Submitted by Anthony Davis Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has warned that if Government did not improve its revenue collection system, […]with the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) as the collecting agency, his administration would be forced to ‘impose heavier burdens’ on Barbadians – Barbados Today (1 August 2015) There are two things which jump out at…
<p><strong>Chris Sinckler</strong>, Minister of Finance (l) <strong>Fruendel Stuart</strong>, Prime Minister and Head of the Civil Service (r)</p>
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has warned that if Government did not improve its revenue collection system, […]with the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) as the collecting agency,
1) The Prime Minister seems to be saying: either Customs comes on board at the BRA – which it was agreed upon that it is not mandatory for them so to do – or we will be burdened with some pie in the sky tax as a punishment.
2) Once again this government seeks to lay the blame at someone else’s door step by stating that the BLP had this in mind, whereas they did not intend including Customs in the BRA they had envisioned.
This carrot and stick attitude reminds me very much of the colonial masters, and it does not augur well for our country and its populace because it does not matter what colour massa is!
These veiled threats are becoming too commonplace these days.
What the Prime Minister should do is to tell his Minister of Finance not to give away our taxes as if they were his own.
He is always crying out that he does not have any money to aid the poor, the needy and the vulnerable in our society, yet he can find millions to give to every Tom, Dick and Harry who steps off a plane purporting to want to give us free deals!
There is no such thing as a free lunch!
Put the freebies you want to give to Cahill Energy to better use, and stop harassing the populace of this country for willy nilly taxes and then misusing them!
135 responses to “Prime Minister STOP Harassing Taxpayers”
Violet C Beckles
Well when you dont listen to others that knows better then you have to deal with more pain ,, Much more pain to come Barbados,
Massive Land Fraud by the BLP being covered up by the DLP is the reason why we are here today,
To much long talk for to land and you all keep forgetting the add the land to the equation .
Its all about the land and will ever be about the land, cause and effect of Fraud and PONZI.
After this blame your ears for not listening .Blame your self for love of party and not love of truth,
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Dompey
Don’t be ignorant … politicians grease one another palms.
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Dompey
Violet Beckles
What do you expect the Barbadian electorate to do when there are only two political parties to choose from?
The choice is obviously between the lesser of the two evils? It is a choice between a hamcutter which offers little meat and one which offers plenty off it; common-sense would dictate.
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Well Well & Consequences
They have no choice but to harass taxpayers, the minorities are not enough in numbers to generate sufficient taxes to keep the country afloat and they are mere parasites anyway, either harass the taxpayers who are in the majority or go knocking on IMF’s door, no so bueno.
The real harassment to look out for from both DLP/BLP is when they will both very shortly be begging votes from the same majority blacks they have such disdain for after elections. That’s the real harassment coming down soon on Bajans.
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In and Out
Plaudits for Sinckler in telling Caswell Franklyn to f**k off ironically that suits Franklyn’s objective to be noticed by a Minister. After the chaos he triggered at customs which cost a loss of millions to the economy he turns his attention to Jenkins. He would do the society a favor were he to stay down there. His form of industrial relations is centered on unceasing civil commotion. The persons who joined his union must be daft or hobbie class. The Labor department ought to investigate if membership subscriptions are paid as in the established unions. There is something very fishy about Caswell’s pesky union Unity.
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Al Capone
snip>
PM Stuart will impose higher tax burdens on Bajans if taxes not collect by BRA.
Question Mr. Prime minister : So what are YOU going to DO when U find out WE CANNOT FIND THE MONEY TO PAY THEM?
Only a nitwit like U would make such absurd statements. Can’t U see Bajans are bending over backwards tolerating you and your blunder bus.
Have U a secret stock of $100 bill trees for us to pay them? …U John John.
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FearPlay
On another matter, it is reported that Sanitation Authority has refused to pay workers who were off the job in solidarity. Are these same workers expected to collect accumulated garbage that dates back to when they first went on strike or will they only be collecting garbage that was disposed of after they returned to work? If they are collecting ALL garbage then it goes to reason that they must be paid their wages. NUPW needs to remind the Authority of this fact or instruct the workers to leave part of the waste that they are not being paid for.
Will the nonpayment of the SSA workers become another issue?
