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Youth Not a Priority – BDF Sports Program on the Brink

The news that the Barbados Defence Force Sports Program is again threatened with being shutdown should be a big concern for Barbadians. Full credit must be given to the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) for bankrolling the program when the threat first surfaced 2019. 

For years the blogmaster has expressed concern about the lack of a comprehensive sports policy by successive governments. Any society unable to give hope to its young people will have to battle with the consequences. It is a matter of public record that BEFORE the pandemic youth unemployment rate hovered around 30%. Without a national youth policy there has been an inevitable crumbling of physical and social structures. The national stadiums are an embarrassment if compared to many of our regional neighbours. By the way, have you observed it is standard for responsibility for youth affairs to be tagged to a junior minister of government. What message does it send to the youth?

Although a comprehensive youth program should not be 100% sports oriented, it is a significant component. In today’s world sports is a pathway to access academic and economic opportunities. As important is the opportunity being missed to create cohesion in the society with our youth feeling incentivized to be connected to society. Almost all of our sports associations are mired at different levels of mismanagement.

Kudos to Walter Blackman for keeping this egregious state of affairs on the front burner on Thursday’s as host of VOB’s Brasstacks Show. The opportunity loss for Barbados not spending $400,000 to manage the BDF program makes it a no-brainer that funds should be reallocated post haste to fix the problem, if it has not been addressed by the time of posting.

Is it a reasonable expectation the same level of protest from John and Jane Public reacting to an increase in the price of sweet drinks should be louder for the closing of the BFD sports program? How can we be that numb (not dumb) as a people to be insensitive to the implications. 

65 responses to “Youth Not a Priority – BDF Sports Program on the Brink”

  1. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    YOUTH A PRIORITY

  2. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ David
    The BDF Sports Program was a waste of time and money. institutionalized mediocrity.

    If we were NORMAL people, instead if inviting Jamaicans to manage the shiite Cave, we could have invited one of their top sport administrators to come here for two years to set up a world class sports program.

  3. David Avatar
    David

    @Bush Tea

    What are you saying, we should abandon the program? We should avoid implementing a youth development program?

    The point is- abandon the BDF program and replace with what? Could the program have been beefed up?

  4. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    LOL
    Boss, it seems that you have too many balls in the air at once…
    Bushie suggested a replacement SPORTS program run by people who operate at world class standards in sports.

    You have fallen for the nonsense of trying ‘harder and harder’ with folly.
    This is why you persists with the failed political shiite system. BUT there comes a time to ADMIT failure and work out a new SENSIBLE plan – guided by your failure experience.

    The Sports Program was just like the ‘Productivity Council” and the ‘Office of Public Sector Reform” …shams.
    Arthurs ploys to deflect criticism of OBVIOUS failures.

  5. David Avatar
    David

    @Bush Tea

    What about the individuals that have passed through the program to be outstanding citizens?

  6. David Avatar
    David

    There is a reason our swim program is competitive. Enough said!

