Barbados Through the Eye of a Senior Citizen
Posted to the 2015 Year in Review blog by Are-we-there-yet.
Barbados Cabinet
2015 was, to my mind, the year in which the guard was emphatically passed from the remnants of my parent’s generation to my children’s own. I’ve now fully accepted that 2016 and beyond is not about me or my generation (those of us still surviving are all pensioners with not much more to contribute to the country than the allowances which the Freundal Stuart administration is taking from our meagre pensions) but about how our children and their children’s children will live and survive in this new age of almost incomprehensible technology and likely overweening service to self by those that will lead them.
I therefore think that what is needed in the review of 2015 is the teasing out of the occurrences that will be most influential on their lives in 2016 and beyond. I don’t think the portents are good.
This year has started with a crass attempt by the Freundal Stuart administration to push a project whose main purpose is to perpetuate the hold that the DLP now has on the Government and to implement the elevation of Freundal Stuart to the history books as the father of the future Republic of Barbados to join, according to his own statement, Errol Barrow, the father of Independence and Owen Arthur, the Father of something grand which I can’t even recall.
Errol Barrow made a great contribution to the country outside of leading the fight for Independence and so too did Owen Arthur in economic management in his years at the helm. On the other hand, Freundal Stuart’s administration will go down in history as the worst one we have ever inflicted on ourselves, with Freundal Stuart himself displaying an unmatched poverty in leadership in respect of any yardstick that might be chosen.
The year long strategic celebration of our 50th year of Independence and the concomitant thrust for our elevation to republican status are therefore patent ploys by the Government to distract the country from the above realization and lull us into acceptance of another term for them when every effort and resource should instead be concentrated on getting us out of the morass that has been largely created by them.
Republicanism might be a good thing for Barbados but not as it appears to have been framed at present. If our leaders can identify how Republicanism will improve the lot of the majority of our citizens and correct many of the ills identified in the past 50 years It should be pursued carefully and deliberately and certainly not within the next 2 years.
So 2015 was characterized by two main happenings which, imho [in my opinion], could be most influential re. governance in this country in the future.
The most important of these was the possibility of our taking on republican status without it being the resultant of the groundswell of the people’s wishes but rather a strategy for deifying a failed leader and for extending the rule of the current lot.
The next most important was the lessons enshrined in the Cahill affair which, to me, suggested that a Government that cared little for normal checks and balances was able to survive by a policy of non-engagement with its publics in this most important of projects. Such survival sends the wrong messages to Governments in waiting and must be nipped in the bud in such a way that future governments will be unwilling to take such a path again.
Barbados Underground 
I was very much a part of the Independence parade in 1966, I was then a mid-teenage and a specially invited guest, also at the State dinner at the B’dos Hilton, just before the ceremony. It is only now, in my senior years that I realize how much it means to me, but a country that is struggling to get out of a financial bind, the question has to be asked, Can we spend that kind of money right now? Right now the DLP is in the driver’s seat for the next general elections and they can easily overplay their hand and allow the BLP to rebound. Politics can change in the twinkling of an eye.
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poopy cock this article should be title a Review of BLP PROPAGANDA 2015.
In any event i am AMUSED at the many accolades which the BLP foot soldiers accredits to EWB one cannot forget their resentment of all his policies namely Independence and free education.
It is almost laughable and punishable to one ears listening to blp using political hat tricks of endorsement of EWB policies which they fought against under Errol Barrow leadership now making those policies a bench mark of political wisdom and social justice for the poor and underprivileged after hindsight and years of resentment while going up hill to the political battlefield to draw blood. Yes free education ! However one cannot overlook that the 50 anniversary of Independence is a celebration and much deserved celebration including cost for a man and his VISION a vision that took barbados on a path for total and complete singularity
Unbelievable EWB must be rolling in his grave while taking stock of his arch rivals
The DLP can predict that within another ten years or so the BLP would be repenting while selling their souls against a backdrop of recantations accrediting grandiose accolades on Freuduel Stuart administration
The hypocrisy of it all is that the BLP foot soldiers would have believe that barbadians would have forgotten all of what they said through the years
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Cabinet made up of a bunch of aging men and women with nary a vision between them…..steupss…
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A huge public distraction, which this government badly needs. No real benefits.
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@Well Well,
You know I would have to answer this blog. Later, but for now I will just tell you that WE; you and I, as well as everybody else, are all “aging” men and women. What is the average age of there Cabinet? What is the median age of the Cabinet? What is the average age of their advisers? What is the sex of the Permanent Secretaries, and what are their ages? You know or should know by now, that CaBINET IS ADVISED BY THE HIERARCHY OF THE CIVIL SERVANTS. I AM NOT GOING TO ALLOW YOU; IN 2016 TO KEEP ATTACKING THE INTEGRITY OF THE CIVIL SERVICE AND THE ADVISORS, WITHOUT DEFENDING THEM. I will not aLLOW THESE ATTACKS TO GO UNCHALLENGED. So be prepared. I don’t care what you call me. And if I am alive after the next election, regardless of which party forms the government, I will defend the Civil Servants. These are in the main decent hard-working men and women who go in to work every day with the intention of doing their work to the best of their ability. They may not satisfy the wishes of everyone, but I know they try. I haVE OR KNOW, AS FRIENDS, MANY CIVIL SERVANTS; GOOD AND BAD, BUT A STATIsticALLY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF THEM DO AN EXCELLENT JOB.
As far as “are we there yet; although he/she does not say where “there” is, we will never get “there” as long as the DLP is in power. Well we shall see. Of course he will have to let us know where “there” is first so that we will know when we reach”there”
We have a good country. Why would you like to see it destroyed? We have reached 50, and we will get further.
Later.
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Alvin
All the best for the New Year to you and your family!
“there” is rock bottom. “there” is attracting the lowest ratings in all dynamic developmental statistics amongst our Caribbean neighbours. We have not reached “there” yet.
I must confess that I thought that we would have reached “there” sometime ago, but I think that due to the happenstance of a bad winter season sending droves of tourists from the north our way and significantly reducing oil prices we have not yet got “there”.
And I must agree with you that there are several Public servants who should be commended for having worked tirelessly to keep the ship afloat despite (or perhaps because of) the treatment afforded them by the Politicians in Power.
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Alvin…ya missed the goddamn point, the operative words are “nary a vision between them”……in aging at least one of them should have a workable vision……you ranted on and on about aging for no valid reason and never once mentioned any of them having vision.
Of course you would not be you if you did not also defend the civil servants known to have properties worth millions of dollars but cannot account for where they got the money or the properties, do you know if that group even turn up for work on a daily basis or that they may be overburdening the hardworking lot of civil servants while they think only of self……..according to you, each and everyone of them are saints.
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I wish all the good people in Barbados, Joy, Peace, Health, Wealth and may this year be the beginning of a much better life for all. May THE MOST HIGH continue to guard ,guide and protect you from all harm and danger.
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@Are-we-there-yet
It is unfortunate you have such a view. Keeping senior citizens involved is important to a progressive society, it is where wisdom is reposited. More disappointing is how easily we dismiss perspectives shared as political.
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Alvin Cummins January 4, 2016 at 10:40 PM #
“You know or should know by now, that CABINET IS ADVISED BY THE HIERARCHY OF THE CIVIL SERVANTS.”
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So, are you trying to tell me that “THE HIERARCHY OF THE CIVIL SERVANTS” “ADVISED” “CABINET” to:
Impose an additional 4.5% in VAT on cell phone usage.
Impose a tax called a “tipping fee” which has resulted in the increase of illegal dumping all over Barbados.
Increase land taxes by including the solid waste tax.
Venture into the CAHILL scam.
Retrench over 6,000 civil servants while maintaining the largest “CABINET” in the history of Barbados. A “CABINET” that includes ALL LOSING DLP CANDIDATES in the 2013 general elections.
Commit Barbados to a financially unsustainable yearlong celebration for 50th anniversary of independence, especially against the background of many Barbadians not receiving their income tax refunds and reverse tax credits due since 2011 and many businesses not receiving their VAT refunds.
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David; Re. your 6:54 am post.
It is what it is!
I think what is unfortunate is that at the present time we are saddled by politicians on both sides of the divide that act by following the dictates of service to self rather than being guided by a sense of overweening service to country.
One case in point. The earlier Sandiford-managed recession found a formula to combat a situation that was similar in a number of respects to our current one. That formula relied on an 8-percent cut across the board to rein in expenditure in the Public service. That proven example was there and could have been used in this current situation but the politicians on both sides were unwilling to take the mutually unpalatable steps to do what was necessary to be able to implement such a change. They cared little about the people.
There are several other cases that could be enlisted to show that the current Government has exhibited almost total self centredness in its decision making.
My problem is that the apparent successes of the above approach by the current Government is likely to result in a situation where it will be almost impossible for a future Barbados Government to operate in any other manner.
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If it was up to me – the BDLP Government will be celebrating the 50th Annivesary ALONE!! Did the Government to date tell the people when they will receive their 2014 Income Tax?
What’s even more sad is that the Private sector Employers in this country has now adopted the management style of this inept Government.
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This is only a small money affair but is evil in that it affects some of the most vulnerable among us but what about that Challenor school business! Well, well, well! And look who it is! No commission of inquiry needed here. Can we expect justice to be served, I wonder. I will be watching and waiting but I shan’t be holding my breath.