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FearPlay
@David – Why not? It would be a custom made distraction to take us away from Cahill and the many other serious matters that should be of concern, including our questioning of the fantastic visitor numbers not being reflected in the visitor spend. Could the increased numbers be attributed to Sandals’ advertising behemoth and could the low spend be as a result of all-inclusive payments being made overseas? Will this be the case for the next 35 tax free years? SSA would just be another circus to entertain the crowds while Dr Doolittle and cast count down the days to pension security.
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Fractured BLP
Caswell Franklyn is a joker!
Those who claim to follow him….only do so for a good laugh!
But the days of Unity Trade Union are numbered…..
Barbadians will soon be told the truth about this scammer and his scheme…..
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are-we-there-yet
Land Tax assessments and bills are out. Mine is significantly higher than before at a time when property values are down.
Over 5,000 Barbadians and visitors converged on the grounds of Ilaro Court tonight for the Prime Minister’s annual Crop Over Gala.
Whew….did they have a ball….from the pulsating sounds of the Royal Barbados Police Band…..the thought provoking speech of PM Stuart…….live performances by some of the top calypso acts of the season and sumptuous dishes.
The crowd in unison left saying…..tjey cannot wait till August 2018….to celebrate two major achievements…Croo Over 2018…..and the Dems 3 – peat victory.
Prodigirl….eat yuh heart out!
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Fractured BLP
they.
Crop
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Prodigal Son
Think how this money could have been better spent by sending tax refunds to poor Barbadians who are waiting for years to get their refunds.
But as usual, you morons do not care about poor people only to buy their vote.
Continue to enjoy feasting on the fatted calf…….as the older folk say…….all good things must come to an end………..and God knows the DLP days are numbered!
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Dompey
Prodigal Son
I had advanced the same views backing in the day when Tom Adams made a mockery of our political system. His negative impacted was felt far beyond the political arena; Tom made it his business to horn well noted men in both the private and political affairs.
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Fractured BLP
Prodigirl….you should be the last to talk about tax refunds.
Have you paid:
Your Land Tax?
Your Solid Waste Tax?
Your VAT?
Your Corporation Tax?
Your Road Tax?
When you come on BU everyday and encourage persons not to pay their taxes due to the Government of Barbados.
How do you expect to receive a refund?
You ole Tief…
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Artaxerxes
Dompey August 7, 2015 at 1:27 AM #
“Prodigal Son: I had advanced (SIMILAR) views (BACK) in the day when Tom Adams made a mockery of our political system. His negative (IMPACT) was felt far beyond the political arena; Tom made it his business to horn well noted men in both the private and political affairs.” (Fragmented, consider revising)
Could you please interpret your above unintelligible and meaningless comments (i.e. gibberish)?
And what the hell does Tom making “it his business to horn well noted men in both the private and political affairs” have to do with Prodigal’s point about money being spent for a party at Illaro Court, “could have been better spent by sending tax refunds to poor Barbadians who are waiting for years to get their refunds”?
Oh, by the way, I have commenced my lessons in pancake frying.
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Dompey
Artax
It is a senseless waste of time, energy and the much needed space, to respond to a character as petty and childish as you are sir. And do me a big favor please: would you stop employing commas in front of verbs sir. This is amongst the most basic of gramma rules, and you continue to do it from time to time in your writing.
Well shit happens .another disappointment included in life’s lesson.
A lesson that that the poor had to learn in the hardest and harshest of ways and having no one to feel their pain as they continue on life’s turbulent journey as if there is no end in sight
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Artaxerxes
@ Dompey
Once again you have not failed in proving to BU that you are a goat and an abuser of the English language. You RESPONDED to my contribution by stating “It is a senseless waste of time, energy and the much needed space, to respond to a character as petty and childish as you are (,) sir.”
By stating the above, Dompey, do you realized you actually RESPONDED? I guess that makes you just as petty and childish as I am.
Dompey Donkey, you don’t use a comma between the subject and its VERB or between two VERBS in a compound predicate.
You use a comma to indicate the beginning of a pause and at the end to indicate the end of a pause.
Use your statement for example:
“And do me a big favor please: would you stop employing commas in front of verbs sir.”: INCORRECT
“And do me a big favor please, would you stop employing commas on front of verbs, sir?”: CORRECT
Rather than pimping ‘bout and begging for food at District A police station, you should have made better use of your time by attending school on a regular basis.
