Grenville Phillips Speaks : Difficult Conversations – Barbados’ Minimum Wage

G4S has agreed to pay a minimum wage of $8.79 per hour, with a minimum of 40 hours per week. As part of the agreement, it seems that the Government must force their competitors to adopt a similar standard. It is important when setting government policies, that all perspectives be examined.

It is normal for large businesses to want to maintain their dominant market position. This is done in two ways; namely, offer better service, or damage competitors.

Those who choose the method of offering a better service, tend to view obstacles to their growth as challenges to overcome. They tend not to concern themselves with their competition. Instead, they focus on continually improving their quality of their service, by improving the management of: competent staff, quality input materials, and quality and low-maintenance equipment.

ARTIFICIAL STANDARDS.

One common method that dominant players use to harm their competitors, is to adopt an artificial standard, that has little to do with the quality of the service. Then they influence the government to make that standard mandatory for their competitors.

A minimum wage is an artificial standard. It has nothing to do with the quality of service. Paying someone a higher salary does not magically improve that person’s competence or productivity.

Established companies who compete on quality, normally reward their productive employees with higher salaries. Therefore, a minimum wage is not an issue for them. A minimum wage is an important issue for many newer companies, who have to compete on cost.

A dominant company can harm newer companies, if they can entice them to match the salaries of the dominant company. But new companies are not normally that stupid. They would never agree to such madness that would immediately make their companies uncompetitive.

Uncompetitive businesses normally accumulate high debts. This then leads to the closure of the business, and the dismissal of all employees – who then earn no wages whatsoever.

When the government meddles unnecessarily in the commercial market, the results are normally disastrous for everyone – employees, employers and the Government. A high minimum wage is a win for the dominant business, and the unions who represent entry level employees. It can be political abuse for everyone else.

POLITICAL ABUSE.

Entry level positions are not designed to be permanent for an employee. They are designed to give all employees an opportunity to demonstrate their competence and productivity, so that they can earn a higher salary.

Employees who have qualified for a higher salary, but are underpaid, are being robbed by bad employers. Unlike our physically enslaved fore-parents, we have options. Good employees can leave bad employers and offer their services to a competitor, or they can start a rival business.

Employees demonstrate their mental enslavement, when they stop trying to be better. In my opinion, one of the most tragic sights, is to see a person comfortable in an entry-level position for their entire careers – and being lauded as a loyal employee.

High minimum wages allow bad employers, to keep employees in entry level positions for longer periods. It can also make employees comfortably mentally enslaved. So what is the solution?

THE SOLUTION.

Government may mandate a minimum wage with the following attributes:

a) it it high enough to prevent mentally enslaved workers from being exploited;

b) it is low enough to allow new businesses to be competitive;

c) it is low enough to give entry level workers an incentive to qualify for higher-paying positions.

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

St. George North By-Election – First Out of the Blocks

Grenville Phillips, Leader of Solutions Barbados and Candidate for St. George North

Our Prime Minister has announced that a new election is to be held in St George North. As the Solutions Barbados declared Candidate for St George North, it seems that we are the first out of the blocks.

This election will come at a time when we are still in a pandemic, an IMF austerity program, and a plan to turn Barbados into a Republic – without a national referendum. Solutions Barbados believes that the public should be allowed to declare their support of, or opposition to being a Republic. Such a fundamental change is not something that we should be forced into.

Solutions Barbados is the third largest political party in Barbados, by measure of votes cast in the last General Election. We are also the second largest, by measure of declared candidates for the next general election.

A FAIR THIRD PARTY TEST.

With a 30-0 result in the last general election, this election should be a fair test of the viability of third political parties in Barbados at this time. However, it can only be a meaningful test if the media allows fair coverage of all political views. Therefore, their role in this experiment is critical.

Solutions Barbados was founded on 1 July 2015. Our manifesto was published on Solutions Barbados.com that same day for rigorous public scrutiny. Over the past five years, we have never told the media ‘no comment’. We have always made ourselves available for any interview, and participated in any debate on any topic.

For the past 5 years, we have published between one and three press releases every week. Our articles are well researched solutions to current national problems in Barbados. If you are not receiving our press releases, then please send us your e-mail address and/or WhatsApp number, and we will add you to our growing distribution list.