    24 ready for Carifta action
    By Nick Maitland nickmaitland@nationnews.com
    There is an unmistakable aura of excitement and expectancy among the members of the Barbados swim squad which will take to the pool during this weekend’s 35th CARIFTA Aquatics Championships which commence today at the Aquatic Centre.
    Twenty-four of the island’s best junior swimmers will endeavour to satisfy the home crowd’s desire for efficiency, entertainment and of course, medals at the fourday meet which concludes on Tuesday.
    Barbados concluded the last edition of the Games in 2019 with 26 medals and in fifth place overall. Bahamas have been the top team for seven of the past eight meets and dominated the past three Games in 2019, 2018 and 2017, winning the last edition after capturing 73 medals.
    Three-time medallist at the 2019 Games with two silver and one gold Adara Stoddard and fellow three-time medallist Keilani Talma will spearhead the hunt for medals. There will also be an eagerness among home fans to witness the coming of age of the next generation of junior swimmers who will be competing at CARIFTA for the first time.
    One of those first-timers is 12-year-old Harrison College student and High Tide Aquatics’ swimmer Amiya Harrison who will seek to get off to a good start in the 200 metres breaststroke and 50m backstroke today.
    “Preparation was hard. We have to work for what we want, so at times it was a bit tough, but it paid off in the end,” Harrison told Saturday Sport.
    “It has been a nice time with the coaches. They are giving us nice tips when we practise, reminding us of the important things like taking two strokes before you breathe and that really can make a difference in your race. My expectations are to try my best and get new personal bests, but if I can get a podium finish that would be awesome.”
    Harrison’s schoolmate and Dolphins’ swimmer Zachary Burke is also looking forward to his debut on the regional stage despite some pre-competition nerves.
    “I’m feeling a bit excited and nervous. Preparation was difficult for me because I was swimming way more days than I used to, but I think I should be able to do well. I think as a team we can do well because most of us are very fast. The coaches had a great impact on us. They encourage us to do our best and that there is nothing to be nervous about,” Burke highlighted.
    Girls’ captain Talma shared
    her delight at the chance to usher the highly regarded next generation onto the next level, in addition to her personal goals and expectations for her final CARIFTA. “My personal expectations would be to do personal bests and medal. Our team is very talented, so I think we are very prepared,” she noted. “As their leader, I’ll tell them go for it. There’s nothing to lose. Once they do the best they can, that’s all we can ask for. I hope to be there for them and guide them through anything. If they feel scared or worried, I’ll help them.”
    The girls 15-17 age group consists of Stoddard, Talma, Amelia Mayers, Toni Walrond and Amelie Baker, who will also compete in the 5K open water event. Jake Chee-A-Tow, Christopher Pollard, Storme Collymore, Kai Trotman and Omari Sealy are in the corresponding boys’ age group.
    Tariq Greenidge, Zachary Burke, Victor Ashby, Brendan Gill, Nikolai Sisnett and Brennan Watson will compete in the boys 11-12 division. Amiya Harrison, Jaiya Simmons, Heidi Stoute, Toria Alleyne and Ayobami Leon-Barker make up the rest of the swim team in the girls 11-12 age group. The open water competitors are Zachary Best, Luke McIntyre and Amani Millar.
    The action begins at 9 a.m. with the preliminaries of the 200m breaststroke, 50 metres backstroke, 100m butterfly and the 4x100m freestyle relay for all age and gender categories.
    The official opening ceremony will take place at 5:30 p.m. followed by the finals of the events.

    Source: Nation

  7. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    What about the individuals that have passed through the program to be outstanding citizens?
    ~~~~~~~~~~
    Wow!!
    What a high bar….

  8. David Avatar
    David

    @Bush Tea

    You may sidestep the question but if there was/is no BDF program what is the fallout? We need to build on what we have, this is analogous to Alma Parris being shut down.

  9. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    You cannot be serious.
    We spend hundreds of millions of scarce dollars annually on a totally ‘free’ education system, and you are looking to a fringe program in the BDF (not itself known for any exceptionally outstanding attributes) to provide ‘outstanding citizens’?

    If we are looking for a SPORTS PROGRAM why would we not look to world class concepts?
    That ‘BDF program’ was created SOLELY to deflect criticism that government was not doing anything for sports. It was a PR fix ONLY, and has performed as expected…mediocre.

    Meanwhile…
    Next door, Jamaica has created a world beating program that has transformed VERY SIMILAR TALENTS into unprecedented global successes…
    what BDF what?

    Difference is that Jamaica promoted competent sport leadership to lead their program….not political jokers.

  10. David Avatar
    David

    This is not the point Bush Tea and you must know it. All agree we need to do more, we have posted on it voluminously over the years. The argument we should be having is how do we expand on what we have/had and NOT scrapping it to leave nothing.

  11. David Avatar
    David

    What does it tell you that on this blog a focus on requirements of the youth we must urgently address will not attract the same attention to compare with less urgent topics/blogs?

    We get what we deserve is the refrain?

  12. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    No wonder you can’t see beyond the FAILED political duopoly… and keep hoping for better.
    There is a REASON why we are where we are boss…
    it is the FLAWED systems we have been using….
    New wine is needed …in new skins.

  13. David Avatar
    David

    There is no wine Bush Tea. So called respectable and intelligent citizens do not want to enter public service. An oxymoronic state of affairs if there was one.

  14. David Avatar
    David

    Could not resist posting this link. This was updated in 2016?

    http://barbadosunderground.net/2016/09/07/150-million-national-stadium-coming-is-it-an-all-fools-day-joke/

  15. David Avatar
    David

    Here is another link from 2014?

    http://barbadosunderground.net/2014/08/23/sports-and-games/

  16. David Avatar
    David

    Over the years the bligmaster has developed channels with professionals/contacts from all areas of Barbados society EXCEPT sports. When heads of sports associations, current and former were approached- all of them ran away like Georgie Porgie when girls come out to play.