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Sad Donna, in such a small country, so many victims and no one being punished for victimizing others.
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Donna January 5, 2016 at 1:48 PM #
“This is only a small money affair but is evil in that it affects some of the most vulnerable among us but what about that Challenor school business! Well, well, well! And look who it is! No commission of inquiry needed here. Can we expect justice to be served, I wonder. I will be watching and waiting but I shan’t be holding my breath.”
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This society is really changing as young people seem to have a different outlook on things, even crime.
For example, the following excerpt was taken from an article in an on-line “paper” known as Naked Departure:”
“A police officer was shot in Barbados and the whole place is in an uproar!? Police officer was shot because he was trying to f*** up someone’s income. While some are saying he (the officer) was ‘only’ doing his job, some others will say they right to shoot his r*******!”
I referred to the above because I heard someone making some very strange comments about the investigations into what appears to be a case of misappropriation of funds from the Challenor School.
The person said that rather than people criticizing the person who allegedly misused these funds, they should be more focused on the system which allowed the individual to supposedly perpetrate the act.
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The Challenor School matter is interesting more for the visibility it is being given compared to similar malfeasance highlighted in decades of auditor general reports. We seem to cherry pick the issues based for reason we know.
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@ David
You are being disingenuous in your comments.
There are many times I have made NUMEROUS references to the Auditor General Reports to substantiate certain contributions.
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David,
The Challenor School issue is interesting because of the lineage of the person concerned. It’s a case of apples and how far they fall from the tree.
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Artaxerxes,
I’m surprised you unaware of the connections.
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Donna January 5, 2016 at 1:48 PM #
Can we expect justice to be served, I wonder. I will be watching and waiting but I shan’t be holding my breath.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
All the accused ‘carrington party’ has to do is to get his/her lawyer to poo-shark with the case until we become a Republic, and Bobs your uncle.
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Colonel Buggy,
Which party is that?
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@Artax
To clarify the comment was directed to local media and other players.
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I believe in order for us to go forward we must first critically analyse our past leaders’ contributions to our country.I note that we like to heap praise without citing context e.g EWB was Premier when the UK needed to shed itself of the expense of running its colonies like wise OSA was Prime Minister when money was flowing.
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Donna January 5, 2016 at 3:35 PM #
T and R’s
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@ David
Okay, please accept my apologies.
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@Well Well,
Let me deal with you first and then I will deal with Artra.
In your submission (I was a great fan of Mr. Submission, so I will open with his words) you stated “….according to you, each and everyone of them are saints.” In my submission I pointed out that: “I haVE OR KNOW, AS FRIENDS, MANY CIVIL SERVANTS; GOOD AND BAD, BUT A STATIsticALLY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF THEM DO AN EXCELLENT JOB”
Our country is a good country and what I said still stands. It is due to the types of civil servants have that enable it to that it runs smoothly; better than many larger and more endowed with resources than us.You surmise that according to you “the civil servants known to have properties worth millions of dollars but cannot account for where they got the money or the properties,”
What gives you the right to make such a presumptuous statement, without proof. If you have the proof and want to stop it, contact the appropriate authorities and give them the evidence. If you don’t have the courage of your convictions stop with your foolishness.
In all the years you have been writing on this blog, I have yet to read anything kind or good about our country; your country too, because as far as you are concerned there is nothing good to write about. Then, leave it to stew in its own sauces, because the people have shown that despite the negativity, the country is still surviving, the people that matter are not paying attention to what you write and the people in the main are still prospering. Despite all the negativity the bonds issued by the Central Bank were still over subscribed, we are still going to have a bumper winter tourist season again; (the temperature in
Toronto is expected to go below minus 15 degrees to night, and this is early January, so the chances of it getting above zero are very small) and growth will still occur.
Contribute positively to make it grow even more. This morning I WALKED AROUND THE GYMNASIUM, AND Was struck by words on one of the advertising boards. They are attributed to Winston Churchill: “A pessimist will see the failure of every opportunity, while an optimist will see the opportunity in every failure.
You, dear lady, are the supreme pessimist. I am and always will be a supreme optimist.
@Artra…
The tax on cell phone usage was already proposed debated and a decision was made as to how best to impose the tax and what to do with it. Are you suggesting that there was no discussion with any of the senior civil servants whose job it is to advise the ministers? Similarly with the tipping fee? What were the conditions laid down when the tenders were advertised for the construction of SBRC? These were negotiated during the Arthur administration.
Why would the tipping fee cause people to illegally dump stuff? What did Tom Adams do when the taxi drivers wanted to hold his
government to ransom? Similar drastic measures are always a prerogative of government.
Shouldn’t the whole country be in an uproar when a policeman gets shot while executing his duty? Didn’t people have marches when a policeman shot someone in Bank Hall, and there were calls for Justice? Is this society getting so callous that there is no respect for Law and Order? I am surprised at you..But then why should I be surprised? You would prefer anarchy I presume.
.
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@are we there yet,
We will Never reach “there”.
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@Artra…
Apologies to you, I re-read your blog and note you were only referencing osmeyhing from another source. They were not your words. Humble apologies.
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Alvin,
You sure are losing it.
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Fact check.
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/weather/ontario/toronto
I will be trout fishing on Saturday.
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What happened to the fact that WE the voters, are the managers of the M.P’s. Maybe We must remember that we can HIRE or FIRE. We allow them to think the only time they need Us is for that X. POOR THINKING by US voters
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Yeah Alvin…you are and will always be the supreme yardfowl, nothing more, nothing less, who will always want to see your people as being dependent on others, who will always enable the perpetrators, but never emphasize with the victims, who will never be able to see your people as being able to climb above allowing criminals and their money to blight the island, who don’t believe that people who wear useless titles and pretentious fame should be punished for their crime, who don’t believe the wealthy should take responsibility for their actions…….it would be interesting to know who you believe should always be punished for every little thing, should I take a guess?
Alvin….you have lost it, you may want to consider sitting back, stop fighting it and allow Barbados to waltz into the 21st century, you will not win this, it is not the 1950s anymore where people did not know better and were unable to fight back. I am woman, hear me ROAR…
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Talk about setting an example. Did you see Minister Innis tonight on CBC TV news showing off his skill on the Hoover Board. Did not even bother to don some sort of head protection.
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The ignorance of the political class, the example Dumbville is setting is destructive and potentially deadly, the Hoover boards for months now are being reported as not only being defective, but they actually explode because of issues with their mechanism, the manufacturers have had recalls. So many have been shown to explode under people’s feet.
These are the idiots the Alvins and ACs follow and want everyone else to follow as well…..no wonder yardfowls are unable to rationalze the most simple of issues, they follow those just as dumb as themselves.
When you don’t say what they and their political masters want to hear…”you are a pessimist”….what a load of crock…lol whatever plans the political class of asses have for the people after republic status, their yardfowls know and poor Alvin is on pins and needles with anticipation for implementation, so I will watch carefully and dial up what I do best, they must be kept on their toes….right Alvin.
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Yuh could always tell a Bajan when ya hear somebody talk bout a cartoon of milk. Trust wuhnuh Bajans to get it wrong. It is hover boards not hoover boards.
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Lol
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Alvin Cummins January 5, 2016 at 9:16 PM #
“Why would the tipping fee cause people to illegally dump stuff?”
Alvin, “I am surprised at YOU……But then why should I be surprised,” since your comments suggest you either DO NOT READ THE NEWS, or you read the news and INTERPRET it in a manner to suit your political agenda.
Below, I have presented excerpts from two news items to substantiate “Why would the tipping fee cause people to illegally dump stuff” for your perusal. I purposely presented one from 2015 and one from 2016.
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SOURCE: Barbados Today, July 11, 2015:
Among those who have been heavily critical of the levy is prominent businessman Ralph Bizzy Williams, the owner of the SUSTAINABLE BARBADOS RECYCLING CENTRE (SBRC) at Vaucluse, St Thomas, which is the island’s main waste disposal plant.
In a recent interview with Barbados TODAY, Williams described the introduction of the TIPPING FEE as a BACKWARD STEP by the Government, while WARNING that would only SERVE to TURN Barbados INTO AN ILLEGAL DUMPING GROUND.
However, Government has been refusing to give in to demands by private garbage collectors for the tipping fee to be scrapped on the grounds that its implementation was unfair and threatened the survival of their businesses.
SOURCE: Barbados Today, January 5, 2016:
The head of the private Waste Haulers Association, Charles Read, believes there is an EASY WAY for GOVERNMENT to get to the bottom of the ILLEGAL DUMPING problem and that the answer lies in its controversial tipping fee.
“If you [private hauler] are NOT BUYING [TIPPING FEE] TICKETS then that means that either you are not doing any business or you DUMPING YOUR BUSINESS WHERE IT DON’T BELONG,” said Read, while pointing out that it was costing his company anywhere between $12,000 and $15,000 per week.
I do not know: “What were the conditions laid down when the tenders were advertised for the construction of SBRC.”
However, if you read the first excerpt, you will discover that OWNER of SBRC, Bizzy Williams, has “been HEAVILY CRITICAL of the levy.” Therefore, anyone of REASONABLE THOUGHT would ASSUME that the “tipping fee” OBVIOUSLY could NOT be ONE of the “CONDITIONS LAID DOWN.”
