Click Here to read posts randomly
Additionally, please feel free to submit ideas, observations or any information of a random nature which maybe of interest to furthering the cause of humanity. Note that your submissions will be seen by the public and open to comments from visitors to BU. Confidential information should be submitted to barbadosunderground@gmail.com.
For those of you who are not yet aware, the sad news is that West Indies Cricket Legacy, passed on yesterday, in St.Kitts.
Unfortunately, for some it was expected, due to a complete lack of confidence in those responsible for the attempted resusitation over the past few years.
We shall remember the good old days, with fondness.
RIP WI Legacy 1934-2009
@ NEGROMAN>> the greatest form of mind control is HATE … in **EVERY** form… i am suprised @ your statement and i quote “It is no surprise to me that Black People are still being kill,torture & brutalize and are subjected the worst possible treatment by the other ethnic groups” . have u educated yourself on the atrocities in rwanda, sudan, congo, haiti,ethiopia? let your anger motivate u to take action to help make a CHANGE.. u can impact the world with your disgust for inequities of ALL TYPES by doing something POSITIVE. every change first starts with a change of MIND… then a change of HEART. as they say ‘IGNORANCE IS BLISS’
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary leadership
Sunday, August 09, 2009
The following is the sectoral debate presentation made by Member of Parliament for West Central St James Clive Mullings in Parliament recently:
These are extraordinary times. It is also a time requiring extraordinary leadership. There is no place for the blind ideologue or the cynical pragmatist. What is required is an understanding of world events and to see in those convulsions an opportunity to create a space for the developing nations in a new financial architecture. I will focus on the single most debilitating factor impacting growth in Jamaica and, by extension, some countries of the developing world. It can be summed up in one word: "Debt".
The global financial debacle did not happen by chance. The very rating agencies on whose ratings the future of our economy hangs have been exposed as aiders and abettors of this meltdown. You may ask, how was this possible? These agencies give ratings for what has been described as collateralised debt obligations (CDOs) which appeared on the financial landscape in the late 1980s. Let’s take a look at how the credit debacle unfolded: First, commission-based mortgage brokers talked credit-impaired "John Doe" into a more expensive house (and hence more debt) than he could afford. Banks gave Doe the mortgage since they rarely saw home values depreciate. Since Doe had a house that was appreciating in value, he was able to get more credit and higher loans to purchase other goods. The banks sold these debts to investment banks, which aggregated them and split them into different classes called collateralised debt obligations and sold the different investment classes to financial institutions.
Following this, interest rates went up and home prices went down. Analysts predicted the CDOs would be impaired, but they didn’t know the amount. In turn, the investors within financial institutions that had CDOs had to mark down their investments, which led to the subprime mess. Hypothetically, John Doe may face foreclosure, his mortgage broker may be out of a job, his bank may be out of business and his 401(k) may be significantly lower, all because home prices don’t always appreciate.
MULLINGS… the IMF facility is a mere stop gap and we are in danger of making it seem to be the panacea for our ills
Alan Greenspan is on record as saying he does not understand what mathematical formula could allow rating agencies to have a mix of C grade and B grade assets and yet come up with an A grade CDO. However, that’s exactly what happened, and to quote Warren Buffet, "these CDOs became financial weapons of mass destruction". In fact, the subprime crisis was precipitated by CDOs as outlined earlier. Hedge funds invested in CDOs and many of these instruments were traded internationally with other banks.
So what is the significance for countries like Jamaica? Firstly, the integration and interdependence of financial markets facilitated the contagion. Secondly, the consequences of collapsing demand in one country, such as the motor vehicle industry in the United States, has resulted in a falling off of demand for exports such as bauxite and alumina which has had a disastrous effect on Jamaica.
I have taken some time to explain this derivative so that there can be an investigation into the operations of these rating agencies to ensure that their ratings are properly founded and credible. However, more fundamentally, it is to direct our attention to the gaping void yet to be filled by a leader who will articulate clearly and eloquently the need for a review of the debt obligations of developing countries such as Jamaica and to fit that within a call for a new financial architecture. This must inevitably lead to a review of multilateral agencies such as the IMF and The World Bank.
The Minister of Finance has raised the issue of poor developing countries while in Chile with the heads of The World Bank and the IDB, but this must be placed firmly on the G20 and G8 agendas by a leader of the poor developing nations, not from a position of ideological contretemps but enlightened self-interest to which the global financial crisis lends itself as a ready crucible. However, we are in danger of not seeing the forest for the trees and being lost in minutiae and blind insularity.
Instead of sounding the death knell for Caricom, or allowing my good friend and former classmate, the prime minister of Barbados, to sidetrack the region with issues of immigration control within his borders, it is time for extraordinary leadership to seize the moment and not merely repeat quotable quotes of "a crisis is a terrible thing to waste" while at the same time wasting it.
Quite recently, Mr Minh Pham, United Nations resident co-ordinator, wrote an article in the Observer entitled "Room to Breathe" in which he suggested that Jamaica needs a Kingston Club to break the national debt squeeze. He opined that the debt to GDP ratio stood in excess of 100 per cent. "This debt burden, the fourth highest per person in the world, is crushing and together debt servicing and civil servant salaries comprise 79 per cent of Jamaica’s national budget. The opportunity presented is for Kingston Club as opposed to the Paris Club – which is a group of public lenders from the world’s richest countries – or the London Club, its equivalent among international private creditors, to serve as the arena for comprehensive debt discussions between the Government and its domestic creditors as an integral part of the social partnership to create space for development spending." In other words, a credible debt management strategy. We are not suggesting a default on debt servicing, as this would result in a constitutional breach and we need not fear capital flight, as the return on capital elsewhere is minuscule in a recession-hit world facing a severe credit crunch. This is indeed a time for extraordinary leadership to inspire partnership and collaboration.
The issue of debt is by no means a Jamaican phenomenon, although our situation is far worse than many in the region. However, one would have thought that at the recent Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Caribbean leaders would have arrived at a collective position on the issues of debt and multilateral financing, as they sat face to face with many G20 countries. We gather that this was not on the agenda which had been set some time before. If this is so, then in a time when the global financial crisis has become the greatest threat to global economic stability in 75 years, then the agenda should have been adjusted to reflect this reality.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stated that "the global financial crisis has demonstrated already that it is no respecter of persons, or of particular industries, or of national boundaries. It is a crisis which is simultaneously individual, national and global. It is a crisis of both the developed and developing world. It is a crisis which is at once institutional, intellectual and ideological. It has called into question the prevailing neo-liberal economic orthodoxy of the past 30 years – the orthodoxy that has underpinned the national and global regulatory frameworks that has so spectacularly failed to prevent the economic mayhem which has now been visited upon us."
This leads us inevitably to the debate concerning the IMF. Let us not forget our present context. Global equity markets have lost approximately US$32 trillion in value since their peak, which is equivalent to the combined GDP of the G7 countries in 2008. Credit markets have all but dried up with credit growth at their lowest levels since World War II. In developing countries, the International Labour Organisation predicts that the crisis will push more than 100 million people into poverty. However, our domestic crisis predates this global one as our own fiscal deficit increased and debt servicing has climbed creating a culture of government paper, or risk-free reward without the burden of inventories, labour or unions. This is by no means a criticism of holders of government paper because if the Government did not offer it, they could not have been taken.
Some hard decisions however will have to be made if we are to reverse the trend of escalating debt servicing requirements, and the capping of the debt supported by constitutional provisions must now be firmly placed on the table.
If we are to move beyond the platitudes which so often afflict the political order, we must become more efficient and less corrupt. How can we become more efficient if 90 per cent of the education budget is for wages and salaries? How can we attain education transformation if we fail to curb this appetite for debt? The answer cannot only be found by raiding the National Housing Trust or prevailing on the PetroCaribe fund. A structural adjustment must be made within our own budgetary provisions. When will we bell the cat?
One of the tenets of the PetroCaribe Agreement is the funding of renewable projects. Do you know how many such projects have been funded thus far? One! And this was for US$50m for the expansion of the Wigton Wind Farm with nine new wind turbines.
There is this constant competition, to find resources to fund the recurrent budget. The forward sale of bauxite and a reduction of our shareholding in CAP was one such situation. The sale of the JPS to Mirant in 2001 was another such situation, and the suggestion of selling our remaining 20 per cent shareholding in JPS was gaining currency. Hopefully that has been put to rest!
We have gone to the IMF and we had no choice as bauxite revenues are down, remittances are down and tourism is in flux. They bring in the foreign exchange while at the same time imports outstrip exports and the price of oil remains volatile.
