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iol247 · 4 years

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Politicking, pandemics and prestige: What’s really behind the squabbles at South Africa’s high-level COVID-19 committee?

By Mia Malan

The sphere of the politics of science is intense and complex — the larger the problem, the bigger the payoff to solve it.

COMMENT

“It reads like a suspense novel.”

My journalism professor’s feedback on my Master’s thesis in 2003 was unexpected for a 125-page academic document — and his comments had little to do with my writing skills.

Instead, it was the subject of my research that lent itself to Agatha Christie-like plots and storylines.

And it was completely accidental.

I analysed the media’s reporting on HIV dissidence and expected my interviews with journalists to reveal gripping tales of political interference and editorial suppression. Reading up on the scientists, who spent their days behind microscopes in white lab coats examining viruses, was obviously going to be less dramatic.

But I was so wrong.

The real-life dramas contained within the sphere of the politics of science outstripped even the most intriguing of journalist narratives.

Alleviating mankind’s suffering, I discovered, is not the only force driving medical researchers. (Sometimes, it’s not a force at all). Rewards for scientific discoveries are remarkably gratifying: international recognition, prestige, and in the case of diseases, lucrative patents for subsequent diagnostic tests. The larger the problem, the bigger the payoff for solving it.

And scientists, of course, need money to conduct their research; clinical trials are incredibly expensive. As a result, they all compete for visibility because they are in the running for the same pots of funding; the more a scientist stands out, the more likely they are to be noticed by donors.

The incredible politics of the discovery of HIV

On a scientific level, few moments have illustrated these arguments as well as the discovery of the cause of Aids, HIV, in the early ’80s. That era revealed a scientific community far from noble and benevolent, far from cooperating with one another for the good of mankind, but instead “wretched and rank with politics”, as American epidemiologist Don Francis put it in a memorandum quoted in Randy Shilts’ best-selling non-fiction book, And the Band Played On,in 1987.

In fact, HIV uncovered scientific rivalry so ruthless and relentless that it required the intervention of heads of states.

In short, a powerful American scientist, Robert Gallo, asked a less influential French scientist, Luc Montagnier, to lend him a virus (it turned out to be HIV) that the Frenchman had managed to isolate. Gallo used Montagnier’s virus for HIV-related experiments, but then claimed he achieved his results by using his own virus. Following that, Gallo became the acknowledged and much-heralded “discoverer” of HIV. He went on to develop an HIV test for which the US had been awarded patent rights, and with it, the right to an income derived from its sale. A while after that, Gallo was caught out by the French, and to prevent a drawn-out court battle, President Ronald Reagan and Jacques Chirac of France signed an agreement in 1987 according to which Gallo and Montagnier would henceforth be co-discoverers of HIV, and the royalties from the diagnostic test would be distributed accordingly.

There were, however, limits to what such an agreement could achieve: it may have settled some squabbles and doused a few fires, but it left behind a fragmented Aids research realm that would pave the way towards infinite and trivial disputes over the cause of one of the most devastating epidemics in history.

Will the politics of COVID-19 be as intense as with HIV?

So, here we are again, at the point when another virus is devastating the globe… Are the stakes as high as they were during the onset of HIV? Are the politics as intense?

My bet is, yes: the virus has been with us for a mere five months, but the cracks in the scientific community are already showing.

The politics of South Africa’s ministerial advisory committee, comprising 51 top scientists who advise the health minister on the country’s COVID-19 response, that emerged in the media over the past few weeks, I suspect, plays off against the background of all the usual scientific infighting… Although there are also legitimate concerns about the government’s reluctance to release the mathematical modelling data that it uses to make policy decisions with regards to testing and lockdown policies, as well as data around hot spots, contact tracing and the availability of high care beds, amongst others.

In summary: Several members, including three subcommittee chairs — South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) president, Glenda Gray (research chair), infectious diseases specialist and UCT professor, Mark Mendelson (clinicians chair) and Wits professor and SAMRC respiratory and meningeal pathogens research unit head, Shabir Madhi (public health chair) — have published op-eds, or have been quoted in articles criticising government policy. Over the weekend Gray claimed, in a News24 article, that the government doesn’t take the committee’s recommendations seriously, and that the gradual phasing out of the lockdown, as well as some lockdown regulations, have no scientific basis.