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Donna January 5, 2016 at 3:30 PM #
“Artaxerxes: I’m surprised you unaware of the connections.”
I heard the individual in question is the daughter of a late prominent politician who was associated with the ruling party.
But I do not know if there is any truth in that rumour.
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Information for those unfamiliar with the hoverboard and the associated dangers. I wonder if Dumbville was not by any chance riding his hoverboard close to his house, now that would be a hoot….post offices and airlines are banning transporting these dangerous devices.
“For now, your best bet might simply be not to buy a hoverboard at all. The US airline industry has already decided not to take any chances: American, Alaska, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest and United Airlines have banned hoverboards on passenger flights, and the US Postal Service has stopped shipping hoverboards by air as well. Amazon and Target both temporarily suspended sales, and Overstock.com has stopped selling hoverboards at all.
But in case you’re curious, here’s what we know about hoverboard fires so far.
The science
The science behind hoverboard fires is actually pretty simple, and fairly well understood. Much like your laptop, tablet or phone, these hoverboards use lithium ion battery packs for their power — and it just so happens that the liquid swimming around inside most lithium ion batteries is highly flammable. If the battery short-circuits — say, by puncturing the incredibly thin sheet of plastic separating the positive and negative sides of the battery — the liquid electrolyte can heat up so quickly that the battery explodes.
You don’t necessarily need to stab a lithium ion battery to set it on fire: a defective battery might have tiny sharp metal particles inside that could puncture the separator all on its own. “When this happens, especially when the batteries are charged, a lot of heat is generated inside the cells and this leads to electrolyte boiling, the rupture of the cell casing, and then a significant fire,” Carnegie Mellon University materials science professor Jay Whitacre told Wired. You can see what a lithium ion battery fire looks like in our Droid Turbo 2 torture test video:
We finally killed the Droid Turbo 2
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3:07
It shouldn’t be a revelation that lithium ion batteries are volatile, because fires like these aren’t exactly new. We’ve been living with potentially deadly explosions in our pockets and laptop bags for years. In 2004, a spike in the number of cell phone battery explosions prompted this CNET report, and Dell recalled millions of laptop batteries in 2006 after just six incidents of fire. More recently, Boeing had to ground the 787 Dreamliner airplane until it could find a way to keep its lithium ion batteries from overheating.
Safety standards, or the lack thereof
If lithium ion batteries are so volatile, why are we still using them today? The traditional argument is that the energy density of lithium ion batteries is significantly higher than batteries that use less flammable materials. (In other words, a lithium ion battery can be smaller, lighter, and/or last longer than say, a lithium iron phosphate one.)
Another reason: The consumer electronics industry has gotten much better about safety standards, to the point where most of us don’t think twice about leaving a phone connected to a charger. “We said to the companies, you need to come together, create a voluntary organization and set a safety standard,” says the CPSC’s Wolfson, recalling how we went from big battery scares and recalls in the mid-2000s to the relatively safe laptops and phones we have today.
Many modern batteries incorporate all kinds of safety measures, such as emergency vents, and many products filled with lithium ion batteries have to endure a barrage of drop tests, crush tests and electrical stress tests before they can pass.
But hoverboards are brand-new. “It’s a product without a safety standard,” says Wolfson.
london-fire-brigade-hoverboard-fire-investigation-20151203.jpg
London Fire Brigade
Sean Kane, a longtime product safety researcher, says cases like the hoverboard are precisely why his nonprofit organization The Safety Institute is advocating for more general categories of safety standards like “computers” and “personal mobility devices” instead of the specific ones that exist today.
There are existing standards for motorized scooters and toys, says Kane, but the hoverboard just doesn’t fit. “What you have is a product coming in here where no one knows which safety standards are applicable to the product.”
For now, retailers like Amazon and Target are making sure individual components of these hoverboards — namely the batteries and the chargers — have been certified for safety. (Amazon is currently asking that all hoverboard sellers provide proof they comply with UN 38.3, UL 1642 and UL 60950-1, specifically.)
But before you breathe a sigh of relief, you should probably know that while batteries and chargers can be certified individually, it doesn’t mean those hoverboards have been certified as a whole. Until those parts have actually been tested together, it’s more of a legal cover-your-ass measure for the manufacturers and retailers than anything else.
hoverboard-fire-screencap.jpg
When Florida resident Timothy Cade’s hoverboard caught fire, it wasn’t connected to a charger.
Screenshot by Sean Hollister/CNET
And you might not be able to find a hoverboard that’s been tested in its entirety by a reputable independent firm like Underwriters Laboratories (UL) even if you looked hard. Swagway, one of the more popular brands, claims its entire hoverboard is UL-certified because it has a UL-certified battery and a UL-certified charger inside, but that’s not accurate. “There are presently no UL-certified hoverboards,” says UL consumer safety director John Drengenberg. (Incidentally, Swagway is now facing a lawsuit from when one of its hoverboards caught fire.)
Besides, there’s another problem with certifying batteries instead of the hoverboards themselves. There’s no easy way to tell what kind of battery is inside a hoverboard — or if it’s a counterfeit.
Supply and demand
In 2004 when an increased number of cell phone batteries were bursting, many blamed cheap counterfeits made in China — batteries produced with far less stringent standards than phone manufacturers might have wanted.
That’s a popular theory when it comes to the hoverboard fires, too. “There are some factories right now that will say they use Samsung batteries, but don’t,” a sales manager for Chinese hoverboard manufacturer CHIC told Quartz. “They wrap a piece of paper around the battery that says ‘Samsung’ when it’s not Samsung.”
But unlike cell phones, it’s not like we have known, reputable hoverboard manufacturers that merely got a bad batch of batteries to go with their own carefully designed proprietary components. Even the top hoverboard brands — Phunkeeduck, IO Hawk, Swagway — are ones you’ve probably never heard of, ones that sprang up out of nowhere to take advantage of the hoverboard craze.
And those companies are merely distributors for a sprawling array of factories in China that supply components to one another practically interchangeably.
hthoverboardfire02jef15121131x131600.jpg
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue
That’s not a reflection on the quality of Chinese manufacturing in general, by the way. Practically every high-quality Apple product comes off a Chinese assembly line, not to mention those of Lenovo, a Chinese company that’s one of the top computer vendors worldwide. But China has also become famous as a place where tiny factories can pile onto a hot new idea like the selfie stick or the miniature R/C helicopter, churning out copycats in record time.
By the time the hoverboard fad took off in the United States, there were already too many Chinese companies building hoverboards to tell who came up with the idea first. Practically every hoverboard you see is a counterfeit, in that sense.
“Right now there are thousands of workshops making identical hoverboards in China, and the only obvious differentiator is the costs,” says Jay Sung, CEO of popular electric-scooter company EcoReco. And since there are so many different ways these Chinese companies could have cut costs among the different components they trade with one another and piece together to form the final product you see, it’s hard to narrow down the actual point of failure.
So far, some reports have blamed the batteries, others the cables, but we don’t know for sure. The UK divisions of retailers Amazon and Costco are specifically telling customers to destroy charging cables that have plugs that weren’t built to UK safety standards. (Costco is providing replacement cables, while Amazon is offering full refunds.)
Another possible culprit is the cut-off switch, a safety feature that keeps an electronic device from overcharging, which the UK’s National Trading Standards consumer protection agency says can often fail in these hoverboards. EcoReco’s Sung suggested that to save costs, some hoverboard manufacturers might not even include a cut-off switch to begin with. That’s clearly not the issue everywhere, though: Mashable recently tore down a Swagway hoverboard that appeared to have a cut-off switch installed.
What happens now
In the UK, the government is already cracking down on hoverboards. Not only is it illegal to ride one on public roads or walkways, but the UK National Trading Standards body has now seized and reportedly destroyed 32,000 hoverboards — the vast majority of the 38,800 devices that the organization has been tracking since it started investigating the devices in October.
MORE ABOUT HOVERBOARDS
Before you even think of buying a hoverboard, read this
‘SNL’ skewers hoverboards
The Lexus hoverboard is real, but it isn’t coming to a skate park near you
In the United States, we’re waiting to hear what the Consumer Product Safety Commission uncovers. It could be that the organization finds a specific batch of defective batteries or other defective component and issues a recall. Perhaps the CPSC will push for more voluntary standards like the ones that made laptops and phones safer today.
Or it could be that the CPSC pushes to ban hoverboards altogether. It wouldn’t be the first time a popular toy was deemed too unsafe to sell. There are good reasons that lawn darts and magnetic Buckyballs, both popular toys, were banned. (Fires aren’t the only reason that hoverboards are dangerous. The CPSC has received “dozens” of reports of injuries from falls from US hospital emergency rooms.)
Perhaps next time, we could reserve the name “hoverboard” for a gadget that actually floats above the ground.”
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Artaxerxes,
No rumour. The truth. This time I am in de know.
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@ Donna
Okay.
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So Alvin….you still want me to follow and agree with everything you and your equally ditzy DBLP politicians do, say and think….all ya’ll will soon be rolling down a hoverboard cliff, but I won’t be there with ya…lol
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I am sure as usual Alvin and DBLP see nothing wrong with a DLPite being accused of stealing money from the Challenor school of helpless children and young people, some of whom are not only differently disabled, but totally disabled. Just wait for Alvin to pop up in defense when or if charges are filed.
