Synergy

Synergy, in general, may be defined as two or more agents working together to produce a result not obtainable by any of the agents independently.

Link

“It is now official Government policy to spread the entrepreneurial culture to a wider cross section of Barbadians in an effort to create wealth and employment.

“We cannot achieve this goal if the vast majority of Barbadians continue to acquire more and more free education to find a job, and forever thereafter focus on consumption rather than wealth creation.”

Ok, I might be mis-interpreting these comments by the new Bajan Prime Minister or maybe because of the way its written not getting the full story here but this is kind of a strange comment to make in my opinion.

It would suggest (to me) that advanced education and entrepreneurship somehow cannot coexist and to be successful at one we have to leave off the other and to be honest it sounds like something usually said by those prevalent anti-intellectual American types who favor brawn and pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps over brains. You know the types who favor Palin over Obama. Yea dem sorta people.

I mean in my opinion everyone cannot be an entrepreneur, neither can everyone be an academic or go to university Society needs both and there has to be some balance although quite a lot of overlap occurs too.

At the same time lets not sell the pie in the sky dream that anyone with an idea and an entrepreneurial spirit will be successful just like that. Besides hard work, many of these guys can benefit from some training or advanced classes to help them run a successful business. Its not like an idea is all you need to be a successful small business. You might be able to start up with just an idea but without a plan you aren't going to get very far. And included in that plan you have to know how to market yourself and your product, how to deal with the public, how to find staff, how to handle money etc etc. And while you can learn some of this on the job and don't need schooling its not like having a little extra class time here and there would go for naught.

Look in my opinion one of the biggest challenge to entrepreneurship taking off in Barbados is the traditional bajan mindset. Most bajan parents still stress growing up and finding a good job over growing up and starting your own business. We want letters to our names, go and learn accounting or medicine or law or something so. We're not really business orientated or hustlers at heart like some of our Caribbean comrades so to increase entrepreneurship in Barbados you really have to change how kids are taught from early.

Another challenge is start up capital. Is alright to talk about promoting entrepreneurship but help them to get access to start up capital. Its not cheap or easy to do business in Barbados.

The other thing I wonder here is if this is an attempt by government to subliminally change people's mindset to get them to not go to Cave Hill in such numbers. I understand that free education for the numbers that go to UWI must put an enormous burden on the government's coffers but I don't think the way to lessen this is to discourage higher education which is what these comments seem to be doing.

If its too much of a burden or you think some folks are abusing the system or the benefits are not worth the outlay of funds do like other countries and make people pay for the education but don't lament its freeness as a deterrent to an entrepreneurial spirit since comments like the above by our head would suggest we done away with the book learning nonsense and all go open a little beach side stall.

Sorry, that last comment was extremely facetious and knocks the valuable and vast range of services and products that entrepreneurs could produce in our society but my point is that the statements made would make it seem as if entrepreneurship is anti-university study and university study is anti-entrepreneurial. Why must the two concepts be at odds with one another?

Like I said to someone earlier today being an entrepreneur is not like on tv where a light bulb goes off in your head, you sketch a few notes or designs on a napkin, go in the bank show them the napkin and the manager comes out with a big grin on his face an a suitcase full of money for you. Then you go out and build up something and the cash comes flowing in. No in the real world besides idea, you also need a plan and I fail to see how having some additional education under your belt would harm that plan.

Yes I do understand the point that most bajan university grads are looking for ready made jobs but implying in that statement that not going on to higher education will increase entrepreneurship is silly. The change has to be made by changing the way people think while they continue to study.

If not we'll end up in the same predicament as black America with everyone wanting to hustle but no one wanting to learn and society will be still unbalanced.

There has to be a way to encourage both ideas here and acknowledge that there can be overlap without sacrificing one for the other. They aren't mutually exclusive ideals in my opinion, you just have to work to bring out their synergy.

Budget

The Barbados budget just came down and its pretty brutal. VAT going up, fees, bus fares all sorts of other taxes going up, taxes added. Lashes galore! Going to be a tight Christmas.

Well people, sadly things tight all over the world not just in Bim and with tourism our main money earner not doing that great these days, belts got to be tightened cause ya can only borrow for so long before ya got to pay back right? Unfortunately some of these belt tightening measures will disproportionally hit the most needy in our society like the poor and the pensioners but well star, I don't know what ya can really do about that besides hope that some of these measures temporary.

What I do always find interesting come budget time is how the party in opposition always finds a way to blame the current party when such belt tightening measures are necessary as indeed they do seem to be in this circumstance with the globe still deeply mired in recession. I guess that's the meaning of opposition but in particular today I find some of the comments about waste by the opposition BLP commentators to be rather disingenuous.

