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Scientists to the Rescue!

Is this something Barbados authorities should be investigating? Should out of the box thinking be prioritized? Every year we have to endure the same process of a water prohibition because aquifers dry up. How do we improve the situation? A man built a homemade machine to bring endless water to the Bahamas. You already know…

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Is this something Barbados authorities should be investigating?

Should out of the box thinking be prioritized?

Every year we have to endure the same process of a water prohibition because aquifers dry up.

How do we improve the situation?

A man built a homemade machine to bring endless water to the Bahamas. You already know the science

By Leah Asmelash, CNN

Updated 1244 GMT (2044 HKT) September 17, 2019

Source: HLN

Homemade machine could provide clean water to Bahamas 00:54

(CNN)He designed a machine that makes water from the air. Now, after Hurricane Dorian, he’s trying to bring it to the Bahamas.

Moses West, of San Antonio, Texas, has brought water to Flint, Michigan, and Puerto Rico — all through his Atmospheric Water Generation machines, which extract moisture from the atmosphere and turn it into water.
The science behind it is similar to what many learned in elementary school. It’s really just condensation — the same thing that creates moisture when you breathe on a window, for example.
It’s just done on a much, much larger scale.
Have a look at this link:
Thanks to FearPlay for sharing this link.

Another a related note the blogmaster congratulates Bajan scientist Dr. Shima Holder. We need more scientists involved in national problem solving.

 

Screenshot 2019-09-19 at 00.14.58.png

127 responses to “Scientists to the Rescue!”

  1. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    How many BLACK INVENTORS in Barbados were REAPEDLY ROBBED over the decades by the criminals in parliament and their minority friends each and everytime they attempted to create various concepts and devices to help the people and island….too numerous to mention..they all had to run from Barbados or were robbed and CHASED OUT..

    Ya unprogressive governments would SELL OUT to their crook friends who rob the treasury MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ANNUALLY…pretending to be water specialists …while the island continues to suffer for water…..that is what bith governments STILL prefer.

    You have never had a progressive government in 70 years and you never will…given current mentalities…not as long as they are always looking for SOME FOR THEMSELVES…read, bribes and kickbacks..

  2. Piece the Legend Avatar
    Piece the Legend

    De ole man interestingly enough has skin in this game of making the desert blossom like a rose!

    Additionally, WARU has pointed out THE FIRST HURDLE IN THIS MATTER

    Protection of Intellectual Property and the teifing regime that successive governments perpetuate

    Barbados is a backwoods swampland and the practices of graft and thievery CONTINUE TO STOMP THIS TYPE OF INITIATIVE into oblivion.

    One could easily list a host of teifage that both administrations have effected but let’s try a new strategy here for a while.

    Let us discuss for 10 points HOW A PROJECT LIKE THIS COULD BE ROLLED OUT.

    Let us see the minds that can be coopted to this abstract in a way that can be of benefit to our country.

    @ the Honourable Blogmaster

    It’s you blog my MAN but it’s up to you to keep this topic focused on the subject matter at hand.

    You dun know dem coming here to get ideas and ting.

    You have facilitated the space, so let’s try to build it for the benefit of Barbados

  3. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    Even worse…when they join with criminal minority businesses and TIEF IDB and other LOANS…signed for in the PEOPLE’S NAMES, hundreds of millions of dollars lent to UPGRADE the water supply…gone into all their pockets…how will the island ever have an adequately functioning water system..

    They stole so much over the decades that BWA cannot even give their customers CREDIT for…WATER NOT RECEIVED…so how will black inventors fare in such a TOXIC, CORRUPT environment CREATED by both governments…without also becoming the victims of STATE SANCTIONED THEFT.

    And still no one is being held accountable or going to PRISON for this level of criminality against people and country.

    Black inventors PLEASE STAY AWAY and watch them ALL IMPLODE FIRST.

    https://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/241822/money

    “THE FAIR TRADING COMMISSION (FTC) is concerned about the Barbados Water Authority’s (BWA) service delivery, but says customers will not get financial compensation given the utility company’s financial woes.

    “Sub-par” is how the public utility regulator described the state entity’s performance in relation to the majority of a combined 21 mandatory guaranteed and overall service metrics that came into effect on January 1 last year.

    However, for the time being, Barbadians should not look for compensation from the BWA if it breaches any of the nine guaranteed standards, which include meter repair/replacement, wrongful disconnections and reliability of supply.

    The FTC said this was because it suspended the “ordinarily required” compensatory payments provision “in light of BWA’s financial and operational challenges”. The inaugural evaluation covered all of last year, and a similar assessment will be done for 2019.”

  4. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    The link to the CNN article is not working.