But according to the committee’s chairperson, Salim Abdool Karim, members — who all serve on the structure for free — have submitted 50 advisories to the health department to date, and none of them has been rejected. The fact that we all have to wear cloth masks in public, was, for instance, one of the committee’s recommendations. According to a document provided by Abdool Karim, the committee is in the process of preparing advisories on at least 10 other issues, including serological (antibody) tests, the use of saliva for coronavirus testing, getting children back to school safely, the easing of lockdown regulations and daily testing targets.

Throw a bunch of A-rated scientists on the same committee and you’re heading for trouble

There are clearly considerable tensions among committee members.

Over the weekend, following several media reports, allegations of vested interests and funding conflicts, criticism of members’ code of conduct and weaknesses in the structure of the committee that some say led to a few members using the media to make their voices heard, emerged on a WhatsApp group of industry leaders.

Advisory committee members are high-ranking, often world-renowned scientists; many have impressive records of peer-reviewed publications focusing on HIV. Some head up large research organisations they created themselves, some play leading roles in state-owned enterprises such as the National Institute of Communicable Diseases or National Health Laboratory Service and some steer remarkable projects at universities.

South Africa has all these outstanding medical scientists, who would surely be the envy of many nations, at its disposal. To confront an emergency such as that presented by COVID-19, we couldn’t be better equipped on an intellectual level.

But place a bunch of A-rated scientists on the same committee, many who are conducting COVID-19 research of their own and are therefore competing for funding and recognition, and you’re heading for trouble. Add a disease for which there is no cure or treatment, a lack of clear scientific guidance and a government reluctant to release data that committee members are demanding, and the problem gets more complex.

This is the battle that’s now being fought in the media.

The media is indeed an incredibly powerful tool. In fact, it was an investigation by the Chicago Tribune that finally ensured that Luc Montagnier got the royalties and recognition that he deserved. And in South Africa, the media played a crucial role in exposing the HIV denialism of President Thabo Mbeki and Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and its tragic consequences. But, the reporting practised by some publications at the time also resulted in equally polarising and damaging narratives that did little to help anyone, other than Mbeki and Tshabalala-Msimang and their acolytes.

Right now, at the time of COVID-19, it’s important to use the media wisely: as a tool to foster constructive debate, rather than as an instrument of division. In ways that help people learn from differing viewpoints, rather than be confused by them.

Media battles lead to confusion. Confusion leads to panic

Are there now more malnutrition cases at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital than before the lockdown? I’ve heard two committee members say “yes,” although one adjusted their statement in a media report afterwards. Following these statements, confused social media users have been quoting studies that argue that there have always been cases of malnutrition evident at Africa’s largest hospital, across platforms. So, they wonder, what is the truth?

Is it wise to send our children back to school? Some committee members have argued for this, quoting studies that children rarely infect adults, decreasing the danger that they would infect vulnerable parents or grandparents. Yet many studies say it’s dangerous for kids to return to school, because the science just isn’t that clearcut, yet.

Should the lockdown be phased out or ended abruptly? Again, we really don’t have a lot to go on, so when a well-known and respected scientist says the lockdown should end NOW, it’s understandable that the public and the media believe the call to be scientifically sound.

Confusion leads to panic. Panic leads to bad decisions being made.

I’m not a spin doctor or a public relations officer. But, as a member of the public and a health journalist, I think the committee members need to find a way to work together and try to sort out their differences internally rather than to snipe at one another in the media. I like a good argument and a sexy quote as much as any other reporter. But this is not the time for such luxuries.

Those who don’t contribute to debate in an informed and rational way, and who don’t take decisions solely in the interests of the public, as the committee’s code of conduct requires them to do, should be called to order.

Scientists on the committee should declare their funding for COVID-19 research projects and the government should be transparent about the projections they use to make decisions, or publicly explain the reasoning behind not making such information available.

If there’s anything we should learn from what has gone before in the realm of HIV, it’s that the payoffs from building trust during an epidemic far exceed the short-term and selfish gains from creating division. In the case of HIV, distrust paved the way for some communities to be receptive to a dissident movement that doubted HIV as the cause of Aids. How did that turn out?

We have no cure, no vaccine or treatment for COVID-19, at this stage. But we cannot afford to allow this to be the only factor that unites us. We cannot afford for our chief weapons against an epidemic that is changing life as we know it, to blunt one another.