The numerous projects at Ilaro Court; the opening of the housing estate at Marchfield, St Philip; the three reshuffles, which necessitated change in stationery, labels and the like; the more than $10 million in summer camps between 2008 and 2009; the launch of the constituency councils; the subsidy to JetBlue and the recent female boxing championship were among the things on the list of “cardinal errors” Forde said the Government made.

Eh eh but allya really believe Bajans have short memories nuh? And maybe they do but umm we can't talk waste in Barbados without referring to the colossal waste of funds used for World Cup 2007.

And yes I tell wunnah from evasince (back when people used to read this blog) that hosting the world cup was going to hurt we financially. Ya doan believe me looka this post from 2006. And that was even before I hear that about half billion dollars spend in Barbados on world cup. And what did we benefit from that massive outlay of funds? And how much a those funds are still owed back to the people we borrowed from?

And who was running government then? Exactly!

So doan get tie up that the new government spend a few dollars for children summer camps to keep the youts off the road, occupied and out of the road this past year when the previous regime spent bigger dollars that haven't really benefited the country.

Folk get tied up in thinking that these financial predicaments that we find ourselves in usually occur rather quickly but if one really studies it, these things occur by a series of mistakes or bad fiscal moves over a longer period of time. How long the whole American mortgage drama was happening before the whole US housing market implode? Same thing here with Barbados, its not like things were great yesterday or last year and we woke up this morning struggling cause of one spending spree. Barbados was borrowing and spending for a long time beyond its means and its just now that it catching up to us.

No help

No help for Caricom countries hit by Tropical Storm Tomas without benefits to Trinidad and Tobago.

This was made clear by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday.

She said Trinidad and Tobago stands ready to assist its Caricom neighbours but she stipulated that any aid would only come after discussions with her Cabinet colleagues as well as the Opposition Leader, and must in some measure benefit the country.

Well well well.

Ok well I really aint want to put myself in Trini people business but I must say this statement sounding real callous from allya prime minister.

First off y'all done know that Tomas was heading your side an is only God's grace that he mek a turn an head for Barbados and the Windward islands so instead of St Vincent and St Lucia in need of aid it could be you today if things din work out the way they did.

Second and this sort of relate to the first point. Dont get tie up cause allya lil bigger and got few more natural resources than some a we. In the eyes of the world, all we in the Caribbean is barely dots on a map. Is in we best interest to look out for one anudda as a whole. You dont have to see no visible benefit to help but if ya able help out cause helping we is the same thing as helping yaself cause the only way to get ahead is to get ahead as a region. That is like the left arm hurting but the fingers saying I aint rubbing that cause I healthy an um aint relate to me.

And that statement that ya mek Mrs PM sound real callous when ya know how Tomas catspraddle some a we. Cuhdear some a we still widout water and electricity and homeless an you gine say something so. Plus ya is a regional head not no man in the street you should never say nuttin so.

What happened to love or your fellow man and being a good samaratian. Well actually I guess you are being like the parable of the good samartian cause it was the Levite and the priest that should have been neighborly that leff the poor fella skin out for stangers to help. Same way wid you. Nuh benefit to helping so we gine got to look to strangers for.

Alright then, that is how um gine be. Well we would know how we stan in the future.

All bluster no action

And no I'm not talking about Tropical storm Tomas which hit my island Barbados on Saturday morning. Tomas in fact was quite a bit of action as many roofs were blown off, trees uprooted and structures damaged in Barbados.

Thankfully no loss of life there though and I believe minimal lost of life in St Lucia and St Vincent which Tomas pounded with an even harder fist than it did Barbados.

Anyway to God we give thanks that the damage and destruction were not worse. We still aren't 100% up and running yet in Barbados as I speak as the cleanup continues but looks like the cleanup crews are doing a great job restoring power and water services as they go.

No those guys are full of action, kudos, or to put it in my speech, big up to all the light n power and water works and other cleanup staff. respect! But no, my title refers to a lack of action we see in Barbados following disasters.

For instance, two or was it three years ago we had that Arch Cot cave in where a family lost there lives as their house collapsed. Politicians and people of all walks of life complained. How could this happen? How did they get permission to build on this unstable land? We should do something, we should make sure the building codes are followed or updated or both. Lot of bluster, no action, all is forgotten.

This year just a few months ago, tragedy struck in Tudor street when several young women were burned to death in a fire after criminals robbed a store in the city. We condemned the criminals but also said wait a minute how come this place aint had no back door? If they had a back door these women would not have perished in the fire. We should do something, we should make sure the fire codes and building codes are updated or followed if they exist. A bit of bluster, a lot of long talk but then the criminals got caught and all our fury turned to them and codes and laws were again forgotten.