To the press, we are simply asking for fair coverage.

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer and President of Solutions Barbados. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

Barbados Community College: Breach of Contract and Consumer Guarantees

Submitted by Cherfleur

In the High Court of Judicature CV307 of 2019 (Follow up on BCC – Education, Educator and the Masses)

False and misleading information and advice attracting applications to 2
Failure to conduct Grade Appeals as per Statute;
Failure to provide for Electives within the program Finance and Investment;
Including subjects in programs as Electives and denying students’​ freedom of choice​; Failure to respect Medical Certificates submitted as grounds for supplementals; Failure/refusal to uphold Exemptions granted;

Failure to weed out excessive courses from Finance and Investment program;
Failure and refusal to refund Caution Fee without just legal cause;
Submitting students for Graduation without requisite Graduation requirements;
Transcript Tampering: adding and removing courses and grades from student records; Failure to provide clear and consistent instructions in literature to assist students in making choices and sound decisions;

Providing False and misleading information regarding availability of medical personnel on campuses;
Providing false expectations regarding the weight and quality of programs;
Negligence in recording student data/grades thus resulting in erroneous GPA;

Failure to comply with industry standards for Associate Degree and tertiary education; Bloating programs with unnecessary courses and omitting core requirements; Codifying same and similar courses with different codes;
Failure to respect and uphold Clauses in Handbook relating to students entitlements if unable to sit exams with Medical Certificates submitted;

Failure to graduate on time; as stipulated in Handbook
Failure to provide the same or comparable services and facilities to the student; Denial of academic and economic advancement;
Failure to provide an overall pleasing customer experience;

BCC’s response to the above is an application to Strike Out (primarily) on grounds of the claimant not properly initiating proceedings. In support they supplied Blackstone’s Civil Practice: Commentary (chapter 23 – Statement of Case and Claim Forms)
Quote: claim forms and separate particulars of claim are examples of what the CPR call “statements of case’, a term which applies to ​all documents in which a party’s case is set out for the other parties and for the court.​ The former term for statement of case, ‘​pleadings’​ is still commonly used. How does this help BCC’s case?

Oral submissions:

Among other questions was: Can you meet the Claim? NO.
There is a very big problem here now because BCC could/should have corrected the 1 major issue of this conflict since 2014 but refused to, refused to submit to Mediation and again at the suggestion of the Judge on July 25 2019 refused to try to resolve the conflict amicably because they hang slavishly to the one only known method of initiating cases.

Not only Attorneys but the local Judiciary too. So the battle is to look for all the i’s and t’s that were not dotted and crossed to save this government operated white elephant from having to pay damages for all the above including 6 years loss of income. ​It is a travesty.

 

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT

So the saga continues……

Adrian Loveridge Column – Governments Should be Working Together

As more and more tourism businesses indicate they are re-opening, hopefully over the next few weeks, our policymakers and planners will instigate a single source reference website or other social media platform to combat the mass confusion and speculation as to when our industry is ready and able to host locals and overseas visitors.

Meanwhile, potential arrivals are left to navigate a bewildering source of what, in many cases, turns out to be misinformation or at least misleading. Especially relevant when you bear in mind the overwhelming majority of people do not book flights at a day or two’s notice and cannot necessarily choose holiday dates at short notice.

Of course, it all comes down to safety and most reasonable people can fully understand Government’s reluctance to commit to specific dates before every possible precaution preventing the further spread of Covid-19 is put in place. And this even more reinforces the essential need to implement a single reliable source for the latest factual information covering every aspect of our tourism offering.

What is also disappointing is that there appears to be no unified regional plan to re-open Caribbean islands to the world. A recent statement issued by LIAT to the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association indicated ‘the need to extend the temporary layoff of its pilots for three months’. Adding that, it was still awaiting further shareholder funding or subsidies and ‘these funds continue to be delayed’.

Even allowing for the differential in available medical and testing facilities, every territory seems to be doing its ‘own thing’ in terms of accommodation and airlift. Perhaps, many may question whether bodies like the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) could have played a greater role in recovery and if we can ever seriously contemplate marketing the region under one umbrella.

The CTO rightly could cite limited financial resources at this difficult time as a major issue for not being more collectively proactive, but there is always something positive that can be done with the combined talents and knowledge available.