Mia Malan is the editor-in-chief of the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism.

https://bhekisisa.org/article/2020-05-19-ministerial-advisory-committee-politics-of-science-glenda-gray-salim-abdool-karim-zweli-mkhize/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

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qrhymes · 7 years

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Death Note (2017) –What means being a good adaptation?

Keep the soul, the spirit of the original work.

I know this answers is vague and not really a factor in the goodness of a movie ‘cause you can still be faithful to the original themes of a work and still suck (The suckiness can take a plenitude of forms), however I firmly believe that the first step to be called a good adaptation (not necessarily a good movie or series or whatever) is breath the same air and meaning of your source material even if the plot, the story or even your character change in the process (That’s the reason that the so called “Spiritual adaptations” are a thing).

So, what are the elements that this movie needs in the first place to be called a good adaptation?

The original Death Note, to me at least, it’s a story about how “absolute power corrupts absolutely”; you give the power to decide who lives and dies to a teenager that subsequently becomes, in the spawn of a few day, in a full time sociopath (And yes, one of my absolute problems with the original is the lack of a natural transition between Light and Kira, but you can argue that that was the point) with a god complex.

I know that a lot of people see the series as a study of morality, a conflict between ideologies; the means justify the end, etc. However I have never been able to see this part of the conflict because the series never explore it’s moral dilemma beyond the superficiality of “Is It right to kill criminals?” that is and interesting and deep question that could sustain an entire work however the thing gets reduced to a “if you are not with me you are against me”.

Death Note is juvenile work and its simplicity in how develop its main question proves it…however, even if its wannabe main theme its underwhelming, Death Note still has a lot of goods and greats during its run.

The hypocrisy and the delusion of Light are great pieces for a tale how power corrupt, the entirely Kira cult, our perception of justice and the hypocrisy in those system it’s another interesting point, Ryuk as the wild card of the series is fantastic, the entire Kira task force is amazing and, at least for me, the great savior of the series.

L becomes what Light never could, a morally gray figure, that actually have weight in a morally ambiguous story of the meaning justice and what is right. L may be in the role of the traditional good guy, however he’s selfish detective that only take the cases that he finds interesting, a man that keeps in line with the law but is not afraid to push that lines to its limit, despite his gimmicks and status as a Sherlock Holmes 2.0 L comes along as a very flawed individual, not really seeking justice for the hundreds of thousand, but just challenge for his intellect. The Kira case is a passion project from him…Not really what you could call a hero, however in this kind of work it’s exactly what we needed, a hero antagonist with a lot of shades of black, whose sheer charisma and personality make, maybe not a paragon, but a compelling and lovable character that a lot of people, me include it, fell in love with.

Finally Death Note is a great mystery series, a tense police drama with genuinely thrilling mind games, an incredible pace and an overall fun ride with a ton of memorable scenes and twist, Death Note is a lot of thing and addictive as fuck is one of them, the flow of the series is so good and that is one of the better aspect of the series, what makes it so accessible is a well put and enjoyable show…so how many of these points got checked in the movie.

…Well Ryuk was…actually pretty great…

Ryuk is easily the best part of this movie, he is creepy, unsettling, menacing but also a lot of fun to have around and his character is the closest to his counterpart. I also like how the movie treats him.

He is different; less cooperative, less friendly, more malevolent but still this guy that it’s doing what it’s doing just for the lulz, and his final delivery “You humans are so fun” close his character in a really high note.

And yes, a lot of the credit goes to Defoe’s performance. I don’t know if he gives a fuck about the source material but it doesn’t matter, he is having a blast with role and so are we.

So Ryuk was fantastic…the rest of the film not so much.

There are a lot of issues here, but in general we can summarize all in two great issues. First, the movie it’s afraid to actual challenge the audience, is a tame product, one that goes for the secure route, lacking a lot of the boldness of the original material.

Even if you want to think the best of Light, he still was playing at least the role of anti-villain, someone that has do what he has to do to accomplish his objective, it’s his choice to use the Death Note, to kill criminals, the people that chase him and even his own followers when they stop being useful to him (And don’t we forget the sheer placer that the guy has with out-smarting his opponents. Yes you can argue that some kills were a necessary evil, however he enjoy some of those kills too much for someone that was still claiming that was doing all of that for the greater good). And yes, the ultimate power to kill is a factor of seduction, of course. However is still a choice that Light makes on its own…here he has to be convinced to use the note, first from Ryuk invoking dream like sensations and power fantasies and then by Mia which apparently is getting off from using the note…I mean, leaving aside that Light was probably asexual and aromantic, him using the note here feels more like he trying to impress her that trying to clean the world from criminals and yes, I don’t buy that part of his characterization in the original work, but that part built up in his hypocrisy.