Wait for the defense when questions are asked about why a letter has to be written to David Seale seeking his permission re molasses tanks he left to rot at the port for over 20 years, why are DBLP politicians taking taxpayers money when they are obviously not in charge of taxpayer funded entities like the port. Wait for the defense if taxpayers ask if they have to clean up the messes with their tax dollars of those who believe themselves to be masters on the island.
Wait for the defense now that St. John residents are slowly coming to the realization that DBLP, in whom they believed for too many decades, could very well leave them to die of thirst and any diseases associated with the lack of potable water….it took those humble people of St. John years to understand with whom they are dealing, but the Divine has a way of working miracles….right Alvin..
Wait for the defense now that Andrew Pilgrim is taking offense that some fool magistrate remands a man for a nickle bag of marijuana, when the AG Brathwaite and DPP Charles Leacock allow their drug running and gun running buddies to destroy the island without fear of an arrest.
Just wait for Alvin to jump to the defense of all that wrongdoing….while Canada and the other countries DBLP dummies love to follow when creating laws to help them torment their own people, not only relax marijuana laws re personal usage, but now see marijuana and it’s various uses as a way to rebuild their significantly damaged economies. When will DBLP dummies and their empty headed followers ever learn….hmmmm
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@Well Well,
Re the people of St. John: Yes it did take them years to learn with whom they were dealing; fourteen years of BLP governance and slanderous misuse of the little resources. It didn’t however take them so long after re-electing a DLP to get the Polyclinic that they had been promised. If they did not die of thirst and diseases for all those years, when they did not even have a Polyclinic, they will hardly die now. The Divine did work a miracle…The DLP were elected and St. John got its polyclinic, even in the hard times.
When people like you live based on rumour and innuendo I will always challenge you to bring the proof. Call it “jumping to the defence or however you want to phrase it, Bring the proof; name names in an indictment, hold it up to scrutiny, and when a court judges and sentences I will then agree with you. But until then, I will NOT accept what you say without question.
I see Andrew Pilgrim is the defence lawyer for the three young men who shot the policemen, because he was upholding the law;marijuana growth and trafficking is still against the law here. Those young men had more than 5,000 marijuana plants; NO NICKLE BAGS, That took a lot of work to plant, so it shows they had the strength to plant crops that would be legal. THEY CHOSE TO ACT ILLEGALLY. And you want to encourage this type of behaviour? Who is acting to destroy this country? Not only these young boys, but people like you who encourage them in their stupid actions.
LOSS THEM WAY IN JAIL. The BLP built a brand new jail for them. I don’t condone wrongdoing of any kind, but it MUST be proven. Our Constitution requires it.
I don’t want you to agree with anything I say, because if you do you will probably “bust a gut” out of frustration that you would have to admit that you were wrong in your outlook on life.
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Alvin…..while not reading all your rubbish, just be sure that I will intellectually crush you, for your deceit….no one is speaking about any police getting shot, why don’t you read today’s newspapers, like AC, you are always 40 steps behind.
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onlooker January 4, 2016 at 7:50 PM #
I was very much a part of the Independence parade in 1966, I was then a mid-teenage and a specially invited guest, also at the State dinner at the B’dos Hilton
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
And each member of the Barbados Workers Union was made to contribute $ 5.00 towards that State Dinner,and only the very top brass from the BWU were invited.
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Hoover Board or Hover Board ? To be honest I did know what the damn thing was call. Went on the net and saw references on YouTube, by seemingly intelligent North Americans referring to it as HOOVER.
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Colonel Buggy,
Not important. Just having a laugh but unless they were made by Hoover I would believe it to be hover board. Actually my search for HOOVER led me straight to HOVER.
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Colonel,
How were they MADE to contribute?
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Donna & Colonel…. with Americans you never know, their spelling can be atrocious, even if it started out as hoover in China, by ther time it reached the US, it transitioned, suffice it to say, it does not hover, it explodes….lol
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Donna January 6, 2016 at 11:20 AM #
Each member of the BWU had deducted from his/her pay packet $5.00 .No ifs and buts. The employees of the statutory Government Department which I was employed with ,objected bitterly , but were coerced by a senior shop steward to comply,as wages negotiations,he said , were due the following January ,and the hIerarchy of the BWU may not look favourably on the employees. Fact is ,unknown to us ,that senior shop steward was scheduled to take up employment on the executive of the BWU at the beginning of the year.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/city-medical-marijuana-dispensary-open-thursday-article-1.2487571
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City’s first medical marijuana dispensary to open Thursday near Union Square
BY EDGAR SANDOVAL NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 1:54 PM A A A
Patients must be state-certified and will not be able to buy smokeable or edible weed products.
GUILLERMO LEGARIA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Patients must be state-certified and will not be able to buy smokeable or edible weed products.
Operators of the city’s first medical marijuana dispensary provided a buzzworthy tour of its new location blocks from Union Square Wednesday.
The dispensary at 212 E. 14th St. near 3rd Ave. is operated by Columbia Care and will open Thursday to qualifying patients.
But don’t expect psychedelic posters and jugs of pungent buds on display — the facility will be overseen by licensed pharmacists and no smokable or edible reefer will be available.
Only patients suffering from debilitating and sometimes terminal diseases will have access to the marijuana products sold in liquid form, capsules or concentrate for vaporization.
“People (will) know that this is their home. This is a place where they can come. They cannot be ashamed. They can be very proud that they are part of a pioneering opportunity and to change the way health care works” Columbia Care CEO Nicholas Vita said.
The patients must have registered with the Health Department, obtained a registration card and be certified by a state-approved physician before purchasing the weed.
Those patients will arrive to a cozy lobby, with white exposed bricks walls and a green couch. Each patient will be seen by appointment.
The first visit will take 25 to 30 minutes and each visit after, less than 10 minutes.
“You’re able to spend some time in the waiting area. We set it up so that encourages community,” Vita said.
Four pharmacists will be on staff when the dispensary opens. Vita expects to have as many 20 eventually on staff.
The first wave of patients will be able to buy an eyedropper of liquid pot they drop under their tongue, Vita said. Bottles will cost between $100 and $300.
Other dispensaries planned for Murray Hill, the Bronx and Queens are expected to open soon.
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http://ow.ly/WIIJd
Canada’s process for accessing dried marijuana and oil from licensed producers for medicinal purposes.
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Colonel,
Now some union leaders are getting cars duty free, I hear. Shameless!
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@are we there yet “elevation to republican status”
Why do you say that becoming a republic would be an elevation?
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@Artaxerxes January 5, 2016 at 9:32 AM #
Alvin Cummins January 4, 2016 at 10:40 PM #
“You know or should know by now, that CABINET IS ADVISED BY THE HIERARCHY OF THE CIVIL SERVANTS.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So, are you trying to tell me that “THE HIERARCHY OF THE CIVIL SERVANTS” “ADVISED” “CABINET” to:
Cabinet is indeed advised by the civil service…but we know that Cabinet (both parties) sometimes refuses to take the good advice of the civil service.
And we know that sometimes politically partisan civil servants deliberately give bad advice to the Cabinet (both parties)
Neither the Cabinet nor the civil service is populated by angels. And we the people are no angels either…so we ALWAYS have to keep our eyes out for sharp dealing.
Keeping it real.
Everybody happy now??
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@Simple Simon
Shouldn’t repatriating decision making at the level of government to migrate to a system where decisions are indigenous be considered an elevation?
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@Colonel Buggy January 5, 2016 at 10:43 PM #
Talk about setting an example. Did you see Minister Innis tonight on CBC TV news showing off his skill on the Hoover Board. Did not even bother to don some sort of head protection.
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Neither did Father William
http://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/you-are-old-father-william/
You are old, Father William’ (1865)
Lewis Carroll
“You are old, Father William,” the young man said,
“And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head –
Do you think, at your age, it is right?”
“In my youth,” Father William replied to his son,
“I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I’m perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again.”
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Simple Simon January 6, 2016 at 6:59 PM #
“Cabinet is indeed advised by the civil service…but we know that Cabinet (both parties) sometimes refuses to take the good advice of the civil service.”
Sometimes rather run in haste to respond to or comment on a contribution, because you want to prove you are more knowledgeable on the topic, there is a need to read that contribution and try to COMPREHEND the CONTEXT in which it was written.
I did not seek to disprove Cummins’ comment relative to civil servants advising cabinet (which I do not believe), but I presented a list of “policies” undertaken by this administration of which I’m sure no civil servant advised them to pursue.
However, if you wrote that senior civil servants, in theory, have a duty to inform ministers about governmental procedures, then I could believe that. I know for a fact that politicians from both administrations, when confronted with a permanent secretary who had cause to remind them on a regular basis that they are not adhering to certain protocols, that permanent secretary is deemed to be anti government.
Do you think it is a coincidence that Sonja Welch is the permanent secretary in the prime minister’s office?
“Keeping it real!!!”
“You happy, now?”
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@David January 6, 2016 at 6:59 PM #
Kindly reread your above……we have been making our own decisions from the time of the Mermaids Tavern in Austins Town now called Oistins.
The prob we have is the current desicion makers being questioned by the populli.
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@Artaxerxes January 6, 2016 at 9:14 PM “Sometimes rather run in haste to respond to or comment on a contribution, because you want to prove you are more knowledgeable on the topic…”
Nothjng to prove Arta.