Naturally, each island state has its own priorities in terms of economic recovery, the survival of businesses and restoring employment, but surely a greater degree of unity when negotiating the return of airlines and standard safety protocol could be agreed?

There also remains the sticky subject of taxation. In the case of Barbados, since October 2019 the imposition of a bevy of new taxes and levies has virtually negated Government from any significant fiscal contribution to marketing the destination.  Throughout the duration of lockdown this valuable source has virtually dried-up and while the operating expenses that include staff salaries and premium location premises, both at home and overseas of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., and its associated agencies have remained, clearly there must have been some significant savings in advertising and airlift support.

When flights eventually return, will the administration look again at the level of taxation imposed on airfares which includes Value Added Tax (VAT) and two departure taxes, among others, to aid recovery?

We should remember that our traditional sources markets have all experienced loss or depletion of earned income and unprecedented levels of unemployment for a sustained period and that will inevitably impact on destination choice.

Adrian Loveridge Column – Covid 19 and LIAT

It would appear that our citizens and residents will first have the option of travelling within the Caribbean, as and when Coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

As we are now in the traditional prolonged softer summer season, it also appears to be more logical that our tourism planners and policymakers will focus, at least part of their efforts on promoting this opportunity.

As airlift possibilities within the region are extremely limited and LIAT has so far indicated they will not resume commercial passenger services until at least 30th June 2020, here again comes the crunch.

As we have witnessed for decades, LIAT has drifted through various degrees of cash flow crisis, management turmoil and insolvency issues, seemingly unable to survive without massive taxpayer support. At the same time, most Governments within the region have increasingly levied what many consider deterrent taxes and surcharges on their airline ticket prices, making it cheaper, in many cases, to fly to Canada or the United States.

So if we, as a country, or other states within the region are remotely hoping that Intra-Caribbean travel will at least lead the charge in returning to some sort of normality in arrivals numbers, then the status quo will have to change. Our Government will have to weigh-up the fact that if people cannot be enticed to our shores, that they will not collect VAT and other taxes on hotel or other accommodation, rental cars, restaurant dining, shopping, attractions and activities etc, for those visits.

The predicament for the administration will be if they really wish our crushed tourism industry to recover in the least possible time, will they forgo at least some of the multiple taxes currently applied?

Of course, it’s not just about returning tourism to viability, but restoring employment to an acceptable level in the foreseeable future, with the additional taxes and national insurance contributions that brings.

According to recent reports the World Bank has approved loans of US$159 million for a series of Caribbean Regional Air Transport connectivity projects.  This included concessionary financing of $13 million for Dominica, US$17 million for Grenada and US$45 million for St. Lucia with a maturity of 40 years including a grace period of 10 years ‘to improve regional capacity’ and ‘facilitate connectivity and support countries during the COVID-19 recovery phase’.

Will these incredibly generous borrowing terms, at least partially relieve financial pressures on these Governments and enable them to reduce airport and departure taxes?

Airline pundits have also been calling for radical reforms of LIAT over the last decade or more and for a company that has been so reliant on taxpayer’s monies for almost an eternity it seems almost incredulous that their accounts have not been made public for 40 years.

Perhaps this is the opportunity to finally restructure the company, without regional political interference preventing the installation of management that could ensure its long term viability and survival. Unless this happens, just the concept of developing the true potential of intra-Caribbean travel and restoring past arrival numbers will remain a distant pipe dream.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Virus Exposes Service Based Countries

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to soak up the resources for both under developed and developed countries. At the time of posting this blog the global medical community has been unable to inform about a vaccine. The blogmaster read the perspective of a leading Australian virologist recently where she opined that the world will have to live with the virus, in fact it will become as accepted as the Flu.

The disruption caused by COVID-19 will impact service based economies like Barbados and others in the reason where it hurts, in the breadbasket. One could rehash old arguments about the folly of putting all our eggs in one basket. If we are to work hard to move from the unsustainable position we find ourselves, we have to do more to shift our over reliance on tourism. Government’s current investment pipeline has signaled there are no immediate or medium term plans to modify the economic engines firing the economy.

If there ever was an opportunity to message our leaders there is an urgent need to reorder how we do business, it is now.

COVID-19

Since this news alert Italy is virtually on lock down. Thanks John A for always feeding the blogmaster with important information.