Now this weekend comes Tropical Storm Tomas blowing in like a badjohn or Mr Wolf of Riding Hood fame huffing and puffing. Plenty people lost roofs as the Storm blew by and since we haven't had a storm of this magnitude probably not before I was born (which fa all ya that wanta know is a long time ago in a galaxy far far away) the comments start about why did all these roofs get taken off and whether folk are following the building code. I expect much more uproar on this as the cleanup is finished up but again it will be plenty complaints about updating and or following the building code but two months later it will all be again forgotten.

And such is life in Barbados all bluster no action then forget, wait for the next disaster and repeat cycle.

bad man forward

Bad man pull up! screech!!!!

Police Officer Feris D. Jones, 50, the hero off-duty cop who on Saturday went gun-to-gun with an accused Brooklyn beauty shop robber. Called a "battlefield promotion," her elevation and presentation of a gold shield is a rare distinction.

NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg honored Jones for her poise and marksmanship in a ceremony at City Hall's Blue Room.

Jones is a humble heroine. "Call me 'Jonesy'," the 20-year NYPD veteran told PIX 11 News. During the could-of-been deadly duel, "Jonesy" shot the gun out of the teenage suspect's hand and shot the handle off the beauty shop door, slowing his escape.


Big up to officer Jones! Oh and she is a bajan too so double big up!

To the would be robber, one teenager Winston Cox you know why this happen right? You try to rob a beauty salon. Are you crazy son?

Looka let me break it down for you this way. Now I aint no expert nor nuttin on beauty salons and them things but from what I gather from the women in my life I hear dat usually black women duz gotta wait long long long at beauty salons. I mean appointment one time an 5 hours later you still deyso. So now I can juss imagine a whole heap a black women in this place Saturday waiting cause the appointment was 930 but is 130 now and the hair still aint get wash or something so and dem deyso fuming, really to throw a lash in the next body that aggravate them.....

An in walks you, Coxy boy wid you gun talking bout you gine rob people. Oh hells no! Ya lucky is only one gunshot ya get an um wasnt serious cause if dem women did ketch ya at all, god couldnt help ya boy.

An ya know officer Jones was probably especially cruel too like girl I hayso wasting my whole mornin in this chair trying to get my hair did an now this pieca poppit trying to rob me. Chupse! Looka I aint got nuh time fa this foolishness. pow! You feel you is a man come to rob big women! pow pow ! hold this gunshot in ya so n so den!

I hope that fella learn he lesson.

Subliminally

Ok, is only two days gone and all we bajans still in mourning but I got a certain beef with the whole Bajan Prime Minister David Thompson illness dying thing. Sorry if its not in keeping with the mourning motif but just need to say it anyways.

Look, I keep hearing from the time it was said that he was sick, comments made by various people (and no it wasnt silly online comments) some who I thought were rather smart folk that seem to suggest that his focus on being prime minister led to his demise. Stuff like oh he was so keen on being PM and he work so hard to get there and then bram he dead. Now I aint saying a majority a people saying so, quite far from it, but I'm just saying I've heard those silly comments maybe one time to often and they seem to me to be ridiculously suggesting that there is a correlation, some sort of cause and effect between the two things, his aim to be PM and his death.

Its not blatant but its subliminally one of those lowered expectation things. Like see he strived for a goal and then because he reached that goal it kill he or he dead cause he was too focused on being PM. I think this is the most nonsense I have ever heard and its a bad precedent and example to be sending to the youth cause the flip side they gine read is just guhlong, play the tail or at least not strive hard for goals cause in the long run it going kill ya. Which is total absolute b.s

Is it possible that he might have missed symptoms of his illness because of work commitments? Yes. But its not like saying well if he had said I just want to be a regular dude he wouldnt have died of cancer at age 48 which is basically what these comments suggest to me.

Instead of saying look see how the man strive for a goal and was determined to reach it and to somehow put his best foot forward for his country and assist in its development and such we subliminally pushing this alternative thinking that working hard and being single minded in a goal is extremely extremely bad and will kill you so is best to just chill, drink some drinks or smoke some weed and aimlessly wander though life.

This is not the type of thing we should be trying to tell the yout dem.

I mean not to say that being single minded to the exclusion of all else is great either but I'm pretty sure thats not what Thompson was like. When its your time its your time, it doan matter if you a bum or a PM so why not strive to be the best that you can be?

At the end of the day, David Thompson could say I wrote my name on history's page. He may not have achieved all that he would have liked but he tried hard, he fought to achieve a goal and to assist his country and he has left his name and a legacy. When you look at it that way how can it be a negative to strive to be all you can be?

I hope the youth take note of his work and strive to make their mark like he did.

There I done. Back to mourning.

R.I.P

Just got the news that Barbados PM David Thompson has died this morning following a lenthly battle with cancer. My condolences to his family and the nation. Every one has their appointed hour but some go earlier than we would like.

My prayers also go out to the new PM Mr Fruendel Stuart and his cabinet as he embarks on steering Barbados' course. Is not an easy road bredren by any means especially in the present economic climate but stay the course.