Take it easy.
Just pointing out that politicians and civil servants are no better and no worse that we the people.
’cause we the people a’int no sweet breads.
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‘We the people’ are well within our rights to be no ‘sweet bread’ since we pay the salaries of both the politicians and the civil servants, a truism that most bajans did not know until the advent of social media. Neither the politicians nor the civil servants were ever going to tell them that it’s the people’s own money finances the country.
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@Well Well,
Don’t Public Servants and Politicians also pay taxes; in essence paying themselves? Don’t you think it would therefore also be in THEIR own interests to see that the way is smooth for themselves? They are part of “we the people”, they are not from Mars. Even if someone is working in your garden as your gardener they should be treated with respect, compassion and understanding. Because you are paying someone does not mean you must treat them anyhow.
@Artra… Are you telling me that the Board if Directors in Private industry always agree with the recommendations of the advisors; Bank, accountants, auditors, etc? I am sure it would be abnormal for every Minister to agree to and follow the advice of every advisor. We have to be less critical of our politicians and civil servants and realize that it may not always be prudent to follow and act on all advice given. And yes, in every democracy the Civil Servants DO advise the ministers of government. Government (a group of individuals, who are appointed as ministers) have the responsibility to cater to the whims and fancies of a diverse group of individuals; called the populi, with different priorities, agenda, desires, needs and wishes, which to everyone of them is the most important and needs to be tackled immediately. An impossible task, so the Cabinet has to determine, for itself which is the best path to follow. How they are judged is dependent on who has the loudest voice among the “populi.”
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@Well Well;
By thee way, having read your reference to the issue of Medical Marijuana; as written in the DILY mail, would you consider this a SCAM? Seems everyone wants to jump on this bandwagon. Why not legalize murder? Seems they want to kill with impunity, or make things that are illegal, legal.
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Alvin….everyone is wondering what is wrong with you, but I will continue to have patience, because you are from an era that your generation was so well programmed that the weaker ones were mentally unable to withstand the mindwash and now have soup for brains.
In saying that….were the US, CANADA & ENGLAND not the ones funding the Caribbean to fight marijuana trafficking, are these not the same countries now relaxing the same marijuana laws of illegality so their own people, in Canada’s case, can have up to 150 grams for medical and personal use, so why is Barbados demonizing, ruining the lives of and tormenting their own people for possession of a goddamn nickle bag of marijuana. Marijuana laws only went into effect 8n the island somewhere in the 70s.
You live in Canada, how is it alright for Canadians to have use and not for your own people, what’s the difference. The US, NYC is setting up their marijuana pharmacies from today, Canada has been allowing registered producers to sell to registered people who qualify for medical use for a couple years. Jamaica, from last year decriminalized marijuana and can now boast of a very viable and lucrative export market…..what is wrong with your leaders.
I know someone who is experiencing serious pain for an injury, the doctor suggested giving the patient a referral to get a prescription for medical marijuana in either the US or Canada, so here is what will happen, the patient will now have to move to North America for most of the year, every year to access marijuana for pain relief because the person could be arrested for using it in Barbados, does not make any damn sense….tell that to your idiot masters.
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Alvin…you always post crap….too often anyway. There are not enough public servants, politicians or miniorities on the island to pay themselves or run their businesses or even vote for anyone, ergo, they need the majority who are either middle class or poor to pay enough taxes to maintain and support them and the country…..in other words they need numbers….in other words, the majority are the masters, in other words the majority are the masters, their money add up to hundreds of millions, nthose are the people you like to see victimized, as a retired civil servant, you should know this or would if your head was not constantly stuck up the ass of DBLP as a yardfowL……without the middle class and poor, who make up the majority numbers in any country, no one would get paid…..grow up Alvin…you believe in too much shit, the reason why you can’t think straight and is so out of touch with reality.
By the way, I don’t expect you to have any empathy for people on the island who are suffering and whose suffering would be eased by having access to medical marijuana….it’s just not in you, one has to wonder what happened to you that you have no feelings for your own unless yardfowlism is attached. A lady suffered in pain for 34 years while that bad minded clown and former policeman Roger Barker now a counsel in the Auditor General’s Office, refused to pay her money so she could have surgery, that evil beast was waiting patiently for her to kill herself because of the pain, then your nitwit attorney general Adriel Brathwaite comes out braying he knew nothing of it. Ya’ll are beasts and have no feelings for each other…….wild beasts.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-medical-pot-dispensary-opens-registered-patients-article-1.2489172
Here Alvin…..updated information, just for you and your uninformed, backward DBLP political leaders.
NYC’s first medical marijuana dispensary opens, but sees few patients
BY JOSEPH STEPANSKY, REUVEN BLAU NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Updated: Friday, January 8, 2016, 3:21 AM A A A
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A Sneak Peek Into NYC’s 1st Medical Marijuana Dispensary
NY Daily News
00:00 / 02:00
The city’s first medical marijuana dispensary opening was a total buzzkill Thursday.
Despite a ballyhooed grand opening, the site at 212 E. 14th St. near Third Ave. did not appear to have any patients scheduled for its first day in service and saw just a trickle of walk-in patients.
The light traffic may be due to potential patients having to jump through multiple medical hoops before getting the green light to buy the grass.
They must register with the state Health Department, obtain a registration card and be certified by a state-approved physician before buying the pot.
All told, there are 150 doctors registered to prescribe marijuana, state records show. A mere 51 patients have been certified for the reefer.
That didn’t stop a group of potential patients.
NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi
ANTHONY DELMUNDO/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Columbia Care CEO Nicholas Vita, second from right, was joined by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewe, third from right, and other dignitaries as he cut the ribbon on the city’s first medical marijuana dispensary.
SEE INSIDE THE FIRST MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARY IN NYC
The first visitors included a man suffering from complications tied to diabetes, a woman with foot problems, and a homeless man with fibromyalgia and a degenerative spine condition.
“It’s miserable, daily miserable,” Stephen Fitzstephen, 58, said of his spine condition. “I saw this in one of the free papers, so I came by.”
More traditional medications have not helped, he said.
“This (medical marijuana) will work,” he predicted, noting staff at a standard medical clinic referred him to the site.
Potential patient Stephen Fitzstephens, 58, left empty handed because he is not registered for the state’s medical marijuana program.
ANTHONY DELMUNDO/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Potential patient Stephen Fitzstephens, 58, left empty handed because he is not registered for the state’s medical marijuana program.
Another possible client stopped by to get information for his wife, who suffers from shooting pains in her foot.
“She’s been taking pain meds,” said the 65-year-old man who declined to give his name. “She’s been through everything. She can’t find any help, neurologist, Chinese acupuncturist, two back surgeries.”
The facility, overseen by licensed pharmacists, is only selling weed in liquid form. No smokable or edible reefer is permitted. The site also does not take any medical insurance for the prescriptions that go for between $100 and $300.
Not everyone was seeking reefer. Caitlin Durra, 23, of Bushwick, Brooklyn, came by looking for a job.
“I would just love to be involved with medical benefits, if there is some sort of job I could pass out flyers,” she said. “I just have knowledge of marijuana. I’ve been researching it for a long time. It’s history in the making. I model, but I love weed.”
RELATED STORIES
NYC’s first medical marijuana dispensary to open Thursday
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TAGS: medical marijuana , marijuana legalization , union square
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@Well Well:
I would not bother to get into a discussion on the differences in chemical structure etc between the species of marijuana used for medicine and the ordinary marijuana. I should hope you do know that there is a difference. I happen to have lost too many good friends to the effects of smoking marijuana. I lost my good friend Timmy Callender who graduated from Marijuana, to Cocaine, and committed suicide. I had a good friend and contemporary by the name of Ralph…a brilliant physicist who out of frustration got into marijuana and in a moment of madness, attacked a policeman ; he promptly got shot; this was while we were studying in Jamaica. I know many other students who ended up in the psychiatric wing of the University hospital and the only thing that caused their psychiatric problems was the amount of marijuana they smoked. I had family-in laws whose children went off their rockers because they too were involved in smoking marijuana. I had a step-son who attacked his own mother because she would not give him money to buy marijuanas; (this was in Canada) I had to leave work in the middle of the day to go home and rescue her. Don’t tell me about the negative effects of the drug out of the plant. I have researched the effects of marijuana on the brain, and I say without fear of contradiction, there are negative effects out of smoking marijuana. The vagrants opening the garbage cans in Broad street night and day are products of marijuana smoking. The slovenly attitudes adopted by marijuana smokers, and their skewed thinking and negative activities, are a product of illogical thinking, and a negative attitude to life. The derivatives from the plant can be extracted and the patients can benefit from this. YOU are always talking about the ill effects of slavery and talking of slaves and masters, but yet would advocate a different type of slavery for the very people you would have us believe you are in sympathy with. And yet you would want to condemn them to a different type of slavery; because dependence on marijuana is a different and more debilitating type of slavery. Legalizing Marijuana is worse.
Too many young lives have been lost. We have too few people. The U.S has a population of hundreds of millions. Canada has a population of around 32 million. Barbados has a population of less than three hundred thousand. The ratios are too skewed for it to make sense to legalize such a potent drug. I don.t care what you say.