  17. John2 Avatar
    John2

    Griffith excelled with the youth/ sports programs in St. John. That propelled him into politics and he is probably one of if not the most experienced member of blp team for this ministry.

    The defense force program was defunded by government un 2019. CG was minister of sports from late January 2022 ( less than 3 months )

  18. David Avatar
    David

    A vibrant youth development policy needs money and commitment from governance and NGOs. Shutting down the only sports program, he Griffith) is off to a good start. What is the plan to fill the vacuum if as Bush Tea opined, BDF sports program is institutionalized mediocrity.

  19. Magnificent a.k.a Magno – Yu Heard Formula: C₂₁H₃₀O₂ IUPAC ID: (−)-(6aR,10aR)-6,6,9-trimethyl- 3-pentyl-6a,7,8,10a-tetrahydro- 6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol Avatar
    Magnificent a.k.a Magno – Yu Heard Formula: C₂₁H₃₀O₂ IUPAC ID: (−)-(6aR,10aR)-6,6,9-trimethyl- 3-pentyl-6a,7,8,10a-tetrahydro- 6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol

    Sport and exercise can be cheap or free and can be for all ages

  20. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    When heads of sports associations, current and former were approached- all of them ran away like Georgie Porgie when girls come out to play.
    ~~~~~~~
    There you go.
    So why waste money asking soldiers to do the job in BrassBados?

    Now on the OTHER hand, check out the situation of sport administrators willingness to step forward in Jamaica.
    Perhaps we need to find the REAL sports leaders.
    Have you contacted Kenmore? He has an excellent track record of outspokenness…

    @ John2
    What youth / sports program in St John was that…?
    Do you understand the difference between a youth / sport program and a political campaign?

  21. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    “What does it tell you that on this blog a focus on requirements of the youth we must urgently address will not attract the same attention to compare with less urgent topics/blogs?”

    Do not equate a lack of comments with a lack of interest. I have been trying my darnedest not to comment as it is a negative one.

    I will spend most of the day watching soccer. I believe in the last three soccer matched that Barbados played, the score is 21-1. Not a score that will gather enthusiasm.

    I will also point out that with 2024 fast approaching, we will soon hear talk of the Olympics, follow by a criticism of the poor performance of our Olympians and the number of officials going to the Olympics.
    It doesn’t make sense being enthusiastic about the national effort or lack of it.

  22. David Avatar
    David

    The BFA have not found a reason to fire the coach as yet, a former TT baller.

  23. John2 Avatar
    John2

    @ David

    Good try.

    @ Bush.

    Then he was campaigning all his life
    From a youngster I seen him being involved at various levels. Player, referee, coach , manager so if it was campaigning he got his hands dirty and ran a good ground game

  24. GP Avatar
    GP

    JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION, YOU NEVER KNOW HOW EXPRESSING YOUR VIEW MAY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
    JUST DONT TELL THE TRUTH
    ONLY SUPPORT THE PREVAILING NARRATIVE

    SO LEH MUH TRY FI DUH DAT

    IN JAMAICA THERE IS NO SPORTS PROGRAM RUN BY ITS DEFENCE FORCE………BUT THEY HAVE OLYMPIC WINNERS UH LIE
    IF THEIR DEFENCE FORCE CRICKET TEAM WAS STELLAR IT WOULD BE PRODUCING STELLAR WORLD BEATING CRICKETERS FOR THE WINDIES TEAM TOO UH LIE
    SEEMS I CAN DO NON SECQUITUR TOO IF I TRY HARD ENOUGH AT IT UH LIE

  25. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @David, cool exchanges. I totally missed this yesterday. I had previously read the comments from the BCA President and was dismayed because to some degree I had a mindset like @Bushtea that the original ploy was more political than anything – because they did NOT make in as sustainable as it should have been.

    You know well that Sports program was deeply pushed across a number of sports platforms -particularly soccer. Obviously the INTENT was laudable and indeed practical as a benefit to society and ideally should have evolved (as I imagine some folks desired) to be a truly developmental youth training, disciplined ‘force’ to move at risk youth into maturity and be ready for life. Somewhere along the line that vision was lost.