The local authorities based on public announcements and news coverage have been rolling out awareness campaigns, bumping up screening at ports of entry, building health infrastructure and leading discussions at the regional level to ensure a regional COVID-19 approach. Given the pandemic nature of COVID-19, it seems a matter of time before Barbados reports its first case. The biggest challenge for Barbados and service based economies is the fatalistic impact disruptions to global supply chains will bring.

#lordhearourprayer

 

Sweet Sunday Sermon – ISRAEL – Totally Rejected or …

Submitted by Dr. GP

INTRODUCTORY BACKGROUND

  • The first eight chapters of Romans is said to be DOCTRINAL 1-8 -They tell us what we need to KNOW.
  • The final five chapters are DEVOTIONAL 12-16 – Practical. -They tell us what we need to DO.
  • In the first eight chapters we learned that righteousness is
  • required by our holy God,
  • revealed in Christ,
  • received by faith in Christ, and
  • realized in the life by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Read full text – ISRAEL – TOTALLY REJECTED OR RETURNING? GOD’S PLAN FOR THE JEW, AND FOR US

Monday Sermon – Keep Reading

grenville-phillips

Submitted by Grenville Phillips II

It is important for followers of Jesus to keep reading the Bible.  You can never read enough.

I have found that as you read, you may not understand everything.  But you will understand what you need to understand at your individual stage of development.  This removes the pressure of having to be an expert to read the Bible.

If you do not read the Bible, and only read other’s opinions of it, then you risk being led astray.  To reduce this risk, Moses commanded that the Law should be read in the presence of everyone in Israel, every seven years.  Hear the commandment.

“So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.  Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for cancelling debts, during the Festival of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing.”

“Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.  Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”  (Deuteronomy 31:9-13)

They appeared to do this for one generation, and then stopped.  Israel then served the false gods of the people whom they had displaced, and suffered the consequences.

Is there a place for intensive study beyond what we initially understand?  Of course.  However, when studying like that, we must be careful to check that our results, including any resultant religious traditions, are consistent with Jesus’ words.  Why?  Hear God Himself.

“While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5)

This reassuring message from God, of Jesus’ words being the standard, was critical, because Jesus was saying things that scriptural experts were challenging.  Hear Jesus on a challenge of what defiles a person.

“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

“When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

“Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

“But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

“Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

“So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.”

“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”  (Matthew 15:7-20)

The Gospels are full of Jesus’ wonderful simple teachings.  We are to convey the same simple and self-explanatory messages to others.  Hear Jesus’s instruction to those who wished to follow Him.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20)


Be encouraged to keep reading and sharing Jesus’ simple message.

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer.  He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

2019 Pulse Check up

The following blogs attracted the most comments based on the 1000 most recent comments. This simple measure as a barometer to gauge wider interest can be grouped by crime, economy, personality, international.

  • The number 1 issue for the BU family is concern about the high crime rate and specifically the unprecedented number of murders in 2019. The official count as at 30 December 2019 is 49.
  • A significant number of the BU family live in the USA, Canada and the UK and matters relating to the President Donald Trump and Brexit generated interest.
  • The Mia Mottley Government took the controversial decision to invoke selected default on domestic and foreign bonds after Barbados achieves one of the highest debt to GDP ratios in the world. Matters related to the economy occupied high interest on the blog.
  • Finally, BU top blogs commented confirm Prime Minister Mia Mottley as the most commented.

Most Commented blogs

  1. Crime and Credit Ratings – (707)
  2. Impeached – Donald Trump TRUMPED – (642)
  3. James O’Rourke: A Slap on the Ass – A Slap on the Wrist – (631)
  4. Prime Minister Mottley’s Father Awarded Knighthood – (624)
  5. Barbados in the BIG Picture – (570)
  6. The Rise And Fall of Brexit – (507)
  7. Barbados Government and External Creditors Announce Agreement – (502)
  8. Collusion a Crime – Judge in Mueller Case Upholds Legal Theory – (466)
  9. Carving a Hotel Corridor – (465)
  10. The Natalie Crichlow Video – (463)
  11. The Mottley Saga – A Promise of Change but More of the Same – (461)

Monday Sermon – Final Encouragement

Dear All:

We who are still in training can benefit from persons who were near the end of their training, and who wrote to encourage us from that perspective.  There are several examples from the Old Testament, but only one from the New Testament, namely Simon Peter.

