you refer to as “maturity of the mind”, I’m with you all the way.
Admittedly I have no idea of the real story you have discovered, and am restless with anticipation to hear the full story.
As for your sperm analogy, I can sympathise with the unsuccessful, but that is natural selection again as the stronger swimmers ascend the podium to receive their rewards.
In the same way I can envisage the trials and tribulations of all my ancestors as they struggled through life in order to provide a better one for their progeny, culminating in my and my family’s now comparatively cosseted life.
One of the greatest attributes we have developed is the ability to second guess the thoughts and behaviour of our fellows.
But you are still puzzling me.
I await with your next epistle.
Bush tea // December 18, 2007 at 9:22 PM
St,
I suspect that you are either a lawyer or you should be…. You manage to so eloquently use my positions to support yours that I myself see your point quite clearly…even though I disagree.
However, I will not try to change your mind about evolution, I will be content with a promise from you to view an episode of National Geographic’s “the incredible human machine” and if you still think that this is the result of ‘random mutations in gene replications, I will definitely give up.
But the objective here is not for me to convince you of my ‘correctness’ – just to tell you about my theory.
….so to the question “WHY ARE We HERE?” the answer, according to my theory, is as follows:
1. Absolute reality is in fact a spiritual world which operates beyond our scope of understanding. (much like Lowdown’s goats could never conceptualize the complexities of human existence. )
2. All life forms have as a common denominator the process of reproduction.
3. The process of reproduction in a spiritual world would be complicated by the challenge of ‘creating character’. (How do you create a baby BBE and be guaranteed that that newborn has the correct CHARACTER as well as FREE WILL and omnipotence?)
4 The solution? Establish a limited (physical) world with MMEs created ‘in the image of BBE’ – but limited by time and space.
5. Supply all conditions needed to build the needed CHARACTER acceptable for membership of the BBE society. Conditions include Good, Evil, Love, Hate, Hardship, Success, peace, war, fuel, food etc etc.
6. Allow billions of MMEs to live the experience – each with the POTENTIAL to achieve the character development needed.
7. After a proscribed period, the process is terminated and the successful MMEs, who at the end of their temporary existence in the process, demonstrate that they have the CHARACTER required, are then ‘born again’ into the BBE society to complete the cycle of reproduction.
Now during the process of reproduction, many MMEs find ways to really enjoy themselves in all sorts of ways – some become rich, some become educated, some have great sex lives- while of course some others fail miserably and some suffer quite badly.
I would be surprised if individual human sperm were aware of the GREAT prize that awaits the ones that successfully completes the course to the egg….no doubt some of them have great fun for the few minutes of their journey.
The problem is that when the BBE reproductive cycle is completed, ALL MMEs will be terminated.
So as Jesus summarized… what shall it profit a man even if he gains the whole world – only to lose his soul?
So for the short answer – we are here as part of a process of extending the family of BBE. That is the Gospel.
The fact that (like human sperm) the vast majority of us are totally unaware of this Gospel does not change the fact- as I said, truth is not determined by popular poll.
However, by this time next year it will all be much clearer to everyone on this earth… I can assure you of that much.
Straight talk // December 19, 2007 at 3:21 AM
Bush Tea:
I.A.N.A.L
No I am not a lawyer, but that does not preclude me from being conceited, or just plain wrong.
Unconventional theories, by their very nature, always need some clarification to those hearing them for the first time.
Help me out with the following :-
Why should the BBE need to reproduce, if their creative capacity is such that it far exceeds nature’s best efforts? Immortality should be a doddle for them.
Incidentally, if the whole exercise is to select MMEs worthy of promotion, why create the incredibly complex system of bio-diversity of which the novice can only experience a tiny proportion in its gestation?
According to your theory, has all human life as we know it one been one “pregnancy”, i.e. for one BBE inductee, or is it a more “heavenly” concept where many candidates with the necessary Character have qualified and are raised up?
Using your sperm analogy again, I suppose what I’m trying to understand is whether our world is one ejaculation for one new B(a)BE and we must await, as it were, a second coming for the next one, or can we expect many new BBEs from this unique existence.
What cataclysmic event do you predict for next year?
And finally the biggy – Who was the first BBE, and more importantly who was his grandfather?
Hope you can help me out.
St
Bush tea // December 19, 2007 at 10:13 PM
Hi St, sorry about the delay – busy period for me…
I am not surprised at your concerns; these and some others were my initial stumbling blocks. I really wanted to make sense of the whole mess so after persisting for some time, I was able to satisfy myself completely.
All I will do here is tell you what satisfied me – NOT try to convince or satisfy your doubts.
1… Why should BBE reproduce… etc?
A- I do not know why. But I have observed that EVERYTHING that lives in this creation (..still plugging away there..) does. Since our world is modeled on BBE’s (and in fact man is made “in his image”) I feel that it is reasonable to deduce that reproduction is a common feature across worlds.
Another strong indicator lies in the ‘manual’ through the frequent references to mankind becoming ’sons of God’ ; being ‘born of the spirit’ etc.
B – Why not just create baby BBEs?
Think about this one a bit…. ‘Creating’ is clearly not a problem for BBE. However the METHOD of creating PERSONALITY, CHARACTER and RIGHTEOUSNESS is interesting. It is what differentiates a HUMAN from any other being.(except BBE) (..and interestingly, it is a characteristic that continues to defy understanding by our most modern science)
If you create omnipotent beings directly, you end up with angels or devils. CHARACTER and PERSONALITY needs to be built up, groomed, refined and ingrained. As I said –the solution is to place TEMPORARY MMEs in a suitable short term environment where the only real thing that can be accumulated of worth is …you guessed it… RIGHTEOUSNESS of CHARACTER and PERSONALITY.
2… Why such a complex arrangement WRT biodiversity etc for ‘selecting’ MMEs?
A – Well ‘complex’ is a relative term. What may be complex for a MME may be basic stuff for a BBE. There were lots of challenges that I considered complex before I understood integral Calculus or C+ programming.
3…Has all creation (LOL) been “One pregnancy” seeking a single MME for promotion?
Definitely not! This world has been a project aimed at producing a significant number of new BBE inductees. It is more like a marriage than a ‘pregnancy’.
4… Next year?
That is a long story. But as I said the project is winding down, and the ‘manual’ provides many indications of what is to be expected in the end game. Years of research tells me that 2007-2008 will mark a dramatic change in global affairs. People have a tendency to look more carefully at spiritual matters in times of difficulty than in times of boom. I expect spiritual interest to pick up significantly by this time in 2008….
5…The Biggie…
The biggest challenge I had in seeking to comprehend this concept is to remember that WE are the limited pathetic beings here – bound by two concepts that were created SOLELY to constrain us in time and space.
The whole IDEA of time sequence with ancestors etc is a time initiated concept. Such constraints are not applicable to BBE.
I have NO IDEA where the first BBE came from – perhaps there is a Super BBE operating at an even higher level, but then there are so many other things that I have no idea of, that I do not find this void to be daunting. I can picture two of “Lowdown’s” goats trying to figure out where he came from too….
Paul said it this way “For now we see through a glass, darkly. But later we shall see face to face. Now I know in parts but then I shall know just as I am known.
dafadil // December 20, 2007 at 8:34 AM
As I read this article I could only agree with the comments made. We are indeed still slaves to the culture and norms that are presented to us. We have not yet evolved into right thinking individuals, but if not now then when? We still teach our children to be safe and find a job, forgetting that there is another choice, open your own enterprise. Teaching our children to take chances on a heartfelt idea is a hard sell for us blacks, why I wonder? Because we are not by nature risk takers, our spirits have been beaten down so often that our risk taking needs are all but non existent. This needs to change. As the article indicated the 10% has to be responsible enough to help the other 90% rise up and succeed. But the usual route is to go the ‘white’ man and what do you think will happen?
Take the East Indians they loan to each other to help each other, what happened to us blacks? I think this might be constructive criticism, so blacks might wake up to reality. Please read what has been said about us…
Straight talk // December 22, 2007 at 4:40 PM
Bush Tea:
In my mind your theory is too close to classical Judeo- Christian belief for me to comment at this most joyous time, when all men come together and celebrate whatever.
I sincerely wish you and your dearest, and in fact the whole of Barbados, the very best of eveything and that their fondest dreams come true.
Merry Christmas everybody.
David // December 22, 2007 at 6:38 PM
Sources close to BU confirm that although Prime Minister Arthur did not attend the Church ceremony of the wedding of Minister Eastmond he definitely put in an appearance at the reception. Reports also confirm that he was in an expansive mode and had to be quickly escorted from the area by party faithfuls.
worried // December 24, 2007 at 12:18 PM
I am concerned about how people like Chris Halsell who was fired by all the telecommunications operators could be a big advisor for Invest Barbados and Ms Mottley. who is he and what does he bring?
Also who is Elliott Sachar for him to be getting everything he wants from the Ministry of economic development?what does he bring to the table?
Adrian Loveridge // December 24, 2007 at 3:44 PM
Worried…
Elliott Sachar is currently the President of BIBA (Barbados International Business Association).
You can find a profile of his career on their website.
Former President of Blue Communications and FutureKids (Caribbean).
Chartered Accountant and studied at University of Cape Town.
Currently listed as head of Island Fax Limited which I have not found listed in the Barbados telephone directory or on the CAIPO site, but that maybe because it has not been updated since April 2007.
David // December 24, 2007 at 6:55 PM
Does anyone know whether there was a tender to manage the Concorde operation at the airport by the BTI?
Donavere Alberto Codrington // December 24, 2007 at 7:56 PM
The Codrington Family would like the Barbados Media Relief Fund to announce to the Barbadian Public that not one cent of the funds which they collected in the telethon have been given to any of Donavere’s surviving children.
They are refusing to do so despite several emails and calls concerning this matter.
The Codrington Family accepts the fact that the money was not collected on our behalf (as stated by representatives of CBC, who said they are guided by the Min of Social Transformation in the disbursement of the funds) so let the public know this.
It would seem to me that the Barbadian public paid for their own, xmas and election hampers this year, thanks to their generous donations to the telethon.
Wishing in Vain // December 24, 2007 at 8:09 PM
This is indeed a shame that monies collected on behalf of these stricken families will never make it to where it ought to make it, disgraceful indeed disgraceful.
May you all have a safe and healthy Christmas and New Years may the Lord bless you all.
Bush tea // December 24, 2007 at 9:55 PM
David,
I have to tell you that the snow on the Blog is TIGHT!?!
You deserve some kind of special recognition for the work that you are doing here….
I am not a ‘Christmas person’, But I wish you and yours all the best of the season and BBE’s protection in the new year….
Wishing in Vain // December 24, 2007 at 10:39 PM
Let us look at the number of articles written on the subject of the Louis Lynch Scholl fiasco, in this clipping it ends on the 26th Jan 2006 and on the 24th Dec 2007 we are still awaiting a decision on the future of this school this is really a disgraceful shame.
Worried // December 25, 2007 at 7:00 AM
Adrian, thamks for the info. I heard yesterday that Sachar is running Blue Communications and apparently is very close to Mottley so he can get her to do anything. I still waiting to hear about this Halsell guy who seems to be a big time advisor to Mottley even though all the telecommunications operators got rid of him.
Why is he here? Does he have a work permit to advise Mottley?
Fred // December 25, 2007 at 7:27 AM
No wonder that he was so uncomfortable at a certain party of a big corporate event and he was in the company of so many DEMS around those DEMS in Parliament and those from the Senate were present he did not last too long at the event, maybe he felt uneasy in their company.
Seems to me that a lot of these BLP hopefulls are no longer so confident in themselves or their staus at the polls the are making fleeting appearences at social events and generally the guest are not flocking around to hear what they are saying as used to the case hence they have lost the limelight and the glow and it is clearly manifesting it in their actions to the public.
I am also now hearing that the two seats that the blp considered safe seats are no longer so these two being the clown Rawle Eastmond’s and Ronald Toppin’s seats my understanding of the rsult of a poll conducted indicates a very narrow margin of seperation between the candidates of the blp and those of the DLP.
Well done guys keep the effort going to the finish line.
Georgie Porgie // December 28, 2007 at 12:26 PM
Arthur added: “I look forward to the next term especially in the area of health care, the opportunity to build a new hospital excites me (and) to build the University College of Barbados, to have all of the communities in Barbados fully developed by the end of the first decade . . . . All have to get roads, all lights, all community facilities and stuff like that.
This excerpt from some drivel delivered by the drunken dwarf depresses me. Here is a medical illiterate talking about something about which he knows nothing.
BARBADOS DOES NOT NEED A NEW HOSPITAL—IT NEEDS A SECOND HOSPITAL or other special hospitals.
We actually had a second hospital operating in the early nineties that was closed down by the BLP!
Provision was made for a new OPTHALMIC WING ON TOP OF CASUALTY by the DLP in the last administration
Bajans must resist the idea that HEALTCARE = HOSPITAL CARE (OR TERTIARY CARE).
What we need is to ensure that our Public Health preventative institutions maintain their integrity, and we need to improve them.
We need also to ensure that we improve our delivery of primary and secondary care to the poor, the elderly and all children. The well off are traditionally able to pay for their of primary and secondary care. Once our Public Health preventative institutions are functioning properly and our primary and secondary care is available to all and improved, our tertiary or hospital care will be reduced drastically.
A large proportion of folk who are so ill to be treated in hospital are at deaths door.
A new spanking hospital building is a legacy for those who like to see their erections, but buildings don’t hospitals or healthcare make.
LET COMMON SENSE PREVAIL
VOTE THIS BETZPAENIC MAN OUT OF OFFICE.
HOW CAN YOU CLOSE A NEWLY REFURBISHED AND REFITTED HOSPITAL 13 YEARS AGO AND NOW COME AND TELL US WE NEED A NEW HOSPITAL NOW.
DID YOU CONSULT ANYONE IN THE MEDICAL FRATERNITY?
REAL DOCTORS WILL TELL YOU THAT THEY NEED PROPER NURSING STAFF AND EQUIPMENT SO THAT THEY CAN EFFECT PROCEEDURES.
THE SURGEONS AT QEH WILL TELL YOU THAT THEY NEED MORE ANAESTHETISTS SO THAT THE LISTS DON’T STOP AT 1 AM WHEN THE PART TIME ANAESTHETISTS GO HOME CAUSING THE REMAINING CASES ON THE LISTS TO BE CANCELLED.
Sandra // December 28, 2007 at 2:03 PM
So now that xmas is over did anyone think that by giving the title/name Christmas to what was previously a pre-christian festival the church may have made a mistake? I mean how can anyone put Christ back into Christmas if he was never part of it in the first place? In all my years I have wondered what his role is cause’ I sure can’t see it. I can see the end of the year being a good time to have parties and just celebrate that one lived for another year but where does the baby in a manger come into it when informed minds know that he was not born on December 25th? Do these questions bother anyone? Should the season be given its original name now?
Concerned Bajan // December 28, 2007 at 6:37 PM
I have a friend who has confirmed that the rate of deaths at the QEH as reached alarming numbers. The number is distressing because the mortality rate of newborn babies is also rising. Can we discuss?
Jerome Hinds // December 28, 2007 at 7:55 PM
Concerned Bajan // December 28, 2007 at 6:37 pm
I have a friend who has confirmed that the rate of deaths at the QEH as reached alarming numbers. The number is distressing because the mortality rate of newborn babies is also rising. Can we discuss?
**********************************
Concerned Bajan,
What you expected ?
The ” ACE ” Abortionist….George Griffith is on the QEH Board !
Georgie Porgie // December 28, 2007 at 9:32 PM
Concerned Bajan
We cannot comment on why the rate of deaths at the QEH has reached alarming numbers. But we can ask questions such as
1- What are the diagnoses of the deceased?
2- What are the ages of the deceased?
3- Did the deceased die because of poor medical or nursing care or human error?
4- Did the deceased pass because of terminal illnesses like cancer etc?
If the answer is not # 3 we need not be alarmed. We have a population with a large number of elderly folk with diabetes and hypertension who are prone to strokes. They didn’t die from childhood illnesses and have survived to over seventy. Since 100% of folk who have been born die (except Enoch and Elijah) we might see many elderly dieing. At least that is the trend I see in the death notices in the Nation online.
5- To comment on the rising infant mortality rate we would have to look at many variables, which I cant really properly get into here, without having the statistics.
Mr Griffith’s presence on the Board is very unlikely to be a factor as stated by the last poster.
Anonymous // December 29, 2007 at 6:58 AM
Is it true that former Chief Immigration Officer was viciously gunned down while reading a newspaper on his patio last night?
David // December 29, 2007 at 1:30 PM
Word reaching BU from a reliable source who lives in the area confirms that the late Hutson’s killing is being linked to a transaction with Guyanese. Info is sketchy and we will update later.
Anonymous // December 29, 2007 at 2:25 PM
Yes David
Sad but true.Mr Hutson apparently had to take action against some guyanese and he was killed as a result.
Owen really got these guyanese people feeling real powerful in bajan country – that they could boldly go up to a former CHIEF Immigration Officer home and shoot him multiple times point blank.
Mr David Thompson I hope you know what to do with these large number of guyanese when you get in – Ple e a a s s e e Do It With Haste.
transaction David? // December 29, 2007 at 2:34 PM
If this was a regular immigration ‘transaction’ why was there a murder? This is a very disturbing new thing to happen in Barbados, indeed.
Who remembers murders in Barbados being anything other than domestic, and it has always been said that violent crime in Barbados is almost completely domestic, barring and excepting for some resulting from the ‘drug’ trade.
What category and motivation do we have in this case? This should be closely watched.
David // December 29, 2007 at 2:58 PM
transaction David ~what has happened provoked us to blog on it. It is truly a disturbing trend which has emerged in Barbados. See our recent blog.
frankology // December 29, 2007 at 5:42 PM
Hold it right there!.. Why are we speculating how and why the late Kenrick Hutson was killed. I am close to the Hutson’s family and it brought tears to my eyes. My family and I grieved with the Hutson’s family during this tragic period.
Anonymous // December 29, 2007 at 5:51 PM
If you are so close to the Hutson family as you claim,then you would know what the family suspects.
frankology // December 29, 2007 at 6:14 PM
During a tragedy like this, the family will be trying to come to grips with the killing and the questions will be why will someone murder a gentleman with a impeccable character and demour.
Let’s hope the perpetrator is brought to justice, meantime, let’s stop the assumptions about the involvement of politics until we are guaranteed that is the reason.
David // December 29, 2007 at 7:42 PM
frankology you response is part of a problem/dilemma which Barbadians will have going forward. So lets wait until all the facts are in before we realize that we have a problem.
Georgie Porgie // December 29, 2007 at 10:45 PM
no need for change posted on BLP blog
In an article entitled No Change For Change posted on its blog on December 30, 2007, the BLP begs not to be booted out of office remain in office after three term, because
a) in Jamaica ruling parties have benefited from four terms in office,
b) in Australia the John Howard administration was able to retain the confidence of the electorate on four occasions until it suffered a crushing defeat earlier this month,
c) Americans are wont to say that if a thing is not broken you do not change it,
d) a talented BLP team of ministers have introduced innovative programmes which have propelled the country into the category of the number one developing in the world,
e) the fact that you don’t change such an administration for one that brought the country to its knees in 1994 when unemployment rose to the unprecedented level of 22 per cent.
The author of this article needs to understand that Bajans do not have to follow the pattern of either the Jamaicans, the Australians or the Americans.
The author of this article needs also to realize that this is not 1994, and that the DLP are now ready to take over the reins of Government. The DLP HAS BOUNCED BACK.
The author of this article needs to list the members of this talented BLP team of ministers for the Bajan public to understand what they are trying to fool us with.
Does he mean that Wood, or Rommel, or Liz, or Gline Clarke etc are talented? After 13 years Liz cant open the dump. Tell us more about this team of talented ministers. Is Cinty talented too, besides as a primary school teacher?
We are told that “there has been a dramatic turn-around in the country’s fortunes and that foreign reserves have now reached the record level of $2 billion.” They forget that Bajans both at home and abroad are cognizant of the fact that this because the PRIME MINISTER HAS SOLD OUR PRIME LANDS to achieve this! The most serious injury one can attempt to do me is to insult my intelligence.
Strike me, beat me, bite me; do what so ever you will. But do not insult my intelligence.
The author of the article opines “One only has to take a drive along the West and South coasts to witness the evidence of the return of investor confidence.” This is because the Owen Arthur administration has sought to measure success by its erections! Erections like a renewed Kensington Oval that is not owned by the people, a new prison that was built with great cost over runs. Now they want to erect a new hospital?
Are we to understand that the PM having now probably suffering from erectile dysfunction secondary to his chronic alcoholism, is now so focused on the attainment of erections that erections of any sort consumes his every thought?
It is noteworthy that all the Deputy Prime Minister, Mia Mottley can projest for the future is that 3000 persons living in urban tenantries will soon have the titles to their lots transferred at a cost of $2.50 per sq. ft. Is this not a project that should long ago have been completed, having had its origin in the BLP administration from 81-86? All that the “talented” Deputy Prime Minister can currently offer the people is the commitment to the removal of pit toilets from the landscape by the year 2017.
A future BLP government can only offer help from the UDC, the RDC and the Enterprise Growth Fund Ltd to help farmers, barbers and hair stylists. WOW! What rocket science!
The BLP is so determined to have a one party state that the purveyor of this pithy, puerile prose government found it again necessary to comment that “the current pleas being made by the DLP for a change of government are born out of fear of extinction.” The extinction of the DLP, not their defeat at the poll is their main concern. The Jamaican or Australian oppositions that suffered quadruple defeats at the polls did not become extinct. But the BLP seeks that the DLP become EXTINCT if they should lose a fourth consecutive election in Barbados.
A word of warning to the wise ought to be enough!
The author concludes by suggesting the party which rules the streets, rules the country. Is this another veiled warning?
The only sensible or serious sentences in all this drivel with which we can agree are that “ Common sense dictates that people change a government when they recognise that it has lost direction or its relevance. You change an appliance if it is broken or not working well.”
This is what the Bajan electorate must do, at the next election.
Georgie Porgie // December 31, 2007 at 10:16 PM
In an article entitled Haven in the Eastern Caribbean posted on Dec 29th at . http://blp.org.bb/index.phpposted on December 29th at The BLP seems to be trying to make a case for not dealing with excessive migration to Barbados which accounts for the large numbers of Guyanese in the country that seems to be causing great discomfort to Barbadians.
The author pontificates that “ Barbados is to the nationals of the Eastern Caribbean and Guyana, what Britain is to the nationals of Eastern Europe, the Indian Sub-Continent, Africa and the Middle East” totally incognizant or uncaring of the repercussions this is having on Bajans.
Despite admitting that they know that the goal of these illegal immigrants is to in most cases “to gain employment; avoid political marginalization or persecution in their homelands or benefit from the the educational and social programmes that are in place in Barbados.”
I am forced to debunk this pithy puerile prose emanating from their website, because they make it sound like they are manna from heaven and that Owen is the Messiah. Nothing is further from the truth.
It is interesting that the BLP spouts that “An independent judiciary also attracts the attention of prospective emigrants. Non-nationals taking up residence in Barbados know that they can have justice in the law courts. Barbados has a long tradition of an incorruptible judiciary. Judges appointed to sit on the bench have never been removed from office for wrong-doing or the miscarrige of justice.”
This is how it ought to be. What is the fuss? Prospective immigrants and our residents want to know too what was the nature of the quantum of the settlement between Owen and Beverley. This knowledge which has been suppressed by the local courts would inform the populace of the degree of wealth that Owen has accumulated on his salary of less than 200,000 per annum in 12 years, given that in 1993 he claimed he could not live on 48,000 per annum. Ah lie?.
Barbados is being seen as the Gem of the Eastern Caribbean. because for decades there has been good leadership in Barbados. Owen Arthur has not done anything more than anyone else as a leader in their tenure. Adams, Barrow, Adams, St John, Sandiford were all worthy leaders.
Just as artisans and professionals from across the region have flocked to Barbados, so to have Bajans gone overseas seeking work. The fact that our neighbours from the contiguous islands wish to make Barbados our home, is also nothing new. This has gone on for decades. Folk from the Windwards especially used to come over to trade in the days of the inter island schooners and the Federal boats. Many stayed. The current building boom in Barbados has offered many job opportunities to nationals from Guyana and the Eastern Caribbean. That is probably the real reason they are seeking work in Barbados today.
He speaks in another place of setting up a University of Barbados .Let us not forget that university education in Barbados is as old as the hills. Long before UWI, Bajans went up to Codrington College to study for external degrees from the University of Durham. Let us not forget that the Community College that the BLP want to turn into University of Barbados was THE BRAIN CHILD OF ERSKINE LLOYD SANDIFORD.
That Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines has gone on record as saying that Barbados “is the best run black country in the Western hemisphere,and that Non-nationals from the sister territories of the Eastern Caribbean and Guyana are confirming this observation with their decision to work and live among us is NOTHING NEW. THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN SO SINCE I WAS A LITTLE BOY. It is well written that THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN.
Georgie Porgie // December 31, 2007 at 10:37 PM
Illegal Immigrants Poem
I cross ocean, poor and broke.
Take bus, see employment folk.
Nice man treat me good in there.
Say I need to see welfare.
Welfare say, ‘You come no more,
we send cash right to your door.’
Welfare checks – they make you wealthy!
Free Insurance – it keep you healthy!
By and by, I get plenty money.
Thanks to you, you BAJAN dummy!
Write to friends in motherland.
Tell them ‘come fast as you can.’
They come in turbans and Ford truc ks,
And buy big house with welfare bucks!
They come here, we live togeth er.
More welfare checks, it gets better!
Fourteen families, they moving in,
but neighbor’s patience wearing thin.
Finally, BAJAN guy moves away.
Now I buy his house,then I say,
‘Find more immigrants for house to rent.’
And in the yard I put a tent.
Everything is very good,
and soon we own the neighborhood.
We have hobby, it’s called breeding.
Welfare pay for baby feeding.
Kids need dentist? Wives need pills?
We get free! We got no bills!
BAJANS crazy!
They work all year, to keep the welfare running here.
We think Barbados A. darn good place.
Too darn good for Bajan race!
If they no like us, they can scram.
Got lots of room in the dump at Greenland !
Watchman // January 4, 2008 at 6:33 PM
What is the situation with the first televised debate advertised for tonight? Am I right in hearing that it has been called off? Why? Anyone heard anything about the reasons?
David // January 4, 2008 at 7:04 PM
It was reported in the news that the BLP campaign management did not agree to the format and consequently Dale Marshall refused to turn up even though Michael Lashley was in attendance ready and willing.
YVON MARSHALL // January 6, 2008 at 8:12 PM
I AM A BAJAN LIVING IN ATLANTA GA FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS….I HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY FOLLOWING BARBADIAN POLITICS AND I AM CONVINCED THE OWEN ARTHUR AND THE BLP HAVE LED BARBADOS THE UNMATCHED WEALTH AND FINANCIAL STABILITY..THE FACT IS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A 106% INCREASE IN CAPITAL PROJECTS AND ULTIMATELY IT BENEFITS ALL BAJANS …
David // January 7, 2008 at 2:13 AM
Yvon Marshall do you agree that prosperity is not only measured in economic terms but the social equity must be measured as well? How do we weight one over the other? Do you agree that it is a balance which is critical to gauge success of countries?
frankology // January 11, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Goodmorning David.
Both blogs were criticising the fourth estate of of stifling articles by writers with a political slant. The BFP and you lambasted the ‘fourth estate’ on what you saw as a ‘curtailing of expressions’ and of being “bias”. Now I am realising that everyone do have an agenda. I tried to remain constant on the views I express and deal with the issues that have a ’strange underlying cloud’ where partisan views override the real truth, where innuendos are the favoured recipe to entice a sleeping public.
In the past hours, I have realised that my submissions have been placed on moderation by the other blog. Information that I have been submitting are based on actual finding, real research that are linked to reports published in various papers. What I can say is, I never accused anyone of being ‘different” sexually or otherwise, I never using vile remarks or threatening statements to get over a point. Maybe, this is not the view of a blog, it seems that a commenter must be harsh, rude and crude and most of all a’DLP supporter”. This is where the problem lies with the BFP especially. I mentioned in one of my submissions that the commenters are 95% DLP supported writers and I feel that the refusal of my submission is by no means a moderating or a ’spam’ problem, but a deliberate attempt to silence a writer. The elections has not be won and this is just a manifested behaviour of things to come.
If this article is not printed, I can firmly say, Freedom of information and ideals are being challenged.
A Family Saturday Gone Sour // January 13, 2008 at 4:30 PM
My family and I were on our way to Sheraton Centre on Saturday, 12th January, 2008 when we happened upon a motorcade being conducted by the BLP. Staying safely behind the motorcade in an effect to avoid breaking their congaline possession we were noticed by the last jeep which was driver by a woman whom we did not know. She, feeling threatened by the fact that our family car bore the DLP slogan and a picture of Thompson, she beckoned to the ‘trouble threes’ of the motorcade that we were causing her some discomfort.
By the time we reach St. Barnabus we had all intension of using the Mapp Hill Roundabout to continue on our journey toward Sheraton, but this was not to be a peaceful decision.
Some low rate householder decked in a red dress and a pair of white flowered panties left her veranda and came down to our car and started to tear off the DLP stickers, ripped them to threads and threw them into our car. How did I get to know the panties she was wearing? She lifted her dress into the air and showed off herself.
She was then joined by a number of BLP supporters who had stopped a few feet in front our car leaving all four car doors open and joined the bombastic woman in her verbal abuse of my family.
I was not surprised that those offended by our presents were women. I must mention however, that one male happened to approach the car after we proceed away from them and parked on the side of the road to replace our damaged posters.
Forgetting I had my husband’s camera we were only able to capture the women in the background behind us attempting to throw stones at the car.
Frankly I do not see the scene of the whole fiasco. My seven year old son and my fifteen year old daughter were advised by one of the BLP party supporters not to be idiots like them – their parents.
Who are the idiots here? The lady at the rare of the motorcade who wanted us to pass some fifteen or so vehicles in breech of the law for overtaking. (2) The woman who was not even apart of the motorcade exposing herself in the road and in front of minors a (3) cursing and carrying on like there was no tomorrow or (4) the lone man who proceeded to follow the car on foot leaving the Hire car with its doors wide opened partly in the middle of a road beyond the major stop.
Is this still a Democratic country where one can have freedom of movement to reach one’s destination?
David // January 13, 2008 at 4:41 PM
In an election which has been as hotly contested as this one there is a lot at stake. In a way it is God’s Blessings that this election will have a short campaign. Not withstanding the indicators are present that the political landscape of Barbados is starting to change face. Maybe it is not too late to arrest the slide.
frankology // January 13, 2008 at 7:41 PM
Empathy and lies do not match. I read the above article and I can see a poorly concoct story that have no merit. The lady stated she travel to the Map Hill round-about, which I presume is the Bussa round-about. If she proceeded uphill towards the CBC. The majority of houses back the highway, and it will be impossible for someone to go to a car to pull off stickers. This whole episode depicts a failed attempt to create problems with our electioneering process. If this was true, she would have the exact location – house, colour, left or right side location and real facts.
frankology // January 13, 2008 at 7:55 PM
Regrettable we have had to can some comments which in our judgment was leading BU down a path to lalaland.
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I don’t know what you trying to portray of holding back my comments. Comments by WIV, and some commenters, not only borders libel, but goes far past what is construed as downright libel and an insult to public officials that will degrade our island. Ever article I post, I do endless research before any posting. My information comes from actual statements and not from what commenters say. As you know, commenters usually makes wild statements that people refuse to challenge.
Wishing in Vain // January 13, 2008 at 7:58 PM
You are so full of a load of crap you are, take your licks like a man and shut up with your constant crying.
David // January 13, 2008 at 8:18 PM
Let us state for the record that we have never deleted any comments posted by Frankology.
frankology // January 13, 2008 at 8:29 PM
You are so full of a load of crap you are, take your licks like a man and shut up with your constant crying
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I always take my licks like man. Do you?
frankology // January 13, 2008 at 8:38 PM
Let us state for the record that we have never deleted any comments posted by Frankology.
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Thanks BU for being the fairer blog. We all have our partisan views, but we must act professionally whilst carrying out our mandate.
This is hope for all our voters on Tuesday. It’s your democratic right to vote for the party you see fit to govern this country. In so doing, you must vote for the candidate within your constituency in order for the party of your choice to win. Another thing, you might vote for a particular party, or you might vote for an individual that in your observation, would make a better representative, here again, that is your right.
So whoever you vote for, do it for yourself, do not be intimidated by people, but it must be your conscious that will motivate you.
I will be voting for a chance for change, or a change for chance. I will do my thing on Tuesday and may the better party win. Regardless of the outcome, we still have to eat and sleep in this land call Barbados.
David // January 14, 2008 at 6:59 AM
Frankology we do not appreciate the comment about BFP. In fact we go further ans attribute a big part of our decision to start this blog because we bought in to what BFP was/is doing. You don’t have to agree with BFP but you must agree that their emergence has started a new way news in Barbados is and will be handled in the future.
frankology // January 14, 2008 at 10:31 AM
David, I had no alternative but to air my objections of how BFP handles commenters. From the time BFP stated who it will be voting for, I submitted over 15 submissions and onlt three reach the blog. All the others were either deleted or still on moderation. This is not ‘Free democracy”. Ask Marcus or Cliverton why my posts are still on moderation, and please do not blame ’spam’ for the refusal.
Anonymous // January 14, 2008 at 1:02 PM
Frankology, frankology,frankology, I thought you were not going to vote. You don’t seem to know sometimes if you sitting or standing. Ever thought about getting your own blog?
David I agree with you. Barbados’ landscape has changed and obviously it is not for the better. I shudder to think what may happen in the next Gen Elec.
I also shudder to think what is going to happen when people realise that they have only themselves to rely on and everything done gone. I cannot see it being pretty.
Barbados has entered another phase of its development or life. It is not looking good. Hooray for the economy according to some but I see bare stress for the people. Lost and not even aware.
Well, we will live until we die I suppose.
Bizzy and Nichols know better // January 14, 2008 at 3:21 PM
My take on it is different. Whoever wins it has to be a beginning and a mandate to do the right thing. If we now can view understand that there is widespread corruption it is up to Barbadians to work with every sinew they have to stop it, to correct it, and to redirect a course that we can be proud of.
By taking the high road yes, we live until we die. By taking the low road we are already dead.
David Moves Sister Baby comments // February 1, 2008 at 6:35 PM
#
Prof. Wren, Please kindly allow me to tell you that you are born a Hindu, that is why there are missionaries converting others to Hinduism. However, I have attended the Radhna Krishna Mandir in my country Guyana. Yiu also claim that Dr, Jagan’s book, and I gather it’s The West on Trial is one sided, well, may I kindly suggest that you read PM Burnham’s book A Destiny to Mould and you will see the other half. Now I have heard the late American newscaster Mr. Ed Bradley say that Guyana has a wonderful tension to it and the he really enjoyed touching down on BWIA now Caribbean Airlines at GEO and then heading into GT to have some roti and curry. So I don’t know what Dr. Gibson talking about. Oh gosh MASH is coming up and it is celebrated on the birth date of the first PM of a free and fair Guyana, His Excellency Prime Minister Forbes Burnham, and then of course President Jagdeo’s birthday is a few days later. YEAH Oh we welcome everyone to Guyana for MASH, CARIFESTA and in Cayenne GUYAFESTA. GUYANA an equal place under the sun, Come to Guyana and see for yourself. Those Guyanese that are coming to Barbados are really Barbadian, including the East Indians ones, you know they are dougla, but since you all know nothing about racial types you classify them as East Indians, they coming home. I don’t have any Barbadian in me so I have no desire to come to BGI. I don’t even stop there anymore on Caribbean Airways, I going nonstop to POS and on to GEO.
#
Sister Baby // February 1, 2008 at 1:08 am (edit)
Prof. I meant to say NO MISSIONARIES
#
Sister Baby // February 1, 2008 at 1:13 am (edit)
Yes we have oil in our country, and if that Fineman who is now Devilman to me had any sense he would have waited for the rig to come form Trinidad to dill for oil and then try to get a job on the rig, but no he goes and kills people in their sleep. That is a sin and I as a sometime Hindu knows that he will come back as a rat and we set a trap for him and that will be the end of him.
#
Sister Baby // February 1, 2008 at 2:09 am (edit)
I was born in Guyana of Guyanese parents of course in those days it was British Guiana and the then Governor was Sir Patrick Renison. I have no Barbadian blood in me, but I am a Hindu, Obeah, Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist, Church of God In Christ and Anglican. My favourite foods are curry and roti, anything curried, except goats, lanb, pork and beef. I love prawn curry and a nice aloo roti. Analysis, you are Guyanese whether you have Barbadian parents or English parents, you are Guyanese. And this nonsense of about there will be no Guyana is utter rubbish. You don’t understand the dynamics of our country and that is why you can say NO Guyana, which is foolish thingking, it is more like NO BARBADOS, as global warming is coming and will swallow up Barbados. And as Our lovely Minister of Social Affairs was saying to Lusignan residents ayo bettah behave ayo selves as ayo gun get hurt, the same applies to you all, behave yourselves as it is to this pressure cooker ayuh coming tuh in the next 50 years when there is NO MORE BARBADOS. Yes ayuh coming home soon, and as Granny Wilson use to say the world is circular and what goes around comes around. There you go. Oh I saw that Dr. Esther Sookoo in the papers today, and I can tell that giel is one smart girl. Dr. Sookoo come home to Guyana and practice your medical profession at the New Georgetown Public Hospital. Rihanna, lovely ad about me, except I can’t drink milk straight down, I have to add milo and ovaltine, so now you got to get into those ads. love you and hope you come to Carifesta. To the residents of Lusignan, ECD, The lOrd told methis morning that Fineman the man who carried out the killings has cancer of the brains and will die soon even if he is not caught by GDF
Sister Baby
Dr. Wren, You are wondering which university Dr. Gibson graduated from, well dear Dr. Wren, Dr. Gibson certainly did not graduate from the University of Guyana at Turkeyen, I had to say Turkeyen, because there is the University of Guyana at Tain in Berbice, UGB. Had Dr. Gibson obtain her degree from UG the book title would have had to change to Racial Tensions in the United States, East Indians would become white people, Afro Guyanese, African Americans, Stabroek News, the New York Times, Dr. Clive Thomas would be Dr. Alvin Pouissant, and President Jagdeo would be President Bush. With those changes the UG Board of Examinations would have said to her Great Wrtiring Skills Dr. Gibson, and with that we confer you with your degree of Doctorate in Literature.
Overlook // February 11, 2008 at 12:51 PM
It was interesting reading the composition of the N.C.F board and notice there is no place for a qualified musician.I am making this statement because over the years the music department was staff by persons who had or have very little knowledge in music education.Some of these same people are working with young children at the primary school level.
Music is considered not merely a skill to be mastered, but more deeply as an expression of the feelings, values and convivtions found throughout humanity.It is my feeling that the study, performance and creation of music can lead to an awareness of one’s own values.As in many other parts of the developed world we need to expose our kids to various aspects of music history, theory and performance with the intent of fostering a life long understanding of music,thereby influecing their careers.
Over to you Hon. Minister.
Concerned Bajan // February 12, 2008 at 5:48 AM
Overlook you are making a telling point. Remember all the confusion at Crop Over about judges etc? Remember that Crop Over is a significant even on the national callender? Music is a big part of the festival and our culture. Your observation is bang on Sir.
Overlook // February 13, 2008 at 1:35 PM
Concern Bajan, I think we should lobby for some change at the N.C.F. There are too many consultants and not professionals in the various disciplines at that institution. I have attended meetings and workshops and observed very few members making presentations in their special areas and in the case of music none.
I’m very concerned about the music programe or lack of done by the N.C.F. We know that Culture is nothing static and can also be referred to as patterns of human activity and symbolic structures that gives such activities significance and importance.
One of the first discipline you will find in culture is music, so if the Foundation is going to take it into the schools it should be a well structured programe taught by qualified and competent musicians.
Our children deserve better.
David // February 14, 2008 at 5:26 AM
We agree with you Outlook. There is a new government let us hope that it brings the promised change. We wonder why people like Boo Rudder and Elombe and others have not been invited back to work with the NCF full time.
Georgie Porgie // February 16, 2008 at 12:20 PM
The new St. John Polyclinic will be completed as a matter of priority and other capital investments, both private and public, in the health care sector will be undertaken to ensure the restoration of Barbados place as a number one community health care provider, he noted.
==============================
I read the above nonsense in today’s advocate, and wonder why one would follow such an idea. Any clinic to serve the interests of the St John folk is best sited below Salters intersection where Highways X and 4 meet. By placing the clinic at this location we enlarge its catchment area, because the catchment area for such a clinic will then be most of St George, most of St John, sections of northern St Philip and an area in the central easterly section of St Michael.
We need to stop thinking parochially and in terms of constituences, and think in terms of regions served by available public transport. To place a clinic in St John where the abandoned clinic is sited is out of the way for most St John residents using the current bus system.
Currently there is a badly sited clinic at the Glebe and there was one at Gall Hill. Both of these satellite clinics Satellite clinics at these sites were established in the fifties by the late Prof Standard. But now these clinics should be amalgamated and cited below Salters intersection where Highways X and 4 meet, and where they really belong. Such a move facilitates attendance by those who depend on the public transport services.
area in the central easterly section of St Michael.
Relocation of these clinics will also free up the building at the Glebe, and the abandoned building in St John for use as a center for educational, social and other activities (police station, courts etc, library post poffice, as at Holetown .
By placing the Zone four Polyclinic/Emergency Center below below Salters intersection where Highways X and 4 meet, we enlarge its catchment area, and get more bang for our buck! We also free up the building at the Glebe, and the abandoned building in St John for use as a center for educational, social and other activities.
Finally the clinic does not have to be a sprawling monstrosity as some of those currently existing, in which there is a lot of unused space.
Karia // February 17, 2008 at 9:45 AM
As an individual who works in the Social Serice sector in North America, it is sad to read about Mr. Stephen Grant’s diagnosos and the ongoing problems he has faced his entire life.
Are Barbadians so preoccupied with wealth that they refuse to address social issues such as Mr. Grants health and housing issues. It is sad when a Welfare worker refuse to accomodate him in their office and nothing is done about their attitude towards this man. I am sure there are great bajans out there who are willing to advocate on his behalf. His support plan is simple, health care and housing. This man is not on any form of drugs or does not have any mental health issues that is being mentioned. Come on let Mr. Grant spend the latter half of his life in dignity.
One day while vacationing abroad take a trip to our shelters here and then you will be thankful for the minor cases you have there. Barbadians are suppose to be God fearing people where is that fear and compassion when addressing the serious needs of your own people.
Media Dissertation // March 2, 2008 at 2:29 PM
Media Freedom and Political Debate in the Digital Era
Jacob Rowbottom**King’s College, Cambridgea*King’s College, Cambridge
aKing’s College, Cambridge. With thanks to Michael Birnhack, the participants of the Cambridge University Public Law Discussion Group and the anonymous referees for comments on earlier drafts.
Go to sectionTop of pageAbstractMEDIA FREEDOM AND MODELS OF ME…HOPES AND FEARS FOR ONLINE EXP…SELF-EXPRESSION AND PARTICIPAT…MEDIA ELITES AND ONLINE EXPRES…MEDIA REGULATION AND DEMOCRATI…CONCLUSION
Abstract
This article examines the impact of online expression on theories of media freedom. While media freedom has generally been justified instrumentally, the opportunities for expression via the Internet may require greater emphasis on the interests of the individual speaker. Despite this development, this article shows how a small number of speakers will still command a much wider audience and have greater influence over political debate. For such speakers the approach to media freedom devised in the mass media era will remain applicable.
Since its inception, the new media has been predicted to revolutionise political communications.1 While it is still early days and the technology continues to develop, many predictions have been partially realised. In the 2004 US elections, the weblog (blog), which allows individuals to keep a log of their comments and views online and to update them regularly, was the most talked about development. The blogs produced by individual citizens were seen to act as a watchdog on both politicians and the established media. While this was the big story of 2004, there is no reason to assume the blog will be the dominant format in the future. Already there is talk of podcasting and videoblogging superseding the text-based blog. The new technology is said to be breaking down the barrier between citizen and journalist. An indication of this process was apparent in the wake of the July 2005 bombings in London. Pictures of the immediate aftermath and videos of police raids taken with mobile phones helped to tell the story to the rest of the world. Developments in technology are not restricted to individuals; the established media are also adapting their services. The BBC, for example, already makes a number of its television programmes available for viewing online and many media providers are looking for ways to allow the audience to interact with and comment upon their content. A number of established media entities are buying up companies associated with new media, for example BSkyB has acquired the broadband supplier Easynet;2 ITV has bought Friends Reunited and News Corp has bought the owners of http://www.myspace.com, Intermix.3 Such moves reflect the established media’s goal to increase their use of digital technologies to distribute content.
These developments raise the question of whether online content should be subject to the same regulations as other types of media or be relatively free of any restraints. If a website features political advocacy in an election campaign, should it carry the name and address of the publisher as is required for printed posters supporting candidates?4 Should some online content providers be subject to right of reply laws or a duty to cover certain types of content? A heavy-handed approach to regulation may discourage innovation by individual users, as seen in the blogs and many individual websites. However, a hands-off approach carries the danger of undermining the public duties of the media and allowing political debate to become skewed. Such issues are heightened if online technologies become the dominant mode of political communication.
This article does not seek to answer these specific questions, but will address two preliminary issues. First, whether the normative approach to dealing with media freedom should be modified in the light of these changes and place greater emphasis on the individual speaker. The second issue is whether these changes lead to a new paradigm in which regulations to promote the public service element of media activity are inappropriate. In addressing these issues, this article will consider arguments that online expression requires a different approach from that accorded to the traditional mass media. The main grounds for a new approach are premised upon the low cost of communications; the relative ease of participation; the greater emphasis on user control and consequent demise of mediators and controlling elites. While accepting the many beneficial changes brought about through online communications, this article will argue that rather than generating a level playing field, online expression can not only perpetuate existing media elites, but also create new ones. Consequently, online expression operates at different tiers, as found in the offline world. The regulatory approach may therefore require different methods depending on the tier of expression.
In making this argument, the article will be divided into five sections. The first will look at the traditional approaches to regulating the mass media and the relationship between expression rights and media freedom. The second section will examine some of the academic responses to the Internet and its impact on the media and freedom of expression. The third section will consider the increased opportunities for individual participation on the Internet, which differentiate it from traditional forms of mass media. The fourth section will then show how certain media organisations/speakers maintain an elite status online that gives disproportionate influence over public debate. Finally, possible strategies of regulation and the various pitfalls will be outlined. While this raises a range of important issues for different categories of expression, the central focus of this article will be the coverage of politics and political debate, an issue that lies at the heart of the democratic and public service functions of the media.
Underlying this argument is a view that the regulation of the media and the protection of its freedom must be understood in the context of how people communicate. A system designed with pamphleteers in mind would surely be inappropriate in an age where television is the dominant form of mass communication. Similarly it is necessary to ask whether the development of online expression, such as the Internet, changes why and how we should protect media freedom.5 This is not to adopt a position of technological determinism. Law does not take a secondary role; it takes an active role in shaping how the technology develops and how it will be used. The current media practices are in part a product and reflection of the regulatory environment. However, the regulatory environment may need to be adapted to respond to these practices. Such changes in the regulation may help ensure that the technology and its use continue to develop in ways that reflect democratic and public service values.
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MEDIA FREEDOM AND MODELS OF MEDIA REGULATION
The model of media regulation must be considered in light of rights of expression and media freedom. The relationship between the right of expression and media freedom is complex.6 Starting with freedom of expression, three well-known justifications are often advanced.7 The first view is that freedom of expression is essential to a person’s autonomy and self-fulfilment. The second is the marketplace of ideas, that minimal government regulation will allow robust debate between citizens that is most likely to lead to the truth. The third justification is that freedom of expression is a necessary component of democratic government. There is an overlap between these justifications and all have been subject to extensive criticisms.8 Instrumental justifications are often invoked to support media freedom, for example as providing a public function in disseminating information, viewpoints and ideas.9 As Lord Bingham explained in McCartan Turkington Breen v Times Newspapers:
the majority cannot participate in the public life of their society … if they are not alerted to and informed about matters which call or may call for consideration and action. It is very largely through the media … that they will be so alerted and informed. The proper functioning of modern participatory democracy requires that the media be free, active, professional and enquiring.10
It is harder to maintain that media freedom is valuable because it contributes to the self-fulfilment of the speaker. Only a limited number of people can air their views on television or write their own newspaper column. A barrier exists between the journalist or reporter, and the audience. Even if speakers are granted access to the mass media, this right can only be engaged by a small number of groups or individuals.11 The value of media freedom comes from the way it serves the interests of the public and audience.12
That media freedom is instrumentally justified tells us little about how this freedom is best protected. For example, in the US Justice Stewart argued for the autonomy of select media institutions, distinct from other speech rights, to secure independence from the government.13 This has not been the approach adopted by the courts in the US, under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) or in UK law. A contrasting view is reflected in Sir John Donaldson’s statement that the media’s ‘right to know and their right to publish is neither more nor less than that of the general public’.14 However, equating media freedom with that of individual speakers is not always helpful given that the way the media exercise their freedom will be different from that of individual speakers, given the scale and influence of their operations. Furthermore, the two freedoms may conflict. Those controlling the mass media may use their freedom to undermine the expression rights of others, for example excluding particular points of view. While the same point may be made about other institutions that control forums for expression,15 the point is particularly pressing for the media given its reach and influence over public debate. Consequently, Professor Judith Litchenberg writes:
Unlike freedom of speech, to which certain aspects of which our commitment must be virtually unconditional, freedom of the press should be contingent on the degree to which it promotes certain values at the core of our interest in freedom of expression generally.16
This approach can be seen in the European Court of Human Rights’ jurisprudence under Article 10 where special protection is granted to the media when performing its ‘public watchdog’ role ‘to impart information and ideas of public interest’.17 This protection is granted to the media not as an institution, but rather to the product of the speaker and its capacity to serve debate on matters in the public interest.
The view that media freedom should be protected in so far as it serves that value of freedom of expression helps to explain why some regulations of media activities are consistent with Article 10.18 The point should not be overstated, as the ECtHR’s support for media regulation is limited to merely finding it consistent with Article 10 as a necessary limit on the media expression, rather than finding it to be a necessary component of expression rights. Craufurd Smith argues that the regulation of the media need not be seen in this way as a necessary limitation of expression rights, but can be seen as a way of promoting the conditions for free expression.19 Even though the ECtHR has not gone this far, the recognition that some regulation is necessary in a democratic society is still important, as if media freedom is an unqualified guarantee against state interference, then the media may simply become an outlet for a self-interested point of view, such as the views of the owners of private media. Such a scenario raises the danger that media freedom will be asserted simply to protect the economic interests of the media company or other property owner, rather than to serve democratic goals or the public interest.20 The mass media, with the high costs of access and control in the hands of an elite, requires some oversight to prevent its important social and democratic functions being skewed in the interests of a small number of speakers or gatekeepers.
None of this is to say that all regulation of the media is justified, it must be shown that the regulation will serve democratic needs. What type of media regime best serves these needs depends on the model of democracy to be applied.21 While consideration of the various different models is beyond the scope of this paper, most models of democracy will require some level of news coverage, the presentation of information and analysis, and the provision of diverse viewpoints. Different regimes of regulation have traditionally applied to different types of media. The print media is subject to public interest regulation governing ownership and to those regulations applying to all types of expression, but is not subject to content regulations seeking to promote pluralism, for example it is under no duty of balance or fairness in political coverage. By contrast, the broadcast media in the UK are subject to stricter regulations. All licensed broadcasters are subject to a basic tier of regulation imposing requirements of accuracy and impartiality, and taste and decency.22 Advertisements on the broadcast media are subject to controls on timing and content, and no political advertisements are permitted on television or radio. Those designated as public service broadcasters are subject to extra tiers of regulation, for example requiring a certain level of educational and cultural programmes to be broadcast. The distinction is reflected in the Article 10 jurisprudence that permits more intensive regulations on the broadcast media.23 Why the distinct regulatory regimes have developed has been the subject of much debate,24 and the difference is presented as social and historical rather than theoretical.25 Consequently, many of the regulations applied to the broadcast media may justifiably be imposed on the press, and vice versa, if it serves democratic needs such as pluralism and diversity.
The precise model of regulation appropriate for online expression is still being worked out.26 It has been argued that online expression should fit the print model,27 or is at least closer to that model, rather than the broadcast regulatory regime.28 The White Paper that formed the basis of the UK Communications Act explained that Internet material should be subject to regulation a tier below the most relaxed standards applied to broadcasters.29 Online content is exempt from the regulations applied to broadcasters30 and is subject to general regulations imposed on expression, such as public order laws, defamation, confidentiality and intellectual property. However, the European Commission has proposed extending the Television Without Frontiers Directive to some types of audio-visual content distributed online, suggesting that some online content is similar to the broadcast media.31 Many of the services provided online have qualities analogous to either type of media. For example, more news providers ranging from the BBC to The Sun provide text based and video services on their websites. While online expression has been subject to less regulation than other types of established media, this position needs to be reassessed as more of its services move closer to the current output of broadcasters.
A further point to be noted at the outset is that the level of invasiveness is sometimes used to differentiate types of media. The broadcast media is seen to push its content onto the audience without request. By contrast, other types of media, such as newspapers, require active steps by the audience to receive content, the user pulls the material from the source. The extent to which this distinction accurately describes the different types of media has been questioned, as it may exaggerate the passivity associated with television. The television viewer still can choose whether he or she wants to watch the television and what channel he or she wishes to view.32 This level of control increases as more channels become available. Viewers of television are not only getting more choice in the numbers of programmes to watch, but also greater choice when to watch. For example, digital video recorders such as TiVo allow individuals to view programmes at their chosen time, filter advertisements and rewind live TV while watching. Many TV programmes also offer greater interactivity through participation in the form of SMS voting and the selection of additional content using the ‘red button’ on digital formats. The level of control given to the audience in the pull media can also be exaggerated given that a newspaper reader may be able to select a particular title, but beyond that cannot determine which issues are to be covered and in what depth. While the role of the audience varies according to the type of media, it is important not to exaggerate these differences.
Where the online media fits in this framework has been the subject of debate, and will vary according to the application.33 In ACLU v Reno, Justice Stevens argued that ‘the Internet is not as “invasive” as radio or television’, given that it does not appear on a computer screen unbidden and that users are unlikely to encounter content online by accident.34 Under this view, receiving content from an Internet webpage requires active steps in which an individual seeks out the particular source by either typing in a URL or choosing a particular link. While the digital media does provide greater opportunities for audience control and participation, this article will consider the limits to this argument. When an individual uses a search engine, he or she will not always be looking for a specific source or item of information, but is hoping to be told which sources will be most helpful or relevant. When a link is selected, it will normally be due to another source recommending that particular webpage. Furthermore, many users will simply return to the same sources or sites for particular types of content, or subscribe to direct feeds from that source. While the technology permits much greater participation for users, the social habits that shape the use of this media and the need for some guidance in navigating the mass of information will enable some online speakers to be able to push some of their content to a wide audience.
To summarise, many of the criticisms of the media lie in the fact that control lies in the hands of a few, whether this is through a state appointed broadcaster or through economic power in the private media. Consequently, media freedom cannot be equated with other forms of individual expression given that only a small group of people or institutions will be able to exercise media freedom. One goal of regulating the media is to ensure that media institutions perform their important social functions and exercise their power in conformity with their democratic and social responsibilities.35 Whether this concern applies to online expression is the question addressed in the remainder of this article.
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HOPES AND FEARS FOR ONLINE EXPRESSION AND MEDIA FREEDOM
In the early days of the Internet it was hoped that the new media would remove many of the barriers that have traditionally excluded groups from public debate. In an optimistic vision, Professor Eugene Volokh argued in 1995 that online expression would promote ‘cheap speech’ which, while not eliminating inequalities, would transfer much power to users and speakers:
the new technologies will make it much easier for all ideas, whether backed by the rich or poor, to participate in the marketplace. Even if many individuals still can’t afford to counterspeak effectively, there’ll be many more organizations able to speak out on all sides of an issue.36
The implication being that online speakers do not require regulation to ensure coverage of particular points of view or types of content. If there is demand for such coverage, there is nothing to stand in the way of its provision. Many of the economic barriers imposed on expression have been reduced, thereby alleviating some of the major complaints against the media. Furthermore, under this view the opportunities for private censorship are also reduced.37 The marketplace of ideas is seen to function more fairly. While such optimism seems characteristic of the early response to the Internet, such sentiments have been revived with recent popular uses such as blogging.38
At the other end of the spectrum, Professor Cass Sunstein, in http://www.Republic.com, argues that while the Internet may help make expression less expensive and unmediated, it allows users to select information that conforms to their pre-existing views and to exclude opposing arguments through filtering technology.39 In other words, the user can now, or will be able to, use the media to avoid being confronted with opposing points of view. The lack of an intermediary and decentralised nature of the Internet means that citizens will no longer share the same agenda, and people can retreat into their own virtual worlds. Given Sunstein’s model of civic republicanism and deliberative democracy, he is concerned that individuals will use new media to satisfy their private preferences rather than in the service of civic duty. The point highlighted by Sunstein is distinct from the issue in this paper, in that he is concerned with the disappearance of intermediaries that help facilitate shared experience and promote deliberation. However, it is important in that he does not believe unregulated online expression will serve the need for democratic debate.
Sunstein proposes a series of reforms that attempt to apply principles similar to the broadcast model to online expression, such as creating websites dedicated to public discourse, disclosure of the resources allocated to public interest issues by media companies, subsidies to sites promoting public discussion, and finally he proposes a scheme whereby conflicting viewpoints can access particular sites, by imposing must carry rules, link or hyperlink requirements. Supporting these measures, Sunstein deploys the arguments used in his earlier work on freedom of expression,40 drawing analogies with the public forum41 and pointing to the central role of state regulation in creating the Internet and protecting its commercial uses, for example by protecting the rights of those who register domain names.42 As the regulation of digital speech is therefore unavoidable, the question moves from whether or not to regulate to become a question of what type of regulation will promote our collective goals. Sunstein’s work is concerned with promoting the deliberative ideals that he believes underlie the protection of free speech guaranteed in the US Constitution. Sunstein believes that placing too much control in the hands of users may undermine the exchange and deliberation of ideas that is necessary in a democracy.
Sunstein’s approach has been met with a number of criticisms. Firstly, those who were critical of his earlier work and reject his arguments in relation to the broadcast media will reject the arguments set out in http://www.Republic.com. Those who are generally sceptical of government intervention and believe that individuals should be trusted to make their own choices are no more likely to accept the regulation of online expression. A second set of objections is that there is something distinctive about online expression that makes the regulations inappropriate. Professor Dan Hunter argues that there is no need for state subsidies to promote deliberative websites as such websites are being established in any event.43 Regulating for diversity is also misguided as being extremely wealthy is not a pre-requisite for the setting up of a website. The Internet already covers a great deal of diverse information, allowing the democratic need for pluralism to be served without such onerous regulation. Furthermore, it is doubted whether the level of user selection envisaged by Sunstein will be technologically possible, and if it were then the proposed regulations would be easily evaded. This line of argument is that if these regulations were appropriate in an age of the mass media, online expression need not invoke the same concern. This approach does not depart from justification for media freedom outlined above, but rather suggests that such regulations are unnecessary to create a democratic media.