Boundaries

Sorry to come off like the old curmudgeon that I am surely becoming but I was discussing two stories with some friends this week and came to the conclusion that kids nowadays don't know the meaning of the word boundaries or don't have a good idea where they should be set.

The stories were the suicide of the Rutgers student whose sexcapades had been put online by his roommate and the sexual assault of a teenager at a party in Vancouver where photos ended up on Facebook. In both cases stuff ie videos, photos etc that shouldn't have been put online somehow found their way there.

Now these are two separate stories and in both cases the persons who placed the offending articles are before the court system and rightly so as their actions have led to a lot of pain and in the case of the Rutgers student death. My argument though is that even if the acts were committed deliberately in an effort to embarrass or ridicule the victims I think that they may be cases where the culprits just didn't know the law or where moral boundaries should lie. Some will argue that the perpetrators were just callous, heartless criminals but I think there is a possibility that naivety and cluelessness played at least a small part in the acts.

Take the Vancouver case. Kids nowadays share so much information on Facebook/twitter/Youtube/text messages etc etc (too much most of the time) that I believe that the accused probably thought that he was being cute by putting up the photos that he did on Facebook. I'm assuming he didn't realize a crime (the assault) was being committed and that it was also a crime to post photos of stuff like that online.

Same thing with the roommate who posted video of his roommate's intimate moments. I don't believe he thought he was doing anything wrong. I mean he probably knew it was wrong to tape his roommates exploits but then to share them online he probably just thought whatever. Morally wrong but funny yes not criminally wrong he probably didn't know until he got charged after the murder.

I know growing up we were taught (sometimes at the end of a belt) that ignorance of the law is no excuse which I interpret to mean that even if it wasn't explicitly spelled out in the rules or you didn't know the rules, you still should have had some moral understanding that your actions were wrong or that you were crossing boundaries. I think that's lacking in many of today's youth.

I think some of these kids are not only completely ignorant of the law but in a society that seems to push sharing everything regardless of how personal, they really don't see anything wrong with certain morally questionable actions that previous generations would have balked at.

Interestingly enough it appears as if in the Rutgers case even the now dead roommate didn't realize that a crime was being perpetrated against him. He knew something was a bit wrong with his roommate trying to tape him doing his thing but as evidenced from some online questions that he asked he didn't realize he was at that point actually the victim of a crime.

The kids these days are ignorant of the law and lack the ability to make a moral judgment in this society.

Technology has made the ability to take and share a photo or video extremely easy. No statement is truer these days than this one from Rockwell's 1984 hit: "I always feel like somebody's watching me, and I have no privacy." Remember we used to be scared of big brother watching us? Well now there is no need to worry about big brother because little brother and sister have you in dead their sights as well and you really cant get away from the intrusions that they propagate against you in public and sometimes as in this case in private.

Whats the reason? Well first off the technology is readily available to do it.

Also probably starting from childhood we're rushing our kids to adulthood. More responsibility, involving them in big people situations from young and not setting boundaries there and not teaching them the proper morals. This carries over to the teenage years and adulthood where anything goes.

And sadly this is the norm now rather than the exception. Reality TV/blogs/live streaming show every detail of our lives and combined with our shaky moral ground stuff like these stories may happen more and more.

Monkey business

Organizers of this year's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi have had their share of problems, not the least of which are wild animals said to be infesting the stadiums and housing areas.

Athletes and other visitors may take comfort in the fact that organizers have hired a well-trained team to keep the area safe ... although they may be slightly alarmed to learn that they are being protected by a team of monkeys.

According to the UK's Daily Telegraph, a team of trained langur monkeys has been brought in to scare off wild animals, including wild dogs, snakes and other monkeys. Langur monkeys are said to be very intelligent but also aggressive and territorial, making them very effective in keeping other animals away from a given area.

Taken from The LA Times here.

Uh huh! Wunnah see dat right? Well I sure to the organizers um sound like a good idea, something cheap and inexpensive to get rid a de vermin that coming in the housing areas but to me that sound like bare truble in de making.

See how dem say the monkeys aggressive and territorial? Well wha is to stop dem said same monkeys from being territorial against humans? Didnt think of that did they?

I betcha before these games dun ya gine hear some athlete get attack by the same security monkeys. Especially if ya get on a dem igrant jock type athletes that aint kno nuttin bout monkeys or feel dem cud mek mock sport wid de monkeys. Wait deyso an see. Mark my words ya, um aint gine be pretty.

I juss hope sumbody ketch um pun video.

The Banton

Ah here waiting to see what verdict the jury will bring back in the Buju Banton case. Been waiting since all Friday when they were rumors he was found not guilty and released but that was false and now it look like they all deadlock over the fate of the dreadlock seen.