    BTW, on the matter of soccer … I can only laugh sadly but also with a sense of ‘wellll …’. Barbados has had only very fleeting moments as a soccer ‘powerlette’ … the current drubbings are humiliating surely but what or who can we blame if not ourselves.

    But on the matter of getting a Jamaican to come and develop a sports program … is THAT really the problem or is it to get a competent person and then get out of their way and let he or she do what has to be done sans political BS.

    The Jamaicans have been absolutely OUTSTANDING (I was enthralled in recent weeks by yet ANOTHER crop of teenagers blazing some fast 100 meters times; twin girls no less. And there is still the young 20s being coached by the former T&T star sprinter Ato Boldon) …. but Frank Blackman and Jerston Clarke and even Mac Fingall, Kathy Harper, Inniss from Lodge, Greene and Wason etc were very COMPETENT folks who developed top talent and could have built our own mini-spouge stars to compare to the maxi-reggae stars outta Jamaica!

    It can still be done! Or rather we ABSOLUTELY have to do something … there MUST be a viable avenue to help the youth grow into mature productive adults.

  26. David Avatar
    David

    @Dee Word

    Unfortunately you speak truth. We do not operate with a culture that is undergirded by meritocracy.

  27. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    We would amend an entire Constitution to put one youth in Parliament to sing the praises of his political idols. But, we will disband a sports program that benefits dozens of youth.
    We must be smoking bad weed or drinking green rum.
    I gone

  28. Sheron Inniss Avatar
    Sheron Inniss

    Members of my fam will be forever grateful for the BDF Sports Programme. We give thanks because 1 of our own is overseas yet again.

  29. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ john2
    Bushie will take your word for it….
    But the bushman unfortunately missed the impact of this ‘St John Youth and Sport revolution’. This is strange, because Bushie has been well aware of Hammi La’s ongoing work in this area, ..as well as that of a few others.

    The end result is that he has attained a political objective, which you are suggesting is mere coincidental, so we shall see what we shall see…
    To be brutally honest with you though, he comes across as a total BS political lightweight – all talk and no results – and not even in the same league as ‘Hitler’ and other previous failures.
    …just Bushie calling it as he sees it.
    Hopefully completely WRONG this time….

  30. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ Sheron
    Most persons in the Program have been grateful for the benefits derived.
    That is not the issue being discussed.

    The OVERALL national interest is…

    Bushie is aware of persons who are ‘grateful’ for the government’s investment in the CAHILL project too…. and CLICO has been a GOD-SEND for a number of people and families known to the bushman….
    You get the point?
    Good luck with your Fam.

  31. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    Was watching the Carita Games from Kingston when CBC broke away for a lottery draw; then I wondered how much funds from the lotteries impact the Sports that are supposed to benefit from them. The Jamaicans have an Athletic Sports stadium built for purpose, no soccer field in the middle to complicate things but I guess the Jamaicans are more focused on these matters than Bajans.

    BTW one would have thought that heads would roll after the most recent humiliation of the football team by three of their opponents, but the President and his cronies are firmly ensconced in their positions. Good to know that Barbados is now 164 in the world behind region powers e.g., Antigua (128); St. Kitts (140).

  32. GP Avatar
    GP

    RE Obviously the INTENT was laudable
    BUT WUH BOUT THE CONTENT…….AND THE EXTENT?

    WHAT I CAN SAY ABOUT THE BDF THOUGH IS THAT ……….
    THE BDF HAD THE BEST RUN MEDICAL CLINIC I HAVE EVER WORKED IN ANYWHERE, SET UP BY A WHITE FEMALE BAJAN OFFICER TRAINED IN THE UK… cant remember her name

  33. John2 Avatar
    John2

    Bush Tea

    I did not see him as a person who had politics in him when he was younger.
    I believe he was hand picked by Mia because of his connections with the youth in St. John.