  5. David Avatar
    David

    Thanks Donna, here is the link.

    https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/16/us/water-rescue-foundation-bahamas-trnd/index.html

  6. Piece the Legend Avatar
    Piece the Legend

    De ole man DOES NOT EXPECT THIS TOPIC to attract many minds that can talk comprehensively about the subject matter so I will start the failed process.

    First let me define where the country should be seeking to go before we even look at this individual asset.

    “…Intellectual property portfolio management oversees a collection of IP rights in order to better protect them.

    This involves various processes and procedures to increase that protection…”

    If the mindset of the government is to protect its “property” then it will see its collaboration with this citizen who is creating water from air AS A COLLABORATOR as opposed to being a competitor.

    1.the premise here is that Inventor X is proposing to generate water for use by the persons in the easterly parishes.

    2.Such skill IS NOT RESIDENT IN BIZZY WILLIAMS AND IONICS in fact dem does doan even do desalination efficiently

    3.This proposal by Inventor X is of national interest AND COMMENSURATELY should have 3 levels of protection

    I.between the inventor X and the government to ensure the Inventor is safeguarded from THE government

    ii.Between the government and the inventor to ensure that all rights of access to and use of thd IP augurs to the benefit of the government

    For example, you dont want that the Inventor gets up and leaves the government in a lurch after all its investment

    And

    iii.between the government and the people.

    The agreement is for the people and not the current political party OR ANY MEMBER THEREOF. It cant be that Inventor X gets assets y and Minister of Administration during 2013 to 2018 and investor X are both compensated after Minister admits office

    DISCUSS FOR 10 POINTS HOW GHE ABOVE CSN BE EFFECTED

    and the RH sheeple say baaaa

    @ WARU

    you do know that we are past the point of state sponsored theft dont you?

  7. Piece the Legend Avatar
    Piece the Legend

    @ the Honourable Blogmaster your assistance please with an item here thank you kindly

  8. Miller Avatar
    Miller

    @ WURA-War-on-U September 19, 2019 6:26 AM

    What the FTC is trying to tell Bajans, in code, is that they would have to wait until the BWA is privatized according to the mandate issued to the government by the IMF.

    The CDB is just another financial nursemaid in the employment of the IMF now that the management of the country’s finances is under the control of that loan shark called “It’s Mia Fault”.

    You should expect water rates to increase to around 20% in the very near future.
    Bajans can bawl until ‘water’ settles in their eyes but they would have to find the money to pay their water bill the same way they would have to pay for the pending increases electricity and petrol at the pump.

    Wouldn’t be surprised if the proceeds from the sale of the BWA to foreign investors are used to help pay off the foreign creditors who are getting angrier by the day and might soon be putting poor defaulted Bim in court for their monies; bankrupt or no bankrupt.

    The day of reckoning is fast approaching for Barbados.

    As the old donkey told the fat pig about to be transported to market in the jackass cart: “Sweet life ain’t nah long life”.

  9. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    “under the control of that loan shark called “It’s Mia Fault”.”

    Yep…the implosion is at hand.

  10. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    However, for the time being, Barbadians should not look for compensation from the BWA if it breaches any of the nine guaranteed standards, which include meter repair/replacement, wrongful disconnections and reliability of supply.

    +++++++++++
    That is a “get out of jail free” card for the BWA, imagine it is bailed out in advance when (not if) it fails to reach mandatory acceptable standards for service delivery and repairs, where is the incentive to improve its service when it knows that the FTC has provided it with cover?

    De old lady said her water bill went up despite her not having service for a few days, I told her she should thank her lucky stars that it wasn’t off for a month otherwise her bill would be equivalent to one of the “many hands make light work” salary.

  11. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ Sargeant

    The Law of Diminishing Returns seem to be at play here.

  12. Piece the Legend Avatar
    Piece the Legend

    In 2012 IBM’S Intellectual Property portfolio was worth US $1.2 billion!!!

    It has dwindled to US $700 million and had created 4900 ,+ patents in one year which is more that the entire Caribbean region collectively

    “…IBM inventors received a record 9,043 patents in 2017, marking the company’s 25th consecutive year of U.S. patent leadership and crossing the 100,000-patent milestone.

    The new patents were granted to a diverse group of more than 8,500 IBM researchers, engineers, scientists and designers in 47 different U.S. states and 47 countries…”

    And the company has a General Counsel for Patents who is paid 3 times Mugabe’s salary per year EXCLUDING BONUSES!!!

    But de ole man forgets that we are a Banana Republic and America got civilized people.

  13. Piece the Legend Avatar
    Piece the Legend

    De ole man DOES NOT EXPECT THIS TOPIC to attract many minds that can talk comprehensively about the subject matter so I will start the failed process.

    First let me define where the country should be seeking to go before we even look at this individual asset.

    “…Intellectual property portfolio management oversees a collection of IP rights in order to better protect them.