Actually breaking news is new trial set for December hmm.

Anyways Karel have a nice little article about buju and what to learn from his trials over at Outlish which worth a read but I have a lil something to say.

Now before I say what I have to say though let me start by saying mi love Buju to the max. Ask anybody he is by far and aways my favorite dancehall/reggae singer. Now I came of age in the Lovingdeer/Shabba Rankin doan bend down, peeny peeny pun you era but when Buju hit with tunes like love black woman and the like that sealed it for me. Then later on tunes like Deportees, Murderer, Easy Road, Untold Stories, Til I'm laid to rest, Tribal War etc just blew me away. Actually I will argue that Til Shiloh is undoubtedly the definite dancehall/reggae album of the last two decades but then considering that many albums of the dancehall genre arent that good that dont say that much so let me say that stacked against any album of any genre in the last two decades Til Shiloh will be in my top 5. The Banton is a lyrical champion my yout!

And so seeing as I have so much respect and admiration for the man's work and find so much of it inspirational (one day things must get better) it is hard for me to say this and nuff people wont agree but say it I shall.

Buju ya deserve jail!

Wunnah hear me good? Buju ya deserve pieca jail fa true.

An no I aint arguing bout whether ya guilty or not or whether its fair for you to be in jail I just saying ya deserve jail. Why? Well ya show a real lack of common sense by getting yaself into this situation. This is the ultimate in igrance and I would have thought a big man like you would know better.

Is not only that ya cavorting with the wrong crowd which is a no no but ya act like eddiat and see the man come round ya wid cocaine so an stand up and let the man set ya up easy so (if that is the true story). Ya was complacent and ya should know better. I mean first off ya well know that nuff people dey in America naa like you. Nuff a dem still vex bout Boom Bye Bye and complain ya homophobic and would like nothing better than to be rid of ya so ya shoulda walk easy and know ya place star. If I was you once I land in America I would be acting like a veritable choir boy. I din looking fa anytime crime related at all at all, man I din even jaywalking then. Straight and narrow my yout. Like an arrow!

It aint like ya was back a yard where the man dem might gi ya some respect. The man dem in the US naa like ya. Ya shoulda well know at some point somebody woulda try to mess ya up but yet ya went an fall fa this setup. Ya shoulda never put yaself in this situation.

Eediat you a eeediat my yout!

Look from the time the man come roun you wid cocaine talk, you shoulda shift he, driva move off doan stop atall, leff him there one time. Or tell him you not into that business. Tell him you a studio gangsta, tell him story an lie that ya used to do dat but no more, tell he whatever but dont get involve in that at all. Dont be trying no show off business, dont let them get ya in trouble so. Even if ya shady remember is you self say tief never love fi see tief wid long bag. Doan get tie up in foolishness man. Stupid stupid stupid!

An this is why I feel ya deserve jail. Cause ya really aint had no right in this situation at all. Big man like you shoulda know better by far.

But even though I say ya deserve it cuhdear I still hope ya get off though. I mean nuff odda people do worse hat you an walk so dem could gi you a ease too. Free the Banton! I hope this will show ya to be more careful in the future but ya is still an eediat.

Running Scared

Looks like barring some significant occurrence in the next few weeks Rob Ford is set to be the new mayor of Toronto. Yea I talked about him here in case anyone read it. And man are some Torontonians, including the newspapers running scared over Ford as mayor.

You see basically Ford has nothing going for himself except he has always been an anti City Hall maverick, complaining about wanton spending and using his own money to run his council office etc. Turns out that in a recession, and after the horrid last term we had from our outgoing mayor these traits are enough to give him thirty something percent of the expected vote and in a fractured mayoral race basically the win.

Oh it also doesn't hurt that Ford is running somewhere on the political right while the other 10 or so dudes fighting it out are running on the left and centre and splitting those votes. Also doesn't hurt that Fords campaign is based on cutting things that cost money and holding down property tax. Also doesn't hurt that his chief rival Smitherman is well Smitherman. Also doesn't hurt that he's pandered to the old white anti-immigrant vote in some of his speeches either. Low taxes, keep out pesky foreigners, hey its not just the U.S where that rhetoric will win you some votes.

But what does Ford stand for besides cutting things? Doesn't seem like there is much to his campaign besides that, but then again his opponents don't really stand for anything either. It has been if anything a race of the mediocre with no one candidate really capturing the excitement of the populace. Ford like some of the better more successful politicians seems to be in the right place at the right time with the right backlash against city hall to win by default here. Sad it is, but so it a go!

Unless we see some alliances and coalitions start happening just to keep Ford out of the winners circle well I guess it will be 4 years of Ford. Can only image the backroom meetings that are currently happening as the other candidates try to keep him away from the prize.