You think those three young men; mere teenagers, were thinking clearly when they could shoot a policeman (according to last reports he was still recovering from a gunshot wound) Do you think they could have been thinking clearly? YOU can’t be thinking clearly when you could assume that marijuana had no hand in their actions. You may have done it on your own; experimentally, but to subject children to the effects on a long term basis, is to condemn them to a life of second and third rate performance. NO top class athlete can do drugs for an extended length of time and perform at the top of their game.
Stop depending on the Daily News for your information. Do your own research.Design and Carry out a study, and publish your results.
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Alvin…I read the first 2 sentences of your long winded post and know where you are headed with that nonsense, not only do I know the chemical makeup of the drug and what can be extracted to render it safe for people in pain, but so do the chemists and pharmacists who are responsible for it’s distribution in Europe and North America.
They would know even better than you Alvin Scummings, what to extract, there are systems in place for growers in Canada so that certain chemicals do not end up in the registered product. If you had read the Health Canada link, you would have learned that, but only you know everything about everything medical, don’t you dare condescend to me Alvin Scummings a I am not one of the people who know no better who would be impressed by or admire your rubbish.
You will now try to tell us that they are no qualified and knowledgeable pharmacists and chemists in Barbados capable of doing the same thing to marijuana to render it safe I am sure.
As I said, your posts are rubbish and helps no one.
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@Well Well,
If I know, I know. Simple as that. And I do know!! How do you know they are rubbish if you don’t read the,? You only assume that because I write them they are “rubbish”.
Judge not….
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Alvin….try to be more open to positive change on the island and not keep the people in 50s mode because you are ready to leave the earth, I met someone with your mentality recently, who wanted to see things remain the same, did not want to see majority blacks take full control but remain totally dependent on a minority of small island, small minded greedy people….they went to their grave miserable with the idea…..let the changes come, it will cleanse your soul.
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@Well Well,
The changes you propose can NEVER be good, or positive, for the majority of the people. Only a bunch of greedy people who want to profit to the detriment of the people they want to feed off of, create more slaves to illegal and mind debilitating drugs, and enforce their own values on a society that has changed for the better over the years. I will never agree to regressive changes. Sorry I will never change. The majority blacks are already in full control; they may not be YOUR Blacks, but those who are, are Black, so you should be glad. That is the meaning to democracy. Wait your turn.
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My turn for what Alvin….you always end up reducing yourself to that of a yardfowl mouthpiece for DBLP, I am neither a politician or a yardfowl, so you need not reduce yourself for my benefit. Your eyes will be closed tight and the changes will take place, what will you do then, nothing you can do about them. You cannot change simply because you are of a generation with limited intellect and were never taught to use and expand your brain capacity, think independently, decisively and analytically, some in my generation were fortunate. You were taught to blindly follow politicians, even those shown to be less intelligent than you, that is why you’re now in that place of no return and you will stay there, you are stuck and can’t move forward, your own fault, too narrow minded.
When Mother Earth demands change, 2 legged man have to humble, you don’t run no show and most often than not cannot even control your own bowels.
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AND Alvin…just in case you still have trouble defining the word ….regress….there are many parishes on the island where the residents are suffering for water, I don’t expect you to identify with or feel sympathy for them, despite you looking just like them, because you lack a soul, but these people have no potable water, not enough for long time survival free of disease etc…….just so you know, that in 2016, that is the ultimate in a country regressing, when a countries’ citizens don’t have access to clean water, it means that it is regressing at a rapid rate to a level lower than Haiti, despite the leaders trying to bullshit and deceive the people….tell that to your political masters and try and desist from making a complete ass of yourself at your age.
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@ Well Well,
If I accepted all the foolishness you write, in an effort to show how backward we are; how visionless our leaders and their advisors are, how corrupt our Civil Servants are, and how stupid our people are, then I would indeed be an ass. I however, can think and think clearly uncontaminated by any fog; however created; somewhat akin to the fog from the Chillum pipes Timothy and the brethren used to create in his “yard” in Mona. I can think clearly and above all I can see through you. The people who live in areas where there haas been chronic water shortages for many years, should have the understanding, the guidance from their representatives and the assistance of these same representatives; one or in reality, more than two of them having been Ministers for many years. This situation did not occur for the first time in 2015, or even in 2008. But for however long, the residents themselves, singly or collectively could have taken corrective action. Do like the parents and grandparents used to do. Buy or beg for barrels, drums or whatever. Dig and or construct your own cisterns to collect rain water for your washing and to flush your toilets and handle your own ablutions. Buy, even on hire purchase, your own barrels for your drinking water. Practice water conservation; wash your clothes in a tub; it did not kill your parents or grandparents, in other words unplug your washing machine (if you have one) . Prepare for the dry season. air you have a car get a number of containers with tight lids, and when you go somewhere that has water, fill these containers and transport them back home.In tough times one must learn to swallow one’s pride. If you visit a friend where you can’t be allowed to take a shower, get another friend and “shake off the dust of that person’s house. Friends are friends when they can come to your assistance when times are hard, regardless to who is to blame.
Government can never be all things to all men. There are limitations imposed by many factors.Whenever the blame,e stops the problems still are not solved.No person an wave a magic wand, shout “Shazam” and the problem is solved.Our country does not have limitless resources, or money, and things still take time to be procured, and shipped, and then installed, and our workers are not as efficient as we expect them to be; and these are your brothers and sisters.
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ALVIN
MY FATHER KEPT A COVERED 100 GALLON DRUM WITH A TAP ATTACHED FOR WATER EMERGENCIES SUCH AS IN A HURRICANE. FORTUNATELY WE NEVER HAD TO USE IT
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Alvin….Is that what you do in Canada, use drums and barrels for water. I never do that, when I turn on a tap in Canada, I get water….how dare you, the people pay water bills every month to get water from a tap, your incompetent leaders refused for years to focus on the mains problems, instead they were looking for crooked Canadians to skim money from scams at the taxpayers expense….how dare you blame the people suffering for water for the water shortage.
Having drums of water just in case something happens is a choice and should be just that, a just in case scenario, not a habit and a return to the 50s as you want. Why do you hate your people’s right to protest unfair treatment and assertion of their rights so much Alvin, you would not want to see Canadians treated like that, you said you helped them get rid of the incompetent Harper government, but want to see people who look like you revert to 1950s standards, led by your DBLP government and revert to how you grew up in those harsh days in 2016..
You believe the current generations should experience what you did, but look how your experience growing up has you bitter and lack feelings for people who look like unless they reduce themselves to yardfowls for your political party, what is wrong with you, why are you so beastly to your own, why can’t the people in Barbados enjoy the same standard, quality and level of services you enjoy in Canada, they pay their taxes, they are entitled, it is their right under international law, how dare you try to take away their rights.
I have never turned on a tap in NYC and not get water, not even in the 2002-3 blackout, as a matter of fact water in NYC is free, no water bills. I have never turned on a tap in Canada and not get water. It is the responsibilty of any government to make sure their people have an adequate supply of clean, potable water, at all times, without fail. That is why government ministers get a salary and not for accumulating yardfowls at the taxpayers expense and search out foreign criminals to ruin the island’s reputation.
Do you think that a high level standard of services should only be available for you and others who live in North America, what makes you think you are more special than your people who live in Barbados, what makes you think the same standard of services should not be made available to them even though they pay taxes, what is wrong with you Alvin…….you are beginning to disgust me and you are now showing everyone how you and your masters think and what they talk about if they can’t have their own disgusting way with the people..
People should not be forced to pay water bills every month and not receive water, is that a prelude to REPUBLIC OF BARBADOS (ROB) Alvin. That Ph.D you got is a useless piece of crap….I certainly hope it was not at the expense of the people in Barbados.
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@Well Well’ I read the first sentence in your contribution and it confirmed my suspicion. You are without doubt the biggest idiot contributing to BU.
Toronto draws its water from Lake Ontario,Nuff said!!!
You going to compare that with Barbados? Lake Ontario is many many times the size of Barbados. In terms of population ratio, the ratio of people in Barbados drawing from the underground aquifers, the ratio differential is skewed in favour of residents of Toronto. They will never have a water shortage; drought does not and will never affect them In Barbados,. If rain does not fall, and expensive desalination plants are not utilized, there will be NO water.
In Toronto we expect to have electricity when we turn on our light switches. Yet in early 2014 there was an ice storm that resulted in over 200,000 people not having electricity for over six days, and some even longer. My electricity came back on Christmas Eve night. Having lived in North America you know what it is like to be without heating. You can’t cook, you can’t wash, you are perpetually cold, you can’t even heat water ( if the pumps work) to bathe. You have to walk up the stairs to get to your apartment at all times. Some apartment buildings did not even have emergency lights in the hallways. I KNOW what is is like not to have. As a boy growing up in Barbados I had to go to the standpipe to catch buckets of water to use at home. Because you pay your taxes does not mean that the government can guarantee you everything.
And in many instances; especially poor people do not even have to pay taxes. They are below the threshold for such payments.
Note what GP said above. Even though they were “privileged they had a hundred gallon tank, in which they kept water (even though they did not have to use it). They thought of emergency situations. Why can’t the other people; like those in St. Joseph think the same way. Looking at today’s Sunday Sun, much of what I wrote above is voiced by others. One lady says that the problem existed from early in her childhood; she is now a grandmother. And they are still suffering? There are too many damn mendicants in this country, among certain elements of the society. They are Bible thumpers but don’t inculcate the words of their Bibles, such as “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” Help yourselves. Co-operate. Help your neighbours.