    This involves various processes and procedures to increase that protection…”

    If the mindset of the government is to protect its “property” then it will see its collaboration with this citizen who is creating water from air AS A COLLABORATOR as opposed to being a competitor.

    1.the premise here is that Inventor X is proposing to generate water for use by the persons in the easterly parishes.

    2.Such skill IS NOT RESIDENT IN BIZZY WILLIAMS AND IONICS in fact dem does doan even do desalination efficiently

    3.This proposal by Inventor X is of national interest AND COMMENSURATELY should have 3 levels of protection

    I.between the inventor X and the government to ensure the Inventor is safeguarded from THE government

    ii.Between the government and the inventor to ensure that all rights of access to and use of thd IP augurs to the benefit of the government

    For example, you dont want that the Inventor gets up and leaves the government in a lurch after all its investment

    And

    iii.between the government and the people.

    The agreement is for the people and not the current political party OR ANY MEMBER THEREOF. It cant be that Inventor X gets assets y and Minister of Administration during 2013 to 2018 and investor X are both compensated after Minister admits office

    DISCUSS FOR 10 POINTS HOW THE ABOVE CAN BE EFFECTED for Barbados before THE RAPTURE!

    and the RH sheeple say baaaa

  14. Piece the Legend Avatar
    Piece the Legend

    Demits office not admits

  15. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    Oh dear!! A patent for condensation of water from the atmosphere? This process existed since Adam was a lad and Bajans used to bottle dew. WDR?

  16. WURA-WAR-on-U Avatar
    WURA-WAR-on-U

    “@ WARU

    you do know that we are past the point of state sponsored theft dont you?”

    ya…..but ya still can’t get them to stop tiefing though…ah would to see ya try…

  17. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    @Vincent Codrington September 19, 2019 11:47 AM

    You are correct. In some deserts. the inhabitants make use of solar energy to heat stones and rocks by days. At night with temperatures dropping condensate accumulates on the rocks. The condensate is used for agricultural purposes.

  18. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    Recently researchers in California have invented a system using metallic organic frames (MOF) to adsorbed water from the desert air. The process does not need an external energy source.
    Once there is a temperature gradient between air and an object, condensation occurs at the dew point.

  19. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    To both @Pieces n @Vincent…come on gentlemen cut the BS and be real!

    @Pieces, by your own quote above re IBM you show how extensive is the area of patents for new inventions/methods/ideas…patent offices are in almost EVERY big manufacturing company and patent protection is freaking big legal business.

    But get real bro…the average sheep as us have absolutely LIITTLE idea (and even LESS interest) of exactly how many patent claims (and fights) were involved with, as examples, the veneer on an integrated circuit board , or the development of the now everywhere car seat belt!

    The point repeated…let’s be real…that is a granular aspect of life that we reg folk NEVER focus upon…although in truth it has great impact on us!…..That’s an area in which you play with many others but it’s not the interest of the sheeple; they want (understandably) what the veneer helps mass market and leads to: exciting prodution like data on their phone or the safety in the car.

    Why this hullabaloo tho?

    And @Vincent…someone designed and created a “mousetrap” centuries ago…the ‘joys’ of life still remain creating a better more efficient “mousetrap”, not so!

    The sun was forever with us and the understanding of its use as an energy source…that never stopped folks from creating better devices to harness that energy so that we could use it during night time…. thus this supposed ability to harness the condensation process to more quickly and inexpensively MASS produce potable water would be truly an awesome WDR development.

    Adam certainly could NOT do that when he was a lad nor as an old man…and the mid-East giants of yesteryear didn’t mass produce that way either…so give the man his props if it’s real!

    Just saying to you both…..I gone. 🙃

  20. FearPlay Avatar
    FearPlay

    Metallic organic frames capture water out of the desert air.

    http://news.mit.edu/2018/field-tests-device-harvests-water-desert-air-0322

  21. Piece the Legend Avatar
    Piece the Legend

    @ Mr. Vincent Codrington

    You are correct, there is nothing new Under the Sun and Dr Lucas points out the optimization @ today

    But my point which even my learnéd friend DpD priorly known as The Word has missed, is not the technology nor the patent BUT THE PROCESS OF CONCEPTUALIZING, THEN REDUCING TO PRACTICE, OPTIMIZING, COMMERCIALIZING AND GENERATING FDI!

    WARU, I for one, accept your point that the administrations we live in, have TEIFED these things from people.

    All I really was seeking to do was give flesh to ghe topic as to the HOW IT WOULD BE DONE and up to now not a feller ent give one idea as to the environment within which This Covenant of Hope Mugsbd regime or any other government CAN MAKE SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN!

    Please do not get tied up in the transient.

    I understand the water physics but I am targeting how to change the psyche of a nation that still catching de off the morning grass!