Ah doan kno

Well de news outta Barbados aint suh good these days. Prime Minister David Thompson battling pancreatic cancer. Wuhloss!

Now allwe did know he was sick and going to New York for treatment but is only last week that his physican came out and told us what was wrong with him. Poor fella, I wish he well and I saying muh prayers that he will be healed even though the medical people and the internet say that this cancer is a cruel wun that hard to shake off. But like I duz say doan count out the man yet cause he still living and where there is life there is hope.

Two things got me bout this situation though. One was that when we hear the man was sick and going for treatment leaving his deputy in charge that was all bajans knew aside from we lil speculations yet fa some reason or the other people from odda islands did know fa sure fa sure what wrong wid de man. I aint even joking bout that ya! I see people from odda islands online months ago saying with most certainty what the man had (an dem was right too) and even a trini woman dat de wife know come one day early this summer an straight off tell she hey I hear ya PM got such and such.

So I wanta know how dem dpeople from odda islands did know wid such certainty bout the man illness and we bajans din know? IS them gi he um, well I doan think that possible but still. So I eliminate the outta de question options and come up wid the certain reasoning that um cud only be espionage. Dem odda island spying pun we man! God knows what other a we secrets dem know, all like now they might even know who kill Pele (for the uninitiated that was an infamous murder unsolved murder case in Barbados when I was growing up). So bajan authorities looka wunnah better check Ilaro court fa bugs and listening devices ya. I telling wunnah dese people spying pun we business.

The second thing I got to talk bout is how people act when the PM wouldnt say conclusively what was wrong wid he. Man some a everybody was vex and arguing we got a right to know the man personal business. Well see me I din agree wid dat and to be honest wid all the talk I see now that the man tell we he affliction, I glad he din say nuttin nuh earlier. Cause now they know looka people already got the man mark off fa de grave and talking bout he successor and ting so. Dat is disrespectful man! Ya shun treat nuhbody that sick so. Suppose you did sick you wanta hear you spouse talking bout who she next man/woman gine be? No man, dat wud hurt ya cruel cruel and wun help ya recovery process at all. Same way here so ease off the successor talk while the man alive.

Man allya should be shame a yaselves doah. I mean I understand having contingencies but cheese on bread the man still alive and got he full mental capacities wha wunnah trying to rush he to the grave and replace he before he dead already.

Like I say I hope he recover and when he do I hope all wunnah feel real bad fa all this successor talk business. I dun.

Smartphones

So Premier Mcguinty wants the school boards to allow cellphones in class arguing that teachers can show students how to use smart phones to access information on the internet.

To this I simply ask is which cellphone company you promoting Mr Premier? Rogers, Bell, Telus and the rest duz already mek tummuch money off all we. Smartphones don't grow on trees ya kno! And besides phone duz need contract, and de stupid smartphone specially duz need smarter and more expensive data plan pun top a contract to do anything smart-ish which duz leff ya pockets smarting and ya duz cann even afford two Smarties when the day dun.

Ya want we now to have to buy cellphones for the children now on top a books, on top a computers, on top of every lil fund raising thing every two minutes at the school? cuhdear man. Dem cell companies aint mekkin enuff profit off we. Play you smart deyso den.

Recession

So they, the powers that be, keep saying that the recession is getting better, that things are looking up. But me, I beg to differ cause even though I don't have no figures and no all compassing idea of what is happening all around the nation common sense tell me that this recession still going full bore.

Every time I walk by certain streets I see more and more businesses closed. A few weeks back three days in a row I close different lunch spots in different areas only to get there and see the store fronts closed. Yes blame me I is a blight on restaurants (and tv shows too but that is another story.)

Then there are the amount of people I know who telling me they cant find jobs, specially recent grads in certain fields. People who say we been looking for almost a year and things brown like grass when the heat wave hit we this past summer. I mean how um duz feel when you go an wuk ya behind off at university, borrowing dollars and spending money to further education so that you could have a better life an then you finish school and skkkrrrrzzz jobs scarce scarce like seeing black people in de winter.

So what really going on. The official story is the worse dun pass but at ground level um aint really looking so ya kno.

An ya know I juss had to laff although um aint funny cause I now realize I post something similar so just last year too. So things like dem aint getting nuh better. hmmmm

Tragic

SIX PEOPLE perished last night in a blaze that could go down as one of Barbados’ worst human tragedies.

A fire believed to have started by two men who robbed the Campus Trendz store in Tudor Street, The City, engulfed the two-storey building along the busy shopping street, trapping the hapless victims within the inferno...........

According to police, the two robbers, in view of shocked customers, threw an incendiary device into Campus Trendz just before 7 p.m., after taking an undisclosed amount of cash.

I spent parts of the last two days thinking about what I could say in response to this tragic event and to be honest I was coming up totally blank.