    And yes he cannot wear Jammie la boots

    DT was more the campaigner. He to sponsor the St. John teams and come around and “show his face” when there were any games at Gall Hill

  34. David Avatar
    David

    Base education reform on a set of critical ideals

    As I read or listen to the commentators on the changes that are necessary to address our education system, which is stuck in the very early 1900s, I often think that the proposals are confined within a box where the shift merely moves from one side to the other. The walls are still intact and serve to give a comfortable home to the current harmful injections of American and European culture and prejudices.
    I say this as a witness to young children from as early as two years being hooked many hours a day on the foreign messaging that they get through the phone and the tablet. The plague in the making is now being formed by the games, situation comedies and soap operas that children tune into. Most of these shows portray the worst of human nature, most akin to the lowest development of mental and social abilities.
    Too much of what is on the screen today is rubbish, put out by those who see the Internet as a place to make themselves rich.
    Changes to our education system must stem from a base anchored on a set of ideals. What is it that this small society Barbados is aiming for?
    A confident Barbadian must come to grips with the past but must be competent to move past the past. My white Bajan friends tell me that black Bajans are uncomfortable looking them in the eye. I also recall a white Canadian teacher telling me that black students here would not look her in the eye. This tells me that school should be more than getting maths and English right. The inculcating of character is very important.
    A change in the system should be more than a plaster for the elitist Common Entrance Examination. The snippets that I have heard talk about merely confine the topic within the old box.
    Are our teachers themselves sufficiently assured to convey the dignified persona of the black man?
    Education must also be looked at from its cultural impact on our society. Are we merely touting the cliché “to be the best that I can be”, without confronting the historical stumbling blocks that push against this realisation?
    Having said that, what are the other elements in tandem that our children must be educated on to be globally competent? This is the combined challenge for our Ministry of Education within this new scientific electronic age.

    – Andrew Bynoe

    Source: Nation: Letters to Editor

  35. David Avatar
    David

    Best bemoans loss of BDFSP

    By Adriel Richard adrielrichard@nationnews.com

    Disappointed. Hurtful. Dumb-founded. Baffled. Unimpressed.
    These are a few of the adjectives that former Barbados and West Indies fast bowler Tino Best used to describe the decision to scrap the Barbados Defence Force Sports Programme (BDFSP).
    Best is, perhaps, the poster child for the Sports Programme, and he fondly talks about the impact it had on turning his life around and giving him the opportunity to fulfil his childhood dream of playing international cricket.
    The BDF absorbed the budgetary costs associated with the sports programme when the government withdrew central funding three years ago, but the military now appears unable to prevent the inevitable.
    Consequently, there will be no BDFSP team in this year’s Barbados Cricket Association’s competitions starting Saturday.
    Best said this was an unacceptable state of affairs for a programme that has helped many talented, but misguided young people fulfil their sporting dreams on the international stage.
    “I have always viewed the BDFSP as an institution or academy that is going to feed top players into the firstclass system in terms of Barbados cricket,” he told Sun Sport.
    “Our club cricket is absolutely essential for the development of Barbadian cricketers. We have seen that throughout the ages. I am 41, and I’m still playing club cricket, and that shows how competitive and amazing it is.”
    He added: “This is an institution . . . and I [am] terribly disappointed that the Government of Barbados cannot find $300 000 or the BCA [Barbados Cricket Association] cannot find any money to help out the Sports Programme.
    “It is very hurtful being the most successful person that has ever come out of the programme. It has struck home for me, and it is like me losing a family member that is how deeply I feel about this.”
    Best said it was important for the Government to find a way to enable the BDFSP, which also caters to a wide range of other sports, to survive, and urged Prime Minister Mia Mottley to do all
    in her power to make it happen.
    “Our prime minister, who I absolutely love and respect, her thing has been about empowering the youth,” he said.
    “This is a youth programme. How could you mandate empowering the youth and one of the first things that is done is to eradicate the Sports Programme?
    “I really am dumb-founded and baffled by it, and we need answers if we are going to support young people in Barbados, this is something that has to be facilitated.”
    Best said national sportspeople are often criticised for not performing, but the BDFSP has helped to breed a calibre of players that have proven they can be competitive against the best anywhere.
    “This is a programme that will help sportspeople become professional, and we are getting rid of it,” he said. “We have to find some way to help this programme because it’s about young people and their future. I do not believe a person has to join the full-time army to play sports – that was not what this programme was designed to do when it was created back in 1994.”
    He said: “It was designed to breed quality footballers, quality cricketers, quality boxers, quality athletes, and quality table tennis players… We are talking about our youth, and this is the only way to empower them – giving them sports and academics.
    “It’s not only about sports. Some of them have gone to UWI (University of the West Indies), people such as Mario Rampersad, Tevyn Walcott, Aaron Barker, and there are guys that have numerous classes at places such as the O’Level Institute and Community College.”
    Best fears that there will be no structured outlets for young sportspeople to improve themselves with the BDFSP scrapped.