Meanwhile here Light it’s treated more like a victim of circumstance, that tries to avoid targeting innocent people and just going as far as I goes just because the influence of Ryuk and Mia

Apple anyone?

This what I mean that its more tame or secure, the movie goes all the way trying to make Light likable, justifiable and innocent that forgets to add the aspect that make his original counterpart interesting, either as the idealistic young man that falls from grace trying to make the world a better place or the hypocrite, self-centered teenager that justify his murder rampage with delusions of justice. Both are great in the own right, Light Turner however, he is just another protagonist.

However trying to make Light good is just one side of the badness of this movie, the other side is, well, make L look like the bad guy.

As I said before, the magic of L is that he pulls out the character that Light never could and it is just painful seeing get butchered in this version.

L in this version is just a weirdo that likes sweets a lot, seats in weird positions and covers his faces, and yes the original L was that…in the surface.

That’s the second biggest problem of the film; it’s an adaptation of Death Note, but just in the surface.

L was great not because he was quirky or adorkable or hot, he was great because he has a role in the story, he was a contrast to Light (A contrast that doesn’t exist in this version), a perspective in the meaning justice (a side that not is precisely completely innocent or even all that lawful or good) and an interest take in the hero-antagonist.

In the movie L gets stripped from his “sympathetic inspector antagonist” and demoted to a full “inspector Javert” trying to murder Light in the quart of the movie. L it’s just another detective, there is not substance to his character, he wants to resolve the case ‘cause this is what he does. The only attempts to go with something with him is his breakdown after Watari is killed but that twist just make his character even more cliché, becomes it striped him completely of his anti-hero status to become the villain…I mean the secondary villain for the sake of…the Hollywood Formula?

This L is not really a bad or a shitty character, his problem, in the same way that with Light, is that he is just another character, unmemorable, bland and lacking any kind of role or meaning aside of being a secondary antagonist

I would talk about Mia/Misa, but her character it’s so far away of her original depiction that it would be pointless.

Mia is a weird thing really. Not only is her introduction forced as fuck.

I mean the whole scene was something like “Hey wanna see me kill some random people”.

But the really confusing part just comes in her character. I mean what is she? A sociopath? Is she drunk with power? Is she using Light for that reason? Or the Note just makes her wet? And then the movie makes her the Big Bad, with a really stupid plan and a death also kind of stupid. A twist for the sake of a twist that only serves to cement Light as a great schemer in the last minute…as a character she was the worst in the whole film. She was in the movie because she was Misa counterpart but she has no purpose other than make Light more likeable.

…

Do you remember how tense a suspenseful the anime/manga was? There is not of that here.

Death Note was thrilling supernatural drama, with a lot of twist and turns, mind games and, overall, a great police series. As I said in the begging one of the best things of Death Note is how its flows.

Death note 2017, it’s not a mystery, it’s not a police drama, even the supernatural elements are reduced to their minimum…And it comes down to the begging, the great problem is that this is just a very tame superficial adaptation, the note, the candies, the shinigamis, the KEIKAKUs, but without the substance or the style (Even the genre) that make the original first half so great.

#Death Note #light yagami #ryuzaki #L #Kira #netfix

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cavalorn · 7 years

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Unearthing the Bones: digging into the myths of Alien: Covenant

WARNING: SPOILERY AS ALL HELL BELOW THE BREAK Hi. It’s me, the guy who did that Space Jesus blog about Prometheus on Livejournal that some of you read. I’m not using Livejournal at the moment for various reasons, so you can find my work here on tumblr for now.

So. It's been a while, but Alien: Covenant is finally here. I've now seen it. I’m banging out the first of a series of blogs while it’s still fresh in my head.

There's a sense of deja vu about this post. Is Alien: Covenant a flawed movie? Absolutely. Does it feature characters making stupid decisions? Emphatically. Will it frustrate the hell out of most people who go and see it? Probably. So far, so Prometheus.