You read a few books in your old age and regurgitate “big words” to impress upon people that you are an intellectual. Then you log on to BU to CRITICIZE other people’s contributions.
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Dompey
Artax
Go and hold a corner with you dumb self Artax (!) Sir your two cent education is about as big as your myopic brain and your infinitesmal intellect. You haven’t anything of value to impress upon myself or anyone else here on BU stupid. Listen! My inspiration for employing verbosity started way back when you were still pissing bed in your parents two room shack some where in Barbados. Now retard, do you wish to put your money on the fact that I am far more intelligent than you are and do you really understand the dichotomy between the ability to articulate with some manner of grammatical proficiency, and the true nature of intelligence? Intelligence has little to do with employing grandiloquence within collegiate discourse, and more to do with faculty of knowing and reasoning, which I have often demonstrated here on BU. So go and hold a seat Artax because your unqualified opinion is of no real value to anyone here on BU,or else where in Barbados for that matter. May I inform you once again because you seem to have allowed your schooling to get in the way of your education: sir your time would be better spent endeavoring to instructing Bajan kids on the proper techniques of frying pancakes rather than unsucessfully, trying to inform the understanding of myself or anyone else here for that matter.
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Dompey
@ Artax
And Artax… stop employing the comma in front of the verb, this seems to be a common practice of yours,and one of the fundamental grammatical rules that you ought, must and should have understood by now, since you have taken to time to make proper used of your school years. And by the way: I took the time last evening and studied with a meticulous eye, some of your previous writing here on BU, and surprisingly, I came upon this consistent flaw in your writing. So what do you have to say in your defense? (not the Bajan/English Defence)
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Dompey
@Artax
You said to me sometime last year that: “The journalist and former CID investigator Wade Gibbons was a former teacher of yours correct?” Well, had he forgotten to beat you consistently, in an effort to reinforce the basic grammatical rule of not employing the comma in front of the verb? Things that make you go Hmm…? lol…!
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Dompey
@Artax
Listen brother: keep on frying those pancakes because that is about all you’re good for. lol
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Aratxerxes
@ Dompey
Well, well, well, Dompey, what can I say in my defense. You have shot me down from my high horse, you really told me off to the point where I have to run from the halls of BU.
Dompey, my parents’ two room shack provided me with the amount of comfort, love, care and food you so eagerly sought in the arms of those policemen at District A.
My parents’ two room shack and my cardinal sin of using a comma in front of a verb has not prevented me from attaining CXC English Language at grade 1, an Associate Degree in Accounting & Economics, BSc double major Accounting & Economics, BSc (Hons) Applied Accounting (Oxford Brookes University), MSc in Accounting (UWI, Mona), ACCA professional qualification, Post Graduate Certificate in Fraud Examination & Forensic Accounting, MPhil Fraud Accounting and from doing research to complete my PhD thesis.
If using a comma before a verb has enabled me to successfully complete certificates in Criminology, Criminal Justice and Criminal Profiling, then I shall continue to commit this sin.
If you were indeed an academic or as intelligent as you want to impress upon BU, you would have known there are various styles of writing used by academics, such as the Chicago or Turabian documentation style. From the way your contributions are written it is obvious you are not aware of this fact.
Academics are also aware of words such as VERBOSITY, AMBIGUOUS, REDUNDANCY AND SESQUIPEDALIANISM; hence they shy away from using “too many big words,” as is your style.
Therefore, this is the reason why almost EVERYONE who contributes to BU are of the opinion that your contributions do not make sense, since they contain verbose, redundant and redundant statements.
For the final time, using a lot of “big words” does NOT denote a sign of intellectualism. You are a NARCISSIST and behind your mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism. This is evident by your using multiple posts to excessively criticize your critics and to emphasize the point that you are superior.
أنت أبله
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are-we-there-yet
Back to the topic;
FWIW, It might be of general interest if the BU family members who have received their new Land Tax notices could indicate the ball park figures of the change in the land valuation of their home.
Mine went up by around 20%.
I suspect that if I were to sell it, in this current climate of uncertainty and decreasing values, I could probably get -5% on the previous valuation? If this is so it suggests that the Government might be overvaluing properties by as much as 25%. That is a big hit, especially on the usual sitting target for this government, pensioners.
Was it not established in the last budget the solid waste tax is to be absorbed in the land tax bands?