Peter knew that he would be killed, having been warned of this by Jesus.  Hear Jesus.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.”  This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”  (John 21:18-19)

Peter was waiting to die, and wrote a wonderful letter to us.  Hear Peter’s justification.

“Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.

“Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.”  (2 Peter 1:13-15)

His “tent” is, of course, his physical body.  Peter used this final opportunity to put our training in perspective.  He encouraged us to persist with our training, despite the distractions, obstacles and objections that will certainly come.

I have decided to paraphrase his final letter, 2 Peter.  You are encouraged to read it for yourself.  It follows.

My dear fellow trainees:

Our Employer has graciously given us everything we need to complete our training.  He has promised us that all of the training exercises are achievable, once we start with the right attitude.

If you are committed to becoming productive employees, then please read the employee manual so that you may understand the Employer’s standards of work and behaviour.  With this knowledge, you can then begin practising the exercises.  You may find them challenging at first, but please do not become discouraged. They will eventually become easier if you persist with them.

Once you have become proficient in the exercises, then please encourage your work colleagues, and teach them everything that you have learnt.  Your own training will be complete when you have unselfishly helped to train enough of your colleagues.

Please try to encourage those who find the exercises challenging, especially if they seem discouraged.  If they give up, they may never develop the confidence that comes with completing an exercise, and will probably develop a fear of failure or a crippling belief that such exercises are unachievable.

I have completed my training and will shortly be leaving this department.  However, before I go, allow me to give you some important advice.  I hope that after I am gone, you will reread this letter to remind and encourage you during your own period of training.

Firstly. Please understand that the Company is not a myth or a cunningly devised fable. I personally know the Chief Executive Officer, and I heard when the Employer confirmed his appointment. The Employer Himself actually dictated the employee manual for your benefit.

Secondly. Please be aware that some members of your class may not appreciate the purposes of the training exercises, or they will think that the exercises are too challenging, irrelevant, or unachievable.

They will then try to promote their own low standards of productivity.  Unfortunately, this will only ensure that they, and those who they mislead, are unprepared for the work of the Company.  They will find themselves unemployable after their time of training has expired.

If those promoting low standards are able to influence most of the class in unproductive behaviour, then the Employer may have to take drastic measures.  He has had to do this at least three times in the past.

The first time was when a vice-president and some associates attempted to take-over the Company and they were fired.  The second was when the entire student body rejected the training and the Employer had to wash down the facility.  The third was when a class engaged in abominable behaviour and the Employer had to apply a hot treatment.  However, if you remain faithful to your training, despite the unproductive influences around you, then you will be retained.

Those who try to frustrate your training are ignorant, presumptuous and self-willed.  Most of them only attend the training classes to impress and seduce those of the opposite sex with smooth words.  They continually try to entice others away from their training and promise them a fun time, while they are actually addicted to corrupt behaviour, that prevents them from attaining any reasonable level of productivity.

Both the enticer and the enticed will become unemployable, just like those who refuse to start training and instead waste all of their precious time on the playground.  If a person starts training and then becomes addicted to corrupt practises, then it is better if they had not commenced training at all.

Thirdly. Please remember that the Employer’s expansion project will commence.  However, He is waiting patiently, and He will suffer and be inconvenienced for as long as practically possible.  You see, He has no desire that those who are not training properly, or those who are not training at all should be destined for unemployment.  He is desperately hoping that those in the playground, and those playing the fool in the classroom will commence and complete their training respectively.

Since the expansion project will start, please prepare yourself for the wonderful responsibilities that you will receive upon completion of your training, and do not be distracted by those who have no interest in your future.  Above all, grow in the favour and knowledge of our Chief Executive Officer, Jesus Christ.

Good-bye.

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer.  He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

Sweet Sunday Sermon – Thoughts on Psalm 22 – part 1

Submitted by Dr. GP

Psalm 22 describes the sufferings of the Lord Jesus on the cross under three headings

Psychological

Physiological

Pathological

These are followed by a Praise section in this Psalm

The emotional or Psychological suffering of Jesus is described in the first 16 verse of Psalm 22, and  mirrors the reports of Matthew 26:39; Matthew. 27:39-44; Mark 15:29, 30; Luke 22:40-41 Luke 23:35.