Well then, smartass, is there a ton of stuff going on under the surface so that we can at least have fun digging it out and playing spot-the-reference? Predictably, yes there is.

The most jarring thing about Alien: Covenant is that it doesn't feel like a meaningful sequel to Prometheus. It follows on from it chronologically, but the theme and the important questions have been completely changed. Storywise, it's a jump from 'what is the ultimate origin of mankind' to 'what will befall this ship full of hapless colonists', and having Wayland openly speculate about where we all come from in the first five minutes does not equate to continuing that line of questioning. Referring back to it is not equivalent to picking it back up.

I'll hold my hand up here and say I thought we were going to get something very different from what we actually got. I expected Ancient Egypt and Biblical plagues, not yet another run through of the familiar land – make stupid decisions - get infected – die a lot – escape – fakeout ending – real ending cycle on yet another alien world. But I still enjoyed it.

To be fair, the nature of the followup to Prometheus has been changed several times, so we can hardly be blamed if we had different expectations. The original title of 'Prometheus 2' yielded to the provocative 'Alien: Paradise Lost' and thence to 'Alien: Covenant', leading many of us to wonder what story Ridley intended to tell. My honest opinion is that Ridley changed his mind during the production process. I think, for reasons that will become clear, that Giger's death may have had a bearing on this change of direction.

Alien: Covenant is, to use Ridley's words, about 'Who made [the alien] and why? No one ever asked that question.' To me it seems obvious that the moment you conceive of the Alien as a designed creature, as opposed to a being that is the product of some kind of natural order (however foreign to our earthly understanding that natural order may be) you inevitably invoke the spectre of Giger. It is not facetious to point out that we already know who made the alien, and why.

It was Giger. In the locked studio. With the box of bones.

Why? Because Ridley Scott wanted him to.

(Before expounding further, I want to acknowledge a debt of gratitude to the brilliant site http://alienexplorations.blogspot.co.uk which has kept an immense amount of valuable information available. Go and visit them, but make sure you have plenty of time on hand before you do, because the place will suck you in.)

There are several aspects of Alien: Covenant that don't make a lick of sense on the face of it. Why kill off Elizabeth Shaw, the heroine of Prometheus? Why do it offscreen? Why does David declare that he loved Shaw? And why is Shaw's eviscerated, mutated corpse still lying on a slab in David's workshop, many years after her death?

One way to read this is to see Alien: Covenant as a mythologising of the real-world creation of the Alien. Seen through that filter, a disturbing number of things come into focus.

I can't watch David talking to Walter in his secret workshop without thinking of Giger's own workshop, and what Ridley Scott said about it when he eulogised the late artist:

"I think back on how committed and passionate he was, and then consequently, all the security we built up around his 'lock up' studios at Shepperton. I was the only one allowed the honour of going in, and I absolutely enjoyed every hour I spent with him there."

Reading back on this, I was quite startled. Scott's assertion that Giger allowed nobody but him into his studio is contradicted by photographs from the time. They clearly show several members of the team visiting Giger in his various workspaces (he had several, for the different parts of the project he worked on). It's possible that Scott is referring to an earlier stage of the Alien's development, when only he and Giger were present. Or he could simply be misremembering, though that seems unlikely to me.

At any rate, the image of Giger welcoming Scott into his realm is an enticing one, and David welcoming Walter into his surely echoes it. But there are other, more sinister myths woven into the story of the Alien's creation, and at least one macabre aspect of it that is wholly true.

Giger's time at Shepperton Studios seems to have been a memorable tale in its own right, as far as the rest of the crew were concerned. One anecdote found its way into the Book of Alien:

'It was a very hot summer in London, and one day we were out on the lawn, having a picnic, and we all had our shirts off. Except Giger, who was still decked out in his leathers. And everybody tried to get him to take off that jacket, but he wouldn’t do it. You see, I don’t think he dares take off those clothes, because if he did you’d see that underneath he’s not human. He’s a character from an H.P.Lovecraft story.'

Again, Giger is remembered as the odd one out, the inhuman creator among the humans, just like David is in the film. It's only Walter, who serves as the analogue for Scott himself, who David sees as even having the potential to understand and embrace his vision.