What makes me think they should not/could not, have the same level of service as people in North America? Simple, we are too small. We have to import too much. We don’t have enough foreign exchange to purchase what is needed. If the water authorities in Scarborough needed pipes to relay some mains; as happened recently in Scarborough, a quick phone call to a company on Eglinton Ave that makes these pipes would result in their delivery in a couple of days. Can the same thing happen if the Barbados Water Authority wanted to repair the same size mains? Common sense would tell you that that is not possible. But you would; according to your (il)logic EXPECT “the same level of service” and convince those who don’t know otherwise that the government is incompetent.
People forget, but all the way back in the Sandiford administration, the IMF had recommended an increase in Water Rates so that the replacement of mains could be tackled. It is nothing new. And talking of water bills; there is a minimum amount everyone says, after that they pay according to their usage, so if the bill is high, it means you have used a lot. If I put in ten dollars in gas and it takes me ten miles, I cannot expect to put in the same ten dollars and go fifty miles. If I want to go further it will cost me more money. Si a person with a five hundred dollar bill is obviously using more water than a person with a hundred dollar bill. CONSERVE!!
If my brother or sister is an idiot, he/she is an idiot, and all the blame and coverup does not get around the fact that they are idiots, and I will say he/she is an idiot. The 1950’s standards taught cleanliness is next to Godliness. It taught neighbourliness. It did not mean there were not standpipe fights, but people also used community showers; there were no washing machines etc to put a strain on the little resources available.
Think lady!
Oh, By the way, I am definitely NOT a bitter person. I have had too many blessings. Bitterness is a negative. I have no space in my being for negatives either persons or things.
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Alvin….as usual you still would not address why DBLP over the decades did not address the advice given to them about the water situation and actually do something about it…..Canada is gigantic compared to Barbados, have numerous lakes to supply their needs, one phone call as you said by those employed to do so and their water problems are fixed.
Barbados is a dot and needs much less water than Canada, but have an endless water supply under the island. Why have your lazy ass DBLP ministers not made that phone call over the last 30 years and gotten the water problem fixed, as the Canadians would.
If as you say you are not bitter, then you are just uncaring and unfeeling for the water needs of those on the island. How long will 50 gallons of water last for a family of 6 while they wait for the lazy DBLP government to get off their asses and access water under the island. How long will these drums, tanks and containers of water last while the people affected wait for DBLP to get off their asses. All ya’ll are sickening.
If you take a lengthy shower you could use up 20 gallons easily, these people are paying the BWA for water. You are just being nasty. Why don’t you tell the tourists on the island to bathe in a bucket or go ask a neighbor for a shower you, you….jackass.
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@Well Well,
Again your stupidity and bias are showing. I said that in Toronto, if a load of pipes is needed, a phone call can have them delivered in a short time. If even the same phone call was made from Barbados it would take at least two whole months before the same order could reach Barbados. I was putting things in perspective.Why do you need to take “a lengthy shower that would use at least 20 gallons of water’? Shouldn’t you turn off the running water while you are putting soap on your body and turn it back on when that is finished,AND RINSE IT OFF? WITH PROPER CONSERVATION THAT FIFTY GALLON TANK WOULD LAST A LONG TIME.You, as usual do not listen to what people, especially people in authority are saying, because the solutions and the steps being taken to alleviate the problem are being detailed each day. You want a “SHSZAM answer. The world does not work like that.. By the way have you calculated how much per gallon Bajans are paying for their water? Less than the cost of coca cola. Do your calculations. I won’t do them for you. DEspite what they are portraying is their high water costs they , under normal circumstances, pay less than a dollar a day.
Can I have sympathy for a person;a farmer, who keeps pigs and chickens, who does not have storage tanks to catch rain water to feed those these animals and fowls? That is what the old people used to do. Why can’t the young people do it now?
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Alvin….people are PAYING for water, you cannot tell them what to do, they are not begging for the water, it’s up to them to use their discretion. You do not say the same thing to the hotels who waste water or the golf courses who are among the chief culprits of this water problem by wasting water for the last 20 years…..I have personally seen water running down Sandy Lane road by the golf course for weeks, you are a hypocrite. When there is a burst main it takes the BWA months after repeated calls to arrive and fix the problem, you either have to know someone to get it done or they tell you some lie while hundreds of millions of gallons of water runs out on the streets for months, this has gone on for decades. Each and everyone of DBLP ministers were too self-absorbed to deal with the matter of sourcing water…..now here they are, exposed for the world to see….are you not ashamed, Alvin. Punching above their weight my ass, you plagarist.
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I think Alvin is trying to punch above his weight and is failing.
Barbados must be moving forward and not backward. The delivery of running of water must be seen as a necessity and not as a stroke of fortune or misfortune. Yardfowlism is what is ruining our island and making life more difficult than it needs to be. The artificial bifurcation is what is keeping Barbados from continually punching above its weight. With this insane division we are depriving ourselves of the talents and abilities of half the population.
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The point Alvin I missing is that while it makes commonsense for Barbadian to install water tanks, it does not give a free pass to the government and the BWA to efficiently manage our water resource.
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Alvin is unable to grab the concept that these people pay the BWA for water and even if they have a thousand tanks or barrels filled with water, they are entitled to turn on a tap and access water they are paying for….Alvin is wicked and would prefer see these people pay for water all their lives and don’t receive a drop of water from BWA, while they bathe iin buckets and everyone else including the tourists enjoy free access to water, this dude is evil and am glad my instincts are sharp, he is poisonous and determined that these people should be disenfranchised from having access to the water. I don’t get how a black man can be so viciously opposed to his own people having access to water they pay for…..it’s amazing and disturbing.
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@ Well Well &David
.Where have I EVER spoken about denying persons access to water? You people feel that taking precautions, preparing for emergencies, and accepting the natural variations in nature itself is backward. Although I have easy access to water and electricity in Toronto, I always keep containers with water, renewed every two weeks, and have battery powered lanterns, in preparation for when repairs have to be made to the plumbing system, or when the electricity goes off and both happen often.. All I am saying is that if people KNOW that they live in an area where there are shortages or outages they must take the necessary precautions. If you are not prepared to do that and something happens then you have only yourself to blame. I am sure that under town planning regulations persons living in certain areas, and persons building dwellings of certain sizes are mandated to have water tanks in their plans submitted for building approval. Does this mean that other people cannot do it? People in Bermuda and the Bahamas do this as a natural process. What’s wrong with Bajans that they can’t do the same thing? When I lived in Qatar, although they have big desalination plants and draw their water from the Arabian Gulf, each house had an external container that was filled from the mains, and equipped with a small pump that filled the
No one is talking about giving a “free pass” to anyone. If there is no water in the aquifers because of drought there is none, simple as that. I have listened carefully to the personnel at BWA indicate what the problems are, their proposals on how they are going to fix them, and the time frame. In the meantime the people will have to make do. If you don’t have the money to buy a Mercedes, you will have to exist with a second hand car until you get the money.Does that mean you can’t take the bus to get to work? You people are such hypocrites that I am compelled to battle with you.And you can’t put me down. I will always answer you.Whether or not you call me a yard fowl until judgement day.
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@Alvin
You are the one with a hard nut. Of course Barbadians need to tack action based on the incompetence of the BWA BUT it does NOT mean Bajans must be silent. It is a simple point to understand. Based on today’s newspaper report Barbadians have been installing water tanks in the thousands. When Thompson addressed the BWA after the 60% hike in 2009 who would thought we would be here in 2016.
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The precautions should have been taken by DBLP during the last 30 years with all the millions of tax dollars they spent paying consultants for advice and documenation about sourcing water which they never used and that are still sitting on their desks catching dust.
Even during negative 40 weather the power does not go off that often in Canada unless the ice froms on the power lines and bring them down and service is always restored asap unless it’s extreme then it takes Hydro a few days to restore full service, they do however, set up online maps telling you an approximate time for return of power and the areas affected, but that is in extreme weather, flooding in the spring causes some problems with those lightening storms in Toronto but that is also temporary and I can’t ever remember water going off even then, so ya lying about the water…I hear you got a blackout in the northern part of Barbados as we speak……lol.
Who told you the people of St. Joseph don’t store water and how long do you expect that stored water to last if the water trucks don’t arrive on time and if there is not an adequate supply available from the trucks, people and animals drink water throughout the day, farmers use hundreds of gallons of water daily, you are being very presumptions and unfair to these people without just cause, since you cannot prove they do not store water and with all they are experiencing, they are still being overcharged by BWA for water they are not receiving, something you refuse to acknowledge or get through your thick arrogant skull, they receive bills although they get no water, am sure you will also tell me that’s their own fault, they are to blame for that…..right Alvin.
How are they expected to pay for more water tanks or drums for water when they have to pay a water bill and where will they get the water to refill the drums and tanks from ….Alvin. Again how do you know they are not storing water, when did any of them tell you that, everyone stores water, for your information….it’s nothing new, no anamoly there, but water runs out and has to be replaced.
DBLP governments are at fault with this water issue, they have been wasteful with taxpayers money over the last decades, ignoring what is most important and water for the people should have been their top priority, not more and more golf courses. It is the responsibilty of DBLP to provide water for the citizens, it’s part of their job description. However they get the water, is their problem, but the taxpayers are entitled to water.