Our external accounts face tremendous challenges. I believe that the issue of the conditionalities of the IMF must be faced squarely and put on the international agenda, given the present context of an integrated financial system. However, the IMF facility is a mere stop gap and we are in danger of making it seem to be the panacea for our ills. It is not! Debt management, fiscal discipline, debt renegotiation must all be part of the mix! We must take whatever decisions are necessary to create space for real investment in agriculture and education. We must also diversify our energy sources, promote the use of ethanol to help to reduce our transportation oil bill and create linkages in a viable bio-fuels industry. The collaboration that is required must speak to hard numbers and emphasis on those sectors that will take the country out of this downward spiral. We need to build institutional capacity and project management in government. Unfortunately, we have created an industry of research papers, consultations, reports and government policies. Each government comes with a new one in a constant paper mill
with not enough emphasis placed on execution.
We need to look more closely at the debt we have incurred and the purposes for which it has been incurred to ascertain whether we are servicing under-utilised debt, thereby having the burden without the benefit.
We must use technology to be more efficient. I urge the prime minister to immediately task the Central Information Technology (CIT) office to break down firewalls of inter-ministerial fiefdom and make information flow seamless so as to make Government efficient and the execution of projects expeditious. We can reduce cost by use of the software which allows inter-ministerial communication on a network thereby using extensions rather than tolled numbers.
We have now engaged the IMF. It is still not too late to call for the governance structure of the IMF to be reviewed. A lot has happened since Bretton Woods of 1944. America is now indebted to China, and India and Brazil have become economic powers. It is now time to put squarely on the agenda a call for them to increase their contributions to multilateral agencies such as the IMF and for them to have a greater voice in decision-making. While we cannot go it alone, we must fill the void of silence. The region must awake from its slumber. We must leverage our position as an influential nation that has already conquered the world in sports and music. We must regain our voice.
Australian Prime Minister Rudd said: "The impact of the crisis on poverty and political stability in the developing world has not been fully registered in the global debate about global responses to crises so far… it becomes harder and harder as developed countries’ budgets come under ever more stress from the unprecedented domestic demands now placed upon them by the crisis."
President Barrack Obama recently said "there is no time to lose. The global economic crisis has hit the Americas hard, particularly our most vulnerable populations. Years of progress in combating poverty and inequality hangs in the balance… At the recent G20 summit, the United States pledged to seek nearly half-a-billion dollars in immediate assistance for the vulnerable populations while working with our G20 partners to set aside substantial resources to help countries through difficult times. We have called upon the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) to maximise lending, to restart the flow of credit, and stand ready to examine the needs and capacity of the IDB going forward." Obama said this at the Summit of
the Americas.
We must insist that the IMF be open to this examination and capacity as experiences of Latvia and Ghana are cause for concern. It was Henry Thorau who said "rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth". The level of government expenditure cannot continue to be propelled by this treadmill of debt; there will have to be reduction in some areas. This could very well impact employment levels. Education must have more resources available for teacher training, content delivery and to achieve 100 per cent literacy as a matter of urgency. Agriculture must drive internal demand for local produce and soil health and yield must be given pride of place. PetroCaribe funds must be used to fuel energy diversification as we seek to slash our dependency on foreign oil. The taxation on hybrid vehicles must be reversed if we are to achieve our strategic objectives. It is now time for the Kingston Club deliberations to begin, and failure is not an option. The IMF will be here and there may or may not be fall-outs or social dislocation, but we must look beyond the IMF and say "physician, heal thyself". We must not talk tough; we have been doing this for too long. We must engage our people in frank and open discussion. We are in a crisis and a template of hope must be put before them. Arrogance has no place in this dispensation, but fixity of purpose does. We must move beyond extending the hand of collaboration across this aisle, we must speak to each other and agree on the strategic objectives we must work together on, irrespective of whoever occupies the portals of government. To do otherwise is to hope for success but to ensure failure.
MCCLURKIN ON THE ROLE OF BLACK PASTORS: ‘I Get So Mad at These Preachers!’ — Singer/preacher to Essence.
April 1, 2009
Essence.com sat down with Grammy-winning gospel great Donnie McClurkin, who also serves as pastor of the Perfecting Faith Church in Long Island, New York and has a bone to pick with preachers who put money above the Lord.
Below are his thoughts on the role of today’s black churches and its pastors in this dwindling economy, as told to Essence.com:
As pastors, we have to link arms and have bipartisanships. The [black] church has always been the face of the community. Now we have to take on the responsibility of becoming true servants to the people from all walks of life. I get so mad when I see these pimpin’ preachers driving Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, flying around in their private jets, and making it seem like prosperity and money is the way of God when 90 percent of your congregation is on Section 8 or can’t figure out how they are going to keep their lights on or feed their kids. I’m big on perception, and what would it look like for me to live so lavishly if the people in my church are struggling?
I’ve done great in gospel music, and only a few of us have accomplished what I have, and guess what? I live in the ‘hood, not some place on the outskirts of the ‘hood. There ain’t no gate around my house; I have a white fence because the people I pastor live in that community. I have one vehicle and it’s not a Mercedes, it’s a Lincoln Navigator. I don’t receive a dime—not an Abraham Lincoln copper coin—and haven’t for the last seven-and-a-half years because I’m okay.
I’ve even had members ask me why I choose to live in the same neighborhood, and it’s because I have to be able to relate. Do you think if Jesus was here on earth he’d be spending all his time in the church? No, he’d be out with the people who need him the most on the streets. People tell me how they want their pastor to be prosperous and I tell them I want the people to be prosperous. I’ve realized that just because you can go out and do something it doesn’t mean it’s the best thing to do.
If I wanted to buy a Phantom or Bentley I could and not hurt my pockets, but I’m okay with what I have. I can sing and work and I let all that money go back into the church so we can buy the delicatessen on the corner, or the house next door to make it state-of-the-art low-income housing.
We’ve trained our people to put their leaders on pedestals, and some people want to live vicariously through their pastor and say, “My pastor has this and he’s on television and so on,” but then what do you have? How have you prospered and grown? So when I hear other pastors say, “My people take care of me,” I’m thinking, But you’re supposed to be taking care of the people. I just don’t get it.
I don’t have a church, but I do have a church that I pastor. I can’t name something the Donnie McClurkin Temple because the people do not belong to me and if they did that would mean I have slaves. I am simply a vessel to deliver God’s word. At the end of the day, it’s God’s church, not mine.
corrected David,
I recently learnt of the passing of Sir John Stanley Goddard, an icon of the business world, an honest sincere humble and kind man.
He was one that I had the utmost respect and regard for and a man of the highest moral quality.
Barbados will sadly miss his wit and his business skills.
To his family I say keep the chin up and know that his work on this earth is done and it was well done.
I would like to extend to the family of Sir John Stanley Goddard our deepest regret at the news of his passing and may he Rest In Peace.
Here is a link to an interesting video about the improvements in some high school students’ behaviour and in their ability to learn which were brought about by providing them with nutritious meals instead of letting them feed themselves on their usual junk food diet.
http://www.therealfoodchannel.com/page/31.html
I know our own teachers are frequently complaining about haiving to deal with increasing numbers of incidents of bad/violent behaviour in the classroom. Maybe there are some lessons in this for us.
110 Metres Hurdles World Championships Berlin
Brathwaite Barbados Wins Gold Medal (1st Place)
This article from today’s Nation makes one wonder if a little child will lead us. Interesting!
AT FOUR YEARS OLD Kelé Coward wants to be more than just an ordinary servant of God.
In fact, on his way to our early morning interview, he sat in a van and told his mum Krystal: “I want Jesus to come into my life.”
She told him: “Just ask Him to.”
And so, with childlike faith, young Kelé closed his eyes and did as he was told.
Kelé, a lover of football, cricket, race cars and motorcycles, is a young worshipper with a beautiful voice – one who loves to sing gospel songs, and dance while doing so.
In fact, during the time spent in his presence, he willingly sang such songs as I Want To Be More Than An Ordinary Servant, I Love You Jesus Way Down In My Heart, Jesus Is The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me, Wide, Wide As The Ocean, Deep And Wide and Take A Grip, among others.
Kelé has been singing with meaning for the past two years, and his mum and Sunday school teacher have been instrumental in helping him hone his love for music, praise and dance.
When his little feet and hands start moving it’s hard to keep pace with him.
According to his mother, a member of her church’s worship team, she sings “a lot of songs at home; sometimes Israel and New Breed music. I’ve realised that Kelé listens to me as I sing and so he sings quite a number of worship songs also”.
Loves people
Kelé is very much in love with God and he loves people. In fact, it’s common for him to address female adults as “honey”, “sweetheart”, and “darling”, and he often speaks as an adult would.
For instance, when asked which school he would be attending from September, he bluntly stated: “I moving on to St Matthew’s Primary School.”
Kelé does not hesitate to talk about his love for Jesus.