Professor Jack Balkin’s approach to online expression has elements of both lines of criticism.44 He has criticised the policies advocated by Sunstein in relation to the broadcast media on the grounds they put too little weight on popular choices.45 Balkin’s argument also falls into the second school of thought that online expression is fundamentally distinct from other types of communication. He argues that the salient features of online expression undermine the theory of expression on which civic republican and deliberative models are based. In particular, he argues that theories of expression closely associated by civic republicanism have become limited and were devised in response to the specific issues raised by mass media:
the paradigm case that motivates the progressivist agenda – the case of few speakers broadcasting to a largely inactive mass audience – no longer describes the world we live in.46
Whether the mass media audience were ever as passive as the statement suggests is questionable, but online expression offers more overt opportunities for interaction. Professor Balkin does not argue for deregulation of the media, but rather that participation should become a more central concern for this type of expression. Digital technologies facilitate greater participation in politics and culture, neither of which should be in the hands of an elite. Instead, people can participate in shaping culture in a way that was not possible before. It is therefore possible to emphasise freedom of expression from the point of view of the speaker without reinforcing the commercial interests of the media owner. Online expression is not just about the expression of a select number of individuals or institutions that control the media. Instead, the line between media freedom and individual expression becomes blurred, and greater emphasis on the interest of the speaker rather than the audience may be possible. The assumptions underlying the argument that there has been a paradigm shift will now be considered.
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SELF-EXPRESSION AND PARTICIPATION ONLINE
As stated above, while traditional media freedom is hard to justify in terms of the interest of the speaker, there is less reason to overlook the needs of individual online speakers given the ease with which a person can create a blog, post a message or create a website. The shift from looking at expression from the point of view of the public or recipient to the point of view of speaker can be illustrated by various types of online expression, such as the blog. While the blog has been most prominent in the US, it has yet to have similar impact in the UK.47 The blog is nevertheless worth examining as it represents the closest thing to realising the democratised media sector predicted in the early days of the Internet.48 Even if blogs never take off in the same way in the UK, other forms of popular media are likely to share similar characteristics.
Blogs give people a chance to express themselves on any topic and update the content with new posts on a daily basis. Individuals can advance their own views directly to the outside world in a way that is unmediated and not reliant on others to represent their views. Given the vast volume of blogs and the frequency with which they are updated, only a small number can reach a potentially wide audience. As the majority do not attain this potential, they cannot be considered analogous to the established mass media. The value of the blog lies more in the benefit to the authors as an outlet for their views, or potentially to converse, or exchange thoughts with a small network of people.49 Writing in the mid twentieth century at a time when the mass media was becoming the dominant form of communication, Alexander Meiklejohn wrote:
What is essential is not that everyone shall speak, but that everything worth saying shall be said… the vital point, as stated negatively, is that no suggestion of policy shall be denied a hearing because it is on one side of the issue rather than another.50
The view of blog given above appears to turn Meiklejohn’s statement on its head. Given the varying quality and reliability of blog content, it matters not that every idea is heard, but that everyone has a chance to speak.
The approach given above moves away from expression serving the public interest and needs of the audience, to a form a self-presentation. As a Hansard Society report explained:
To blog is declare your presence; to disclose to the world that you exist and what its like to be you; to affirm that your thoughts are at least as worth hearing as anyone else’s; to emerge from the spectating audience as a player and maker of meanings.51
Freedom of expression in this context cannot be seen as a top down process, but as a two-way process of participation. The greater emphasis given to role of the speaker can be justified from both the self-fulfilment justification of protecting expression, or within the instrumental democratic role for the expression. Under the latter justification, the blog is seen to supplement the formal channels of representation. If a number of blogs create a collective buzz, it will signal to elected representatives and other institutions what issues are of greatest concern. Such involvement by the individual can be compared to the protest, where people assemble in prominent places or write letters to well known newspapers, to get a sense of engagement from the system and perhaps have a real impact, rather than state their opinions to a few friends. Like the protest, the influence can also come about through large numbers of people coordinating their activities.
In this way, online expression can be a place for associative activities. This may take place in traditional formats such as interest group websites. While there is little new about this given that such groups have always produced newsletters and other forms of media, it may allow the interest group to reach a wider audience and allow more groups to use a wider range of media, such as audio-visual content or online discussions. The associative activities can take place in less formal ways, for example through a collectively produced website, or through websites or bloggers providing links to sites they closely identify with and discuss one another’s content. Online expression may therefore warrant greater emphasis on individual and group participation, a modification of media freedom that can take place within the instrumental justifications for expression or through the self-fulfilment justification, and overlap with the protection of freedom of association.
The blog can change the way we think about media communication in other ways. The author can write from a private space, such as their home and often write about personal experiences, blurring the distinction between private and public expression.52 The ideas may be incomplete or undeveloped. Just as when people speak in a private setting where they are comfortable, the blogger may use the blog to test ideas and try out arguments, without feeling that they must be committed to the principles in the future. Such blurring contrasts with the way the traditional media content is produced to appeal to a wide audience. Online expression also allows speakers to mix personal experiences with public issues. It gives individuals greater creativity in expressing their views, by allowing content to be copied and modified. Such examples can be seen in the 2005 UK general election where some web sites allowed users to ‘remix’ election messages, for example changing the wording of election posters.53 As technology continues to make the use of sound files, video and graphics easier and less expensive, greater movement away from purely text-based services is likely to contribute to this trend. Already podcasting and video blogging enable users to regularly express themselves through sound and video files. The need to mix politics with entertainment may be necessary to reach the desired audience, especially as more and more sources compete for audience attention.
This section has illustrated how it is possible for individuals to participate in media activities as never before, not only in the ease of publishing their thoughts, but also broadening the scope of what can be done. Such a development modifies the thinking about media freedom to give greater emphasis on the perspective of the speaker, an emphasis that was not so central to traditional forms of mass communication. Such expression can also help create networks where influence arises through association. Consequently, such associative or small-scale expressive activity should not be subject to the type of public interest regulations found in the broadcast model. While this is an important development, it does not completely change the paradigm. As argued in the next section, a handful of speakers or mediators will have disproportionate impact on political debate. Consequently, the elite speaking to the mass audience is still a central feature of the media, for which existing regulatory models may be appropriate. Cheap speech online is important, just as inexpensive expressive activities such as marches or demonstrations are important in the offline world, but there should not be illusions that this creates a level playing field in expression.
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MEDIA ELITES AND ONLINE EXPRESSION
The traditional model of public interest media regulation is both suspicious of elites and the central control of the media, yet dependent on them. If control of the media rests in the hands of the few, then the danger exists that it will be used to promote a small number of limited viewpoints, to allow the views of the owner to have disproportionate influence on public discussion or simply ignore public affairs altogether. Yet some form of central control facilitates public interest regulation by providing a clear target for its provisions. The addition of so many online speakers comes at the expense of this order and control that was a necessary part of the mass media model. However, in this section it will be argued that the dominance of media elites will not become a thing of the past and even with the relatively low costs of distribution, a small number of speakers, often with substantial economic resources behind them, will consistently command a mass audience. Consequently, there will be certain types of online speaker that are appropriate targets for mass media regulations.
The established media in the offline world will continue to have a strong influence over public debate. Statistics from the 2005 general election show that while the number of people seeking information about the election online is increasing, the traditional sources such as television and newspapers are dominant.54 While Internet use in political expression is more developed in the US, research from the Pew Center has shown a similar dominance of television as a source of political information.55 Consequently, the Internet supplements the traditional media and provides an alternative source of information, rather than replacing traditional outlets. Taking the media as a whole, a level playing field for participants is still not in sight, and those elites controlling the traditional media have much greater influence over political debate than online sources. However, this point suggests that at present online expression does not support arguments for deregulating other sectors, but says little about the regulatory regime that should apply online. Even if this situation changes and the Internet becomes the dominant source of media content, the existing media elites will nonetheless remain. With such a wide range of material available online, people have to be selective about what they read and also need to know where to find the best material. The established and trusted media sites provide a convenient point to receive accurate news, so people will continue to visit the familiar names.56 According to a Hansard Society report, the BBC was the most prevalent source of online political information in the 2005 UK general election, whereas candidates, lobby groups, blogs and tactical voting sites were ‘virtually ignored’.57
A similar point can be made in relation to blogs. While much has been made of the rise of blogs in democratising the media, a small number receive a very high number of hits each day as well as links from other blogs and websites. Five ‘star’ bloggers based in the US average over a hundred thousand hits per day, whereas the vast majority of blogs receive much less traffic or links.58 The reason for the ‘star’ blogger’s success may partly be due to the talents of its author, the content and the frequency with which it is updated. However, even if a blog does have quality content, it takes time for this to become established and known. One way to get to know which websites and online sources are most reliable is through references in trusted sources. Blogs may gain audiences through word of mouth and links from other blogs and websites. If a blog has a significant audience, more people will be able to tell their friends about it or link it to their own website. This can lead to a snowballing effect, where the most popular websites become even more popular as the interest in blogs grows. Once the name and reputation is secured, the advantages can be self-reinforcing.59 Consequently, getting the right links that can trigger a wider audience can be crucial to the blogger’s success.
As this trend develops, the ‘star’ blogger plays a gatekeeping role, deciding which other sites to link to their blog. Many bloggers would resent being referred to as gatekeepers and argue that they merely lend their support to bloggers or campaigns that already have built up their own following.60 Whatever basis on which the blogger chooses which views or stories to promote, and which campaigns to support, that choice made by the ‘star’ blogger will expose those views to a wide audience. The traditional media can have a similar effect, as providing coverage in the press or on television will bring the blog to a wider audience, as occurred with Salam Pax’s blogs from Baghdad.61 The offline media therefore acts as gatekeeper and helps to consolidate the ‘star’ blog or website. The high number of visitors that follow as a result of the publicity will help the blog gain more links and word of mouth visitors. The popularity of the site can bring about other advantages, for example, the revenues generated by advertising from a highly visited site may help the author(s) dedicate greater time and resources to it, which will help produce the content that maintains the higher audience. A small number of very popular blogs will therefore occupy a position quite distinct from the vast number of individual websites and blogs.
None of this is to express any conclusion about the fairness of this hierarchy in online expression. The influence and popularity of the successful blogger may be well deserved, but their value is no longer rooted in the self-fulfilment of the speaker outlined above. They serve a role that can help expose viewpoints to a wide audience and to influential opinion formers.62 Their expression has much greater opportunity to persuade people or influence politics than the expression of most other individuals. The ‘star’ blogger that reaches a wide audience begins to blur with some characteristics of the established media. While the blog may offer many opportunities for the audience to post comments, it is still the blogger that sets the agenda and decides which postings are most prominent. The ‘star’ blog or website, due to the wide audience cannot possibly respond to the messages and comments sent in by users, and starts to resemble the top down flow of information of the traditional media, rather than conversation referred to above.63 The point is not to undermine the important work and developments going on, or suggest such sites be subject to content regulation. Instead, the contribution of the small number of widely visited sites and blogs should be valued to the extent the needs of the mass audience and public are served, as is the case with the traditional mass media. The paradigm of the source speaking to a mass audience may not describe blogging completely, but is still applicable to some elements of online expression.
In addition to this, a new range of gatekeepers exists, whether through search engines, such as Google or services that aggregate blogs, such as Technorati. If the searcher is looking for a very specific piece of information, such as a particular posting by a specific author, the engine merely provides the user with what they are seeking. The user will already have knowledge of the content from some other source and formed his or her preference. However, where the user’s search is more generic, the engine will return a larger number of results, which requires some method of prioritisation. In these circumstances users may not know precisely what they want, and the value placed by the user on the content may be dependent on the level of priority given to it by the search engine.64 The success of an online speaker in reaching a wide audience will depend on if and where these facilities list the site, which in turn depends on method the search engine uses to aggregate the information.65
If the search engine operates a business model of aggregation, then priority of place may be given to those who pay, rather than those with quality or reliable content. However, some sites place the sponsored results in a separate category to make this clear to the user. According to information on their own website, Google rank pages according to relevance and reliability.66 The ranking system looks not only at the page content and how many links a page receives from other sites, but also the importance of the sites providing the link. While such an approach limits the possibility of editorial judgement on the part of Google, it could replicate the inequalities discussed above in relation to blogs.67 Sites that have many links or have links from influential sites are already more likely to gain a wider audience, and are also more likely to rank highly in a Google search. This perpetuates the high readership and increases the chances of gaining more links from other sites.68 It may be that this system is more likely to give the reader what they want and preferable to the alternatives, but nevertheless does impact on the chances of gaining a wider readership. Similar points can be made about other methods of distribution such as RSS69 and the types of aggregation that are being developed for the next generation of search engines, for example looking at the previous choices of the user.70 The user will have a fixed preference of content or source, or the aggregator has to make some choice of what material is most relevant or important.
Some of the new gatekeepers also provide access to news sources on their sites, so the user can view the latest headlines. At present, Google, for example, ranks news items according to the relevance of the text and places the most recent articles first. However, Google are reportedly seeking to rank news postings not just according to topicality but also based on reliability and accuracy of the news source.71 How the reliability and accuracy of the news source is determined under the proposed system of prioritisation is a key question, and will be based on a combination of factors including the amount of content produced by the source, the traffic attracted by that source, the number of staff employed and global operations of the source.72 Emphasising these factors is likely to reinforce the position of the large established media companies that can afford to employ a large number of people globally and update content frequently. Consequently, the views that will be most prominent and reach the widest possible audience will still be those selected by a small set of dominant media organisations. This may give the user what they want and distribute the best quality content, but again it shows that the paradigm of the mass media is not outdated. Users may have more control, but a small number of content providers will have the dominant voices in public discourse.
There will always be ways around the gatekeeper’s choices. If the website itself is newsworthy it will be hard to keep the online speaker out. This may occur when the website or blog has some scoop or breaks a story the other sources miss, or features some technological innovation. However, this will only improve the traffic to those sites in the short-term while that story is of interest. To maintain the audience, it will need an established name or continuous routing through the gatekeepers mentioned above. As there are more and more websites and blogs appearing the need for the gatekeeper will increase. Given the global nature of the Internet, it is likely the elite or gatekeepers will become more powerful. In the mass media era, the elites generally operated at a national level, whereas companies such as Microsoft, Google and Yahoo perform this task internationally. While it may be argued that the competition between search engines ensures that users will always have alternatives, a small number of search engines are likely to remain dominant. First, the users often lack the information to assess the performance of the particular search engine and the basis of its listings.73 The user is more likely to stick with the convenience of their known and established search engine, with whom they may already have links, such as an email account. Secondly, the established names will use their resources to ensure their product maintains its popularity, by investing their funds into development, buying up smaller more innovative search engines,74 or adding new services to their sites.75
Despite the high hopes for the new media, it is important not to overstate its potential impact. Even those most enthusiastic about online expression do not suggest blogs and individual sites will topple the established media’s power in shaping political discussion. The reason why the playing field of online speech is not level is much the same as for other forms of media. Even if licensing were not an issue, most people could not start a TV station. Although online expression cuts the costs of printing and distribution of the traditional media, there are still other substantial costs. To produce original high quality content still requires either the employment of a wide number of reporters and journalists, or the purchase of content elsewhere.76 Furthermore the nature of online speech may work to increase costs. As there is an expectation that online news sources will always be up to date, the services of reporters, writers and external news providers are required more frequently. Improvements in the technology increase audience expectations of content, for example for more news sites to provide video clips. This and other future developments may make the cost of online content similar to that of the broadcast media.77 If this is the case, economies of scale could lead to established media and elite online content providers becoming more dominant in the market.
While the small websites may not compete with the established media outlets directly, they do have a significant impact on the media and political communications. For example, the blog may act as a source for the established media, sometimes due to the expertise of the writer or due to the proximity of the blogger to the events.78 The online media also provides content that is not available elsewhere, as happens when journalists put unpublished stories on the Internet. A famous example is the reporting of US Senator Trent Lott’s remarks at Senator Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday online, which were interpreted as expressing support for Thurmond’s earlier segregationist policies and led to Lott’s resignation. While the established media initially reported his remarks sporadically, a number of influential blogs gave the story sustained coverage, which eventually forced the story to become a major headline. While it is debatable exactly how much credit should lie with the blogs and the established media for this episode, it does suggest that some bloggers can make it harder for a story to be suppressed.79 Similarly, the work of online reporters and bloggers brought to public attention evidence of the US forces’ use of white phosphorous in Fallujah, which had not been reported by other media outlets.80 A further function is for the online speakers to check the content of the established media. An example of this occurred in the 2004 US elections when claims that President Bush received preferential treatment while serving in the Texas Air National Guard were broadcast on the CBS programme 60 Minutes. Immediately after the broadcast, the authenticity of the documents supporting the allegations was questioned in a number of blogs, and then followed by coverage in the mainstream media. The controversy led to CBS anchor Dan Rather’s early retirement and the resignation of four CBS employees. The episode has been cited as illustrating the role of online speakers providing not just an additional check on government power, but a check on the media itself, forming a ‘fifth estate’.
As with the Trent Lott incident, the CBS episode shows how the blogs worked in tandem with the established media. Furthermore, it was not just a single influential blog that made the story, but a number of bloggers that created a ‘buzz’ that helped to feed the story. According to research by the Pew Center, blogs often create the buzz, but also follow the agenda set by the established media or political institutions. The situations where a blog can create such an influential buzz are dependent on a range of other factors.81 This may include the behaviour of the traditional media, and also the type of issue and its timing. For example, the CBS controversy was suited to the online discussion, given that it occurred in the context of an election where there was high interest and high stakes; that one of the key players Dan Rather was already defined in the minds of the bloggers and the subject of much discussion; and that the primary materials at the centre of this issue were available online.82 Consequently, the story was particularly open to scrutiny in the blogosphere in a way that may not be possible with many other political stories.
Even if the bloggers really are influencing public debate and opinion, their role is still subordinate to the established media. As the above examples show, their work gains significance by influencing the established media. Some reports from the US have suggested that those blogs that express views shared by the established media are more likely to gain widespread coverage and influence.83 The blogs are also dependent on the established media for their own content. Blogs tend to contain commentary and opinion, as opposed to facts. The established media are required for the primary reporting, photos and information that they comment on. In many ways, the heavily opinionated slant of the online expression means that the established media may become more influential than ever. With so much being disputed and debated, the need for an authoritative voice to provide primary content will be in demand.84 The online expression may lead to changes where the established media provide content that turns up in different places and websites. However, the role for the mass media elite remains.
The above discussion has highlighted the way in which new media elites and the established media will remain the dominant forces in political expression. It has been shown that this is likely to be the case even as the Internet grows as a source of information. The online audience no longer receives content fixed by a channel to a particular schedule, and the user has greater control in selecting what content to view and when to view it. However, as explained above, these choices will be shaped by media elites and some content will still reach a wide or even wider audience than before. Consequently, the mass media paradigm is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. Questions about how these elites use their power and how they influence politics are as relevant today as they were in the era of the mass media. This is not to overlook the greater opportunities for participation in online expression, but rather to acknowledge that online expression can take many forms, just as its offline counterpart can. Consequently, the next section will argue that the approach to regulating online expression should be tiered, with elites and established media organisations operating at one level and smaller sites and individual users operating at a different level. As stated in a recent Institute for Public Policy Research report, the challenge in media policy is to ‘handle the balance between the potentially global, all encompassing forms of expression, and very small-scale, virtually private forms of expression’.85 The goal is therefore to balance the need for diverse political coverage reaching a wide audience with a range of different viewpoints, while at the same time protecting the self-expression and participation of individuals. The existing approach to regulating the media may be applicable to certain elite content providers and gatekeepers, but should not be so widely applied or onerous as to snuff out the positive developments currently taking place online.
Go to sectionTop of pageAbstractMEDIA FREEDOM AND MODELS OF ME…HOPES AND FEARS FOR ONLINE EXP…SELF-EXPRESSION AND PARTICIPAT…MEDIA ELITES AND ONLINE EXPRES…MEDIA REGULATION AND DEMOCRATI…CONCLUSION
MEDIA REGULATION AND DEMOCRATIC VALUES
This article has focused on the way the established media, influential websites and search engines help determine the success of online expression in reaching a wide audience. A range of other private actors also impact on the opportunities for online expression, including software companies that produce user-friendly applications, ISPs and non-state regulators such as ICANN.86 Instead of eliminating the chance of private barriers to expression, digital technologies can increase the range of potential barriers. Regulation should not be ruled out, if it can help facilitate democratic expression by controlling the private power and should not automatically be prohibited by the courts. The stricter regulations associated with the broadcast model of regulation need not be rejected, but may require adaptation to some online communications if it would serve the values of freedom of expression. The difficulty is defining the boundaries between the tier of mass media entities and the tier of smaller speakers and forums outlined above.
One approach may be to find that those entities already subject to media regulations offline be subject to similar regulations online. Under this approach, the current terrestrial broadcasters would be subject to their public service duties on online, and other licensed broadcasters would have to meet the basic tier of broadcast regulations online. Such a strategy reflects the current approach and is only likely to be workable in the short-term. As the media technologies converge and more people watch programmes online it will be possible for companies and groups to distribute audio-visual programmes solely through online channels. If such newcomers gain a significant share of the audience, then it may undermine the purpose of the current regulations, as a wide range of online content similar to that found on the broadcast media will command a mass audience but remain exempt from the regulations. Furthermore, as is currently the case with cable television, the licensed broadcaster will argue that they need to be less regulated to compete with the other unregulated outlets.87 If such a relaxation of the regulations is not possible, then the regulated broadcaster may find that it is in their long term interests to distribute their content through the lesser-regulated online channels, in otherwords to opt-out of the broadcast sector. An alternative strategy could be to subject certain types of content to a particular regulatory regime. For example, the regulations applied to broadcasters could apply solely to audio-visual content. Initially this may seem appealing as it fits with current audience expectations, but it does beg the question why audio-visual content should be subject to stricter controls. Given the relative inexpense of video and audio equipment and software, audio-visual content will be used by many individuals, such as videobloggers, and not solely by media elites.
The boundary could be drawn instead between commercial and amateur entities. This could still cause difficulties, for example, a company website or content produced by an interest group should not be equated with mass media, nor should a small scale website that makes a small amount of income on advertising. It may be necessary to target those online speakers that are commercial and whose primary content is the provision of media, whether as an aggregator or provider, and which has a particular share of the market or turnover. Distinguishing the sphere of regulated mass media from other types of communication has parallels in existing law. For example, in media merger rules, newspapers are distinguished from other types of communication by reference to the frequency and content of the publication.88 Similarly elections laws distinguish newspaper and broadcaster reports from the communications of political campaigners, exempting the former from third party expenditure limits.89 Distinguishing online media outlets that are the equivalent of modern day mass media may not be a clear cut task, but has a precedent in the UK.
A further difficulty with regulating online media entities is the global nature of the Internet. The requirements of UK democracy should not be imposed on media outlets based abroad and targeting a different country, yet Internet users are still free to access this content. This raises a situation similar to that of cable television where foreign broadcasts, such as Fox News and Al-Jazeera, are thought to be straining the regulations applied to licensed broadcasts. Furthermore, European Union law imposes restraints on the capacity to regulate media providers based outside jurisdiction.90 Given the global environment of the media, traditional rules of impartiality and accuracy are being increasingly questioned,91 a trend that is likely to increase in relation to the online media. However, it would still be possible to single out those media entities whose content is targeted at an audience within jurisdiction, especially in relation to the coverage of news and politics. Those outlets focusing on UK based news are most likely to command a broad audience in the UK, and are unlikely to face greater competition from outlets covering the news and politics of a different country. In any event, as outlined below, some more partisan media content from abroad may be unproblematic, but simply should not represent the whole media landscape. The global context also raises issues of enforcement and the possibility of evasion. However, it is likely that those sites that are the equivalent of mass media would want to maintain a base in the UK, for example for its reporters or advertising, and are likely to conform to such national rules. Furthermore, the development of geographical location technology may also make it possible to limit the dissemination of material to and from foreign countries.92 A full consideration of the problem of jurisdiction and enforcement is beyond the scope of this paper. The point is merely that the global nature of online expression does not eliminate the role for the regulation of certain media entities to serve the broader needs of democracy.
If it can be established that such media entities may be the subject of regulation, it still raises the question of what regulations are necessary to serve democratic needs. So far reference has been made to broadcast media regulations for impartiality and balance in political coverage, but such regulations are not imposed on the print press. It may be argued that partisan online content serves democratic needs in the same way the partisan press does. This need will probably be found with many speakers on the new media, such as bloggers or interest group sites. While it is important, such partisan content associated with the print model need not be the norm for all online content. Rather than reflecting one model of democratic expression, the regulated tier of online expression could be designed to permit different regulatory regimes. Prior to the prominence of the Internet, Lee Bollinger argued that the different regulatory regimes for print and broadcast media are justified by balancing one another.93 Similarly, James Curran has advocated different media sectors serving separate democratic needs.94 The regulation of the new media could be designed to promote the various different functions of the media in a democracy, with different elements of the print and broadcast model to be found in different media sectors. Some areas of the web, such as original news reporting and the largest gatekeeper sites, could reflect the republican concern with balance, impartiality, and differing viewpoints, while some elements of a partisan media reflecting the liberal pluralist approach could be permitted in commentary sites such as blogs. However, even in a sector that recognises the importance of partisan content, different points of view need to be accessed and the various gatekeepers referred to above may need to act to promote access to diverse opinions. It would be unsatisfactory if the only partisan sites that could easily be found online all supported the same perspective, whether left or right.
If regulations to promote impartiality, balance, accuracy, and quality content associated with the public service function of the media are applicable to some online media, then a further question arises as to how best to achieve these aims. One method has been to propose state funded websites to act as civic forums.95 This approach represents an attempt by the state to set up an elite site of its own that will promote democratic values and reflect a public service rationale, rather than constraining private entities. The danger with setting up such a website purely for political debate is that it may draw few visitors. With such a wide range of options, people are more likely to go to the sites that are most entertaining.96 Possibly the most successful example of this type of site is the BBC, which has regularly been praised for its online services. It attracts many visitors, not just because of its well-known name, but also its wide range of content, such as entertainment or sports pages. However, dangers exist in placing all public interest requirements on one media entity.97 A variation of the public service site is the proposal by Blumler and Coleman of a public agency to promote and publicise online deliberation.98 The agency would act as a gatekeeper to some online expression, be the moderator of discussion and help facilitate the interaction of civic networks online. Such a role could be allocated to the Public Service Publisher that has been proposed by OFCOM to promote and distribute content on digital television and throug
MORE POWA FOOLISHNESS! // March 3, 2008 at 7:21 PM
When I am in a mood for entertainment, I love to read the redundancy in the public utterances spouted by health officials from time to time.
In a recent article in the Nation, manager of the Geriatric Hospital , Everton Alleyne is reported to have pointed out that “there was a pervasive problem of abandonment of the elderly by family members. This, he stated, was one shared with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital which the Beckles Road institution assisted by adopting those deserted seniors”.
WILL SOME ONE TELL THIS PERSON THAT THIS HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS. WILL THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION LED BY THE LOUD MOUTHED DR I WANT POWA TELL US WHAT THEY PROPOSE TO DO ABOUT IT. WILL THEY SIMULTANEOUSLY TELL US HOW THE INFRASTRUCTURAL WORK ESTIMATED TO TAKE TWO FINANCIAL YEARS TO COMPLETE AND WHICH WILL COST AROUND $ 7 MILLION CHANGE THIS SITUATION.
It was noteworthy that accompanying Minister The Loudmouthed Dr I want Powa was Senior Medical Officer of Health at the Sir Winston Scott Polyclinic Dr Ronald Knight. This medical officer has held a top post in the Ministry of Health now for almost years. He was brought back from Jamaica by his good friend, the former Minister of Health Branford Taitt. Having achieved very little of note in almost 20 years on the issue of Geriatric care, or anything else of consequence for that matter, one wonders how much he has to offer now.
I well remember this officer remarking in the early nineties that the way that decisions were made in the Ministry of Health in those days was a function of who could make the most noise, and that was invariably the minister. Dr Knight Sir, Does Dr I want Powa run the ministry of Health in similar fashion? Are you still a mouse?
Dr I want Powa is reported to say that “ within the next financial year (starting in April), the “chronic problems” plaguing the hospital would be addressed head-on.” Does he mean that he will do this by head butting the problems with the big bump in his forehead, or is he just purveying his usual delusions of grandeur. Since coming to powa, Dr I want Powa has not given us any specifics of anything he will do. He rants garrously with his non specifics. It seems we have another doctor in the Ministry of Health as the minister with no ideas. It seems that the minister has inherited in his court a cadre of brainless, functionless thoughtless doctors of whom the most senior is none other than “Gravy” Knight (so called by the Mental Nurses at BRPC because his elaborate dressing including his cowboy boots reminded them of a poor imitation of the popular Antiguan cricket entertainer.
Dr I want Powa is reported to have expressed concern about the shortage of staff at the hospital and the level of registered nurses of whom there are 128. Were any of his entourage not able to offer any solutions? After almost 20 years has “Gravy” not been able to offer a solution?.
Dr I want Powa it is not enough to say “We have to be careful how we treat staff issues as I believe strongly medical staff and nursing staff have a responsibility and duty that is unique. You are dealing directly with life and limb.” Dr I want Powa it is not enough to say that you will address the lack of resources as a matter of “urgency”. Tell us how, man. You got the powa now. Question is now, DO YOU HAVE THE ABILITY? DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVISORS IN THE MINISTRY WITH ANY IDEAS? DO YOU HAVE ANY ONE IN THE MINISTRY WHO IS LARGER THAN A MOUSE WHO CAN ARTICULATE ANY SENSIBLE IDEAS THAT YOU CAN USE? Question is DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH SENSE TO REALIZE A GOOD PLAN WHEN YOU HEAR ONE? is DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH SENSE TO PROPERLY MODIFY A GOOD PLAN WHEN YOU HEAR ONE?
The Government has changed with much fanfare. But guess what? We just have a new circus leader, but he is handling the same clowns in the Ministry of Health.
We are told also in the Nation that Dr I want Powa who also has responsibility for the BWA, spoke of his concerns while addressing constituents at his St Philip West branch meeting at Princess Margaret Secondary School in Six Roads, St Philip.
We read that “The minister described the institutions and agencies under his portfolio as in “an absolute mess” and promised to reveal everything . . . “right down to the toothbrush” whether at the BWA, the Sanitation Service Authority, the National Insurance Department, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Geriatric Hospital, the Psychiatric Hospital or the polyclinics.
His revelations would come through a series of media conferences, the first of which will be in about two weeks.
Estwick also promised manpower audits at some of the institutions, particularly the hospitals, to determine the staff needed.”
Dr I want Powa we know that you are a man that love the limelight so we look forward to you making am ass of your self at the media conferences. Then you will tell us how you propose to deal with the staff shortages when you determine the staff needed.
All like now you are already learning that it is easy to go around Barbados seeking to make fun of others, when you yourself can do not much better. By now you have realized that you have a lot of dead weight at the top of the Ministry of Health. Thompy real smart though. He put you the right place so that all Barbados can see that you are ALL LOUD TALK AND NO SUBSTANCE.
Diana // March 23, 2008 at 6:31 PM
I wanted to thank you for this blessed work you are doing, and also to send thoughts of love and strength to the parent/s of little Charelle who had an accident and is brain damaged. May she recover.
(Live in London, but hope to be in sunny Barbados sometime this year).
Warmest Regards,
Diana. xxx
Yardbroom // March 24, 2008 at 1:48 PM
Domestic Violence and its impact on Barbadian Society.
At this Easter time when we are in a reflective mood, perhaps it is appropriate for us to focus our attention to a kind of unjustified suffering, often endured in silence.
Only recently there were “allegations” of domestic violence in an upscale area in Barbados, the incident was widely reported on the bloggs, but the focus of attention was not on the allegation, but on other issues as a result of the incident.
What do we mean by domestic violence, it can be a “general term to describe a range of behaviour often used by one person to control and dominate another with whom they have, or have had, a close or family relationship.”
The event to which I earlier referred, was so well documented that I seek not to revisit it, but to look at the general issue of domestic violence in Barbadian society. I am not suggesting that domestic violence is particular to Barbadian society, or Barbadians are so disposed, I am simply suggesting that it does exist and should be addressed.
There are many women who suffer in silence – and a few men – as a result of imtimidation through the violence of their partners. The efforts to control through physical strength and mental intimidation, is a heavy burden for our sisters, daughters and mothers to endure ,and it can have a ripple effect on their children and also influence how those children interact with the broader society.
The children of such a domestic environment, can repeat the behaviour patterns which they have witnessed, in time this can effect how they interact with females, not inly in a relationship but even at their place of work, particularly those in junior positions.
A caring society looks after its members, particularly those who are perceived at a moment in time …as vulnerable. The attitude of might, because I am in a position to exercise it, cannot be right and has no place in a modern equitable society.
Society can only change when it changes itself, but change only comes about when behaviour is identified as unacceptable and strategies are adopted to effect change. The first step in that process is examining the behaviour itself and the causes of such behaviour.
It is easy to shy away from difficult issues but face them we must to make a better society.
Domestic Violence And Its Impact On Barbadian Society « Barbados Underground (BU) - bringing the news to the people // March 25, 2008 at 6:48 AM
[...] Submissions ← Drakes Christian School Cries Foul [...]
Yardbroom // March 25, 2008 at 3:23 PM
I was rather dissapointed to read in the Nation News, in reference to HIV/AIDS treatment for foreigners a member of Parliament was reported to have said: “in our society we accept having more than one partner.”
Do we really “accept” that kind of behaviour, it is true it occurs, but is there general acceptance of it? I have simply posed the question, I have a feeling that there are many couples, married and ummarried in Barbados, who do not accept that kind of behaviour, but I could be very wrong indeed.
Yardbroom // April 3, 2008 at 5:28 PM
Tomorrow will mark the fortieth anniversary of the death of Dr.Martin Luther King, shot on the balcony of the Lorraine motel in Memphis.
The night before Dr. Knig’s assassination he said.
…” because I’ve been to the mountaintop…And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land”…
One is tempted to ask is this promised land which Dr. King alluded to, the arrival of Barack Obama in the Democratic Party’s nomination?
Is there more to Barack Obama’s arrival than the simple fact of his presence as a senior politician in American politics, or is there even more to come, in that it is an awakening in American politics and Barack Obama is the one who will take African Americans to a new beginning, is this what Dr. King Saw?
New Page Added « Barbados Underground (BU) - bringing the news to the people // April 3, 2008 at 10:30 PM
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David // April 3, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Yarbroom you maybe on to something. The MLK anniversary could serve as a fillip for Obama’s campaign because of exactly what you have tabled.
Rock Stone // April 8, 2008 at 7:44 PM
I was rather dissapointed to read in the Nation News, in reference to HIV/AIDS treatment for “foreigners”
When will we as Caribbean people stop calling our fellow West Indians foreigners? Whatever happened to “All uh we is one”?
tony // April 10, 2008 at 9:46 PM
we have come to the stage in the history of our church where pastors are saying to his members, if you dont pay tithes and offering you cannot do anything in his church. it also appears that to our church leaders that money has more value that souls
Combermere Boy // April 27, 2008 at 7:55 AM
Went to a function at Savannah Hotel which was put n by Combermerians to celebrate the achievement of David Thompson. It was well attennded and the who is who of Barbados was there. The young and the old, the girls and the boys all sang the school song with gusto.
It was a great time. No wonder Cawmere is the best.
PS.Maurice Norvill was the MC not KB!!!
Yardbroom // April 27, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Her crime was to fall in love. She paid with her life.
TNS // May 13, 2008 at 5:05 PM
Here is a suggestion. Government should open the computer centres within the various Community and Resource Centres across the island to those primary and secondary school children, as well as adults who need access to the internet to complete research. More than often I have seen parents/guardians begging people to help them their child/ward with research needed for school. In these cases it does not necessary mean that the children are doing the research but just getting information from people to complete their respective projects or in some cases other people doing their projects. This is something that can be looked into. I am sure that there are people who would volunteer their time to assist in such. I myself would.
anonymous coward // May 26, 2008 at 9:46 AM
Like I get censored yah? I hope not else all this openness talk is just that … talk.
I hope it’s not that if you say that some topics here are PURE TABLOID, you are e-muzzled.
Dear editor is that the case?
Anonymous // May 27, 2008 at 7:54 PM
The Barbados Advocate website has not been updated since May 20, 2008., ummmmmmm wonder whats the beef
http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/
Yardbroom // May 29, 2008 at 4:52 AM
Thought for Today:
29.5.2008
“One man with God is a majority.”
Wendell Phillips
David // May 29, 2008 at 6:44 AM
We do live in times when to standalone to represent ones belief is definitely viewed as abnormal behaviour.
Yardbroom // May 30, 2008 at 5:01 AM
Thought for Today
30.5.2008
Bludgeonings
“In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.”
W.E.Henley
Tony Hall // May 30, 2008 at 11:54 PM
I just wanted to inform BU readers if they haven’t already heard that Dr. Ikel Tafari died tonight in Trinidad and Tobago.I wish to extend condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace
David // May 30, 2008 at 11:57 PM
Tony Hall we trust your feedback. Does anyone have further details? This is tragic indeed. May he rest in peace.
Yardbroom // May 31, 2008 at 5:22 AM
Thought for Today
31.5.2008
“There the workman saw his labour taking form
and bearing fruit,
Like a tree with splendid branches rising from a humble root.”
Henry Van Dyke
Bajan // May 31, 2008 at 6:16 AM
Tafari dies in T&T
Published on: 5/31/08.
DR IKAEL TAFARI
http://www.nationnews.com/temporaryimages/bp58767.jpg
FORMER DIRECTOR of the Pan African Commission, Dr Ikael Tafari, is dead.
This was confirmed last night by Deryck Murray, acting director, who said Tafari died suddenly yesterday in Trinidad where he was attending a conference. It was not certain how old he was.
Tafari was reportedly recently fired from the top position in the Pan African Commission.
A former student of Harrison College, Tafari (christened Michael Hutchinson) was a member of the prominent Hutchinson family of Woodside, Bay Street, St Michael. He spent many years in Jamaica where he studied at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies and subsequently worked, before returning to Barbados.
He worked with the Pan African Commission from its inception in 1997 and eventually became its director in 2004.
Murray said that Tafari was in the twin-island republic at the invitation of National Joint Action Committee and delivered a speech on Thursday evening.
He added that there were not many details to date on the circumstances surrounding Tafari’s death but said he had taken ill at his hotel and was subsequently pronounced dead at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.
Last night when the SATURDAY SUN contacted his relatives they requested that the paper call back today.
Tafari was a noted figure in the local and regional Pan-African movement and was a columnist in the DAILY NATION for a number of years. (ES)
David // May 31, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Interesting article which appears in the Business Week latest edition on blogs.
Yardbroom // June 1, 2008 at 4:28 AM
Sunday 1 June 2008
Thought for Today
Wasted
“Oh, the wasted hours of life
That have drifted by!
Oh, the good that might have been
Lost, without a sigh!
Love that we might once have saved
By a single word,
Thoughts conceived, but never penned,
Perishing unheard;
Take the proverb to thine heart,
Take, and hold it fast-
“The mill cannot grind
With the water that is past”
Sarah Doudney
jcjjang12 // June 2, 2008 at 4:58 PM
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Yardbroom // June 8, 2008 at 12:41 AM
Sunday 8 June 2008
Thought for Today
…”I have a dream.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the south with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope…”
Dr. Martin Luther King
August 28, 1963
David // June 8, 2008 at 8:16 AM
A relevant reminder that impossible as it may seem the world can sometimes be changed by one individual. The visionary is one who can get people to follow an ideal in a way that others may not understand. They are some who say that Obama is such a man.
Straight talk // June 8, 2008 at 8:33 AM
Osama is another.
David // June 8, 2008 at 8:36 AM
ST are you comparing Obama to Osama why not throw Hitler into the ring then? Using extreme comparisons is not the way to go with this one we think.
Straight talk // June 8, 2008 at 8:49 AM
Whether he was involved or not in the attacks of 9/11, Osama is one individual who has drastically changed our world.
Whether or not we agree with with his vision, and those who share it, his effect has had greater influence on our lives than Senator Barack has up to this point.
I wish the candidate well, and hope that in time he can help fulfil some of your hopes and dreams, but let us not get carried away.
There is a lot of water to pass under the bridge between now and January.
Yardbroom // June 9, 2008 at 3:41 AM
Monday 9 June 2008
Thought for Today
“We women, in trying to make our case clear, always have to make as part of our argument, and urge upon men in our audience the fact – a simple fact – that women are human beings.”
Emmeline Pankhurst
November 13, 1913
During the preceding 18 months she had been imprisoned 12 times.
( A fighter for women’s right to vote)
Yardbroom // June 10, 2008 at 3:00 AM
Tuesday 10 June 2008
Thought for Today
Politics
“Practical politics must not be construed to mean dirty politics…. The most practical of all politicians is the politician who is clean and decent and upright.”
Theodore Roosevelt
Anon 2 // June 14, 2008 at 7:07 AM
My mother uses the name of BWWR, or Black Woman Who Reads to comment on various matters.
Most recently, because of her legal training, she has been commenting on the Kingsland Estates matter and the case before the Ontario Courts.
She has now been banned BFP because her comments are not consistent with the wishes of BFP and Keltruth and because they reveal a fraud that has been practiced on the people of Barbados by certain parties.
Today, I send you on behalf of lack Woman Who Reads the Reasons of the Ontario Superior Court is Justice that contain extracts and conclusions on alleged “threats” uttered by Mr. Peter Simmons to parties supporting the Plaintiff in the action. I have published this in Keltruth’s comments as well. An attempt to publish on BFP has been met with the ususal comment that the message is being “moderated”.
REASONS FOR DECISION ON MOTIONS
[1] The Plaintiff issued a claim in the proceeding on February 9, 2007 (and subsequently amended). The Statement of Claim states that this proceeding relates to Kingsland Estates Limited, “a company pursuant to the Companies Act of Barbados having its head office at Bridgetown, Barbados and with property and business dealings in Barbados.
[2] There are numerous claims advanced in the Statement of Claim. In brief compass the allegations are that the defendants conspired with one another to benefit themselves and thereby caused past, present and future economic loss and damage to the Plaintiff.
[3] The Plaintiff pleads as against the “Country of Barbados” that it is involvement and that the Plaintiff is unable “to enforce or collect any judgment payable by Barbados in Barbados because of the facts stated herein [in the statement of claim] including that some of the co-conspirators are members of the judiciary and governing party.
[4] There are three contested motions which are argued before this Court:
(a) The plaintiff’s motion for directions respecting the location of the cross examinations of the defendant affiants who are resident in Barbados or alternatively an order that the defendants pay for personal security for the cross-examinations.
(b) The Plaintiff’s motion for an order to compel Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Ltd. to collect and produce information found on the internet.
(c) The defendant Price Waterhouse Coopers (Barbados) motion which is supported by most of the defendants for an order for directions relating to the conduct of the cross-examinations.
OVERVIEW
[5] The affidavit material field by the Plaintiff provides lengthy and detailed background information relating to the genesis of this lawsuit. In summary form I will outline briefly the relevant background information.
[6] John Knox is the principal affiant however he is not a party to the proceeding. Mr. Knox relates that his grandfather Estwick Ebeneezer Deane and his wife Ilma Kathleen Ashby made a series of land acquisitions in Barbados. The Deans had 7 children one of whom is the defendant Marjorie Ilma Knox, who is the mother of John Knox.
[7] In 1949 Estwick Ebeneezer Deane made all seven children and his wife tenants in common in all lands which he owned which was approximately 700 acres. Subsequently more land was acquired by the family as tenants in common including valuable beachfront property.
[8] In 1958 the family, as tenants in common, incorporated Kingsland Estates Limited and which purportedly had land holdings in excess of 1,100 acres at that time.
[9] The affiant John Knox states that the shares of Kingsland Estates Limited are physically located in Canada “as part of security arrangements”. I interpret this to mean that the shares of his mother Marjorie Knox are lodged in Canada. He further alleges in his affidavit that the conspiracy alleged in the amended statement of claim includes “the persons and companies that had the intention and plan to take control of the lands and develop them in such a way that the value would be stripped from the company and the shares would be rendered worthless while others benefited.”
[10] It is the contention of John Knox that, upon the death of his grandparents, three of their sons, the siblings of his mother Marjorie Knox sold off and disposed of lands in a manner that did not provide compensation to Kingsland Estates Limited. Further, the alleged conspiracy that is the subject matter of this action involves a number of transactions whereby the various defendants have transferred shares in Kingsland Estates Limited to themselves or others.
[11] A corporate search of the Plaintiff Corporation indicates that it was incorporated in Ontario on November 15, 2005. The director of the corporation is Donald Best and the head office is given as the same address as the Plaintiff counsel’s law firm in Orillia, Ontario.
History of the Litigation
[12] Following service of the Statement of Claim, various defense counsel forwarded correspondence to advise Plaintiff’s counsel that they would be bringing a preliminary motion pursuant to Rules 21.01(3) and 17.06
[13] On August 10, 2007, at the direction of the Regional Senior Judge, a number of counsel for the parties attended before me at which time orders respecting service were made and the date of the substantive motion concerning jurisdiction was set to be heard on January 14 & 15 2008.
[14] On August 14, 2007, Mr McKenzie, Counsel for the Plaintiff forwarded correspondence to all defense counsel advising that:
Vicious and specific threats have been communicated to me about my participation as counsel in this action. Of more concern is that similar threats have been made regarding the participation of the affiant John Knox.
[15] John Knox is not a party to these proceedings, but he is the principal affiant on behalf of the Plaintiff.
[16] Many of the counsel responded to Mr. McKenzie’s correspondence of August 14, 2007 requesting particulars of the allegation of threats. Mr. McKenzie did not respond to these requests at that time.
[17] On September 4, 2007 Jessica Duncan, a lawyer at Mr McKenzie’s law firm sent correspondence to all defense counsel that she had “taken charge of the threats directed to Mr. McKenzie. Ms. Duncan’s correspondence also stated that an expert had been retained to review “the specific communications in question and the ramifications of them in the overall circumstances of this file…” and that particulars would be provided once the expert completed his review. Several defense counsel responded to Ms. Duncan’s letter advising that without particulars of the alleged threats, they were unable to address the actual facts and concerns. These counsel also enquired whether the matter had been reported to the police. There was no further response to this correspondence. On the same day, September 4, 2007, Mr McKenzie forwarded a letter to defense counsel proposing a schedule for the cross-examinations of the various affiants in advance of January 14 & 15, 2008 return date for the jurisdiction motion. Mr. McKenzie’s correspondence was silent on the place of the cross-examinations. At least two defense counsel responded to Mr. McKenzie’s September 4, 2007 correspondence requesting confirmation that the examinations would be held in Barbados and noting that the time proposed for the cross-examinations of the of the various affiants (two days each) was excessive.
[18] On September 19, 2007 there was a conference call with all counsel and me primarily to address issues of substitutional service and which was dealt with by way of a Court Order. There was no mention of any security concerns or related concerns about having a number of the affiants examined in Barbados where they reside.
[19] On November 5, 2007, Mr. McKenzie forwarded correspondence to all defense counsel to advise that he would be delivering a motion for directions as to the timing for the delivery of further materials and the place and scheduling of cross-examinations. This would appear to be the first time that counsel for the Plaintiff indicated that there was an issue respecting the location of the cross-examinations despite the fact that several counsel had raised the issue two months earlier on September 5 and 6 2007. At the time that the November 5, 2007 letter was sent, counsel for the Plaintiff had in his possession the affidavit of Stuart Heaslet sworn September 12, 2007 as well as a 122 page security report prepared by Mr. Alan Bell dated November 2, 2007. The significance of the Stuart Heaslet affidavit and the Alan Bell report will be discussed in detail later in these Reasons. The November 5, 2007 correspondence from Mr. McKenzie did not mention threats or security issues . The last communication of any threat was Ms. Jessica Duncan’s letter of September 4, 2007.
[20] On November 7, 2007 Mr. McKenzie forwarded unsolicited correspondence to counsel for the defendants “to dispel the rumours and set the record straight.” Mr. McKenzie advised inter alia, that he had no direct or indirect interest in the plaintiff or in the outcome of the lawsuit. One of the defense counsel, Mr Ranking, responded to this correspondence by a latter dated November 9, 2007 as follows:
It concerns me that you felt compelled to write your letter. I don’t know if I speak for other counsel, but I have no idea who made allegations as to your having a personal interest in this action, the nature of the allegations, when they were made or why. What is going on? Please elucidate and provide particulars.
Also you continue to make claims as to alleged threats which, of course, are of the utmost concern. However, you still have not provided any details. That too is disquieting. If, as you say, threats have been made, it is only appropriate that you disclose the details of such threats to the extent they are within your knowledge or the knowledge of your client.
[21] On November 19, 2007 counsel for the plaintiff delivered a motion record which among other things included an affidavit by Stacey Ball attaching transcripts of telephone conversations between the defendant Peter Simmons and Stuart Heaslet which were surreptitiously recorded on August 10 and 13 2007. In the same motion record is a security report of Mr. Alan Bell delivered to Ms. Jessica Duncan on November 2, 2007. It is in this motion record that counsel for the defendants for the first time learned of the particulars of the alleged threats against Mr. William McKenzie and Mr. John Knox. The Plaintiff’s motion material also contained a lengthy affidavit of John Knox sworn November 12, 2007.
[22] There was a conference call with all counsel and I for the purpose of scheduling the motions as well as the logistical issues flowing from the motion record delivered. An Order was made directing a timetable for the delivery of materials responding to the threat allegations that had been particularized in the November 19, 2007 motion record. In the conference call Mr. McKenzie indicated that there were further security threats but he declined to give particulars. Following the conference call, counsel for various defendants confirmed that they had consulted with their respective clients and that none were aware of the threats beyond those that Mr. McKenzie had alleged.
[23] Subsequent to the conference call on December 3, 2007 Mr McKenzie forwarded several letters containing purported excerpts of “blog” entries posted in the months of November and December 2007. The blog is owned by “Keltruth Corp” and is administered by Kathleen Davis who is the sister of the plaintiff’s affiant John Knox and the daughter of the defendant Marjorie Knox. John Knox swore a further affidavit on January 11, 2008 wherein he indicates that his sister Kathy Davis resides in Miami, Florida and that she is “the administrator, contributor and constant reader of the Keltruth Blog. His affidavit goes on to state that this blog “entertains public opinion about general matters and including matters relating to her homeland, Barbados, and the interest our family has in Kingsland Estates Limited.” The affidavit details that on November 14, 2007 there was posted on Keltruth Blog a “vicious and unwarranted threat that came from Barbados that threatened bodily harm and death against our mother” (the defendant Marjorie Knox). The words of the blog message are found at page 7 of the affidavit of John Knox and they can be fairly characterized as vulgar, vicious and threatening to Marjorie Knox. John Knox relates that he brought the blog messages to the attention of Mr. McKenzie who “promptly wrote letters not only to counsel in this case but also to the Barbados Commissioner of Police, Mr. Dottin, as well as Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Limited”. Mr. McKenzie’s correspondence is dated December 10, 2007 and it is noteworthy that this correspondence was posted on the Keltruth Blog on January 4, 2008.
[24] On December 14, 2007 an unknown person or persons posted a poem on the Keltruth Blog which purportedly is a threat against a Barbados hotelier, Adrian Loveridge and his wife. The content of the message is a threat to burn down Mr. Loveridge’s hotel and thereby endangering his life. When asked by the Court to explain the relevance of this information Mr. McKenzie advised that Mr. Loveridge is a person that he had dealings with in Barbados.
[25] In correspondence dated December 21, 2007, Erskine J. Holmes, Legal Advisor to Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Limited acknowledges receipt of Mr. McKenzie’s letters. Mr. Holmes indicates that Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Limited has initiated an investigation of the messages on the Keltruth Blog and “is awaiting formal communication from the Royal Barbados Police Force.” It is the Plaintiff’s information that Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Limited owns the Internet Service Provider through which the postings on the Keltruth Blog originate.
[26] On December 20, 2007, Mr. McKenzie forwards a letter to defense counsel advising that he is going to examine a Mr. Nitin Amersey in Bay City, Michigan, U.S.A. on January 10, 2008. Counsel for most of the defendants objected on several grounds including the fact that there had been no prior consultation or arrangements. None of the defense counsel attended on the examination. I have reviewed the transcript of the examination of Nitin Amersey as conducted by Mr. McKenzie. I find that it is replete with unsubstantiated allegations of fraud and corruption concerning various individuals, the police and the government of Barbados which are unreliable and not relevant to the issues on this motion or the jurisdictional motion. Mr. Nitin Amersey has no connection direct or indirect to the subject matter of this litigation.
PLAINTIFF’S MOTION IN RELATION TO CABLE & WIRELESS (BARBADOS) LIMITED
[27] The Plaintiff seeks an Order directing Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Limited to preserve and produce to counsel for the plaintiff the data and information detailed in a lengthy letter dated January 2, 2008 from counsel for the plaintiff. Alternatively the plaintiff seeks an Order requiring that Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Limited and Cable & Wireless PLC attend an examination for use on a motion and to bring data and information as referred to in Mr. McKenzie’s letter of January 2, 2008 for every IP address identified in several affidavits. It is further advanced as alternative relief that if it is found that the examination is to be outside Ontario, the an Order is requested providing for a commission authorizing the taking of evidence before a named commissioner and “a letter or request directed to the judicial authorities of the jurisdiction in which the person is to be found, requesting the issue of such process as is necessary to compel the person to attend and be examined before the Commissioner”. There is also a request that the Commissioner “pose oral questions and receive answers in accordance with the Ontario Rules of Practice.
[28] The Plaintiff’s position is that the Order is required as “there are continuing issues in this case with respect to threats and their relevance to the place of examinations and ultimately the hearing of the jurisdiction motion”.
[29] The Defendants’ position is that correspondence received from Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Limited dictates the appropriate legal process to be followed. The Defendants also express a valid concern that the scope and nature of the proceedings (the jurisdictional motion) will be “high-jacked” by a multitude of applications which will significantly impede the hearing of the central issue, namely jurisdiction.
[30] Attached as an exhibited to the affidavit of Stacey Ball sworn January 11, 2008 is a copy of a fax communication dated January 8, 2008 from Rebecca Bell, legal counsel for International Business of Cable & Wireless U.K. Miss Bell indicates that the company is following up on Mr. McKenzie’s correspondence “internally and in conjunction with Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Limited.” This is followed by a letter to Mr. McKenzie which states:
“Pursuant to the Telecommunications Act , Cable & Wireless can only produce information upon the production of a Court Order from the High Court of Barbados.
Under Section 107(4) of the said Act, a licensee, like Cable & Wireless, is prohibited from using or disclosing any information or document that relates to the content of any message or the private affairs or personal particulars of any person, that comes into the licensee’s knowledge or possession in connection with its business of providing telecommunication services. Such a licensee is only permitted to disclose information to the High Court of Barbados in connection with a Court Order made in civil proceedings under Section 107(5) (f) of the Act.
[31] The argument advanced by Counsel for the Plaintiff is that the Superior Court of Ontario ought to issue an Order directing Cable & Wireless to produce the information requested. Mt McKenzie states that the Plaintiff will probably get what it wants simply on the strength or an Order of this Court. He also asks that this Court make a determination that the Keltruth impugned blogs are relevant to an issue in this proceeding, namely threats and he suggests that this Court issue an Order for the production of data and information and “see what happens”. Mr. McKenzie also argues that this Court can assume jurisdiction for the purposes of this application and make an Order under Rule 34.07 , based on the reasoning of Justice Arbour in the case of United States v Cobb (2001) 152 C.C.C. (3d) 270 (SCC). Finally, Mr. McKenzie submits that there is comity between the Superior Court of Justice and the High Court of Barbados such that if this Court finds that the requested information is necessary and relevant then it is unlikely there will be resistance to an Ontario Superior Court Order.
[32] Mr. McKenzie in his argument attempts to connect the threats on the Keltruth Blog to the alleged threats in the Heaslet-Simmons taped conversations. I do not accept this suggestion. There is no evidence before this Court that would demonstrate any relevant of the Keltruth blogs to the Heaslet-Simmons telephone conversations. Further, I find that United States v Cobb has no relevance to the issue at hand. The Cobb case involved extradition proceedings and the interplay of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and it is a case where the facts were largely not in dispute. I reject the suggestion that in these circumstances this Court can simply assume what counsel refers to as a “micro jurisdiction” and make Orders referring to corporations in a foreign jurisdiction. Further, the defendants have not attorned to this jurisdiction and therefore it would be inappropriate at this stage with the jurisdictional issue squarely before this Court, to issue an Order under Rule 34.07 of the Ontario Rules of Practice.
[33] I reject completely the suggestion that this Court, without any juridicial basis, make an Order directing Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Limited or any of its affiliated companies to produce any information that is regulated by the Telecommunications Act of Barbados. This Court cannot and will not issue Orders as against foreign persons or corporations simply on the basis “to see what happens”. To do so would seriously undermine the respect, deference and comity that this Court enjoys internationally.
[34] I am also troubled by the lack of procedural fairness at play in the Plaintiff’s position in relation to Cable & Wireless Barbados Limited. This corporation seeks to act in a manner which is in compliance with the Telecommunications Act of Barbados. To accede to the Plaintiff’s position would be to leave the corporation in an untenable position under the laws of the country in which it is conducting business. Such a result is to be avoided. I would also note that there has been no attempt by the Plaintiff to seek the relief requested in the High Court of Barbados.
[35] There is no evidence that the Keltruth blogs are relevant to other alleged threats in this proceeding. The information presently before this Court is that anonymous and unknown threats have been posted on a blog that relate to the defendant Marjorie Knox and to an unrelated hotelier, Adrian Loveridge who apparently has some association with Mr. McKenzie. It does not escape the notice of this Court that Marjorie Knox is represented in these proceedings by Mr. Sheppard, a lawyer practicing in Barbados. It is confusing as to why Mr. Sheppard has taken no position on this motion and why Mr. McKenzie sends correspondence relating to the Keltruth blog to the Commissioner of Police in Barbados on behalf of Marjorie Knox.
[36] There is no evidence before this Court that any of the defendants in this proceeding are implicated in the Keltruth blog statements. It should also be noted that Defense counsel has advised Plaintiff’s counsel that they and their respective clients have no involvement or knowledge as to the sender of the blog messages.
[36] Therefore I dismiss the application to compel Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Limited to produce to Counsel for the Plaintiff the data and information described in the correspondence dated January 2, 2008 attached as Exhibit “A” to the Notice of Motion. I also dismiss the ancillary and alternative relief requested in the Notice of Motion. This application is dismissed on the basis that the appropriate forum for this application is the High Court of Barbados.
MOTION FOR DIRECTIONS BY THE PLAINTIFF
[37] The Plaintiff brings an application for an Order directing that cross-examinations of the defendants who reside in Barbados and who have filed affidavits challenging the jurisdiction of this Court, be held at the Courthouse in Barrie, Ontario.
[38] The argument of Mr. McKenzie on this applications is somewhat confusing and inconsistent. There is filed on this application voluminous material by the Plaintiff that details the alleged threats to the safety of Mr. McKenzie as well as the Plaintiff’s affiant John Knox. Also filed in this application are the materials relating to the Keltruth blog referred to above. This material would suggest that foundation for the Order requested is based on the alleged serious threats to the life of Mr. McKenzie and John Knox and to some extent on the anonymous threats on the Keltruth blog relating to Marjorie Knox. However in submissions Mr. McKenzie stated that this Court should “not make a decision on the risk issue” and that I should “finesse” around the issue of “threats”. Mr. McKenzie next suggested that the “threats” are an issue to be tried before this Court following the cross-examinations of the affiants. When asked if he wished to adjourn this motion Mr. McKenzie indicated that he wanted to proceed with this motion without delay. He then proceeded to argue the threat issue at some considerable length.