    Source: Nation

  36. Critical Analyzer Avatar
    Critical Analyzer

    Our problem is not the funding of the BDF Sports Program, Aquatic Swim Program or any sports program but being able to understand the various components that make sports programs successful in our unique environment.

    We need to replace the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training with a Ministry of Child and Youth Development responsible for taking a fully holistic approach towards supporting all areas of children and youth development. Children have different talents to varying degrees so resources must support all areas equally or we will leave children and youth behind.

    This re-imagined ministry would define frameworks based on studies of previously successful/failed programs in sports, academic, vocational and other youth programs with whitepapers produced and updated periodically. These frameworks would provide a solid base public and private programs can use to assist themselves.

  37. David Avatar
    David

    @CA

    Whatever we come up with will call for imagination and money with a heavy dose of commitment from key actors.

  38. Critical Analyzer Avatar
    Critical Analyzer

    @David

    Monetary, people and corporate support can generally be obtained for good well run programs. That is why we first need to understand what made the BDF program so successful so it can be integrated into existing, replicated or built upon in its descendants.

    Programs will come and go as the people behind them get old or move onto other endeavors but if the model is understood, it will live on in other programs.

  39. David Avatar
    David

    @CA

    Good look with that sponsorship. Crop Over which has been a success from a branding and national priority perspective has been struggling to secure sponsorship in recent years.

  40. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    I do not know where to begin to speak about how we are failing our youth. I don’t think we yet accept that their failures are our own. These children whom we criticise so freely did not drop ready made from the skies.

    MOST children are sufficiently malleable in the hands of a caring and competent adult to achieve the qualities we need to progress.

    It seems we cannot be bothered to spend our time, talent and treasure on ensuring that we spend OUR OLD AGE in peace and prosperity.

    We shall get what we deserve.

  41. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    I forgot to mention that CA has the right idea about how we should proceed. A wholistic and co-ordinated approach is necessary.

  42. Critical Analyzer Avatar
    Critical Analyzer

    @Donna April 17, 2022 7:17 AM

    Look no further than COVID; this is the first generation to purposely sacrifice the development of our young on a mass scale to give the old a few more years. It has always been the other way round and we had all the studies and policies in place predicting increased child abuse, depression, suicide and missed key development milestones to name a few would hit us hard in the future.

    From the early days of COVID, we knew children were at lower risk than the normal flu but still the Health Authorities persists even to this day with the nonsensical measures.

  43. Critical Analyzer Avatar
    Critical Analyzer

    @David April 17, 2022 6:59 AM

    Funding Sports Programs via Sponsorship and Novel Approaches could be the first whitepaper produced.

    Others have done it before using various methods so why go with the cap in hand route or try to reinvent the wheel when other have done it before and we can learn from their experience.

  44. David Avatar
    David

    Asking for authorities to present a comprehensive youth development plan is nothing new. Repeated calls have been made in this space and elsewhere. The blogmaster was hopeful former minister of sports Stephen Lashley would have delivered, he promised it but you know what they say about promises. The issue here isn’t the planners do not know what is required, it is a combination of youth affairs not given a priority next to the more traditional economic and other matters and incompetence.

  45. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Except that it wasn’t just the old who were dying but also the unhealthy middle-aged parents of these same children. Many teenaged orphans were created by covid.

    High blood pressure and diabetes usually show up in middle age, in my experience.

    This covid situation was not so simple.

  46. GP Avatar
    GP

    RE This covid situation was not so simple.

    ACTUALLY IT WAS MADE COMPLEX BY PERSISTENT PERPETUAL MISHANDLING BY LISTENING TO A DASTARDLY DECEPTIVE DIABOLICAL DOCTOR FROM OVERSEASE WITH HIS DEVIOUS DEVICES

    INFECTIONS ARE NOT TREATED BY WASHING HANDS WEARING MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING AS WE HAVE SEEN.
    INFECTIONS ARE TREATED BY MICROBIALS, AND HAVE SO BEEN TREATED EFFECTIVELY FOR THE LAST 70 YEARS OR SO

    IT WAS KNOWN FROM THE BEGINNING AND WELL DOCUMENTED THAT CORONOVIRUSES CAN BE TREATED BY INVERMECTIN AND ALSO BY THE VERY CHEAP ANTIMICROBIAL CALLED HYDROXYCHLOROQUINONE, FOR WHICH THE MECHANISMS OF ACTION WAS CLEARLY ENUNCIATED

    AT THE ONSET OF THE DISEASE SENSIBLE SINCERE SOUND SCIENCE FOLLOWING DOCTORS SIMPLY DID THE CORRECT THING AND GOT THE RIGHT RESULT AND MANY SUCH DRS CONTINUE TO CONSISTENTLY BE SUCCESSFUL.