  22. WURA-WAR-on-U Avatar
    WURA-WAR-on-U

    Many people are more aware than we think, ya done know this government is very arrogant and refuses to listen to John Public who pay their salaries, they always got some better, in their rminds only consultants or, better in their minds only business person(s) to listen to and they ultimately arrive at the same distination as they have for decades…ABJECT FAILURES…with millions of taxpayers or pensioners money GONE..unaccounted for and no one is ever held accountable..

    maybe it’s time to stop trying to CHANGE the DAMAGED PSYCHES of the people…and CHANGE the DAMAGED, USELESS LEADERS INSTEAD…as often as it takes until you find the right fit..

    until you can find:

    leaders who are not so self absorbed

    leaders who do not still see their own people as slaves.STILL..in 2019

    leaders who don’t still reside deep within their 1950s mentalities and continue to project that wicked old mentality on their people

    leaders who don’t think their people should remain dependent on minorities

    leaders who don’t think their people should have upward fnancially mobilty and become wealthy from their labor and that of their ancestors

    leaders who are not so shallow and parasitic

    leaders who don’t defer to minorities for the bribery factor..

    leaders who refuse to upgrade the education sytem because they still do not want their people to know their identity…although they are all actively chasing down reparations from the slave trade…

    as we can see…it’s the leaders are the toxic problem…more than anything else, they created and maintained the destructive environment that everyone is now displeased about…

  23. WURA-WAR-on-U Avatar
    WURA-WAR-on-U

    And more importantly…you want leaders who UNDERSTAND…when Black talents and gifts manifests in current and future generations of Black Bajans, it is to be NURTUED and given FREE REIN to benefit the majority population and island and enrich the host carrying such talents… …not shut down and chased off the island if it cannot be stolen to benefit parasitic minorities..

  24. David Avatar
    David

    @Dr. Lucas

    Is there anything prohibiting the wholesale adoption of the water technology featured?

  25. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    @ Piece the Legend September 19, 2019 1:26 PM

    ” but I am targeting how to change the psyche of a nation that still catching de off the morning grass”

    Your statement is a profound one. Lennox Chandler the chief Agricultural Officer, often relate what I have said when he tries to get rid of the inertia from which science suffers in Barbados and elsewhere in the West Indies. He alludes to the fact that I have said that for more than forty-years I had hoped for there to be some activity on the science scene, but belatedly I have come to the conclusion that things will not change. I have come to this conclusion for the following reasons: there is no environment that encourages critical thinking and anyone attempting to do so is confronted by asinine and pseudo-science comments. There is a lack of objectivity when differences of opinion occur. In science one has to be objective and follow the data wherever the data lead, there is no room for subjective beliefs. There is need for an environment that encourages curiosity and imagination:” such an environment does not exist. locally. There is, instead what I call the herd instinct:the pervasive need for everyone to sing from the same hymn book. Contrary ideas are not tolerated. There is also the “medical doctor, lawyer and economist syndrome(MDLE)”. It is drummed into the populace psyche that the height of achievement is the MDLE syndrome. Since every one aspires to reach the MDLE level, the possibility of change is remote.

  26. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    @ David
    The only limitation is the reaction of the policy makers. Judging by their reactions in the past the possibility of the technology being utilized would appear to be extremely low. Furthermore since the technology as outlined is small-scale and relatively cheap, large kick-backs do not appear to be promising: therefore an additional damper is thrown into the mix ( remember, Barbados is a very corrupt place).There is also the stealing of the intellectual rights of the inventor. I will give an example. When I was the head of the Experimental Food Unit, I built with the aide of the on-site electrician a smoke-house using two fifty-five gallon drums which were welded end to end. I was experimenting with formulae for smoked-chicken, turkey-ham and so on. I came up with a formula for mutton ham. i was constantly pressured by the head-honcho.at the time to give the formula to Goddards’ Enterprise. I refused to do so; as I explained, it was my work, my ideas and I wanted to know how the head-honcho( another black man from a politically connected family, very high middle class)) could even expect that I would do as requested. I told him I wasn’t going to do so ( I was eventually fired)..

  27. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    Correction “built with the aid of ” instead of aide

  28. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    “I was constantly pressured to give the formula to Goddards’ Enterprise”

    And therein lies the problem. That sick psyche many of us black people have. We will never get anywhere until we work on that.

    And so David we return to the starting point you are tired of hearing about but is the real story of Barbados that infects EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES.

    ” The country sick, The country en well.” And the disease that ails us is………….

    And if we don’t talk about it that just means we will suffer in silence.

    Whatever became of that Weeke’s fellow?

  29. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @DrLucas respectfully let’s please play by your rule of thumb …namely: “. [Let there be an] environment that encourages critical thinking [in this breif discourse] and thus let’s not be *”… confronted by asinine […] comments.”