[39] The position of the Plaintiff is that directing the cross-examinations of the Barbadian take place in Ontario is based on “a balance of convenience” as well as concerns about “legal costs” and the “irreparable harm” that could come to Mr. McKenzie as well as his staff and a court reporter if they travelled to Barbados.
THE ALLEGED THREATS
[40] The Plaintiff delivered a motion record originally returnable on December 3, 2007 and including in the record the affidavit of Stuart Heaslet sworn September 12 2007 at the City of Hollywood in the State of Florida before Mr. McKenzie.
[41] Stuart Heaslet resides in the City of Summerland in the State of California. He states that he in an “environmentalist and construction project manager.” Mr Heaslet is employed by a “Canadian philanthropist Peter Allard to carry out the wish to endow the nation of Barbados with a world class nature sanctuary…..which is located in the Graeme Hall area on the south coast.” Peter Allard purchased the property at Graeme Hall in approximately 1993 and it encompasses 35 acres. The nature sanctuary opened in April 2004.
[42] Mr. Heaslet states in his affidavit that he is currently working on a National Park project involving land surrounding the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary. Once again Mr. Heaslet is working under the direction of Peter Allard. A citizens’ committee was formed to promote the interests of the National Park. The committee chose the defendant Peter Simmons as its spokesperson.
[43] Peter Simmons is a career diplomat and he was at one time the High Commissioner for Barbados in London, England. His brother, Sir David Simmons is also a defendant in this action. Sir David Simmons is a former Attorney General of Barbados and is now Chief Justice of the High Court of Barbados.
[44] The affidavit of Mr. Heaslet details that he and Peter Simmons had worked together to obtain support and funding to create and maintain the National Park project. He also states that there is a group of individuals who are opposed to the National Park and who wish to build a Theme Water Park called Caribbean Splash in the location that Mr. Heaslet states would present a “environmental hazard” to the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary and the proposed National Park. Mr. Heaslet relates that he became aware of this law suit some time in December 2006. He states that he was invited to the home of Peter Simmons on March 14, 2007 to meet his brother Sir David Simmons. At that meeting Peter Simmons had a copy of a document which Mr. Heaslet understood to be a “lawsuit” that named Sir David Simmons as a defendant. Mr Heaslet states that Sir David Simmons was upset at being named in the lawsuit and that he “let me know that the existence of the lawsuit could compromise…..the creation of a National Park.
[45] Mr. Heaslet’s affidavit discloses that he knows Mr. McKenzie and that they share a common interest in environmental matters.
[46] At paragraph 14 of his affidavit sworn on December 12, 2007, Mr. Heaslet states:
In early August 2007, Peter Simmons contacted me by telephone. We discussed matters related to the National Park project and then he advised me that John Knox was at risk because of his apparent cooperation with the Plaintiff in this action. He told me that some of the defendants in the lawsuit were going to see to it that their contact, the president of the University of the West Indies where Mr. Knox works, would terminate Mr. Knox’s employment as a result of his cooperation (with Counsel for the Plaintiff). I relayed these comments to Mr. McKenzie.
[47] Mr. Heaslet states that on August 10, 2007 he had a second telephone conversation with Peter Simmons. Mr Heaslet states that Peter Simmons repeated the comments concerning John Knox and he also added that certain defendants wished to make it known “that McKenzie was in danger and should “watch his back” because there were people in Barbados very angry with Mr. McKenzie. I asked him if it was his intention that these comments be conveyed to Mr. McKenzie and Mr. Allard and he said yes so I did so (sic).”
[48] Mr. Heaslet states that he spoke with Peter Simmons a third time on August 13, 2007 wherein he states that he reviewed with Peter Simmons what he (Simmons) said on the two prior occasions in August. Mr. Heaslet states that he related Mr. Simmons’ comments to Mr. McKenzie and Mr. Allard.
[49] There are then three telephone conversations between Heaslet and Simmons and the dates of those calls are not in dispute, August 8, 10 and 13, 2007. The latter two telephone conversations were initiated by Stewart Heaslet and the conversations were surreptitiously recorded at a residence of Mr. Peter Allard in Vancouver, B.C.
[50] The Plaintiff has filed as exhibits to the November 7, 2007 affidavit of Stacey Ball,(a law clerk in the office of Mr. McKenzie) the CD recordings of the August 10 and 13, 2007 conversations as well as a transcript of those recorded conversations.
August 10, 2007 Recorded Conversation between Stuart Heaslet and Peter Simmons
[51] In the telephone conversation of August 10, 2007 Stuart Heaslet after exchanging pleasantries states:
On the last conversation that we had, you told me there were some angry people in Barbados and perhaps McKenzie should be careful about walking the streets or something like that but that I shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
[52] Peter Simmons responds:
I haven’t heard anybody say anything derogatory or otherwise about you Stuart —-they simply haven’t – I think people recognize that you are doing a professional job at the Sanctuary and that is that I haven’t heard anything adverse about you but as I said and I repeat again there are some people around Barbados who are very, very angry with Bill McKenzie — I mean even some of the members of the Deane family — one of them told me this morning that he has come here (to) drag John Knox into this thing. He’s made John Knox swear affidavits which contain information which is totally false and John Knox is going to have to end up having to carry the can because in addition to putting his job in jeopardy there are people who are prepared to sue John Knox including the Chief Justice of Barbados, and they are blaming McKenzie for this. They are saying that McKenzie came here and took the innocent boy and dragged him into this nasty legal thing and that John Knox is going to be up the creek without a paddle and then Allard and McKenzie will have to be funding him like they are funding his mother and his aunt.
[53] Stuart Heaslet then asks, “what about the threats to McKenzie?” to which Peter Simmons responds:
Well all I would say to McKenzie is when he comes to Barbados HE MUST WALK GOOD AND HE MUST WATCH HIS BACK because there are a lot of people here that are extraordinarily angry with McKenzie and see him as a bit of a blood-sucker who is coming here, he is only interested in money, he has no morality and he has no character [emphasis added].
[54] In this telephone conversation Stuart Heaslet relates that he has been “charged” with the responsibility to coordinate any public goodwill on behalf of the National Park.” He states that when he and Peter Simmons first met they discussed how “there would be resources available from us to help make that (the National Park) happen…..it appears that’s out the window at least for the foreseeable future.” Peter Simmons responds that “all the goodwill has now evaporated……People feel that the National Park was an excellent idea and it was for the good of Barbados in the long term……But this recent development with this case, with McKenzie, and as I told you the last time we spoke people are not separating Peter Allard from Bill McKenzie — they see them as working hand in hand and the goodwill has evaporated in terms of the National Park. I myself am under tremendous pressure to make a public statement to say that I am no longer associated with the Friends of Graeme Hall — I am under tremendous pressure. People feel that I have been used and that now Bill McKenzie is trying to get money from all of us and that I have got suckered into this at the last minute……So I must tell you frankly that all the goodwill has gone.”
[55] Stuart Heaslet again proceeds to raise the issue of the effect of this lawsuit on the “National Park agenda.” Mr. Heaslet states that “at this point we have a lot invested” and that he has “to make some decisions about the role of my company in Barbados.” He states that he has a meeting arranged with Peter Allard and therefore he asks how Peter Simmons perceives “any personal threats to either McKenzie or myself or anyone else. Because I know you can’t be specific.” Peter Simmons responds: “I have heard nobody say anything adverse about you…..All the animosity is directed at Bill McKenzie and Peter Allard and John Knox…..” Peter Simmons then states that as a result of conversations he has had with people the National Park project is terminated. He states that it is “now very clear in my own mind that the government is not going to play ball with us on the National Park. I am very clear. There are some very, very angry people (and) I had no idea up to last week that people felt so strongly about the lawsuit and about Bill McKenzie and Peter Allard…..people are saying that you cannot separate them—they are two peas from the same pod and whatever McKenzie is doing Peter Allard is behind it…..we have come to a very sorry pass—the anger is not going to go away.”
[56] Mr. Heaslet then makes the inquiry: “Do I need to be clear in my message, clear in a message to Peter Allard that McKenzie should not go to Barbados….? Mr. Simmons responds:
No he can come to Barbados. Barbados is a Commonwealth country and no one can stop him from coming to Barbados but once he gets to Barbados he needs to be very careful and also he must be aware that there is a perception that he’s (sic) taken John Knox and lead him up the garden path and, you know, that John Knox is going to be left carrying the can and that there are people who are very angry about that and about you know, nothing is stopping him (McKenzie) from coming to Barbados, but what happens after he gets here is another matter.
[57] Later in the same conversation Stuart Heaslet comments on the relationship between Bill McKenzie and Peter Allard and states: “I asked Allard yesterday again about the relationship and he reiterated that he had sold his upside to McKenzie’s firm.” (see Footnote #1)
(Footnote #1.) Exhibit “E” to the affidavit of Stacey Ball sworn November 7, 2007 is an e-mail from Stuart Heaslet to Bill McKenzie dated September 13, 2007 which states: “Some time ago I mentioned to Peter Simmons and Harry Roberts that I had heard from Peter Allard that he had sold his “upside” benefit in the Kingsland affair. Not knowing any details of the case, I assumed the “upside” had been sold to your firm and passed my assumptions on to Simmons and Roberts. In any case I wanted to let you know this and I will be letting Simmons and Roberts know of this.”
Reference is made in these Reasons to the unsolicited correspondence sent to all counsel by Mr. McKenzie dated November 7, 2007 in which he states that “in order to dispel rumours and set the record straight” he advises that he has no direct or indirect interest in the Plaintiff or in the outcome of the lawsuit. As detailed in these reasons, defense counsel states that this correspondence came “out of the blue”. As of Nov. 7/07 defense counsel had only received the August 14/07 correspondence from Mr. McKenzie about “serious and specific threats” made towards him by John Knox. Despite repeated requests Plaintiff’s counsel did not provide particulars. Ms. Jessica Duncan on behalf of the Plaintiff advised on September 4, 2007 that an expert had been retained and that particulars would be provided once the expert had completed his review. Not surprisingly, several defense counsel responded that without particulars of the alleged threats they were unable to address the actual facts and concerns. They also inquired as to whether the matter had been reported to the police.)
THE AUGUST 13 2007 RECORDED TELEPHONE CONVESRATION BETWEEN STUART HEASLET AND PETER SIMMONS
[58] Stuart Heaslet makes yet another recorded telephone call to Peter Simmons on August 13, 2007. This conversation was recorded at a premise owned by Peter Allard in Vancouver B.C. Peter Simmons again is unaware that the conversation is being recorded.
[59] In this August 13, 2007 telephone conversation Stuart Heaslet advises that over the weekend he had an opportunity to meet with Peter Allard and that he had “delivered the message to him. I also delivered the message to Bill McKenzie.” Me. Heaslet goes on to state:
I wish you would all get into a room and just solve this thing because it has put a tremendous agenda at risk meaning the National Park agenda and I’m just sorry to see it happen. It’s also affecting my involvement in Barbados.”
[60] Stuart Heaslet comments that the National Park appears to be a casualty of the lawsuit. Peter Simmons states that it is “very difficult for anybody to separate out the National Park from what is going on with Bill McKenzie.” When Stuart Heaslet states that the National Park has nothing to do with the lawsuit, Peter Simmons responds:
…..the people are saying that they don’t want to see in the short term Peter Allard and Bill McKenzie being beneficiaries of anything which is in Barbados. McKenzie’s agenda is so much based on things like greed and avarice, which are obnoxious to the average Barbadian. If he says he is going to pursue his agenda to get money out of Barbadians by going to the law courts in Canada then let him do that. Let him see what he gets legally and everything else takes a back seat until that matter is resolved.
[61] In the course of this August 13, 2007 conversation Stuart Heaslet makes an unsolicited offer 4 times to Peter Simmons “to continue to facilitate any communication that you feel necessary should be done.”
E-MAIL FROM STUART HEASLET TO BILL MCKENZIE DATED AUGUST 10, 2007
[62] Filed as Exhibit “D” to the affidavit of Stacey Ball sworn November 7, 2007 is an edited copy of an e-mail from Stuart Heaslet to Bill McKenzie titled “Comments on Heaslet – Simmons conversation 08 1007 (sic) . The e-mail states:
1. I was in Peter Allard’s condominium at One Wall Centre in Vancouver when I made the call to Peter Simmons.
2. The conversation was made on a microcassette tape. Side A contains one missed call to Peter Simmons and a conversation between Heaslet and Harry Roberts, Manager of Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary. Side B contains the conversation between Heaslet and Peter Simmons. Only Side B has been transcribed to date.
3. In regard Simmons’ view (sic) that there should be a personal safety threat against Bill McKenzie, Simmons acted more vehement on August 8, 2007 compared to the follow-up conversations on Wednesday August 8, 2007 (sic—August 10, 2007).
4. Simmons acted more vehement on August 8, 2007 when he described potential consequences to the livelihood and career of John Knox. During the August 10, 2007 conversation, Simmons softened his tone, suggesting that John Knox was being victimized by McKenzie and Allard.
[63] It is significant to note that the August 8, 2007 Heaslet – Simmons telephone conversation was not recorded. Further it is apparent from Stuart Heaslet’s affidavit of September 12, 2007 (paragraph 14 and see para. [46] above) that there is no reference to any threats to Mr. McKenzie in relation to the August 8/07 conversation rather the alleged threat appears to relate to the livelihood and career of John Knox. Yet this would appear to be contradicted by the Heaslet e-mail of August 10/07 (paragraph 3) where he states that in Simmons’ view “there should be a safety threat against Bill McKenzie.” Perhaps equally significant is Stuart Heaslet’s comment in the e-mail that Simmons softened his tone.” In assessing the significance of this statement I note that Stuart Heaslet and Peter Simmons have more than a passing acquaintance. They have worked together on projects in Barbados. I find that Mr. Heaslet’s recollection of this August 8/07 unrecorded conversation is contradictory and unreliable and accordingly I afford it little weight.
JOHN KNOX AFFIDAVIT SWORN NOVEMBER 12, 2007
[64] The Plaintiff has filed the affidavit of John Knox sworn November 12, 2007 in support of the application for directions and the jurisdictional issue. In this affidavit Mr. Knox states that he has travelled to the United States to create, review and swear this affidavit because Mr. McKenzie “advised me of the threats made against him that prevent him from traveling to Barbados and also that there have been threats against me to deprive me of my employment at the University of the West Indies this year because of my willingness to give evidence in this action.” Mr Knox states that his employment at his former job as lecturer was not renewed for the 2007-2008 academic year. Apart from a vague reference to a Mr. Leonard Nurse no further particulars relating to the termination of his employment are provided. This affidavit provides considerable detail concerning his family’s involvement in Kingsland Estates Limited much of which has already been referenced and does not bear repeating. Hi affidavit outlines the alleged conspiracy which is the subject matter of this proceeding.
JOHN KNOX AFFIDAVIT SWORN JANUARY 11, 2008
[65] The affidavit relates the detail pertaining to the Keltruth Blog and for reasons that are not clear it deals with numerous irrelevant matters. An example is paragraph 12 which is directed at the age of the Chief Justice of Barbados and the suggestion that he has stayed in Office beyond the mandated age to retire ( a fact which is disputed in a responding affidavit). In this affidavit Mr. Knox purports to argue the meaning and significance of the words used in the alleged threats as disclosed in the Heaslet – Simmons telephone conversation of August 10, 2007. Many of the paragraphs in this affidavit are irrelevant to the issue that this Court must decide namely: a) where the cross-examinations are to take place and b) the jurisdictional motion. Further this affidavit does NOT provide any details relating to the termination of his employment.
AFFIDAVIT OF PETER SIMMONS SWORN DECEMBER 12, 2007
[66] The affidavit of the defendant Peter Simmons is in response to the various affidavits filed by the Plaintiff.
[67] Peter Simmons states that in August 2007 he was shown a letter sent by Mr. McKenzie dated August 14 2007 that made reference to threats having been made against Bill McKenzie and John Knox. He states that he “never imagined that the alleged threats referred to were based on any statement that I had made to Heaslet in the course of our telephone conversation on August 10, 2007 and [I] was very surprised to learn this from Heaslet’s affidavit.”
[68] Peter Simmons acknowledges that he did state to Stuart Heaslet that there was animosity towards Bill McKenzie and that people were very angry for being dragged into a lawsuit. However he states that it was Stuart Heaslet who used the word “threat” and he (Simmons) did not mean to imply a threat. He further makes the statement that Stuart Heaslet’s conduct was “deliberately contrived to entrap [him] into saying anything that would work against having the case being heard in Barbados.” Peter Simmons also makes the unchallenged statement that Peter Allard “has long had an interest in the Kingsland litigation.”
[69] Mr. Simmons in his affidavit states to this Court “unhesitatingly that I made no threat to Mr. McKenzie nor would I threaten anyone.” He further states that he did not suggest nor even mean to suggest that Mr. McKenzie would be in personal danger in Barbados. “I have no reason to believe that any harm would Mr. McKenzie, his family or staff should they come to Barbados.”
[70] In his affidavit Peter Simmons comments on the words he used in the telephone conversation of August 10, 2007. He states that “walk good” is “a common colloquial Caribbean phrase of good wishes usually expressed at the end of a meeting between people.” He cites Peter Allsop in his work “Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage” which states that “walk good” is a “sending off phrase.” Peter Simmons also says that the words “watch your back” is innocuous and “means to be careful.” This court does not accept these self-serving explanations. In the Heaslet-Simmons August 10, 2007 “walk good” was certainly not used in the context of a “sending off phrase.” Likewise the words “watch your back” in the context of the conversation is not innocuous. However, these words, even in the context that they were used, do not necessarily lead to the conclusion that Mr. McKenzie, his family and his staff or John Knox are endangered if they attend or remain in Barbados. Peter Simmons references the various positions he has held including that of High Commissioner for Barbados to the United Kingdom and states that “violence and/or threat of violence are anathema to everything I believe in.”
AFFIDAVIT OF STACEY BALL SWORN NOVEMBER 15, 2007: THE HENDERSON AND O.B.N. SECURITY REPORT AND THE ALAN BELL REPORT
[71] Following the August 14, 2007 correspondence, Mr. McKenzie does not provide details of the threats but he does state that his preliminary impression is that “the threats will mean that cross-examinations will have to take place in Toronto.” Apart from a letter sent by Jessica Duncan on September 4, 2007 (previously referred to) the next communication from the Plaintiff concerning the alleged threats is the motion record returnable December 3, 2007 and the Heaslet-Simmons CDs and transcript.
[72] Stacey Ball then swears another affidavit on November 15, 2007which attaches as an exhibit a letter dated August 24, 2007 from Mr. William Henderson of O.B.N. Security and Investigative Consultants Inc. His correspondence addressed to Jessica Duncan states:
Upon review of the documents presented to O.B.N. Security and Investigative Consultants Inc. and research conducted we believe there is a real threat poised (sic) to the safety of your client William (Bill) McKenzie.
This threat is apparent in a conversation dated August 10th, 2007 between Mr. Stuart Heaslet and Mr. Peter Simmons (sic), although it isn’t coming directly from Mr. Simmons (sic) it is apparent that he Simmons has knowledge of this issue and has participated in discussions which discuss the matter.
Furthermore, other persons are described as being very angry with Mr. McKenzie, the Deane family and the population of Barbados in general.
It is our advice presently that your client William McKenzie not travel to Barbados W.I. to conduct business of any nature until a complete risk assessment is completed.
[73] This is the entire report of Mr. Henderson on August 24, 2007.
[74] Also attached to Stacey Ball’s affidavit of November 15, 2007 is the O.B.N. Security and Investigative Consultants Inc. report prepared by Ken Soederhuysen. The objective of the report is to assess the risk “posed to William McKenzie and members of his legal team.” This report relates that Mr. McKenzie before filing this lawsuit “personally researched the above matter for 20 months which included 40 trips to Barbados.”
[75] The O.B.N. Risk Assessment Report prepared in November 2007 under the heading of “Intelligence” states that “it is generally accepted in the print media, on-line media and anonymous on-line blogs that there is an element that there is an element of corruption between the Barbados government officials and various development enterprises.” This report then proceeds to cite an exchange with an anonymous user of the blog as supportive of the underlying proposition that the government and officials of Barbados are corrupt. This same report applies a risk assessment tool by employing what is described as a 3X3 matrix to demonstrate the probability of the risk and its priority. The report states that the “matrix format is considered to be an industry standard for risk presentation and organizations.” This later statement is challenged by Dr. Sharon S. Smith whose report will be reviewed later in these Reasons.
[76] I find that the underlying assumptions of this O.B.N. report are based on very unreliable and unverifiable information and to premise a risk assessment on blogs and anonymous sources leaves much to be desired. The report states as a premise that the “Barbadian police” will not be cooperative in investigating the threats and that the possibility exists that “McKenzie may be arrested, jailed or held without bail while in Barbados cannot be eliminated.” The report goes on to state that “the lawsuit may require that McKenzie travel with a Court clerk, Court Reporter and a personal assistant. The probability that these individuals are exposed to multiple risk items listed above is high.” There is no reliable or verifiable evidence to support these statements. Indeed, there appears to be little or no restraint in terms of the length this report will go to support its very subjective and unsubstantiated conclusions. An example of this is found under the heading Economic Risk where is states:
Close Protection (sic) for McKenzie and his family will reduce the risk of attempted kidnapping and threats which do not only represent a physical threat but also an economic threat. It should be noted that David Simmons is the Chief Justice of the Barbadian Court and head of the Caribbean Court of Appeal. David Simmons is also the brother of Peter Simmons who made the telephone call quoted in sections 1 and 3 of this risk assessment.
[77] Ignoring for the moment that it was Stuart Heaslet who initiated the August 10/07 telephone conversation, there is no credible or reliable evidence that the Chief Justice of the Barbados poses either a physical or economic threat to Mr. McKenzie or anyone else for that matter.
[78] I find this O.B.N. Risk Assessment report is neither objective nor fair and its analysis is flawed by the assumptions it makes without reservation. Accordingly I give it little or no weight.
[79] The Plaintiff also relies on a Location Risk and Cost Assessment report prepared by Edward Frivalt of O.B.N. Security and Investigative Consultants Inc. dated November 2007. The report details the “risk scoring” for various locales in Markham, Barrie, Orillia and Toronto. The report states that the Holiday Inn Barrie Hotel and Conference Centre is the most appropriate secure location in the survey. There is a cost analysis for security in Ontario contained in this report.
AFFIDAVIT OF ALAN BELL
[80] Alan Bell is the President of Globe Risk International Inc. which provides security consulting and training to companies and individuals. Mr. Bell indicates in an affidavit sworn November 8, 2007 that he has more than 22 years of Special Forces experience, including twelve years with Britain’s elite Special Air Services (SAS) which he states is “recognized as the world’s foremost Special Forces unit.” Attached to Mr. Bell’s affidavit is his report dated November 2, 2007.
[81] Mr. Bell’s report states that a “threat risk, vulnerability assessment” was carried out in Barbados from October 10 to October 14, 2007. His report states that the assessment was performed to determine the Plaintiff’s legal team risk profile and to assess potential or anticipated threats that could be directed against Mr. McKenzie and his legal team while in Barbados or to their families residing in Canada. Mr. Bell’s report states:
extensive research was necessary, as this assessment review had to be completed without the direct knowledge of the government or any of its agencies. The high profile of several of the defendants precluded a traditional approach to this engagement, which would normally have involved interviews with government, police or other pertinent agencies in the consulting process. As such, the consultant worked independently to identify vulnerabilities that could effect the safety of the legal team.
[82] The key conclusions in Alan Bell’s report are:
(a) the vulnerability of the legal team from external hostile agents is assessed as high,
(b) the legal action is high profile and the legal team should consider themselves to be potentially at risk both within Canada and particularly while deployed in Barbados,
(c) in the absence of a well-trained professional security team, it would be difficult to provide the necessary level of protection and effective response to any event or crisis incurred by the legal team,
(d) it is anticipated that the threat level will increase significantly as the legal action proceeds,
(e) the interest of domestic and international media will heighten the public profile of the team and may expose them to an increased threat from criminal and/or hostile agents,
(f) DIRECT AND INDIRECT THREATS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DELIVERED TO ONE MEMBER OF THE TEAM RAISING SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT PERSONAL SECURITY AND THAT OF THE EXTENDED FAMILY, (emphasis added),
(g) current crime trends within Barbados indicate that the vulnerability of the legal team operating in an insecure security environment (sic) could become a major concern, particularly with the number of criminal assaults and drug dealing activities.
[83] The Bell Report concludes that at this time “the safety and security of the legal team while conducting examinations in Barbados has been rated as “unsatisfactory” GIVEN THE PROFILE OF THE DEFENDANTS BEING EXAMINED “ (emphasis added). Attached to this report as appendices are copies of blog commentary accusing the police and judiciary of being corrupt. Mr. Bell states in his affidavit that he did not base his opinion on press or blog reports listed in his report however he states “that their content does cause some concern.” I note however in Mr Bell’s report that on July 19, 2007, Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper visited Barbados. “Prior to the Prime Minister’s arrival, his RCMP protection team completed a comprehensive risk assessment and determined that there were no direct threats and elected not to carry firearms.”
[84] The Alan Bell report relies on comments of various individuals employed at the Canadian High Commission in Barbados. The difficulty for the Court in assessing this information is that there is no affidavit by the person alleged to have made the comment. The Court is then left with hearsay statements when asked to judge alleged threats and security risks. This is most unsatisfactory when the purported comments go to the heart of the issue.
[85] Mr. Bell’s affidavit and report is unsatisfactory for a number of reasons:
(a) Mr. Bell’s affidavit states that he has reviewed the tape recordings and transcripts of the Heaslett-Simmons telephone conversations and that in his opinion there are “threats that have been made against Mr. McKenzie and, by extension, members of his team who would travel with him to Barbados.” However, neither the affidavit nor his report provides any analysis of how he arrives at this conclusion. There is simply the bald statement that there have been threats. His report at 2.11.3 states:
The Chief Justice of Barbados is a defendant in the legal action. His brother, Peter Simmons, has uttered threats to Mr. Stuart Heaslett, a witness in the proceedings, during a telephone conversation. It is expected that these threats would be carried out, particularly if the legal team deploy to Barbados.
(b) It is not a given fact that threats have been made let alone that they would be acted upon. There is no rational basis or analysis provided in this report by which this Court can understand or accept Mr. Bell’s conclusions.
(c) While the tenor of Mr. Bell’s report suggests that he has relied only on objective criteria in his analysis nevertheless close scrutiny of his comments suggests otherwise. Under the topic of “Key Observations and Findings” his report states that “RUMOURS of corruption at the highest level in Barbados within government are rife.” It is obvious that Mr. Bell has not provided an objective report that is grounded on fact but rather has underlying assumptions based on rumour, speculation and innuendo.
FORENSIC PSYCHOLINGUISTICS REPORT OF SHARON S. STONE PHD. DATED JANUARY 14, 2008
[86] Mr. G. Ranking, who is counsel for the defendant Price Waterhouse Coopers (Barbados), on November 29, 2007 consulted and engaged Dr. Smith to evaluate the allegation that threats were made, represented or discussed by Peter Simmons in the two telephone conversations of August 10 and 13, 2007.
[87] Dr. Smith was asked to review the transcripts of the Heaslet-Simmons conversations, the CDs and other exhibits and documents in Volume 1 & 2 of the Plaintiff’s motion record as well as a separate supplementary record containing the affidavit of William Henderson sworn November 20, 2007. Dr. Smith was subsequently provided with the affidavit of Peter Simmons sworn December 12, 2007. Dr. Smith states that she relied only on the material detailed. In particular, she did not speak with Peter Simmons or his legal counsel, Mr. Schabas.
[88] Dr. Smith’s curriculum vitae indicates that she has a Ph.D. from Georgetown University, Washington D.C. with specialized training in psycholinguistics. From 1978 to 2003 Dr. Smith was a member of the F.B.I. She was also an instructor in the Behavioural Unit of the FBI Academy from 1995 to 2003 wherein her duties included analyzing cases involving threats, detection of deception, authorship identification, rapes, child molestation and homicides. For four months in 1995, she was assigned to the FBI Head Quarters Congressional Affairs Office where she worked with the Intelligence Division on briefing U.S. Congressional Representatives, Senators and their staffs on intelligence and counterterrorism matters. She also received training with the FBI in Linguistic Analysis, Risk Assessment for Violence as well as many other programs. Dr. Smith has had many of her works published including, “From Violent Words to Violent Deeds” and “Risk Assessment of Threatening Communications from FBI files…..” At the present time Dr. Smith is employed as a consultant in intelligence and security related matters. Her work also involves criminal behaviour analysis including the language used in conducting threat assessment and analysis of risk as to potential for harm.
[89] The conclusion in Dr. Smith’s report is that the Heaslet-Simmons conversations show that Mr. Simmons did not communicate threats from himself or others toward Mr. McKenzie or about Mr. McKenzie’s participation as counsel in this action. Further her report concludes that Mr. Simmons did not communicate threats about or toward John Knox, Peter Allard or any legal staff.
[90] The Smith report states that the focus of the assessment is “the risk of Peter Simmons and other unknown individuals acting out inappropriately, recklessly, even violently towards William McKenzie and John Knox.” The report notes that “sometimes threats are inferred by the hearer when the actual language used by the speaker does not imply such.”
[91] Dr. Smith provides a very thorough and detailed analysis of the Heaslet-Simmons conversations. A summary of Dr. Smith’s key findings are as follows:
(a) SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS OF ALLEGED THREATS RELATING TO JOHN KNOX
The report concludes that Peter Simmons statements in the August 10, 2007 conversation contain not threats of physical harm against John Knox. According to Peter Simmons, John Knox has sworn affidavits which are false. Dr. Smith notes that Mr. Knox’s actions have already occurred and cannot be reversed. “At worst Mr. Knox’s actions may provide the impetus for his being blamed for something he may or may not have done, and for losing his job and for possibly being sued.
(b) SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS OF ALLEGED THREATS AGAINST WILLIAM MCKENZIE
Dr. Smith’s analysis is that in the August taped telephone conversations Mr. Heaslett asks Mr. Simmons about personal threats and bona fide threats during the conversation. Dr. Smith states that Mr. Simmons not only never details any threat of physical harm he also denies hearing “anybody say anything.”
Far more significantly, Dr. Smith makes the point that “calling something a threat and repeating this over and over again does not make it a threat.” Dr. Smith illustrates this point by making reference to the report of William Henderson of O.B.N. Security and Investigative Consultants and his belief that there “is a real threat” posed to the safety of William McKenzie and that it is apparent that Peter Simmons “has knowledge of this issue and has participated in conversations which discuss this matter.” Yet an analysis of Peter Simmons’ conversation indicates that he denies the proposition being advanced.
Dr. Smith’s analysis is that the phrases of Peter Simmons that William McKenzie “must walk good” and “watch his back” are not threats. She states that from the language found in the two recorded conversations we learn that Mr. McKenzie is held with animosity and anger by unspecified “people”. As noted by Dr. Smith these “people” are never specifically identified and they are never associated with any future action that threatens anyone’s physical welfare.
[92] Dr. Smith’s report also analyses the Heaslet-Simmons conversations by what she describes as “the entire discourse structure of the conversations.” She states that under this analysis “those who surreptitiously tape record their conversations with targets have one goal in mind – to capture on tape something the target says that will be of advantage to the person tape-recording the conversation (the “taper”) or someone associated with or known to the taper and to the disadvantage of the target or someone associated with or known to the target.” In the course of a very detailed analysis Dr. Smith relates what she characterizes a 8 Heaslet fishing efforts which fail to solicit information from Peter Simmons about threats, employing conversational strategies that “when identified illuminate the direction of the conversation.” Dr. Smith notes and Mr. Heaslet “recycles requests for information on personal, specific and bona fide threats, even asking about “the” threats as though it had already been established that such threats actually exist.”
[93] There are several other conclusions based on analysis in Dr. Smith’s report that are newsworthy:
(a) there are no threatening statements in the August 13, 2007 conversation whatsoever,
(b) the contention in Mr. Henderson’s letter of August 14, 2007 that the conversation between Mr. Heaslet and Mr. Simmons contains a real threat apparent in the conversation is predicated for the O.B.N. threat risk assessment,
(c) the O.B.N. report “Comprehensive Risk Assessment for K. William McKenzie” uses a 3X3 matrix. Dr. Smith states that decision matrixes are a “decision and support tool allowing decisions makers to solve problems by evaluating, rating and comparing different alternatives based on multiple criteria.” Dr. Smith notes that “risk assessment matrixes are limited in that they don’t facilitate an in-depth analysis. They are intended as a guide and quick reference……I have not encountered the use of 3X3 matrix in my years of experience with assessing threatening communications. Additionally my literature review of assessing risk of violence for my doctoral dissertation did not reveal such use as an accepted standard in the analysis of language.”
(d) the stated objective of the O.B.N. report “is to assess the risk posed to K. William McKenzie and members of his legal team arising from the threat made against him.” Dr. Smith notes that this report “does not begin with an unbiased objective of determining whether or not threats actually exist. It assumes from the beginning and specifically states that threats have been made against Mr. McKenzie.”
(e) Dr. Smith notes that in the 3X3 matrix applied in the O.B.N. report that:
“any of the possibilities, should they occur, might range in impact and in probability. These scores appear to be assigned arbitrarily without adequate or convincing support for the choice of scores.
[94] Dr. Smith in her report indicates that she reviewed the exhibits of Peter Simmons affidavit of December 12, 2007 wherein Mr. McKenzie in two letters made reference to a mes
Anon 2 // June 14, 2008 at 8:52 AM
Since BU has provided an unbiased forum for this discussion, my mother has asked that I point out that for any action to be brought, the plaintiff must have standing.
The standing that Nelson Barbados claims in the Canadian action is extremely questionable and likely to disappear.
It also says little for the veracity and believability of Madge Knox and Keltruth and “Professor” John Knox. Not to mention Peter Allard et al.
Here is the Judgment of Greenidge J. in Barbados in relation to the “upside” in Kingsland allegedly acquired by Peter Allard and allegedly passed on to Nelson Barbados.
My mother is currently transcribing the affidavits of John Knox into a document format for posting.
BARBADOS
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF BARBADOS
HIGH COURT
Civil Division
No. 2240 of 2002
BETWEEN:
ERIC STEWART DEANE Plaintiff/Judgment Creditor
AND
MARJORIE KNOX Defendant/Judgment Debtor
AND CONTINUED BETWEEN:
ERIC STEWART DEANE Plaintiff/Judgment Creditor
(in his individual capacity and as
the qualified executor of the Estate
of Colin Ian Estwick Deane dec’d)
AND
MARJORIE KNOX Defendant/Judgment Debtor (by order of Court made on the 19th February 2004)
Before the Honourable Mr. Justice Lionel Greenidge, High Court Judge in chambers on the 30th September 2002; 16th February 2004; 19th February 2004; 27th February 2004; and 5th May 2004; and
Mr. Vernon O. Smith for the Plaintiff/Judgment Creditor
Mr. Alair P. Shepherd Q.C. for the Defendant/Judgment Debtor
DECISION
Background
I. This is an application by Originating Summons for a charging order against 28570 shares held by the defendant/Judgment Debtor in Kingsland Estates Limited a family owned company formed by the late Ebeneezer Estwick Deane for the benefit of the Deane family. The Originating Summons was filed on 8th October 2002 and was acknowledged on behalf of the defendant on the 23rd of October 2002. Nothing appeared to have been done by the parties until the 30th September 2003 when it was heard ex parte at the request of the plaintiff/judgment creditor. I then made an order in terms of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of the summons, namely
(1) an Order charging the 28570 shares in the private company Kingsland Estates Limited owned by the defendant/judgment debtor Marjorie Ilma Knox to satisfy the sum of $378,102.00 being the taxed costs awarded to the applicant/judgment creditor Eric Ian Stewart Deane under the judgment of the High Court made on the 7th December 2001 in the Supreme Court action No. 1805 of 1998 (Civil).
(2) an injunction restraining the defendant/judgment debtor Marjorie Ilma Knox by herself, her servants or agents or otherwise howsoever from selling charging or otherwise disposing of the said 28570 shares.
(3) Costs
II. The matter next came before me on the 16th February 2004 as an urgent application by summons by the defendant/judgment debtor seeking the following orders:
1. That all further orders be stayed and/or struck out and/or dismissed until:
This Honourable Court has concluded the hearing of High Court Action No. 2279 of 2003 and entitled Eric Ian Stewart Deane Plaintiff and Marjorie Ilma Knox Defendant; and/or
The review by this Honourable Court of the taxation of costs in High Court numbered 1805 of 1998 and entitled Marjorie Ilma Knox and John Vere Deane and others respondents had concluded.
The Plaintiff takes the appropriate steps to clarify his status as to whether he sues herein in his own behalf and/or on behalf of the estate of Colin Ian Estwick Deane Deceased.
2. That such order be made as to the costs of this application as shall be just and convenient in the circumstances.
III. In the meantime an order has been made by another Judge in chambers on the 21st October 2003 for the discharge of the order of the 30th September 2003.
IV. At the hearing of the 16th February 2004 the plaintiff/judgment creditor applied for leave to amend to reflect that the proceedings were being brought in both his personal capacity and as the personal representative of the estate of Colin Ian Estwick Deane Deceased. There was no objection by the defendant/Judgment debtor and I granted leave to amend at the adjourned hearing on the 19th February 2004. The matters raised substantively in the plaintiff/judgment creditor’s amended Originating summons were identical to those mentioned in the first originating summons.
The Transfer of Shares
V. Mr. V. Smith for the applicant grounded his application on Order 50 rule 2 of the Rules of the Supreme Court and his supporting affidavit deposing to a sum of $378,102 being the taxed costs awarded to the applicant plaintiff/Judgment creditor and in respect of which he is seeking a charging order against the defendant/Judgment debtor’s shares in Kingsland Estates Limited. He refers to the purported deposition by the defendant/judgment debtor of her shares in a declaration of Trust allegedly made on the 28th November 2002 and referred to in her affidavit (Exhibit MK8) filed on the 8th October 2003. He contents that this was a voluntary disposition of property contrary to Section 193 of the Law of Property Act CAP 236 and is therefore voidable at the instance of the plaintiff/judgment creditor who is prejudiced by the defendant/judgment creditor’s action. He contends that the purported Declaration of Trust was done with intent to defraud the plaintiff/judgment creditor.
VI. Mr Shepherd objects to the allegation that the defendant/judgment debtor entered into a Declaration of Trust with the intent to defraud and alludes to a mortgage exhibited to the affidavit of Jane Goddard the daughter of the defendant/Judgment debtor in which it is mentioned that the said shares were charged to the same mortgagee who also had a charge on a property at Hanson entered into by her and her husband Larry Goddard, the charge on the shares being supplemental to her own charge.
VII. It is noted that apart from mention of the said shares being charged as noted above no document evidencing such charge of the shares entered into by the defendant/judgment debtor was produced to the Court. What is of more concern is that if the shares were in fact charged as alleged, why then did the defendant/judgment debtor proceed to try to dispose of her beneficial interest in the shares and thus claim to be a bare trustee of the shares of which she had notice that a charging order was being sought. Section 193 of the Law of Property Act CAP 236 says:
(1) Save as provided in this section, every conveyance of property made before or after 1st January 1980 with intent to defraud creditors is voidable at the instance of any person prejudiced by it.
(2) This section does not affect the law of bankruptcy.
(3) This section does not extend to any estate or interest in any property conveyed for valuable consideration or upon good consideration to any person in good faith not having, at the time of the conveyance notice of the intent to defraud creditors.
VIII. “Property” includes anything in action and any interest in lands chattels or rights which are treated commercially as property.
IX. I am satisfied that at the 28th November 2008 when the defendant/judgment debtor purported to transfer her beneficial interest in those shares to her children she did so upon notice that the plaintiff/judgment creditor was seeking a charging order on those said shares and that her allegation that she is now a bare trustee is not proven. In my view her conduct “delayed, hindered or defrauded” the plaintiff/judgment creditor: Ideal Bedding Co. Ltd. v Holland 1907 2 ch p157.
Shares in Private Company
X. Order 50 rule 2 of the Supreme Court says:
“The Court or Judge may on application of a judgment creditor make a charging order charging stock. An application under this paragraph must be made by summons in Form 3 in appendix “A.”
XI. Order 50 (1) also provides as follows:
“company means any public company whether incorporated or not. “Stock includes government stock shares debentures and debenture stock funds annuities and dividends and interest and monies standing in the name of the judgment debtor or any other person in his behalf”
XII. It has been settled in Harrison v Trade Confirmers 1988 Barbados Law Reports 123 at page 127 by Williams CJ as follows: Counsel’s point is that the shares on which a charging order was imposed are shares in a private not a public company and the charging order was not validly made.
XIII. The relevant provisions are taken from the old English Rules, see for instance the Annual Practice 1962 Vol 1 order 46 rules 3 and 5 and the note to rule 3:
“As to what is a public company within the meaning of the Judgments Act 1838, see MacIntyre v Connell 1851 1 Sim NS 225 Lindley on companies (6 ed) p 643. In practice private companies being incorporated under a general statute are treated as included in the description for the purposes of these Rules (cf Re White [1913] 1ch.231.”
XIV. The learned Chief Justice accepted the authority of Hawks v McArthur and others 1951 1 All ER 22 where a charging order had been made under s. 14 of the Judgments Act 1831 in England.
JURISDICTION
XV. Mr. Shepherd’s final objection to the orders sought is that the Court has no jurisdiction: that if Barbados ever had any jurisdiction in the matter it would have had to be exercised under the Common Law before Barbados acquired its own legislation; that there was no longer a Court of Common Pleas which allowed only a charging order on lands. The Court of Common Pleas was abolished by the Supreme Court Act 1956 and that act did not give jurisdiction to charge shares. Neither did the Supreme Court Act CAP 117 now replaced by CAP 117A. Mr Smith counters by referring to the Colonial Laws Validity Act of 1865 section 5 of which is instructive:
“Every Colonial Legislature shall have and be deemed at all times to have had full power within its jurisdiction to establish Courts of Judicature and to abolish and reconstitute the same and so alter the Constitution thereof and to make provisions for the Administration of Justice therein and every Representative Legislature shall, in respect to the Colony under its jurisdiction, have, and be deemed at all times to have had, full power to make laws respecting the Constitution, Powers and Procedure of such Legislature; provided that such Laws shall have been passed in such Manner and Form as may from time to time be required by any Act of Parliament Letters Patent, Order in Council, or Colonial Law for the time being in force in the said Colony.”
XVI. Notwithstanding that the Judgments Act 1838 of England was not extended to Barbados and Barbados never had a Charging Order Act like the 1979 Act of the United Kingdom as stated by Mr Shepherd in his written submissions, the High Court of Barbados by virtue of the Supreme Court Act section 12 CAP 117A and CAP 117 before exercised
(a) all such jurisdiction as was heretofore capable of being exercised by the High Court; and
(b) such other jurisdiction as is conferred by this Act or any other Act.
XVII. This was, in my view, consistent with the enabling power recognized by the Colonial Law Validity Act.
XVIII. Further I am of the view that the Court of Common Pleas had jurisdiction somewhat like that given by Rule 50 of the Supreme Court Rules. Section 235 of the Common Pleas Act 1911 (now repealed) empowered the Court to issue execution on a number of assets which included “money, cheques, bank notes bills of exchange promissory notes bonds specialities or other securities….” In my view this power was wide enough to include shares in a company. Even if I am wrong in this view I would hold and do hold that the court in this case has the necessary jurisdiction to make a charging order on the defendant/judgment debtor’s shares not only by virtue of Rule 50, but also by virtue of the jurisdiction it had previously exercised and which was recognized and saved by the Supreme Court of Judicature Act. Further there is a decision of the Court of Appeal by which I am bound – the decision of Williams CJ in Harrison v Trade Confirmers 1988 above mentioned.
XIX. Additionally CAP 117 section 81 of the Supreme Court Act also empowers the Rules Committee to make rules of court which pursuant to section 2 includes rules in force by virtue of the Act as well as any rules to be made under the authority of the Act….I am satisfied therefore that order 50 of the Rules of the Supreme Court was made pursuant to this enabling power and that the Court has jurisdiction to make the charging order sought. To not make the order would leave the applicant/plaintiff judgment creditor without the opportunity to secure costs awarded against the defendant/judgment debtor while allowing her to attempt to hide those assets. That would be wrong. This is a court of law and equity and is bound by the provisions of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act. I am also bound to follow the decision of the Court of Appeal in Harrison v Trade Confirmers mentioned above.
XX. I am also satisfied that there are no special circumstances in the instant matter to grant a stay. If ever there had been merit in the application for a stay of execution it should have been applied for as soon as the decision in the principal action #1805 was given. See Burnett v Francis Industries CA 1987 2AER p328.
XXI. It is my order that:
The defendant/judgment debtor’s application therefore fails
The plaintiff/judgment creditor to have the charging order sought and his costs of the application to be taxed or agreed.
Prepared by Mr. Justice Lionel Greenidge, Judge of the High Court retired.
Straight talk // July 8, 2008 at 5:43 AM
For ordinary Barbadians who are as confused as I was by conflicting explanations of energy price rises, this excellent primer sets out a logical, factual and researched history in layman’s language.
From todays’ Oil Drum.
This is a guest post from anawhata.
For the tables and graphs which underpin this article go to http://anz.theoildrum.com/node/4260#more
“Oil is an incredible, irreplaceable gift of nature which packs energy in a dense, easily transportable form.” – Jérôme Guillet – Energy Industry Investment Banker
The hard facts
* The world price of oil in US dollars has doubled in the last year (June 2007 to June 2008) from US$67/barrel to over US$135/barrel
* The world price has gone up by 6 times in 6 years, from US$20/barrel in 2002 to over US$135/barrel by mid 2008
* With hindsight we can see that the great cheap oil era lasted 16 years from 1986 to 2002 when the price was mostly in the range $15 – 25/barrel, coming off a $39 peak during the “oil shock” of 1980 (equivalent to about US$95/barrel in 2008 money). The short sharp spike seen at the end of 1990 was due to the first Gulf War.
Within Australia we have been somewhat insulated from the latest sequence of price rises by the falling value of the US$, so our petrol and diesel prices have risen by comparatively less as the A$ has climbed to around US95 cents, as shown in the chart below.
In Australian dollar terms we have seen the price of oil rise by “only” 3½ times in 6 years.
Obvious questions raised by the price rises are:
1. What has caused the startling rise over the last 12 months?
2. Why has the price risen steadily for the past 6 years?
3. Why shouldn’t we get back to the $20/barrel we enjoyed in the 1990’s?
4. What caused the noticeable dip in price from mid 2006 to early 2007?
5. Why does the oil price seem to be going up at an accelerating rate since the dip in 2007?
6. Has the price stopped going up yet?
7. What prices might we expect over the next 1, 3 or even 5 years to come?
Source: 1986 onwards – EIA monthly WTI spot price in money-of-the-day
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_spt_s1_m.htm
Pre 1986 EIA Refiner Acquisition Cost of Imported Crude Oil in money-of-the-day
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/AOMC/Overview.html
Starting with Questions 1 and 2, the accelerating curve of recent price rises is due to the growth in oil supply not keeping up with steadily growing demand around the world.
Oil is getting more expensive because surplus production capacity has diminished and continues to diminish, as shown in the chart on the next page. Oil industry volumes are of enormous scale (86 million barrels per day – a barrel is 159 litres), and the costs of supply infrastructure are in the billions and trillions of dollars.
Lead times for new industry infrastructure are typically 3 to 10 years. All new mega-projects on the production side are well known out as far as 2012, and few seem likely to boost global supply by enough to overcome declines in old oil fields. See the comprehensive listing of oil megaprojects at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_Megaprojects/2008. Note that major oil projects are developing a history of running late, often years late, as they encounter challenging technical difficulties operating in extreme environments like deep ocean or freezing Arctic conditions.
Rapid demand growth is often blamed for rising prices – demand growth in developing countries, particularly China and India, and in key oil supplying nations such as Saudi Arabia and Russia. But the decline of mature oil fields throughout the world is an even greater source of demand for new oil supplies than the growth of end user demand. Declining fields are losing 5.2% of total oil production per year thus requiring about 3.5 million barrels/day of new oil each year for the global oil supply to stay the same. (Nobuo Tanaka, International Energy Agency) http://www.iea.org/Textbase/press/pressdetail.asp?PRESS_REL_ID=267. Recent annual growth in end user demand, on the other hand has not exceeded 1.5 million barrels/day.
The balance between growing capacity from new infrastructure investments and declining output from old infrastructure has seen global production capacity climb at a slower rate than consumption for the past 25 years, as shown in the following chart.
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Source: Goldman Sachs based on EIA data
Convergence of the two curves shown above indicates serious supply tightness over the last 2 years which explains much of the recent price surge, with perhaps $5 – 10 per barrel in volatility added by an influx of investment funds seeking a safe haven from the falling US$.
The analysis by Goldman Sachs in the next chart below suggests that price rises to date have already destroyed demand amounting to about 5 million barrels/day or 6% of current world consumption. Any further price rises may be expected to cause further demand destruction and consequent hardship for those being priced out of the fuel market.
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This brings us to Question 3 – Why shouldn’t we get back to the $20/barrel we enjoyed in the 1990’s?
It’s simple – the world has used up practically all the easy “light sweet” crude oil that used to pour out of desert sands for $3 – 4/barrel and be easily refined into saleable products. Discovery of oil peaked more than 40 years ago – see the chart below.
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Not only is it costing much, much more to find and extract each new barrel of oil (typically $60/barrel for new deep offshore wells) but most of the oil we can now get is shifting towards “heavy” and/or “sour” grades that require billions of dollars of new investment in refineries to process them.
“The oil is getting harder to extract. Most oil comes from ageing, waning giant fields discovered long ago. There are no more giant fields to find, only lots of small ones, difficult ones or fields deep under the ocean. The remaining crude oil is heavier, thicker, dirtier, quite simply cruder! It’s difficult to get out, expensive to get out, slower to get out. So, the rate of oil extraction will decrease.” Michael Lardelli on Perspective, ABC Radio National, 26 June 2008
There is no going back to $20/barrel short of a world recession that shuts down demand for oil, and for everything else.
Now let’s look at recent price volatility. Question 4 – What caused the noticeable dip in price from mid 2006 to early 2007?
Prices climbed during 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina and fears of war with Iran, then kept on climbing until August 2006.
“Oil was in a bit of a bubble in July 2006. The way you could tell it was in a bit of a bubble was that speculators were net long by a large number of contracts (115,000) and inventories were high. . . . The oil situation now is very different. Speculators are now net short. Inventories are very low of the products and types of oil in demand.” http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4227#comment-370311 – 26th June 2008
When the 2006 hurricane season passed without incident and oil supplies remained marginally ahead of demand the market appeared to decide that risks had been over-priced, and prices fell by $10 – $15/barrel for the start of 2007. Then they began rising again.
Is our situation getting worse? Question 5 – Why does the oil price seem to be going up at an accelerating rate since mid 2007?
Actual oil prices are set by refiners bidding to buy tanker-loads. Recent media fuss about speculators refers largely to oil futures prices rather than actual spot prices for which a buyer and a seller have to actually exchange funds for a tanker-load of crude oil costing between US$100 and US$400 million. Not many speculators have this sort of cash or know what to do with a 250,000 tonne tanker.
This year many refineries have been finding it harder to buy oil of a grade they can economically refine, especially the 50% of US refineries located in the Gulf of Mexico who are suffering steep declines in overseas supply from their nearby sources in Mexico, Venezuela and Nigeria.
Mexico is in oil-induced political and financial turmoil because its one massive oilfield Cantarell has gone into rapid decline for geological reasons while Mexico’s (subsidised) domestic oil consumption is growing. Mexico is seeing its largest single source of foreign income decline every month, while domestic demand for oil is growing at a pace that will see Mexico become an oil importer by 2014 according to some estimates. (http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4092)
Mexico’s Oil Production is Collapsing
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At the same time
* Venezuela’s output is declining, partly due to Hugo Chavez’s ejection of foreign oil companies.
* Nigeria’s output has been reduced to its lowest level in 25 years by terrorist attacks from local guerrillas
* Russia’s output (which is only exceeded by Saudi Arabia’s) has unexpectedly declined by 0.9% this year
* Britain’s North Sea oil peaked in 1999 and is declining at 5% – 8% per year.
The table on the following page shows, for oil exporting nations, net export declines accelerating from 2006 to 2007. Monthly data for 2008 shows that the overall downward trend is continuing. It is the declining volume of tradeable oil on global markets that is causing steep price rises this year when we are seeing only moderate abatement of growth in global demand.
More buyers are pursuing a tightening supply of exported oil, so small variations in availability are all that is needed to push deal prices upward. For example, on 28th June Bangladesh, hard-hit by energy shortages, was reported to have struck a deal with Kuwait for supply “at a premium price”.
If declines in the supply of tradeable oil were not enough to create a tight market, buyers are reacting nervously to talk of attacks on Iran by Israel or the USA, and it only takes a rumour to send oil prices on another upward jump.
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Source: datamunger at http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4082/353705 using EIA data
Units – thousands of barrels per day
Critically, Saudi Arabia appears now unable to perform the role of market stabiliser that it played from the 1980’s until the 2000’s on the basis of its known ability to pump up to 20% extra volume at short notice. Depletion of Saudi Arabia’s giant oil fields appears to have taken away its ability to help the world in this way, though the Saudis will not directly admit they no longer have this power.
It seems likely that since 2007 OPEC has lost effective cartel power because few of its members have the ability to pump more oil. This means the cartel as a whole can do practically nothing to bring down prices even though key members like Saudi Arabia have much of their wealth tied up in Western economies and are clearly concerned about damage to their own interests if oil prices go any higher – thus the Saudi conference held on the 22nd of June 2008.
So what happens next? Questions 6 and 7 – Has the price stopped rising and what prices might we expect over short-term and medium-term planning horizons?
Price rises did indeed pause in mid-June after an astonishing $11 run-up on Friday 6th June. Traders may have been waiting for an outcome from the Saudi conference on 22nd June, which was soon seen to have provided little new knowledge or cause for optimism.
Game on. Futures topped $140 for the first time on 26th June.
So what will next week, next month and next year bring?
“Predictions are always difficult, especially about the future.” Niels Bohr
There are essentially two patterns of oil price prediction being made by informed pundits:
1. Ongoing steady price rises driven by the continuing supply-demand squeeze
2. A big discontinuity caused by demand destruction of a major sort, followed by a short period of lower prices then a resumption of ongoing steady price rises driven by the continuing supply-demand squeeze.
Pattern A – Ongoing steady price rises
Proponents of ongoing price rises are betting on geopolitical and economic stability and the ability of a resilient world to keep steadily adjusting to rising oil prices, as we have done for the past six years.
Typical projections of this type are from Jeff Rubin, Chief Economist at Canada’s CIBC World Markets. The following table is from Jeff Rubin’s April 2008 report http://research.cibcwm.com/economic_public/download/sapr08.pdf
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Two months later Rubin has revised his April price projections drastically upwards in CIBC WM’s June 2008 report http://research.cibcwm.com/economic_public/download/sjun08.pdf .
He explains “We are compelled to once again raise our target prices for oil. We are lifting our target for West Texas Intermediate by $20 per barrel to an average price of $150 next year and by $50 per barrel to an average price of $200 per barrel by 2010.”
Pattern B – Price moves down then up on a rising trend
The other school of oil price projections makes the common-sense point that serious demand reduction and perhaps economic recession in some countries will be triggered when oil prices reach a critical level – when “demand destruction” becomes really destructive. Proponents suggest that such a free-fall in demand from one or more larger consuming countries such as the USA will be dramatic enough to drop price back to, say, US$100/barrel for a period of time.
Some writers guess that the critical price point to cause such sudden and significant demand destruction may be US$200 – 300/barrel, based on percentages of world GDP, but the accompanying analysis is weak and the arguments published to date do not convincingly pinpoint a critical price for oil above which it cannot go.
A graphic example of the “dramatic recession” school of price projections is shown below. Given the great variety of geopolitical events and economic factors that could influence actual supply, demand and price there is little hope for more precise forecasting of price and timing than the indicative story set out below.
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Conclusion:
Stay awake, expect oil prices to be in dynamic movement.
Conservatively, plan for US$200/barrel by 2010, but don’t be surprised if a recession somewhere drops price back to US$100, for a short while, or sudden war in the Middle East sends prices skyrocketing.
Expect the fundamentals of fading supply growth and growing demand to push prices ever higher in the 5 year horizon, perhaps well beyond US$300/barrel.
The implications in terms of Australian pump prices in A$/litre are shown in the table below. These pump price estimates are made on the basis of some reasonable assumptions:
* Current excise and GST rules stay the same, keeping Australia’s fuel taxes significantly lower than any other OECD country except the USA, Canada and Mexico
* Australia’s prices continue to be driven by average Singapore refined product prices. Singapore product prices are most influenced by the price of Malaysian Tapis crude which normally sells for a few dollars more than US West Texas Intermediate
* Freight, insurance, wharfage and wholesale and retail margins rise only moderately with world oil price
* A$/US$ exchange rate moves up from the current 95 cents to parity due to continued weakness in the US$ compared with commodity-driven support for the A$
* No net impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme which starts in 2010 and might add another 10 cents/litre.
Indicative Estimates of Pump Price
Tapis price
US$/barrel
Australian capital city pump price A$/litre
$140 (today) $1.68
$200 $2.07
$250 $2.45
$300 $2.80
$500 $4.30
“When you think a litre of petrol costs too much, ask yourself how much you would have to pay someone to push your car 10 kilometres.”
Finally, let’s look on the bright side. There is plenty to like about moderately higher oil prices, if communities, businesses and economies take heed and get time and help to adjust.
Less traffic, less congestion and less pollution would be a big plus for most of us.
New business opportunities should spring up in areas such as energy conservation, Natural Gas conversions, cleantech industries, electric vehicles and freight optimisation.
Having the world place a higher value on energy from oil will change a lot of business decisions, improving our resource efficiency and enhancing sustainability.
Anawhata comments: The above is my effort to explain the recent history and possible outlook for oil prices to non-TOD audiences who lack awareness or understanding of peak oil. I think all of us know how tricky it is to explain these big issues to intelligent people who simply lack the basic knowledge we take for granted about peak oil. I have chosen to focus this piece specifically on prices, with the minimum possible mention of related causes like oil field reserves, depletion rates, the export land model and so on. Most of these topics underlie my argument, but are not highlighted because I will lose the audience if I stray too far away from the central topic of prices. I have anchored the whole argument around the undeniable facts of recent oil price history.
You will see TOD contributors’ fingerprints and exact words throughout, and I hope I have credited key people correctly and sufficiently. In any case, TOD thought leaders, you know who you are. Thank you for educating and informing me and so many others. I welcome suggestions to clarify and improve the story, remembering that I have to keep it as simple as possible for a lay audience. In particular please help me correct any errors of fact or understanding on my part.
David // July 8, 2008 at 6:40 AM
ST thanks for the lecture so early in de morning!
Quick clarification: What if Barbados is able to reach production from its new found oil wealth in say 3-5 years. How would this wrinkle impact the dynamic outlined above i.e. for Barbados.
Micro Mock Engineer // July 8, 2008 at 6:49 AM
wow ST… if you can’t beat em, out-write em huh?
… what a projection… it could be $100/bbl or it could be $200/bbl… LOL hard to argue with that.