“I love Jesus so much, and He wants me to love Him so much too. He wants me to obey Him and behave so I won’t get into trouble,” states Kelé.
The former member of Dee’s Creative Nursery and Pre-school, and Golden Steps Nursery, also knows his Bible well. Psalm 100 and Psalm 23 are among the Scripture he has memorised, and this young soldier in God’s army is always quick to repeat Phillipians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
“Whenever he is doing something that is giving him trouble, he says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” Krystal said of her only child.
In addition, Kelé is familiar with most of the Bible stories often told to children. For him, Goliath was the bad man who was killed by the mighty David. Likewise, Satan is the bad man whom he has “stomped under his feet”. And, he has the actions to show how he has achieved this.
Kelé, whose dad Kenroy Hope helps to chart him along the course of life, has a hearty appetite and enjoys sweet potato pie, macaroni pie and chicken, as well as hot dogs.
Praying is one of his passions. He prays on his own before meals and always at night before going to bed.
Undoubtedly, Kelé is no ordinary child, but then, that is the prayer of his heart. He wants to be more than ordinary for the sake of his much loved friend Jesus.
I think that the attached article may be of some interest to bloggers
The Turks and Caicos loses independence
http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14258950
@ ROK // August 23, 2009 at 12:36 AM
@LIB
“All anonymous women out there, you are now male. New rules. ROK does say rules dont matter so look out for further changes.”
So what was the basis for that statement. I tell you that I is the Creator?
Who you think you really is though? After this, I have nothing to do with you. I think those on this blog see where you coming from. I think you are just a big child. Anybody ever tell you so yet?”
++++++++++
You wrote:
“ROK // August 22, 2009 at 7:14 PM
You too bright! Never thought you would have picked that up. My humble apologies for underestimating your intelligence.” acknowledging the pronouns ‘he’/’his’ mean male.
++++++++++
You had written:
“ROK // August 22, 2009 at 11:17 AM
Are we that stupid that because of some amateur status rules to deny Ryan Brathwaite what he deserves? What rules what? We take this thing to heart and allowing foolish rules to get in our way?” AND
“ROK // August 22, 2009 at 5:51 PM
So don’t tell me about some rules made up by institutions, they just can’t stand up to a sovereignty. I will not sit here and allow you to twist everything to your whims and I will not be sucked in. The contents of the rules are unimportant in this case. These kinds of rules cannot stand in the way of a country’s progress.
We have Barbados Scholarships every year, offer the man one. He is deserving. No stupid rules can’t get in the way.”
I think that explains fully the bases of my comments.
Interesting article
DIVORCE AGREEMENT
THIS IS SO INCREDIBLY WELL PUT AND I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT’S BY A YOUNG PERSON, A STUDENT!!! WHATEVER HE RUNS FOR, I’LL VOTE FOR HIM.
American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al:
We have stuck together since the late 1950’s, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course.
Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let’s just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.
Here is a model separation agreement:
Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.
We don’t like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we’ll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military.
You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O’Donnell (You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them).
We’ll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies and illegal aliens. We’ll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO’s and rednecks. We’ll keep the Bibles and give you NBC and Hollywood ..
You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we’ll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us.. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we’ll help provide them security.
We’ll keep our Judeo-Christian values.. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N.. but we will no longer be paying the bill.
We’ll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru station wagon you can find.
You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors. We’ll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We’ll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem. I’m sure you’ll be happy to substitute Imagine, I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.
We’ll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we’ll keep our history, our name and our flag.
Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I’ll bet you Answer which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.
Sincerely,
John J. Wall
Law Student and an American
P.S. Also, please take Ted Turner, Sean Penn, Martin Sheehan, Barbara Streisand, &
Jane Fonda with you.
P. S. S. And we won’t have to press 1 for English.
Washington Capitulates: Peak Oil Is Real
by Doug Hornig
Each year, generally in May, the Energy Information Administration publishes a less-than-eagerly-anticipated tome called the International Energy Outlook, 250+ pages of mind-numbing text, charts, graphs, and tables.
No one reads it. The mainstream media ignore it.
It’s the product of the best prognosticators in the Department of Energy. Okay, that may be what puts most people off. But if you’re patient enough to dig into it, it will cough up some fascinating nuggets of information.
The present edition is no exception. The report refrains from spelling out the conclusion that seems most obvious from its data. However, confirming a trend begun just last year, the 2009 edition clearly reveals that the government has been forced to admit that Peak Oil is coming. Moreover, it’s expected to arrive much faster than was believed as recently as two years ago.
This represents a remarkable turnaround in the agency’s opinion. Up until 2008, they were predicting unbroken growth in world oil supplies for the next two decades. But in ’08 and ’09, the rosy picture turned decidedly unrosier.
David,
My apologies if I am wrong; but I seem to notice that you’ve removed the Barbados Free Press line-up from the Blog Roll.
I know they removed BU from their blog roll, but you continued to carry them.
I admired you for this. I don’t believe you need to respond in kind.
You can let it remainl; thereby showing that you are much more mature.
Facts
The new school year has just started and here is Matthew Farley with micrometer in hand and a bit too touchy feely for my liking measuring a student’s tunic. It’s going to be a long year.
The article refers to the “national dress code”, could someone alert me as to what this entails lest I land in the local lock up on my next visit.
As to the length of the female students’ uniform, they should do what the Catholic School Board in Toronto did to rectify the problem of kilts which shrunk in length between the time the female students departed from home and the time they arrived at school. They replaced the kilts with slacks and presto! problem solved. However such a solution is unlikely to work in Barbados because someone will come up with a regulation that the slacks should fit like the lower half of an Abaya and here we go again…. .
Inkwell …
I have been following the exchange between you and PiedPiper over on BFP, especially where you have asked him to name an incident where David of BU has verbally attacked bloggers, which he accused David of doing, and he has refused to reply to that. I chose not to post this on BFP because I have absolutely NO USE for the Canadian man who runs that blog and I am not a hypocrite, so I steer clear of BFP. He is determined to destroy Barbados. Here is what PiedPiper stated on September 2nd:
PiedPiper
September 2, 2009 at 10:57 am
“LIB, I would be very surprised if Chris Halsall actually met with you because that would mean having to retract many of the assumptions he has made. Your observations about BU are absolutely correct. You can ask a person over there a very direct question about an assertion they have made and you will never get an answer, instead you will be personally attacked for havng the unmitigated gall to question them and that includes the host David as well.”
First and foremost, PiedPiper states that he is a female. He is NOT. Let me give you a little scenario. I wish to fool people, by posting under several different names, but I cannot use the same IP each time. So I have a wife, a daughter, a son, other family and friends. So I e-mail them what I want posted on a Blog and … Bob’s your uncle! Several different names, several different IP’s. Simple. The “female” (PiedPiper) is the wife/daughter/whatever of Sargeant. Want to know how I know? A CLOSE MEMBER OF HIS FAMILY GAVE ME THE LOWDOWN! (And I don’t mean Hoadie!). This man is a chauvinist control freak – damn clever too – and he has managed to fool people for years. But he knows he will never fool me. He called BU bloggers “racist swine” under his PiedPiper name, yet he comes on here as Sargeant! He will eventually fall on his own sword.
To The Person posting as To Inkwell & other Pseudonyms
I just spoke to a relative in B’dos but forgot to ask whether there was a full moon tonight, as someone is now baying at that spherical object. Oh I forgot Summer school is over so you have some time on your hands now that your playmates are back to real school. Those dastardly Canucks sure have a lot of time on their hands, they rush around from home to home using all these different computers with their different aliases and posting multiple contradictory messages, how on earth do they keep track? Let me see where I can post from now should it be from Come by Chance? or Conception Bay? I don’t want to go to Blow me Down since this is Hurricane season and won’t go to Slave Lake for obvious reasons.
Sargeant is really getting to you man, if you’re not careful the men in white suits will come to take you away…. What’s that? They are knocking at your door!!! Quick !!! Run and hide and take a bush bath at the next four cross road to get rid of the obeah that Sargeant is working on you.
I just remembered where I will send this post from…. St Louis du Ha Ha….
I can’t verify the authenticity of this classroom discussion but the point is well made.
The very best of all! It should be in all school and college classrooms; churches, and homes. It’s amazing…wait’ll you see who wrote it!
‘Let me explain the problem science has with religion.’ The atheist
professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of
his new students to stand.
‘You’re a Christian, aren’t you, son?’
‘Yes sir,’ the student says.
‘So you believe in God?’
‘Absolutely.
‘Is God good?’
‘Sure! God’s good.’
‘Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?’
‘Yes’
‘Are you good or evil?’
‘The Bible says I’m evil.’
The professor grins knowingly. ‘Aha! The Bible!’ He considers for a
moment. ‘Here’s one for you. Let’s say there’s a sick person over here
and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you
try?’