It was not only Giger himself but his working space that had uncanny resonances. Giger's girlfriend at the time, Mia Bonzanigo, was with him at Shepperton and helped work on the Alien. However, Mia 'hated being on the set alone, saying she felt some kind of presence there' and 'thought she could hear voices or sounds and was creeped out remaining in the studio all the time' (Charles Lippincott). Appropriate, really, for the genesis of an iconic monster.

Giger liked to work with bones, and it often comes as a shock to fans of Alien to learn that the creature's head incorporated a real human skull. By the time the creature's look was finalised, the carapace had become much more opaque and the skull's shape can barely be discerned, but earlier iterations clearly show the eyesockets and the bridge of the nose. The skull was imported from India, and its condition was so good that Dan O'Bannon was later to voice uneasy concerns about skeleton farms. From his commentary on Return of the Living Dead: 'Well, in fact, when i was working on Alien. HR Giger asked them to obtain some real skulls for him to work from, to build the alien, the full size alien. And they did, and they purchased them and they brought him skulls which were wrapped in plastic just like that and they were the most beautiful skulls I had ever seen, they were like works of art, I was struck by the perfection and the teeth were all perfect, and I was told that they were ordered from India, and then sold for medical purposes but the production had bought them for Giger to use, and he took a hacksaw and cut them into pieces and put them back together, and subsequently when i was working with Tobe Hooper, who was meant to direct this film himself, we were talking about this scene. Hooper was aware also that medical skeletons were purchased from India, and he said that the eeriest thing. Tobe did, he thinks that they have a skeleton farm in India. I thought about it a while, it was such a creepy idea that when i wrote the script, I put that in. The picture was released and a few months after the picture opened, i read a news item that the government of India had suddenly stopped the deportation of all skeletons for medical purposes, and ever since then it's very difficult for medical schools to get them. They use plastic skeletons and it may have been a coincidence or the film may have indeed come to their attention and they put a stop to it. I have a feeling, the creepy feeling that there was something very criminal going on in India. At what age does a person have an absolutely perfect skull and set of teeth? When they're young.'

Ridley Scott would certainly have been aware that Giger was using human remains to create his Alien. How he felt about it, we can only guess.

Although the account of Giger cutting up a real skull is true, there were other stories about the artist circulating at Shepperton that were completely mythical. When considering Alien: Covenant as a mythologised retelling of the Alien's actual creation, the most important story is that of Giger's deceased girlfriend, Li Tobler.

Accounts varied wildly even at the time, but it was believed that Giger's former girlfriend had committed suicide (that part was true) and that he had kept her skull, or her entire skeleton. Alan Dean Foster, the genius storyteller who wrote the novelization of Alien and several of the other movies, believed that Giger had 'the skeleton of a former mistress suspended from the rafters of his Switzerland home'. Sigourney Weaver recounted that '... you would hear these stories about how he has his wife’s skull or some sort of, kind of, you know morbid stuff in his house.' The source of these rumours seems to have been Mia Bonzanigo, who also claimed to feel a ghostly presence in Giger's studio.

It's important to note that these stories were completely untrue. Giger himself debunked them in 2009, adding the exquisite comment 'Shit, I'm not mad, you know.'

But a myth is a myth, and stories have a way of growing in the telling.

It seems inevitable that at some point along the way, the story 'Giger used a human skull to make the Alien' would fuse with 'Giger kept his lover's skull after her death' to become 'Giger incorporated his dead lover's remains into the Alien.' While I'm not aware of this composite version of events having been told at the time, I have seen it stated online: 'First day on the job of designing alien sets, Giger said to the production secretary, “I want bones.” After touring medical supply houses and slaughterhouses, a truck pulled up to deliver. There was an entire row of flawless human skulls, three fully preserved snake skeletons, and even a rhinoceros skull. Rumors spread on set that one set of bones belonged to his deceased fiancee, who had committed suicide.'

You're way ahead of me here, aren't you?

Let's finish the story, then.

In Alien: Covenant, it turns out that David has kept the late Dr Elizabeth Shaw's remains and used them to create his creature, his 'perfect organism'. Bearing in mind that Shaw appears to have died shortly after their arrival, her eviscerated body has been lying on that slab for something like ten years. He has preserved her. And this, of course, matches the myths that arose around Giger precisely.

More unnervingly still, David claims to have loved Shaw. So from David's twisted point of view, he has kept the remains of a lover, not just a convenient source of biological material. Again, this parallels the Giger legend.