…”I have anchored the whole argument around the undeniable facts of recent oil price history”… no, he has REALLY anchored his whole argument on this earlier statement –
“Oil is an incredible, irreplaceable gift of nature which packs energy in a dense, easily transportable form.” – Jérôme Guillet – Energy Industry Investment Banker”
… here’s another interesting fact… 1 pound of “incredibly transportable” Uranium contains the same amount of energy as 1.8 million pounds of oil.
… I wish I had the time and intestinal fortitude to respond to this entire article. But you have worn me out… before I leave just couldn’t resist this beauty –
“Actual oil prices are set by refiners bidding to buy tanker-loads. Recent media fuss about speculators refers largely to oil futures prices rather than actual spot prices for which a buyer and a seller have to actually exchange funds for a tanker-load of crude oil costing between US$100 and US$400 million.”
LOL… and now for the TRUTH… the oil price paid by refiners IS the futures price plus the differential… its called Formula Pricing… you can find more on this here: http://books.google.com/books?id=FG5kR26zeDEC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=crude+%22formula+pricing%22&source=web&ots=XM_w5FN7Ej&sig=T8nzcq_riskHRugF6pCqDc9icj4&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result#PPA95,M1
David // July 8, 2008 at 7:01 AM
@MME
While your content in response to ST maybe over-powering – in your eyes, you lose marks in presentation. ST was able to present his argument in simple terms using a surrogate, instead you drop a link on a complicated subject on the BU family.
Man we hey drinkin some green tea laughing we heads off!
Straight talk // July 8, 2008 at 7:12 AM
MME:
You driving a nuclear Prius now?
Straight talk // July 8, 2008 at 7:35 AM
I cannot see the point of your argument, MME.
Of course the Futures Market sets the price, that is what it is….. amarket place.
Each day around 650,000 bets are placed on where the price should be, given the available data and analysis on that date.
And exactly in the same way as Chicago Pork bellies or Cheapside yams the day’s market price is “discovered”.
When you have recovered some intestinal fortitude, please explain your problem with this arrangement or propose a superior model.
Micro Mock Engineer // July 8, 2008 at 11:05 PM
LOL David… cuddear… yuh hear me say I was short on time this morning. But yuh right, my presentation was very poor.
So let me try again…
In ST’s lengthy cut-and-paste rebuttal, he quotes the following:
“Oil is an incredible, irreplaceable gift of nature which packs energy in a dense, easily transportable form. – Jérôme Guillet – Energy Industry Investment Banker”
I agreed that oil is truly incredible, but sought to bring balance to the discussion by pointing out that in terms of energy density, Uranium is far more incredible… actually, it is 1.8 million times more incredible! We do our planet a great injustice, by burning obscene volumes of gasoline and diesel in vehicles which should be powered by electricity produced from nuclear power (and other viable alternatives like coal, hydro, geothermal, wind etc. where appropriate).
The second statement reproduced by ST which I sought to address was this one:
“Actual oil prices are set by refiners bidding to buy tanker-loads. Recent media fuss about speculators refers largely to oil futures prices rather than actual spot prices for which a buyer and a seller have to actually exchange funds for a tanker-load of crude oil costing between US$100 and US$400 million.”
This statement is FALSE. For the vast majority of oil traded in the world today, oil prices are NOT set by by refiners bidding to buy tanker-loads… they are set by the following formula which appears on page 58 of my earlier link.
[Update: I realize after looking back at the link, that several pages of importance (58-61) are ‘blocked’ and no longer accessible in Google Book Search, so you will have to trust me as I reproduce the formula, and provide an explanation.]
Px = Pr +/- D
where Px is the price of crude x, Pr is the reference or marker price and D is the value of the price differential.
The differential (D) is sometimes referred to as the coefficient of adjustment, and is determined independently by each oil producing country. It is supposed to reflect differences in the quality of crude… in other words it represents the difference in the total value of refined products from crude x relative to what could be obtained from an equivalent volume of the reference crude. It may seem complicated, but the important thing to note is that D is set by independent oil producers and is entirely their call. They however have to be careful how they time their differential announcements as competitors can use this information to undercut them.
Pr (the price of the reference or benchmark crude) is the main variable of relevance to this discussion. The referenced benchmark crude depends on the market in question, but is typically ‘Brent’ for North Sea crudes, ‘WTI’ for US imports, and ‘Dubai/Oman’ for Gulf crudes sold in the Asia/Pacific market. Now… in the ‘good old days’, Pr was the spot price for the benchmark crude. However, this was abandoned in the late 80’s due to manipulation by some market players who took advantage of the relatively small volumes of crude traded on the spot market. Therefore, beginning in 1987 oil exporters stopped using the spot price for Pr and instead replaced it with average futures prices for the respective reference crude. Today… most crude oil is traded on this basis.
In conclusion, the price which refiners pay for crude is equal to the FUTURES price set by SPECULATORS plus or minus the DIFFERENTIAL set by SUPPLIERS… and has absolutely nothing to do with ‘refiners bidding to buy tanker-loads’.
David // July 9, 2008 at 6:40 AM
@MME thats what we are talking about:-)
You have caused the BU family to run to the bookshelves to get some help with your formula. We are confident we should be able to digest what you wrote by end of the week!
Micro Mock Engineer // July 9, 2008 at 6:56 AM
… and ST, I hope you really don’t believe that oil prices are determined on the same basis as ground provision in Cheapside… but just in case you do… I got some January 2009 futures options on Cheapside yams to sell to you :)
Technician // July 9, 2008 at 7:12 AM
Geez….I have learnt more in 3 days from BT, MME, ST and David(BU) than I have tried in to in 5 years……..long live the blogs…free education continues!!
Straight talk // July 9, 2008 at 8:01 AM
If I thought yams, as I do oil, would be 40% dearer by next January, you’d have a deal.
I don’t think that’ll happen, so that yam future contract in your hand will have to be exchanged at a price that someone else thinks is worth it.
Probably lower, but come January the price your yam contract is finally exchanged at will be the current market price.
Thanks for the illustration.
Reality does not cease to exist just because you stop believing it.
The Devil // July 17, 2008 at 7:51 AM
Are my posts being rejected?
The Devil // July 17, 2008 at 7:52 AM
Ok does not seem so!
The scout // July 18, 2008 at 5:16 AM
As a youngster, there were many night spots with good clean entertainment that I could have frequented, e.g Caribbean Pepperpot,Alexandras, Cat Whiskers, Marine, Drill Hall, just to name a few. Now as a 50 yrs plus person, there isn’t many, if any places where people my age group can attend. Maybe it’s time for a 50’s Plus membership club in Barbados, where people of that age group and meet not only for entertainment but to socialise, play scrabble, dominoes, card games, darts etc in a setting where we feel at ease. Let’s think about it and let’s get to meet each other in good conversation and sport
The scout // July 20, 2008 at 10:42 AM
When in opposition, the DLP was pushing the then government to produce the report oon the St.Joseph Hospital inquiry. This investigation lasted for almost the entire regime of the then BLP administration and cost the people of Barbados thousands of dollars. I think it is the reponsibily of this new administration to make the findins of this report public. Since then I’m hearing that the Glendairy report and the african migation report are ready but to me the St. Joseph’s report is just as or more important than either. We the public is demanding a response from the government on the report and also how much the investigation cost.
David // July 20, 2008 at 10:48 AM
@The Scout
It has been reported to the chagrin of the BU household by the Attorney General that the St. Joseph Hospital Report has gone MIA. We find it a ridiculous state of affairs that the taxpayers of Barbados continue to be taken on a ride on this matter. If the physical report is missing are they also saying that all electronic copies have disappeared as well? If this is the case does it raise the issue of accountability and incompetence by civil servants?
The scout // July 24, 2008 at 1:48 PM
David
This is totally unacceptible. For almost 14yrs this enquiry was going on almost on a daily basis. At least 8 people were paid a tidy sum and at the end of this, am I to believe that the report is MIA? Somebody has to be held accountable. This MUST not be allowed to drop like this. Plus the whole thing seems to be hushed up. The has to be brought to the public attention ASAP
The scout // July 24, 2008 at 1:54 PM
With the other administration, gas prices when up when the global crude oil prices increased. there has been a fairly decent deduction in crude oil global prices; why am I now hearing of a possible increase in gas prices again so soon after the large increase a few months ago?
Straight talk // July 24, 2008 at 2:06 PM
Scout:
World Natural Gas Prices have risen 83% since January, this may explain the increase.
It is a seperate and distinct market from crude oil.
Wishing In Vain // July 24, 2008 at 5:29 PM
DRAMA QUEEN POLITICS
The recent display by Mia Mottley on public television was testimony to the emerging leadership problem deep in the armour of the Barbados Labour Party. The jury has returned its’ verdict and it is clear that the bungling of the Budget reply has now cast a shadow over the capacity of the once power house Mia to deliver. Her constant need to score points strategy has backfired and has ended up placing her on trial among her peers.
The attempt to smear the name of Rural Development Commission and its chairman by quoting from a partial piece of correspondence slipped to her in the dark of the night by one of her cohorts has opened wide, her political armour . She fell on the sword of poor political judgment. In this instance her exuberance to expose Barbados to a fable of a $2500 lock was indeed seen as very distasteful.
The staged drama of declaring her 3.5million dollars assets repeatedly will go down in history as the worst dramatic screen play ever seen by a local audience. The reviews of this Declaration of Assets episode were even more pathetic as she boastfully sought to justify her vast accumulation of assets in such a SHORT period. The concerns raised in last week’s column regarding her political strategist judgment are even more relevant as her support base within the parliamentary group and the Party continues on a downward spiral.
The Opposition leader must understand that her elevation has nothing to do with any genuine belief in her ability; but rather she has been conveniently placed at the helm as ‘a political stepney’ to satisfy the former leader’s quest to complete the mission – Operation Destroy MIA [ODM]. The quest to destroy the new leader was hatched on the corridors of the Barbados Labour Party’s Roebuck Street headquarters. It was then given further impetus on many occasions when the former Prime Minister sought to let her stew on a number of ‘very … politically sensitive’ issues.
Her response, the Vidal Sassoon transformation has taken full flight. Her stylist must be very pleased as the look is now being publicly acknowledged. The recent comments by Mac Fingall at Soca on the Hill regarding Mia’s new found pearl and hand bag image illustrates the dawning of a new drama queen of politics.
The drama queen of politics has now fully immersed herself into trying to fill the shoes of her predecessor. Her poor leadership attempts in the last six months have escalated into calls for her removal. The ODM is now in full gear as she seeks to respond by planning her recovery. The 3L combination of LASHLEYS – Stephen, Michael and ‘Hammie’ has further thrown her off base as they move in tandem on behalf of the poor and powerless of our land.
The photo in the dailies showing ‘Hammie,’ the grass roots champion of the Barbados Labour Party embracing his namesakes was not very pleasing to the new drama queen of politics.
Perhaps a political lesson from the newly crowned naked emperor at this time would be most appropriate as she struggles to MARSHALL her troops …OOPS what troops?
David // July 24, 2008 at 7:43 PM
WIV we find that you guys have started to attack Mia real early!
Wishing In Vain // July 24, 2008 at 11:56 PM
After all she is what she is,is she not???
Her vaccant mouthings of recent has lended itself well to exposing her for what she is an empty vessel with little or no support from those that she is attempting to lead.
Not a single word about the removal of the burden of Bus fares maybe she fails to understand the impact that these have on the poorer ones in society as she would never have suffered that fate.
She is a political so called animal therefore she should expect her share of lashes always remember the taunts they threw out at our PRIME MINISTER MR DAVID THOMPSON it is not a one way street my friend.
It will take much more than her empty verbose mouthings and wayward moraless ways to rally support around her, it takes substance something that she lacks so badly.
The scout // July 25, 2008 at 7:11 AM
Straight Talk
I”m talking about present crude oil prices that are falling. The rise of this crude oil prices warranted the rise of petrol at the pump. Therefore how can a future rise in petrol be justified if there is a fall in crude oil prices.
David // July 25, 2008 at 7:18 AM
@Scout
You may need to do a Google for ‘future purchase’ i.e. gas Barbados is consuming is based on contracts made months ago. There is always a lag affect regarding process on the world market and domestic prices. What you will find now is the government has decided to implement a mechanism which passes on the price of gas with immediate effect but it does not remove the lag which is caused by future purchase.
The scout // July 25, 2008 at 7:20 AM
Wishing in Vain
Whether Mia was the prime actor/ess in this political drama, she has set the cat among the pigeons by jumping the gun on David. Remember David pledged in his election promises to enact a integrity legislation within one hundred days of his administration. When Mia declared hers, that period had passed and no word from David. All of Barbados is waiting with baited breath for a decent reply from David
Wishing In Vain // July 25, 2008 at 7:39 AM
Do you really take her PR stunt seriously?
When one seriously goes about making a serious document such as this is meant to be such a trivial matter it begs the question are we meant to take her or them serious in anything that they say or do???
The scout // July 25, 2008 at 8:39 AM
Whether it should be taken seriously or not, the point is she has presented one and those who were shouting about it’s enacting within 100 days are now into over 180 days and still no legisnation from the Dems. Say what you like, she called their bluff and she got them on the backfoot. Don’t criticise hers without showing me theirs.
Tell me Why // July 25, 2008 at 10:50 AM
When one seriously goes about making a serious document such as this is meant to be such a trivial matter it begs the question are we meant to take her or them serious in anything that they say or do???
…………………………………………………………………….
Why are you constantly attacking Mia. Have you realised that David did not criticize her speech which meant that her speech was professional. So I have to ask, who is WIV in this scenario. I will say that you are simply a professional propaganda machine who’s main aim is to self destruct the present administration. The more you are critical of the opposition, the more eyes will be focused on the new administration. Do think about it my friend.
Wishing In Vain // July 25, 2008 at 11:27 AM
I have thought about it and at the end of my thinking as opposed to your wishes I cannot think of a more suitable candidate for my attention than the fraud and hot air bellows in mottley.
I think we will all remember her for her shallow attempt to shed the reputation of being a dishonest party as the past BLP so obviously were, by waving a partial document proclaiming it to be an invoice for for replacing a lock for $2,500.00 when in actual fact the volume of the work would have normally been a $ 100,000.00 job based on the scale of fees used by the 1, 2, 3 men from URBAN.
mottley has neither the moral fabric nor the ability to lead this country, maybe this is why the vultures are sitting and waiting their dinner, talking threw her hat with much emptyness and sounding good and a party mentality will not get the job done, it requires sound intellect and sense and more importantly to be able to deliver on those things that have been offered.
Least we forget her emptyness in each and every Ministry she molested?
Should we recall the VISA FIASCO for CWC that she was the driving force of as the AG of this island, why would anyone with an ounce of brain want to suggest to Pakastanis should send their passports to India for Visas when the two countries were at war, or how about the people of Dubai who were told to courier to london or India for Visas when the same country does not allow pasports to be sent by courier anywhere, these are but a few expressions of her lack of comprehension or understanding of what she was overseeing, do we start on her complete screw up at the Ministry of Culture or worst yet her stewardship at Education where she was the one who oversaw in excess of $ 750 million in wasteage and payments to party loyals and to this day we are no closer to a meaningful EDUTECH PROGRAM.
Why then are we to worship her and for what purpose ???
However I will leave her in the hands of her peers as I am sure they have a program to address her, who knows Mascot may challenge her??????
Tell me Why // July 25, 2008 at 1:57 PM
Isn’t Edutech being continued to the present Educational Minister? I am using the word “probably” in this context. Could the piece of paper with the costing within Urban ‘probably’ was an authentic payment but other information could have been included as an after-thought to cover the mistake? To ascertain the real truth, the invoice in the opposition domain and David’s rebuttal invoice should be made public. Remember documentation can be doctored after the fact. Something is direly wrong in this episode.
Tell me Why // July 25, 2008 at 2:14 PM
it requires sound intellect and sense and more importantly to be able to deliver on those things that have been offered.
……………………………………………………………………..
If a normal John Public can realise certain aspect of the budget and how it will
affect them, don’t you feel that Mia would be far more knowledgeable in disseminate information from the budget. Additional cost in gas, electricity, road tax, food items, cell phone taxes and anything that would allow homes to enjoy a comfortable standard of living and you talking about ‘intellect and sense’.
Wishing In Vain // July 25, 2008 at 2:34 PM
Maybe because it did not provide comfort for ones of her ilk and financial standing she could see nothing good about it but ask the families that have 3 or 4 children to send to school if they are not thankful for the ease in not having to pay bus fares or those wanting to attend University and can now do so knowing they have the time to qualify and start working and they have no rope around their necks to repay their loans in short order ???
I would not expect you or her to see these as some of the really positives coming out of the budget let us not even mention the upgrading of the grants to the less fortunate among us.
Tell me Why // July 25, 2008 at 3:36 PM
…..families that have 3 or 4 children to send to school if they are not thankful for the ease in not having to pay bus fares……
……………………………………………………………………..
And i bet you that these same families who you say will benefit from the free bus fares will still be giving the children expensive cell phones and the latest designer wear clothes. So who foolin’ who.
Wishing In Vain // July 25, 2008 at 3:45 PM
No actually my children are hoping to benefit from the grant to UWI.
They are of University age and I am sooooooo happy that the grants will be increased and extended.
Thanks to the PRIME MINISTER THE HON MR DAVID THOMPSON for his progressive thinking.
You really are a sad person, you put everyone in your program and your manner but many of us live very humble honest lives.
Tell me Why // July 25, 2008 at 4:02 PM
They are of University age and I am sooooooo happy that the grants will be increased and extended.
……………………………………………………………………..
You are getting on as though that these grants will be free. You borrow, you must pay back. My kids did attend UWI and we scrunt and ensure that they made it. By the way, don’t count the apples too early.
Wishing In Vain // July 25, 2008 at 11:23 PM
I know what you mean by, don’t count the apples too early.
You are so shell shocked by owing and his lack of delivery on numerous promises that you would be weary but no so with our leader. ( and we know who our leader really is the one wearing the pants and in charge not the hold over leader)
The scout // July 26, 2008 at 8:53 PM
If David Thompson said with all sincerity that in 100 days he would do something that important and did not deliver, whatever the other side , be it mia , owen or anybody else bring would have and is a slap in the dems face. Only party bias persons would see it differently. My mind is open, I don’t think B or D. Thank God.
David // August 8, 2008 at 1:40 PM
The Prime Minister has been reported in the press today that his government will be expanding the QEH to the tune of 400 million dollars. All that is left is for Minister Estwick to clarify his statement. The BLP seems to be making hay of this cross communication by the DLP.
It is interesting to note that the BLP have a paid announcement on VOB!
The scout // August 10, 2008 at 11:05 PM
David
Yes David Estwick do have to clarify what he said because the same area where the P.M said the expansion will take place is where David said is unstable. Please explain David.
ganong // August 11, 2008 at 4:40 PM
IS THE BELOW OCCURING IN BARBADOS TOO?
American Suicide
FOR THOSE OF YOU ON THE
“CONSERVATIVE” SIDE OF THE FENCE, READ THIS AND LEARN TO
UNDERSTAND YOUR FEELINGS BETTER THAN EVER. FOR THOSE OF YOU NOT ON THE “CONSERVATIVE” SIDE OF THE FENCE, PLEASE READ AND LEARN A
DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT.
Wherever you stand, please take the time to read this; it ought to scare the pants off you!
We know Dick Lamm as the former Governor of Colorado. In that context his thoughts are particularly poignant. Last week there was an immigration overpopulation conference in Washington, DC, filled to capacity by many of
America’s finest minds and leaders. A brilliant college professor by the name of Victor Hansen Davis talked about his latest book, “Mexifornia,” explaining how immigration – both legal and illegal was destroying the entire state of California. He said it would march across the country until it destroyed all vestiges of The American
Dream.
Moments later, former Colorado Governor
Richard D. Lamm stood up and gave a stunning speech on how to destroy America. The audience sat spellbound as he described eight methods for the destruction of the United States. He said, “If you believe that
America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let’s destroy America. It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived
the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that ‘An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.’”
“Here is how they do it,” Lamm said: “First, to destroy America, turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country.” History
shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be
bilingual.
The historical scholar, Seymour Lipset, put it this way: “The histories of bilingual and bi-cultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy.” Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, and Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with Basques, Bretons, and Corsicans.”.
Lamm went on: Second, to destroy erica, “Invent
‘multiculturalism’ and encourage immigrants to maintain their culture. Make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal. That there are
no cultural differences. Make it an article of faith that the Black and Hispanic dropout rates are due solely to prejudice and discrimination by
the majority. Every other explanation is out of bounds.
Third, “We could make the United States an ‘Hispanic Quebec’ without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity.
As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently: “The apparent success of our own multiethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved not by tolerance but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentricity and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us
together.” Lamm said, “I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with the salad bowl metaphor. It is important to ensure that we have various cultural subgroups living in America enforcing their differences rather than as Americans, emphasizing their similarities.”
“Fourth, I would make our fastest growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population. I would have this second underclass
have a 50% dropout rate from high school.”
“My fifth point for destroying America would be to get big foundations and business to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of
‘Victimology.’ I would get all minorities to think that their lack of success was the fault of the majority. I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority population.”
“My sixth plan for America’s downfall would include dual citizenship, and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity over unity. I would stress differences rather than
similarities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other – that is, when they are not killing each other. A diverse,
peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precedent. People undervalue the unity it takes to keep a nation together. Look at the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common Language and literature; and they worshipped the same gods. All Greece took part in the Olympic games. A common enemy,
Persia, threatened their liberty. Yet all these bonds were not strong enough to overcome two factors: local patriotism and geographical
conditions that nurtured political divisions. Greece fell.
“E. Pluribus Unum” –From many, one. In that historical reality, if we put the emphasis on the ‘pluribus’ instead of the ‘Unum,’ we will
balkanize America as surely as Kosovo.”
“Next to last, I would place all subjects off limits; make it taboo to talk about anything against the cult of ‘diversity.’ I would find a
word similar to ‘heretic’ in the 16th century – that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like ‘racist’ or ‘xenophobe’ halt
discussion and debate. Having made America a bilingual/bicultural country, having established multi-culturism, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of ‘Victimology,’ I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra: That because immigration has been good for America, it must always be good. I would make every individual immigrant symmetric and ignore the cumulative impact of millions of them.”
In the last minute of his speech, Governor Lamm wiped his brow. Profound silence followed.
Finally he said,. “Lastly, I would censor Victor Hanson Davis’s book “Mexifornia.” His book is dangerous. It exposes the plan to destroy America. If you feel America deserves to be destroyed, don’t read that book.”
There was no applause. A chilling fear quietly rose like an ominous cloud above every attendee at the conference. Every American in that room knew that everything Lamm
enumerated was proceeding methodically, quietly, darkly, yet pervasively across the United States today. Discussion is being suppressed. Over 100 languages are ripping the foundation of our educational system and
national cohesiveness. Even barbaric cultures that practice female genital mutilation are growing as we celebrate ‘diversity.’ American jobs are vanishing into the Third World as corporations create a Third World in
America – take note of California and other states – to date, ten million illegal aliens and growing fast. It is reminiscent of George Orwell’s book “1984.” In that story, three slogans are engraved in the Ministry of Truth building: “War is peace,” “Freedom is
slavery,” and “Ignorance is strength.”
Governor Lamm walked back to his seat. It dawned on everyone at the conference that our nation and the future of this great democracy is
deeply in trouble and worsening fast. If we don’t get this immigration monster stopped within three years, it will rage like a California
wildfire and destroy everything in its path especially The American Dream.
IS ANY OF THE ABOVE THINGS HAPPENING IN OUR COUNTRY BARBADOS
If you care for and love our country as I do, take the time to pass this on just as I did for you. NOTHING is going to happen if you don’t.
Straight talk // August 11, 2008 at 6:51 PM
Hey ganong. is one of those sub-cultures, tearing at the white heart of America, Bajan?
Shame on us destroying that paragon of freedom.
Georgie Porgie // August 11, 2008 at 9:03 PM
I think ganong is probably referring to the similarity of illegal immigrants from Mexico in the USA to the situation with the Guyanese Indian invasion of Barbados and probable ethnic problems inter alia
Bush Tea // August 11, 2008 at 9:29 PM
GP,
Ganong is talking about a “way that seems right to mankind, but the end thereof is the way of death and destruction…”
It seems obvious to Bush tea that a city divided against itself CANNOT STAND.
When therefore I walk aroung Bridgetown and see women dressed in hoods, or droves of Guyanese or chinese, or pass by gated communities of white expats, I marvel that our leaders do not see the dangers….. all that it takes is a small spark… like the one in Montreal on Saturday.
All these people are welcome to Barbados – PROVIDED THAT THEY WANT TO BECOME BAJANS AND BE LIKE BAJANS….
It is unclear to Bush tea why strangers would want to come here to establish enclaves of their foreign ways in our midst.
Bush tea has been in many foreign countries from Australasia to Europe to the Mid East etc, and have admired the various cultures there, but would no more expect to take my Bajan ways to any of these places than I welcome these strange ways in Bim….
..one day it will all blow up.
Georgie Porgie // August 11, 2008 at 10:06 PM
EXACTLY BT!
The Devil // August 11, 2008 at 10:55 PM
Has there ever been a time or a place where “foreigners” did not move into some place taking their strange ways? The Bible (which we like to quote) if nothing else is the story of migration, conquest, grouping, defeat and dispersal.
Bush tea, unless we build a “wall” (and the Chinese tried that one) and isolate ourselves, it is inevitable that “others” will come here, particularly if we are perceived as a successful society. The speech by Lamm is so conveniently hypocritical that it boggles the mind. America for most of its history was anything but a melting pot. Its success was built on geographic expansion and exploitation. The two groups who were most exploited were certainly not invited to sit at the national table and share in the bounty and ‘become Americans’. I write of course about the Native Americans and African Americans. The former still living on reservations in a benign apartheid like condition and I need not detail the long struggle of Blacks for equality. Lamm does not want to acknowledge that for so long, the white majority did not want the “others” to join with them. They encouraged (enforced -remember Jim Crow laws) the separation but encouraged the same “others” into the country to provide the cheap labour which fueled US economic expansion. They did not learn the lesson of history. Now that the numbers of the Hispanics in particular are reaching critical proportions, up goes the cry “learn english…become American etc”! But it may be too late.
The real issue and lesson for us is to look at what values and mores will define “Bajaness”. Change must be accepted but every attempt has to be made to manage that change. Tension and conflict may be inevitable but there can be no looking back.
Yardbroom // August 12, 2008 at 4:50 PM
The Yankee Stadium
It was a balmy evening, the night sky was lit by stars, seemingly suspended to sprinkle stardust. Cars highly polished, were parked in the streets surrounding the Stadium. Ladies resplendent in stoles covering arms earlier exposed to the sun, were held close by husbands and partners suitably attired. There was a whiff of expensive perfume in the air, as chauffeurs stood beside their automobiles, prepared for a long wait.
The ladies glided into their seats at ringside, shephered by their male companions who acknowledged business colleagues and friends at ringside. Some couples brought cushions to protect expensive attire from the early evening dew.
This Yankee Stadium was in of all places Brittons Hill St Michael. The great and the good of Barbados sporting society were prepared for for a night of boxing.
Enterprising women whose land surrounded the stadium, charged small boys and young men a few cents for a perch in the high trees on their property, which gave a view of the ring. One is reminded of the phrase often used at the turn of the century in New York to describe Barbadians: “As soon as these West Indians have two more cents than a beggar they want to start a business.”
Outside the stadium the ubiquitous sweet sellers were hard at work, downwind of them the rich aroma of freshly roasted corn wafted the night air as corn lay atop coals whose embers were red aglow. Small boys scampered about as they often do when excited. No doubt an exciting evening of pugilistic endeavor was expected.
Brittons Hill? I hear you ask, I doubt anyone under fifty years living there would have seen the Stadium.
In this most unlikely of settings, a purpose built boxing stadium was erected and a successful one at that…thanks to Belfield Alleyne .
For those with no knowledge of this Stadium, at Brittons Cross Road, travel towards the Villa Road, after about thirty metres you will come to Cummings Road. Turn right, the site of the former Public Bath will be on your left, about twenty metres along the road, is the site of the Stadium. Almost opposite the site where Mr Chase had his Blacksmith shop…many an old donkey cart owner would know of him…a nice man.
I wonder if Jack Dick and his fellow pugilists could return what they would think of the place now? Alast Brittons Hill is not the place it used to be… a glimpse of old Barbados.
Georgie Porgie // August 12, 2008 at 7:12 PM
Beautiful piece of prose Yardbroom.
You sweeping clean Sir!
Enjoyed it!
ganong // August 13, 2008 at 5:39 PM
IS THIS WHAT IS STARTING TO HAPPEN IN BARBADOS WITH THE ILLEGAL GUYANESE IMMIGRANTS?
From the L. A. Times
> >
> >
> 1. 42% of all workers in L. A.County ( L. A. County has 10.2 million people) are working for cash and not paying taxes. This is be cause they are predominantly illegal immigrants working without a green card.
> >
>
> > 2. 96% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.
> >
>
> > 3. 78% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.
> >
>
> > 4. Over 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal , whose births were paid for by taxpayers.
> >
>
> > 5. Nearly 40% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.
> >
>
> > 6. Over 350,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.
> >
>
> > 7. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.
> >
>
> > 8. Nearly 70% of all occupants o f HUD properties are illegal.
> >
>
> > 9. 21 radio stations in L. A. are Spanish speaking.
> >
>
> > 10. In L. A. County 5.1 million people speak English, 4.3 million speak Spanish.
> >
> (There are 10.2 million people in L. A. County . )
> >
>
> >
> > (All 10 of the above are from the Los Angeles Times)
> >
>
> >
> Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops, but 37% are on welfare.
> >
>
> > Over 73% of the United States ‘ annual population growth (and over 90% of California , Florida , and New York )results from immigration.
> >
>
> > 34% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.
IS THIS WHAT IS STARTING TO HAPPEN IN BARBADOS WITH THE ILLEGAL GUYANESE IMMIGRANTS?
AlexM // August 14, 2008 at 11:06 AM
Your blog is interesting!
Keep up the good work!
Luke // August 14, 2008 at 11:18 PM
Bajan Underground, we need you! We need poeple like yourself and the Barbados Free Press to keep up the good work. With you we would be lost.
ganong // August 15, 2008 at 4:19 PM
David I think you should remove Yardbroom’s prose from this thread, and start a thread with post on life in a Past Barbados.
With this in view, I hereby submit A short story submitted to a friend’s website in 2002 entitled MISSING THE LAST BUS
Missing the last bus
Boys will be boys they say. That includes liking girls. That also includes visiting them at their homes if you are allowed to do more than stand on the premises. Some fellas assist the girls with their homework, and others get to cuddle and do diverse and sundry deeds. All this was all well and good, once you left in time to catch the last bus home. If you left your girl and all was well, and the rain didn’t fall, well you counted that as experience. But often if she was quarreling cause you were “horning she” you got no good night kiss and you left disappointed. It was usually on such nights that the windows of heaven would open and the rains would descend in torrents. There is perhaps no experience as bad as the triology of leaving your lass in a huff, missing the last bus and then being drenched by a tropical downpour. That is what you call missing the last bus in beautiful, beautiful Barbados.
For those from other shores, and those of recent vintage we must clarify a few things. Depending on where you live in Barbados the public transportation system the last bus leaves Bridgetown, the connecting hub and capital at a particular time for each destination. In the sixties it was 6 pm for some destinations, 8 pm for others and 11 pm for others- like mine. It was incumbent therefore to know this important information when engaging in the science of chick checking (courting.) Very few youngsters were then given their father’s car to engage in this lofty pastime, and fathers were not given to rise from their warm beds to rescue silly sons who did not know how to be punctual. Missing the last bus therefore meant that you had to “slam tar”- a most inelegant euphemism for walking home sleepy and tired in the dark!
Usually when you were at the young ladies home, as the clock hands turned towards 11 p.m the young lass would put her hair in curlers or she would otherwise “set” her hair. As soon as you left she was in her warm bed. By the time you reached the bus stop she was far, far away in slumberland. And we the love-infected fellas were on the road struggling to get home. But as they say, boys will be boys; and that includes checking chicks in the approved Bajan fashion. Any girl worth her salt-or sugar- could easily induce the most quiet and conservative boy to miss the last bus. Any normal red blooded chap who sought after the mystical “sugar and spice” of which girls are alleged to be made, readily risked missing the last bus- and getting laughed at. After all, boys must be boys!
One Thursday in July 1972 I left home in St James to seek a job at the JuC Factory in Bay Street. I was unsuccessful and so I went up to Wanderers Cricket Club in Dayrell’s Road to watch an under nineteen cricket game between Barbados and Trinidad.(Craig, Ashby of Cawmere played in that game. As well as Nigel Johnson and Joel Garner.) Cricket finished at 5:30, and I ought to have set off for home at that time. But the lure of seeing my darling, who lived opposite the cricket ground was too great. Next thing you know it was 10:30. Since we had heard no bus pass on the way up to the top of the route, wisdom dictated that I should run to town if I was to catch the last bus to my home in St James.
In those days I was at my peak in the science of running for the last bus. I could run the two miles or so to town in less than 20 minutes if missing the last bus was to be averted. I was not of course an athlete, but until then I had never missed the last bus. True to form I hit Fairchild Street at 10:50 after running through the rain for over a mile. To my dismay the 11 o clock last bus to Holder’s Green was gone! Gone before the time!
I boarded a Paynes Bay Bus and descended therefrom at the bottom of the University Drive on Highway one, to walk the two miles or so to Redman’s Village area. Would you believe it? Half way on this trek the rains descended in a manner that would have caused Noah to fear. I was soaked for the second time that night as I walked wet and wearily homewards. No one could personally have cursed me as I cursed and chided myself that night.
The following night I walked my sweet heart home from the Youth Service, and left in time to run to town to catch the last bus. What do you suppose happened? The bus again left before the scheduled time, and again I got soaked. What angered me most was that I was there on time! It was not my fault that I had missed the last bus! That really hurt! I retired from this pastime at the tender age of 22 when I departed to Jamaica to study. By the time I returned to Barbados I was married and owned a car.
Some years ago my wife and I were entertaining the sweet heart of one my fellow medical students at our home. One rainy night my colleague came to visit, and as expected, lost track of time and missed the last bus. The bus had taken an alternative route to the end of its route near to my home. As a result we did not hear when it arrived. We heard when it left, however. My friend had missed the last bus! He had arrived! He could be certified as a real chick checking man!
I announced to my colleague “Eustace boy, you miss the last bus and we are too tired to drive you home tonight. You will have to walk home. After all you are not a real man till you miss the last bus, and walk home through the rain.”
To my amazement his girlfriend responded “Come Eustace, I will go with you.” They were both Dominicans, and certainly did not know the way from Rendezvous to the Medical Students lodgings in Jemmott’s Lane, just outside Bridgetown. However, because she was the first girl I had met who was willing to accompany her boyfriend home after missing the last bus, I relented and we drove him home. This, after I had rolled up all over the floor having a good Bajan belly laugh at his plight.
Today, few young men know what it feels like to miss the last bus, because they tend to go courting with their parents expensive cars. But I believe with all my heart that a man has not truly courted properly the Bajan way unless he has at least once, on a rainy night, missed the last bus.
Come on fellas . Let’s have some good last bus stories.
Micro Mock Engineer // August 17, 2008 at 4:35 PM
Bush tea,
Here is what this year’s 13 scholarship winners plan to study…
Medicine – 6
Law – 2
Psychology – 1
Art – 1
Comp. Science/Management – 1
Architecture – 1
Accounting – 1
… maybe your timing is not as far off as I initially thought. The above reads like the education profile of a country embracing your endgame theory.
Bush tea // August 17, 2008 at 7:43 PM
Man MME,
It is even worse that that…. practically all of them are female…. (I only saying this here because it is only you and me), but the problem with this world is weak leadership. It takes special men to provide strong leadership so when a struggling little country ends up with only females being propelled towards positions of leadership ….what can I say?
I hate to confirm, but the remaining time is shorter that any of us think….
Georgie Porgie // August 17, 2008 at 7:58 PM
BT
When you write …………I hate to confirm, but the remaining time is shorter that any of us think….
I suppose you are talking about the Second Coming of Christ. If so I think you are spot on!
Devils Advocate // August 19, 2008 at 4:21 PM
It is even worse that that…. practically all of them are female…. (I only saying this here because it is only you and me), but the problem with this world is weak leadership. It takes special men to provide strong leadership so when a struggling little country ends up with only females being propelled towards positions of leadership ….what can I say?
I simply cannot resist this statement here. Not all men show leadership ability. It makes me sad when females are spoken of in this matter. Africa has a history of female as well as male leaders who were strong. There are names in our history like Yaa asantewa, Nyzinga, The Candace (Ken-dah-kay) who bore the Kings of Ethiopia, Nnandi-the mother of Shaka Zulu and
here in the caribbean we have Nanny Grigg and Nanny of the maroons who led rebellions against our oppressors. Would you have had the nerve to tell then they could not lead their kingdoms? Who has the nerve to tell WI women that we are weak leaders. We have been the backbone of this country throughout history until slavery, colonialism and the convertions to christianity cause women and especially black women to be seen as inferior and just lacking. Look through the postings on this blog and see how negatively women are spoken of by the men posting.
We need balance in our society. The ‘battle of the sexes’ makes absolutely no sense since people’s abilities and desires do not fit neatly into boxes labelled ‘females do’ or ‘males do’. Ability is not as influenced by gender as by societal expectations of what we should be doing if you were a ‘real man’ or a ‘real woman’ are we going to hold on steadfast to stereotypical thinking instead of socialising our children to be different but fundamentally equal? We should allow our children to develop unhindered by negative self- fulfilling labels. I find it strange that in a society where women are studying and men are dropping out there is resistance to educated females taking up positions of leadership because it is not ‘a woman’s place’.
I want to ask the men this question:
How would you feel if you studied for four years, then did a masters and then you were told that you could not work in a leadership position simply because you were male. Do we punish our females for succeeding when their male counterparts do not seem to place importance on educating themselves? What are we to do when educated girls marry uneducated boys? Do we tell our young men that he should still ‘wear the pants’ in his home? causing him to try to compete with her instead of cooperating with her? A man who opts to stay home with his children while his wife works is ridiculed in our society. If his wife tries to get him on track with his education she may meet constant resistance from him ‘you trying to change me? why you didn’t find a college man?’. An educated woman cannot seem to win. She is prevented from reaching positions that her male counterparts achieved simply because she is not supported at home–her husband needs to wear the pants. So she still has to come home and ‘take care of him’ and their children. Most women remain single for this reason. A professional woman has to choose between children and career. Men do not seem to bother about this choice, they can have both, they have wives who look after their homes, there is no such thing as a ‘house husband’ and children do not seem to limit a man’s freedom. So be very careful about the way you set your mind. Balance needs to be brought back to our relationships. It is time for the battle of the sexes to end, the casualties on both sides have become too many for our society to survive intact. Cooperation and balance between the sexes is the only way that the old time values we had may return because it is only when men and women put down their weapons that they see the children who have been watching the fight from the start. Is it worth disturbing our children? Most youngsters believe that relationships are a waste of time and marriage is hell. We gave them that impression
Georgie Porgie // August 19, 2008 at 6:48 PM
@ Devils Advocate
Let me try to answer some of your questions at the end of your post, based on what I saw in my home while growing up, what I endured in my marriage and on the counselling I was involved in as a doctor.
AS a doctor I quickly learned that most women came to the doctor for man problems. Either the man had beaten her, had given her a STD, was not pulling his weight, was being unfaithful etc.
When I did my systems inquiry and found nothing wrong I would bluntly say “There is nothing physically wrong with you. YOu have man problems man. Wanna talk about it? I was usually right, and wished I had written a book about the answers I recieved over the years,
So I do understand what you are talking about. So bear with me, even if you dont agree with all I say.
YOu wrote
I want to ask the men this question:
1- How would you feel if you studied for four years, then did a masters and then you were told that you could not work in a leadership position simply because you were male.
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REAL BAD The same way you feel when you are rejected because of your race or nationality. IT HURTS!
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2-Do we punish our females for succeeding when their male counterparts do not seem to place importance on educating themselves?
This is a difficult question but a present REALITY! But the educated women in a sea of non achieving uneducated men is a new paradigm that is frustrating women all over the world. I believe it is a spiritual issue related to the end times.
I HAVE NO answer for you in this matter. BUT i know of the problem. HOw do we get men back on track? This is one of the evils that came out of the sucess of the struggles of the bad days when we were poor.
The problem is if unachieving young men had to go hungry and without, they would exhibit the attributes that we older folk boast about on the thread PAST LIFE IN BARBADOS. That is where some of the parents in my generation went wrong.
Contemporary female achievers will thus suffer unless this attitude can be reversed.
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3- What are we to do when educated girls marry uneducated boys?
IT IS STUPID FOR AN EDUCATED GIRL TO MARRY AN UNEDUCATED BOY! If you are a Bible believer; remember too that this is being unequally yoked. This is a problem that many Christians don t understand. But this is definitely being unequally yoked. The woman in this scenario has not married an equal.
AN EDUCATED GIRL SHOULD NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE MARRY AN UNEDUCATED BOY
I feel real strong bout dat. The boys have the same opportunity to suceed as the girls.
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4- Do we tell our young men that he should still ‘wear the pants’ in his home? causing him to try to compete with her instead of cooperating with her?
Men and women in a relationship ought to be complementary not competing ever! I believe that a man should ‘wear the pants’ in his home.
But I also strongly believe that the Bible teaches that MEN SHOULD HAVE WORK BEFORE THEY LOOK FOR WOMEN. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN THE HOME, THE CHURCH AND IN SCHOOL.
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5- A man who opts to stay home with his children while his wife works is ridiculed in our society.
This is because it is considered abnormal.
I can assure you that to be in that situation puts a great pressure on a REAL MAN. IT IS ABNORMAL The scripture teaches that a man should look out for those of his own household, and if he does not he is worse than an infidel or DEVIL!
You have no idea how that destroys a real man, who knows what his role is supposed to be.
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6- If his wife tries to get him on track with his education she may meet constant resistance from him ‘you trying to change me? why you didn’t find a college man?’
She should not have married a man that is not progressive in the first place! They are not equally yoked if she is progressive and he is not. Equally yoked DOES NOT MEAN GOING TO THE SAME CHURCH GROUP!
If the girls dont put down thier feet, this nonsense will go on. Hopefully Jesus will come soon anyway.
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7-An educated woman cannot seem to win. She is prevented from reaching positions that her male counterparts achieved simply because she is not supported at home–her husband needs to wear the pants. So she still has to come home and ‘take care of him’ and their children.
THIS IS HARD AND TRUE
Most women remain single for this reason. A WISE DECISION
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8- A professional woman has to choose between children and career. THIS NEED NOT BE SO. Some professional woman do have caring professional men who participate.
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10- Men do not seem to bother about this choice, they can have both, they have wives who look after their homes, there is no such thing as a ‘house husband’ and children do not seem to limit a man’s freedom.
THIS IS HOW IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN TRADITIONALLY. BUT IN THE LAST 20 YEARS OR SO THERE HAS BEEN A SERIOUS PARADIGN SHIFF! This has caused a lot of trouble, and it is difficult to resolve!
Greater access to education means the girls have moved on hoping to be equal with thier male counterparts BUT thier male counterparts have dropped out leaving the girls as it were in a race with no men! Watered down wishy washy wimps!
I have met the type. Men whop hate you cause you wont give them curves so they can ge the grades the girls have!
Ma dear lady, it is so everywhere.
I remember five years ago teaching in a BIble INstitute in a church in Antigua. ONLY THE GIRLS WROTE THE ESSAYS. That never happened in my day in the 60’s!
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So be very careful about the way you set your mind. DIFFICULT!
11- Balance needs to be brought back to our relationships.
The balance changed when the paradigm shift changed. And women became winners on one end and losers on the other end. And whereas women loved the new paradigm of being in control or climbing the ladder, they hate what is also important to them; losing family life and children.
I agree that the women are not at fault, and that they are getting the wrong end of the stick for excelling. And I can understand.
If I am running a race with you, I will run as fast as I can and expect that you are doing the same. So if you drop out of the race……..there is no race…….and no fun. THats what happened to the girls with the paradigm shift.
Truth is the shift is ungodly! I dont think this is of GOd. I cant tell you how a woman should function if men dont function the way they were designed to function.
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12 – It is time for the battle of the sexes to end, the casualties on both sides have become too many for our society to survive intact.
It is not so much a battle of the sexes — but a paradigm shift which men are having difficulty with. All of a sudden the women around them are not acting like or in the positions that their mothers held.
IT IS DIFFICULT FOR THE MEN TO DEAL WITH
lET ME TELL YOU A SECRET
IT IS DIFFICULT FOR A MAN WHO HAS HAD A GOOD MOTHER OR AN OLD TIME WOMAN FOR A MOTHER TO DEAL WITH MODERN WOMAN
ALSO IF A WOMAN HAS HAD A VERY GOOOD FATHER SHE IS AT A GREAT DISADVANTAGE she will never be able to settle with a lousy man for a husband.
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13- Cooperation and balance between the sexes is the only way that the old time values we had may return because it is only when men and women put down their weapons that they see the children who have been watching the fight from the start. Is it worth disturbing our children?
The cooperation and balance between the sexes about which you speak existed under the old paradigm- which worked even if only in some cases because the women suffered much.
But those days are gone!
The girls going foward but many of the men are dropping out. Can you see that a shift has occured?
14 Most youngsters believe that relationships are a waste of time and marriage is hell. We gave them that impression
Yes that is what they are witnessing.
Georgie Porgie // August 19, 2008 at 7:32 PM
Devils Advocate
In response to the top part of your post.
It was a thing unheard of in our day that females were even considered for scholarships. So some balance has been restored.
But there should never be a situation where NO boy should be capable of winning a scholarship. Don’t you agree that some of the boys should also win scholarships by MERIT?
It is indeed true that “the problem with this world is weak leadership.” It has always been true that “It takes special men to provide strong leadership.” It also ought to be of grave concern that “a struggling little country ends up with only females being propelled towards positions of leadership.”
I also agree with you that “Not all men show leadership ability. It makes me sad when females are spoken of in this matter.” I also agree with you that women have been the backbone of this country and many other countries. But conversion to Christianity has always caused the lot of women to be better. Because the salvation that Christ offers liberates women as you will see in reading the Pauline Epistles, where men are enjoined to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it!
Because we live (or say we live) in a Judeo-Christian society we believe that the man is the head of the woman as ordained by God as enunciated in the Pauline Epistles. Consequently it is normal for reasonable men to opine that leadership is not ‘a woman’s place.’ That does not mean that women are not capable of leadership. Your list of women who have been leaders indicates that these scenarios were the exception rather than the norm.
It is indeed unfortunate that in many contemporary societies that women are studying and men are dropping out. The resistance you experience is because this phenomenon is unprecedented and quite abnormal.
I agree with you that people’s abilities and desires do not fit neatly into boxes according to their gender, and that societal expectations color who should be leaders. What you call the ‘battle of the sexes’ is really nonexistent in the minds of those who matter, because women are increasingly being put in positions of power. They surely don’t see the in balance in society that you are experiencing, because women are to day large and in charge, more than they have ever been.
Despite what you think girls are achieving and are indeed developing unhindered despite the negative labels of which you speak. The girls are winning all the scholarships. They occupy the halls of political power. It seems you are having an unnecessary problem with this issue of being fundamentally equal.
Devil's Advocate // August 19, 2008 at 7:39 PM
The reason I commented about the man staying home and looking after his children so his wife could work?
I know of young fathers who want to keep their sons for the first year of their life and have no problem with that BUT those around them discourage them. There are some young men who have readily adapted to the paradigm shift and these are men who have a nurturing feeling towards their son. The men I know were raised without their father’s input but want to have some of the closeness that mothers get from constant contact. You see, my father struggled with the traditional roles in the sense that he wanted to be a ‘hands on’ father with us but he was made to feel incompetent by the females of his household and he gave up. I gave him the opportunity to look after his grandson and he was glad for the change in our times. It warmed my heart to know I had helped my father emotionally. Understand, men have also suffered because of our previous system because in those days a man was not supposed to know anything about children. I don’t think we should discourage men who want to be with their sons. I would work day and night (overtime too) if I could get that kind of attention for my son. No day-care fees! The little boy is with his father almost exclusively if the father is self employed. Men, please, allow a woman to help you if you need it. The modern woman appreciates kindness. If a man is kind but uneducated and a young educated girlfriend sees potential in him and encourages him to go back to school to help him gain his confidence, what is wrong with that? Would you refuse that kind of love? Out of pride? We are frustrating our young men too by telling them not to let women support them. Why is it seen in a different light when a man pays to educate his wife, lover , or girlfriend? Am I emasculating a man when I see past his insecurities and try to influence his positive development? If educated girls cannot give our young men a hand up when they need it, what will become of us as a people?
Are we to train our sons to avoid girls that are more educated than they are? If your son had played the fool at school and then met a girl who was educated who believed in him and supported him, would you discourage him from accepting her kindness? Would you tell him that something must be wrong with her to choose him?
Devil's Advocate // August 19, 2008 at 7:59 PM
@ Georgie PorgyI have a problem with any kind of supremacy. Yes women occupy the ‘Halls of Power’ but do they have any influence there? Especially in a society that believes women should ‘know their place’? What is a woman’s place? I seek balance. Some of the women I mentioned from Africa were Queens who inherited the throne from their fathers. If you read African history you will discover that leadership was leadership regardless of sex. Those women lead armies of men and women in battle!! The Candace (ken-dah-kay) were warrior women who fought many battles, a man could not be King unless he was born of one of these women. We were a people who fought as a people, attack a village and everyone there knows how to fight, men and women cooperated to oust the oppressor. Imagine how important it would be to the slavers to destroy this unity!!! The arrival of christianity caused a paradigm shift and made women defenseless and a burden to men, instead of a partner fighting by his side, she becomes something else to protect, own, and control. Christianity has done the African woman a great disservice in the sense that women had more power in Africa at that time and men who converted to Christianity changed in their perception of the value of a woman. Men today have more in common now with white supremist men than ever before. You tend to treat your female counterparts the same way that massa treated her during slavery and that proves to me that as long as we remain a people who do not read and seek truth we will remain chained to the psychology that was imposed on our ancestors during slavery. We have become a nation of ‘generationally cursed’ people. These really are the last days!!!!
Bush tea // August 19, 2008 at 8:09 PM
Devil’s Advocate.
Sorry if my mischievous comments to Micro Mock Engineer caused you any upset. It is a long ongoing story between us two….
I can give you Bush tea’s position on this matter very briefly… it is not dissimilar to GP’s.
Life was designed for a specific reason by a superhuman engineering genius who I refer to as BBE (Big Boss Engineer)
A man and woman were designed to come together to form a ‘whole’ family unit. Women are designed with specific characteristics and functions needed for the union while men were designed with different but complimentary attributes. Together they can have the collective requirements to be a perfect unit.
In our modern society, we have decided that men and women should be ‘equal’. We educate girls and boys in the same way, develop them in the same way and expect them to operate interchangeably in both roles….
…then we act all surprised when total chaos results!?!
What equality what?!?
BBE’s designs are so advanced, complex and innovative that in emergency situations, males CAN fill female roles and females can fill male roles, however it must be obvious that a large scale disregard for obvious design guidelines will have severe consequences.
Typically, men are pathetic at child rearing, and generally speaking, women are weak and indecisive leaders who make emotional (left brain) decisions. These are biological, design FACTS.
If as a society therefore, we create a situation where we support the promotion of females to positions of leadership – that is fine, but we should expect weak, emotional leadership, indecision, and consequent poor national (or corporate) performances.
If we place men to be responsible for raising our children, we should not be surprised if we end up with a generation of ‘monster’ teenagers and mixed up adults.
It is Bush tea’s position therefore, that the introduction of Co-education has been the critical issue that derailed this country from the grand path depicted in the memories of Ganong and Georgie Porgie. It has led to the chaos of today- with immoral, ‘thiefing’ leaders; with men way past crisis point – such that we need to bring in Chinese and Guyanese to build our country; and with women who are highly educated, but are unfulfilled, poor parents and poor leaders too…
Everyone looses…
There is a way that seems right to mankind, but the end thereof is the way of death and damnation…
‘Equality of the sexes’ is such a way…
It is no co-incidence that before co-education, Barbados had one of the best education plants in the WORLD. We exported HC types all over the world (like GP and them boys so…)
…now we even have to import labour, far less crooks like Veco and 3S etc… while our brilliant young men (potential GPs and Ganongs) drive ZRs and grow locks ….
…is this what you really want Devil’s Advocate?
Devil's Advocate // August 19, 2008 at 8:09 PM
Don’t you feel any pride in the fact that despite the odds, our women are achieving? Some of these women will be the mothers of sons who are more motivated and focussed. Instead of calling the young men ‘wimps’ and ’sissies’ try building their confidence as men. The last generation was spoiled by irresponsible adults. The frustrating thing is that some of the same households that produce scholarship winning girls produce drop out boys, why? Girls are encouraged to focus and make sacrifices to meet her goals. Girls usually have responsibilty in the home while their brothers are not taught any life skills. Imagine that I went to University with young educated men who were so inept at taking care of themselves that they tried to get their girlfriends (who are also studying) to wash their clothes, to help them press, etc. Imagine the opinion the young women on campus have of these guys!!!
Devil's Advocate // August 19, 2008 at 8:23 PM
@ Bush Tea
Equal does not mean same. Girls and Boys must be socialised in the ways that benefit them. Why do you equate emotions with weakness? Why do you assume that women are biologically more emotional than men? Operating in interchangeable roles??? Where did I say that?Women have a different leadership style, it is as simple as that. Anyone who has studied biology realises that biology does not govern leadership ability nor does it influence the tendency to be emotional. Although men tend to bottle and try to control emotions (or pretent they don’t have them) both sexes experience intense emotions.
Men are not hopeless with children, we simply socialise them to be and, many men use it as an excuse for absence from their children’s life. We are living in a society where we acknowledge that men need to be part of families yet we socialise them to avoid childcare Why? Biology?Why can’t men be responsible for raising their sons?
Devils Advocate // August 19, 2008 at 8:33 PM
@ Bush Tea
You seem to have a problem with locks wearers
So here is some mischief back at you!!
I went to a church recently to take part in a baptism and all the men who had turned up to baptise their children were’ locksmen’ and ‘plait hair men’. None of the babies brought forward were by clean shaven, ‘bald head’ (decent) men. These men were not ‘properly dressed’ but they came forward to present their children to the church.
The Pastor said, ‘Suffer the little children to come on to me’. ‘I will baptise any child brought to me’. How many of those young men do you think came back to the Pastor’s church? He welcomed them to seek the solace of his church if they ever needed it. I remember feeling shocked and pleased by this Pastor and I said. ‘There goes a TRUE man of God’
Over to you!!
Devils Advocate // August 19, 2008 at 8:39 PM
@ Bush Tea
Yet more mischief!!
As to your design theory, what happens if the conditions under which the original design was implemented change? Don’t most sensible engineers ‘go back to the drawing board’ when face with a design problem? Are you sure that the BBE may not have decided that modifications to the design may be necessary under current conditions to ensure the future of his design???
Bush tea // August 19, 2008 at 9:03 PM
Devil’s Advocate
I really do not want to argue with you or to try to change any beliefs that you have. I only attempted to explain my theory…
If you really understood biology, you must know that men and women are different by design, including the way that our very brains and minds work -truly a work of excellence in designing COMPLEMENTARY attributes.
I did not follow your logic when you say that boys and girls should be socialized differently – that is exactly my point. How does co-education achieve this?
How do I equate emotion with leadership? leadership calls for logical, calculated, un-emotional, decision -making. Not instincts and emotions… like your attachment to this idea that you are the same as a man…
Child raising calls for patience, tender compassion and emotional attachment….
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Don’t most sensible engineers ‘go back to the drawing board’ when face with a design problem? Are you sure that the BBE may not have decided that modifications to the design may be necessary under current conditions to ensure the future of his design???
******************************************
What design problem what!?!
You think that the fact that you do not like the design factors means that there is a ‘design problem’!?! HA HA HA….
There is no design problem, just appropriate consequences…. like the nation’s men walking around like unkempt animals while clean cut Chinese and Guyanese build our society…. and our ‘educated’ women leaders like you can’t even see the connection…
I have nothing but admiration for women who fill the breech and take up the roles vacated by men….. i am just able to see that is a most wasteful and inefficient approach to be working against the natural order of things….. somewhat like racing donkeys and putting thoroughbreds to work pulling carts…..
Anonymous // August 19, 2008 at 9:04 PM
I think it might be interesting reading if some posters would investigate the leadership structures of the Akan people of West Africa. The Akan is the ancestral people of Black West Indians.
Georgie Porgie // August 19, 2008 at 10:02 PM
Devils Advocate
You asked
Why do you assume that women are biologically more emotional than men?
The fact is that women’s brains are wired differently
You wrote
Anyone who has studied biology realizes that biology does not influence the tendency to be emotional.
Actually this is not so Brains of women produce only about two-thirds as much serotonin as those of men (Nishizawa et al. 1997); this may explain their greater vulnerability to serotonin-related diseases like depression and obesity.
Serotonin plays an important role in influencing arousal, sensory perception, emotion, and higher cognitive functions. High-estrogen concentrations also contribute to depression by lowering serotonin levels in the brain
Why can’t men be responsible for raising their sons?
Some women wont let them!
Devils Advocate // August 19, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Wired differently? Yes, but what does that mean with respect to the tendency to express emotion? All humans are emotional beings, that is what makes us human.
It was also once a biological ‘fact’ that black people had smaller brains than white people and that was why they were biologically inferior.
@Bush Tea
Where did you get this idea that I believe I am just like a man? I have given birth to three children!!!
Do you usually have difficulty with people ‘agreeing with you’. Shock of shocks! Ha Ha!
I believe that coeducation is a problem when female teachers are not taught how to treat boys. I am the mother of sons and I have seen appalling mistakes made by females who are clueless about boys. A female scout leader expected scouts to ‘hold hands’, in public. As expected, being small boys they did not keep it up. I said to her, ‘they will not hold hands’, to which she replied: ” The BROWNIES hold hands”. All I did was open my eyes, and shake my head. If I were in charge of those boys I would simply have told them “pair up but don’t let your partner get ahead of you”. I told this to my son and his partner and they walked side by side for the whole trip (boys tend to be more competitive by nature than girls). The scout mistress did not appreciate my ‘interference’, and she was quite sour for the rest of the trip. I had the childish urge to stick out my tongue!!
Let me follow your logic….. Serotonin is higher in men, serotonin controls arousal, sensory perception, emotion, and higher cognitive functions so if men have more serotonin than women it should mean they are hornier, more perceptive in a sensory way, more emotional and more ahem, cognitive than women?
Emotion is defined simply as ‘a strong feeling’ (look it up in the dictionary)
How does ‘biology’ influence ‘a strong feeling’
Devils Advocate // August 19, 2008 at 10:30 PM
Oops, sorry about that, the last comment about serotonin was @ Georgie Porgie
Do you kiss the girls and make them cry?
Ha Ha!!
Devils Advocate // August 19, 2008 at 10:45 PM
As a follow up to the Akan people’s posting. Qeen Mother Yaa Asantewaa is of the Akan. She was of the Ashanti. There is a statue of her in Ghana, she is a national hero renouned for her bravery in battle.
Read about her at
http://www.twi.bb/akan-tribes.html
It makes interesting reading!
Devils Advocate // August 19, 2008 at 11:02 PM
Good Lord! What a clanger! I meant to type ‘renowned’ for her bravery in battle. It’s really long but her speach and her picture can’t be missed. Enjoy scrolling through!!