‘Yes sir, I would.’
‘So you’re good…!’
‘I wouldn’t say that.’
‘But why not say that? You’d help a sick and maimed person if you
could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn’t.’
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. ‘He doesn’t,
does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he
prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you
answer that one?’
The student remains silent.
‘No, you can’t, can you?’ the professor says. He takes a sip of water
from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
‘Let’s start again, young fella. Is God good?’
‘Er..yes,’ the student says.
‘Is Satan good?’
The student doesn’t hesitate on this one. ‘No.’
‘Then where does Satan come from?’
The student falters. ‘From God’
‘That’s right. God made Satan, didn’t he? Tell me, son. Is there evil
in this world?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Evil’s everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything correct??
‘Yes’
‘So who created evil?’ The professor continued, ‘If God created
everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and accor ding to
the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.’
Again, the student has no answer. ‘Is there sickness? Immorality?
Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this
world?’
The student squirms on his feet. ‘Yes.’
‘So who created them?’
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his
question. ‘Who created them?’ There is still no answer. Suddenly the
lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is
mesmerized. ‘Tell me,’ he continues onto another student.
‘Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?
The student’s voice betrays him and cracks. ‘Yes, professor, I do.’
The old man stops pacing. ‘Science says you have five senses you use
to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen
Jesus?’
‘No sir. I’ve never seen Him.’
‘Then tell us if you’ve ever heard your Jesus?’
‘No, sir, I have not.’
‘Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelled your
Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or
God for that matter?’
‘No, sir, I’m afraid I haven’t.’
‘Yet you still believe in him?’
‘Yes’
‘According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
science says your God doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?’
‘Nothing,’ the student replies. ‘I only have my faith.’
‘Yes, faith,’ the professor repeats. ‘And that is the problem science
has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.’
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of
His own. ‘Professor, is there such thing as heat?’
‘ Yes.’
‘And is there such a thing as cold?’
‘Yes, son, there’s cold too.’
‘No sir, there isn’t.’
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested.
The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.
‘You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat,
unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don’t
have anything called ‘cold’. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero,
which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no
such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the
lowest -458 degrees.’
‘Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits
energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit
energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see,
sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We
cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat
is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of
it.’
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom,
sounding like a hammer.
‘What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?’
‘Yes,’ the professor replies without hesitation. ‘What is night if it
isn’t darkness?’
‘You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence
of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light,
flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing
and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? That’s the meaning we use to
define the word.’
‘In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were, you would be able to make
darkness darker, wouldn’t you?’
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This
will be a good semester. ‘So what point are you making, young man?
‘Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to
start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.’
The professor’s face cannot hide his surprise this time. ‘Flawed? Can
you explain how?’
‘You are working on the premise of duality,’ the student explains..
‘You argue that there is life and then there’s death; a good God and a
bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite,
something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought.’
‘It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less
fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is
to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive
thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.
‘Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved
from a monkey?’
‘If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man,
yes, of course I do.’
‘Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?’
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes
where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
‘Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and
cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you
not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a
preacher?’
The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion
has subsided.
‘To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student,
let me give you an example of what I mean.’
The student looks around the room. ‘Is there anyone in the class who
has ever seen the professor’s brain?’ The class breaks out into
laughter.
‘Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor’s brain, felt
the professor’s brain, touched or smelled the professor’s brain? No
one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of
empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have
no brain, with all due respect, sir.’
‘So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures,
sir?’
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his
face unreadable.
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. ‘I guess
you’ll have to take them on faith.’
‘Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with
life,’ the student continues. ‘Now, sir, is there such a thing as
evil?’
Now uncertain, the professor responds, ‘Of course, there is. We see
it everyday It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It
is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world.
These manifestations are nothing else but evil.’
To this the student replied, ‘Evil does not exist sir, or at least it
does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is
just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe
the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of
what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart.
It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness
that comes when there is no light.’
The professor sat down.
The student was Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein did write a book
titled God vs. Science in 1921…
If you read it all the way through and had a smile on your face when
you finished, mail to your friends and family with the title ‘Go d vs
Science’.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7
Received the following in an email from http://ae911truth.org (Architects and Engineers for 911 Truth)
AE911Truth with Richard Gage, AIA
LIVE STREAMED
from The Commonwealth Club of California
TOMORROW, Tuesday, Sept 8 starting at 5:45PM Pacific (8:45pm Eastern)
Dear AE911Truth Supporters,
1. An important event for the 9/11 truth movement will occur on Tuesday night in San Francisco when Richard Gage, AIA, speaks at the oldest public forum in the nation, The Commonwealth Club of California. Architects & Engineers For 9/11 Truth will webcast this event live on the Internet from our website AE911Truth.org.
We follow in the footsteps of the great David Ray Griffin, who first broke the 9/11 Truth barrier at the Commonwealth Club last year. In just under 40 minutes we will present the scientific evidence for the explosive controlled destruction of the 3 World Trade Center high-rises on 9/11. We will examine the behavior of these buildings as well as the explosive evidence found in the debris. More evidence may be found on our website and DVD.
A screening of this historic moment will be presented in New York City at 56 Walker Street. Also, everyone is encouraged to tune in on youy own computer as Mr. Gage explains why the official conspiracy theory put forth by NIST is not supported by the evidence, and that explosive controlled demolition is, very unfortunately, the only viable explanation for the WTC destruction in New York City on September 11, 2001.
Pre-register! If you are local and coming please make sure to get your tickets today as it might be sold out.
We’ll see you live at 5:45! (8:45pm Bajan time)
Link for live stream is:
http://brightpathvideo.com/AE/LiveStream.html
David,
You watching the Monfils – Nadal match?
@MME
Missed it!
Prestigious online architectural news magazine publishes an article detailing evidence for the explosive demolitions of the 3 WTC towers on 9/11, Conspiracy theory or hidden truth? The 9/11 enigmas…:
http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.commentview&comment_id=158
I read an article on another blog which I found to be quite interesting. The article dealt with Education and Teaching in Barbados. It was written based on an article in the Nation News, July 21, 2009 which stated that “Teachers must have a B.Ed.”
This blog has discussed education from other angles. I would like to add there are teachers who joined the profession primarily to secure a job and a paycheck. IMO, to be a teacher, one should have a passion for the field.
With passion, next comes being knowledgeable in specific subjects at certain levels, and being able to apply it to all types of learners: those who grasp by listening, those who grasp by seeing, those who grasp by actually doing; and being able to communicate to the students. It is very important to balance teaching in a classroom. Having any type of degree is not the b-all, n-all.
There are other factors to be considered. We should not overlook there are those with a degree who barely made the passing grade. I am in no way implying that they cannot excel in the profession. We also have those who have done extremely well in the academics — excellent grades but yet they just don’t have the ability to show the passion in the classroom where it is much needed. There is much work other than academics that is required before one should be given the green light to be in a classroom.
With our current educational system and like many others there will be drawbacks for both the teacher and the student, whether it’s in kindergarten or at university level. Reason being there is too much focus on the piece of paper (degree) and not enough ability on teachers to inspire students.
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don’t feel threatened. I don’t feel discriminated against. That’s what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn’t bother me a bit when people say, ‘Merry Christmas’ to me. I don’t think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it.It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn’t bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it’s just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don’t like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don’t think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can’t find it in the Constitution and I don’t like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren’t allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that’s a sign that I’m getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it’s not funny, it’s intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham’s daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her ‘How could God let something like this happen?’ (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, ‘I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?’
In light of recent events… terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O’Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn’t want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn’t spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. We said an expert should know what he’s talking about. And we said okay. (Dr. Spock’s son committed suicide)
Now we’re asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don’t know right from wrong, and why it doesn’t bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with ‘WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.’
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world’s going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send ‘jokes’ through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you’re not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
David
I am sending you this interesting article to be published as a BU article.
Background:This article is written by the owner of I95.5 fm radio station in Trinidad who is also a supporter of the PNM.
Apparently there are senior news heads and broadcasters who are anti-pnm and are blurring the line between politician and journalist.
When I read this I thought immediately of roxanne gibbs,vivian gittens and to a lesser extent carol martindale and their open bias towards the BLP.
Give it whatever heading you wish.
Could you post a comment on your thoughts on the article.
Thanks
————————————————–
Are The Media Saints Or Sinners?
11/13/2008.
This Speech Was Made By The Chairman Of Citadel Limited.On The Following Date 11/11/08.
I have invited you here this morning to place on record my concerns as a leader of a media house, as a concerned National, and above all, as one who believes very strongly in the freedom of the media.
With responsibility, the expectation has been that media practitioners will exercise sound judgment in the conduct of their affairs, and in the process, the wider society benefits from the work of responsible media.