    Thus I ask you where would you not expect that an avaricious, malfocused “head honcho” possibly connected to private enterprise would not want to ‘steal’ your concept for said alleged buddies in private enterprise?? To paraphrase that children’s shows …’Where in the world, sir.’

    So …next query: having fleshed out the idea (on work premises and with a work colleague….issues, issues sir!!) Was it not your prerogative to commercialize the idea by proceeding along the necessary entrepreneurial steps??

    That said, YOU certainly displayed admirable “curiosity and imagination” and that is the hallmark of the entrepreneur …during my lifetime I have seen many ‘startups’ in Bim…some successes ..some failures…so although I get your refrain about those in high places in govt stifling creativity one HAS to put that in perspective.

    Those who have always try to steal from those who are trying to get and those trying to get have to be very smart to avoid being robbed…and to coin a phrase from @Vincent that was the case since ‘Adam was a lad’!

    Of course not being a scientist anything I say related to that subject area can supposedly be labelled “pseudo-science “ I expect!😁

    I gone.

    BTW did you ever ‘patent’ and make some money from your smoked mutton process!

  30. WURA-WAR-on-U Avatar
    WURA-WAR-on-U

    “I came up with a formula for mutton ham. i was constantly pressured by the head-honcho.at the time to give the formula to Goddards’ Enterprise. I refused to do so; as I explained, it was my work, my ideas and I wanted to know how the head-honcho( another black man from a politically connected family, very high middle class)) could even expect that I would do as requested. I told him I wasn’t going to do so ( I was eventually fired)..”

    back to my point…black bajan inventors should NEVER be pressured or forced to give up their inventions to greedy minority interests just because another negro in governmentt or where ever decides that black people are entitled to have nothing they create or invent…and it should always go to greedy minorities…

    it is evil

    it is regressive

    it is counterproductive to any wealth creation or future progress WITHIN the majority population..

    black people owe the minorities of Barbados NOTHING, they are ALL well known PARASITES… the only people who them are their parasitic sidekicks in the parliament and the lawyers who collude with them to rob the majority population of everything …each and every time..year after year, generation after generation…

  31. WURA-WAR-on-U Avatar
    WURA-WAR-on-U

    the only people who OWE them are their parasitic sidekicks in the parliament and the lawyers who collude with them to rob the majority population of everything …each and every time..year after year, generation after generation…

  32. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ dpD

    @ Piece

    Science flourishes when a process/ idea is critically examined. If all the scientists agreed with an idea/ concept then it is not science. I, like Dr. Lucas, prefer the traditional scientific approach to issues where the proposer is asked to look at an issue from all perspectives. I think it is counter productive to personalise issues and ideas. One’s ideas are not the proposer/person. I think we will make swifter progress by taking our egos out of the discussion. In the article some of us missed the message that the end product was water that was distributed. Not who owned the patent. But a meaningful contribution to the problems of the society in which he lives.

  33. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    @ de pedantic Dribbler September 19, 2019 5:15 PM

    I was paid out and with the funds started a meat processing plant making turkey ham. I did market research and realized that there was a niche market for the product. My wife at the time vehemently opposed the venture ;actually never really supported the idea.( a lot of criticism). Most of the funds went in making the plant which ( I rented from the BIDC ) suitable for food purposes. Had to get partners( my ex introduced me to them). Had to import boneless turkey thigh meat. In those days the material wasn’t really available locally and even today it isn’t. In six months the company had gone over six-hundred thousand dollars in sales (all loan repayments were paid on time as was NIS and insurance for workers( in case of accidents) and all utilities).Then problems arose. There was a concentrated programs by the powers that be to claim that my company was impeding the development of the local turkey industry( The BAS head-honcho ( Rayside) at the time appeared on CBC Tv accusing my company of hindering the development of a turkey industry) As a result, the company was refused a permit to import any more raw material. The company went into receivership ( there was an attempted share holders coup as a result of the happenings). I got a lawyer ( yes my opinion of them hasn’t changed) and won control of a second lein ( after BDB) on the company which gave me the right to walk out of a meeting with the receiver when he suggested that the same share holders stick around. Just told him that I didn’t want to see them again and that as far as I was concerned the company should be folded up and that is what happened. Of course as expected the wife went also leaving to handle the debt to the BDB.
    Actually some years later on VOB.I heard a program talking about what a great little company it was and that it was a shame what happened. No sense in crying over split milk as the saying goes.

  34. David Avatar
    David

    @Dr. Lucas

    What a horrible story.

    Today we have companies importing wings, pork and other products although a local industry exist.

    Oh what a wonderful country we live.

  35. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ Dr. Lucas

    At least you tried. There are many lessons the young can learn from your experience. There are other nonscientific factors that go into economic success. We ignore them at our peril. Moreover,they are universal. Ethics. Morality. Live and let live.