Georgie Porgie // August 19, 2008 at 11:11 PM
Devils Advocate
I Just reported what the medical rsearch about serotonin is.
No actually I have never ever met a girl who cried when kissed. That stuff about the original GP is certainly a myth! LOL.
Georgie Porgie // August 19, 2008 at 11:20 PM
But Devils Advocate if I should kiss you, you would go like this
O please do NOT kiss me!
O please do NOT kiss !
O please do NOT!
O please DO!
O PLEASE!
OOOOOOOOO!
C
LOL
Murder
All that steam would come out of you and you wont be arguing with me and BT no more! LOL
Anonymous // August 19, 2008 at 11:28 PM
The present-day Akan are a stratified society, governed by chieftaincy. The hierarchy in the Akan political structure may be exemplified by the Asante system of government, comprising the King of Asante (Asantehene), the
Queenmother of Asante (Asantehemmaa), Commander of the Guards, Council of State, and Overseer of the King’s court. One important point with regard to Akan chieftaincy is that the King is nominated by the Queenmother, who is often considered as the owner of the state and special adviser to the King.
David // August 20, 2008 at 7:22 AM
Thought the BU family might be interested in this letter to the Nation Editor today:
Devil's Advocate // August 20, 2008 at 11:21 AM
@ Georgie Porgie
I never argue sir! The only way all that kiss kiss stuff would happen is if you are a very dark man–like tar pitch – or a white man who drinks goat’s milk !! LOL
Hoadie get a bajan woman to live in a bus!!!
Goat’s milk seems to work wonders
Hoadie is BOSS!!
I hear his wife still giggles like a girl when he is around!!
Devil's Advocate // August 20, 2008 at 11:23 AM
I used to be in the debating club at Combermere School. Guess what I did?
Old habits die hard.
Devil's Advocate // August 20, 2008 at 11:31 AM
@David
Notice that the person made great effort to say NOT BU!!
BU is portrayed as balanced, let’s keep it that way!!
Georgie Porgie // August 20, 2008 at 11:36 AM
Devils Advocate
Off course I am black!
And you are supposed to be trembling in your boots at my threat! Not debating LOL
I no longer kiss girls, because the last time I did, the sugar levels were so high the girl went into diabetic ketoacidosis. LOL
Then I tried only kissing the top lips only, but then then the lack of sugar going to the bottom lips caused a short in the girls brain circuitary.
Georgie Porgie // August 20, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Devils Advocate
If you are a debater then you do argue. An arguement is a reasoned logical discussion designed to persuade. At least that I was taught.
Arguement is not quarreling- although some quarrels might well be good arguement!
Georgie Porgie // August 20, 2008 at 12:57 PM
The balance and interest in BU is in part due to the fact that David introduces a new topic or two daily.
Although all of the topics do not “fly” (with respect to the number of responses thereon) the diversity in the choices allows a different set of folk to opine on those topics that interest them most.
Stay up BU // August 20, 2008 at 1:34 PM
BU must be credited with presenting topics that entertain and more importantly educate its readers. The recent trend of BFP is to present topics in a manner that demeans Barbados as a whole or some targeted group (e.g Muslims) or some public figure (say the Chief Justice). BU does take issue with gays however but generally BU seeks to provoke as wide a cross section of viewpoints that help to uplift rather than to pull down.
BU’s other strength is that there is minimal censorship. BFP is very prone to banning posters who disgree with their position and they do not tolerate any suggestion that the USA may have engineered those events leading to war in Iraq and Afghanistan for example. Yet BFP allows a poster called GoUSA to call Barbadians repeatedly ignorant, filthy mongrels and stupid villagers and that Barbados is a “pissant little nation”!
Tell me Why // August 20, 2008 at 2:17 PM
Hi David. Congrats of being recognised as a blog minus the insularity et al. We can get over our point, regardless if we are right or wrong but we don’t have to insult or curse one another. That is why you are deemed fair and understanding. Please keep up the good work in informing Barbadians here and over away about issues assisting and affecting Barbadians.
Anonymous // August 20, 2008 at 2:24 PM
David
Don’t know if mention was made that today’s Nation has a letter writer praising BU,as compared to the BFP – similar to what ‘STAY UP BU’ just posted.
The Devils Advocate // August 20, 2008 at 3:54 PM
@ Georgie Porgie
You don’t scare me you naughty person. Are you sure you are not really Richard Hoad?
Your last submission to me about sugar sounds like something he would say.
The Devils Advocate // August 20, 2008 at 4:00 PM
@ Georgie Porgie
I am not always an argumentative lass but I cannot resist looking for loose strands in debates and pulling on them until the whole thing unravels!! Some of my postings will be pure mischief, so beware!!
I never quarrel, it is childish and counter-productive.
Georgie Porgie // August 20, 2008 at 4:05 PM
No I am not Hoadie.
I just like to tease the girls , mek sport and talk BS sometimes.
I once told a girl I would kiss her and put her in hyper- osmolar glucose coma. She refused to even shake my hand afterwards, because she really thought she would get diabetes. Usaually the girls just laugh and tell me I am crazy.
Dr Boobie // August 21, 2008 at 10:45 AM
The events over the past few days have been phenomenal. It has moved many in different ways.
Jamaica’s own ‘Bumpy Head Gal’ – Joan Andrea Hutchinson was so moved she wrote this poem: Usain Bolt And Mi
Usain mi dawlin, mi just want yuh fi know dat sake a yuh, mi marriagealmost mash up
di odder day, because a piece of jealousy teck myhusband.
Well wah never happen in a year happen in a day
Mi kyaan believe mi eyes
Ever since Usain Bolt win di Olympics 100 metres
Fi mi husband start exercise
Yuh tink a lickle talk mi a talk to him
Bout how him belly a get big
Mi tired fi tell him how him a get waggaty
An start to fayva pig
Mi spend mi money sign him up a gym
Steam vegetable gi him every day
Him suck him teet an say “Man must have guts”
And galang him merry way
But when Usain Bolt win di Olympic 100 metre gold
An mi start fi scream
“Usain Bolt mi love yuh, mi love yuh, mi love yuh
Yuh fulfill mi wildest dream”
Mi run up an dung inna di living room like mi mad
All liddung pon di floor
Mi say “Usain, a long time no man no excite mi so
Mi ago love yuh more and more”
Right now mi have picture of Usain Bolt pon every wall
And one beside mi bed
One pon mi t-shirt, two inna mi purse
And a Usain Bolt inna mi head
Usain Bolt full mi up wid so much pride
Mi doan even waan fi eat
And when mi talk bout how him body look good
Mi husband say mi sound like mi a cheat
Him mout long up and say mi have young bway nature
An a long time mi love mawga man
When mi tell him say Usain Bolt just meck mi feel good
Him say mi a behave like more dan fan
Him bex like bullfrog di odda morning
How mi gi him di breakfast cold
Sake a mi a watch di rerun a Usain a gi dem donkey lengthFi win di 100 metre gold
Dem show di race again when mi a cook di Satiday soup
Mi gi out “What a mawga man can run”
Mi dis hear “it come een like say sake a dis mawga man
Mi an mi Satiday soup a get bun”
Well Usain mi dawlin, dem say who bex lose
So mi say later fi him
But one ting mi know all of a sudden him start eat healty
And find himself a gym
And between mi an yuh Usain,
him proud a yuh big time
But mi dear, nuh watch no face
Yuh name write pon mi heart dat Satiday when yuh get di gold
Inna di Olympics 100 metre race
Devils Advocate // August 21, 2008 at 1:49 PM
@ Georgie Porgie
Girls tend to like crazy boys especially witty ones. I can see why the poor girl would not shake your hand. It seems that ‘Tank’ has rubbed off on you. At Cawmere you would have been given the dreaded– “lines”:
“I will not practice verbal promiscuity in class”
Georgie Porgie // August 21, 2008 at 2:15 PM
Dats a good one Ms DA!
verbal promiscuity !
I hope you aint tek out a patent on dat. Cause I will use it in one of my speaches or lectures! LOL
I notice since I threaten you wid dem kisses dat ya cool down and behaving ya self doh. Diabetes frighten yuh neh?
I believe that when girls get out of hand, you must KISS them hard & make them HIGH! LOL
not mek them cry LOL
Tell me Why // August 25, 2008 at 10:13 PM
David. I just cannot believe that Cable & Wireless in Barbados has the audacity to show-off to the public of a hefty 91 million after tax profit. Instead of taxing the poor Barbadian public, couldn’t he have taxed C&W instead? $10 million less wouldn’t affect the company’s bottom line.
Anonymous // August 25, 2008 at 11:58 PM
Why would you want to tax the productive sectors of the society to give to the non-productive sector. What kind of 70s Robin Hood economics is that?
Doesnt C&W provide 100s of jobs and reinvests its profits in the telcoms infrastructure of the region?
Since when is profit a bad thing!
evanchef // August 27, 2008 at 2:43 AM
Can you believed this? Check this out and tell me what you all think? I went to JB’S Supermarket last Wednesday, to purschase a small Good Start baby formula, net wieght 12 oz [340 g]. It was priced at $ 20. 99. last Thusday I also decided to go to Tri-mart Haggat Hall , to purschase the same brand milk and the same size. Well it also had the same price tag. So I decide to go that same morning to that popular poor people’s choice in supermarket. Guess what? I purschased 2 of the same brand formula, the same 12 oz size, for $21.88, 89 cents more than the price of one from JB’S and Trimart! Tell me what is going on here? why are these big chain supermarkets expoilting us like that? Consumers, tell me who has the power? And why do’t we use it? tell me why?
Technician // August 27, 2008 at 6:02 AM
@Tell Me Why……
C&W will always make profits.I dont think it is bragging as it has to be disclosed anyhow.
$91million after tax is actually a loss if you compare some of the previous years.
The amount they will be paying out soon to the workers will be staggering so it is good that they made a profit…..this way the guys will be payed.
Straight talk // August 29, 2008 at 6:41 AM
What a surprise! ……..
and such an amazing coincidence.
The Bush administration has just discovered that Hezbollah has a base in Venezuela.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008143469_vene28.html
How strange that these “terrorists” only appear in oil rich states.
The never ending War on Terror opens a new front.
Micro Mock Engineer // August 29, 2008 at 11:56 PM
GP,
I reviewed those presentations, and while some of the medical jargon was way over my head, I believe I now have a good layman’s grasp of the apoptosis-cancer linkage.
This is how I understand it so far…
There are several predisposing cancer ‘triggers’ (genetics, lifestyle, external/environmental and essentially any other factor that causes a disruption in the natural cell cycle). These represent the initiation agents in the Initiation stage of carcinogenesis.
The next two stages of carcinogenesis, Promotion and Progression are characterized by the mutated cells’ ability to suppress both apoptosis and immune surveillance. These cells take on the ‘quality’ of immortality.
So there would appear to be three ’causes’ in the cause-effect chain where we should focus in our search for a solution…
(a) reducing/minimising exposure to Initiating factors i.e. environmental factors and lifestyle choices. – {Prevention Solution}.
(b) for those who are genetically predisposed, pursue a genetic engineering solution… e.g. alter the expression of a person’s genes to remove inherited mutations. – {Cure Solution}.
(c) Decode apoptosis (my personal favorite :-) ). How do these cell mutations and genes like bcl-2 defy apoptosis? What exactly is the mechanism by which the Tp53 gene ‘intiates’ apoptosis? etc. – {Cure Solution}.
The reason strategy (c) fascinates me so much, is because I believe today’s technology puts the answers to those questions well within our generation’s reach… and, in the answers to those questions lies not only a cure for cancer, but a major breakthrough in extending human longevity.
In any case, Prevention is just so boring… Cures are way sexier :-)
GP, tell me more about this ‘cell immortality’ referred to in your slides. Also, I have read that stem cells can remain in a state of perpetual youth… could you shed some light on this?
Georgie Porgie // August 30, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Micro Mock Engineer
I found those links while looking for something else and on the basis of our discussion some weeks ago thought you would like to “play” with them.
Some of the medical jargon is new to me too, as a lot of this is relatively new research. Two years ago when asked to teach apoptosis, I was trying to get the whole thing into 1 2 3 4 5 etc and a hard time. The syllabus called for much less so I quit after sorting out only what was required there, as I had other stuff to teach.
But I think that you have done a good job at figuring this out. You have BETTER than a good layman’s grasp of the apoptosis-cancer linkage.
What a waste you are in engineering LOL!
Both prevention and maintenance in medicine are boring; that’s why folk rush into using preparations not properly through Phase 4 studies, I guess.
I am sorry that I cant shed light on the two questions you asked. I think you have gone past me in the area of apoptosis studies. I look forward to hearing more of you in this regard in one of the major journals.
Computer Analyst // August 30, 2008 at 7:29 PM
MME,
Why dont you ask memries or dr boobie?
so many doctors here
LOL
Micro Mock Engineer // August 30, 2008 at 10:58 PM
Computer Analyst,
The rest don’t have the patience to deal with a hard-headed engineer… I suspect GP’s academic leaning and love of teaching has endowed him with the temperament to deal with inquisitive laymen.
GP (if you are still with me LOL),
It appears that the 3 areas of focus I presented earlier are not really alternative approaches… (b) and (c) are actually BOTH necessary if ALL cancers are to be cured, and ’solution’ (a), while important, is really not a solution at all, as even with the ‘best’ lifestyle and minimum exposure to adverse environmental factors cancer/apoptosis will eventually get you. This is because they are related to the number of stem cell splits experienced over time (discovered this after following up on that stem cell question).
So (a) will ‘buy you time’, but it will not prevent death from cancer or apoptosis in the long-run.
‘Solution’ (b) is necessary because some cancers are caused by genetic disorders or gene mutation. At present there is no treatment that will stop of reverse cancers caused by damage to sections of your DNA… for the moment, this is irreversible. Without a solution (b) the nest they can do is help you die as comfortably as possible.
‘Solution’ (c) will also be necessary because there is a second group of cancer cases that are caused by epigenetic factors… unlike the direct biochemical modification of the DNA (as described before) certain proteins (histones) hide sections of the DNA, giving the ‘impression’ of dead or mutated genes. These histones are necessary for normal regulation of gene expression (for instance, selectively revealing the sections of DNA or genes to give hair cells different instructions from tooth cells or skin cells etc.) Unfortunately this epigenetic process can go haywire leading to cancer. Decoding this epigenetic process to determine exactly how these genes are being ‘turned on and off’ in the formation of both good and bad cells, represents ’solution’ (c).
Check out these clips from PBS Nova “The Ghost In Your Genes”… it provides more on this, and gives new meaning to the phrase “visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children”…
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j949RyNXqc&feature=related
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCNXMl4j-88&feature=related
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw5Faihs_v8&feature=related
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6VddGxb3hE&feature=related
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lqs-2b1PXQ&feature=related
Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCrlJxR3WtU&feature=related
I think you’ll enjoy these GP… by the way, genetic ENGINEERS are the soldiers on the frontline in this battle :-)
Micro Mock Engineer // August 30, 2008 at 11:03 PM
… as is to be expected. We are, after all, the design of a Big Boss Engineer :-)
Micro Mock Engineer // August 30, 2008 at 11:30 PM
“the nest they can do” in my post above should be replaced with “the best they can do under these circumstances”.
Bush tea // August 30, 2008 at 11:49 PM
a few small questions MME…
Why would you want to live much longer than the allotted three score and ten- or so???
…even if genetic engineers DO enable us to live for centuries … EARTH GOT APOPTOSIS TOO… LOL…and it ain’t only the oil thing…
Where we going live?
This is much like the EPA thing. Lots of fun to explore the details and speculate about possibilities, but in the final analysis not really worth the effort if one appreciates the bigger picture.
Micro Mock Engineer // August 31, 2008 at 7:12 AM
Good questions BT.
I won’t try to answer each one directly, as they both have a common philosophical underpinning (regarding the purpose of life) which I would much rather jump straight into… we were going to get there eventually anyway :-)
But first, let me pose a question to you…
Is ANY ‘worldly’ pursuit really worth the effort, if, as you say, ‘one appreciates the bigger picture’?
I am of the view that we are morally obligated to develop and use technology to cure disease/slow aging, and that we should be active participants in BBE’s redemptive and creative activity in Phase 1… ‘sub-contractors’ so to speak. I also subscribe to the view that “Genetic engineering does not encroach upon the scope of divine activity. It expands the reach of God’s action, placing a new mode of contact, through our technology, between the Creator and the creation.” – Cole-Turner, New Genesis, page 181.
As a corollary to my earlier question to you… why should we send a team of sportsmen and women half-way around the world to participate in sports when, based on their best individual/team performances, they have virtually no chance of even making it past the first couple rounds? Indeed, apart from the physical benefit of keeping fit (which can be achieved without trying to ‘beat’ someone) why should anyone, anywhere, participate in any form of competitive sport at all?… ok, so maybe I’m digressing a little now, but I would also like to hear your views on this :-)
Georgie Porgie // August 31, 2008 at 8:52 AM
MME
You are a smart fellow
Bush Tea // August 31, 2008 at 10:07 AM
MME,
I am such an idiot! you would think that by now I would learn to avoid getting into arguments with such luminaries as you and GP!!!
…anyway I stepped in ‘it’ already so here goes…LOL
1 – Is any worldly pursuit ‘really’ worth the effort?
Unquestionably YES! almost every one! To the extent that such pursuit serves to develop / refine character, enlighten awareness, and enhance maturity of the mind -YES!!!.
Your sport example is therefore an excellent one. I would suggest that such experience is probably near to the top of the list of positive experiences possible in terms of learning to respect others, developing global friendships while pursuing personal physical excellence.
The Olympics is NOT really about winning, but about Excellence, Respect and Friendship. (which is the point that Rogge was trying to make with respect to Bolt (albeit to the uninitiated).
So my point is that extending life beyond the established limits only serves to distract from the real life objective of character development, and point to the unhelpful illusion that ‘living long’ itself is some goal to be pursued.
…any one needing 120 years to develop the required level of character maturity is probably hopeless anyhow LOL.
Actually, I have no problem with genetic engineering, or indeed with CSME. In both cases they provide interesting, challeng technical challenges for ‘bright’ sparks like you, GP and ROK etc to explore…. but the truth is that except for the wasted resources that could be otherwise directed, these things are neither here or there…
Micro Mock Engineer // August 31, 2008 at 11:08 AM
BT,
I knew the sports question would put things in proper context… and I agree with you 99%… where we part ways is at your suggestion that unlocking the ‘mysteries’ of our design is somehow less of a character building experience than sports.
Truth be told, its the quality of the life we lead and not its length that is important… but continuous improvement in our knowledge of the design and using this knowledge to improve the quality of life in Phase 1 is a noble pursuit.
Like you, I believe that sport offers excellent character building opportunities, but these are just ‘dry runs’ in comparison to the real moral and ethical character building challenges we will face WHEN we acquire the knowledge and capability to ‘engineer’ life.
The Devil // August 31, 2008 at 11:21 AM
MME like he is getting his CV ready for the position of BBE! Yuh mean there is vacancy and yuh ain’t tell the Devil of all persons?
Bush tea // August 31, 2008 at 11:34 AM
I frighten’ enough for de Devil…. but he has a point.
MME, I know that you either use, or are aware of autoCAD. This is a class piece of software designed by some brilliant persons to facilitate design presentations etc….
…are you saying that it somehow enhances a draughtsman’s skill that he has been able to decipher the intricate logic and workings of the program code? … or does it distract valuable time and effort from MAXIMIZING the capabilities of the software and the efficiency with which engineering plans are produced?
How does the ability to manipulate the actual autocad code- in order to play chess for example- add value?
…unless as the wicked Devil is trying to suggest, you are aiming to displace the programmers with a superior version…?? LOL
Micro Mock Engineer // August 31, 2008 at 12:02 PM
LOL… I will need to think this through some more, as I may now be treading on thin ice.
… but with respect to your AutoCAD example, I am not suggesting that EVERY one of us should personally understand the intricate details of the code… but collectively, as a team, we should develop that capability. That way, from time to time, regular users can go to the ‘coders’ and provide them with a wish list of items for the next upgrade. AutoCAD issues these upgrades roughly once a year… here, see for yourself http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AutoCAD#Version_history :-)
I gine get real licks for suggesting upgrades to BBE’s design… so lets not call it upgrades, we are just correcting defects brought about by our (and and forefathers) transgressions… remember, we’re simply ’sub-contractors’ on the project :-)
Micro Mock Engineer // August 31, 2008 at 12:16 PM
LOL Devil… I know you begrudge us since you loss yuh pick, but all I talking bout is getting our CVs ready for Phase 2… there is a BIG difference between taking over the position of BBE and becoming one with BBE.
Micro Mock Engineer // August 31, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Ut Omnes Unum Sint… (John 17:11,20-21)
Bush tea // August 31, 2008 at 12:24 PM
What engineer What!??!
MME, I feel that you is a lawyer…. you too tricky with words to be a ‘ing’….. but on the other hand yuh too honest and ‘to the point’ to be a lawyer too….
hmmmmm
Sorry to disappoint, but almost 100% of proposals for upgrades come from users who identify opportunities based on USING the software and on potential additional uses. Hardly any comes from hackers vis a vis how the actual code works….
Extrapolated, ….meaningful ‘efficiency benefits’ (upgrades) are more likely to come from evaluating the PURPOSE of our life systems; From the opportunities to realize such purposes and from the extent to which system design modifications could help to achieve these objectives.
….actually, the overriding objective is to love God ‘with all your heart’ and to love your neighbour ‘like you do yourself’.
There is no direct mathematical relationship between this objective and ‘long life’, ‘great knowledge’, or indeed most things that we hold important…. but that is another story…
Micro Mock Engineer // August 31, 2008 at 12:24 PM
BT… you en got no shame doh… agreeing wid de Devil… LOL
Bush tea // August 31, 2008 at 12:25 PM
MME,
I need all the help I can get to deal with you….LOL
The Devil // August 31, 2008 at 12:31 PM
Hæc locutus est Jesus: et sublevatis oculis in cælum, dixit: Pater, venit hora: clarifica Filium tuum, ut Filius tuus clarificet te:
wuh loss!
Micro Mock Engineer // August 31, 2008 at 12:34 PM
“Sorry to disappoint, but almost 100% of proposals for upgrades come from users who identify opportunities based on USING the software and on potential additional uses”
But dat is exactly what I talking bout BT… these aren’t ‘hacks’, they’re either ‘potential additional uses’ or correction of ‘bugs’… sometimes these ‘bugs’ are of the user’s own doing (misuse of the program)… at times they’re intentionally implanted by the Coder to have fun with us (or teach us something).
Micro Mock Engineer // August 31, 2008 at 12:41 PM
whu loss Devil (LOL), Ego te clarificavi super terram: opus consummavi, quod dedisti mihi ut faciam… its OUR turn to finish the work He has given us here in Phase 1.
The Devil // August 31, 2008 at 12:51 PM
Sweet fuh days! LOL
Micro Mock Engineer // August 31, 2008 at 1:13 PM
Just to recap (the last few shots were coming from all over the place)… we are discussing the correction of defects in the Code… defects that have come about from OUR not following the instructions BBE gave us on Day 1. Now we expect BBE to come ‘just so’ and fix all the bugs WE created… as a loving and forgiving BBE, He will provide us with guidance as we try to live with, and correct, some of these bugs of our own making… and hopefully along the way we will begin to appreciate (1) just how incredible the original design really is, (2) the characteristics required to become one with BBE, and (3) the importance of reading the user manual and following instructions LOL
Micro Mock Engineer // August 31, 2008 at 1:20 PM
oops… that should have been Day 6… but what’s a few days between friends :-)
Georgie Porgie // August 31, 2008 at 1:32 PM
MME & The Devil
I enjoyed that bit of Latin
eg Ut Omnes Unum Sint… (John 17:11,20-21)
ut with the subjunctive
in order that they might all be one
Bush tea // August 31, 2008 at 1:41 PM
MME
I concede…. I still think that there is a subtle difference but I think I get your point…. in any case ….Hæc in proverbiis locutus sum vobis. Venit hora cum jam non in proverbiis loquar vobis, sed palam de Patre annuntiabo vobis.
When that time comes I have no doubt that we will agree on everything.
Eddie // August 31, 2008 at 1:55 PM
Georgie Porgie,
Just read your 14-point submission above. It was well written and you obviously do a lot of treading coupled with experince with social matters. I acutally agreed with everything your said – save one! And that is the Amos paraphrase.
Being unequally yoked in the context of the writer of Amos, refers to spiritual matters. The verse talks about the inability of “light” and “darkness” to mix. This has nothing to do with an academically educated and non acedemically being married.
However, I do concede that it would be wiserand prudent for persons of similar social standing to marry. For after the honymoon and sexual bliss they need common ground to make the union work.
David // August 31, 2008 at 2:12 PM
Now that you guys are through showing by communicating in a language which reflect your ‘dinosauric’ disposition let us ask MME a foolish question.
Which oversight body among US is responsible for ensuring the bugs are fixed?
Given the diversity of US what about the US who can’t afford to by the best anti-virus to protect our software?
Keep the responses simple by using two syllable words!
Bush tea // August 31, 2008 at 2:28 PM
Eddie,
Forgive me! …but Bush tea is in an argumentative mood. (happens monthly -usually around full mood LOL)
I disagree with both you and GP on the intent of ‘unequally yoked’. Personally,( after many years of marriage), I suspect it simply means if you are wise, DON’T MARRY AN IDIOT.!!
Full STOP.
Nothing to do with academics -UNLESS it is the woman who is highly accomplished.
Highly qualified men have married non-academic women for centuries and lived happily ever. Bush tea is unaware of 6 examples of the reverse. (actually I know of none but this is a funny world…LOL.)
Couples of different spiritual persuasions – but who have the wisdom to put everything into proper perspective, can and do make successful marriages. Indeed this can be a really positive experience for both parties (since most religions and ‘religious differences’ are about total nonsense anyway…)
I would even rate a marriage between two idiots (those who know not that they know not) with an even chance for ’success’.
…But what will NOT work, is a marriage between a wise partner and an idiot….. THAT is an unequal yoke…..
…tek it easy wid muh GP. Um could be the hormones – or the lotta Latin from MME and the Devil… and I hope Pat don’t see dis at all…
Georgie Porgie // August 31, 2008 at 2:34 PM
@ Eddie
Thanks for your kind remarks
Actually I didn’t paraphrase or quote from Amos. You seem to be thinking of How can two walk together unless they be agreed (Amos 3:3). I was thinking more of 2 Cor 6:14. which does talk about the inability of “light” and “darkness” to mix, as you say, in its primary interpretation of the text.
But in the application of the text, being unequally yoked may have greater connotations than light and darkness. In fact in my application the situation can really be like light and darkness, if you get my drift.
In teaching Bible I follow exemplified by Ezra in Nehemiah 8:8 which states…. “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
1- They read in the book in the law of God distinctly, i.e THEY TAUGHT THE PEOPLE WHAT THE WORD REALLY SAID…….not what they thought it said
2- They gave the sense, ie THEY TAUGHT THE PEOPLE WHAT THE WORD MEANT. They interpreted the word soundly. They rightly divided the Word.
3- They caused them to understand the reading, i.e THEY HELPED THE PEOPLE TO APPLY THE WORD TO THEIR LIVES
1 & 2 has to do with sound hermeneutics and interpretation.
3 has to do with applying it to lives; making it practical.
So my remarks had gone past stages 1 &2
Georgie Porgie // August 31, 2008 at 2:49 PM
BT
There is some merit in your argument.
And many arguments between folk of different denominational persuasions are really about church DOGMA rather than BIBLE DOCTRINE. But there are some differences due to doctrine too.
The text to which I referred strictly speaks to believers marrying unbelievers. That is indeed its primary interpretation. So you are quite correct that in its primary interpretation that the text has nothing to do with academics.
In my discourse with the Devils Advocate, I stressed that in some religious circles the text is applied to say that only folk of the same denominational persuasion should marry. As the Devils Advocate and I were discussing academics, I pointed out that one can be in the same denomination and yet unequally yoked.
But as you say, and it can not be denied that highly qualified men have married non-academic women for centuries and lived happily ever. It is also true that the reverse does not occur very often, if at all. I have no problem with the rest of your deliberations Sir.
Micro Mock Engineer // August 31, 2008 at 2:59 PM
Dinosauric disposition… LOL dat one real sweet David.
What oversight body what?!?
We en even sort out this apoptic business properly yet, an already you want to set up a big government agency to regulate things… I now see why you like Obama and de US Democrats so much :-)… and before you jump on me, I have to agree that Obama is the best choice given the available choices.
Oversight will be established as and when necessary…as exists in the medical world today in various shapes and forms. The issue of those who cannot afford ‘treatments’, comes back to your political leaning… if you’re socialist (or modern liberal) you’ll push for the state to cover some or all of your costs, if you’re capitalist the ‘free-market’ will sort things out.
Georgie Porgie // August 31, 2008 at 3:15 PM
MME
man you well on de way to brek de back of apoptosis
i here waiting for a little berry from you when you start mekking a little money of this thing
listen to me man try and focus and stop arguing with David and BT
i here depending pun you for some fame and fortune LOL
David // August 31, 2008 at 3:32 PM
@GP
We are onboard with you. The impoverish BU household is also waiting for the break to happen because in the rich Bajan tradition we too expect a lil donation…LOL.
Eddie // August 31, 2008 at 3:34 PM
Georgie Porgie,
Yes, I thought you were referring to the Amos text.
My understaning is this:
Primary context – Marriage between believer
and non believer
Secondary context – Broken relationship with God (Trying to serve 2 masters)
I think though, that it is safer for people of similar faith/denomination and spiritual fervour to marry.
I agree that people can be unequally yoked and belong to the same denomination.(it happens daily) Where the commitment levels differ, this would be a guaranteed formula for failure.
Georgie Porgie // August 31, 2008 at 3:43 PM
@ Eddie
We are on the same page
@ MME
David & I are behind you.
Seeing that you heard about apoptosis on BU first I think, and from me in an argument with BT, I think you know who you need to recompense.
I dont think any of the three of us will be too hard on you……after all we are friends.
Micro Mock Engineer // August 31, 2008 at 4:05 PM
@ GP and David,
LOL, no problem fellas… I’ll draw up a Micro Mock Contract (like the one the former administration had with 3S) :-)
Georgie Porgie // August 31, 2008 at 4:11 PM
MME
It is clear that you are not our friend as we had previously thought. Draw up something simple that does not relate in anyway to strange behaving folk please. LOL
Straight talk // September 1, 2008 at 12:18 AM
MME:
Interesting snippet which may add to your apoptosis research:-
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4649173.ece
Straight talk // September 1, 2008 at 2:09 AM
MME:
Interesting article today which may add to your research on the decoding of apoptosis.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4649173.ece
Micro Mock Engineer // September 1, 2008 at 7:32 AM
Thanks for that link ST.
I came across telomerase when I was reading up on stem cells… apparently it repairs the short ends of DNA that are lost during cell division (a side effect of the “cell splits over time” mentioned in my ’solution’ (b)). It gives stem cells their ‘immortality’. Unfortunately it also gives cancer cells theirs. Decoding telomerase is an important step in understanding the process… that’s good news. I’ll have to take a read of that Nature paper. Incidentally, to sort of pull things together, the expression of the hTERT gene (necessary for telomerase to function, and present in most cancers) is regulated by epigenetic alterations (as described in my ’solution’ (c))… Doan worry about the strange jargon… GP and his friends duz give them genes fancy names to make it hard for us laymen to understand wha going on.
By the way, remember those micro-motors we were discussing some time back… kinesins, dyneins, and myosins… and the ‘train-tracks’ they travel along (microtubules and actin filaments)… I still think they are an important target in all of this also… but I am all over the place now. Will have to regroup my thoughts and come back next week :-)
Micro Mock Engineer // September 1, 2008 at 7:40 AM
…here’s another angle of attack, that should start back up BT and GP :-)
What sort of physiological ‘bug’ would you expect to contract by eating fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Micro Mock Engineer // September 1, 2008 at 7:44 AM
… feel free to jump in on this also ‘Devil’. If anyone, you should know :-)
Georgie Porgie // September 1, 2008 at 1:14 PM
LOL
I speak where the Bible speaks and I am silent where the Bible is silent
Chris Halsall // September 1, 2008 at 1:40 PM
@GP: “I speak where the Bible speaks and I am silent where the Bible is silent.”
Wow!!! That seems rather massively constraining to me.
How do you debate issues within the domain of Physics? Economics? Computer Science? Chaos Theory? Et al?
Chris Halsall // September 1, 2008 at 2:11 PM
@MME: “What sort of physiological ‘bug’ would you expect to contract by eating fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”
While I’m “here”… My answer to your question would be: “Free and critical thought”.
Georgie Porgie // September 1, 2008 at 3:04 PM
@Chris
How do you debate issues within the domain of Physics? Economics? Computer Science? Chaos Theory? Et al?
I dont debate issues about which I know nothing. I listen to those are supposed to know, ijn the hope that I might learn something.
And I dont know much about Physics Economics Computer Science or whatever Chaos Theory is.
You see I’m a simpleton.
Chris Halsall // September 1, 2008 at 7:13 PM
@GP: “You see I’m a simpleton.”
You have already demonstrated that this is not the case…
Georgie Porgie // September 1, 2008 at 8:57 PM
Well I am in a way Chris.
I know a little about cricket and medicine and a little theology, but I am not as well read on a lot of other topics as many folk are.
Concerned Asthmatic // September 9, 2008 at 10:45 AM
The following report occurred in today’s Nation.
http://www.nationnews.com/story/310341964105085.php
Get help quickly, asthma sufferers told
Published on: 9/9/08.
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, Dr Joy St John, has received the report detailing the unnatural death of 12-year-old Rasheda Hinds due to a severe asthma attack.
Hinds died at her Crab Hill, St Lucy, home on September 5. Her mother, Janice Hinds, said the St James Secondary student “had been breathing funny and had already taken her asthma inhaler twice”.
She said she called for an ambulance from the Arch Hall Fire Station in St Thomas but was told there was none available.
Speaking to the Press yesterday, St John said it was clear the girl needed medical attention long before an ambulance was summoned.
“You cannot play with asthma; it can take you quickly and even people who are careful can have problems,” she said, advising asthma sufferers and their familes to always know how to get help quickly when needed.
The doctor was speaking during a refreshment break in a two-day symposium on HIV rapid testing organised by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pan-American Health Organisation and Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Network.
The symposium was held at the Accra Beach Hotel and Resort, Rockley, Christ Church.
“It is very important for asthma sufferers to take doctors’ advice and to make sure their doctors are knowledgeable of current practices.
“You cannot rely only on the standard inhaler. The steroid inhaler removes inflammation and is supposed to be taken on a regular basis, not just when you feel ill, unlike the standard inhaler which is taken when you feel any tightness in your chest but if taken too often, can destroy the lung structure,” she said.
Hinds would have been 13 on November 27. (CA)
Points worthy of note include:
1- The fact that the girl lived at Crab Hill, St Lucy, but the nearest ambulance was situated at Arch Hall Fire Station.
2- There is only one ambulance stationed there, and that ambulance was unavailable at the time.
3- The pontification by the inept CMO who quipped “it was clear the girl needed medical attention long before an ambulance was summoned. “ HOW ON EARTH DID SHE KNOW THAT? Especially when she admits that asthma can take you quickly.
4- The inept CMO then advises asthma sufferers and their familes to always know how to get help quickly when needed. What exactly does this mean? What provisions are there?
5- In a woeful attempt at education the CMO pontificates once more “You cannot rely only on the standard inhaler.” What is the standard inhaler? What does she mean when she says that “the standard inhaler which is taken when you feel any tightness in your chest but if taken too often, can destroy the lung structure.” This advice is very unclear, and confusing to me. When even the CMO can not present a clear message to asthmatics, we can see that we are dealing with idiots in the Ministry of Health.
Has not Georgie Porgie given proper advice on improving our emergency services and has pointed out the need for bringing emergency care to the periphery? How many asthmatics will die before these simple measures are implemented.
The scout // September 11, 2008 at 5:47 PM
David I,ve lose the story of Roy Morris by Teenage Girl That ALL YOU TALking ABout. How can I reprieve it?
Georgie Porgie // September 11, 2008 at 6:20 PM
@ The scout
Re David I,ve lose the story of Roy Morris by Teenage Girl That ALL YOU TALking ABout. How can I reprieve it?
===========================
If you are practicing your malapropisms, using reprieve for retrieve is a good one; otherwise you need to work on your constabulary ………er er I mean vocabulary. LOL
Anonymous // September 11, 2008 at 6:30 PM
i am james smith from gloster i am 17 yers old i well fight ene jepese eney one i am tufe as bull dog i dont giv up the move you punch me the move i go made at the age or 9 i was doging judo then boxing then kick boxing then mma now i am back at boxing i now four my age i am one of the best fiters in the word at boxing i just dont give up thas me my house number is 01452 424974 i fight ene man eny dog and a pit bull i well fuking eat it four tea
Anonymous // September 11, 2008 at 6:36 PM
i am james smith i i that this site was bear nukeld boxing but it is still i well fight no man onlee if ther is money to win then i well fight mike tyson but i like mike tyosn he is my matt
Anonymous // September 11, 2008 at 6:37 PM
good boxing
Micro Mock Engineer // September 11, 2008 at 7:30 PM
@ GP
If you are practicing your malapropisms, using reprieve for retrieve is a good one; otherwise you need to work on your constabulary.
———————————————-
I am sure it was intentional… and I say that without fear of contraception.
Georgie Porgie // September 11, 2008 at 9:40 PM
@ MME
Good one!
Anonymous // September 13, 2008 at 8:42 AM
Have you noticed that Bajan politicians have a dirty little habit of speaking down to the citizens?
The tone of Lowe, Sinckler and the one in education, leaves a lot to be desired.
The last time it was Lynch, Lynette Eastmond and Owen, who had this very pedantic style.
Where does this style come from?
I hardly notice it elsewhere.
Sinckler aint dey for two mornings yet and he calls Bajans nasty. Be that as it may, why he aint call we nasty when he was canvassing? Were we clean before Jan. 15 and suddenly got nasty?
All of a sudden, it appears as if we’re a different set of Bajans these people are addressing.
Now today I see Sincker saying de EPA could be bad for small business and being critical again because he is now de white man puppet. This is de same govt that wants 20% of Bajans to be self-employed.
Are they not listening to what each other is saying? Why all de inconsistencies?
May the lord help us if this is the best we got!
Watchful Eye // September 17, 2008 at 3:28 PM
Anybody else besides me saw Rosemary Alleyne interviewing the Head of a Muslim school on CBC-TV last night? He was telling her that another Muslim school is to be built somewhere in the Wanstead area. Will this new one teach hatred and death to Christians and Jews, like all the others? I think the Ministry of Education should check out this development. People who post comments about the Indo-Guyanese on here don’t seem to be aware of the REAL danger of these Asians, which is ISLAM. Take warning.
Anon // September 18, 2008 at 3:06 PM
Two young boys walked into a pharmacy recently, picked out a box of tampons and proceeded to the checkout counter.
The man at the counter asked the older boy, ‘Son, how old are you?’ Eight,’ the boy replied.
The man continued, ‘Do you know what these are used for?’
The boy replied, ‘Not exactly, but they aren’t for me. They’re for him. He’s my brother. He ’s four. We saw on TV that if you use these you would be able to swim and ride a bike. Right now, he can’t do either one.’
In the aftermath of IKE // September 18, 2008 at 3:07 PM
Pustilniks’ office in TX brought in two refrigerated tractor-trailers to store bodies until autopsies are performed. One sat in front of the medical examiner’s office Wednesday morning with a sign on the side: “Jesus Christ is Lord not a cuss word.”
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!!!
not a cuss word.
I love that!
The scout // September 18, 2008 at 4:34 PM
Two cross-eyed women bounced into each other one day and almost knocked each other over. One woman asked the other ” why you don’t look where you are going? The other woman replied” Why you don’t go where you looking?”
Anonymous // September 18, 2008 at 4:36 PM
Too sweet scout.
Go to the top of the class.
Georgie Porgie // September 18, 2008 at 5:08 PM
I agree!
Anon // September 18, 2008 at 10:57 PM
‘Whatever you give a woman, she’s going to multiply. If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby.
If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal.
If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.
So – if you give her any crap, you will receive a ton of shit.’
Britta Ricker // September 19, 2008 at 12:32 PM
I doing research on environmental change and the geoweb. I am interviewing Bajans about what changes YOU are noticing on the ground and in the water. If you would like to take part, come to Bellairs on Tuesday night at 7:30 and visit my website. I hope you can make it!
Anon // September 19, 2008 at 3:36 PM
This one is funny dem American blacks too stupid
Federal Judge forbids Poor Black mothers from naming their own children
After Judge Cabrera’s historic ruling, little Clitoria Jackson will likely undergo a name change.
( DETROIT ) In a decision that’s expected to send shockwaves through the African-American community-and yet, give much relief to teachers everywhere-a federal judge ruled today that black women no longer have independent naming rights for their
children. Too many black children-and many adults-bear names that border on not even being words, he said.
‘I am simply tired of these ridiculous names black women are giving their children,’ said U.S. Federal Judge Ryan Cabrera before rendering his decision. ‘Someone had to put a stop to it.’
The rule applies to all black women, but Cabrera singled out impoverished mothers. ‘They are the worst perpetrators,’ he
said. ‘They put in apostrophes where none are needed. They think a ‘Q’ is a must. There was a time when Shaniqua and Tawanda were names you dreaded. Now, if you’re a black girl, you hope you get a name as sensible as one of those.’
Few stepped forward to defend black women-and black women themselves seemed relieved. ‘It’s so hard to keep coming up with something unique,’ said Uneeqqi Jenkins, 22, an African-American mother of seven who survives on public assistance. Her children are named Daryl, Q’Antity, Uhlleejsha, Cray-Ig, Fellisittee, Tay’Sh’awn and Day’Shawndra.
Beginning in one week, at least three white people must agree with the name before a black mother can name her child. ‘Hopefully we can see a lot more black children with sensible names like Jake and Connor,’ Cabrera said… His ruling stemmed from a lawsuit brought by a 13-year-old girl whose mother created her name using Incan hieroglyphics.
‘She said it would make me stand out,’ said the girl, whose name can’t be reproduced by The Peoples News’ technology. ‘But it’s really just stupid.’ The National Association of Elementary
School Teachers celebrated Cabrera’s decision. ‘Oh my God, the first day of school you’d be standing there sweating, looking at the list of names wondering ‘How do I pronounce Q’J'Q’Sha.’?’ said Joyce Harmon, NAEST spokeswoman. ‘Is this even English?’
The practice of giving black children outlandish names began in the 1960s, when blacks were getting in touch with their African roots, said historian Corlione Vest. But even he admits it got out of hand.
‘I have a niece who’s six. I’m embarrassed to say I can’t even pronounce her name,’ said Vest, a professor at Princeton University . ‘Whenever I want to talk to her, I just wait until she looks at me and then I wave her over.’
Cabrera’s ruling exempted black men because so few of them are actually involved in their children’s lives.
Deng Xiaping // September 19, 2008 at 5:04 PM
Anon
Dis post about the names black people give their children is an urban legend. It is made up. There is no judge Cabrera, no Corlione Vest at Princeton. It is a joke (at the expense of Black people). Don’t believe everything on the net!
jinx // September 21, 2008 at 7:10 AM
BU,
You just could not resist re opening the Veoma/Kareen story could you?
This is a matter, as other matters before the law courts and your “enlightened” readers can only preach hellfire and brimetone.
Nice way to present Barbadians to the rest of the world.
Anonymous // September 21, 2008 at 7:23 AM
Jinx
Obviously you are a homosexual and like persons of that orientation you are trying hard to stop discussion on the filthiness of that lifestyle.
I know you will come on here and deny it and tell us it is because you have lovely friends who are homosexuals,YEAH RIGHT.
Every other day you are begging BU to close the post and BU foolishly did so with the first post, and now the employees at Starcom who were trying to tell us what is happening there have all gone quiet.
People like you Jinx, and ME,and the others who obviously are homosexuals come on this blog every time BU raises a discussion about trying to condemn everyone who says they are against homosexuality.
Get this inside your head – homosexuality is an abomination,and this from someone who doesnot hate homosexuals but abhors homosexuality.
jinx // September 21, 2008 at 1:02 PM
Dear Felicia Lashley,
Do not waste another breath responding to such ignorant banter.
Your family is blessed to have such an open minded soul as yourself around.
The godly christians will kill this story until they can kill it no more….. just leave them be.
(Besides this is good for BU ratings)
Yardbroom // September 21, 2008 at 2:41 PM
A Man Named: Robert Barbados
I was intrigued when doing some research recently to come across a young man named Robert Barbados. I had no idea people were so officially named -in English speaking countries – but before Bajans get too excited about this fellow. He was convicted of theft with violence: robbery. Do not be alarmed folks it happened abroad, you can relax your valuables are safe. More to the point the incident occurred some time time ago.
The details: ” Robert Barbados, indicted for that on the 24th January last, meeting Katherine Guilford in the Fields, and she asking him the way to Shore-ditch, he, under pretence of going to show her the way, led her the farthest way, and when they were come in a hollow way, from the sight of Passengers, he threw her down, and bid her deliver her money, swearing and threatning he would rip her up, if she would not be quiet, and did cut and otherwise misuse her, robbing her of Four shillings, four and six-pence; the said Katherine Guilford swore positively, he was the person that robb’d her, and that it was done about seven of the clock in the Evening; of which felony and Robbery the Jury found him guilty.
Unfortunately this story has a sad end, of those convicted on the same day as Robert Barbados. Twelve were convicted for a variety of offences, one Edward Conyers, that he be Drawn upon a Hurdle to the place of Execution, and there be hang’d by the neck till he be dead.
As for Robert he was hanged. Date of sentence 27th February, 1684, England
For those with an interest in such things.
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org
(Search for Robert Barbados)
ANON // September 23, 2008 at 8:47 PM
This beautiful story was written by a doctor who worked in Africa .
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter.
We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts.
One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates).
‘And it is our last hot water bottle!’ she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.
‘All right,’ I said, ‘put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.’
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. ‘Please, God’ she prayed, ‘Send us a hot water bottle today. It’ll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.’
While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, ‘And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she’ll know You really love her?’
As often with children’s prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say ‘Amen’? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren’t there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home.
Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!
Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses’ training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.
From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas – that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the…..could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried.
I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, ‘If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!’
Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked: ‘Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she’ll know that Jesus really loves her?’ Of course, I replied!
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God’s prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child – five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it ‘that afternoon.’
‘Before they call, I will answer.’ (Isaiah 65:24)
David // September 25, 2008 at 1:53 PM
Part of the problem we have in this world some say is that we have become too scientific about how we want to live our lifes. We have the homosexuality issue which has split the world because we have become moraless in a modern world. Today we read on the Internet that there was a proposal to pay the poor in Louisiana $1,000.00 to have their Fallopian tubes tied to stop child birth.
Incredible.
ROK // September 29, 2008 at 11:33 AM
David
I am hearing about babies at the QEH going missing. Two mothers are claiming that their babies disappeared into thin air. I really hope that is stale news now reaching me.
I also understand from the source that mild was pumped off one mother’s breast to feed the baby. The explanation is that the mother was sick and had a fever so they did not want the baby to catch what she had; and giving it the mother’s body fluids?
Wow! How people blindly have faith in doctors. Wonder what Carlos has to say about that?
If this is true and this is recent, something has to be done about the QEH.
David // September 29, 2008 at 7:49 PM
@ROK
Tell us more. Maybe you should post under this blog to see if the nurses can shed any light.
http://bajan.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/what-is-happening-at-st-thomas-district-hospital-dr-estwick/
concerned // October 1, 2008 at 10:26 AM
I hesitate to post this comment but I getting vex. From the time elections was call in January all the politicians came round by people house skinning up they faces and begging for votes and making you believe they would try to help you if you need help. I am not talking about ignorant people that expect a representative to hold their hand and take them to the toilet and do things for them that they could do for themself, I don’t have time for people like that. I am a Dem and I voted for my people. Well let me tell you some of them now dont even want to give you the time of day even if you worked hard for them in the constitency when they was canvassing. You could call them on the phone and leave 2 thousand messages they ignorning you, but when the time come in 4 years time they would brek they neck to come round by your house begging for votes again. Well if they dont shape up they would get ship out. The only one I know would return your call is Mr. David Thompson and it look to me like he standing alone and the others playing the ass and arrogant as hell, I hope Mr. Thompson would be strong enough to deal with them stubborn arrogant ones he got with him because I tell you now that if they dont start behaving in a better manner and have some humility I would not vote for them again. I would not vote at all because I would never ever vote for BLP. I hope some of them would read this post and shake themself up and treat the people right, they are not our masters but they walking about lording it over everybody and if they think the people not taking notice of how they behaving they will see when the time come. They better take warning.
David // October 4, 2008 at 2:30 AM
For the BU family interested in the O.J Simpson trial, some maybe happy to know he has finally been found guilty of something. Read the latest at this CNN link.
Anonymous // October 15, 2008 at 7:22 AM
It is with anger mixed with pain that I type this submission. What is going on in Barbados we claim that we are the most developing people in the world; yet, my people are not ready for the wrath of mother nature.
What is going on? We refuse to charge persons for littering; we refuse to stop persons from destroying places which have evened the odds out for flooding. We build beautiful elaborate boardwalks for our tourists but oops we forget that BAJANS live here! We find money to do all sorts of crap but when it comes to the workers of our country we blatantly ignore them!
THAT IS UNFAIR AND SO WRONG!
Bajans need charging for killing the environment! I have SOME questions to ask
ARE YOU ALL SURE WANNA READY FOR THIS THING CALLED DEVELOPMENT!
Or have you all allowed persons with heavy purses to mamaguy you and steal your damn birthrights!
SELL OUTS all of us that is what we are!
A pack of sell outs with immigration, environment and the list goes on you all have sold your childrens future OUT!
We have treated mother earth and our own with disdain and we now are feeling her wrath.
JC // October 15, 2008 at 7:26 AM
JC submitted the comment above.
ROK // October 15, 2008 at 9:31 AM
JC
I think you looking in the wrong direction. With all our Town Planning and Drainage Unit, they can’t get it right?
The Minister of Agriculture is not an engineer but he identified quite rightly that we allow all our rain water to go into the sea.
It means that if he manages to dam that water because of political will, that the bosses who run our technical departments are not working and if you are, tell us why a Minister has to come along to get these things done?
Water find its own level and therefore it is easy to identify where the flooding will be long before the rains come and take measures to deal with the water. We did it in Pinelands as an NGO long before talk of DEOs; we had and still have our own emergency response and disaster preparedness committee, as well as experienced and trained volunteers.
JC // October 15, 2008 at 9:47 AM
Thanks ROK for your opinion you do have a point. Why is no one listening!
They need to do wsomething and do it ASAP; I am surprised that no one has died as yet. What about the damaging of our coral reefs what is going on people dead ot these realities!
Nea // October 30, 2008 at 7:09 PM
Hello all, a friend of mine just launched this site and some people, before it has even been launched have said it’s going to fail.. which is pretty much expected (you know how people can be) . However as a young entrepreneur myself I think that we .. bajans, black bajans at that…. should be supportive of young people who are working towards positive goals and trying to make a difference. Why do we always have to make the statement ‘ black people don’t know who to stick together’ true??
Keltruth Corp. // November 10, 2008 at 6:31 PM
I have been trying to get more information about the Russian teen who was apparently murdered in St. John.
I have put up the little that I know.
Anonymous // November 26, 2008 at 8:53 PM
To alll you guys out there…nothing in this world is FREEEEEEEE…..the bus fare business was just a political gimmick….the money has to come from somewhere people…this country was never a rich place….90% of us are poor and came from poor families and we survive….Rich country/Continents does not even do things like that….OK
Does he want LOVE…is that what this is about…will he create poorer persons in this country….
i believe you guys are blind because he speaks to us like we are idiots and don’t understand….today he spoke about the government and owning the prison and have to pay for it for the next 25 yrs….are you kidding….do we have to build our own….are so we so rich we can to do…people pay for cars over a 10 yr period, houses over a 25yrs period…do we take all the money we have and spend it…..
other thing…what about the highway that has change?…4 lanes…that is all….we will still have the problems with traffic….a logical thinking person would know that the roundabouts is not going to works in certain areas, don’t care what you do….check this logic…traffic flows better when not obtructed….UK does it and the US does it….
I would like a leader for this country because as far as i am concern we do not have any…..a person that wakes up one day, i am giving everything FREEEE….we don’t know how it is going to work but that is what he going to do…..
and we as people love this…..hope we have a country that we are comfortable with in years to come…..
David // November 29, 2008 at 10:24 PM
“What kind of mirror image do you have of yourself?”
Address to a political rally 13 May, 1986, at which the Democratic Labour Party’s 27 candidates for the general elections of 28 May, 1986 were introduced.
What I wish to speak to you about very briefly here this evening is about you. About yourself.
I want to know what kind of mirror image do you have of yourself? That is what I am concerned about. What kind of mirror image do you have of yourself? Do you really like yourselves? Because you can never really like anybody unless you first like yourself. There are too many people in Barbados who despise themselves and their dislike of themselves reflects itself in their dislike of other people… people who live next door to them, members of their family, husbands, and wives, and the ox and the ass and the stranger within the gates.
I would like to say that in 1951, 1956, 1961 the Conservatives used to do a few favours for people.
A planter would send a man who had a little influence, let us say in Ellerton Village in St. George, send him down to Plantations Limited or Manning and Company and get some lumber to repair the old house, or if he had a cheap canvasser you would send him to Detco Motors and let him trust a new car. And those people would be motivated into giving their support to the Conservative candidate because of the favours which used to be given out to them.
But it really did not matter because the people who accepted that kind of help thought that they would be beholden to the rich people of this island, because the rich people were in a position to do personal favours for them. But what the rich people in Barbados did not realise is that they did not have money to do favours for everybody who had the right to vote after universal adult suffrage.
That was all right when you had 250 people voting in St. Thomas, and probably 178 voting in St. Andrew, and probably 311 voters in St. Lucy, but when you have 38,000 voting alone in St. Michael – voting for two candidates, not even John D. Rockefeller himself would be able to do enough favours for 38,000 people to persuade them to go and cast their votes and exercise their suffrage against the Labour Party’s interest, in favour of that wealthy person.
Which group in wealthiest in Barbados then? Who has the most money to spend? There has never been anybody in the history of Barbados with six million dollars at his disposal. The Tom Adams government had $600 million in each and every year at its disposal to bribe you with your own money, and then spit in your face.
So the Conservatives can now save their money. They are not going to France and Italy anymore because of terrorism, but they are going to Tampa, Florida, Vancouver, British Columbia and California, because they have people now who will spend the workers’ money to bribe the workers and they could save their money and thus go off and live like true politicians, while they use your money against you.
Now what has bothered me in this society is that every time after elections, people expect certain things to take place. And although the law says that he that giveth is as much guilty of bribery and corruption under the Corrupt Practices Act as he that receiveth, we know that even on polling day, people were given envelopes with $100 bills in them.
Philip Greaves and Asquith Phillips and I sat down trying to get people to bring affidavits, so that we could lock up some of them. Our own people, registered Democratic Labour Party people, said they were not prepared to go into court and swear.
So what kind of mirror image would you have of yourself? If there are corrupt ministers in Barbados tonight, you have made them corrupt.
I am not trying to make any excuses for you, but I realise what has happened in this society. You have people who are living on the brink of, and at, subsistence level. I look around and see people who have not done an honest day’s work in their whole lives driving around in MP cars, having an ostentatious standard of living, unlike my poor families in St. John, who the Welfare Officer gives $50 to feed a family of ten for a whole week.
What kind of mirror image can you have of yourself?
Let me tell you what I mean by ‘image you have of yourself’. You so much despair of this society that you queue up at Trident House (United States Consulate) day after day. Those of you who have read Julius Caesar would know the passage that says: ‘You have sat the live long day with patient expectation to see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome.’ And you have stood the live long day with great patient expectation for the man to tell you down there that you can’t get the visa to get on the 400 to New York next week.
Your greatest ambition is to try to prove to the people of the United States Consulate that you are only going up to visit your family, when you know very well that when you get up there, you los’ ‘way. And you are surprised when the people at the United States Embassy tell you that you do not have a strong reason to return to Barbados. And you are the only person dishonest enough with yourself to realise that you do not have a strong reason to return to Barbados, because Barbados has nothing to offer you. You are not being honest with yourself, but you tell the man down there, ‘Oh yes, I’m returning.’
If I had to answer that question now I would be in trouble, because under this dispensation for the past ten years, I never had a strong reason to come back here.
But I want to tell you this, that I believe I am as much Barbadian as they are and I do not like my country being run down the way it has been run down since 1976, and that is the reason why I return.
When I went to Mexico, I had to make a decision, and I returned; I went to the Pacific and I had to make a decision and I returned. I had a strong reason. My reason is that I did not want to see my country go down the drain but you who are not in politics, don’t have a strong reason. Tell me one good strong reason you have to return to Barbados.
Your mirror image of yourself is that your ambition in life is to try and get away from this country. And we could call ourselves an independent nation? When all we want to do is go and scrub somebody’s floors and run somebody’s elevator or work in somebody’s store or drive somebody’s taxi in a country where you catching your royal when the winter sets in?
What kind of mirror image do you have of yourself? Let me tell you what kind of mirror image I have of you, or what the Democratic Labour Party has of you. The Democratic Labour Party has an image that the people of Barbados would be able to run their own affairs, to pay for the cost of running their own country, to have an education system which is as good as what can be attained in any industrialised country, anywhere in the world.
It is only now that you are reading that in the state of Texas, the government of that state has asked to make the teachers pass an examination – you know what kind of examination? To see if they can read and write!
The gentleman of the Texas teachers’ union came on the news and he said that he was proud of the result because only eight per cent of the teachers couldn’t read and write!
If (President Ronald) Reagan had to take the test, I wonder if he would pass. But this is the man that you all say in the newspapers, how great he is for bombing the people in Libya and killing little children. I am no (Libyan leader Mu’ammar) Qathafi supporter. I don’t know Qathafi and I never had any desire to go to Libya. But this is the man that you all go up at the airport and put down a red carpet for, and he is the President of a country in which in one of the more advanced and biggest states eight per cent of the teachers cannot read and write, and he feels that they are better than we. And you feel that we should run up there and bow.
What kind of mirror image do you have of yourself? Why don’t you sit down there and start trying to put people on the moon, too? Instead of using $100 million to develop the potential of the young scientists that we have, and the young doctors that we have, we spend it putting up an expression of a monumental edifice behind the Cathedral and call it a Central Bank Building, because we think that people develop by ostentation, by showing off, and not by developing people.
But when a government steals from people in the way of consumption taxes and takes that money and spends it on their own high lifestyles, and unnecessary buildings, then that government not only has contempt for you, but what is most unfortunate, you have contempt for yourself, because you allow them to do it.
And you get the Prime Minister of the country saying that his ambition is to have the same kind of lifestyle as the people in the United States enjoy. I wonder what kind of lifestyle he is enjoying now? And then his successor goes outside of Barbados and says we are drifting away in Barbados from the Westminster model of parliamentary democracy, and we are easing into a presidential system; that we want a presidential system, so that, like Reagan, they can go and bomb. They can go and bomb the mental people in the hospital in Grenada and the little children in Benghazi, in Tripoli? Is that what we want a presidential system for?
We don’t have a Presidential system yet. But you have people who are employed and paid with your taxes who could buy a boat and give it to an Englishman to smuggle arms into Barbados. I can give you the name and the place and everything you want.