Bear in mind, with responsibility comes accountability – the big question this morning is – to whom do the media account?
We now find ourselves between a ‘rock and a hard place,’ as the profession of journalism is under scrutiny as never before. This intense scrutiny has come about owing to the individual behavior of some media practitioners.
There are some Journalists who do not see their roles as having to report the facts, but rather see themselves in opposition to the Prime Minister and the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
There are some Journalists who consistently string together two points knowing there is no story, in the hope that they would get a reaction; that is the real story.
Journalists, who are also talk show hosts, spend much time criticizing the Prime Minster, and two minutes later put on a ‘news hat’ to read the news. Such people must decide if they wish to be ‘talk show hosts’ or journalists – particularly when so many of their utterances are anti-government and Anti-the Prime Minister.
The grim reality is that officials, both in the Private and Public sectors, are afraid to speak to the media – out of the single fear there will be no balance, no objectivity – no fairness!
Too many journalists write what they wish, and who, five days later would call for a comment after half the truth, sometimes lies, and indeed, innuendos, have solidified to become facts. This has not been a singular experience on my part.
The media cannot pretend it is a “saint” when it is very often a “sinner.”
I will not waste time in discussing the recent radio controversy except to say that it has brought us here and this is a good thing. I have listened to the arguments of “appropriateness” on this matter, and I am forced to laugh out loudly. I have sought to go deeper than the commentators and writers; I have read and listened to all on the subject. The question must be asked, “Had Prime Minister Manning done what you wished i.e. the appropriate thing; would we be here, this morning?”
I submit we would not have been here – simply because it would not be an issue (Think about the process).
I believe Prime Minister Manning believes he has been wronged consistently by some sectors of the media and has sought to address the matter in a unique way.
I commend him for finally bringing his concerns to our attention, in a manner that must force all of us to stop and think i.e. if you can think about your roles as media practitioners in a plural society.
There are too many media employees who are not sure whether they are “Journalists” or “Politicians in opposition to the Government,” and I don’t know you can be both.
I f you are a journalist, the expectation is balance, fairness, honesty, integrity, and above all, professionalism. On the other hand, if you are an opposition journalist/politician, and then continue doing what some of you do, and I am sure you will reap the rewards of your lack of professionalism.
It cannot be that the expectation of appropriateness must only be for the office of the Prime Minister, public officials, and none for the media.
My own “investigations” and I believe in these times investigations is not a known or common word in some areas of the media, suggests to me that politicians and public officials ‘shun’ the media, as they fear being mis-quoted, maligned and beaten up upon.
This is a sorry state of affairs.
How do the media see their role in treating with the private sector? Bear in mind that the private sector is crucial and impacts life in Trinidad and Tobago as much, if not as much as the Government. Do media workers exercise the same degree of tenacity, aggression, and disrespect to the private sector? I fear not! Trinidad and Tobago has seen two major financial institutions go through troubling times, and my concern is that there was an absence of sustained enquiry on the part of the media in both instances.
Fortunately, one pulled itself out the hole it found itself in, while the other, a Credit Union, collapsed – and with it, hundreds of poor ordinary folks lost their life savings.
I make this point to underscore that there is visibly inequity in application in the treatment the Government receives in comparison to the treatment the Private Sector receives, and both are fundamental to our democracy.
I believe a call has to be made to the sober minds remaining in the media, that ours, is a responsibility bigger and greater than the Government’s, and with this responsibility comes accountability.
Our accountability is to our readers, viewers, and listeners across the globe. We cannot continue business as usual as this could lead to anything.
In my view, in a democratic society, all citizens would not share the same views, beliefs, nor belong to the same political party, and this is understandable in a democratic society.
It is my belief in the action of polite disagreement that allows the growth of democracy.
Conversely, when we lose respect for each other because of disagreement over the views and beliefs and actions of another, we begin the downward slide away from democracy.
And in such circumstances, anarchy follows!
The grim reality is there are media practitioners who disagree with the Prime Minister and his Government, and who in their disagreement, show disrespect both to the ‘gentleman’ and the ‘office’ he holds.
You hear media practitioners of all ages refer to the Prime Minister as ‘Manning’ as if the Prime Minister is their schoolmate.
I believe we have got to go back to the ‘basics’ in this country or we may lose our society all together!
It must be ‘Prime Minister’ and ‘Archbishop.’ It must be ‘Father’ Harvey and ‘Magistrate’ X, it must be ‘School Principal’ X and ‘Matron’ Y. it surely cannot be Manning, and media managers have got to demand such professional standards.
On the other hand, I never hear Tony Sabga – it is always Mr. Sabga or Mr. Lok Jack or indeed Mr. Daly!
But all of this disrespect has been a long time coming – and if this recent event achieves one things, it is that we must all know the Prime Minister is concerned about standards in the media!
I am aghast that the Media Association has seen this purely as an opportunity to fight in the media with the Prime Minister! A serious professional association, I believe, would have sought to meet with the Prime Minister to hear his views and have its views heard. Instead, it is fighting within the media where it has all the ‘trumps!’
We cannot go on this way if we hope to grow as a country – where our children unborn world feel a sense of pride, a sense of nation!
If we wish to write and speak freely, it is incumbent upon all of us to act fairly, honestly, impartially, to give balance – balance and nothing else but balance. When we do this – neither Prime Minster nor other office holder will feel aggrieved to the extent that he is prepared to visit a broadcasting house unannounced to be heard.
As we debate appropriateness we might well be in a scenario of ‘pot calling kettle black.’ And while we have spent much time on appropriateness my fear is we have lost sight of the concern of the Honorable Prime Minster, which gave rise to his actions. This single action by the Prime Minster has been in my view most fortuitous as it has brought center stage the burning issues of professionalism within the media.
Some suggest that the Prime Minster ought to have taken his concerns to the Media Complaints Council (MCC), but I ask you to put yourself in his position. Do you take your complaints to Mr. Michael Williams, the Chairman of the Council and a known critic of the Prime Minister?
I will not go back to Mr. Panday who this week said he is supporting the media.
This company, like the short-lived Independent Newspaper, was born out of the harassment that came from Mr. Panday’s Government.
I hear Lawyers speaking, I suspect if I were today to demand of the Law Association a work program that will guarantee a more effective judicial system, I would probably be lynched. If libel matters were guaranteed to be completed form start to finish within three (3) months the media would be much more professional and responsible, and there would be no need for Mr. Manning to visit any media house to lodge his concerns.
I am certain of this as I am featured weekly in the column of a ‘has been’ media worker who hopes to resurrect his ‘dead’ career and dying newspaper, writing wild, misleading and libelous pieces week after week about my good self. And I am not the Prime Minister who by his large portfolio is the subject of a much wider platform of assault.
People aggrieved by the media have no cause to redress. In these circumstances, you have to appeal to the media house, who if they do not respect you, it is ‘you to catch!’
By comparison, in Parliament you have a system of privileges where Parliamentarians have been known to say anything with no redress for the person offended. This however, has been recently changed to allow members of the public who are aggrieved to write the Speaker to have corrections read and entered into the record of Hansard.
In the context of the media, if you are aggrieved, you must find huge resources to go to Court for a lengthy matter; sometimes ten (10) years or more. In the case of radio stations, you are at their mercy in getting a tape for your evidence.
It is against this background that I make the point that under the democratic system, failed politicians are held accountable at elections -the people speak at the ballot box. Under the same system, failed Journalists are free to do, say, and print whatever they wish unless strong management of the media take appropriate action for wrong doing, This however, is not common in the Trinidad and Tobago media.
When last did you hear of a Journalist or talk show host being disciplined for a lack of professionalism?
I wish to state that Citadel Ltd. has not been spared the ‘cancer’ of a lack of professionalism.
In this regard, we have been forced to not only discipline errant broadcasters, but we have been forced to make structural changes within our organization to ensure that no one is in a position to question our objectivity, integrity, and above all, balance in the conduct of news coverage and national debate.
Friends, I believe we need to appreciate there is a negative fallout from an absence of professionalism within the media. These professional practices must have a negative impact on the spirit, operations, and behavior of the National community. It is in this context, we must move with dispatch to bring the highest standards possible to our organizations.
I recommend, and call upon the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) meet at an early date to discuss urgently the matter of standards within the media. The reality is we now have an absence of professionalism, and if we do not fix ourselves, others will always attempt to do so!
On the other hand, the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago must become more aggressive and professional in the dissemination of information. Much of its good work remains an untold story, hence the very aggressive and negative reporting on its affairs.
When office holders like Minister Colm Imbert openly boasts that he will not speak to a media house, the fallout is mistrust and disrespect, not only of Minister Imbert, but of the Government!