And there's one detail that seems to me to confirm the parallels as conscious and deliberate. Some of Giger's most famous, recognisable portraits are of Li Tobler, the very woman whose remains he was believed to have preserved. Her face is shown embedded in a bivalve, symmetrical mass of biomechanical stuff, the cheekbones protruding through the skin.

This is, of course, the inspiration behind how Shaw's remains appear on screen. Like Giger's iconic image of Li, her bones have grown through her face. Numerous reviews have pointed out the parallel between Shaw's remains and Giger's portrait of Li, but the deeper parallels seem to have passed unnoticed.

There are other angles of analysis we can pursue when approaching Alien: Covenant, and I’ll be blogging about those presently, but I wanted to get this one out of the way first because it's closest to the surface. Ridley Scott does love his myths, and to me it seems very much as if he's chosen to retell a modern myth here – the myth of Giger the visionary artist, somewhat other than human, and how he built his dead lover's remains into a creature that would outlive him. Next time around we’ll talk about the Demiurge.

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themoneybuff-blog · 5 years

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Your Career Is a Multimillion-Dollar Investment, So Manage It Wisely

Over the course of a 40-year career, the average American with a bachelors degree can expect to earn about $1.8 million. When viewed by gender, the cumulative earnings shift somewhat, with women taking home $1.4 million over four decades compared to an average of $2.1 million for men, according to estimates by theIndiana Business Research Center at Indiana Universitys Kelley School of Business, The substantial gender pay gap aside, when viewed in this way, it becomes far more obvious just how valuable ones career can be. And those figures are just the averages. For those who manage a career as actively and shrewdly as they might an investment portfolio, aggressively working to maximize its potential as a financial asset all along the way, a careers worth of earnings could be worth far, far more. The most important part of thinking of your job as an investment is actually pretty basic: realizing that you dont just have to make an investment, you have to manage it as well, says from Emmet Savage, chief investor at MyWallSt, a learning and investing app. What does that mean exactly? Here are some ways to help make the most of your career arc and the amount of financial gain, growth, and opportunity you realize over the course of a lifetime. Change Your Mindset In many ways, treating your career as a multimillion-dollar investment begins with altering the way you view work in general. For most people, a job is just that. Something they do as a must to pay bills without really thinking about their end goal or ideal outcomes, says 35-year-old Greg Dorban, chief marketing officer for Ledger Bennett. Dorban, however, never viewed work on such simplistic terms. In the space of just five years, he progressed from intern to co-owner of a multinational marketing agency that generates eight-figure revenues, a meteoric rise he attributes to starting out with a much broader view of work than merely making ends meet. Early on Dorban established a North Star for himself the goal of owning a business in short order. This shining beacon guided his subsequent steps, inspiring him to take actions to rise above the day to day hustle of earning a living, including consistently investing in himself and in the training needed to maximize his professional potential. Building the right skills will be the best investment you can make as the payoff positively impacts so many areas of your life, not just your wallet, says Dorban. The underlying message of his story, Dorban adds, is that when considering your career, allow yourself to think bigger than simply bringing home a paycheck to cover the next rent or mortgage payment. Then identify the training, new skills, or specific experiences and growth opportunities needed to reach that higher goal. Maximize the Benefits of Everything You Do The idea of always being on and bringing your professional A-game wherever you go can be off-putting to some, but theres something to be said for recognizing the potential of all situations, including the most ordinary of moments. Erica McCurdy, a certified master coach and managing member of McCurdy Solutions Group, calls this utilizing and maximizing the benefits of everything you do, which she says can accelerate the power of your time and efforts with regard to your career. This includes making sure to introduce yourself to everyone at a meeting and at every place you pause on the way to and from the meeting, says McCurdy. It also means collecting business cards, connecting with each person on LinkedIn, including a personal message, and scheduling coffee meetings with those people who pique your interest. Never forget to send thank you notes to those who helped make the day possible, adds McCurdy. Finish up the day by updating your career and contact log so you dont lose any valuable information. There are countless points along the way where you might come into contact with someone who can open a new door for you or somehow play a pivotal role in moving your career to the next level, so keep your eyes open to the possibilities. Dont Pass Up Free Money Maximizing your earnings over the course of a career also means taking some very practical steps as well with the financial opportunities your career presents. This includes being sure to enroll in an employer sponsored 401(k) plan, particularly if the employer matches your contributions, as that match is free money and can add up over the course of a lifetime. The first and best