The passion or suffering of Christ  began in Gethsemane on the night just before  He was crucified. Knowing that the time of his death was near, as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane He suffered great mental anguish in an agony with such great emphasis and earnestness, that Hebrews 5:7 describes it as ‘’ with strong crying and tears.’’

Of the many aspects of His initial suffering, the one which is of particular physiological and psychological interest is the very rare phenomenon of  bloody sweat (hematidrosis or hemohidrosis.

The Physiological suffering of Jesus is described in John 10: 17-18;  John 19:28 inter alia

Psalm 22:14 reads….. “I am poured out like water, “

V 15 states  “My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.”

V 17 states “I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.”

The phrases “my tongue cleaveth to my jaws” and; “I may tell all my bones” suggests that Jesus experienced THIRST secondary to DEHYDRATION.

The phrase I am poured out like water, very vividly explains how His thirst and dehydration occurred.

Today, medical science allows as to understand and explain the phenomena described in these verses. This is the substance of the lecture.

Screenshot 2019-11-24 at 04.56.29.png

Click image to follow presentation

Fighting For Holidays

grenville-phillips

Submitted by Grenville Phillips II, Leader of Solutions Barbados

Youth violence has always been with us. According to the Biblical account, Cain (Adam and Eve’s first-born son) killed his younger brother, Abel. Even the intervention of God Himself, who counselled Cain to overcome his anger, did not prevent Cain from killing his brother.

Cain was jealous of his younger brother’s success. God explained to him that he would be successful if he simply did what was right. However, Cain saw Abel as his rival, who should be eliminated.

At all times in our lives, there will be those who are: stronger, faster, healthier, smarter, more skilled, and tidier than us, and those who are not. None of them are our rivals.

All of us have our own race to run. Our individual challenge is to become the best that we can be, in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves on our journey. Our only rival is ourselves.

We should never be envious of others’ temporary successes, or covetous of their interim rewards, even if they were obtained illegally. Everyone has the options of running their race well or badly. However, our final judge and rewarder is God.

Sometimes we are invited to compete for interim rewards in: sports, academics, professions, and arts. The rewards are used as incentives for competitors to give their best efforts, sometimes for the entertainment of others. Some think ‘best efforts’ means to damage the competitiveness of ‘rivals’, rather than improve themselves through practise.

Those who see rivals in others may delay their own journey, by pursuing the rewards of their ‘rivals’. These rewards may be: honour in the community, the affection of a potential mate, promotion, etc. When the desire for others’ rewards consumes them, they may try to damage the competitiveness of their ‘rivals’.

This damage can take different forms. In sports, it can be to sabotage their competitors’ training equipment. In professions, it can be to damage their competitors’ professional reputations. In politics, it can be to damage their competitors’ personal reputations. At school, it can be to harm another student.

There are two types of physical fighting, which are defined by their intents. The intent is to either cause, or not to cause permanent harm. I have seen both types of fighting. The vast majority caused no permanent harm, and was like controlled wrestling. In the other type, weapons were used indiscriminately.

I am only aware of one method of effectively addressing fighting at schools. At primary school, the headmaster mercilessly beat any boys who fought without permission. Students who wanted to fight had to sign a register.
On a scheduled day, they were given boxing gloves, a mouth guard and protective head gear, and were allowed to fight an opponent. The headmaster refereed the fights to ensure some fairness.

This method seemed to work, because the threat of a merciless beating far outweighed any desire for unauthorised fighting, and those who wanted to fight had a safe environment to do so. Everyone returned home alive, whether they were flogged, or beaten by a boxing opponent.

In secondary school, the threat of a merciless flogging continued, and a wider range of sporting activities were available. Today, floggings are rare.

The modern consequences of fighting are to either suspend or expel the student. This method of ‘discipline’ only punishes students academically, which can limit their future potential. When they return to school so far behind their peers, they may give up. So, the only thing that students, who may not want to be at school, have to fear, is an extended holiday from school. Brilliant.

Some students have been led to believe, by anti-corporal punishment policies, that the consequences of fighting are not only bearable, but preferred. Once advocates with a blind adherence to a questionable agenda lead government policy, then discussion and reason, which can expose the weaknesses in the agenda, become the rival to be eliminated.