People of the media, I thank you for being here, and it is my hope that you will find my concerns a ‘hook’ for ongoing discussion on the subject of “Professionalism within the Media of Trinidad and Tobago!”
Title
Select .::Editorial
Select Of Quadruplets and Employment or the lack thereof!
Select No Sacred Cows!
Select Veteran Journalist George John Dies
Select Honouring Lloyd Best on Father’s Day.
Select Address to the Eastern Emancipation
Select Are The Media Saints Or Sinners?
Business News
International News
On Air Schedule
I955 fm Profiles
Feedback
Video: The Shock Doctrine
The Shock Doctrine is the latest documentary from acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom, co-directed by Mat Whitecross. Based on Naomi Klein’s bestselling book, The Shock Doctrine argues that America’s ‘free market’ policies have come to dominate the world through the exploitation of disaster-shocked people and countries.
Both the film and the book argue that governments all over the world exploit natural disasters, economic crises and wars to push through radical free market policies. Klein calls this ‘disaster capitalism’ and in her view, disaster capitalism is as effective as psychiatric shock therapy at wiping our collective memory.
The film concludes that the result is often catastrophic for ordinary people and hugely beneficial to big corporations. The documentary also adds to Klein’s thesis – which was written before the recent market turmoil – and includes an analysis of how the financial world got into its current troubled state.
I only have average common sense, but it has served me in good stead over the years. It went into overdrive today when I read an article on the Online Caribbean 360 Press, taken from the Jamaica Observer, and written by Rickey Singh.
Rickey Singh is asking P.M. David Thompson, “Why the hostility?” Here is a paragraph from his article: “ I returned to Barbados last week from a visit abroad with my wife, to further learn of concerns by professional media colleagues, family members and others about recent adverse comments by Prime Minister David Thompson that have been interpreted as directed at me as a “writer” who has engaged in “unfair and unwarranted maligning of Barbados and Barbadians” over its immigration policy…”
He continues: “The prime minister was at the time delivering the feature address at the August 23 annual conference of his Democratic Labour Party (DLP) when he made references, without calling names, to criticisms pertaining to the Government’s immigration policy and, in particular, what he chose to describe as “the definitive action we have taken on the issue of undocumented migration in Barbados”.
And further on: “To the best of my recollection, there is NOTHING I have written on this Government’s “immigration policy”, or on the critical comments made about the reported mistreatment of undocumented Caricom migrants, to warrant a public chastisement and threat as outlined in the text (of PM Thompson’s address).”
And finally, get a load of THIS: “In this context, let me also empathise with the pain that my colleague Carol Martindale, editor of the Sunday Sun, had to unnecessarily suffer due to a telephone call regarding the prominence and display to be given a poll conducted for the DLP by the Caribbean Development Research Services.”
So … my interpretation is: Rickey Singh can’t understand why P.M. David Thompson is being “hostile” towards him when he learns “about recent adverse comments by P.M. David Thompson that have been interpreted as directed at me …”
Then, he goes on to admit that he (Thompson) made references WITHOUT CALLING NAMES!! Well, hang on a minute – how does Singh draw the conclusion – in one breath – that Thompson has been directing adverse comments at him, and in the next breath he admits that Thompson did not call names!!! (This man Singh smokes weed??)
To crown it all, he claims that “there is NOTHING I have written on this Government’s “immigration policy” … to warrant a public chastisement and threat …” So, what’s your beef, then, Singh? What the hell is your problem?
As to the last paragraph, Singh “empathises with the pain that my colleague Carol Martindale …” “had to unnecessarily suffer due to a telephone call …”
Oh, really? So will Singh later DENY having ever written ANYTHING regarding his empathy with Carol Martindale?
We shall have to wait and see.
Rules Kids Will Not Learn In School
Posted Tue, 09/15/2009 – 06:56 by Doug Covey
Last night my wife and I attended meet the teacher at our daughters school. While observing the classroom, there was a picture of Bill Gates with a list of rules that kids will not learn in school. The list resonated with me and although it has apparently been around for some time, I thought it fitting now that schools are back in session. Apparently there is discussion on the Internet if Bill Gates generated the list and gave the speech to a graduating high school class. What I discovered was the list is the work of Charles J. Sykes, author of the 1996 book Dumbing Down Our Kids: Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves But Can’t Read, Write, Or Add. Evidently there are 50 Rules, I thought this short list was a good start.
1. Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teen-ager uses the phrase “It’s not fair” 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever. When they stated hearing it from their own kids, they realized Rule No. 1.
2. The real world won’t care about your self-esteem as much as your school does. It’ll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. This may come as a shock. Usually, when inflated self-esteem meets reality, kids complain that it’s not fair. (See Rule No 1)
3. Sorry, you won’t make $40,000 a year right out of high school. And you won’t be a vice president or have a car phone either. You may even have to ear a uniform that doesn’t have a Gap label.
4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait‘til you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure, so he tends to be a bit edgier. When you screw up, he’s not going to ask you how you feel about it.
5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it opportunity. They weren’t embarrassed making minimum wage either. They would have been embarrassed to sit around talking about Kurt Cobain all weekend.
6. It’s not your parents’ fault. If you screw up, you are responsible. This is the flip side of “It’s my life,” and “You’re not the boss of me,” and other eloquent proclamations of your generation. When you turn 18, it’s on your dime. Don’t whine about it, or you’ll sound like a baby boomer.
7. Before you were born your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning up your room and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. And by the way, before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your bedroom.
8. Your school may have done away with winners and losers. Life hasn’t. In some schools, they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. Failing grades have been abolished and class valedictorians scrapped, lest anyone’s feelings be hurt. Effort is as important as results. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life. (See Rule No. 1, Rule No. 2 and Rule No. 4)
9. Life is not divided into semesters, and you don’t get summers off. Not even Easter break. They expect you to show up ever day. For eight hours. And you don’t get a new life every 10 weeks. It just goes on and on. While we’re at it, very few jobs are interested in fostering your self-expression or helping you find yourself. Fewer still lead to self-realization. (See Rule No. 1 and Rule No. 2.)
10. Television is not real life. Your life is not a sitcom. Your problems will not all be solved in 30 minutes, minus time for commercials. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop to go to jobs. Your friends will not be as perky or pliable as Jennifer Aniston.
11. Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them. We all could.
12. Smoking does not make you look cool. It makes you look moronic. Next time you’re out cruising, watch an 11–year-old with a butt in his mouth. That’s what you look like to anyone over 20. Ditto for “expressing yourself” with purple hair and/or pierced body parts.
13. You are not immortal. (See Rule No. 12) If you are under the impression that living fast, dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse is romantic, you obviously haven’t seen one of your peers at room temperature lately.
14. Enjoy this while you can. Sure parents are a pain, school’s a bother, and life is depressing. But someday you’ll realize how wonderful it was to be a kid. Maybe you should start now. You’re welcome.
A former FBI translator and now a whistleblower, Sibel Edmonds goes on the record with some startling testimony to high level corruption and treason in the US government she alleges she became aware of in her job as a translator for the FBI.
Who’s Afraid of Sibel Edmonds?
The gagged whistleblower goes on the record.
Sibel Edmonds has a story to tell. She went to work as a Turkish and Farsi translator for the FBI five days after 9/11. Part of her job was to translate and transcribe recordings of conversations between suspected Turkish intelligence agents and their American contacts. She was fired from the FBI in April 2002 after she raised concerns that one of the translators in her section was a member of a Turkish organization that was under investigation for bribing senior government officials and members of Congress, drug trafficking, illegal weapons sales, money laundering, and nuclear proliferation. She appealed her termination, but was more alarmed that no effort was being made to address the corruption that she had been monitoring.
A Department of Justice inspector general’s report called Edmonds’s allegations “credible,” “serious,” and “warrant[ing] a thorough and careful review by the FBI.” Ranking Senate Judiciary Committee members Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have backed her publicly. “60 Minutes” launched an investigation of her claims and found them believable. No one has ever disproved any of Edmonds’s revelations, which she says can be verified by FBI investigative files.
John Ashcroft’s Justice Department confirmed Edmonds’s veracity in a backhanded way by twice invoking the dubious State Secrets Privilege so she could not tell what she knows. The ACLU has called her “the most gagged person in the history of the United States of America.”
But on Aug. 8, she was finally able to testify under oath in a court case filed in Ohio and agreed to an interview with The American Conservative based on that testimony. What follows is her own account of what some consider the most incredible tale of corruption and influence peddling in recent times. As Sibel herself puts it, “If this were written up as a novel, no one would believe it.”
Read interview here:
http://www.amconmag.com/article/2009/nov/01/00006/
Can citizens tell me if it makes sense to say to persons you can choose not to be fingerprinted.