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Dompey
@Artax
Listen fella! I am still not impress by your list of academic achievements because in my mind as well as my judgment, you’re still an egotistical retard. Any fool can display a list of academics achievements on social media, but does it mean that it is factual? Brother, it is just a list of academic achievements bent on aggrandizing your sense of importance, and rallying a list of loyal teammates who you can preach to. Oh please… Artax it would give me great pleasure to ascertain your true GPA in university… was it a B=3, C=2 or a D=1? You can impress suckers who would fall for your little academic chronology but not this conscientious fella though.
The higher a monkey climbs the more his posterior is exposed.
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Dompey
Artax
And by the way… you have forgotten to give note of the three -cent university you’re attending or have attended. I would bet Bushie anything that Artax is attending one of those online universities to complete his supposed doctoral- dessertation.
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Donna
Artaxerxes,
What did I tell you about flogging dead horses? Let your contributions speak for themselves and leave the Bushman to dispose of the nonsense. That way we can at least get a great laugh out of it.
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Aratxerxes
Wow, Dompey, you got me, I’m an egostistical retard. I thought I could have fooled you but that certainly was not the case. You are indeed a wise man.
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Donna
Artaxerxes,
Stop demeaning yourself and dignifying foolishness with a response!
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Aratxerxes
Donna August 9, 2015 at 10:50 AM #
“What did I tell you about flogging dead horses? Let your contributions speak for themselves and leave the Bushman to dispose of the nonsense. That way we can at least get a great laugh out of it.”
True Donna, I shall take your advice.
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are-we-there-yet August 9, 2015 at 9:51 AM #
“FWIW, It might be of general interest if the BU family members who have received their new Land Tax notices could indicate the ball park figures of the change in the land valuation of their home. Mine went up by around 20%.”
AWTY, did not the MoF announced in the recent budget that the municipal land tax would be abolished in its current form but included in the land tax?
The minister proposed a variation in the residential land tax bands, properties valued up to $150,000 are exempted from land tax. However, properties valued on the next $300,000 will incur an increase in land tax of 0.10%; tax on the next $550,000 = 0.45%; and properties valued over $1,000,000 = 0.75%.
Hence, if your property has an improved value of at $500,000, the proposed land tax rates for 2015 are as follows:
Property value …………………………………………………… $500,000
Tax up to $150,000 ……………………………………………. $0
Tax on the next $300,000 (0.10%) ………………………………….. $300
Tax on the next $550.000 (0.45%) …………………………………… $225
Total tax liability = $525.00
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Dompey
Artax, You made mention of my self-esteem, so it is best that I inform you that I have gotten all of the self-esteem I needed, when I stood boldly on the battlefield on a foreign soil 2003, and with one of the most readily deployed Army Division in the United States military history. I don’t have to boast of or about the psychological scars I still carry after coming under enemy fire; in the manner in which you do regarding your academic achievements. There is little to boast of or about regarding one’s academic achievements because had a poor underprivileged child from the lower echelon of Barbadian society, been given the same opportunity as you and I, he might have done much better than the both of us.
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are-we-there-yet
David;
Good point! I’d forgotten that the two taxes would be amalgamated.
But the increase seems to be ridiculously high. Wonder if it proactively reflects the costs to the Government of the Cahill giveaways. Also, the land tax used to be levied from December to December, If my memory serves me correctly, Now it is August. Who gains from the difference in timing? The Government or the Taxpayer?
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Aratxerxes
@ Are-we-there- yet
During his June 15, 2015 presentation of the Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals 2015, Sinckler proposed that in an effort to provide for the expected loss in revenue from the removal of the Municipal Solid Waste Tax (MSWT), adjustments would be made to the current land tax rates and bands as defined under Land Tax Act Cap 78A. Hence, an increase in land tax.
Perhaps this may be one of the reasons why you are seeing an increase in your land taxes.
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Aratxerxes
are-we-there-yet August 9, 2015 at 11:21 AM #
“But the increase seems to be ridiculously high. Wonder if it proactively reflects the costs to the Government of the Cahill giveaways.”
Bear in mind, AWTY, although the actual tax rates have not changed, the shift in the bands for 2015 will result in an increase in land tax for residential land owners. Interestingly, Sinckler did not indicate whether the land tax cap of $60,000 will remain in effect.
.