We don’t have a presidential system, but you can have people removing money from a Canadian Imperial Bank account and people who are in charge of institutions in this island, and in transferring it to the Barbados National Bank without the authority of the people from whose account the money was being withdrawn. I know it is so, because I told (Prime Minister Bernard) St. John who said it was and that man has not been locked up yet.
I told him then that you should never appoint a person to a responsible statutory corporation in this island who is accustomed to forging people’s signatures. And then he went outside and came back and never said a word. And you allow that to go on in Barbados.
And there are people in high places in this island who conspired to allow that to happen, because the gentleman was fined $1,000 for so doing, and not by the law courts, but by a private group of people who got together and said, ‘You committed forgery; we are going to fine you $1,000.’ So you circumvent the Director of Public Prosecution, and you hold your own dumb-head court martial and then you present him with a big bowl and congratulate him on his achievements.
What kind of mirror image do you have of yourself if you allow this kind of thing to happen?
What kind of mirror image do you have of yourself when you allow the mothers of this nation to be beasts of burden in the sugarcane fields? In Mexico where people suffer under a lower standard of living than in Barbados, they use donkeys to freight canes out of the fields.
In Antigua, they use a small railway; but here the mothers of the nation with sons at Harrison College, the Alleyne School and daughters at Queen’s College, St. Michael and Alexandra – they are used as beasts of burden and there is no shelter in any of those cane fields. I have talked time and time again to the Barbados Workers’ Union about this and you allow that to continue. What kind of image do you have of yourself?
I suggested, and I was inspired by the work done by the late Mr. Ernest Bevin, who was (British) Foreign Minister, who went to work at eight – I don’t mean 8 o’clock in the morning, I mean eight years of age – and those dock workers in London used to turn up during the winter and summer from 5 o’clock in the morning waiting for a ship, and if a ship didn’t come in for three weeks or three months, they wouldn’t get any pay. And Ernest Bevin introduced the guaranteed week for dock workers. I set up a commission of enquiry into the sugar industry and made the examination of the guaranteed week for agricultural workers one of the terms of reference of that commission, and the commission reported that nobody gave any evidence before them in support of this recommendation.
What kind of mirror image do the people of the Workers’ Union, of whom we have members, have, even of you or themselves? And I had to wait until there was a dispute in the sugar industry and we had television and get on a blackboard and say, well these will be the wages from next week and on Tuesday I went into the House (of Assembly) and introduced the guaranteed wages for agricultural workers.
Why should only one man have a mirror image of you that you do not want to have of yourself? What kind of society are we striving for? There is no point in striving for Utopia, but you do not realise your potential.
You have heard the opportunities which our members have taken to improve themselves by going to certain institutions and so on – not that we believe that people with good education are the only people who can be in politics. The very fact that a man has made the effort and taken the time to improve himself shows that he has the kind of calibre which would make him a useful representative of the people.
I lived in a little country when I was young, the Virgin Islands. It was just bought from Denmark by the United States of America. My father was a Chancellor. I was too young to go when he was transferred. So when I was three months old, I went.
There is no unemployment in that country. They don’t manage their affairs as well as we did in the past. They don’t receive any big lot of grants and loans and that kind of thing, even from the United States.
They have to bring in workers. They have the largest oil refinery in the western hemisphere run by a man called Hess. But that is a small country. But there is another small country which is run by a friend of mine. That country has 210 square miles; it is 40 square miles bigger than Barbados. If you took the Parish of St. Philip and put it right in the little curve by Bathsheba that would be the size of the country of Singapore of Lee Kwan Yew.
But you know the difference between Barbados and that country? First, Barbados has 250,000 people. You know how many people Singapore has on 40 more square miles? Over two-and-a-half-million, on an island just a little larger than Barbados.
They don’t have sugar plantations; they don’t have enough land to plant more than a few orchids on. It is one of the orchid centres of the world. They grow orchids in Singapore. They don’t have enough land to plant a breadfruit tree in the backyard and nearly every Barbadian, even in the metropolitan area of Bridgetown, have some kind of fruit tree in the backyard.
Sixty per cent of those three million persons have been housed by the government of Singapore. They don’t have oil for ministers to steal. They don’t have any beaches like we do here. There are people here in this audience, Barbadians who have served in Singapore, who can tell you about Singapore. There is no unemployment in Singapore.
They have developed an education system but they are teaching people things that are relevant to the 21st century. They are not teaching people how to weed by the road. They are in the advance of the information age.
But you know the difference between you and them? They have got a mirror image of themselves. They are not looking to get on any plane to go to San Francisco. Too far away. The government does not encourage them to emigrate unless they are going to develop business for Singapore.
They have a mirror image of themselves. They have self-respect. They have a desire to move their country forward by their own devices. They are not waiting for anybody to come and give them handouts. And there is no unemployment.
Is that the mirror image that you have of yourselves?
Nathan D. // December 2, 2008 at 12:36 AM
I am assisting a student with a project and would like to find on-line a list of all MP’s who were in office at the time of independence, and those who were elected after Barbados independence in 1966?
Can anyone direct me to the appropriate website?
Thank you,
Nathan D.
Toronto, Canada.
Tell me Why // December 3, 2008 at 9:22 PM
@ David
I am surprised that you or BFP overlooked the behaviour of Minister of Education speech at the Springer School. Diplomacy cannot be compromised when you are a minister who john public should be looking up to. At the start of the school term he degraded the parents of children at the St. Paul’s School, telling them of always complaining. Now, he is ridiculing principals for establishing standards regarding dress codes. Now Mr. Jones, that was not the forum to degrade principals especially when you are dealing with students who might have the tendencies to dress inappropriately. The children he might be seeing on the roads are the students using the free bus service to go by homes and rushing back to school near the 3 o’clock hour. Just look at students going in the opposite directions.
David // December 3, 2008 at 9:32 PM
@TMW
Tonight we decided to blog about something positive. There is so much to write about but we can only write so much. You are free to share your views with the BU family, as you know we are quite receptive to the views of others.
Funny funny funny // December 24, 2008 at 12:11 PM
With regard to an article entitled ‘No 24-hour clinics’ published in today’s NATION ( 12/24/08) at http://www.nationnews.com/story/339690999711624.php
In his cabinet reshuffle, the PM certainly went from one jackass to another. Both of them make Balaam’s ass look like a Nobel Prize winner!
We read in today’s NATION that though it is known in the Ministry of Health that there is a demand for extended hours at the polyclinics, and although it is known in the Ministry of Health that extended hours at the polyclinics helps to relieve some of the pressure on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and other facilities of the Government, the notion of extending the hours at the clinics “is not currently on the table.”
It boggles the mind that the novitiate and medical illiterate who has succeeded the other of the same kind (jackassus allos) can spout to the press that although it is well known that extending the hours of the polyclinics is very much in need, that there will be no 24-hour polyclinics in the near future.
Rather than seeking the additional staff and security personnel , to expand the polyclinic , we read in today’s NATION that the nation elected the DLP to look to get our labs up to the level to provide a range of services for the eastern Caribbean.
It seems that the Barbadian public elected the DLP to “utilise any surplus facility……. to assist our brothers and sisters in the eastern Caribbean with respect to lab work.”
Whereas there is a need to invest money with respect to obtaining better equipment and offer training for our lab personnel, we should be looking to expanding our services at home so that assistance can be obtained in the peripheral clinics to facilitate the needed clutter of the ER at the QEH.
JC // December 27, 2008 at 1:22 AM
I have a question to ask; a friend of mine bought a bottle marked washing liquid, however it turned out to be Softlan.
I personally think that this is a serious thing, she does not. What should be her next step, should she go back to the store she bought it from and demand satisfaction or should she go to FTC what should be her next step! Thanks!
Suppose that was weed killer and it had marked mauby she would be DEAD!
David // December 27, 2008 at 8:25 AM
@funny
Can you explain with the large allocation of public funds how we can accommodate the increase workforce we would need to man a 24 hour operation at the polyclinics?
We are not against the idea mind up but tell us how we can squeeze scare dollars from the treasury to make this work.
Tell me Why // January 14, 2009 at 9:49 PM
Congratulation David of BU.
I must be careful in identifying the person that I am sending out salutation before I am labeled political lackey.
However, I am impressed with the various stories that you have carried for the year. The response by bloggers are averaging over 300% over your competitor regarding hits/replies. Keep up the good work my friend.
The Scout // January 24, 2009 at 7:41 AM
The price of progress has greatly eroded the Christian values that existed in old Barbados. Whether or not parents were Christians or just church-goers, they sent their children to Sunday School. When there was a funeral at the village church, the rum shop/s used to be closed in respect of the dead. Today the rum shop/s order additional drinks to serve their excess expected customers.As a school boy it was compulsory to attend school assembly and prayers at the start of school every morning. There used to be scripture taught in schools and a certified examination at G.C.E.
All this instilled some morals in even the worse children at school. In a progressive Barbados, we have removed a lot of the moral values that this society lived by and, as a people, we now seem to be wandering down an unknown path. Today Christianity is replaced by Religious Knowledge in schools and there are teachers who are pushing other religions down the throats of some of our brightest brains, hence destablising the Christian values that once existed in this society. The various Christian denominations that are in this country, has done much damage to the Christian religion. The last survey I heard about, some years ago, there were just about one hundered and forty (140) different denominations on this little 166 sq.ml island, which means approx. 2500 churches, yet there are many people who only go near a church door for a wedding, funeral or occasionally at Christmas or Easter. Most sects now seem more interested in making money than “winning souls”for Christ. Barbados is fast degenerating into a very immoral society and church leaders are very quiet about it. To many, being a Priest, a Reverend, or a Pastor is just another job. Too many of these leaders are proving to be more currupt than the non-believers. It is time the genuine Christian Leaders in this country, take the bull by the horns, call a spade a spade and try to put this once Christian nation back to its high standards.
Green Monkey // January 25, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Hey David, check out this Google video presentation “The Gig Is Up” on fractional reserve banking and the US Federal Reserve banking system.
Green Monkey // January 26, 2009 at 11:08 AM
Fooled by globalization
A sobering discussion on the nature of the current economic crisis and why this one may be very different from ones in the past.
The problem: globalization adds exponentially to the complexity of potential outcomes, but the banking system is not designed to absorb the kind of rapid and massive changes globalization makes possible.
These aren’t two hippies railing against the system. This is one of most insightful mathematicians and one of the most accomplished options traders of our time.
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/542.html
Iain Deane // January 28, 2009 at 9:53 AM
Dear Barbados Underground Family,
I wrote to Barbados Underground some while ago stating that I would not make any comments about matters pertaining to law suits either in the Barbados or Canadian courts (or in any other country, for that matter) to which I am a party. I continue to stand by that.
I reside in the United Kingdom and am currently visiting Barbados . The primary reason for my visit is because I am responding to a request to make myself available to the Honourable High Court (Civil) to be examined and cross-examined as a witness in a trial to be heard later this week.
I was made aware this morning of the latest defamatory statements and misidentification made about me by the Keltruth Blog that purports to be owned and operated by certain of my cousins, namely Kathy Davis née Knox and her siblings.
Without indulging in the type of total and lamentable lack of respect for the Honourable Ontario Superior Court of Justice exhibited by whoever runs and operates Keltruth (which may or may not be my cousins – I have only seen unidentifiable and legally unverifiable claims that Keltruth is indeed owned and operated by my cousins, but I am not convinced of this at all) I wish to state categorically that I am NOT the blogger on Barbados Underground that Keltruth mis-identifies me as being and who writes about matters pertaining to Kingsland Estates Limited.
I refer your readers to Google and I invite you to enter the search criteria “Iain Deane Barbados ”. You will be astonished to learn, at the very first of the multitudinous entries (over 1.15 million of them) that I am a “co-accused” of the Prime Minister of Barbados and that in addition I am being hidden by Barbados ’ Chief Justice, Sir David Simmons. This must amaze the Chief and Lady Simmons, both of whom I have met a couple (meaning two) times. They must be searching their home to find out just which part of it they are hiding me in. As for the PM, since the use of the word “co-accused” imputes criminal wrongdoing, especially when used in connection with legal proceedings, the PM must be equally astonished to find out that he and I have been criminally indicted for the same unidentified crime.
A while ago, I attended a meeting with my banker in London . We had never met and I wanted to get the bank to provide me with the where-with-all to buy a house. I was told by my banker that the first thing he does when meeting someone he does not know is to google their name. Accordingly, I was placed in the extremely embarrassing position of having to explain myself in relation to the scandalous blogs emanating from Keltruth and its sister blog in order to secure the funds to purchase my house.
This was but the first of many such explanations I have had to provide, not only to people with whom I do business, but also to friends and family who, almost universally, have asked me what the hell is going on. I have been forced to respond to these one-sided and unsupported/unsupportable blogs by providing documentary back-up for my explanations/justifications. I refute any suggestions that in protecting myself and my professional standing and earning capacity that I have done anything other than to try to counter the effects of these scurrilous and malicious scandals emanating from Keltruth and it sister blog. I sincerely doubt that ANY court would find me lacking in respect for it for effectively being forced to protect my personal and professional life from these calumnies.
I noted with interest that there is one other Iain Deane in the world. He lives in Scotland. I have no doubt whatsoever that from time to time he is also being forced to give an account of himself because of the defamatory remarks of the Keltruth Blog and its sister blog. By the way, I have abundant reason to believe that this other Iain Deane is, like myself, a member of British Equity, which explains exactly why when I joined British Equity I was forced to alter my professional name – which my Knox cousins know full well. And which is why I cannot quite credit that they are the ones behind the defamations of Keltruth, particularly this latest one with its references to my acting career. On that basis alone it would appear that my cousins are either the victims of attempted identity theft OR they are liars by omission – which would mean they are liars. I prefer to believe, given their religious fervour and their claim of strict adherence to the Scriptures, that they, like me, are victims of the defamations of Keltruth and its sister blog and, in their case, identity theft, as opposed to the identity confusion that must be dogging the other Iain Deane. To the other Iain Deane, my commiserations and sympathy, sir. I know and feel your pain.
In the latest from the Keltruth Blog, it has chosen, for reasons I cannot explain, to search the Internet for references to my former profession, that of an actor. The only reference they claim to be able to find (for which I thank them as I was unaware of it and it occurred before British Equity required that I change my name) is in connection with a stage production back in 1982 of Shakespeare’s The Tempest in which I co-starred with Jeremy Brett. I suspect that the only reason that this reference (as it was a stage show) exists on the Internet is because of Jeremy Brett, who (now deceased) has become a cult figure due to his portrayal of the title role of Sherlock Holmes in the Granada TV series.
I have also to conclude that whoever the Keltruth blogger is, they have carefully selected a reference containing a negative review – of which in the course of my acting career, I (like all other actors) have had my fair share. In an acting career spanning 21 years, I have had many excellent reviews and quite a few bad to VERY bad reviews as well. The worst of these reviews was from one critic in Winnipeg who seriously did NOT like my performance as Nicky Arnstein in the musical Funny Girl. That, for the research information of Keltruth, was in 1981 at the famous Rainbow Stage in Winnipeg and was, if memory serves, published in the Winnipeg Free Press. Fortunately, the other Winnipeg papers liked my performance a lot. What I am saying is that if you are an actor, reviews of either sort go with the territory. In The Tempest with Jeremy Brett, they were universally horrid, except for one from Canada ’s late critic emeritus, Herbert Whitaker – and his was so good that I was easily able to put aside the bad ones from those less distinguished hacks.
In any event, to put the whole issue into perspective, I quote the great and historic English actor, David Garrick. “An actor’s name is written on the water,” said Garrick. As it turns out, in the case of David Garrick (1717 – 1779) this was not the case – he turned out to be the exception that proved his own rule. However, in my case, it is doubly true. I have not been an actor (nor claimed to be one) for over 16 years now and I have no intention of returning to that profession. So I need neither reviews nor credits any longer. They are irrelevant.
Keltruth has published a photograph of me that it is at pains to ensure its readers know is an old photo. Let me help Keltruth out. It is a VERY old photograph. It is 23 years old. It was taken in 1986. I will be 60 years old on May 25th this year and I have never lied about nor exaggerated, up or down, my age. I mean, it is a matter of public record, so why bother.
My profession now is that of a producer and director. Just so that if Keltruth’s search for credits for me are unsuccessful, let me assist by stating that in 2007 (mere months after my return to the United Kingdom to live) I produced and directed a show in London that starred a two-time best actress Oscar winner – there are not a lot of them about – along with other actors of iconic status and legendary stars of the opera, as well as other, hopefully and deservedly, soon-to-be legendary singers. There is a CD of this show that can be purchased, with the money from your purchase going to a music school charity.
In 2008, I produced and directed three shows of which two were filmed and are now being edited – in fact, while here in Barbados I have received the first cut of one of these for my directions on editing the final version. I have already been engaged for three shows in 2009. However, each and every time prior to being contracted, I had been forced to fully explain and justify myself to my engagers, as a result of the scandalous blogs on Keltruth ably seconded and supported by its sister blog. I have no way of knowing how many job opportunities have NOT come my way as a direct result of these defamatory blogs.
Keltruth also seems fixated by my citizenship and describes me as being British – which is only half true. I was born and raised in Barbados , being the first child of a Bajan father and a Scottish mother. That therefore means that I am Bajan by birth and British by ancestry – two citizenships which, by the laws of Barbados and Britain , I am allowed to hold. In 1972, I immigrated to Canada in order to pursue my now-abandoned profession as an actor, director and writer. Therefore, I am Canadian by naturalization, which is also legal. However, if asked anywhere in the world to describe myself, I ALWAYS say that I am Barbadian – and proud to be so. Quite apart from it being true, it makes me far more unusual than your run-of-the mill Brit or Canadian or American or German……
Keltruth coyly refers to me as being a bachelor, which is untrue. By this description used in the ancient past by the press to suggest that the person so described was homosexual, Keltruth clearly intends to say that I am gay. Days have changed greatly since then.
Let me set the record straight (no pun intended). I was married on January 10th 2006 in Toronto under the terms and conditions of the Ontario Marriages Act to my same-sex partner of 7 years. So Keltruth, typically, is half right. This is what makes me think that Keltruth may NOT be written by my Knox cousins, since they (and their mother) certainly knew all about it. Also, I find it hard to believe that my Knox cousins would use the “bachelor” line and its obviously intended connotation in connection with myself, since my cousin, John Knox, is himself, at over 50 years of age, a bachelor – and I hasten to state that I do not impute or imply in any way that John Knox is gay. Frankly, it is all a non-issue to start with – and John Knox himself told me some years ago that he is NOT gay. I saw no reason then (or now) to disbelieve John, probably based on his George Washington- like claim of not being able to tell a lie. In any event, I am really not interested and have far more compelling things to do with my time – like persuading prospective engagers that I am neither a criminal in league with Barbados ’ PM, nor am I being hidden by the Chief Justice and Lady Simmons.
So, let me repeat. The blogs on Keltruth by their scandalous reports, have forced me to refute certain of the allegations as and when required by family, friends and for professional purposes and to provide documentary backup therefor.
I have NEVER provided documents of any sort to any blogs nor have I penned blogs commenting on matters before the courts. I am not the blogger that Keltruth has chosen to identify me as being and I have no way of knowing the identity of the blogger either. Any suspicions I may have (and of course I do have some) are not proved and, at best, like Keltruth, guesses – and, like Keltruth most certainly is in my case, I could easily be wrong. After all, the over 60 defendants in the Ontario action must be confronting the same need to explain and documentarily justify themselves as I am.
I have not acted for 16 years and have no intention of returning to that profession.
I am a married man and that is a matter of public record.
I am almost 60 years old.
I refuse (and have not and will not) discuss on the blogs any of the lawsuits in any country to which I am a party, either before or after they have determined.
My business dealings have always been completely transparent and above board.
I do not defame anyone, unless I can claim fair comment and justification in my defense – and most times, not even then as it usually isn’t worth the time and effort.
MALICE has never been my style. I leave that to lesser people who need to go and get a life.
Lastly, I am not now nor have I ever been anonymous. At almost age 60, I would find it impossible (not to mention highly undesirable) to start now.
Best wishes to you all.
Iain Deane
(the one from Barbados )
another view // January 28, 2009 at 7:37 PM
some sent me this
i think its good advice
ATTORNEY’S ADVICE – NO CHARGE
Not A Joke!! Even If you dislike attorneys….. You will love them for these tips.
Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday. Maybe we should all take some of his advice! A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company:
1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put ‘PHOTO ID REQUIRED.’
2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the ‘For’ line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won’t have access to it.
3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address.Never have your SS# printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have It printed, anyone can get it.
4. Place the contents of y our wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.
I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We’ve all heard horror stories about fraud that’s committed on us in stealing a Name, address, Social Security number, credit cards.
Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have first hand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieves ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more.
But here’s some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:
5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.
6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).
But here’s what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.)
7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the internet in my name.
The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.
By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves’ purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.
Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been stolen:
1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
3.) Trans Union : 1-800-680 7289
4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line):
1-800-269-0271
adapt to suit
Green Monkey // January 30, 2009 at 12:25 PM
Controversial scholar slams Israeli ‘massacre’ of Gaza civilians
Advertisements [?]
01.23.2009 | Express News
By Geoff McMaster
January 23, 2009 – Edmonton-Israel’s attack on Gaza had little to do with self-defense and everything to do with instilling fear among Palestinian people, says political scientist Norman Finkelstein.
Invited to speak on campus by the Edmonton chapter of the Palestine Solidarity Network, Finkelstein accused Israel of deliberately killing Gaza civilians in order to cement their control over the occupied territory.
He said the incursion was only the latest in a more than 60-year history of “terrorizing the Arab world periodically into submission, and reminding them who is in charge in the Middle East.”
Following its defeat at the hands of Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2000 and 2006, Israel was waiting for an opportunity to seek revenge, Finkelstein claimed. It turned to Gaza when “the feebly armed resistance, Hamas, had defiantly resisted Israeli dictate.
“As Israel targeted schools, mosques, hospitals, ambulances, UN sanctuaries… and slaughtered and incinerated Gaza’s defenseless civilian population, Israeli commentators gloated that Gaza was to Lebanon as a second sitting for an exam is to the first: a second chance to get it right.
“There’s no pretense here that this war had anything to do with rocket attacks-it’s about getting it right,” and restoring Israel’s “deterrence capacity” he said, adding that Hamas fired rockets into Israel only after Israel broke a ceasefire agreement and killed seven militants.
Embedded video of Finkelstein’s lecture at link:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21860.htm
Green Monkey // February 3, 2009 at 9:30 PM
Controversial Bestseller Shakes the Foundation of the Israeli State
By Joshua Holland, AlterNet. Posted January 28, 2009.
What if the entire tale of the Jewish Diaspora is historically wrong?
SNIP
What if the entire tale of the Jewish Diaspora — the story recounted at Passover tables by Jews around the world every year detailing the ancient Jews’ exile from Judea, the years spent wandering through the desert, their escape from the Pharaoh’s clutches — is all wrong?
That’s the explosive thesis of When and How Was the Jewish People Invented?, a book by Tel Aviv University scholar Shlomo Zand (or Sand) that sent shockwaves across Israeli society when it was published last year. After 19 weeks on the Israeli best-seller list, the book is being translated into a dozen languages and will be published in the United States this year by Verso.
Its thesis has ramifications that go far beyond some antediluvian academic debate. Few modern conflicts are as attached to ancient history as that decades-long cycle of bloodletting between Israelis and Palestinians. Each group lays claim to the same scrap of land — holy in all three of the world’s major Abrahamic religions — based on long-standing ties to that chunk of earth and national identities formed over long periods of time. There’s probably no other place on Earth where the present is as intimately tied to the ancient.
Central to the ideology of Zionism is the tale — familiar to all Jewish families — of exile, oppression, redemption and return. Booted from their kingdom, the “Jewish people” — sons and daughters of ancient Judea — wandered the earth, rootless, where they faced cruel suppression from all corners — from being forced to toil in slavery under the Egyptians, to the Spanish massacres of the 14th century and Russian pogroms of the 19th, through to the horrors of the Third Reich.
This view of history animates all Zionists, but none more so than the influential but reactionary minority — in the United States as well as Israel — who believe that God bestowed a “Greater Israel” — one that encompasses the modern state as well as the Occupied Territories — on the Jewish people, and who resist any effort to create a Palestinian state on biblical grounds.
Inventing a People?
Zand’s central argument is that the Romans didn’t expel whole nations from their territories. Zand estimates that perhaps 10,000 ancient Judeans were vanquished during the Roman wars, and the remaining inhabitants of ancient Judea remained, converting to Islam and assimilating with their conquerors when Arabs subjugated the area. They became the progenitors of today’s Palestinian Arabs, many of whom now live as refugees who were exiled from their homeland during the 20th century.
http://www.alternet.org/story/122810/
Green Monkey // February 3, 2009 at 9:41 PM
Leading Counter-Terrorism Expert and Former High-Level Official Slams War on Terror and Questions 9/11
Terrell (Terry) E. Arnold was the number 2 counter-terrorism official at the U.S. State Department, and is one of the world’s leading experts on terror.
Arnold served as the Deputy Director, Office of Counter-Terrorism and Emergency Planning, at the U.S. State Department. He is also the former Chairman of the Department of International Studies at the National War College.
Arnold has worked as a crisis management consultant for several Federal agencies, including The State Department, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Customs Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He is the author of numerous books on terror*. Arnold is a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean war.
I spoke with Arnold by phone…
SNIP
GW: Do you think that starting “elective” or “preemptive” wars against states which do not pose an imminent threat to America’s national security decreases or increases the threat of terrorism?
Terry Arnold: It increases the threat because it injures more people. One of the principal causes of terrorism is injuries to people and families.
What we’re watching in the Middle East is Israel committing suicide [Arnold explained that, by killing and injuring so many people in Gaza, Israel is destroying its own security, and creating a huge group of people who wish Israel harm. Through the Gaza war, Israel is sewing the seeds of its own destruction]. You will make enemies you will not even know about until it is too late.
Al Qaeda
GW: While there are certainly some bad guys in the world who are out to kill Americans and hurt our country, I believe that the whole Al Qaeda threat has been blown out of proportion to justify certain ulterior motives. Do you agree or disagree?
Terry Arnold: They overstated the danger … did it from a view that justified the “war on terror”. Mostly terrorists the world over are not interested in doing harm to the United States. [They are only interested in harming the U.S.] to the extent we support people who harm them.
We can defeat Al Qaeda or any other group by depriving them of their cause and by engaging them [rather than solely using a policy of blunt force].
SNIP
9/11
GW: You write:
“Washington leadership [has] brought us no closer than we were on September 12, 2001 to resolving how [9/11] was executed and by what enemy.
Let’s focus on the how question first.
What facts or observations make you doubt that the official government story does not fully explain how 9/11 was carried out?
Terry Arnold: The nature of events in New York. The buildings falling down. I’m not satisfied by the notion that planes hitting buildings would have caused them to collapse. The last building to fall was not even attacked.
GW: Now let’s address the question of who carried out the attacks. You write:
“They tell us repeatedly that it [9/11] was the work of al Qaida, but they have yet to show us the proofs.”
As a counter-terrorism expert, what sort of proofs would you expect the government to show if al Qaeda had carried out the 9/11 attacks – at least without the help of any state?
Terry Arnold: The case has not been fully made. The official story is not too persuasive.
GW: You also say:
“They told us the official version of what happened that day, but their story is laced with contradictions, and the facts visible on the ground at the time belie much of the official account.”
What contradictions do you see with the official version of 9/11? And what facts belie the official account?
Terry Arnold: The sheer mechanics of the event.
GW: Are you familiar with the term “false flag terror”? Do you believe that governments every carry out false flag terror?
Terry Arnold: I know that there is such a thing as false flag terrorism.
GW: How do you know that?
Terry Arnold: From history.
http://www.911blogger.com/node/19276
Jill // February 9, 2009 at 12:19 AM
I wonder what will happen if Britain, USA and Canada send back illegal Bajans . Note -uranium was recently discovered in Guyana. Will bajans flock guyana should things turn around in Guyana?
Livinginbarbados // February 9, 2009 at 4:48 PM
Suprised that the normally ‘newsworthy’ story of Christopher Maurice Brown and his Robyn Fenty (see http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/02/09/report-rihanna-named-as-victim-in-chris-brown-battery-case/) has not yet sparked your interest.
Green Monkey // February 13, 2009 at 4:28 PM
Price protests paralyze Martinique, Guadeloupe
FORT-DE-FRANCE, Martinique – Protests over living costs in the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe have shuttered businesses and paralyzed roadways, prompting France to send mediators to resolve the dispute.
Roughly 50,000 islanders have participated in Guadeloupe’s three-week strike, while an estimated 11,000 have joined the throngs in Martinique, where the protest entered its seventh day on Wednesday, police said. Union leaders dispute those figures, arguing crowds have been double that size.
Those on strike represent a wide range of departments in the public sector, including transportation, education, and sanitation, services that have been paralyzed on both islands.
SNIP
Islanders have been flocking to small, family-owned grocery stores as large businesses remain closed. Garbage is overflowing and gas stations are serving only health and emergency workers.
“I have been stuck at my house since this weekend,” Martinique university student Youri Bonus said. “I’m getting fed up with this situation.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29146606/
Green Monkey // February 13, 2009 at 4:30 PM
Youtube video: ‘Worst economic collapse ever’
Green Monkey // February 15, 2009 at 3:50 PM
Social collapse best practices
by Dmitry Orlov
SNIP
If there is one thing that I would like to claim as my own, it is the comparative theory of superpower collapse. For now, it remains just a theory, although it is currently being quite thoroughly tested. The theory states that the United States and the Soviet Union will have collapsed for the same reasons, namely: a severe and chronic shortfall in the production of crude oil (that magic addictive elixir of industrial economies), a severe and worsening foreign trade deficit, a runaway military budget, and ballooning foreign debt. I call this particular list of ingredients “The Superpower Collapse Soup.” Other factors, such as the inability to provide an acceptable quality of life for its citizens, or a systemically corrupt political system incapable of reform, are certainly not helpful, but they do not automatically lead to collapse, because they do not put the country on a collision course with reality. Please don’t be too concerned, though, because, as I mentioned, this is just a theory. My theory.
I’ve been working on this theory since about 1995, when it occurred to me that the US is retracing the same trajectory as the USSR. As so often is the case, having this realization was largely a matter of being in the right place at the right time. The two most important methods of solving problems are: 1. by knowing the solution ahead of time, and 2. by guessing it correctly. I learned this in engineering school – from a certain professor. I am not that good at guesswork, but I do sometimes know the answer ahead of time.
I was very well positioned to have this realization because I grew up straddling the two worlds – the USSR and the US. I grew up in Russia, and moved to the US when I was twelve, and so I am fluent in Russian, and I understand Russian history and Russian culture the way only a native Russian can. But I went through high school and university in the US .I had careers in several industries here, I traveled widely around the country, and so I also have a very good understanding of the US with all of its quirks and idiosyncrasies. I traveled back to Russia in 1989, when things there still seemed more or less in line with the Soviet norm, and again in 1990, when the economy was at a standstill, and big changes were clearly on the way. I went back there 3 more times in the 1990s, and observed the various stages of Soviet collapse first-hand.
By the mid-1990s I started to see Soviet/American Superpowerdom as a sort of disease that strives for world dominance but in effect eviscerates its host country, eventually leaving behind an empty shell: an impoverished population, an economy in ruins, a legacy of social problems, and a tremendous burden of debt. The symmetries between the two global superpowers were then already too numerous to mention, and they have been growing more obvious ever since.
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/48082
Green Monkey // February 16, 2009 at 12:39 AM
The Complexity Theory
By Ray Grigg, Special to Courier-Islander
A discernible change is taking place in the forum of environmental awareness. As the subject matures and our insights deepen, specific concerns are now accompanied by a general uneasiness as leading philosophers and scientists begin to examine the structure of our modern civilization and question its viability. One of these new avenues of consideration is Complexity Theory.
Complexity Theory argues that societies become progressively more unstable and vulnerable as the network of interconnections within them increases — not particularly good news for a globalizing system in which increasing complexity is precisely the thrust of economics, finance, manufacturing, technology and almost everything else we do. The sobering implications may explain why many proponents of Complexity Theory preface their comments with an apology. “We don’t want to tell you this,” goes the essence of their message, “but we think you should know.” When the New Scientist published two articles on Complexity Theory (Apr. 5/08), its editor anticipated some reader discomfort. “We are predisposed to pay attention to bad news,” noted the editorial. “There is a good reason for this. We need to be warned of difficulty and danger so we can protect ourselves…. if the warning is too scary or distressing, we attack the messenger as a doom monger.” (emphasis added)
Complexity Theory comes with its hint of doom, ominously reminding us that no civilization has ever survived the stresses of history, with the possible exception of China and Byzantium — in a much reduced state for 450 years following the 15th century Arab invasions. But Sumer, Persia, Egypt, Greece, Maya and even Rome all collapsed, primarily because they succumbed to overwhelming complexities.
Joseph Tainter, writing in The Collapse of Complex Societies, explains why. “For the past 10,000 years, problem solving has produced increasing complexity in human societies” (Ibid.). Food production is a classical example. Each time people find the solution to a food shortage — irrigation, fertilizer or plants with higher yields– the population rises to meet the food supply and the next problem to solve is more complicated and challenging. Every solution adds extra levels of organization, complexity and interdependence, which adds inefficiency and diminishing returns for the total amount of energy expended.
snip
Complexity Theory is an uncomfortable subject, particularly given the unsettling stresses we are measuring in food production, climate change, resource depletion, ecosystem damage, pollution and population growth. But the theory has its saving graces. It does make us more aware of our vulnerabilities. And it does argue for simplification and local self-sufficiency, particularly for essentials such as food supply and energy production. (emphasis added). The incentive to begin thinking and acting with foresight should compensate for the need to be apologetic.
Green Monkey // February 16, 2009 at 12:41 AM
Sorry, forgot to add URL to last post. Here it is:
http://www.canada.com/Complexity+Theory/1286263/story.html
Georgie Porgie // February 16, 2009 at 11:46 AM
The article below is copied from BFP
Conditions Facing Junior Doctors at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Q.E.H.)
The Junior Doctors of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital are amongst the most hardworking and dedicated Civil Servants in the country. However the conditions under which they work are less than ideal and in many cases appalling.
Juniors Doctors make up the majority of doctors working at the Hospital. They are not allowed to have private patients or to charge any individuals fees for their services (either inside or outside the Hospital).
The term Junior Doctor is a very misleading one and must be clearly defined before we progress further. A Junior Doctor simply put is any doctor employed at the Hospital who is not a Consultant. This group encompasses House Officers (Interns) who have recently graduated and Senior Registrars, who hold post-graduate qualifications and are eligible to be appointed as Consultants should a vacancy arise. They are many other doctors who are between these two extremes included in this group. It is important to emphasize that the term Junior Doctor does not mean a young, inexperienced doctor or unskilled doctor.
Consultants are the leaders of the clinical team. They conduct ward rounds and provide invaluable input and guidance into the management of individual cases. Often the consultant’s directives are carried out by the Junior Doctors. These directives can range from simply carrying out various blood tests to performing complex surgical or invasive procedures.
It is therefore obvious that the Junior Doctors are a highly skilled, valuable and integral part of the clinical team and essential to the optimal functioning of the hospital. Currently the Junior Doctors at the Q.E.H. are working under very demanding and trying circumstances yet continue to give of their best.
Many Junior Doctors work seven (7) days a week and some are on call every third day (mainly in the Department of General Surgery). Rarely they can be on call on alternate days. When on call these doctors are responsible for providing care to inpatients as well as dealing with ALL emergency cases for a period of 24 hours. When “on call” finishes, these doctors are then required to work their regular working day. This results in many doctors working (and being in the Hospital) for 36 consecutive hours. Total working time often exceed 120 hours per week.
It is of note that most hospitals (including many in the Caribbean) have moved away from this system recognizing that it is exceedingly burdensome on the doctors.More importantly it may be dangerous to patients’ wellbeing because of the increase in medical errors that occur. Hospitals throughout the world (especially in Europe & U.S.A.) have actually limited the amount of hours a doctor can work to approximately 70 hours per week. Doctors can be (and have been) removed from hospital premises by security if found to be in contravention of this policy.
The working hours are but one of the Junior Doctors many concerns. Appropriate accommodation is another pressing concern of the Junior Doctors. There is not enough space for all of the Junior Doctors required to be on-call and in the hospital in any one night. This has resulted in some doctors having to sleep in chairs and on broken couches in plain view of each other in the Doctors’ Lounge. (Please also note here that the door to the Doctors’ Lounge does not have a functioning lock and thus free access to the area is open to all and sundry at ANYTIME throughout the day or night)
Even more worrying is that even with these makeshift sleeping arrangements, there is not enough room for all the Junior Doctors on-call and some have been forced to resort to sleeping in their cars. Clearly one can see this is an inherently dangerous and undesirable situation. Many cars have been broken into, including those of doctors on the Hospital premises.
To make matters worse the Junior Doctors are not provided with warm water in any part of their lounge and are therefore forced to shower in ice-cold water at all hours of the day and night.
The Junior Doctors Lounge is itself woefully inadequate. There are broken chairs and couches strewn throughout and there is not enough space for the over 150 Junior Doctors employed at the Hospital. Up to last year the doctors were competing for the sparse space in the lounge with an infestation of rats.
Also worrying is the fact that there is no canteen facility available for the doctors (or any of the Hospital staff for that matter). In essence, what this means is that The Junior Doctors are essentially forced to order in fast food or go for prolonged periods without eating. Doctors are consuming the same sugary and fatty foods that they tell their patients to avoid.
It is the norm that in hospitals of this size which by necessity are open 24 hours that there is a canteen catering to staff (and visitors) that is also open 24 hours a day. For example Kingston Public Hospital (in Jamaica) has facilities whereby an on-call doctor is provided with lunch, dinner and then breakfast the next day! The cafeteria at the QEH has been closed for years and all hopes of it being re-opened were dashed when they decided to use the existing space for a new clinic.
These are just a few of the many challenges that the Junior Doctors are facing. The logical question which begs to be asked is “What have the Junior Doctors’ done to improve their situation.” All of the aforementioned issues have been brought to the attention of the Hospital’s Administration. Despite being in constant negotiations with the Hospital Administration, the Junior Doctors have received little more than empty promises of improvement which have up to this time failed to materialize and conditions have continued to deteriorate rapidly.
The Junior Doctors perhaps have the worst physical amenities of any group employed to the Q.E.H. The conditions are certainly not up to the standard that trained professionals in ANY OTHER field (here or abroad) would expect or tolerate.
In terms of remuneration and compensation, the Juniors Doctors at the Q.E.H. are earning the lowest when compared to their counterparts in the Caribbean performing similar roles, our Junior Doctors are however working the longest hours in the worst physical surroundings.
The doctors at the QEH are at their ‘wits end’. They work ridiculous hours and are still expected to function. They have to sleep at the hospital but there is no where adequate to sleep (if they get to sleep at all); they have to eat but there is no food and on top of that, they have to bathe at the hospital but they have to do so in cold water! These doctors give their hearts and souls to their profession. All they are asking for is a salary commensurate with their hard work, improved working conditions and an environment that fosters morale and not discontentment.
In spite of the many challenges and difficulties facing the Junior Doctors they are committed to giving of their best. They love their jobs. All of them accept that some personal sacrifice is necessary by the nature of the practice of Medicine. They however remain hopeful that some improvements can be made to this untenable situation they find themselves in, before they transition from being doctors to patients.
Anonymous // February 17, 2009 at 12:44 PM
I couldn’t help but notice the list of dormant accounts in the Advocate today. A thought struck me. With FCIB’s new rate structure of $10.00 per month on balances below $1000.00. These dormant accounts will for the most part disappear. The the bank will help itself to most of these accounts $10.00 at a time until they either are gone (or perhaps they will then go overdrawn and they will incur charges)
Most financial analysts will tell you that it makes no sense to hold money in a non interest bearing account. So most smaller people will hold money in their savings (which the bank has to pay you interest for) with this nifty new scheme they will reduce the savings accounts and increase the chequing accounts which they don’t have to pay for.
However you slice it it seems that this $10.00 charge is just another way for the bank to take your money for doing nothing.
Green Monkey // February 20, 2009 at 5:20 PM
Conspiracy Theorists
By Jolly Roger
slicingthroats@yahoo.com
1-8-5
Everyone has heard, and has probably used the term “conspiracy theorist,” and the fact of the term being in common use, also indicates that we generally agree on what it means. I saw a movie by that name, and the title character was a raving lunatic who kept his food in thermoses with combination locks to reduce his chances of being poisoned by imaginary enemies.
Regardless of how the stupid movie turned out, what’s important here is the common perception people have of someone to whom that label is applied, and just as important, is who it is that applies the label. The common perception is that someone who is labeled a “conspiracy theorist” is suffering from some type of psychological disorder, and that label is usually applied to people by our government, and our news media. The next thing to consider, is that the label is applied to anyone who questions our government’s version of events in any matter. Doesn’t it logically follow that the media are teaching us to assume that anyone who questions the government is insane? When that label is applied to a person, doesn’t it become easy to dismiss everything they say without even hearing it? How convenient for them.
SNIP
Conspiracy theories arise from evidence. After the government releases an explanation of a particular event, a conspiracy theory is only born because evidence exists to disprove their explanation, or at least call it into question. There’s nothing insane about it, unless you define sanity as believing whatever the government tells you. In light of the fact that our government lies to us regularly, I would define believing everything they tell you as utter stupidity.
SNIP
The real question is not why people theorize about conspiracies, but why people choose to believe the government’s version of events when it’s obvious that they’re lying. One reason is that most people never see the evidence because our “news” industry hides it, and another reason is that the same news industry will quickly associate anyone who questions the government with the people who see Elvis, Bigfoot, and UFO’s.
But sadly, I think the main reason people choose to believe the government’s version of events despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, is because it’s easier, and safer. If you ignore most of the evidence, and accept as plausible whatever ridiculous explanation the T.V. provides, your life remains simple, and you get to sit on your ass and watch more T.V. If on the other hand, you pluck your head from that same ass and realize you’ve been lied to, as a citizen in a democratic society, you’re instantly burdened with being responsible for doing something about it. Every citizen of the United States has a civic duty to participate in their government, and keep themselves informed of its actions, or government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” isn’t possible. You were warned that “eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, ” but you chose to ignore your government, and believe whatever they told you, and because of this, Americans have lost their freedom. Although presidents and senators are public servants, unlike the dog catcher and mailman, they wield a lot of power over people’s lives, and that’s why they have to be watched, and scrutinized.
SNIP
There are disturbing facts regarding the events of September 11 that every American needs to be aware of , but naturally, none of it will be on T.V. I’ve met a lot of people in the 9-11 truth movement, and I can assure you that none of them are crazy, paranoid, or even “conspiracy theorists.” One generalization I can make about them is that they all seem to be very intelligent. Maybe the smartest thing you could do would be to start listening to them. The Arabs don’t “hate your freedom.” The White House hates your freedom, because it’s the only thing that stands between them, and unlimited power. – Jolly Roger
http://www.sott.net/signs/conspiracy_theorists.htm
Green Monkey // February 22, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Slave in Jefferson Davis’ home gave Union key secrets
WASHINGTON (CNN) — William Jackson was a slave in the home of Confederate president Jefferson Davis during the Civil War. It turns out he was also a spy for the Union Army, providing key secrets to the North about the Confederacy.
William Jackson, a slave, listened closely to Jefferson Davis’ conversations and leaked them to the North.
William Jackson, a slave, listened closely to Jefferson Davis’ conversations and leaked them to the North.
Jackson was Davis’ house servant and personal coachman. He learned high-level details about Confederate battle plans and movements because Davis saw him as a “piece of furniture” — not a human, according to Ken Dagler, author of “Black Dispatches,” which explores espionage by America’s slaves.
“Because of his role as a menial servant, he simply was ignored,” Dagler said. “So Jefferson Davis would hold conversations with military and Confederate civilian officials in his presence.”
Dagler has written extensively on the issue for the CIA’s Center for the Study of Intelligence .
In late 1861, Jackson fled across enemy lines and was immediately debriefed by Union soldiers. Dagler said Jackson provided information about supply routes and military strategy.
“In Jackson’s case, what he did was … present some of the current issues that were affecting the Confederacy that you could not read about in the local press that was being passed back and forth across local lines. He actually had some feel for the issues of supply problems,” Dagler said.
Jackson and other slaves’ heroic efforts have been a forgotten legacy of the war — lost amid the nation’s racially charged past and the heaps of information about the war’s historic battles. But historians over the last few decades have been taking an interest in the sacrifice of African-Americans during those war years.
Jackson’s espionage is mentioned in a letter from a general to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell refers to “Jeff Davis’ coachman” as the source of information about Confederate deployments.
Dagler said slaves who served as spies were able to collect incredibly detailed information, in large part because of their tradition of oral history. Because Southern laws prevented blacks from learning how to read and write, he said, the slave spies listened intently to minute details and memorized them.
“What the Union officers found very quickly with those who crossed the line … was that if you talked to them, they remembered a great more in the way of details and specifics than the average person … because again they relied totally on their memory as opposed to any written records,” he said.
Jackson wasn’t the only spy. There were hundreds of them. In some cases, the slaves made it to the North, only to return to the South to risk being hanged. One Union general wrote that he counted on black spies in Tennessee because “no white man had the pluck to do it.”
Continued at:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/20/spy.slaves/index.html
Green Monkey // February 23, 2009 at 11:07 AM
The Wisdom of Protectionism. The Madness of Free Trade (Part 1)
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By Robin Mathews
Uncontrolled greed exhausts the world’s foodstuffs. Uncontrolled greed exhausts the world’s raw materials and wastes them in destruction of the environment. Uncontrolled greed pollutes the financial system, the economies of the world and legal structures everywhere. And all over the world starvation, deprivation, and war are the only constant facts. The most greedy people form ‘reconstruction’ committees – to invent new disguises for their acts of looting.
Penitent bankers, investment moguls – what have been called “the American Oligarchs”, a small group with too much power and too much money and tireless greed, gather with co-operating politicians around tables to apologize and to make sure no serious change takes place in the way the human community lives and uses and destroys the globe.
In all the places where the world most needs law the greedy make sure no law exists. For fifty years, and more, the greedy of the world have been destroying law. In those years – with a huge campaign of lies and seductive propaganda – the greedy have been unpicking any restraint upon the criminal pursuit of personal wealth. In a hundred ways they have been telling populations they are better off to lose control of the production of food, of sustained manufacturing, and of sound and whole local economies – AND of the financial and credit machinery the country uses.
They have been preaching those things – from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, corporate headquarters, from economic think-tanks, from universities, and from the political parties the greedy have created and financed.
SNIP
The “people”, so far, don’t see what’s been going on, because the slow ascendancy to power of unrestrained, private, corporate greed has been so smooth and so favourably propagandized that it has seemed almost invisible. Besides, people cannot believe greed can be so intense – that the greedy don’t care if the very planet is destroyed in their lunge for personal wealth. Even the terms people have been given to use have fake meanings – protectionism, free trade, free markets, free enterprise, nationalism – and many more.
Continued at:
http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article/235930548-the-wisdom-of-protectionism–the-madness-of-free-trade
Link to Part 2
http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article/235930554-part-two–the-wisdom-of-protectionism–the-madness-of-free-trade
SOBER // February 24, 2009 at 7:49 AM
Wait a minute! Am I the only one who heard the way the rum-sodden short shite Owing See-Through insulted Bajans at Oistins the other night? The man had the unmitigated gall to stand up on a platform and tell Bajans that they are incapable of owing/running Banks!!! He said that since the Trinis owned BNB it is the best bank in Barbados! The Dems should never let him forget speaking those words. He brought Guyanese Immigration officers to Barbados to check on our I.O.’s, he insulted the RBPF, and now he tells us Bajans are incapable of running banks! Another thing – see that move by Mia to table a motion of No Confidence against PM Thompson? Well she will fail, and people, that is when Owen will make his move for a Come Back. Watch and see. I never thought Mia was that stupid.
Green Monkey // February 28, 2009 at 10:07 PM
Were Stanford and his bank CIA assets?
Stanford’s shadowy financial empire
By Wayne Madsen
Online Journal Contributing Writer
SNIP
Representative Dennis Kucinich recently stated that the Stanford case has similarities to the Iran-contra scandal of the Reagan administration. There are reports that Stanford has hired Washington’s Williams and Connolly lawyer Brendan Sullivan as his attorney. Sullivan represented Iran-contra felon Oliver North during the Iran-contra congressional hearings.
Stanford hails from Mexia, Texas, but lived for some time in the Coral Gables, Florida, home once owned by George Wackenhut, Sr., the former FBI agent who left the bureau and set up Wackenhut Corporation to engage in investigative operations that FBI director J. Edgar Hoover was legally barred from being involved with.
Kucinich may be correct about who is actually behind Stanford and why. North’s Iran-contra network used offshore contrivances in the Cayman Islands to launder money. Stanford International Bank primarily used Antigua and Barbuda for the same purpose. Up to 30 percent of the investments in SIB were from wealthy right-wing Venezuelans who were trying to protect their money from Hugo Chavez’s socialist government in Venezuela. In November 2008, Venezuelan military intelligence agents raided SIB’s office in Caracas and seized documents and revealed that four employees of the bank were suspected U.S. intelligence agents.
There is some evidence that the CIA arranged for wealthy Venezuelans to hide their money in SIB’s Antigua account in return for a percentage of the certificates of deposit accounts’ interest going to a CIA slush fund to secretly fund covert operations directed against left-wing governments in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. The wealthy Venezuelans were constrained to report their losses from SIB because they would be immediately charged with tax evasion by the Venezuelan government.
It was recently revealed that in addition to contributing money to Republican and Democratic politicians, Stanford was connected to a $50 million hedge fund operated by Paradigm Global, run by Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and the Vice President’s brother, James Biden.
What us becoming clear that Madoff and Stanford are not sitting in jail presently because of who is sitting in the vice president’s mansion in northwest Washington, DC, and in certain Senate and House seats in Congress.
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4418.shtml
David // February 28, 2009 at 10:24 PM
Marvin Rotrand is the senior member of Montreal City Council having served as the City Councillor for Snowdon district since 1982.
Mr. Rotrand is the Deputy Leader of the Majority, the Vice President of the Speakers Committee and the Vice President of the Montreal Transport Commission (MTC).
The MTC is the agency that operates Montreal’s buses and subway. At the MTC, Mr. Rotrand is the President of the Finance Committee managing a budget of $1.038 billion and the President of the Customer Service Committee which reviews service improvements and assesses client satisfaction. The MTC operates nearly 1600 buses and 750 subway cars.
Councillor Rotrand also presides the Intercultural Commission of the Borough of Cote des Neiges – Notre Dame de Grace. This Borough which includes Snowdon district is one of Montreal’s most multicultural and multiracial. The Commission’s mandate is to promote tolerance and understanding and support the community and fraternal organizations in their efforts to preserve their heritage while building their Canadian identity.
A former high school history teacher, Mr. Rotrand has been associated with progressive causes. His work in the 1980s led to the creation of the Quebec Police Ethics Commissioners Office, a civilian agency created to impartially judge citizens complaints against police officers.
Councillor Rotrand is also noted for his work that led to the City’s initial affirmative action programs for the hiring of minorities and women.
Councillor Rotrand has also been a vocal advocate in favour of sustainable development and the protection of green space. He has succeeded in leading the City to purchase several ecologically valuable forests for their inclusion in the regional park network.
Marvin Rotrand
City Councillor – Snowdon
Montreal City Councillor To Visit Barbados « Barbados Underground // February 28, 2009 at 10:47 PM
[...] of Montreal’s most flamboyant City Councilors Mr. Marvin Rotrand will be visiting Barbados 03rd to 08th March [...]
Green Monkey // March 3, 2009 at 1:07 AM
Web of Debt: The Shocking Truth About Our Money System and How We Can Break Free
By Ellen Hodgson Brown
Third Millennium Press; Rev Exp edition (December 22, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0979560829
544 pages; $22.50
If there is one book, one newspaper, one blog, one article, that one should read to understand the current economic crisis, to understand the root of the problem, and to understand its solution, it is “The Web of Debt: The Shocking Truth About Our Monetary System and How We Can Break Free,” by Ellen Hodgson Brown. Brown began writing “Web of Debt,” six years ago, and, while some are surprised at the current national and world economic crisis, others, including Brown, had seen it coming.
In “Web of Debt,” Brown explains our current “debt-based” private banking monetary system and its history, and the ominous role the private bankers have played in shaping national and world events for their own benefit, amassing great wealth and power, and the myth of the free market and the current events on Wall Street, all with fascinating, highly referenced, and understandable detail. She explains that much of history has been a struggle between the public interest and private banks, connecting the dots with a tale of intrigue that leaves the reader enlightened with how the world really works.
Brown explains that the current financial crisis is an end of a 300-year Ponzi scheme known as “Fractional Reserve Banking” run by the private banks, including the Federal Reserve. She further states that this is an opportune time to change the system now that it is collapsing — to a system where the people, i.e., Congress, take back the constitutional authority to create money (currently residing unconstitutionally in the hands of private bankers) for the good of the people, with the possibility of funding the government with fees and reasonable profits from public banking in lieu of the income tax.
Since the subject matter of “Web of Debt” is so vitally important and absolutely relevant to the current debate associated with the economic crisis, included below is a brief summary of some of the topics and points that Brown makes in her book.
SNIP
US Government as a perpetual debtor for a constant money supply. When loans are repaid, the principal amount of the money created is zeroed out. As Brown explains: “In order to keep money in the system, some major player has to incur substantial debt that never gets paid back; and this role is played by our federal government.” And Brown further notes: “The U.S. federal debt has not been paid off since the days of Andrew Jackson. Only the interest gets paid, while the principal portion continues to grow.” Calls to eliminate the Federal debt logically would need to be accompanied by a change in how money is created, or, rather, who creates the money.
The Federal Reserve is neither “Federal” nor has “Reserves.” The Federal Reserve is a private corporation, owned by a consortium of private banks, the biggest of which are Citibank and J.P. Morgan Chase, according to Brown. And, while most people think that the U.S. government “prints the money,” the U.S. government is, instead, also a borrower in our debt-based money system, and takes out loans from the Federal Reserve, which, in turn, creates money out of thin air. Brown explains, “The Fed swaps green pieces of paper called Federal Reserve Notes for pink pieces of paper called U.S. bonds (the federal government’s I.O.U.s), in order to provide Congress with the dollars it cannot raise through taxes.” The Federal Reserve and other central banks today use the same device — “trading its own paper notes for paper bonds representing the government’s promise to pay principal and interest back to the Bank” — as that of the Bank of England established in 1694. Brown quotes a circular distributed to attract subscribers to the Bank of England’s initial stock offering: “The Bank hath benefit of interest on all moneys which it, the Bank, creates out of nothing.”
Reserve accounts are “smoke and mirrors.” Furthering the illusion of a banking system more in line with the public’s false expectations, Brown explains that “reserves are a smoke and mirrors accounting trick concealing the fact that banks create the money they lend out of thin air, borrowing any ‘reserves’ they need from other banks or the Fed, which also create the money out of thin air.” Now, adding insult to injury, “the Fed acquired the ability to pay interest to its member banks on the reserves the banks maintain at the Fed,” per a provision of the recently enacted TARP bill, Brown writes in a recent article.
Continued at:
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4427.shtml
Green Monkey // March 4, 2009 at 12:46 AM
Peak Oil, Credit and the Collapse of Complex Systems: What Next?
What next? Isn’t that a question, though…
The Peak Oil story was never about running out of oil. It was about the collapse of complex systems in a world economy faced by the prospect of no further oil-fueled growth. It was something of a shock to many that the first complex system to fail would be banking, but the process is obvious: no more growth means no more ability to pay interest on credit… end of story, as Tony Soprano used to say.
There was a popular theory among Peak Oilers the last decade that the world would enter a “bumpy plateau” period when the global economy would get beaten down by peak oil, would then revive as “demand destruction” drove down oil prices, and would be beaten down again as oil prices shot up in response — with serial repetitions of the cycle, each beat-down taking economies lower — the only imaginable outcome being some sort of quiet homeostasis. This scenario did not play out as expected. It was predicated on a mistaken assumption that all systems would retain some kind of operational resilience while ratcheting down. Anyway, the banking system was mortally wounded in the first go-round and the behemoth is dying hard.
The last desperate act of the banking system in the face of Peak Oil’s no-more-growth equation was to engineer species of tradable securities that could produce wealth out of thin air rather than productive activity. This was the alphabet soup of algorithm-derived frauds with vague and confounding names such as credit default swaps (CDSs), collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), structured investment vehicles (SIVs), and, of course, the basic filler, mortgage backed securities. The banking system is now choking to death on these delicacies.
The trouble is that the EMT squad brought in to rescue the banking system — that is, governments — can’t remove these obstructions from the patient’s craw. They don’t want to drown in a mighty upchuck of the alphabet soup.
The collapse of complex systems is actually predicated on the idea that the systems would mutually reinforce each other’s failures. This is now plain to see as the collapse of banking (that is, of both lending and debt service), has led to the collapse of commerce and manufacturing. The next systems to go will probably be farming, transportation, and the oil markets themselves (which constitute the system for allocating and distributing world energy resources). As these things seize up, the final system to go will be governance, at least at the highest levels.
If we’re really lucky, human affairs will eventually reorganize at a lower scale of activity, governance, civility, and economy. Every week, the failure to recognize the nature of our predicament thrusts us further into the uncharted territory of hardship. The task of government right now is not to prop up doomed systems at their current scales of failure, but to prepare the public to rebuild our systems at smaller scales.
Full article by James Howard Kunstler here:
http://www.whiskeyandgunpowder.com/peak-oil-credit-and-the-collapse-of-complex-systems-what-next/
Sir Bentwood Dick // March 6, 2009 at 5:56 AM
The Nation newspaper today reports on the unceremonious firing of Harry Husbands.
This has serious implications in the world of business, labour and indeed, social politics.
Why was he fired, is it because, as he infers, he refused to bow to pressure to use his position to influence decisions to be made in favour of specific companies?
Also, why have certain companies left this association, one may or may not infer that the association cramped their style of interaction with labour and the resulting decisions.
Labour unions in this country must pay careful attention to this development, as must we all.
Green Monkey // March 7, 2009 at 12:19 AM
BUSH LEAGUE JUSTICE:
Should George W. Bush Be Arrested in Calgary Alberta
To Be Tried For International Crimes?
by
Anthony J. Hall
Professor of Globalization Studies
University of Lethbridge
(For presentation as the annual distinguished lecture sponsored by the Sociology Department of the University of Winnipeg, 6 March, 2009)
George W. Bush and Omar al-Bashir
Serious allegations of criminality are swirling around ex-US President George W. Bush and current Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. In late February of 2009 it was reported that the Hague-based International Criminal Court was preparing to issue a warrant for al-Bashir alleging his culpability for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. As the documents were being prepared against Sudan’s head of state, ex-President Bush was preparing to initiate a series of high-paying speaking engagements beginning in Calgary Alberta on March 17. Bush’s visit to Alberta’s oil capital tests the consistency and authenticity of the Canadian government’s “unequivocal” position that “Canada is not and will not become a safe haven for persons involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity or other reprehensible acts.”1
The contrast between the treatment afforded Bush and al-Bashir was inadvertently highlighted by Geoffrey York, a colleague with whom I conferred frequently when we were both reporting regularly in The Globe and Mail about two decades ago on the surprising twists that repeatedly made Aboriginal Affairs in Manitoba a major source of national news. York introduced his story on the charges against al-Bashir by writing, “For the first time in history, an international criminal court is set to issue an arrest warrant for the leader of a country, accusing him of orchestrating a campaign of murder, torture and rape.” The reporter anticipated that the ICC’s initiative “will be hailed by many as a sign that nobody is above the law.”2
The striking contrast between the treatment of al-Bashir and Bush serves to clarify the division of the world’s criminals and suspected criminals into two major categories, one inhabited by a small elite that is essentially above the law and the other populated by figures not rich or influential enough to gain exemptions from the law’s coercive force. It is not without a sense of irony that I arrive at this conclusion. On the one hand the ICC’s decision to press charges against al-Bashir, as well as to initiate in January of 2009 a full-fledged trial against Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, signals a major transformation in the career of the ICC.3 It indicates that the court is no longer a mere vehicle for the empty expression of lofty idealism but rather a site of real engagement aimed at subjugating the rule of murder, mayhem and intimidation to the higher authority of law.