The shock of six young lives cut short, the absolute devastation that the families of the deceased must feel and the grief shared by bajans at home and abroad means to me that nothing that I really have to say, to me seemed significant enough to actually share. I'm not sure the feelings I have can be put into words truthfully.

Six young females all between the ages of 18 and 24 snuffed out suddenly in such a senseless manner. May they rest in peace.

What can be said though, what thoughts do I have. Its all a jumble in my head.

For one I wonder what is going through the black hearts of the criminals who did this? It was not enough to rob the business but they had to firebomb it as well. It wasn't as if the workers refused to hand over the money either, they had what they came for why attempt to burn down the business and take lives as well?

I truly hope the correct culprits are found and made to pay for this crime.

For another, I think if only we followed a fire code back home and businesses had to have alternate exits the 6 who died would have been rattled somewhat over the incident but still alive at this moment. Its time that the Barbados government do something about this. There are potentially tens if not hundreds of businesses who are in this same predicament and I hope that this tragedy, while we cant bring back the lives lost, will serve as a catalyst to spur our authorities into action to make sure that businesses are brought up to some fire code or standard where this can never ever happen again.

Third, I've seen comments online and in the local bajan press alluding to the possibility that the murderers were not bajan or that even if they were it is foreign influences that have caused us to become like this. When something like this happens the shock of the situation usually leads us to believe that outside forces are the reason for such an event happening in our community. We'd like to believe that everyone in our community is an upstanding citizen with pure intentions. Alas this is never so. I dont know if the perpetrators are local or foreign or what influenced this act but all I do know is that we have recently seen some senseless violence perpetrated in various Caribbean countries; beheadings in St Vincent, murders and outrageous violent crimes against small children in Trinidad etc. The time has come to realize and accept that our small islands aren't what they were 20-30 years ago. Like Biggie says "Things dun changed". Accept that and then maybe we can move in the right direction to fixing what is wrong. Its not likely that things will return to what they were but there are things we can do to fix these things.

One of my friends says we only have ourselves to blame because we have sat back and allowed our morals and our rules and regulations to be infringed upon while we sit back and just watch and did nothing. I agree with this to some extent but at the same time I believe that most of us realize that things aren't the same as they were and there is some fear in confronting the crime and criminals, hell there is even some fear in confronting small children who you could have once corrected for wrongdoing further less big adults committing wrongdoings.

I don't have a simple solution, I'm not sure anyone does. Maybe it starts with the children, maybe it involves education, maybe it involves finding useful outlets and employment for idle hands, maybe it involves full enforcement of the law and respect for our lawmakers, maybe it involves instilling a renewed sense of community in our youth, maybe it involves the church, maybe it involves communication across age and gender divides and political and social status affiliations.......... maybe it involves all of those things or none and maybe that's all too grandiose and Utopian and its really much simpler. Like I said I don't know.

The fact is though, lives were lost in a senseless incident, lives that didn't need to be lost. One of the most tragic events in the history of Barbados has taken place and I would be remiss, actually we all would be if we didn't stop and take stock of where our nation is, the direction its heading in and what we can do to make things better.

Terror

Two people were arrested Wednesday afternoon and a third terrorism suspect– one who moonwalked across a Montreal stage during an audition for Canadian Idol – was detained early Thursday, the Star has learned.

There's a video of his horrid or should I say rather terr(or)-ible audition. lol

Poor guy, did the rejection of Canadian Idol send him off the deep end? If I cant be the bomb I'm going to have to plant a bomb? Cuhdear! poor fella

Or maybe the Canadian idol was part of his cover. How ingenious! Like who's going to suspect a moonwalker of conspiracy to commit terror acts? Conspiracy to pop and lock or drop it like its hot perhaps but building bombs naaa.

If only he had gone one step further with his cover and gone on reality tv. Now that would be the ideal cover. Yes Jersey Shore people I got my eyes on wunnah so especially dat short wun Snooki. I feel she an all wunnah up to sumting cause nuhbody atall can be really really that stupid.

Oh well but back to the moonwalking singing terrorist (which by the way might make a great musical somewhere) who duz pick the names of these operations for the RCMP? Project Samosa? I mean seriously, thats the name of this operation to find the terrorists. Really! Wha dat soun like a plan to guh an buy some food cross by ya local Indian restaurant.

Damn, not only is it a dumb name but isnt it also somewhat racist? yuck! Anyways looka I better keep mi mout shut doah fa all I know Operation "fish cakes n bakes" got me in dem sights. I gone!