The Government has stated its intention to force through its anti-corporal punishment agenda, to punish students academically rather than physically. Violent students will have little to fear in such a permissive environment. The fear is reserved for all teachers and students, who are vulnerable to harm when violent students lose their tempers with their perceived rivals.

The solution under this agenda-driven experiment on our students, is that students must learn to fear something other than a brief but merciless flogging. Our students should be so interested in learning, that they are afraid to miss a single day at school. That would involve a rearrangement of the school’s curriculum, which we plan to explain next week.

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer and President of Solutions Barbados. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com

The Phartford Files: Agenda for a Third Party Part 2

Submitted by Ironside

In part I of this discourse, I indicated that there is room for a third party in the psyche of the current Barbadian society. I also set forth the contours of a basic strategic communications approach that a “third party” can adopt.

May I digress here and rebut the commentators who say that we should not talk about a third party? That position is based on the notion that the DLP is dead, principally because of its 30-0 defeat at the polls.

Realistically, that idea, predicated as it is on the current state of the DLP, is at best sensationalist; at worst, dangerous to aspiring third parties. It is also foolhardy because in the FPPS (first-past-the-post system) system, technically all it takes to win is one more vote than the opponent. The implication is that analysis of the 2018 polling results will show that DLP still has strong residual support and therefore, will not die from its wounds.

Whether we want the party dead or not is irrelevant. That is just not how things of this nature work in Barbados. There is reason why we are often described as a nation of diehards! Moreover, we prune plants and they produce more, cut down trees and they grow back. So those who wish the DLP dead are engaging in wishful thinking. If you feel like calling me a DLP supporter for saying that, go right ahead…knock yourself out! Cold!

Not Without a Vision
So, a serious third party cannot take that foolhardy position. The strategic goal of a third party or coalition of such parties, as I envisage it, is to be in one of the following positions at the end of the 2023 election, in order of descending preference:

1. Have a majority of seats and therefore, form the government.
2. Have sufficient seats to make it infeasible for any other party to have a majority without the third party’s seats.
3. Have sufficient seats to form mathematically, at least, the official opposition

I leave my fellow hyper-nerdic bloggers to do the maths in their comments, as I am sure they will.

Whatever the statistical analysis, when (not “if”) either of these situations occurs, it will be an exciting time in Barbados; history will be made. It will bring out the best and the worst in Barbadians. There will be jumping and shouting, wining and dining, bitching and cursing, fuming and fretting, wailing and gnashing of teeth!

In many ways, it will be a Phartful Emancipation Day!

Then, as we always do, even if painfully slowly, we will settle down to a new reality and get on with the business of managing the country for the good of all Barbadians. That is the bottom line, pun intended.

So the 64 million dollar question is: how do we get from here to there?

Strategic Focus
The first and most critical thing is to challenge the incumbent party with proposals at which it will balk to implement but which will find great favour with the masses of Barbadians. There are two such proposals. I will disclose only one at this time. I am not trying to hide anything; I simply want to leave something in reserve for the third party when elections draw near.

My proposal is this: challenge the government to pass legislation NOW to initiate a proportional representation electoral system. I know, you heard me talk about PR before. True. But notice the approach…issuing it as a challenge to the incumbents.

Of course, the third party must make it a major plank of its campaign and convince the public, that if elected, it WILL pass such legislation. If they win and pass the legislation, they virtually guarantee themselves seats in the 2028 election, because of the proportional representation system in effect, ceteris paribus, of course. It would then be virtually impossible for there to be a repeat of the May 2018, 30-0 “bloodbath”.

Now, I can envisage how the BLP and a revived DLP will react to this proposal but in order to keep this article short I am going to leave room for my fellow commentators to help elicit some of these possible reactions.

‘Pieceful’ Concurrence
In the meantime, I wish to recognize some similar and collateral tactics put forward by fellow commentator “Piece the Legend”. His ideas are founded on the same strategic plank: challenge and pester the incumbents with proposals that are high value to the masses but which the incumbents will be hard pressed to implement. In strategic marketing, we call it a “harassment strategy”. Below is a relevant excerpt from Piece but you can read the original at the hyperlink that follows:
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What the PdP has to do is reach out to these entities with invitations and then ask the government for assistance for example with leasing the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford venue for the function. The BLP will refuse it, IN WRITING, and the PdP will just announce this.