On the other hand by pointing its initial surge of juridical activism at the local criminality of individuals in those afflicted regions of Africa where resource cartels and their client regimes often dominate, the ICC has called attention to the West’s hypocrisy in shielding its own war lords and war profiteers in the military-industrial complex from any legal accountability for the violent acts its operatives, many of them in the so-called private sector, regularly plan, instigate, finance, arm, facilitate, commit and exploit.4 Indeed, the double standard promoted by the ICC in the choice of its targets for prosecution replicates in the international arena much of the duplicity of the criminal justice system in the United States.
As starkly demonstrated by the scandalously high and inequitable proportion of Blacks warehoused in the failing superpower’s privatized jails, law-enforcement officials there obviously shower a disproportionately high amount of their energy on criminalizing poor African-Americans leaving those predominately fair-skinned inhabitants of suburbia and the more rarified enclaves of extreme wealth outside the orbit of their most concerted attention. Will the new global enforcers of international law limit themselves to prosecuting gang leaders in the continental ghetto of Africa while conveniently looking the other way when it comes to more comprehensive global networks of cartelized criminality headquartered in North America, Europe, Israel, and, increasingly, China, India and Russia as well.5
While Omar al-Bashir is far from a household name, George Bush is one of the most well known people in the world. Indeed, throughout the eight years of his disastrous presidency, Bush managed to make himself into one of the most reviled individuals on the planet. He is widely disliked for his policies as well as for the assorted war hawks, corporate privateers, lying propagandists, evangelical zealots, loan sharks, torture freaks, and psycho cops and generals who formed the ex-president’s inner circle. A significant component of global public opinion sees this discredited man as the embodiment of something far worse than terrible leadership. They see the forty-third US head of state as an abusive lawbreaker. Indeed, many rightfully see Bush as a pathological deviant who harboured the delusional fantasy that the power of his office gave him unlimited global power to authorize his national forces, proxy armies and mercenary operatives to commit the most grave onslaughts of mass murder, disappearances and torture on a genocidal scale.
This widespread belief is informed by the large and growing body of legal scholarship using evidence already on the public sphere to make the case that George Bush and his underlings have violated many domestic and international laws, including the Geneva Conventions and UN instruments prohibiting torture. Philippe Sands, Francis Boyle and Osgood Hall Law School Professor Michael Mandel have been prominent among the international jurists who have developed the legal case that George Bush and his war cabinet have transgressed the law of nations on many, many counts.6 Indeed, the line up is long of jurists seeking to bring the ex-US president to justice. With his recent book, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, Vincent Bugliosi, the former prosecutor of Charles Manson, adds his voice to a crowded field.7
Continued at:
http://www.911blogger.com/node/19540
Green Monkey // March 7, 2009 at 1:18 PM
Interesting article from a Hawaii newspaper. Perhaps some of the points it raises are relevant to our situation as well.
Give visitors what they want – bring back ‘old Hawaii’
By Franco Mancassola
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Mar 06, 2009
(Page 1 of 2) | Single Page View
“Hawaii hotel occupancy in ‘08 fared worse than U.S. average.”
That is only one of many worrying headlines in the news. With such a gloomy scenario concerning our No. 1 industry, one can only hope that the people responsible for Hawaii’s tourism will take immediate and decisive action to correct this negative trend. The livelihoods of many people depend on it. But what can be done?
I can only put forward some thoughts for all to ponder, wacky as they may seem. In a previous columns, I mentioned that there might be a disconnect between the various entities that are, each in its own way, responsible for stimulating tourism and enticing visitors to come to Hawaii. But now there is little or no point in dwelling on past miscalculations and mistakes. The priority must be to find solutions.
It is clear now that the “high roller” visitors who were envisaged, and for whom the new Hawaii image was created, are not coming. It seems that what we have to offer is not what they are looking for. At the same time, we turned our back on the typical visitor who was our main source of income for many years. We need to get them back.
Our hotels need to readjust to the traditional tourist by offering rates that are more in line with the spending power of those who choose Hawaii for their vacations. People today are more conversant and informed as to what represents value and if we don’t provide it, they will look elsewhere. Would this readjustment be financially painful? It might be, but if corrective actions are not taken, the pain will be far more severe in the future.
The City and County of Honolulu and the state might need to take another look at the “master plan” and realize that this expansion and endless construction is turning Hawaii from a tropical paradise to an urban jungle of cement; it is hardly an environment that will entice visitors. A moratorium on granting permits to build huge skyscrapers and massive hotels might be a good start.
Restaurants also need to realize that charging $70 to $80 or more per person for a dinner is more than the majority of Hawaii visitors are willing to spend every evening. The warning sign? The high number of restaurant closures. Forget the nouvelle cuisine and all the pomp associated with it. We are not Cannes, or Saint Tropez or Monte Carlo.
There is an urgent need to address the homeless situation. It is a serious problem that must to be solved for the sake of the homeless themselves and for our tourism industry. It is heartbreaking to see so many people and families camping on the beaches and roaming the streets of Waikiki. But it is also a deterrent for visitors, who are providing much-needed revenue for the state.
A decline in visitors leads to a loss of revenue and therefore a loss of jobs. Loss of jobs could mean an increase in the homeless population. It is a vicious circle that can no longer be ignored. A solution must be found. Burying our heads in the sand could only aggravate the situation and create a bigger problem down the road.
Hawaii also needs the airlines’ help. I am not sure how much airlines are willing or able to reduce their fares, but maybe they should consider loosening some of those restrictions that are more of an impediment than an asset. In case something goes wrong and they need to change a departure date, existing rules do not allow any change in itinerary unless one pays considerable additional fees and penalties or, worse, loses the money paid for the fare. We all know the reasoning behind these rules, but for visitors who are coming 3,000 miles or more across the Pacific for a relaxing vacation, having the threat of these restrictions hanging over their heads is anything but relaxing. It is a disincentive to many travelers. It must be considered that most visitors are families, so these penalties could increase considerably the cost of the vacation.
In the Internet era, a change in reservations can be done with a click of a button. Therefore, a change in the departure or return date could be allowed for a reasonable administrative fee. That would be a big help.
There is now a new leader at the Hawaii Tourism Authority. He faces enormous challenges and urgent need for changes. The sudden downturn in the economy caught Hawaii’s tourism flat-footed. With no visible alternative strategy in place, a further slide downward seems unavoidable.
During the last few years Hawaii had an unprecedented opportunity to conquer a large share of the visitors market. Hawaii had most of the elements that the average visitor is looking for. With two wars going on and instability around the world, Hawaii was seen by most Americans as “home” – safe, with glorious weather, the same language, and where a dollar was still a dollar. It was beautiful, exotic and affordable.
Foreign tourists are much the same as Americans, ultimately looking for the same things, and the “old” Hawaii was the perfect place.
So what can be done now? We need to return to catering to our traditional market. Hotels, shops and restaurants need to bite the bullet, recognize that Hawaii is not a place for high rollers and big spenders and realign the price structures to be more in step with today’s market realities.
Going back to basics might create a temporary financial loss, but it will be far more achievable and less painful than stubbornly continuing down this high road that leads to nowhere.
Franco Mancassola, a frequent contributor to the Star-Bulletin opinion pages, founded Discovery Air and Debonair Airways. He also was vice president of International Operations for Continental Airlines and World Airways. He lives in Hawaii Kai.
“Hawaii hotel occupancy in ‘08 fared worse than U.S. average.”
That is only one of many worrying headlines in the news. With such a gloomy scenario concerning our No. 1 industry, one can only hope that the people responsible for Hawaii’s tourism will take immediate and decisive action to correct this negative trend. The livelihoods of many people depend on it. But what can be done?
I can only put forward some thoughts for all to ponder, wacky as they may seem. In a previous columns, I mentioned that there might be a disconnect between the various entities that are, each in its own way, responsible for stimulating tourism and enticing visitors to come to Hawaii. But now there is little or no point in dwelling on past miscalculations and mistakes. The priority must be to find solutions.
It is clear now that the “high roller” visitors who were envisaged, and for whom the new Hawaii image was created, are not coming. It seems that what we have to offer is not what they are looking for. At the same time, we turned our back on the typical visitor who was our main source of income for many years. We need to get them back.
Our hotels need to readjust to the traditional tourist by offering rates that are more in line with the spending power of those who choose Hawaii for their vacations. People today are more conversant and informed as to what represents value and if we don’t provide it, they will look elsewhere. Would this readjustment be financially painful? It might be, but if corrective actions are not taken, the pain will be far more severe in the future.
The City and County of Honolulu and the state might need to take another look at the “master plan” and realize that this expansion and endless construction is turning Hawaii from a tropical paradise to an urban jungle of cement; it is hardly an environment that will entice visitors. A moratorium on granting permits to build huge skyscrapers and massive hotels might be a good start.
http://www.starbulletin.com/editorials/20090306_gathering_place.html
caribworldnews // March 9, 2009 at 2:25 PM
Easy Calling From
https://www.etopuponline.com/beta/
caribworldnews // March 9, 2009 at 2:26 PM
Top Caribbean News from http://www.caribbeanworldnews.com/
Anonymous // March 30, 2009 at 7:19 PM
The Dollar’s Days are Numbered
by Bill BonnerGranada, Spain The dollar’s days are numbered. We are beginning to feel sorry for it…as we do all lost causes. Trouble is, we don’t know whether it’s a big number or a little number that marks the dollar’s last days. Last week, a decimal point seemed to move to the left. A UN advisory panel had suggested that maybe it was time to figure it out a better way to run the world’s monetary system. Better, that is, than using the U.S. dollar as the reference currency for the whole world.
As you’ll recall, almost every price on the planet ultimately relates to dollars. You can buy an orange here in Granada for euros. But the global market in oranges is priced in dollars. So when people figure out how much something is worth – in global terms – they typically refer to dollars. And when countries want to make sure they have enough money on hand to settle up their debts with other countries…or enough money to buy Florida oranges…or enough to purchase oil to run their factories – they lay in a supply of dollars.
But while the value of everything is referenced to dollars, what’s the dollar’s value referenced to? At the end of the day, upon what rock does the world financial system rest? Ah…that’s the weakness of it…there ain’t no rock. Look at the foundation of the world’s money system and all you find is mush… And last week, the Chinese poked around with a stick to see how soft it was…. They, too, said it was time for a change – a new money system with the IMF operating as a sort of Super Central Bank – giving nations ‘special drawing rights on gold’.
And this week, the G20 will meet in London. They are to have a ‘rendezvous with destiny,’ say the papers. The world is faced with a huge challenge. People turn their weary eyes to the politicians, hoping they will meet the challenge. Historians will record the event like they did the Council of Trent or the Treaty of Westphalia.
Blah…blah…blah…as near as we can tell. The fact is there isn’t anything our leaders can do about the situation except make it worse. The markets need to clear…and adjust to the new post-bubble reality. The more effective governments are at preventing this from happening – that is, the more successful their bailouts are – the longer and deeper the correction will be. At least on the subject of the dollar, the G20 group could do something worthwhile. They could renounce Nixon’s faith-based currency system…and return to a gold-backed system.
But they’re not going to do that. Not yet. Not until the dollar-based system has blown itself up. When will that happen? We wish we knew. But, one way or another…sooner or later, a new money system is bound to emerge. Most likely, it will have gold at its base. Why? Because in thousands of years of human experience, nothing better has ever been found. Not that we completely discount the possibility of a better system; humans can be clever. But money is the sort of activity where you don’t want cleverness.
You want dumb, honest solidity…you want something that cleverness can’t undermine or circumvent. You want money that smart people can’t fiddle…and that is gold. This is why we believe that the gold price has much, much higher to go…and investors who buy now, when the price is low, will be rewarded in spades.
Right now, central banks are fiddling faster than Nero. The total cost alone for all this fiddling in the United States is something on the order of $14 trillion. Under these circumstances, you’d think inflation was a sure thing…and that the dollar was a goner. Not so fast. Inflation is not that easy to create or control. It could be months – or years –before consumer prices rise.
As we explained last week, people who expect consumer prices to rise immediately could be deeply disappointed. For one thing, the depression is sucking money out of the system even faster than the feds are putting it back in. It’s that old ‘paradox of savings’ issue. When an economy goes into a downswing, people save money. This causes prices to fall…making saving more valuable. Then, people save even more. Instead of circulating, money goes into pockets, vaults, and mattresses; saved for a rainier day…and lower prices. For another thing, “the money multiplier… has collapsed,” as one economist put it in the Financial Times.
Normally, when banks get more money they ‘multiply’ it by lending out even more. That’s how fractional reserve banking is supposed to work. But now, the banks aren’t lending. They’re rebuilding their own coffers…just like ordinary citizens. Besides, they’re afraid to lend – who knows what the collateral will be worth when this depression gets finished with it! The multiplier has forgotten how to do arithmetic. And for still another thing, there’s what Keynesian economists call an “output gap.”
What this means is that the economy is functioning at less than full capacity. In fact, Goldman Sachs estimates this “output gap” at 8% of global GDP.
As long as industry can provide more things – using its surplus capacity – without the need for major additional inputs, it has no pricing power. People can buy…but it won’t cause prices to rise.
We also have the Japanese experience. True, the United States is not Japan. Things are different. And we have a strong hunch that they will turn out differently too. But the Japanese experience is worth keeping in mind.
The Bank of Japan tried to get prices rising for more than 10 years – putting huge amounts of cash into the system. But instead of causing consumer prices to rise in Japan, the money was borrowed and re-invested in the United States and emerging markets. It did nothing to increase consumer prices in Japan.
You are probably wondering what the bottom line is… We’re wondering too. What we take from this soliloquy is that inflation is tougher to conjure up than it generally recognized. Putting an extra dollar of cash into the system doesn’t necessarily make prices rise.
On the other hand, this mush under the world financial system makes the structure inherently unstable. And as more and more brine is pumped in, it becomes even more unstable. It’s not that the additional liquidity raises the consumer price level directly…dollar for dollar. Instead, it is like floodwaters backing up behind an earthen dam.
The risk of a sudden flood increases…one that will swamp the dollar and send investors and savers running for the high ground. Yes, dear reader…there’s the surprise we were looking for. The Fed’s “quantitative easing” won’t cause inflation. At least, not serious consumer price inflation directly linked to the money supply increases. The Fed will inflate the money supply. But consumer price inflation will remain relatively low – as it did in Japan. This will lead investors to believe that they can sit tight…believing that they will be able to move to a higher elevation when consumer prices finally begin to rise.
They will think about buying gold, but they will put it off – waiting for the CPI to rise. Then, very suddenly, investors will see the threat. Maybe the Chinese will be the first to rush. Maybe private investors will make the first move. Maybe it will be a sudden spike in the CPI that sets them off. Maybe it will be an unexpected spike in the price of gold…or oil. Or maybe even a bold move from the Fed that leaves no doubt as to its intentions.
Then, all of a sudden people will realize that what they are holding is just paper – nothing more – and they will try to get out of it as fast as possible. But it will be too late. Once the dike breaks, in a matter of hours, the dollar will sink like Lehman shares.
Green Monkey // April 4, 2009 at 10:56 AM
Evidence of Thermitic material (explosives/pyrtotechnics) in dust from 9/11 WTC wreckage published in a peer reviews scientific journal.
Posted at: http://www.911blogger.com/node/19762 :
Kill A Watt // April 9, 2009 at 4:40 PM
Where to begin, oh yeah the latest blackout or was it the one before that. I’ve lost count, what is clear is the usual tired excuse from the Barbados Light and Power “Our protection system did not work and we will endeavour that it will not happen again” until later this year. What the company will not tell the people of Barbados is the number of engineers working at the company at an average salary of $8,000.00 monthly for the new ones I will save the salaries of the senior blood suckers for another submission, let’s see the above salary by 10 is $80,000.00 monthly by say 12 months works to $960,000.00. Now tell me why the hell am I paying one million annually for a sorry lie. I am no eng. and I can tell you the lie for free. The problem is simple the generation aspect has developed and left the distribution side lacking, there were some upgrades but the eng. on both generation and distribution spend their days starting companies and employing contractors to bid over inflated amounts for contracts that don’t go to tender. Hence why they will attempt to fleece you through the people defender the FTC what a joke!!!!! imagine an engineer being paid a salary and then profiting via a company contracting services to the BL&P. Conflict of interest depends on who is spinning it. The company fired two employees with on average 50 years between them for theft of used wire. The usual story of a stinking big guts field slave that would carry way GOD if given a chance get promote, there ain’t nobody like them now. See something and went like a bitch to the masa. You draw your conclusions but examine this, an entire crew sent home for an action that is done by all and sundry and I mean all….the distribution system not the best ie blackouts hmmm where do I pick up the slack I know the same contractors employed by me the eng. with nothing to do but draw free money. One less crew = more free money for me. Stay tuned for more in the series
Cheryl // April 10, 2009 at 12:19 PM
Cable & Wireless aka LIME sent sending home workers after boosting about $91 million profit. Now under section 10 under their Terms and Conditions now wants to charge interest.
Section 10:13
YOU MUST PAY YOUR BILL BY THE DUE DATE STATED ON THE BILL.IF YOU DONT PAY YOUR BILL BY THE PAYMENT DUE DATE WE CAN DEBAR YOUR USE OF SOME OR ALL OF OUR SERVICES AND CHARGE YOU INTEREST ON WHAT YOU OWE AT 1.5% PER MONTH. WE WILL CHARGE YOU INTERST UNTIL YOU PAY….
SECTION 10:8
YOU WILL NOT BE RELIEVED FROM MAKING PAYMENT TO US BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED A BILL SHOWING THE AMOUNT OWED ON YOUR ACCOUNT.YOU SHOULD CALL US IMMEDIATELY IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED YOUR MONTHLY BILL TO OBTAIN YOU CURRENT ACCOUNT BALANCE.
Why do educated Barbadian and governments foolishly accept this behaviour from monopolies.
Tourism Monkey // April 26, 2009 at 10:38 AM
Just came from reading some disturbing news:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/26/swine.flu/index.html
Why is this disturbing? Let’s see.
- It’s a killer strain of flu that no one seems to be able to take care of
- It’s being spread like wildfire throughout Mexico and God knows where else
- It’s traveling now with unwitting hosts internationally
- It’s entry to Barbados would be easy
Now, the last 2 are especially disturbing for me. If one reads the article, you can see that New Zealand, Japan, Canada, South Korea and other countries are taking steps to ensure that the entry of this disease into their countries will be limited if they can help it.
What will Barbados do?
We can’t stop drugs from coming through the airport.
We can’t stop certain tourists to check their bags (because they’re that important).
We can’t even stop people from bringing in frozen goods like ham without the appropriate license.
Therefore, how are we going to stop an airborne virus.
Will that Ministry of Health official stationed at the airport have the cojones to stop the American tourist that sounds as if they are coughing up a lung?
Will flight crew on any of the airlines notify someone in authority on the ground if they notice that one of their passengers is particularly ill?
Will the immigration officer at the desk sound an alarm if he notices a seriously unwell person?
Or will this be Barbados once more and we continue to go on and do our thing as if nothing has happened?
We need to wake up and look at what’s going on around us. The world, thanks to modern technology, has become about as small as a village and as such, we need to treat it like one.
Barbados depends on tourism but that does not mean that we should put our tourism workers at risk just to make some money during the recession.
I hope this government realises that and formulates a plan quickly.
David // April 26, 2009 at 4:43 PM
This is indeed a serious matter and merits a response from the authorities. Has any steps been taken to confront this challenge? This would be disastrous at this time.
Tourism Monkey // April 26, 2009 at 6:51 PM
To be honest, I doubt that something has been done already and furthermore, in line with our reactive rather than proactive stance, nothing will be done until its too late.
David // April 26, 2009 at 7:03 PM
@TM
We listened with interest to the US cable stations today boasting of the large stockpile of the Theraflu remedy which is believed to be able to combat the virus. Does Barbados have a similar contingency plan?
Tourism Monkey // April 26, 2009 at 7:05 PM
Barbados?
Stockpile?!?!
…of anything?!?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
David, if only.
David // April 26, 2009 at 7:10 PM
But don’t we boast of a health system to be proud?
As a tourist dependent country is it unreasonable to expect that we would have a stockpile of a virus vaccine?
Tourism Monkey // April 28, 2009 at 7:45 AM
It appears that the government has made me take my words back and eat them.
Straight talk // April 28, 2009 at 8:21 AM
As I understand it each new virus requires its own specific vaccine to be effective.
That’s not a big problem in forming one the real hitch is the batch production of the millions required, may be six months down the line until then we have to rely on non-specific flu treatments.
Perhaps GP would care to update us.
David // April 28, 2009 at 8:32 AM
According to US reports their government appears to feel comfortable
releasing the Theriflu even though the stain seems to be bordering on
Type III.
Sir Bentwood Dick // May 3, 2009 at 11:57 AM
Just a bit of fun, takinr recent headlines and mixing them up:
- Barbadians Love Affair With Nude Beaches
- The Bible and The Qu’ran Under Threat
- Banks Brewery Tells Calendar Girl 2007, Shall We Dance?
- Bajan Girls Gone Wild, Pandemic a Concern
- Stimulus Money, A Case of the Fatted Calf Being Slaughtered?
- LIME Guilty of Intolerance?
- No Word From PM or AG About Things We Could Do
- Educating The Radio Listeners on Talk Programmes
- LIME Continues Middle-Finger -Of-The-Apocalypse
- Guyanese Welcome, Brothers Kept Apart
- Bajan Girls, The Bible and The Qu’ran
- Is Barbados In Support of The Whole Being?
That’s it for now!
Hallam Hope // May 14, 2009 at 7:52 PM
An application for increased electricy rates has been made to the Fair Trading Commission which proposes the highest increase for domestic consumers.
It is proposed that consumers using 50 kilowatts monthly (at the bottom of the scale) would pay an increase of $3.47 and those at the top using 500 kWh would pay an additional $11.04. In between there are proposed rates for citizens using 100 kWh ($3.50), 150 kWh ($8.46), 200 kWh ($8.83), 300 kWh ($9.57) and 400 kWh ($10.30).
The company has contended that businesses have been paying a greater share of the cost of providing electricity and is seeking to adjust this so domestic consumers pay a larger share than they have in the past.
As a result the power company is proposing to increase the Rate of Return it makes from the Domestic side of the market from the current 2.58 per cent to 7.82 per cent, which is the single largest increase of the five categories.
So rather than the current return of 4.1 million dollars it is seeking to earn 12.6 million dollars from its application.
The likelihood of an electricity rate increase by October coincides with pending higher telephone rates of four per cent.
Armed with the above information and our electricity bills it is possible to calculate what our new monthly bills would be if the application was accepted without change. This is particularly useful for persons at the bottom of the income ladder such as pensioners.
Hallam Hope
caritel@hallamhope.com
JC // May 17, 2009 at 10:17 AM
I read the Sunday Sun today, if some persons haven’t as yet, it is sad. Most of the persons crying out are the poor or if not the poor places who employ the poor are crying out.
Firstly there is Mullins Beach Bar erosion of sand.
Then there is guyanese uneasy, consulate flooded with queries
Right time for shake up about the Guyanese AGAIN!
Unfair to small city businesses
Then to round up, the BLP telling us to BRACE ourselves.
When I check my self more and more conspiracy theories coming to mind!
David // May 17, 2009 at 10:23 AM
Good observations JC. Actually there are two big snow/PR jobs being pushed by the Sunday Sun today.
The Nation management is operating true to form with their bashing of the government on its policy to document illegals in Barbados. Sounds strange doesn’t it?
The other snow job is Robert Le Hunte of BNB’s spread. The recent publishing of BNB’s balance sheet which shows that they have taken a dent with CLICO withdrawing 32 millions dollars as well as some increase in bad debt provisioning.
BNB is a significant purchaser of advertising and it probably only required a quick phone call.
Mash up buy back // May 17, 2009 at 10:41 AM
David
Look at the prominent place the guyanese born gibbs has given to a public relations release from norman faria – the guyana honorary or unpaid consul.
The 3rd page is really the second page since for years now the 2nd page is taken up with a full page advertisement.
If bajans are in any doubt about the FORCES that are at work among the guyanese community here in barbados and the BLP politicians,they better sit up and take note.
Rawle Eastmond in a moment of frank candour on a call in programme stated that”there were diabolical forces in high places “,namely his party and their agents.
JC // May 17, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Everyone talking but I want David and the BU Family to study this reallll good who is the DPP?
I hope you all understand where I am coming from PLEASE THINK!
CONSPIRACY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JC // May 17, 2009 at 11:42 AM
POOR PEOPLE WAKE UP!!!!1
I am begging you all to wake up!
MAN KNOW THYSELF!
Mash up buy back // May 17, 2009 at 12:00 PM
The DPP is charles Leacock who is a guyanese.
He is responsible for bringingcharges against alleged criminals.
David // May 17, 2009 at 12:50 PM
We had planned to focus 100% on the budget and financial statement today and tomorrow but the obvious orchestrated attempt against our Prime Minister and by extension our country merits a response. We will endeavoru to respond to the nationalistic fervour which has gripped the BU household and family.
Mash up buy back // May 17, 2009 at 1:10 PM
David I could not believe what is in the Nation newspaper today;
David commissong – anti thompson article on the new immigration policy;
Norman Faria – article against new immigration policy;
Ricky Singh – article on how (or so he hopes) there will be a raging battle against thompson at the next caricom heads meeting;
Nation editorial obviously written by either roxanne gibbs or ricky singh -against new immigration policy;
Do we want any more eveidence on the collusion that is going on.
We need to write letters to the newspapers,call in on CBC and VOB,write on the internet,speak to the DLP M.Ps and let them know we support the P.M. and we looking to see action and not only talk.
God Bless the late Errol Barrow and the DLP party.
O Sole Mio // May 17, 2009 at 8:06 PM
I echo that last statement “God bless the late Errol Barrow and the DLP party”. Amen to that. As to writing letters to the newspapers, waste of time, they only publish what (or who) they want. I hope Mr. Thompson will simply ignore Gonsalves, Faria and Ricky Singh and do what Bajans want him to do. To hell with that drunken fool Gonsalves and the other two idiots Singh and Faria.
Sometimes I wonder if many of the bloggers on here (but mostly on BFP) are extraterestrial creatures, because when you travel the length and bredth of Barbados, ordinary people – Big Ups, Little Ups, young, middle-aged and elderly say that Thompson and the DLP are doing a good job, but when you read BFP in particular you wonder what kind of morons the bloggers are. Of course there is the possibility that they’re all Bees, and there’s the possibility that there are only a few, writing under several different names. BFP? Well, according to the blogger “Wuh?” it is the Canadian man Allard and when “Wuh” exposed him, BFP banned “Wuh”. It is obvious that, unlike BU, BFP is very much foreign-owned. Enough said. I agree with Mash Up Buy Back, we should let the DLP know we support them and the P.M.
Naoko // May 19, 2009 at 9:59 AM
Hi,
This is a test comment from wordpress.com support.
David // May 19, 2009 at 10:09 AM
Thanks Naoko
mash up & buy back // May 19, 2009 at 10:23 AM
David
I hope that WordPress not trying to do anything to this site to mess us up?
I notice on BFP they are saying that wordpress should be contacted because you are breaching wordpress rules.
I watching this matter real carefully and I am not amused with the BFP.
Yardbroom // May 20, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Former England cricketer Chris Lewis born Georgetown Guyana 14 Feb 1968 has been jailed for 13 years for drug smuggling.
Straight talk // May 20, 2009 at 8:03 PM
Just posted a comment on the supposed Barbados “Free” Press.
12 of the 13 listed comments are pro- censorship and allowed… mine immediately into moderation.
My advice to David, even though I know he will ignore, is cut the link to that manipulative deceptive overbearingly self-important blog now.
WordPress hits on plagiarised topics will never make up for truly expressedBajan feelings which we can discuss, dis or cuss.
Could say more, but I am hanging on to my gentlemanly status, but only just.
Bush Tea // May 20, 2009 at 8:18 PM
@ST
While I fully understand your matter of principle, Do you really think that David should allow himself to be influenced by their childishness?
I think not.
David has been an unbelievable inspiration with respect to his ability to accept criticism, praise, abuse and scorn – all the while improving the quality of this outstanding blog.
I say ignore the jealous humbugs… and leave the link.
Straight talk // May 25, 2009 at 9:18 PM
Sorry, Bushman , I just came accross your comment… and with cooler hindsight am suitably admonished.
David to my mind is moderator supreme.
Though I disagree with many of his stances, and he mine I’m sure, he remains respectfully seated securely in the chair of his free flowing blog.
Censorship has always seemed to me to be an indication of argument losers.
If you cannot win by logic,,,,ban ‘em.
Georgie Porgie // May 25, 2009 at 11:05 PM
One of the strengths of BU is that usually David starts one or two threads every day.
Whereas everyone might not post on each of such added posts or even be interested in them at all, there is always a post or two that will tickle the fancy of everyone. This is what makes BU vibrant.
The religious posts, especially, tend to last for a month or so LOL.
Keep on keeping on David. You wont please everyone all the time.
But you aint doing to badly wid certain Cawmere boys on board (including the one who cant understand certain Bible doctrine regardless to all the time and effort I put in!) and my chick JC!
Murder!
Georgie Porgie // May 26, 2009 at 4:53 PM
MR DAVID
We need to have a fun thread or competition to vote for the best handle used by BU members tha BEST EXPRESS THE ESSENCE OF BAJANISM.
My nominations are
1- YARDBROOM
2- BUSH TEA
3- HOG SQUEAL
Your humble servant, GP the ex-GP
Anonymous // May 26, 2009 at 6:16 PM
I nominate Bonny peppa,Mash up and buy back and Georgie porgie.
Howszat.
Georgie Porgie // May 26, 2009 at 6:23 PM
I forgot GEAR BOX
So if we allow 4 nominations per voter
mine are
My nominations are
1- YARDBROOM
2- BUSH TEA
3- HOG SQUEAL
4- GEAR BOX
not in order of preference necessarily.
Green Monkey // May 28, 2009 at 3:58 PM
Architect Richard Gage of Architects and Engineers for 911 Truth ( http://ae911truth.org ) interviewed on KMPH Fox 26 in Fresno, CA:
Sargeant // May 31, 2009 at 1:17 PM
I think I know the answer to this question but I’m going to ask it anyway. What would be the average Barbadian/West Indian response to this situation?
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1901762,00.html
Unlucky Chucky // May 31, 2009 at 2:52 PM
Not that this is not a serious issue but,
I wished I had met some predatory female teachers while I was at school, in fact any predatory female for that matter.
I still hope that I might one day meet a predatory female.
Healthy of course.
Straight talk // May 31, 2009 at 3:16 PM
UC:
Join the BLP, but be careful what you wish for, it may come true.
David // May 31, 2009 at 3:25 PM
In Barbados such matters are dealt with in two ways:
1. ignored
2. teachers transferred if the issue gets hot
Lelem // June 3, 2009 at 9:16 PM
Soon, the ancients shall return. Change of days are coming, we must be peaceful.
All things, to all.
Creation is real, life ever-renewing.
Hallam Hope // June 7, 2009 at 9:22 AM
There were two disturbing developments recently where the question may be raised about the consideration the Fair Trading Commission has for consumers.
CARITEL, my private consultancy, is taking part in the Reference Interconnect Offer (see earlier posts for background). We were given one week to sudy various documents in detail, conduct additional research and prepare and send a follow-up submission to the FTC as it relates to new arguments.
We protested as we did in the first submission that this was inadequate and a month was requested. A RIO is a highly granular proceeding, requiring regional and international research as well as correspondence with contacts such as regulators elsewhere. The issues are quite wide and therefore require considerable time to investigate and respond to arguments, in this case made by Cable & Wireless. Cable & Wireless has an entire department and regional staff to deal with such matters.
Well, the FTC said you have another week in an email sent minutes before the close of business Friday, the deadline for the actual follow-up submission. I had written the Commission the Wednesday since time was needed to read the documents from Cable & Wireless (LIME), Digicel, TeleBarbados and Blue Communications and study the implications.
Another matter of even greater concern has to do with the rate application by the electricity company.
If one reads the advertisement from the FTC reminding consumers that they have until June 25th to indicate a desire to be granted Intervenor status, of concern is Section 2. which states “Any written questions (interrogatories) and the supporting documentation must be included in the letter of intevention.
The key word here is “must”.
This is both unprecedented, places undue burden on consumers interested in applying for Intervenor status, provides the applicant with an unfair advantage and runs contrary to a fair and reasonable process.
In the previous rate hearing, the application dealt with an application for Intervenorn status and nothing else. Subsequently, the matter of interrogatories was raised.
The rate application is 700-plus pages and is available only on a website or at the offices of the FTC and applicant for reading only. There is no provision for a hard copy to be made available to any interested party so one could study it at one’s leisure.
And it is also an extremely detailed matter. How can one possibly assemble a team, study in detail the 700-plus pages and have a chance of offering a thorough set of questions (interogatories)?
Again, the FTC is being extremely unreasonable to consumers.
Hallam Hope
(246) 822-1414
caritel@hallamhope.com
Sir Bentwood Dick // June 7, 2009 at 10:19 PM
Recent Headlines Mix-Up # 2, just having a little fun:
1. Fair Trading Commission Offers Real Challenge For President Obama?
2. Government Lead Strategy For Expanding Divide Between The Academics And The PEOPLE
3. The Immigration Issue Exposes Things Not Bajan
4. Barbados Tourism Executives Bungle National Strategic Plan For Agriculture
5. The Chinese Have Legal Title So What’s The Problem, In A Small Open Economy?
6. Government Experiments With Bajan Girls Gone Wild…
7. How Money Can Triumph Over Inadequate Time For Consumer Advocates
8. Are We Serious About Big Women + Fat Women
That’s the lot for this time.
DISCLAIMER:
None of the headlines above are intended to depeict nor in fact depict any real or imagined persons or events.
E I Grant // June 8, 2009 at 4:33 AM
Wrong,clever ploy at trying to divert attention from the real issues the country is facing. Well designed political strategy. All the media seems trapped in the puddle. The so call independent voices of logic,truth and reason are concerned with juicy gossip and their ability to be objective is blurred. It is difficult to be honest and truthful. So caught in a trap one cannot expect them to be different when the minds are boggled and bogged down with trivia.
Its time to take off the blinkers.
Ready-Done // June 12, 2009 at 4:58 AM
we need a pothole fixer in Barbados this one seems to help Scotland, it works by spraying the asphalt into the hole at high temperature.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1191068/Hi-tech-machine-pumps-liquid-tar-seconds-spell-end-pothole-damage.html
Hallam Hope // June 12, 2009 at 11:45 PM
Fair Trading Commission and inadequate time Part 2
Well I tried.
I wrote the Fair Trading Commission this week and protested against what I considered to be inadequate time for prospective Intervenors in the electricity rate hearing to apply for status and at the same time require that interrogatories be submitted along with the details about why they should be granted such status.
I reminded the FTC that the application was 700-plus pages and it was unlikely that prospective Intervenors would have had time to assemble experts, study the case and formalise pertinent questions in the time allowed.
The FTC responded in a letter signed by its acting General Legal Counsel by citing various items of legislation under which it operates but did not respond to the substantive points raised that included the advantage provided to the applicant and disadvantage to prospective Intervenor. It said it wanted to get an understanding of the areas of the application that persons were most concerned about. And it stated that further interrogatories could be submitted. It noted that persons have been given six weeks to submit their letters of intervention.
But there was no response to my argument that the time was inadequate. How does the FTC expect that within six weeks persons would have studied the 700-plus pages along with their experts in engineering, economics and chartered accountancy and come up with an indication of areas they “are most concerned about” unless they are given adequate time. I indicated that I was aware of an organisation that had started early but had not had time to identify experts to study the 700-plus pages – even at this time.
I have also made this complaint in other matters before the Commission. But one does not need to be told that you are butting your head against a stone wall.
I however have a hard head so I will keep butting.
Hallam Hope
caritel@hallamhope.com
(246) 822-1414
David // June 13, 2009 at 6:58 AM
Submitted by George Brathwaite – PHD Candidate
JC // June 13, 2009 at 7:06 AM
David for a moment I thought it was you who had written this argument!
Ready-Done // June 17, 2009 at 8:48 PM
A woman brought a very limp duck into a vet’s clinic. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the duck’s chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said ‘I’m so sorry, your Duck, ‘Cuddles’ has passed away’
The distressed owner wailed ‘Are you sure ?’
‘Yes, I am sure. The duck is dead’ he replied.
‘How can you be so sure,’ she protested. ‘ I mean, you haven’t
done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something’
The Vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room, and returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador retriever. As the duck’s owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his paws on the table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked at the Vet with sad eyes and shook his head.
The vet patted the dog, and took it out, and returned a few minutes later with a cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed delicately at the duck from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room.
The vet looked at the woman and said, ‘I’m sorry, but as I said,this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck’.
The vet turned to his PC, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman. The duck’s owner, still in shock, took the bill ‘£150!’, she cried, £150 just to tell me my duck is dead!’
The vet just shrugged, and said ‘I’m sorry. If you’d taken my word for it, the bill would have been just £20, but with the Lab report and the Cat scan, it’s now £150.
Green Monkey // June 17, 2009 at 10:59 PM
29 Structural & Civil Engineers Cite Evidence for Controlled ExplosiveDemolition in Collapses of All3 WTC High-rises on 9/11
More than 700 architects and engineers have joined call for new investigation,faulting official collapse reports.
The facts are in. The evidence is conclusive. These experts lay it all out.
For Some, the Doubts Began Early
“Something is wrong with this picture,” thought Nathan Lomba, as he watched replays of the Twin Tower collapses on television on September 11, 2001. A licensed structural engineer trained in buildings’ responses to stress, Lomba saw more on the screen than you or I. He puzzled, “How did the structures collapse in near-symmetrical fashion when the damage was clearly not symmetrical?” Lomba was hardly alone in his discomfort. Most structural engineers were surprised when the towers fell.1 They mainly kept their misgivings to themselves, though, as Scientific American and the Journal of Engineering Mechanics, BBC, the History Channel and government agencies such as FEMA and NIST offered varying and often imaginative theories to explain how fires brought the towers down.
In 2006, San Francisco Bay Area architect Richard Gage, AIA, began raising technical questions among his
professional colleagues about the destruction of the Twin Towers and 47-story WTC Building 7. Those who take time to look at the facts overwhelm-ingly agree that vital questions remain unanswered, Gage has found. Today more than 30 structural engineers, experts in what can and cannot bring down buildings, have joined almost 700 other Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth in signing the petition demanding a new investigation.2
SNIP
A Note About 9/11 “Debunkers”
It could be hoped that the comments from the structural engineers quoted in this article would silence the “debunkers” who dismissed our arguments first because,allegedly, no engineers agreed with us. That was never true to begin with. After AE911Truth was formed and scores of engineers signed the petition, these debunkers predictably moved the goalposts, saying we didn’t have any engineers who know anything about heavy steel structures such as tall buildings. Since the 28 engineers interviewed for this article do in fact possess that knowledge, the goalposts will no doubt just be moved again. This kind of behavior should make clear the nature of the game that is being played. One word for it is sophistry
Full article in PDF format posted at:
http://www.ae911truth.org/downloads/29_Structural-Civil_Engineers_2009-06-17.pdf
For more information about the discovery by scientists of the remnants of a high tech, military grade explosive known as nano-thermite laced throughout multiple samples of the WTC 9/11 dust, see this article:
http://911research.wtc7.net/essays/thermite/explosive_residues.html
Ready-Done // June 19, 2009 at 2:46 PM
Senate Apologizes for Slavery
http://www.theroot.com/views/senate-apologizes-slavery
Georgie Porgie // July 1, 2009 at 5:29 PM
FDA May Restrict Acetaminophen
Advisers Tell the Agency to Lower Over-the-Counter Dose of Popular Pain Drug
By Kathryn Foxhall
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
July 1, 2009 — The FDA should put new restrictions on acetaminophen, an advisory committee recommended Tuesday, saying the move would protect people from the potential toxicity that can cause liver failure and even death.
The FDA does not have to follow its advisory committees’ recommendations, but it usually does. It will likely be months before the FDA makes a final decision on the drug.
You might not know “acetaminophen,” because that’s the drug’s generic name. One of the nation’s top drugs for pain relief, acetaminophen is found in many over-the-counter products — including Tylenol, aspirin-free Anacin, Excedrin, and numerous cold medicines. It’s also found in many prescription drugs.
Billions of doses of acetaminophen are used safely every year. But acetaminophen-related overdoses cause 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations, and 458 deaths annually, according to studies done between 1990 and 1998.
Some people inadvertently take more than is recommended. Others — such as people with underlying liver disease — are more at risk of liver injury from acetaminophen use. Because acetaminophen is in so many products, people sometimes take two or more products containing acetaminophen without realizing it. That risk extends to children, who may be poisoned because they swallow the medication. Sometimes caregivers mistakenly give children too much acetaminophen.
Acetaminophen: Limiting Dosage Amounts
The advisory committee voted that the single adult acetaminophen dose should be no more than 650 milligrams, significantly less that the current 1,000 milligrams often contained in two tablets of certain over-the-counter pain products. The panel of 37 doctors and other experts also said that the maximum total dose for 24 hours, now at 4,000 milligrams, should be decreased.
Some advisory committee members said the move should help lower the overall amounts of acetaminophen that people take. Some on the panel said they were influenced by research indicating there are changes in liver function in some people who had taken only the currently recommended levels.
Call to Eliminate Some Acetaminophen Products
In a recommendation that would be a real change for the prescription industry, the committee voted 20 to 17 that prescription products that combine acetaminophen with other medications should be eliminated. Today, billions of doses of products are prescribed in which acetaminophen is combined with narcotics, according to the FDA. Some brand-name pain prescriptions containing acetaminophen include Vicodin, Lortab, Maxidone, Norco, Zydone, Tylenol with codeine, Percocet, Endocet, and Darvocet.
The combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen, for instance, has been the most frequently dispensed drug since 1997, according to the FDA.
Richard DeNisco, MD, MPH, medical officer at the National Institute of Drug Abuse and a panel member, said that so much acetaminophen is going out to people in hydrocodone/acetaminophen mixes that he is uncertain why there is not more liver damage.
Prohibiting these combined products “would rock the system,” he said, but the two products should be prescribed separately, if necessary.
The combination prescription products, which have rapidly increased in use in the last five years, are clearly the biggest cause of the acetaminophen overdose, said Marie Griffin, MD, professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University. But she worried that people will simply turn to plain narcotics, if the combinations are eliminated. “We need a broader answer to chronic pain, because these drugs are being used extensively in the older population,” Griffin said during the meeting. “And I am not sure that practitioners feel like they have many other choices.”
On the other hand, the committee declined to vote for eliminating combination acetaminophen products that are sold over the counter.
Karl Lorenz, MD, who is with the VA Los Angeles Healthcare System, said that many people are being creative in managing low level chronic pain. “I just think we have to be cautious about eliminating an entire category of products that many people find useful,” he said.
Black Box Warning Advised for Acetaminophen Combination Products
The advisory committee also voted overwhelmingly to recommend that the FDA require a boxed warning — often called a black box warning — on the labels of prescription acetaminophen combination products, with members noting this is considered the highest precaution the agency can give.
They also called for limiting formulations of liquid over-the-counter acetaminophen to only one concentration level in order to reduce confusion when people give the medicine to children.
Linda Suydam, president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents companies that make over-the-counter products, objected to the committee’s recommendations for new limits on acetaminophen in over-the-counter products.
“CHPA strongly believes that patients and physicians need to have a wide range of dosing available for patients who need their acetaminophen-containing products,” she said, asserting there is little data to support the idea that patients are harmed at current levels.
Hallam Hope // July 7, 2009 at 7:55 AM
Water rate woes
The analytical piece by Albert Brandford on higher water rates in the Sunday Sun of July 5th is a “must read” for all citizens.
It’s much more than another excellent mix of analysis, research and fearless conclusions.
While Barbadians, particularly those in the lower income brackets, are burdened by a second increase inside 10 years, nothing is being done to reform a woefully inefficient system. Hence, if I understand his article correctly, unjustifiable cost is being dumped on the backs of consumers.
Add this to increasing energy costs, gasolene etc, the possibility of higher electricity rates in 2009 and the almost certainty of higher telephone rates when the Price Cap freeze which some of us worked hard on, ends at year-end, with an expected four per cent hike in January 2010 and we have a picture which is grim for the ordinary consumer and small business person.
What formula and empirical analysis were used to arise at another burden of water rates?
When last has a public, audited account been made available which could reveal inefficencies which even staff of the Barbados Water Authority acknowledge?
Hallam Hope
caritel@hallamhope.com
David // July 7, 2009 at 8:13 AM
@Hallam Hope
Where was the activism when Barbadians voted 3 times for the last government during times when the economy was booming and the BWA was known to be suffering financially? Now we have a government wallowing in debt much of it inherited or related to the economic crisis and everyone is coming out of the wood work including Albert Branford. While we agree that price increases at this time is a no no we are at the X roads, as a people we have to make some choices at the same time changing behaviours.
Sargeant // July 11, 2009 at 11:43 AM
Memo to the WICB and the WIPA. “A pox on both your houses”.
http://www.nationnews.com/news/local/wicb-emergency-meeting-FRONT-PAGE-OTHER
Georgie Porgie // July 11, 2009 at 12:14 PM
Sargeant
Cool it man
Cant you see we have a real WI team again with 8 of 15 Bajans in the quad?
And 6 of the 11?
When last you see that? Man I thought we would never ever see that again.LOL
Now dont take me too serious here OK LOL.
Sargeant // July 11, 2009 at 2:01 PM
GP
I never thought of that. As Barbados cricket goes so goes West Indies cricket but unfortunately Barbados cricket hasn’t been going well in recent times. Perhaps we can encourage some Guyanese cricketers to come and play for Barbados (there I go again bringing politics into the mix everyone knows that there is no politics in cricket).:-)
Here’s to Barbados cricket regaining its former stature.
David // July 11, 2009 at 2:33 PM
The issues in WI cricket may only be reflecting the dearth of leadership at this time.
Wishing In Vain // July 15, 2009 at 8:34 AM
But David I was waiting for you to let the Barbadian public know of the latest development going on within the BLP camp????
I have not seen you publish anywhere the very recent development from the BLP camp, as recently as yesterday the former leader was in recruitment mode and has openly stated his intention and desire to regain the leadership of HIS party, the first step to doing so will be his assault on the post of Chairman of the party and this will take place during their conference in September sometime, he has opening stated this to be his intention as in his view Mottley killing the party.
He has also made personal calls and visits to those persons trying to get them to sign onto to his program to regain his standing.
Wishing In Vain // July 15, 2009 at 11:48 PM
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: Are we being served?
7/16/2009
By Hartley Henry
The caller was adamant that it was the Leader of the Opposition who was behind a recent criticism of me that was carried in the political gossip column of the other publication.
He insisted that the concern about my absence from the country was consistent with laments that had emanated from the Leader of the Opposition in her tabling of a Parliamentary Question several months ago. I maintained on this occasion that it could not have been Ms. Mottley.
The temptation is great, I am aware, to direct criticisms of a party at its leader. Therefore the caller was well in order to suggest that my presence in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis over the past two weeks was of such concern to Ms. Mottley that she would have articulated this publicly and it was from there that the authors of the gossip column would have gotten the motivation to write about my working outside Barbados while retained as an advisor to the government.
It is a subject I would welcome being put under the microscope. Firstly, the facts are that I have not signed on a new client since accepting a consultancy with the government of Barbados. Indeed, I have not renewed any of the contracts that expired since January 15th, 2008. I am currently in the process of “serving out” existing contracts, with the view of working full time in Barbados in the service of my country. That is the sacrifice I am willing to make at this time.
But my insistence that it could not have been the Leader of the Opposition who “squealed on me” was predicated on the fact that sitting across the political divide from me in the court of St. Kitts these past two weeks, in clear view, was none other than the Leader of the Opposition of Barbados. Indeed, some Kittitians joked that it was a “Bajan invasion”, because Barbados born High Court Judge, Francis Belle is presiding in the matter to determine if, how and when constituency boundaries in St. Kitts and Nevis will be altered.
Onlookers understood and never questioned the presence of Justice Belle pressing or Yours Truly, whose association with the ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party dates back to 1993. However, it was mystifying to many that a sitting Leader of the Opposition and, one would assume, Prime Minister-in-Waiting of a sister island, would become so embroiled in a clearly partisan political matter, even though she would have been retained ostensibly as legal counsel.
What is even more confusing to Kittitians is that the former Prime Minister of Barbados and immediate past leader of the Barbados Labour Party, Owen Arthur, addressed the annual conference of the ruling party sometime ago and spoke glowingly of the work of that government and its esteemed leader, Dr. Denzil Douglas.
The fallout for the Barbados Labour Party from Mottley leading the charge for and on behalf of the opposition Peoples Action Movement is colossal. Still, that is a matter for Ms. Mottley and her Parliamentary colleagues to discuss and reconcile.
My interest in the matter stems from the relative silence of the Leader of the Opposition in Barbados over the past few weeks in the midst of several rather contentious issues being debated in public.
As a member of the public, I was looking forward to Ms. Mottley’s response to decisions taken at the just concluded Prime Ministerial meeting in Guyana, when the thorny issues of immigration and free movement of Caricom nationals were discussed.
Barbados and Barbadians came under heavy fire for what in the end turned out to be a misunderstanding of this country’s position and the stance it took on the matter of unregulated and undocumented migration. Prime Minister David Thompson was forced to lead the charge into Georgetown and silence the critics of this country. Just imagine how powerful the message would have been had the two principal political voices in Barbados spoken in unison.
For the first time in years, a serious deliberate attempt is being made to streamline the operations of the Barbados Water Authority and pursue a sustainable programme of water security. Rates to the customer were increased, but the central issue of water security was at the forefront of public debate. Other issues such as the start up of summer camps for 9 000 school children and final touches to Crop Over 2009 were all begging for intervention and input from the Leader of the Opposition, but what the country got was the constant serving of political trivia from two ex-DLP operatives who have now come to personify what the Barbados Labour Party of 2009 is and is about.
It is not part of my remit to advise the Barbados Labour Party on its current trajectory, but placing the party on auto pilot and in the hands of these two political personnas make absolutely no political sense. Interestingly, these said two individuals were ten years ago leading the charge for David Thompson as Leader of the Opposition against the then BLP Government. It’s anybody’s guess where their allegiance will be four years from now. Personally, I believe the BLP can do better!
I could have sat silent and permitted Ms. Mottley to be accused and blamed for criticising persons earning public funds and pursuing business interest elsewhere. But I do not believe that would have been fair to her. Definitely, not on this occasion!
(Hartley Henry is a regional political strategist. He can be reached at hartleyhenry@gmail.com)
Wishing In Vain // July 15, 2009 at 11:50 PM
But David I was waiting for you to let the Barbadian public know of the latest development going on within the BLP camp????
I have not seen you publish anywhere the very recent development from the BLP camp, as recently as yesterday the former leader was in recruitment mode and has openly stated his intention and desire to regain the leadership of HIS party, the first step to doing so will be his assault on the post of Chairman of the party and this will take place during their conference in September sometime, he has opening stated this to be his intention as in his view Mottley killing the party.
He has also made personal calls and visits to those persons trying to get them to sign onto to his program to regain his standing. ,
David // July 16, 2009 at 12:05 AM
@WIV
We only have your word, it would be nice to have corroboration!
Anonymous // July 16, 2009 at 2:17 AM
Why is now no longer aproblem that there are divisions within the BLP?
We are now begining to see the political agenda of the Nation since in the past the DLP’s problem was plastered every day on the front pages of the fishwrap called a newspaper.
Not so now for the BLP.
I suppose different strokes for different folks.
Micro Mock Engineer // July 19, 2009 at 9:34 PM
$3.5 million later, here are the main findings of the St. Joseph Hospital inquiry:
i. Project was not brought before the Planning and Priorities Committee
ii. Main contractor was paid $2.9 million without a formal contract
iii. Main contractor simultaneously provided building services at hospital project and Minister’s residence
iv. No final account prepared by the contracted quantity surveyors
v. Hospital recruitment decisions made by Ministry rather than hospital board
vi. No one guilty of any wrongdoing
ROFL
The main recommendations…
i. Better training for public officers
ii. Better accounting system
iii. A Code of Ethics for holders of public office
LOL
The new Minister of Health says that he and his team will soon be announcing plans for the property.
Hopefully they have received “better training” than their predecessors. :-)
Sargeant // July 21, 2009 at 10:22 PM
“And still we rise” (Maya Angelou) or perhaps not.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1911882,00.html
David // July 22, 2009 at 7:08 AM
In Obama land we see the racial thing is still active, no less!
Yardbroom // July 24, 2009 at 2:03 PM
Sad News Report:
Five (5) Jamaican athletes have tested positive for drugs at their national championships, four males and one female.(names not yet disclosed)
Reported: 24th July 2:45pm
Sapidillo // July 24, 2009 at 2:40 PM
YB,
It’s sad indeed. No matter Country, Color, Race or Creed, the attitude within human nature is, “it aint gine happen to me; I accustom dodging de bullet.”
But as the old folks say, “wuh aint catch yuh, aint pass yuh. And so true.
Negroman // July 24, 2009 at 3:11 PM
David & the rest
I hope it is apparent to you & the rest that this is a racist world and no matter what the achievements of Black people are we will never be accepted or respected by the other races.
An Bharat Obama presidency in the most racist nation on this earth means nothing to the white criminal bastards of this world.Many of us fortunately not me,nor Hopi & even JC are fooled into believing that Black People have finally gain the acceptance of the white killing bastards of this world.
It is no surprise to me that Black People are still being kill,torture & brutalize and are subjected the worst possible treatment by the other ethnic groups.
The time has long passed for us Black People to forget about co-existence with the other ethnic groups.We should be looking to build great Black empires that will be in able to protect & defend us.
No assimilation of the races will change the state that we as Black African people is in today.Those anti-black blacks & token blacks daily face the harsh realities of this racist world but are embarrassed to accept the situation.Many of these nuisance blacks try to live a white life by marrying & producing half caste mutant children like President Obama ,Tiger Woods and our own Esther Byer-Suckoo & the political cadaver David Comissiong.
The Scout // July 24, 2009 at 5:11 PM
Negro man
Black man’s biggest enemy is blacks. Until we can unite as one , blacks will always be downpressed
Hopi // July 24, 2009 at 5:30 PM
@Negroman……. You are so correct. Those of us BLACKS who are truly interested in advancing and uplifting our Black race really need to physically and mentally separate from every other race of beings on this planet. No matter what you do, you are nothing but fodder for all these parasites. Like I constantly say, we DO NOT NEED them, they need us. Without the sweat blood and tears of our foreparents and the natural resources from the Motherland land, the so-called civilized would still be stepping over their dead in their streets or better yet still be in their caves. And the saddest part about this is the TRAITORS and the COWARDS amongst us. I teach my children who they are and about their Ancestors as well as about the rest of this world, because I don’t want them to go thru this world with a veil over their eyes, pretending that they can’t see. So my Brother don’t give up just hang in there because all this shit is coming to a head. Their time is up!
Right now there’s a big stink going on about a Black professor who was arrested for “breaking and entering his own home” by a white cop.
@JC……….Hotep!
The Scout // July 24, 2009 at 6:00 PM
I hope it’s not any of the star athletes because the USA would shout for murder for being upstaged in the olympics.
The Scout // July 24, 2009 at 6:07 PM
As a young man, the fellows used to hangout by me on weekends, play dominoes, cards and eat somefood, drink some drinks. This continued even after I got married but stopped when I bought a piece of land and told them I was going to build. Most of them moved away from me because, according to them, I’m not in their league anymore, I move up. I still go back to my village and hangout with some of them but their lives have not improved and all they do is blame everyone except themselves.How sad
Wishing In Vain // July 25, 2009 at 2:19 PM
DLP column : Christ Church East Central chaos
7/25/2009
It’s pandemonium in here … Chaos. Last Sunday the Barbados Labour Party’s nomination meeting gave credence to this line in Blood’s party tune this year.
The other newspaper’s silence on the recent chaos at the nomination meeting
held in Christ Church East Central was interesting.
Mia’s choice of a candidate in the person of Desmond Sands has obviously upset some long-standing Barbados Labour Party campers. This nomination has brought into sharp focus the camps of Mia and Owen. In Owen’s corner is the former Minister and Senator Lynette Eastmond and in Mia’s corner is the victor Desmond Sands.
This feud is continuing to feed the public the naked truth regarding the happenings in Roebuck Street. Mia pretends that she is the supreme leader by engaging the nomination process from weekend to weekend. The uninvited Chairman of the Party, George Payne, has been politically emasculated and rendered impotent on these nomination matters. The race that Mia has started is causing ripples inside and outside of Parliament. These nomination meetings
appear to be Mia’s nomination meetings and not those of the Executive Council and National Council of the Barbados Labour Party. Mia has carved out a portion of the party and treats it as her own political play pen.
We have heard of Ms. Eastmond’s dissatisfaction and her unceremonious departure before the proceedings were completed. It is evident that the ‘on the ball’ print media in the form of the other newspaper was unable to report on this chaos. This is occurring at a time when the public is thirsty to hear what truly transpired at the nomination meeting. The truth be told, we would not expect this meeting and Lynette’s cry to make news, as we have become accustomed to the recent reporting history of the other section of the Press.
We must congratulate the operatives of the Barbados Labour Party with the swiftness at which they muzzled the chaos that continues to consume them. We will await the truth about what is actually occurring in the belly of the Opposition.
The other newspaper was able to obtain some sketchy comments on
an alleged rift in the top brass of the Royal Barbados Police Force, yet they are unable to tell us what is happening with the top brass of the Opposition. We are asking for equal reporting enthusiasm regarding what is taking shape among Payne, Mia and Owen. The three-way split in the leadership had lead to creation of a three-headed Opposition that is floundering on critical policy matters. It is truly sad that the once Trojan horse of a Party has deteriorated to its current form.
We await full communication of the truth On a more prosperous side, we want to encourage all Barbadians to go out and have a safe and enjoyable Crop Over 2009.
We acknowledge the hard work that Minister Blackett has been undertaking and we congratulate him and his staff for a fantastic job to date. As promised, the Ministry of Culture has delivered in the face of global and regional adversity.
The Ministry has demonstrated what ideas and hard work can do with shrinking resources. This Democratic Labour Party’s Government will not waver in its commitment to deliver on all fronts. We wish all an enjoyable semi-finals and Farley Hill party.
Wishing In Vain // August 1, 2009 at 2:43 AM
DLP Column: Liz is bare talk
8/1/2009
Can you imagine Senator Liz Thompson finding the voice to speak about the Democratic Labour Party’s performance in Housing? This is the former Minister of Housing whose husband was awarded the contract for changing a NHC unit roof at Kensington Lodge under her stewardship, and had oversight for the now famous Golden Shower in Silver Sands.