When entering St.Lucia you are photographed no questions asked.. Mr. Prime Minister we aint ready. What happen to the Barbados model that people internationally refer to, we seem to be losing our place on the world stage.
Kammie
I agree with you on that.
First of all that BLP opposition in Mia Mottley and Dale Marshall are such jackasses.
Can you imagine that even though the BLP know how much forged passports these guyanese who are deported turn back here with,and yet they hold a press conference to condemn the government for fingerprinting persons entering the aiport.
The other joke about this is the government telling us that this fingerprinting is not mandatory,you are asked to participate.
What nonsense is this.Pilot project my eye!
This government is coming across as too soft .
Do what you have to do prime minister and stop trying to waver on every thing.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways – Take the necessary harsh measures you need to take man.
Oh boy! Check out a beautiful picture of Rihanna and a … MONK!! … in Italy in the UK Daily Mail today. Whatcha going to find nasty to say about the girl now?? Beak brek.
Today, Sunday Oct 11, at 5:00pm EDT (same as Bajan time) a webcast by architect Richard Gage of http://www.ae911truth.org
Link to view the webcast is:
http://richardgageboston.org.
Details below from http://www.911blogger.com/node/21591 :
This Sunday, Oct 11, Richard Gage, AIA, founder of Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth (AE911Truth), has the high honor of addressing an audience at the First Parish of Cambridge, which was established in about 1636, adjacent to Harvard. Our first president, George Washington, worshiped there; the General Marquis de Lafayette was welcomed there in 1825; and Ralph Waldo Emerson gave his famous Phi Beta Kappa speech at this historic location in 1837. As we now face the most unimaginable problem of our lifetime, Mr. Gage will present evidence countering prevailing opinion, much as these courageous predecessors did when they saw the necessity nearly two centuries ago. When Mr. Gage gives his multimedia presentation 9/11: Blueprint for Truth, the audience will not only be those people seated in the First Parish, but also those watching a “live” webcast world-wide scheduled for 5:00 PM EDT, Sunday, Oct 11.
This event is part of a short tour by Mr. Gage, as he follows in the footsteps of Paul Revere in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, sounding the alarm today about the outright lies that we have been told concerning the most important event of our lives.
AE911Truth is making stupendous achievements and will soon have 1,000 architects and engineers calling for a new investigation (currently 926). Last month set another milestone when Mr. Gage spoke at the oldest forum in the country, The Commonwealth Club of California, established in 1903 with the stated purpose to “find the truth and set it loose in the world.” Mr. Gage did just that with his excellent explanation of why the official report of 9/11/01 does not withstand scientific scrutiny and why there must be a new investigation.
Tune in here: http://richardgageboston.org.
Long Shot Kick De Bucket
http://555dubstreet.wordpress.com/category/pioneers/
JUST RECIEVED THIS JOKE IN AN EMAIL
Prime Minister’s Office
Bay Street
St. Michael
Barbados
Dear People of Barbados,
Due to the current financial situation caused by the slowdown of the economy, your Government has decided to implement a scheme to put workers 50 years of age and older on early retirement. This scheme will be known as RAPE (Retire Aged People Early).
Persons selected to be RAPED can apply to the government to be eligible for the SHAFT scheme (Special Help After Forced Termination).
Persons who have been RAPED and SHAFTED will be reviewed under the SCREW program (Scheme Covering Retired Early Workers). A person may be RAPED once, SHAFTED twice and SCREWED as many times as the government deems appropriate.
Only persons who have been RAPED can get AIDS (Additional Income for Dependants & Spouse) or HERPES (Half Earnings for Retired Personnel Early Severance). Obviously, persons who have AIDS or HERPES will not be SHAFTED or SCREWED any further by the government.
Persons who are not RAPED and are staying on, will receive as much SHIT (Special High Intensity Training) as possible.. The government has always prided itself in the amount of SHIT it gives out. Should you feel that you do not receive enough SHIT, please bring this to the attention of your local MP. They have been trained to give you all the SHIT you can handle.
Sincerely,
David J Thompson,
Prime Minister
DLP column: Two years + Mia = Nought
Can you believe the Leader of the Opposition is finally agreeing with the Prime Minister? The recent comments regarding the ‘ban on cell phones in schools’ by the Opposition leader, in the House of Assembly on Tuesday 20th October 2009 will go down in history. It appears to be the first public acknowledgment that the Prime Minister is doing something right.
Our Prime Minister has been consistent in his defence of the country’s youth. His call for a higher level of responsibility from the operators of the Public Service Vehicles was matched with free rides on public buses for all school children.
The securing of public funds, to enable a wider cross-section of young people, to attend camps all year round, at no cost is still to find favour with the Opposition. We are not holding out for support on these two issues but we challenge the Opposition to rescind this policy, whenever they see office again.
After nearly two years in Opposition, Mia has developed an ideology of opposing for opposing sake.
The Opposition advisors are doing an injustice to their leader who is clearly not going to be allowed to settle in. The history of her journey into Opposition would reveal that she has failed her public on every front since talking up office.
The hurried manner in which she has gone about selecting candidates illustrates a leader without a mission.
The public snubbing by her former boss Arthur and the current chairman, George Payne paints a picture of a love hate triangle. The public is already aware of the distance that was created by Arthur with regards to Payne during their term in office with no closing of the ranks since coming to opposition.
If Mia Mottley is to push ahead of her rivals at the next Barbados Labour Party’s Conference, she needs to join forces with George Payne to defeat Owen Arthur.
A Mia Mottley or a George Payne alone cannot defeat a confident Arthur. He has already fired a shot across the bow by indicating, he is willing to serve in whatever capacity members want him to serve. One cannot help but admire the strategy of the former BLP boss. He was very pointed and calculated when he opted to go public. He did it just ahead of the conference, thus sending Mia’s team into a tail spin.
The poorly put together recently held press conference on their 71st Annual Conference was another instrument that failed to capture the imagination of the public.
There is clear and present danger on the horizon for the WAITING -IN -VAIN Prime Minister. Her last two years have tallied = nought.
She has prepared the wicket for Arthur to return by opposing for opposing sake. He offered no leadership tutelage in the period, as his wish of her demise is beginning to take shape.
We trust, however, in the interest of the loyal Opposition that they get their act together and begin to focus more on the needs of the country and not those in Roebuck Street.
It is quite pitiful that a once boastful political party could now be a shadow of itself in less than two years. But congratulations are in order for without Mia Mottley at the helm, the BLP would not of have had the distinction of such an achievement.. Well done Mia..
Greetings from the Bajan radio presenter…Edmund Dottin (aka Dr.Love) Sending Love to All My Fans, in Barbados.
It’s the full Prescription…’welcome to ‘The Love Zone’ …it’s a mix and blend of Lovers Rock, RnB, Motown, Soul and Classic Love Balads….smooth, sensual and seductive selections… Spreading a bit of sunshine into your hearts via your earlobes…It’s Pure Musical Bliss.. Tune in and listen live..It’s Love coming at ya…It’s all about ‘Keeping it Real’.. One Love ~ One Heart ~
log on to listen live Sunday 5pm to 7pm
http://www.tudnofm.co.uk
email your dedications to drlove@tudnofm.co.uk
dont forget to check out drloves blogs…lots of great music, videos, and links…new entries added daily..enjoy
[…] being transformed to a Monaco. In the month of November when Barbadians will be reminded of the Mirror Image speech, is this ‘our’ vision for Barbados and is it what our 500,000 long stay visitors […]
What nonsense this
MAVIS BECKLES: World’s end? Bare ignernts!
Published on: 11/28/2009.
I WAS READING the other day in the newspaper ’bout the people who now predicting dat the world gine come tuh an end in 2012.
Well, soul, I gine have tuh be honest wid ya, dah is bare ignernts!
Look, fuh the amount o’ times in this short lifetime of mine dat I was hearing people talking and predicting this end o’ the world thing, my good Lord, the world woulda and shoulda come tuh an end about 50 or 60 times a’ready.
Of course, I believe dat things are deposited in people’s spirits, and, yes, even spiritual things could be revealed through a very child.
I know dat my God could and does use anything or anybody tuh get His message out there; but ya see this thing ’bout the world coming tuh an end? Dah ain’t none o’ dem, trust me.
One time a whole lot o’ people just tek off from Barbados and went tuh somewhere where they felt would have been safe tuh get away from Kick-‘Em-Jenny – de underwater volcano dat when it erupt would cause an earthquake and tsunami dat was supposed tuh lick-up ’bout here.
Well, hey, all this time I still ’bout here and up tuh now I ain’t clap these two eyeballs ‘pon this Jenny.
The other thing is, I ain’t know if the people who did predicting this massive earthquake even come back tuh this day, but what I know is dat Kick-‘Em-Jenny ain’t kick a soul ’bout here yet.