It’s important for the PdP to deliver things WHILE THEY ARE IN THE OPPOSITION, and for those things the need financial assistance with reach out to the BLP and if you get the resources ITS YOYR DELIVERABLES but if you dont, broadcast that too. It costs the PdP nothing to orchestrate these outreaches WHICH, IF THE BLP REFUSE TO PAY FOR, OVERTIME, SHOWN THEM TO BE PETTY AND FEARFUL.

https://barbadosunderground.net/2019/11/05/the-phartford-files-agenda-for-a-third-party-part-i/comment-page-2/#comment-1262164
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Looking Forward
A break up of the two-party system looks more and more feasible but we have to stay on point. Whether it is one third party or a coalition of third parties fighting the 2023 election is irrelevant. The important thing is to break the two-party system domination. Therefore, there are three things we have to do from here on: 1. Focus! 2. Focus! 3.Focus!

No Man…Including Mia…Can Have TWO Masters

Submitted by PUDRYR
@ Talking Loud Saying Nothing
I noted your submission in another article here and it caused me to write this:
“…” No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon…”
In the link you provided it highlighted some remarks made during the reading of a Bill concerning new honours to be conferred on citizens being made by the leader of the Opposition Reverend Joseph Atherley
De ole man has a problem with these remarks by the Leader of the Opposition Reverend Atherley and de ole man will expand on that, if you permit me
(I trying on my “manners hat”, posturing in the shadows of men who I trying to copy here Mr. Austin, Mr. William Skinner, Mr Vincent Codrington and Artaxerxes to name a few of the gents here who don’t cuss like de ole boar)
Reverend Atherley said and I quote
“…Since 2008 that has been clear to me, that there are people involved in the practice of politics [at the] elective level in Barbados who are attaching themselves to persons involved in illegal drug activity in Barbados, to help their cause and I dare anybody in here to stand and say that is not true,” Atherley charged…”
Where the ole man has a problem with this matter TLSN, as championed by the Leader of the Party that represents the Third Party Movement, a party de ole man been talking bout for close to 2 years now, and a movement that the ole man is committed to, lies in this.
The goodly Reverend has no less that 10 examples of publicly documented instances where persons “at the elective level” are encouraging and empowering those in the criminal regime.
In fact, the most egregious of these being the invitation of 3 known drug dealers to the opening of Parliament by Mia Mottley!
An act which HE, NOR NONE OF THE ESTABLISHED MEDIA, have ever taken her to task about YET SHE UP AT THE UNITED NATIONS TALKING BOUT MADURO and sovereign state rights!
Why is the Reverend using this “soft soaping language” when we are discussing an issue of politicians societing with druglords, an issue of such Import & Impact?
This Reverend Atherley, is a case of either that YOU ARE TOTALLY IN, AND THAT BAJANS SEE THAT YOU ARE “ALL UP IN THERE” or you are out!
Half efforts ARE NOT GOING TO CUT IT! in this fight to win the next government, sir
Let me use the words of another leader who is a Bishop, just as you are, and a political leader,  to make this point
“… We don’t want apartheid liberalized. We want it dismantled.
You can’t improve something that is intrinsically evil.
Desmond Tutu”
And now let de ole man transpose this quote of Desmond Tutu for you Reverend Atherley
“We BAJANS don’t want the politics of inclusion as clearly shown by Mia Mottley reaching out to drug dealers and normalizing Criminal ACTIVITIES a la Mugabe.
We Bajans want it ERADICATED and these drug lords gone from our society.
You can’t encourage something that is intrinsically evil.”
This is the version Bajans want Bishop Joseph Atherley to start saying!
He, like Desmond Tutu, HAS TO BE SEEN AS RELENTLESS IN HIS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THIS ENTRENCHED EVIL THAT MUGABE MOTTLEY CONTINUES TO BE ENCOURAGING.
EVIL THAT IS EVIDENCED  BY 46 MURDERS TO DATE, directly attributed to the activities of Mugabe Mottley’s DRUG LORD invitees and their drug wars for turf

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 the science

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.

 

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