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Donna
Artaxerxes,
This is one of your roles here on BU that is much appreciated. This is what we need from you.
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are-we-there-yet
Artax;
Thanks very much.
Something else seems to be going on with my land tax as the increase is much more than the institution of new bands, on their own, suggests.
Indeed, it is the improved value which has gone up considerably thereby resulting in a hefty increase in the tax.
eg. On the basis of your calculation
If the Old improved value of my property was $500,000
Tax on $150,000 = 0
Tax on the next $300,000 (0.1%) = $300
tax on next $50,000 (0.45%) = $225
Total tax = $525
But the actual new tax is very much higher than this suggesting that a new valuation was done to give an increased improved value.
Were there also changes made in the valuation of properties in addition to the use of new tax bands in arriving at the new valuations?
How many people have seen their properties being subject to new valuations?
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Walter Blackman
Aratxerxes August 9, 2015 at 9:07 AM #
@ Dompey
“CXC English Language at grade 1, an Associate Degree in Accounting & Economics, BSc double major Accounting & Economics, BSc (Hons) Applied Accounting (Oxford Brookes University), MSc in Accounting (UWI, Mona), ACCA professional qualification, Post Graduate Certificate in Fraud Examination & Forensic Accounting, MPhil Fraud Accounting and from doing research to complete my PhD thesis.”
Artaxerxes,
Your listing of these qualifications takes my mind back to the selection of a Judicial Manager for CLICO.
I recall that Oliver Jordan & Patrick Toppin (representing the foreign company Deloitte) were handpicked for the job without any attempt being made by the authorities to find out if there were other, and better qualified, Barbadians available to do the job. Immediately after they were “given” the work, they “brought in” Deloitte Canada to do the forensic accounting and to strip away our country’s scarce foreign exchange.
Apparently, as is these people’s wont whenever CLICO policyholders’ money is involved, no restrictions were placed in their path on the amount of money they could take from the company. So they “did the dog”. Up to today, no one knows how much they appropriated in fees, but a pathetic sounding PM pretended to care by braying to the public that they lifted “dizzying millions” from CLICO.
In the meanwhile, qualified Barbadians like yourself, who could have made a contribution to the effort, are left hanging credentials like trophies (as Georgie Porgie would call them) in the living room and are restricted to “sucking salt” by the Barbadian authorities. This is one of the surest and quickest ways to destroy a small country like Barbados.
You have never been abusive of me and so I do not wish to be unnecessarily harsh on you. You are correct in saying that a good grasp of grammar does not indicate a person’s ability to think critically. And you are also correct in saying that a poor grasp of grammar does not indicate a person’s inability to think critically. However, when one’s grammar is as bad as yours is it is better to be simple in putting over one’s point. I find great difficulty sometimes in following your posts. I must admit that sometimes I scroll past them if I haven’t had enough sleep and therefore find myself lacking in the needed brain power.
We must acknowledge that we each have our gifts and also there will always be people greater and lesser in ability than ourselves. Don’t fight it! It is senseless.
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are-we-there-yet
Artax;
I’ll have to look back at the improved values of my property over the past few years to get a better picture of what has occurred. It may be that I should not be relying on my memory alone re. what was last year’s valuation.
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Dompey
Donna, it is quite funny how you’re needed to summons the will of a man who is supposed to be in the process of completing his doctoral-dissertation? What use or value is this man to anyone, if he so easily faultiers under the negative critique of the BU readership?
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are-we-there-yet
David, Re. your 11:55 am post:
Thanks! I am aware.
I was just trying to find out if others thought that their new land tax bills appeared to be particularly high.
From the responses, It looks as if it is only me!
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Donna
Dompey,
We all have our value. We also all have our weaknesses. Sometimes some people just know how to push our buttons. A wise man knows when he has received good advice and heeds it. Artaxerxes is a wise man. What are your talents? I know you have them.
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are-we-there-yet
Walter Blackman, re your 11:52 am post
Your tongue was stuck firmly in your cheek, right?
Knowing what you know about the CLICO affair, would you really expect them to employ someone probably from outside the hallowed circle in a matter as sensitive as that one?
Suppose Artax had been given the job and reported exactly as the foreigners did, do you think the report would have seen the light of day or that CLICO and the Government would have cooperated with the investigations?
Sometimes foreign input is necessary and this was probably one of those times.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.