Apparently, blame the people suffering…..is your motto, while giving a free pass to the politicians whose job it is to supply water. How much are you paid for being so despicable. They will not get a free pass on this one…. because of their incompetence, there could have been a catastrophic spread of disease due to lack of water and their careless statements suggesting these people have to survive how they could, while you jump on here with your lying propoganda.
You obviously care nothing about the peole uňless they are yardfowls and your bck pattint politicians, but yòu the oñe ave to live wth that.
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@Well and David.
David, what was the purpose of the hike in water rates? From early in the millennia the government had bee advised (mandated?) by the IMF to increase the water rates, to get funding for the purchase and installation of fresh water pipes because the current ones were leaking too much. They (the new DLP administration; because the BLP were afraid to follow the advice) did this, bought the pipes and began the rehabilitation programme; still ongoing. You can’t then accuse the present administration of not taking action.
Well Well, again we will be at odds. You complain about golf courses, you complain about hiring consultants and not taking their advice. But increasing the number of golf courses was advised by one set of consultANTS, AS A MEANS OF ATTRACTING THE ALL IMPORTANT TOURISTS. When Apes Hill was constructed they built their own dam and have their own source of water. Potable water from the sewage plant should be used for such purposes. Why isn’t it used? You claim that the people in the affected areas store water, recently purchasing “thousands” of tanks. Do they catch rain water? If they don’t what is the reason, is it because there is no rain? Who to blame for that?
Politicians set policy. Other workers implement policy. It is the workers who install pipes repair broken mains, and replace them. Check the productivity of the workers whose job it is to drive the trucks, dig the trenches, connect the pipes etc. I know how the workers doing the same jobs in Toronto work. Our workers take twice or three times as long to do the same work. As I said before If I know, I know. Blaming the politicians does not get the work done.
By the way, I have said it before, but sd you said you do not read my rubbish. Maybe you will read this. NOBODY IS PAYING ME TO DO OR SAY ANYTHING. I happen to love my country and will defend it against those who want to see its demise. I went to the Richard Stout Birthday concert last night. You should go and take in the Teen Talent contests. See the types of young people who come out of these contests. You should hear them and see them perform. You should see the predominance of the young ladies, and then you would see why I will fight tooth and nail to prevent the legalization of Marijuana. The three young men who are now languishing in jail; and who probably will be there for the next ten to twelve years, should have been in such a programme (Richard’s) then they would not have been growing marijuana, shooting at policemen and been arrested.
The White people, instead of being “crushed” by the Independence celebrations, should be supporting and participating in such “Black” initiatives. They should hang their heads in shame at their lack of participation and support for the country. They profit from the country, but they do nothing (and have done nothing in the last fifty years) to support the country, its culture and cultural industries. What are they beefing about?
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Alvin…you should be ashamed to mention the Apes Hill lot building their own dam….when in 1970 there was a major flood in Barbados that killed people, out by the then Globe Theatre was a disaster area….for decades DBLP were advised to build dams to catch the water running out of St. John straight down the Constitution River into the sea in the Harbour, Alvin I am trying to have patience here, but nearly 40 years later the A-holes DBLP governments never did it, they just left it to do itself. I think I heard one of the idiots in your group bullshitting about dams before the last elections, but that is all it was…..bullshitting to get votes, as usual fooling the taxpayers, that is why it has returned to bite ya’ll in the ass, in the form of no water.
The only thing you will get me to agree with you on is the 2.7% whites on the island who want to be recognized as being white, never heard that one before, since everyone, including me knows that all they did is suck what they could from the 270k blacks on the island over the last 4 decades, now their stomachs are full, they can now boast about spending 6 million, when they are not working on convincing DBLP government to help them make 6 million more.
They want credit for being white, but make no mistake Alvin, though they should be, but are not, happy to be identified as just Bajan, no color distinction should be necessary and as Bajans are also entitled to live comfortably like the majority bajans, it’s your dumb ass DBLP politicians made them feel they were special, better than the majority blacks and gave them all the tools they needed to enrich themselves at the majorities expense, while ya’ll ignored your own unless you were collecting mindless yardfowls.
That too has returned to bite DBLP in the ass.
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@ Alvin Cummins January 11, 2016 at 10:33 AM
“Potable water from the sewage plant should be used for such purposes. Why isn’t it used?”
As a so-called microbiologist, are you sure you would want to make such an assertion without further clarification? Just call it ‘treated water for industrial use’ from the sewage plant; a process that is exceedingly costly and technically difficulty (if not impossible) with the existing facility at Emmerton.
How do you get “potable water” from the sewage plant? And if it is really ‘potable’ why not make it ‘portable’ for refilling of the various reservoirs around the island?
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@ Miller
Perhaps potable has a flexible meaning…
…you hear that Alvin is an idiot….!!
Now we know where Clare Cowan got her information about potable water….
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Miller…that is why I ignore most of what Alvin says and just deal with the important topic at hand as it pertains to highlighting the idiocy of his political masters and there is so much left to highlight, he tends to run himself into trouble with the rubbish spinning around in his head…lol
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We need to remind Alvin that he is not the Attorney General in Barbados, he may be the AGs yardfowl, but according to what Adriel Brathwaite said in today’s newspapers re marijuana and he never once mentioned Alvin, he is willing to take the best course while taking the people into consideration, though I am sure he knows no one is holding their breath….it will just drop on them like a ton of bricks one day, like everything else because of their slowness to take care of anything, while hoping it will take care of itself.
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@ Miller and Atra as well as Well Well.
Well Well accused of being a plagiarist. The following, enclosed in inverted commas is pasted from a website that defines Potable water. Of course there are many other sites which will give the same information. I am doing this because you people still do not seem to understand what it is otherwise you would not be making the kinds of comments you do.
”
“Potable water is water which is fit for consumption by humans and other animals. It is also called drinking water, in a reference to its intended use. Water may be naturally potable, as is the case with pristine springs, or it may need to be treated in order to be safe. In either instance, the safety of water is assessed with tests which look for potentially harmful contaminants.
The issue of access to potable water is very important. In developed countries, people may not put a great deal of thought into the source of their water. In many First World nations, citizens can turn on a tap for fresh, potable water which may also be enriched with substances for health. In developing countries, however, and especially in Africa, a large proportion of the population does not have access to safe water.
Water which is not safe to drink can carry diseases and heavy metals. People who consume this water will become ill, and there is a risk of death. Unfortunately, even in areas where the water is known to be unsafe, people may drink it anyway, out of desperation. The lack of potable water is often accompanied by other lapses in sanitation, such as open sewers and limited garbage collection. Many of these public health issues impact the poor more than anyone else.
Water which is contaminated can be treated to turn it into potable water. One of the easiest ways to treat water is boiling. Boiling water may not remove heavy contaminants, but it can neutralize most bacteria and viruses which may be present. Water can also be treated with chemicals such as bleach, which sometimes come in the form of tablets for field and camping use. In addition, water can be pumped through a filter to remove particulates.
Because water quality is important, many nations strive to protect the safety of their water and to increase access to potable water. Some countries have laws governing water safety, with severe penalties for polluters. These nations typically test water on a regular basis for contaminants, making the results of this testing available to citizens by request. In developing nations, many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are working to improve water quality conditions, along with other basic sanitation.
Even in first world countries, after a major disaster, access to potable water may be limited. People in this situation can look for potable water in hot water heaters and toilet tanks, and they should save this water for drinking. For bathing and cleaning, non-potable water can often be used. Keeping purification tablets on hand in an emergency preparedness kit is also an excellent idea. After major storms and hurricanes, citizens should wait to be assured that their water is potable, in case sewage pipes have ruptured and contaminated the water supply.”
Potable water can be used to give to animals as well, and it can be used for irrigation. Instead of discharging waste water from the sewage plants into the sea, it should be treated and used to wATER PLANTS, USED FOR IRRIGATION AND SUNDEY OTHER USES.
Well Well, I am not the AG, neither do I think like him. He has his opinions, I have mine, and they do not have to coincide. I don’t follow what he says, and neither do I have to agree with his agenda. I know Marijuana is bad. I witnessed a number of young ladies perform last night; portages of the Richard Stoute Teen Talent Contests, and I hope they keep that purity. If they do, they will reach the stars, for I saw and heard many star potentials last night. My favourite however was the four year old boy singing calypso, with a voice and vocal range that was better than a lot of older singers. He can go far.that is what I admire. not the legalization of marijuana. You can advocate it if you want, I never will.
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Alvin….the way you were going on I thought you had some type of traction and power to change and implement new laws or keep existing laws in place re marijuana use. One think I now know about you is that you read too slow, however, no biggie, better for me.
Marijuana is not bad, it’s the misuse and abuse of the substance that is bad, just like alcohol, cocaine, sex, food etc, am sure when you need to have a tooth pulled you are more than happy the dentist has novocaine, a derivative of cocaine in his possession though, legal or no, same with the people who need marijuana to alleviate spinal pain etc.
One of the ways of misusing marijuana is having it distributed it out during an election campaign to accumulate votes, is that the only time it becomes legal Alvin….why are you now distancing yourself from the AG, up to today, those DBLP politicians could not fart unless you were right there….
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