The former administration has a record located in failed housing ventures such as Coverley, Bulkeley Meadows, and Deans town while undertaking large scale commercial projects such as the Warrens Complex and NHC Complex. They failed to put in place the framework to facilitate their programmes such as sale of Terrace Units, Primary Homes and the Tenantry Lots Programme.
These housing concepts remained as ideas since all housing projects under her tenure were a total failure. Let us not forget the ten houses built in St. Philip since 1994, which were never conveyed in the three terms the Barbados Labour Party served. It was the incoming Democratic Labour Party’s Minister of Housing, Michael Lashley, who made wrongs things right for those new homeowners.
Minister Lashley has earned a reputation for having ‘a hands-on’ approach to addressing the issue of housing. He has demonstrated without a doubt that the House Every Last Person [H.E.L.P] initiative is not a political ploy. The HELP initiative is not an idea, but is in the process of delivering to those hopeful homeowners.
Minister Lashley has overseen the construction of 51 houses at Greens, 31 in Marchfield, 44 in Workmans, 40 in Fourhill. We are in the process of erecting 64 houses in Constant, 18 houses in French Village, 50 pilot project homes in Coverley, and we are returning to the construction of 20 rental units at Stuart’s Lodge. The Minister has already identified the almost 500 lots for first-time homeowners through his visionary leadership. Our $5 lot programme is not to be identified with the support given under the Tenantries Free Hold Purchase Act. We are selling outright to first time owners. We have acknowledged what the market has done to the price of land and intervened to ensure that a segment of our society can afford a house spot.
The Government’s agenda is driven by a desire to strengthen the social safety net. We will not waiver in our ideas about what Barbadians deserve. It can be no coincidence that Prime Minister David Thompson had to respond to a criticism, from the Barbados Labour Party, which implied that as locals we should not have access to beach-front land for housing. Our attempt to acquire land at Sam Lord’s Castle for low to middle income housing must be viewed as yet another stage in our HELP initiative.
We are still waiting for the view of the Opposition Senator on that particular matter. We are suggesting for the historical records, that the former Minister of Housing, having now found her calling, apologise to all the potential homeowners that she gave hope to and never delivered. She took thousands of Barbadians into her confidence and betrayed that confidence by not delivering on the promises. We are suggesting, as a matter of principle, that she comes to the public and admits that she was a failure as Housing Minister and repents of her political transgressions.
Minister Lashley has done more in 18 months that his three predecessors did in 14 years. On this occasion we salute the staff and the Minister for continuing to Chart Pathways to Progress.
Sir Bentwood Dick // August 1, 2009 at 1:05 PM
For those of you who are not yet aware, the sad news is that West Indies Cricket Legacy, passed on yesterday, in St.Kitts.
Unfortunately, for some it was expected, due to a complete lack of confidence in those responsible for the attempted resusitation over the past few years.
We shall remember the good old days, with fondness.
RIP WI Legacy 1934-2009
bi-racial *hottie* // August 9, 2009 at 11:53 AM
@ NEGROMAN>> the greatest form of mind control is HATE … in **EVERY** form… i am suprised @ your statement and i quote “It is no surprise to me that Black People are still being kill,torture & brutalize and are subjected the worst possible treatment by the other ethnic groups” . have u educated yourself on the atrocities in rwanda, sudan, congo, haiti,ethiopia? let your anger motivate u to take action to help make a CHANGE.. u can impact the world with your disgust for inequities of ALL TYPES by doing something POSITIVE. every change first starts with a change of MIND… then a change of HEART. as they say ‘IGNORANCE IS BLISS’
David // August 9, 2009 at 4:55 PM
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary leadership
Sunday, August 09, 2009
The following is the sectoral debate presentation made by Member of Parliament for West Central St James Clive Mullings in Parliament recently:
These are extraordinary times. It is also a time requiring extraordinary leadership. There is no place for the blind ideologue or the cynical pragmatist. What is required is an understanding of world events and to see in those convulsions an opportunity to create a space for the developing nations in a new financial architecture. I will focus on the single most debilitating factor impacting growth in Jamaica and, by extension, some countries of the developing world. It can be summed up in one word: "Debt".
The global financial debacle did not happen by chance. The very rating agencies on whose ratings the future of our economy hangs have been exposed as aiders and abettors of this meltdown. You may ask, how was this possible? These agencies give ratings for what has been described as collateralised debt obligations (CDOs) which appeared on the financial landscape in the late 1980s. Let’s take a look at how the credit debacle unfolded: First, commission-based mortgage brokers talked credit-impaired "John Doe" into a more expensive house (and hence more debt) than he could afford. Banks gave Doe the mortgage since they rarely saw home values depreciate. Since Doe had a house that was appreciating in value, he was able to get more credit and higher loans to purchase other goods. The banks sold these debts to investment banks, which aggregated them and split them into different classes called collateralised debt obligations and sold the different investment classes to financial institutions.
Following this, interest rates went up and home prices went down. Analysts predicted the CDOs would be impaired, but they didn’t know the amount. In turn, the investors within financial institutions that had CDOs had to mark down their investments, which led to the subprime mess. Hypothetically, John Doe may face foreclosure, his mortgage broker may be out of a job, his bank may be out of business and his 401(k) may be significantly lower, all because home prices don’t always appreciate.
MULLINGS… the IMF facility is a mere stop gap and we are in danger of making it seem to be the panacea for our ills
Alan Greenspan is on record as saying he does not understand what mathematical formula could allow rating agencies to have a mix of C grade and B grade assets and yet come up with an A grade CDO. However, that’s exactly what happened, and to quote Warren Buffet, "these CDOs became financial weapons of mass destruction". In fact, the subprime crisis was precipitated by CDOs as outlined earlier. Hedge funds invested in CDOs and many of these instruments were traded internationally with other banks.
So what is the significance for countries like Jamaica? Firstly, the integration and interdependence of financial markets facilitated the contagion. Secondly, the consequences of collapsing demand in one country, such as the motor vehicle industry in the United States, has resulted in a falling off of demand for exports such as bauxite and alumina which has had a disastrous effect on Jamaica.
I have taken some time to explain this derivative so that there can be an investigation into the operations of these rating agencies to ensure that their ratings are properly founded and credible. However, more fundamentally, it is to direct our attention to the gaping void yet to be filled by a leader who will articulate clearly and eloquently the need for a review of the debt obligations of developing countries such as Jamaica and to fit that within a call for a new financial architecture. This must inevitably lead to a review of multilateral agencies such as the IMF and The World Bank.
The Minister of Finance has raised the issue of poor developing countries while in Chile with the heads of The World Bank and the IDB, but this must be placed firmly on the G20 and G8 agendas by a leader of the poor developing nations, not from a position of ideological contretemps but enlightened self-interest to which the global financial crisis lends itself as a ready crucible. However, we are in danger of not seeing the forest for the trees and being lost in minutiae and blind insularity.
Instead of sounding the death knell for Caricom, or allowing my good friend and former classmate, the prime minister of Barbados, to sidetrack the region with issues of immigration control within his borders, it is time for extraordinary leadership to seize the moment and not merely repeat quotable quotes of "a crisis is a terrible thing to waste" while at the same time wasting it.
Quite recently, Mr Minh Pham, United Nations resident co-ordinator, wrote an article in the Observer entitled "Room to Breathe" in which he suggested that Jamaica needs a Kingston Club to break the national debt squeeze. He opined that the debt to GDP ratio stood in excess of 100 per cent. "This debt burden, the fourth highest per person in the world, is crushing and together debt servicing and civil servant salaries comprise 79 per cent of Jamaica’s national budget. The opportunity presented is for Kingston Club as opposed to the Paris Club – which is a group of public lenders from the world’s richest countries – or the London Club, its equivalent among international private creditors, to serve as the arena for comprehensive debt discussions between the Government and its domestic creditors as an integral part of the social partnership to create space for development spending." In other words, a credible debt management strategy. We are not suggesting a default on debt servicing, as this would result in a constitutional breach and we need not fear capital flight, as the return on capital elsewhere is minuscule in a recession-hit world facing a severe credit crunch. This is indeed a time for extraordinary leadership to inspire partnership and collaboration.
The issue of debt is by no means a Jamaican phenomenon, although our situation is far worse than many in the region. However, one would have thought that at the recent Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Caribbean leaders would have arrived at a collective position on the issues of debt and multilateral financing, as they sat face to face with many G20 countries. We gather that this was not on the agenda which had been set some time before. If this is so, then in a time when the global financial crisis has become the greatest threat to global economic stability in 75 years, then the agenda should have been adjusted to reflect this reality.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stated that "the global financial crisis has demonstrated already that it is no respecter of persons, or of particular industries, or of national boundaries. It is a crisis which is simultaneously individual, national and global. It is a crisis of both the developed and developing world. It is a crisis which is at once institutional, intellectual and ideological. It has called into question the prevailing neo-liberal economic orthodoxy of the past 30 years – the orthodoxy that has underpinned the national and global regulatory frameworks that has so spectacularly failed to prevent the economic mayhem which has now been visited upon us."
This leads us inevitably to the debate concerning the IMF. Let us not forget our present context. Global equity markets have lost approximately US$32 trillion in value since their peak, which is equivalent to the combined GDP of the G7 countries in 2008. Credit markets have all but dried up with credit growth at their lowest levels since World War II. In developing countries, the International Labour Organisation predicts that the crisis will push more than 100 million people into poverty. However, our domestic crisis predates this global one as our own fiscal deficit increased and debt servicing has climbed creating a culture of government paper, or risk-free reward without the burden of inventories, labour or unions. This is by no means a criticism of holders of government paper because if the Government did not offer it, they could not have been taken.
Some hard decisions however will have to be made if we are to reverse the trend of escalating debt servicing requirements, and the capping of the debt supported by constitutional provisions must now be firmly placed on the table.
If we are to move beyond the platitudes which so often afflict the political order, we must become more efficient and less corrupt. How can we become more efficient if 90 per cent of the education budget is for wages and salaries? How can we attain education transformation if we fail to curb this appetite for debt? The answer cannot only be found by raiding the National Housing Trust or prevailing on the PetroCaribe fund. A structural adjustment must be made within our own budgetary provisions. When will we bell the cat?
One of the tenets of the PetroCaribe Agreement is the funding of renewable projects. Do you know how many such projects have been funded thus far? One! And this was for US$50m for the expansion of the Wigton Wind Farm with nine new wind turbines.
There is this constant competition, to find resources to fund the recurrent budget. The forward sale of bauxite and a reduction of our shareholding in CAP was one such situation. The sale of the JPS to Mirant in 2001 was another such situation, and the suggestion of selling our remaining 20 per cent shareholding in JPS was gaining currency. Hopefully that has been put to rest!
We have gone to the IMF and we had no choice as bauxite revenues are down, remittances are down and tourism is in flux. They bring in the foreign exchange while at the same time imports outstrip exports and the price of oil remains volatile.
Our external accounts face tremendous challenges. I believe that the issue of the conditionalities of the IMF must be faced squarely and put on the international agenda, given the present context of an integrated financial system. However, the IMF facility is a mere stop gap and we are in danger of making it seem to be the panacea for our ills. It is not! Debt management, fiscal discipline, debt renegotiation must all be part of the mix! We must take whatever decisions are necessary to create space for real investment in agriculture and education. We must also diversify our energy sources, promote the use of ethanol to help to reduce our transportation oil bill and create linkages in a viable bio-fuels industry. The collaboration that is required must speak to hard numbers and emphasis on those sectors that will take the country out of this downward spiral. We need to build institutional capacity and project management in government. Unfortunately, we have created an industry of research papers, consultations, reports and government policies. Each government comes with a new one in a constant paper mill
with not enough emphasis placed on execution.
We need to look more closely at the debt we have incurred and the purposes for which it has been incurred to ascertain whether we are servicing under-utilised debt, thereby having the burden without the benefit.
We must use technology to be more efficient. I urge the prime minister to immediately task the Central Information Technology (CIT) office to break down firewalls of inter-ministerial fiefdom and make information flow seamless so as to make Government efficient and the execution of projects expeditious. We can reduce cost by use of the software which allows inter-ministerial communication on a network thereby using extensions rather than tolled numbers.
We have now engaged the IMF. It is still not too late to call for the governance structure of the IMF to be reviewed. A lot has happened since Bretton Woods of 1944. America is now indebted to China, and India and Brazil have become economic powers. It is now time to put squarely on the agenda a call for them to increase their contributions to multilateral agencies such as the IMF and for them to have a greater voice in decision-making. While we cannot go it alone, we must fill the void of silence. The region must awake from its slumber. We must leverage our position as an influential nation that has already conquered the world in sports and music. We must regain our voice.
Australian Prime Minister Rudd said: "The impact of the crisis on poverty and political stability in the developing world has not been fully registered in the global debate about global responses to crises so far… it becomes harder and harder as developed countries’ budgets come under ever more stress from the unprecedented domestic demands now placed upon them by the crisis."
President Barrack Obama recently said "there is no time to lose. The global economic crisis has hit the Americas hard, particularly our most vulnerable populations. Years of progress in combating poverty and inequality hangs in the balance… At the recent G20 summit, the United States pledged to seek nearly half-a-billion dollars in immediate assistance for the vulnerable populations while working with our G20 partners to set aside substantial resources to help countries through difficult times. We have called upon the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) to maximise lending, to restart the flow of credit, and stand ready to examine the needs and capacity of the IDB going forward." Obama said this at the Summit of
the Americas.
We must insist that the IMF be open to this examination and capacity as experiences of Latvia and Ghana are cause for concern. It was Henry Thorau who said "rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth". The level of government expenditure cannot continue to be propelled by this treadmill of debt; there will have to be reduction in some areas. This could very well impact employment levels. Education must have more resources available for teacher training, content delivery and to achieve 100 per cent literacy as a matter of urgency. Agriculture must drive internal demand for local produce and soil health and yield must be given pride of place. PetroCaribe funds must be used to fuel energy diversification as we seek to slash our dependency on foreign oil. The taxation on hybrid vehicles must be reversed if we are to achieve our strategic objectives. It is now time for the Kingston Club deliberations to begin, and failure is not an option. The IMF will be here and there may or may not be fall-outs or social dislocation, but we must look beyond the IMF and say "physician, heal thyself". We must not talk tough; we have been doing this for too long. We must engage our people in frank and open discussion. We are in a crisis and a template of hope must be put before them. Arrogance has no place in this dispensation, but fixity of purpose does. We must move beyond extending the hand of collaboration across this aisle, we must speak to each other and agree on the strategic objectives we must work together on, irrespective of whoever occupies the portals of government. To do otherwise is to hope for success but to ensure failure.
Anonnymous // August 11, 2009 at 6:48 PM
MCCLURKIN ON THE ROLE OF BLACK PASTORS: ‘I Get So Mad at These Preachers!’ — Singer/preacher to Essence.
April 1, 2009
Essence.com sat down with Grammy-winning gospel great Donnie McClurkin, who also serves as pastor of the Perfecting Faith Church in Long Island, New York and has a bone to pick with preachers who put money above the Lord.
Below are his thoughts on the role of today’s black churches and its pastors in this dwindling economy, as told to Essence.com:
As pastors, we have to link arms and have bipartisanships. The [black] church has always been the face of the community. Now we have to take on the responsibility of becoming true servants to the people from all walks of life. I get so mad when I see these pimpin’ preachers driving Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, flying around in their private jets, and making it seem like prosperity and money is the way of God when 90 percent of your congregation is on Section 8 or can’t figure out how they are going to keep their lights on or feed their kids. I’m big on perception, and what would it look like for me to live so lavishly if the people in my church are struggling?
I’ve done great in gospel music, and only a few of us have accomplished what I have, and guess what? I live in the ‘hood, not some place on the outskirts of the ‘hood. There ain’t no gate around my house; I have a white fence because the people I pastor live in that community. I have one vehicle and it’s not a Mercedes, it’s a Lincoln Navigator. I don’t receive a dime—not an Abraham Lincoln copper coin—and haven’t for the last seven-and-a-half years because I’m okay.
I’ve even had members ask me why I choose to live in the same neighborhood, and it’s because I have to be able to relate. Do you think if Jesus was here on earth he’d be spending all his time in the church? No, he’d be out with the people who need him the most on the streets. People tell me how they want their pastor to be prosperous and I tell them I want the people to be prosperous. I’ve realized that just because you can go out and do something it doesn’t mean it’s the best thing to do.
If I wanted to buy a Phantom or Bentley I could and not hurt my pockets, but I’m okay with what I have. I can sing and work and I let all that money go back into the church so we can buy the delicatessen on the corner, or the house next door to make it state-of-the-art low-income housing.
We’ve trained our people to put their leaders on pedestals, and some people want to live vicariously through their pastor and say, “My pastor has this and he’s on television and so on,” but then what do you have? How have you prospered and grown? So when I hear other pastors say, “My people take care of me,” I’m thinking, But you’re supposed to be taking care of the people. I just don’t get it.
I don’t have a church, but I do have a church that I pastor. I can’t name something the Donnie McClurkin Temple because the people do not belong to me and if they did that would mean I have slaves. I am simply a vessel to deliver God’s word. At the end of the day, it’s God’s church, not mine.
Wishing In Vain // August 15, 2009 at 11:51 AM
corrected David,
I recently learnt of the passing of Sir John Stanley Goddard, an icon of the business world, an honest sincere humble and kind man.
He was one that I had the utmost respect and regard for and a man of the highest moral quality.
Barbados will sadly miss his wit and his business skills.
To his family I say keep the chin up and know that his work on this earth is done and it was well done.
I would like to extend to the family of Sir John Stanley Goddard our deepest regret at the news of his passing and may he Rest In Peace.
Green Monkey // August 20, 2009 at 9:51 AM
Here is a link to an interesting video about the improvements in some high school students’ behaviour and in their ability to learn which were brought about by providing them with nutritious meals instead of letting them feed themselves on their usual junk food diet.
http://www.therealfoodchannel.com/page/31.html
I know our own teachers are frequently complaining about haiving to deal with increasing numbers of incidents of bad/violent behaviour in the classroom. Maybe there are some lessons in this for us.
Yardbroom // August 20, 2009 at 2:59 PM
110 Metres Hurdles World Championships Berlin
Brathwaite Barbados Wins Gold Medal (1st Place)
Anonnymous // August 20, 2009 at 3:36 PM
This article from today’s Nation makes one wonder if a little child will lead us. Interesting!
AT FOUR YEARS OLD Kelé Coward wants to be more than just an ordinary servant of God.
In fact, on his way to our early morning interview, he sat in a van and told his mum Krystal: “I want Jesus to come into my life.”
She told him: “Just ask Him to.”
And so, with childlike faith, young Kelé closed his eyes and did as he was told.
Kelé, a lover of football, cricket, race cars and motorcycles, is a young worshipper with a beautiful voice – one who loves to sing gospel songs, and dance while doing so.
In fact, during the time spent in his presence, he willingly sang such songs as I Want To Be More Than An Ordinary Servant, I Love You Jesus Way Down In My Heart, Jesus Is The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me, Wide, Wide As The Ocean, Deep And Wide and Take A Grip, among others.
Kelé has been singing with meaning for the past two years, and his mum and Sunday school teacher have been instrumental in helping him hone his love for music, praise and dance.
When his little feet and hands start moving it’s hard to keep pace with him.
According to his mother, a member of her church’s worship team, she sings “a lot of songs at home; sometimes Israel and New Breed music. I’ve realised that Kelé listens to me as I sing and so he sings quite a number of worship songs also”.
Loves people
Kelé is very much in love with God and he loves people. In fact, it’s common for him to address female adults as “honey”, “sweetheart”, and “darling”, and he often speaks as an adult would.
For instance, when asked which school he would be attending from September, he bluntly stated: “I moving on to St Matthew’s Primary School.”
Kelé does not hesitate to talk about his love for Jesus.
“I love Jesus so much, and He wants me to love Him so much too. He wants me to obey Him and behave so I won’t get into trouble,” states Kelé.
The former member of Dee’s Creative Nursery and Pre-school, and Golden Steps Nursery, also knows his Bible well. Psalm 100 and Psalm 23 are among the Scripture he has memorised, and this young soldier in God’s army is always quick to repeat Phillipians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
“Whenever he is doing something that is giving him trouble, he says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” Krystal said of her only child.
In addition, Kelé is familiar with most of the Bible stories often told to children. For him, Goliath was the bad man who was killed by the mighty David. Likewise, Satan is the bad man whom he has “stomped under his feet”. And, he has the actions to show how he has achieved this.
Kelé, whose dad Kenroy Hope helps to chart him along the course of life, has a hearty appetite and enjoys sweet potato pie, macaroni pie and chicken, as well as hot dogs.
Praying is one of his passions. He prays on his own before meals and always at night before going to bed.
Undoubtedly, Kelé is no ordinary child, but then, that is the prayer of his heart. He wants to be more than ordinary for the sake of his much loved friend Jesus.
Sargeant // August 22, 2009 at 10:07 AM
I think that the attached article may be of some interest to bloggers
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/canadian-model-gets-google-tounmaskanastyblogger/article1257768/
Undertaker // August 23, 2009 at 12:53 AM
The Turks and Caicos loses independence
http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14258950
livinginbarbados // August 23, 2009 at 3:46 AM
@ ROK // August 23, 2009 at 12:36 AM
@LIB
“All anonymous women out there, you are now male. New rules. ROK does say rules dont matter so look out for further changes.”
So what was the basis for that statement. I tell you that I is the Creator?
Who you think you really is though? After this, I have nothing to do with you. I think those on this blog see where you coming from. I think you are just a big child. Anybody ever tell you so yet?”
++++++++++
You wrote:
“ROK // August 22, 2009 at 7:14 PM
You too bright! Never thought you would have picked that up. My humble apologies for underestimating your intelligence.” acknowledging the pronouns ‘he’/'his’ mean male.
++++++++++
You had written:
“ROK // August 22, 2009 at 11:17 AM
Are we that stupid that because of some amateur status rules to deny Ryan Brathwaite what he deserves? What rules what? We take this thing to heart and allowing foolish rules to get in our way?” AND
“ROK // August 22, 2009 at 5:51 PM
So don’t tell me about some rules made up by institutions, they just can’t stand up to a sovereignty. I will not sit here and allow you to twist everything to your whims and I will not be sucked in. The contents of the rules are unimportant in this case. These kinds of rules cannot stand in the way of a country’s progress.
We have Barbados Scholarships every year, offer the man one. He is deserving. No stupid rules can’t get in the way.”
I think that explains fully the bases of my comments.
Anonymous // August 26, 2009 at 12:58 PM
Interesting article
DIVORCE AGREEMENT
THIS IS SO INCREDIBLY WELL PUT AND I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT’S BY A YOUNG PERSON, A STUDENT!!! WHATEVER HE RUNS FOR, I’LL VOTE FOR HIM.
American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al:
We have stuck together since the late 1950’s, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course.
Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let’s just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.
Here is a model separation agreement:
Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.
We don’t like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we’ll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military.
You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O’Donnell (You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them).
We’ll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies and illegal aliens. We’ll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO’s and rednecks. We’ll keep the Bibles and give you NBC and Hollywood ..
You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we’ll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us.. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we’ll help provide them security.
We’ll keep our Judeo-Christian values.. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N.. but we will no longer be paying the bill.
We’ll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru station wagon you can find.
You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors. We’ll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We’ll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem. I’m sure you’ll be happy to substitute Imagine, I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.
We’ll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we’ll keep our history, our name and our flag.
Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I’ll bet you Answer which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.
Sincerely,
John J. Wall
Law Student and an American
P.S. Also, please take Ted Turner, Sean Penn, Martin Sheehan, Barbara Streisand, &
Jane Fonda with you.
P. S. S. And we won’t have to press 1 for English.
Green Monkey // September 2, 2009 at 7:51 AM
Washington Capitulates: Peak Oil Is Real
by Doug Hornig
Each year, generally in May, the Energy Information Administration publishes a less-than-eagerly-anticipated tome called the International Energy Outlook, 250+ pages of mind-numbing text, charts, graphs, and tables.
No one reads it. The mainstream media ignore it.
It’s the product of the best prognosticators in the Department of Energy. Okay, that may be what puts most people off. But if you’re patient enough to dig into it, it will cough up some fascinating nuggets of information.
The present edition is no exception. The report refrains from spelling out the conclusion that seems most obvious from its data. However, confirming a trend begun just last year, the 2009 edition clearly reveals that the government has been forced to admit that Peak Oil is coming. Moreover, it’s expected to arrive much faster than was believed as recently as two years ago.
This represents a remarkable turnaround in the agency’s opinion. Up until 2008, they were predicting unbroken growth in world oil supplies for the next two decades. But in ’08 and ’09, the rosy picture turned decidedly unrosier.
http://www.energybulletin.net/50005
Facts - BFP Removal // September 2, 2009 at 11:39 PM
David,
My apologies if I am wrong; but I seem to notice that you’ve removed the Barbados Free Press line-up from the Blog Roll.
I know they removed BU from their blog roll, but you continued to carry them.
I admired you for this. I don’t believe you need to respond in kind.
You can let it remainl; thereby showing that you are much more mature.
Facts
Sargeant // September 3, 2009 at 5:29 PM
The new school year has just started and here is Matthew Farley with micrometer in hand and a bit too touchy feely for my liking measuring a student’s tunic. It’s going to be a long year.
The article refers to the “national dress code”, could someone alert me as to what this entails lest I land in the local lock up on my next visit.
As to the length of the female students’ uniform, they should do what the Catholic School Board in Toronto did to rectify the problem of kilts which shrunk in length between the time the female students departed from home and the time they arrived at school. They replaced the kilts with slacks and presto! problem solved. However such a solution is unlikely to work in Barbados because someone will come up with a regulation that the slacks should fit like the lower half of an Abaya and here we go again…. .
http://www.nationnews.com/news/local/Farley–copy-for-web
To Inkwell // September 3, 2009 at 9:30 PM
Inkwell …
I have been following the exchange between you and PiedPiper over on BFP, especially where you have asked him to name an incident where David of BU has verbally attacked bloggers, which he accused David of doing, and he has refused to reply to that. I chose not to post this on BFP because I have absolutely NO USE for the Canadian man who runs that blog and I am not a hypocrite, so I steer clear of BFP. He is determined to destroy Barbados. Here is what PiedPiper stated on September 2nd:
PiedPiper
September 2, 2009 at 10:57 am
“LIB, I would be very surprised if Chris Halsall actually met with you because that would mean having to retract many of the assumptions he has made. Your observations about BU are absolutely correct. You can ask a person over there a very direct question about an assertion they have made and you will never get an answer, instead you will be personally attacked for havng the unmitigated gall to question them and that includes the host David as well.”
First and foremost, PiedPiper states that he is a female. He is NOT. Let me give you a little scenario. I wish to fool people, by posting under several different names, but I cannot use the same IP each time. So I have a wife, a daughter, a son, other family and friends. So I e-mail them what I want posted on a Blog and … Bob’s your uncle! Several different names, several different IP’s. Simple. The “female” (PiedPiper) is the wife/daughter/whatever of Sargeant. Want to know how I know? A CLOSE MEMBER OF HIS FAMILY GAVE ME THE LOWDOWN! (And I don’t mean Hoadie!). This man is a chauvinist control freak – damn clever too – and he has managed to fool people for years. But he knows he will never fool me. He called BU bloggers “racist swine” under his PiedPiper name, yet he comes on here as Sargeant! He will eventually fall on his own sword.
Sargeant // September 3, 2009 at 10:13 PM
To The Person posting as To Inkwell & other Pseudonyms
I just spoke to a relative in B’dos but forgot to ask whether there was a full moon tonight, as someone is now baying at that spherical object. Oh I forgot Summer school is over so you have some time on your hands now that your playmates are back to real school. Those dastardly Canucks sure have a lot of time on their hands, they rush around from home to home using all these different computers with their different aliases and posting multiple contradictory messages, how on earth do they keep track? Let me see where I can post from now should it be from Come by Chance? or Conception Bay? I don’t want to go to Blow me Down since this is Hurricane season and won’t go to Slave Lake for obvious reasons.
Sargeant is really getting to you man, if you’re not careful the men in white suits will come to take you away…. What’s that? They are knocking at your door!!! Quick !!! Run and hide and take a bush bath at the next four cross road to get rid of the obeah that Sargeant is working on you.
I just remembered where I will send this post from…. St Louis du Ha Ha….
Annonymous // September 4, 2009 at 9:43 PM
I can’t verify the authenticity of this classroom discussion but the point is well made.
The very best of all! It should be in all school and college classrooms; churches, and homes. It’s amazing…wait’ll you see who wrote it!
‘Let me explain the problem science has with religion.’ The atheist
professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of
his new students to stand.
‘You’re a Christian, aren’t you, son?’
‘Yes sir,’ the student says.
‘So you believe in God?’
‘Absolutely.
‘Is God good?’
‘Sure! God’s good.’
‘Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?’
‘Yes’
‘Are you good or evil?’
‘The Bible says I’m evil.’
The professor grins knowingly. ‘Aha! The Bible!’ He considers for a
moment. ‘Here’s one for you. Let’s say there’s a sick person over here
and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you
try?’
‘Yes sir, I would.’
‘So you’re good…!’
‘I wouldn’t say that.’
‘But why not say that? You’d help a sick and maimed person if you
could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn’t.’
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. ‘He doesn’t,
does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he
prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you
answer that one?’
The student remains silent.
‘No, you can’t, can you?’ the professor says. He takes a sip of water
from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
‘Let’s start again, young fella. Is God good?’
‘Er..yes,’ the student says.
‘Is Satan good?’
The student doesn’t hesitate on this one. ‘No.’
‘Then where does Satan come from?’
The student falters. ‘From God’
‘That’s right. God made Satan, didn’t he? Tell me, son. Is there evil
in this world?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Evil’s everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything correct??
‘Yes’
‘So who created evil?’ The professor continued, ‘If God created
everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and accor ding to
the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.’
Again, the student has no answer. ‘Is there sickness? Immorality?
Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this
world?’
The student squirms on his feet. ‘Yes.’
‘So who created them?’
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his
question. ‘Who created them?’ There is still no answer. Suddenly the
lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is
mesmerized. ‘Tell me,’ he continues onto another student.
‘Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?
The student’s voice betrays him and cracks. ‘Yes, professor, I do.’
The old man stops pacing. ‘Science says you have five senses you use
to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen
Jesus?’
‘No sir. I’ve never seen Him.’
‘Then tell us if you’ve ever heard your Jesus?’
‘No, sir, I have not.’
‘Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelled your
Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or
God for that matter?’
‘No, sir, I’m afraid I haven’t.’
‘Yet you still believe in him?’
‘Yes’
‘According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
science says your God doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?’
‘Nothing,’ the student replies. ‘I only have my faith.’
‘Yes, faith,’ the professor repeats. ‘And that is the problem science
has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.’
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of
His own. ‘Professor, is there such thing as heat?’
‘ Yes.’
‘And is there such a thing as cold?’
‘Yes, son, there’s cold too.’
‘No sir, there isn’t.’
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested.
The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.
‘You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat,
unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don’t
have anything called ‘cold’. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero,
which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no
such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the
lowest -458 degrees.’
‘Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits
energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit
energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see,
sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We
cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat
is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of
it.’
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom,
sounding like a hammer.
‘What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?’
‘Yes,’ the professor replies without hesitation. ‘What is night if it
isn’t darkness?’
‘You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence
of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light,
flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing
and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? That’s the meaning we use to
define the word.’
‘In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were, you would be able to make
darkness darker, wouldn’t you?’
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This
will be a good semester. ‘So what point are you making, young man?
‘Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to
start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.’
The professor’s face cannot hide his surprise this time. ‘Flawed? Can
you explain how?’
‘You are working on the premise of duality,’ the student explains..
‘You argue that there is life and then there’s death; a good God and a
bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite,
something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought.’
‘It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less
fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is
to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive
thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.
‘Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved
from a monkey?’
‘If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man,
yes, of course I do.’
‘Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?’
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes
where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
‘Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and
cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you
not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a
preacher?’
The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion
has subsided.
‘To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student,
let me give you an example of what I mean.’
The student looks around the room. ‘Is there anyone in the class who
has ever seen the professor’s brain?’ The class breaks out into
laughter.
‘Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor’s brain, felt
the professor’s brain, touched or smelled the professor’s brain? No
one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of
empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have
no brain, with all due respect, sir.’
‘So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures,
sir?’
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his
face unreadable.
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. ‘I guess
you’ll have to take them on faith.’
‘Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with
life,’ the student continues. ‘Now, sir, is there such a thing as
evil?’
Now uncertain, the professor responds, ‘Of course, there is. We see
it everyday It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It
is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world.
These manifestations are nothing else but evil.’
To this the student replied, ‘Evil does not exist sir, or at least it
does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is
just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe
the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of
what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart.
It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness
that comes when there is no light.’
The professor sat down.
The student was Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein did write a book
titled God vs. Science in 1921…
If you read it all the way through and had a smile on your face when
you finished, mail to your friends and family with the title ‘Go d vs
Science’.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7
Green Monkey // September 7, 2009 at 9:08 PM
Received the following in an email from http://ae911truth.org (Architects and Engineers for 911 Truth)
AE911Truth with Richard Gage, AIA
LIVE STREAMED
from The Commonwealth Club of California
TOMORROW, Tuesday, Sept 8 starting at 5:45PM Pacific (8:45pm Eastern)
Dear AE911Truth Supporters,
1. An important event for the 9/11 truth movement will occur on Tuesday night in San Francisco when Richard Gage, AIA, speaks at the oldest public forum in the nation, The Commonwealth Club of California. Architects & Engineers For 9/11 Truth will webcast this event live on the Internet from our website AE911Truth.org.
We follow in the footsteps of the great David Ray Griffin, who first broke the 9/11 Truth barrier at the Commonwealth Club last year. In just under 40 minutes we will present the scientific evidence for the explosive controlled destruction of the 3 World Trade Center high-rises on 9/11. We will examine the behavior of these buildings as well as the explosive evidence found in the debris. More evidence may be found on our website and DVD.
A screening of this historic moment will be presented in New York City at 56 Walker Street. Also, everyone is encouraged to tune in on youy own computer as Mr. Gage explains why the official conspiracy theory put forth by NIST is not supported by the evidence, and that explosive controlled demolition is, very unfortunately, the only viable explanation for the WTC destruction in New York City on September 11, 2001.
Pre-register! If you are local and coming please make sure to get your tickets today as it might be sold out.
We’ll see you live at 5:45! (8:45pm Bajan time)
Link for live stream is:
http://brightpathvideo.com/AE/LiveStream.html
Micro Mock Engineer // September 8, 2009 at 10:39 PM
David,
You watching the Monfils – Nadal match?
David // September 9, 2009 at 12:42 AM
@MME
Missed it!
Green Monkey // September 10, 2009 at 7:17 AM
Prestigious online architectural news magazine publishes an article detailing evidence for the explosive demolitions of the 3 WTC towers on 9/11, Conspiracy theory or hidden truth? The 9/11 enigmas…:
http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.commentview&comment_id=158
Sapidillo // September 10, 2009 at 9:04 AM
I read an article on another blog which I found to be quite interesting. The article dealt with Education and Teaching in Barbados. It was written based on an article in the Nation News, July 21, 2009 which stated that “Teachers must have a B.Ed.”
This blog has discussed education from other angles. I would like to add there are teachers who joined the profession primarily to secure a job and a paycheck. IMO, to be a teacher, one should have a passion for the field.
With passion, next comes being knowledgeable in specific subjects at certain levels, and being able to apply it to all types of learners: those who grasp by listening, those who grasp by seeing, those who grasp by actually doing; and being able to communicate to the students. It is very important to balance teaching in a classroom. Having any type of degree is not the b-all, n-all.
There are other factors to be considered. We should not overlook there are those with a degree who barely made the passing grade. I am in no way implying that they cannot excel in the profession. We also have those who have done extremely well in the academics — excellent grades but yet they just don’t have the ability to show the passion in the classroom where it is much needed. There is much work other than academics that is required before one should be given the green light to be in a classroom.
With our current educational system and like many others there will be drawbacks for both the teacher and the student, whether it’s in kindergarten or at university level. Reason being there is too much focus on the piece of paper (degree) and not enough ability on teachers to inspire students.
Annonnymous // September 11, 2009 at 4:33 PM
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don’t feel threatened. I don’t feel discriminated against. That’s what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn’t bother me a bit when people say, ‘Merry Christmas’ to me. I don’t think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it.It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn’t bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it’s just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don’t like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don’t think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can’t find it in the Constitution and I don’t like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren’t allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that’s a sign that I’m getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it’s not funny, it’s intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham’s daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her ‘How could God let something like this happen?’ (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, ‘I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?’
In light of recent events… terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O’Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn’t want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn’t spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. We said an expert should know what he’s talking about. And we said okay. (Dr. Spock’s son committed suicide)
Now we’re asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don’t know right from wrong, and why it doesn’t bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with ‘WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.’
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world’s going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send ‘jokes’ through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you’re not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Media Transparency // September 11, 2009 at 6:41 PM
David
I am sending you this interesting article to be published as a BU article.
Background:This article is written by the owner of I95.5 fm radio station in Trinidad who is also a supporter of the PNM.
Apparently there are senior news heads and broadcasters who are anti-pnm and are blurring the line between politician and journalist.
When I read this I thought immediately of roxanne gibbs,vivian gittens and to a lesser extent carol martindale and their open bias towards the BLP.
Give it whatever heading you wish.
Could you post a comment on your thoughts on the article.
Thanks
————————————————–
Are The Media Saints Or Sinners?
11/13/2008.
This Speech Was Made By The Chairman Of Citadel Limited.On The Following Date 11/11/08.
I have invited you here this morning to place on record my concerns as a leader of a media house, as a concerned National, and above all, as one who believes very strongly in the freedom of the media.
With responsibility, the expectation has been that media practitioners will exercise sound judgment in the conduct of their affairs, and in the process, the wider society benefits from the work of responsible media.
Bear in mind, with responsibility comes accountability – the big question this morning is – to whom do the media account?
We now find ourselves between a ‘rock and a hard place,’ as the profession of journalism is under scrutiny as never before. This intense scrutiny has come about owing to the individual behavior of some media practitioners.
There are some Journalists who do not see their roles as having to report the facts, but rather see themselves in opposition to the Prime Minister and the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
There are some Journalists who consistently string together two points knowing there is no story, in the hope that they would get a reaction; that is the real story.
Journalists, who are also talk show hosts, spend much time criticizing the Prime Minster, and two minutes later put on a ‘news hat’ to read the news. Such people must decide if they wish to be ‘talk show hosts’ or journalists – particularly when so many of their utterances are anti-government and Anti-the Prime Minister.
The grim reality is that officials, both in the Private and Public sectors, are afraid to speak to the media – out of the single fear there will be no balance, no objectivity – no fairness!
Too many journalists write what they wish, and who, five days later would call for a comment after half the truth, sometimes lies, and indeed, innuendos, have solidified to become facts. This has not been a singular experience on my part.
The media cannot pretend it is a “saint” when it is very often a “sinner.”
I will not waste time in discussing the recent radio controversy except to say that it has brought us here and this is a good thing. I have listened to the arguments of “appropriateness” on this matter, and I am forced to laugh out loudly. I have sought to go deeper than the commentators and writers; I have read and listened to all on the subject. The question must be asked, “Had Prime Minister Manning done what you wished i.e. the appropriate thing; would we be here, this morning?”
I submit we would not have been here – simply because it would not be an issue (Think about the process).
I believe Prime Minister Manning believes he has been wronged consistently by some sectors of the media and has sought to address the matter in a unique way.
I commend him for finally bringing his concerns to our attention, in a manner that must force all of us to stop and think i.e. if you can think about your roles as media practitioners in a plural society.
There are too many media employees who are not sure whether they are “Journalists” or “Politicians in opposition to the Government,” and I don’t know you can be both.
I f you are a journalist, the expectation is balance, fairness, honesty, integrity, and above all, professionalism. On the other hand, if you are an opposition journalist/politician, and then continue doing what some of you do, and I am sure you will reap the rewards of your lack of professionalism.
It cannot be that the expectation of appropriateness must only be for the office of the Prime Minister, public officials, and none for the media.
My own “investigations” and I believe in these times investigations is not a known or common word in some areas of the media, suggests to me that politicians and public officials ‘shun’ the media, as they fear being mis-quoted, maligned and beaten up upon.
This is a sorry state of affairs.
How do the media see their role in treating with the private sector? Bear in mind that the private sector is crucial and impacts life in Trinidad and Tobago as much, if not as much as the Government. Do media workers exercise the same degree of tenacity, aggression, and disrespect to the private sector? I fear not! Trinidad and Tobago has seen two major financial institutions go through troubling times, and my concern is that there was an absence of sustained enquiry on the part of the media in both instances.
Fortunately, one pulled itself out the hole it found itself in, while the other, a Credit Union, collapsed – and with it, hundreds of poor ordinary folks lost their life savings.
I make this point to underscore that there is visibly inequity in application in the treatment the Government receives in comparison to the treatment the Private Sector receives, and both are fundamental to our democracy.
I believe a call has to be made to the sober minds remaining in the media, that ours, is a responsibility bigger and greater than the Government’s, and with this responsibility comes accountability.
Our accountability is to our readers, viewers, and listeners across the globe. We cannot continue business as usual as this could lead to anything.
In my view, in a democratic society, all citizens would not share the same views, beliefs, nor belong to the same political party, and this is understandable in a democratic society.
It is my belief in the action of polite disagreement that allows the growth of democracy.
Conversely, when we lose respect for each other because of disagreement over the views and beliefs and actions of another, we begin the downward slide away from democracy.
And in such circumstances, anarchy follows!
The grim reality is there are media practitioners who disagree with the Prime Minister and his Government, and who in their disagreement, show disrespect both to the ‘gentleman’ and the ‘office’ he holds.
You hear media practitioners of all ages refer to the Prime Minister as ‘Manning’ as if the Prime Minister is their schoolmate.
I believe we have got to go back to the ‘basics’ in this country or we may lose our society all together!
It must be ‘Prime Minister’ and ‘Archbishop.’ It must be ‘Father’ Harvey and ‘Magistrate’ X, it must be ‘School Principal’ X and ‘Matron’ Y. it surely cannot be Manning, and media managers have got to demand such professional standards.
On the other hand, I never hear Tony Sabga – it is always Mr. Sabga or Mr. Lok Jack or indeed Mr. Daly!
But all of this disrespect has been a long time coming – and if this recent event achieves one things, it is that we must all know the Prime Minister is concerned about standards in the media!
I am aghast that the Media Association has seen this purely as an opportunity to fight in the media with the Prime Minister! A serious professional association, I believe, would have sought to meet with the Prime Minister to hear his views and have its views heard. Instead, it is fighting within the media where it has all the ‘trumps!’
We cannot go on this way if we hope to grow as a country – where our children unborn world feel a sense of pride, a sense of nation!
If we wish to write and speak freely, it is incumbent upon all of us to act fairly, honestly, impartially, to give balance – balance and nothing else but balance. When we do this – neither Prime Minster nor other office holder will feel aggrieved to the extent that he is prepared to visit a broadcasting house unannounced to be heard.
As we debate appropriateness we might well be in a scenario of ‘pot calling kettle black.’ And while we have spent much time on appropriateness my fear is we have lost sight of the concern of the Honorable Prime Minster, which gave rise to his actions. This single action by the Prime Minster has been in my view most fortuitous as it has brought center stage the burning issues of professionalism within the media.
Some suggest that the Prime Minster ought to have taken his concerns to the Media Complaints Council (MCC), but I ask you to put yourself in his position. Do you take your complaints to Mr. Michael Williams, the Chairman of the Council and a known critic of the Prime Minister?
I will not go back to Mr. Panday who this week said he is supporting the media.
This company, like the short-lived Independent Newspaper, was born out of the harassment that came from Mr. Panday’s Government.
I hear Lawyers speaking, I suspect if I were today to demand of the Law Association a work program that will guarantee a more effective judicial system, I would probably be lynched. If libel matters were guaranteed to be completed form start to finish within three (3) months the media would be much more professional and responsible, and there would be no need for Mr. Manning to visit any media house to lodge his concerns.
I am certain of this as I am featured weekly in the column of a ‘has been’ media worker who hopes to resurrect his ‘dead’ career and dying newspaper, writing wild, misleading and libelous pieces week after week about my good self. And I am not the Prime Minister who by his large portfolio is the subject of a much wider platform of assault.
People aggrieved by the media have no cause to redress. In these circumstances, you have to appeal to the media house, who if they do not respect you, it is ‘you to catch!’
By comparison, in Parliament you have a system of privileges where Parliamentarians have been known to say anything with no redress for the person offended. This however, has been recently changed to allow members of the public who are aggrieved to write the Speaker to have corrections read and entered into the record of Hansard.
In the context of the media, if you are aggrieved, you must find huge resources to go to Court for a lengthy matter; sometimes ten (10) years or more. In the case of radio stations, you are at their mercy in getting a tape for your evidence.
It is against this background that I make the point that under the democratic system, failed politicians are held accountable at elections -the people speak at the ballot box. Under the same system, failed Journalists are free to do, say, and print whatever they wish unless strong management of the media take appropriate action for wrong doing, This however, is not common in the Trinidad and Tobago media.
When last did you hear of a Journalist or talk show host being disciplined for a lack of professionalism?
I wish to state that Citadel Ltd. has not been spared the ‘cancer’ of a lack of professionalism.
In this regard, we have been forced to not only discipline errant broadcasters, but we have been forced to make structural changes within our organization to ensure that no one is in a position to question our objectivity, integrity, and above all, balance in the conduct of news coverage and national debate.
Friends, I believe we need to appreciate there is a negative fallout from an absence of professionalism within the media. These professional practices must have a negative impact on the spirit, operations, and behavior of the National community. It is in this context, we must move with dispatch to bring the highest standards possible to our organizations.
I recommend, and call upon the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) meet at an early date to discuss urgently the matter of standards within the media. The reality is we now have an absence of professionalism, and if we do not fix ourselves, others will always attempt to do so!
On the other hand, the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago must become more aggressive and professional in the dissemination of information. Much of its good work remains an untold story, hence the very aggressive and negative reporting on its affairs.
When office holders like Minister Colm Imbert openly boasts that he will not speak to a media house, the fallout is mistrust and disrespect, not only of Minister Imbert, but of the Government!
People of the media, I thank you for being here, and it is my hope that you will find my concerns a ‘hook’ for ongoing discussion on the subject of “Professionalism within the Media of Trinidad and Tobago!”
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Green Monkey // September 13, 2009 at 5:24 AM
Video: The Shock Doctrine
The Shock Doctrine is the latest documentary from acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom, co-directed by Mat Whitecross. Based on Naomi Klein’s bestselling book, The Shock Doctrine argues that America’s ‘free market’ policies have come to dominate the world through the exploitation of disaster-shocked people and countries.
Both the film and the book argue that governments all over the world exploit natural disasters, economic crises and wars to push through radical free market policies. Klein calls this ‘disaster capitalism’ and in her view, disaster capitalism is as effective as psychiatric shock therapy at wiping our collective memory.
The film concludes that the result is often catastrophic for ordinary people and hugely beneficial to big corporations. The documentary also adds to Klein’s thesis – which was written before the recent market turmoil – and includes an analysis of how the financial world got into its current troubled state.
Sing(h) A Song // September 16, 2009 at 6:07 PM
I only have average common sense, but it has served me in good stead over the years. It went into overdrive today when I read an article on the Online Caribbean 360 Press, taken from the Jamaica Observer, and written by Rickey Singh.
Rickey Singh is asking P.M. David Thompson, “Why the hostility?” Here is a paragraph from his article: “ I returned to Barbados last week from a visit abroad with my wife, to further learn of concerns by professional media colleagues, family members and others about recent adverse comments by Prime Minister David Thompson that have been interpreted as directed at me as a “writer” who has engaged in “unfair and unwarranted maligning of Barbados and Barbadians” over its immigration policy…”
He continues: “The prime minister was at the time delivering the feature address at the August 23 annual conference of his Democratic Labour Party (DLP) when he made references, without calling names, to criticisms pertaining to the Government’s immigration policy and, in particular, what he chose to describe as “the definitive action we have taken on the issue of undocumented migration in Barbados”.
And further on: “To the best of my recollection, there is NOTHING I have written on this Government’s “immigration policy”, or on the critical comments made about the reported mistreatment of undocumented Caricom migrants, to warrant a public chastisement and threat as outlined in the text (of PM Thompson’s address).”
And finally, get a load of THIS: “In this context, let me also empathise with the pain that my colleague Carol Martindale, editor of the Sunday Sun, had to unnecessarily suffer due to a telephone call regarding the prominence and display to be given a poll conducted for the DLP by the Caribbean Development Research Services.”
So … my interpretation is: Rickey Singh can’t understand why P.M. David Thompson is being “hostile” towards him when he learns “about recent adverse comments by P.M. David Thompson that have been interpreted as directed at me …”
Then, he goes on to admit that he (Thompson) made references WITHOUT CALLING NAMES!! Well, hang on a minute – how does Singh draw the conclusion – in one breath – that Thompson has been directing adverse comments at him, and in the next breath he admits that Thompson did not call names!!! (This man Singh smokes weed??)
To crown it all, he claims that “there is NOTHING I have written on this Government’s “immigration policy” … to warrant a public chastisement and threat …” So, what’s your beef, then, Singh? What the hell is your problem?
As to the last paragraph, Singh “empathises with the pain that my colleague Carol Martindale …” “had to unnecessarily suffer due to a telephone call …”
Oh, really? So will Singh later DENY having ever written ANYTHING regarding his empathy with Carol Martindale?
We shall have to wait and see.
Annonnymous // September 17, 2009 at 11:39 AM
Rules Kids Will Not Learn In School
Posted Tue, 09/15/2009 – 06:56 by Doug Covey
Last night my wife and I attended meet the teacher at our daughters school. While observing the classroom, there was a picture of Bill Gates with a list of rules that kids will not learn in school. The list resonated with me and although it has apparently been around for some time, I thought it fitting now that schools are back in session. Apparently there is discussion on the Internet if Bill Gates generated the list and gave the speech to a graduating high school class. What I discovered was the list is the work of Charles J. Sykes, author of the 1996 book Dumbing Down Our Kids: Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves But Can’t Read, Write, Or Add. Evidently there are 50 Rules, I thought this short list was a good start.
1. Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teen-ager uses the phrase “It’s not fair” 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever. When they stated hearing it from their own kids, they realized Rule No. 1.
2. The real world won’t care about your self-esteem as much as your school does. It’ll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. This may come as a shock. Usually, when inflated self-esteem meets reality, kids complain that it’s not fair. (See Rule No 1)
3. Sorry, you won’t make $40,000 a year right out of high school. And you won’t be a vice president or have a car phone either. You may even have to ear a uniform that doesn’t have a Gap label.
4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait‘til you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure, so he tends to be a bit edgier. When you screw up, he’s not going to ask you how you feel about it.
5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it opportunity. They weren’t embarrassed making minimum wage either. They would have been embarrassed to sit around talking about Kurt Cobain all weekend.
6. It’s not your parents’ fault. If you screw up, you are responsible. This is the flip side of “It’s my life,” and “You’re not the boss of me,” and other eloquent proclamations of your generation. When you turn 18, it’s on your dime. Don’t whine about it, or you’ll sound like a baby boomer.
7. Before you were born your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning up your room and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. And by the way, before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your bedroom.
8. Your school may have done away with winners and losers. Life hasn’t. In some schools, they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. Failing grades have been abolished and class valedictorians scrapped, lest anyone’s feelings be hurt. Effort is as important as results. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life. (See Rule No. 1, Rule No. 2 and Rule No. 4)
9. Life is not divided into semesters, and you don’t get summers off. Not even Easter break. They expect you to show up ever day. For eight hours. And you don’t get a new life every 10 weeks. It just goes on and on. While we’re at it, very few jobs are interested in fostering your self-expression or helping you find yourself. Fewer still lead to self-realization. (See Rule No. 1 and Rule No. 2.)
10. Television is not real life. Your life is not a sitcom. Your problems will not all be solved in 30 minutes, minus time for commercials. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop to go to jobs. Your friends will not be as perky or pliable as Jennifer Aniston.
11. Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them. We all could.
12. Smoking does not make you look cool. It makes you look moronic. Next time you’re out cruising, watch an 11–year-old with a butt in his mouth. That’s what you look like to anyone over 20. Ditto for “expressing yourself” with purple hair and/or pierced body parts.
13. You are not immortal. (See Rule No. 12) If you are under the impression that living fast, dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse is romantic, you obviously haven’t seen one of your peers at room temperature lately.
14. Enjoy this while you can. Sure parents are a pain, school’s a bother, and life is depressing. But someday you’ll realize how wonderful it was to be a kid. Maybe you should start now. You’re welcome.
Anonymous // September 22, 2009 at 9:46 AM
A former FBI translator and now a whistleblower, Sibel Edmonds goes on the record with some startling testimony to high level corruption and treason in the US government she alleges she became aware of in her job as a translator for the FBI.
Kammie // September 26, 2009 at 9:53 AM
Can citizens tell me if it makes sense to say to persons you can choose not to be fingerprinted.
When entering St.Lucia you are photographed no questions asked.. Mr. Prime Minister we aint ready. What happen to the Barbados model that people internationally refer to, we seem to be losing our place on the world stage.
mash up & buy back // September 26, 2009 at 10:34 AM
Kammie
I agree with you on that.
First of all that BLP opposition in Mia Mottley and Dale Marshall are such jackasses.
Can you imagine that even though the BLP know how much forged passports these guyanese who are deported turn back here with,and yet they hold a press conference to condemn the government for fingerprinting persons entering the aiport.
The other joke about this is the government telling us that this fingerprinting is not mandatory,you are asked to participate.
What nonsense is this.Pilot project my eye!
This government is coming across as too soft .
Do what you have to do prime minister and stop trying to waver on every thing.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways – Take the necessary harsh measures you need to take man.
Rihanna Fan (Not Bimbro!) // September 28, 2009 at 6:27 AM
Oh boy! Check out a beautiful picture of Rihanna and a … MONK!! … in Italy in the UK Daily Mail today. Whatcha going to find nasty to say about the girl now?? Beak brek.
Green Monkey // October 11, 2009 at 4:25 PM
Today, Sunday Oct 11, at 5:00pm EDT (same as Bajan time) a webcast by architect Richard Gage of http://www.ae911truth.org
Link to view the webcast is:
http://richardgageboston.org.
Details below from http://www.911blogger.com/node/21591 :
kiki // October 11, 2009 at 5:14 PM
Long Shot Kick De Bucket
http://555dubstreet.wordpress.com/category/pioneers/
NINCUMPOOP // October 19, 2009 at 6:40 PM
JUST RECIEVED THIS JOKE IN AN EMAIL
Prime Minister’s Office
Bay Street
St. Michael
Barbados
Dear People of Barbados,
Due to the current financial situation caused by the slowdown of the economy, your Government has decided to implement a scheme to put workers 50 years of age and older on early retirement. This scheme will be known as RAPE (Retire Aged People Early).
Persons selected to be RAPED can apply to the government to be eligible for the SHAFT scheme (Special Help After Forced Termination).
Persons who have been RAPED and SHAFTED will be reviewed under the SCREW program (Scheme Covering Retired Early Workers). A person may be RAPED once, SHAFTED twice and SCREWED as many times as the government deems appropriate.
Only persons who have been RAPED can get AIDS (Additional Income for Dependants & Spouse) or HERPES (Half Earnings for Retired Personnel Early Severance). Obviously, persons who have AIDS or HERPES will not be SHAFTED or SCREWED any further by the government.
Persons who are not RAPED and are staying on, will receive as much SHIT (Special High Intensity Training) as possible.. The government has always prided itself in the amount of SHIT it gives out. Should you feel that you do not receive enough SHIT, please bring this to the attention of your local MP. They have been trained to give you all the SHIT you can handle.
Sincerely,
David J Thompson,
Prime Minister
Wishing In Vain // October 23, 2009 at 8:11 AM
DLP column: Two years + Mia = Nought
Can you believe the Leader of the Opposition is finally agreeing with the Prime Minister? The recent comments regarding the ‘ban on cell phones in schools’ by the Opposition leader, in the House of Assembly on Tuesday 20th October 2009 will go down in history. It appears to be the first public acknowledgment that the Prime Minister is doing something right.
Our Prime Minister has been consistent in his defence of the country’s youth. His call for a higher level of responsibility from the operators of the Public Service Vehicles was matched with free rides on public buses for all school children.
The securing of public funds, to enable a wider cross-section of young people, to attend camps all year round, at no cost is still to find favour with the Opposition. We are not holding out for support on these two issues but we challenge the Opposition to rescind this policy, whenever they see office again.
After nearly two years in Opposition, Mia has developed an ideology of opposing for opposing sake.
The Opposition advisors are doing an injustice to their leader who is clearly not going to be allowed to settle in. The history of her journey into Opposition would reveal that she has failed her public on every front since talking up office.
The hurried manner in which she has gone about selecting candidates illustrates a leader without a mission.
The public snubbing by her former boss Arthur and the current chairman, George Payne paints a picture of a love hate triangle. The public is already aware of the distance that was created by Arthur with regards to Payne during their term in office with no closing of the ranks since coming to opposition.
If Mia Mottley is to push ahead of her rivals at the next Barbados Labour Party’s Conference, she needs to join forces with George Payne to defeat Owen Arthur.
A Mia Mottley or a George Payne alone cannot defeat a confident Arthur. He has already fired a shot across the bow by indicating, he is willing to serve in whatever capacity members want him to serve. One cannot help but admire the strategy of the former BLP boss. He was very pointed and calculated when he opted to go public. He did it just ahead of the conference, thus sending Mia’s team into a tail spin.
The poorly put together recently held press conference on their 71st Annual Conference was another instrument that failed to capture the imagination of the public.
There is clear and present danger on the horizon for the WAITING -IN -VAIN Prime Minister. Her last two years have tallied = nought.
She has prepared the wicket for Arthur to return by opposing for opposing sake. He offered no leadership tutelage in the period, as his wish of her demise is beginning to take shape.
We trust, however, in the interest of the loyal Opposition that they get their act together and begin to focus more on the needs of the country and not those in Roebuck Street.
It is quite pitiful that a once boastful political party could now be a shadow of itself in less than two years. But congratulations are in order for without Mia Mottley at the helm, the BLP would not of have had the distinction of such an achievement.. Well done Mia..
Edmund Dottin (Aka Dr Love) // November 16, 2009 at 10:44 PM
Greetings from the Bajan radio presenter…Edmund Dottin (aka Dr.Love) Sending Love to All My Fans, in Barbados.
It’s the full Prescription…’welcome to ‘The Love Zone’ …it’s a mix and blend of Lovers Rock, RnB, Motown, Soul and Classic Love Balads….smooth, sensual and seductive selections… Spreading a bit of sunshine into your hearts via your earlobes…It’s Pure Musical Bliss.. Tune in and listen live..It’s Love coming at ya…It’s all about ‘Keeping it Real’.. One Love ~ One Heart ~
log on to listen live Sunday 5pm to 7pm
http://www.tudnofm.co.uk
email your dedications to drlove@tudnofm.co.uk
dont forget to check out drloves blogs…lots of great music, videos, and links…new entries added daily..enjoy
Should Barbados Be The Next Monaco? « Barbados Underground // November 19, 2009 at 7:15 AM
[...] being transformed to a Monaco. In the month of November when Barbadians will be reminded of the Mirror Image speech, is this ‘our’ vision for Barbados and is it what our 500,000 long stay visitors [...]