Now doan get me wrong, I ain’t cynical ’bout these kinds o’ things at all. I am a woman who love the Lord and I know dat He could do all things, when he please and as He please and not a boy ‘pon the face o’ this Earth cahn do one pang ’bout um.
But you see this thing ’bout knowing when the world gine come tuh an end, God keep dah fuh Heself. Not a boy, not even Jesus ain’t know when God gine put in he appearance. The Bible tells ya dat no man knows the day or the hour.
Another thing is this, the Bible say dat he gine come like a thief in the night. Now, tell me something, which thief you know ’bout who does tell anybody when he gine brek in duh house.
Wha’ he would got tuh be a real ingrant thief who should hold real blows when duh catch he.
Dat is why dis thing ’bout de world gine come tuh an end in 2012 is bare ignernts!
David Sir!
Could you set up a page called JUST JOKES where good jokes could be deposited? e.g
A Polish man moved to the USA and married an American girl.
Although his English was far from perfect, they got along very well..
One day he rushed into a lawyers office and asked him if he could arrange a divorce for him.
The lawyer said that getting a divorce would depend on the circumstances, and asked him the following questions;
Have you any grounds?
Yes, an acre and a half and a nice little home.
No, I mean what is the foundation of this case?
It made of concrete.
I don’t think you understand. Does either of you have a real grudge?
No we have a carport, and not need one.
I mean, What are your relations like?
All my relations still in Poland
Is there any infidelity in your marriage?
We have hi-fidelity stereo and good DVD player.
Does your wife beat you up?
No, I always up before her.
Is your wife a nagger?
No, she white.
Why do you want this divorce?
She going to kill me.
What makes you think that?
I got proof.
What kind of proof?
She going to poison me. She buy a bottle at drugstore and put it on shelf in bathroom. I can read, and it say:
Polish Remover.
WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN WHEN WE PRAY?
This is one of the nicest e-mails I have seen and is so true:
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, ‘ This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.
The angel then said to me, “This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.” I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. “This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed.” How is it that there is no work going on here? ‘ I asked.
“So sad,” the angel sighed. “After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments”
“How does one acknowledge God’s blessings? ” I asked..
“Simple,” the angel answered. Just say, “Thank you, Lord. ”
“What blessings should they acknowledge?” I asked.
“If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world ‘ s wealthy. ”
“And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.”
“If you woke up this morning with more health than illness .. You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day. ”
“If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation … You are ahead of 700 million people in the world.”
“If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world.”
“If your parents are still alive and still married …you are very rare.”
“If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you’re unique to all those in doubt and despair…….”
Ok, what now? How can I start?
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you care to, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are
ATTN: Acknowledge Dept.
“Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people with whom to share it. “
A Jokes Corner has been added at top of page
Great idea and good joke, Anon.
Thanks, David.
In these trying times, I look forward to a laugh to relieve some of the stress. Keep them coming, folks.
Sorry, the above anonymous at 6.58 was me.
The Military-Medical Complex
University of California Professor Peter Duesberg is the pre-eminent virologist in the world today and one of the top, if not the top, molecular biologists.
Unfortunately, he has a political problem.
He doesn’t accept the still-unproven (and some say dubious) theory that the group of diseases known as AIDS is caused by HIV.
If “science” is wrong about the cause of AIDS, then finding a cure is impossible.
This may explain why a cure has not been found in spite of billions of dollars that has been raised and spent on AIDS “research.”
But the waste of time and effort is only the tip of the iceberg.
There may be something more sinister afoot.
David, the Auditor-General’s report on the Highway Expansion project has now been posted on their website.
http://www.bao.gov.bb/photos/Special%20Audit%20on%20BRNIIP%2020091.pdf
Mr D. Brent Hardt
Chargé d’Affaires, a.i.
Embassy of the United States to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean
Wildey Business Park
Wildey
St, Michael BB 14006
Barbados, W. I.
Sir,
The Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) would like to bring to your attention our concerns regarding the forthcoming General Elections in Dominica which are to be held on December 18, 2009.
We requested action from the Dominica Electoral Commission on the issues mentioned below:
Equal access to the Media especially the national radio station Dominica Broadcasting Service and Government Information Service (GIS) which are under the control of the Government;
Assurance that the electors are properly identified with identification cards as provided under the law and sanitizing of the electoral lists to avoid voter fraud. This request was submitted formally and discussed overseveral months without any explanation and action for its proper implementation;
Confirmation, composition and the role of Election Observers.( OAS and CARICOM were mentioned) as well as their date of arrival.
The Dominican Freedom Party has made strong representation on these concerns to the Electoral Commission in correspondence in each of the last four years. To this end, we have submitted incontrovertible documentary evidence of the charges made and conduct which are contrary to law not to mention the ethical and moral spirit of “our collective wish for free, fair and peaceful elections”.
Moreover, we believe that the various practices that have recently been brought to light grossly contravene legal requirements which the Electoral Commission is duty bound to uphold. We consider these are violations of the laws and Constitution of the Commonwealth of Dominica, to wit Section 1 – Public Interest and in particular, Sections 55, 56, 57, 58, 59 60, 61,62 of the House of Assembly (Elections) Act Chap 2:01 of the Revised Laws of Dominica 1990. We have specifically referred the Electoral Commission to Section 55 of Chap 2:01 (Electors Act) which is under their purview.
We would additionally like to bring to the attention of the US Government:
The selective mobilization and payment of passages for approximately 600 or more overseas Dominicans. The Dominica Labour Party Budget for Campaign 2009/2010 attached (Exhibit 1, page 2, item 5) quoted that the overseas citizens whose ”participation is vital to our success” will come “from such countries as USA, Canada, Great Britain, US and British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Venezuela, Barbados, Trinidad and Eastern Caribbean Islands”.
Flight charter arrangements with Imperial Jets paid for by the Dominica Labour Party and provision of tickets to induce citizens to come to Dominica on December 17 and 18, to vote on December 18, and to return on December 19 and 20
Specific mention of the role in these arrangements of Hartley Henry, a Barbadian citizen and Adviser to Prime Minister Skerrit and Barbara Dailey, Dominica Consul General to the US.
Evidence that the Dominica Labour Party plans to spend EC$22.4 Million on one election in Dominica. That in itself is cause for concern and may mean that a limit on campaign expense is necessary as well as enactment of campaign finance laws.
The Information reaching us about these activities has left the Dominica Freedom Party quite distressed and concerned that it may not be possible to have free and fair elections in Dominica this year.
As such we call on the US State Department to use all its legal powers to ask pointed questions to the party in power and to investigate whether the importation of targeted electors voting in identified constituencies violates the ethics and integrity of election practice. When it is done by the Consul General of Dominica to the US it is unconstitutional by any standards.
We await your prompt response as the matters of equal access to the Media, proper identification of electors and more importantly confirmation of the direct importation of citizens to vote in targeted constituencies for a party is unethical, unlawful and undemocratic. Some observers suspect that these actions are motivated by the influence of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
The Dominica Freedom Party recommends that these actions by the Dominica Labour Party to bias the election results should be strongly condemned and stopped.
Yours sincerely,
Judith Pestaina
Political Leader
Dominica Freedom Party
cc:
Commonwealth Secretary General
Secretary General, Organisation of American States
Secretary General, CARICOM
Director General, OECS
CARTER CENTER
Citizens Forum For Good Governance
You may be interested in the story in today’s UK Guardian on the Four Seasons project, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/06/barbados-counts-cost-credit-crunch? I also add a few comments on my blog, http://livinginbarbados.blogspot.com/2009/12/four-seasons-project-british-press.html
This is the time of year when I hate to bring politics into the mix but I was curious about the story in today’s Nation in which the Principal of Cave Hill admits to being worried about UWI-Mona establishing a Faculty of Law. Isn’t Caricom supposed to be working together to solve regional problems in a spirit of cooperation and togetherness? UWI is one of the success stories of the English speaking Caribbean and perhaps this is just the thin edge of the wedge towards the fracture of the whole entity
Remember one from ten leaves nought.
http://www.nationnews.com/news/local/law-faculty-row-copy-for-web
@Sargeant
Why are you surprised at this latest news coming out of the UWI?
Earlier this year Prime Minister indicated Barbados will have to rethink its subvention to the UWI. Barbados as you probably know it one of the countries who has not been delinquent. It is no secret the three campus’ operate autonomously on many fronts. The idea that the UWI is a very integrated regional institution is a fallacy. Do a search of BU for UWI or university of the West Indies. Bush Tea also wrote a few interesting pieces on the subject of the UWI.
BTW man because it is Christmas is no reason not to discuss the issues of the day, Jesus would have done so, ah lie?
lol
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.