  36. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    Ok @DrLucas…or rather not OK…as The Blogmaster noted a rather “horrible” story.

    Not much more I can add…you have done the talk and walk.

    For debate sake I would ask two questions tho…1)what would you do differently as CEO if you could go back to that booming 6 month period and 2) did you ever contemplate seeking some partnership with the same Goddards or BS&T when you realized the political power was being dropped heavily on you!

    Not trivial queries as you surely know…experience tells us that in small incestuous (corrupt) nations such as ours its vitally important to have a benefactor when one is playing at that level…we may despise it as much as we want but one either plays the game as best as is possible or get given out by the umpire although the ball has missed bat, pads and stumps!

    Yours was a such a harsh umpiring comeuppance!

  37. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    @David

    You will hear a lot of hollering and noise about being self-sufficient in pork and poultry. That is bare talk; indeed just a mirage. All the feed for pigs have to be imported. As was stated earlier this year, there are going to shortages of soy and maize and pork and chicken prices will increase. As for chicken as I have said on numerous times in the press, the poultry industry in Barbados is an artificial one, All the feed rations are imported ;the eggs for layer and broiler production are imported; the medicines and packaging equipment are all imported. About the only local inputs are labor, cement and water. Some years ago I wrote an article which was published in the press; at that time there were according to the poultry producers about three-thousand people involved in the poultry industry. I wanted to know how it was that three-thousand persons were holding 98.5 percent of the population to ransom over what had to be the most expensive chicken in the world. I haven’t changed my opinion on the matter. There is no great saving in foreign exchange when all of the imported inputs are totaled and compared with the importation of chicken. Do you know that the local ham plant imports pork legs, butts and bellies? Why do you think hams are so expensive ? It is the cost of the local pork among other things.

  38. Kammie Holder Avatar
    Kammie Holder

    @Waru Was on U, I would never did idly by and allow anyone to rob my niece irrespective of color or office they hold. Hearing a person on Brasstacks today pleading for help with her legal issue was heartbreaking.

    The millennials will not be docile sheep who will sit and allow their rights to be abrogated. To think in this country is to be considered a trouble maker.

  39. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ Dr. Lucas

    I have been telling David BU for years that even Agriculture in Barbados is an assembly industry. It is heartening to have you confirm it.

  40. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    We ,who have benefited from education paid for by poor taxpayers, need to speak to truth despite attempts to mislead the public.

    @ dpD

    They are many of us who are not interested in sacrificing our integrity for a mess of pottage.

  41. Kammie Holder Avatar
    Kammie Holder

    @Dr Lucas, money is made from the misery of people and problems are a lucrative source of income. Do you know the garbage issue can be solved by my 5 year old daughter and her school friends and so is the water issue….its reported the Desal plant contract was renewed in 2017 and expanded.

    The wealth in most countries is controlled by a few and the major decisions are made by those with the big dollars who fund political parties and contribute significantly to the country’s GDP.

    Plebs are just the conduit to parliament. They fight for the largesse of their political masters which is pittance while betraying future generations.

    Barbados has become a place where many who should know better have rented, leased or sublet their conscience at the expense of future generations.

    Everybody wants to maintain their social invites irrespective of future consequences. Our legal profession which is now the legal industry is at the apex of poor governance and have let the whole country down in the most disagreeable way for their own self interest.

  42. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    @ de pedantic Dribbler September 19, 2019 8:08 PM

    I will deal with your second question first, I have a friend who always have said that the mistake I made was not getting white people involved from the outset. My dad was goldsmith rated as the best in Barbados: could engrave by hand ( could use either hand ) and at the inter-school sports all of the cups to be presented as prizes were engraved by him. One day, I told him that I was disappointed in him, in that he hadn’t started his own business( opening a store in Swan Street or some other place) instead of only getting pennies for his work. He looked at me and said that if he had tried that, he would have been destroyed. As he explained, he would have needed money to buy the gold and no bank would have advanced the loan and secondly he would need store front space and have high rents to pay and that the clients he had would have disappeared. He said he was therefore content to work for pittance. That talk stuck in my mind and when I formed the company that was foremost in my mind. You can say I wanted to do what my dad didn’t attempt. No way would I have considered joining them. It was my project and only one of two things could happen: either it was a success or it was failure that was how I approached it. My approach has always been that no race or person has a monopoly in intelligence and I do not consider any one to be greater or lesser than me.

    As for you first question there isn’t much that I would do differently. Delay paying loans ( I was repaying both interest and principal1); I don’t believe in owing people and being tardy in paying them. Maybe better choice of Share holders. I wrote up the loan proposal ( I had worked at BDB for a while and knew how to write up loans. I had submitted as a small business which meant that I wouldn’t need share holders. BDB’s in-house analyst came to the conclusion that it was a great project that it was not to be considered as a small business. BDB also increase the loan size said that it wouldn’t release funds unless I put in more money or got share holders. All the processing equipment was in place but there was no working capital to buy the raw-materials, Actually left me scrambling to find share-holders, took about five months to get them. Had to take what I got, interest expense being what it was; had a moratorium on the principal. really had me in a pickle.