    THE SIMPLE BECAME COMPLEX BECAUSE OF POLITICS AND THE GREED AND AVARICE OF THE PHARMACOLOGIY INDUSTRY

    IT IS INSTRUCTIVE THAT THE NEWLY PREPARED EXPENSIVE DRUGS FOR COVID USE THE VERY SAME AND WELL KNOWN MECHANISM OF ACTION OF HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE, THAT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED FOR SOME TIME. THE SAME INFORMATION EMPLOYED BY THE DRS WHO GOT IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME, AND HAVE SINCE GOT EXCELENT RESULTS

    IN BARBADOS WE COULD HAVE GIVEN THE CHEAP HYDROXYCHLOROQUININE TO ALL OF THE RESIDENTS INSTEAD OF THE EXPENSIVE VACCINES ESPECIALLY SINCE WE DID NOT KNOW, AND STILL DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OFTHESE HASTILY PREPARED DRUGS CAME TO MARKET———QUITE CONTRARY TO THE ACCEPTED PROTOCOLS.

    IT CONTINUES TO AMAZE AND ASTOUND ME AT THE RUBBISH EFFLUXED BY COMPLETE MEDICAL ILLITERATES ON THIS MATTER

    THIS IS ALL SOUND DOCTRINE THAT CAN NOT BE REFUTED
    ALL THE DETAILS ARE CLEARLY WELL DOCUMENTED ABOUT ALL THAT WENT WRONG, AND IT AINT OVER YET

  47. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @David, this narrative is like a fable that sounds so wonderfully instructive with its wise focus but just as in most fables we have heard it’s over and over. So I will piggyback – like the money on the back of the big fish in one of those youthful tales – on your accurate remarks with a precise highlight: “Whatever we come up with will call for imagination and money with a heavy dose of commitment from key actors.”

    I do not believe that MONEY per se is the problem – it’s an issue of course. The principle problem is the COMMITMENT. You also very accurately surmised that “Asking for authorities to present a comprehensive youth development plan is nothing new. […] The issue here isn’t the planners do not know what is required it is a combination of youth affairs not given a priority next to the more traditional economic and other matters and incompetence.” Correct, good sir.

    It is ABSURD and a fundamental dismissal of commonsense to perceive that despite after all the various programs and successes Barbados has had over the years that we all of a sudden don’t know what has to be done!

    Put aside the BDFSP for one moment and as you know only too well we can go into individual schools across the island and identify SUCCESSFUL programs that developed awesome talent over the years … those were run by DEDICATED and very competent Bajans (and expats). The simply fact of course that the BDFSP was even developed was due to a clear realization that many underprivileged youth could thrive and become ‘all they could be’ via the discipline and hard-work in sports … that sports was not just an extra-curricula activity but a REAL life choice !

    So excuse me for being so blunt but – as has been previously alluded to – that a government can budget for and finance a super-sized cabinet of two or three wasteful ministers @ $100k – $150K/year each to reward political minions but can’t find $500,000 or less to support the development of multiple youthful men and women to lead them into a cycle of growth and adult success is political negligence.

    Lata.

    BTW… I was talking to a WI player recently and he reminded me of the program instituted at his alma mater (by Vernon Williams, I believe who principally financed it) and which – for those who have stopped to reflect on it – actually sent at least FIVE cricketers into the WI team set-up in last …what 10 years. That’s from ONE school in our lil island. That’s one current example. And yet we are harping about people ‘knowing what to do’. SMH!

    Where there is no COMMITTMENT …. we will FAIL!!!

  48. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    Correction; “Like the MONKEY…” not the ‘money’.

  49. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    Let me see, move Heaven and Earth, cry crocodile tears to get an 18 year old into the Senate but a program that helps Bajan youth not so much, but then again any idiot can play cricket.

  50. David Avatar
    David

    @Sargeant

    No need for tears Khaleel has received his papers to be the latest Nation newspaper columnist. He will probably benefit from a wider audience to fan his growing reputation.

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