Local Politricks

Can I just say I love Canadian poli-tricks! Well the poli-trick-sions anyways. I dont know why the general public so apathetic towards politricks here I mean at the very least its always good for some comedy and lil drama like how Harper and the Tories almost get catspraddle by a census of all things. In de States politricksions duz get tek out by sex scandals hay men duz get tek out by statistics lol. If dat doan prove that Canada different to America nuttin does (and I doan mean different like Chris Bosh say we smell different eitha cause I aint know wha he mean by dat, he betta watch he frowsy self ya. lol)

Anyways just when I thought that all the poppits was out of the Toronto mayoral race and some of you might remember early this year I post bout how the fella Giambrone get clean bowl wid a sex scandal in comes Rob Ford who apparently is leading the race to be the new Mayor of Toronto. Wuhloss!

Now Ford apparently got a whole history of putting he foot in he mout and every few days some comment or the odda he mek duz rile up everyone and got the other candidates attacking he cruel, cruel, cruel. The last thing was he mek some stupid comment at a debate bout refugees and he aint want nuh more in Toronto or someting so.

Now the malicious media gone yesterday an dig up some old news that de same Ford fella apparently had been arrested in 1999 in Florida for drug possession cause dey find a lil joint in he back pocket. Hear Mr Ford now as to why he din disclose this to the public: apparently he had forgotten that he had been arrested for de weed cause that same time the police did also arrest he for refusing to take a breathalizer test.

So in essence the man whole argument is looka people stop confusing me wunna aint realize I did too drunk that night to remember that I get arrest for weed. This has got to be in the top 10 of best excuses ever!

And these is the sorts a people I supposed to vote for to lead my city nuh? Lawd come fa ya wirl nuh!

CC

Ya know one thing I doan like bout work email is the dreaded cc:

Now I mean I know there are certain things where you want someone to know that you on the case and checking in on matters or they ask you to cc them on the item so they can read the response etc but in alot of cases cc's are just used by some arrogant s.o.b in an attempt to try to show up somebody else cause they will attempt to cc like 10 people on a matter and most of them have no clue what the conversation is about anyways and could care less. Whats with that?

Yea I guess is good to document or start a paper trail but most a de time all the people you cc'ing aint necessary an plus the email dese days duz got time stamp and dat stamp an ting so you can always back up ya claims if somebody say ya aint do something. All the cc'ing is just somewhat childish.

And this is different from the personal email issue which is if you having a personal conversation wid someone they aint have no right forwarding your email to somebody else. Allya too lazy to cut n paste if ya wanta involve somebody else in part a de conversation or wha? Chupse.

Anyway that is why ya duz gotta watch what ya saying anytime ya online be um work or personal cause you feel you talking to one body an next ting the whole office or 6 or 7 people you aint kno involved.

6 years

Yea been 6 years since I started this blog. Thats like 150 in human years I'm certain. Think I peaked somewhere in year 3 and after that its been all downhill with a few retirements along the way.

I wont say how long it'll last and I'll try to be more regular but somewhere along the way you lose the zest for the frequent writing of the blog (especially when you get the feeling that no one's reading) or things that you would have expounded more on just seem a bit blase. Still its been a good run and very informative in terms of what seems to attract interest especially considering that most of the other bloggers ran for twitter a while ago.

So big up to all you who still read have read, have commented have linked and those who follow and have never commented ever ever ever and especially to those one of two who have been following from like day one like Abeni, Poeza, 4panist and my boy P. big up!

Oh and big up to all my fellow Caribbean bloggers both at home and in the diaspora especially, Abeni, Mad Bull, Will, Stunner, Luke Cage, Empath, Gods Child, Guyana Gyal and the rest too numerous to name. Respect and I'm a try to keep up with you guys cause you set the bar high. Bless!

Fake Cancer

They all thought she was dying of cancer — and they all handed her cash.

Ashley Anne Kirilow, a 23-year-old Burlington native, admits she faked cancer, ran a bogus charity and collected thousands of dollars from hundreds of people.

She shaved her head and eyebrows, plucked her eyelashes and starved herself to look like a chemotherapy patient. She told anyone she met she had been disowned by drug-addicted parents, or that they were dead.

You have to read this story for yourself here and here. Young girl fakes terminal cancer collects a few thousand dollars fraudulently and then afterwards blames it on her miserable childhood.

What a bunch of baloney! The woman is a tief and a criminal!

I must say one of my recent pet peeves is this whole blame your childhood for your mistakes as an adult motif that permeates western society. Must have something to do with the psycho babble that gets passed around as counseling and therapy.

Look some people just wicked aint a damn thing to do with childhood misery or blaming parents. Now if you and all ya siblings turn out wicked and bad well then maybe I can buy the parent angle but if you one, you alone out of many, turn out to be a bad seed uh uh dont be blaming nobody but yourself.

And what type of mind state do you have to be in to fake cancer and even pluck out all ya eyebrows and stop eating to look emaciated to go through with this type of fraud. Ya got to be a sick sick individual to do something so.

And this will only make society even more wary about donating to people with legitimate illnesses and causes so shame shame shame on this girl.