  43. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ Dr Lucas

    The generation before us were pragmatic. They methodically went through the process of setting up a business ,examined the pros and the cons and chose the one that gave them the best chance to support their families..

  44. WURA-WAR-on-U Avatar
    WURA-WAR-on-U

    “The millennials will not be docile sheep who will sit and allow their rights to be abrogated.”

    Better not….have to start dismantling that disgraceful system now and get rid of all those who are determined to continue practicing it…no one needs them, they are parasites.

  45. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    @Vincent Codrington September 19, 2019 9:13 PM

    You are correct.

  46. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    Again Ok @Dr. Lucas…good OK this time…well mostly good!…. Where I diverge from you is what I will call your hubris…to be succinct your old man was absolutely spot on – pragmatic, is how @Vincent described it – ….with your direct experience of his work and chat you should have been more …ahhh tempered…should I say.

    What do they say about pride and falls… so lets delve ….. This is not about any “…race or person [having] a monopoly in intelligence” ….but (with respect) as I read your piece I did grasp however that it was about someone feeling greater: that person being, you!

    Ego is a great thing…a must have for ground breaking entrepreneurs like yourself but it can be a destructive force also.

    I must say that (again based on your Dad’s base premiss) it is quite shocking that you would start a business and adopt the attitude of ‘I rise or die because I need no benefactor (help)’ …that sir is incredibly …ahhhh…crazy, should I say….as soon as your borrow those funds and initiate those guarantees your entire purpose should be to make a “pottage” of money…that’s why we start profit making business, as far as I know.

    If you want altruism or ego boosts then start a charitable org or some such…business is ABOUT making money!

    I don’t want to be overly prolix here so let me brief this up real quick…many times on these pages one of the BU sages would shout from the rafters about the cooperative way of life in business and how it has helped many to grow.

    Did you not see the benefit of that approach to your wondrous idea!! When you did your business [in last 20 years I imagine) there were Black owned supermarkets around and several like minded young folks like you in related (retail) business…I see your “no one smarter than me” as a complete dismissal of opportunities to create a business that had much potential in conjunction with some of them!

    Just based on your comments above it seems to me that hubris closed your business more than anything else!

    It’s beautiful this 20-20 hindsight but there is a bold lesson to be learned …your Dad knew he had to have customers to market his personal services skills operation ….you needed customers and govt support to make yours successful… you got the funds he couldn’t get and then despite the five month delay found deep pocket investors to share a burden…again something he likely would not have found as easily…yet despite how times changed to provide you with the grand opportunity you didn’t properly distill your Dad’s real powerful advice: thred carefully and pick your fights sensibly…that’s on you bro!

  47. SirSimpleSimonPresidentForLife Avatar
    SirSimpleSimonPresidentForLife

    @robert lucasSeptember 19, 2019 7:26 PM “I was paid out and with the funds started a meat processing plant making turkey ham. I did market research and realized that there was a niche market for the product…There was a concentrated programs by the powers that be to claim that my company was impeding the development of the local turkey industry. The BAS head-honcho at the time appeared on CBC TV accusing my company of hindering the development of a turkey industry.

    I am so sorry to hear this. I love turkey ham. From time to time a relative of mine sneaks in a boneless turkey ham. It is delicious, and I wish that i could buy the same here. It is a pity that the officials did not see that this could grow the local turkey industry. That is local farmers could have been encuraged to raise turkeys for your processing plant. Smoked turkey is so delicious, that instead of having turkey just as a Christmas treat, local farmers could be producing enough that delicious low fat turkey cutters would be sold in every school canteen, food truck and corner shop. Turkey ham is that delicious. The farmers and you could have also captured the market of those who for religious reasons do not eat pork, Rastafarians, Seventh Day Adventists, Muslims (once it was halal) , Jews (once it was kosher)

  48. Baje Avatar
    Baje

    @ Dr Robert Lucas

    Here is another black business they are trying to sabotage locally ran by a very dedicated woman and her small team:

    Empty gardens

    One of Barbados’ national treasures has been hit by a substantial fall-off in visitors and its management is blaming a “conspiracy” by unknown persons for the growing belief that the site is closed to business.

    While the Andromeda Gardens attraction in St Joseph has retained its natural beauty, Sharon Cooke, owner of Passiflora Ltd., which is contracted to manage the property, says her best efforts to attract tourists and locals have been unsuccessful.

    Cooke, however, claims that recent investigations are pointing to a concerted effort by some person or entity to convince tourism officials and by extension visitors, that the gardens, which are owned by the Barbados National Trust, have been closed down.

    She said under their watch the numbers visiting the gardens increased to as many as 7,500 annually but even at this level, the full resources needed to run the facility are not covered.

    On an average day at the gardens, the parking lot is mostly empty and the gardens are only patronized by a handful of people.

    Cooke told Barbados TODAY her company has been managing the property for five and a half years and were charged with reviving the over eight-acre space but were hindered by drought conditions and water outages in the rural parish.

    “We started with 5,000 people a year for the first two years and you can’t sustain a garden of 8.5 acres with that. We need eight gardeners, but we can’t afford eight gardeners with just 5,000 people coming in a year. We’ve increased it to 7,500 people a year but it needs double that… and we are not getting them,” complained Cooke.

    She explained: “Last year we delivered leaflets to 90 per cent of Barbados’ hotels and just recently we have been phoning the hotels to invite them and our assistant manager is saying that most of them say they haven’t heard of us,” Cooke revealed.

    “I phoned one in particular which has not been recommending Andromeda and she [a senior hotel worker] said ‘to be honest, I thought you were closed’.”

    In another instance, Cooke said a tour operator with a popular hotel admitted to them that he was informed in a meeting not to take tourists to the attraction because it was closed.

    “He then called back two hours later apologizing because people had been asking to come here and he has been telling them that they can’t come here because it’s closed. I have been asking him for more information, but he has never come back, so we definitely feel somebody is telling people that we are closed for an unknown reason and I would like all of those people to just stop,” appealed the annoyed proprietor.

    The botanical garden was opened in the 1950s and gifted to the Barbados National Trust by horticulturalists, Iris Bannochie upon her death in 1988. Space is home to a number of natural and manmade streams and houses over 500 species of plants.

    Since then, it has attracted attention from numerous famous public figures. Most recently, world-renowned Nigerian recording artist Davido recorded parts of the music video for his song, Assurance in the garden attracting over 47 million views on YouTube. Bashment Soca sensation, Mole has also been recording a music video in the space.

    Since 2016 the managing director said the area had been restored and she now has dreams of transforming it into a Tropical American Ethno Botanical Garden focused on local plants and conserving local flora. Poor patronage, however, has hindered those efforts.

    While Cooke said she remained dedicated to the job at hand, she indicated she would barely be able to maintain it with assistance from her husband, two part-time gardeners, and volunteer Karen Affeldt.

    “It won’t be closed down under my watch and I am going to be here for at least the next five months. I am just concerned when I consider that in London everyone knows about the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Singapore Botanic Gardens, but they don’t know about our own natural wonder,” Cooke said.

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2019/09/19/empty-gardens/

  49. SirSimpleSimonPresidentForLife Avatar
    SirSimpleSimonPresidentForLife

    I trust that this is not off topic but it is about science.

    On the 12:30 VOB news on Thursday 19th September it was reported that Barbados’ immunization rate has dropped to below 75% from greater than 95% just ten years ago.

    http://vob929.com/podcasts/news-bulletins/#1563814933802-ec841d74-3558

    To mix a little politics with science may I quote Erskine Sandiford who is another context asked “How did we get here again?”

    How could parents, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health let this happen? Surely children are required to be immunized before entering primary school? Has this immunization policy been enforced over the past ten years, and if not why not? Have officials in Education and Health become “cuhdear” people instead of enforcing the very good scientific immunization policy?

    But then again we had a Minister of Education who was so busy seeing “demons” in school children, that perhaps he could not see that more that a quarter of Barbados’ children were not being immunized.

    Next year we are inviting bajans and their children and grand children to the gathering. It wold not be nice if we invited people and then they got sick. Whatever the failings of the Ministries of health and Education over the last ten years we must get our act together and quick.

    I went to school back in the day when children got sick from polio when they were 6 or 7 and NEVER came back to school again. I knew people who dragged themselves around because of permanent damage from polio. I know of at least one person permanently disabled after a bad bout of chicken pox. I saw my own mother severely with shingles, as a consequence of an earlier bout of chicken pox. I had measles myself, it was painful, I couldn’t open my eyes because they were so light sensitive. I almost lost one of the best jobs I ever had because my chicken pox showed up on the evening of the 4th day on my new job, and we all know how it is to ask for two weeks sick leave after 4 days on the job. The boss is sure to think that perhaps you are malingering.

  50. SirSimpleSimonPresidentForLife Avatar
    SirSimpleSimonPresidentForLife

    In Toronto the same problem has arisen and on September 9th their public health department published a strategy to combat vaccine hesitancy. Their strategy includes a recommendation that parents no longer be permitted a religious or philosophical exemption from having their children vaccinated

    https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2019/hl/bgrd/backgroundfile-137355.pdf

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