advice I give to new hires is to contribute the maximum to their 401(k), says careers analyst Laura Handrick of FitSmallBusiness.com. Many dont understand the concept of compound interest, so as an HR professional, its important to educate employees. Handrick also suggests that if your company offers financial planning workshops, be sure to attend. This is another opportunity to expand your financial skills at no cost to you. But 401(k) matches are merely one example of the financial opportunities available through your workplace. Take Advantage of Tuition Reimbursement Many companies offer tuition reimbursement programs to help cover the costs of continuing education for employees who want to go back to school and obtain degrees or certifications. Brent Michaels, a registered nurse and creator of the website Debt & Cupcakes, says these offers have financial value on multiple levels. I graduated from nursing school with minimal student loan debt and have been able to work toward my Bachelor of Science in nursing and other certifications without spending a dime, he explained. In addition, as I complete classes, I grow professionally and personally, and the knowledge from these courses helped me secure promotions and business opportunities that would not have been available to me otherwise. Even just earning certifications, says Michaels, allows him to stand out as a motivated employee, which pays off in spades over the long run. and On the Job Training Obtaining an advanced degree or certification isnt the only way to distinguish yourself and maximize career earning potential. Many employers offer on the job training related to specific tasks the organization deems important, said Michaels. Dont pass up this opportunity, either. You may also want to actively search out such opportunities if theyre not openly available. I knew that project management was needed for a promotion I was hoping to obtain in the future, but I had no experience. I intentionally volunteered to work on projects so that I could network with the project managers, he explained. I developed relationships and obtained free project management training. This cost nothing more than my time, and allowed me to secure a promotion a few years later that increased my salary by over 25 percent. Networking Your network is everything; use it to maximize your ROI. Lets face it, you can have the best resume, you can be the best employee out there, but having people of trust who can vouch for you is irreplaceable. Nothing can beat that, begins Peter Koch, creator of the site Seller at Heart, which is focused on how to save and make extra money. Koch is obviously on to something: As many as 85% of jobs are filled via networking,according to a LinkedIn survey. This means that when youre searching for new career opportunities to boost your pay, it really is who you know, continues Koch. If youre able to make good impressions on others in your field and provide value to them, theyll be happy to recommend you next time their company has an opening you could fill. Employers want to build a team of people they trust, and a personal recommendation from a colleague will always carry more weight than an unknown applicant emailing their resume. Need an added reason why networking is so important? Switching jobs is often a better way to increase your salary more significantly, as opposed to waiting for a raise at your current company. In fact, those who leave their employers to take a new job are realizing pay raises that are about one-third larger than those who stay put. As of this past July, wages for job hoppers grew 3.8% from a year earlier, compared with 2.9% for those who opted to stay with their current employer, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Lean Out All of these tips and tactics really lead to what career coach Denise Riebman refers to as leaning out with your career.Ribeman recently gave a keynote speech about building your career capital heres what that means. Its really about doing a skill and knowledge gap analysis and asking where you do you want to go to in your career and investing in yourself to get there, she explains. See who is a couple chapters ahead of you and identify the gaps to get there. And like Koch, Riebman says a critical part of leaning out means actively expanding that professional network, or having what she calls an open network, which will ultimately help you to be more successful professionally and financially over the long term. Traditionally people like to stay in our tribes, among people we know, people we went to school with, said Riebman. The problem is that those people have same ideas and same information as you. Having an open network is about building your career capital. Mia Tayloris an award-winning journalist with more than two decades of experience. She has worked for some of the nations best-known news organizations, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the San Diego Union-Tribune. Read more: https://www.thesimpledollar.com/your-career-is-a-multi-million-dollar-investment/

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 2/20/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Wednesday 20th February 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a MidWeek Nation Newspaper (MWN).

GOVERNMENT LOSE MILLIONS IN CHIP-BASED ID CARDS – Government has lost approximately $4 million as a result of having to dump about 500,000 chip-based identification cards, Minister of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology Senator Kay McConney has revealed. Sitting in the hot seat today with senior officials from her ministry and its departments, McConney responded to questions from her parliamentary colleagues in the House of Assembly as debate on the Estimates for 2019/2020 continued into day two. She disclosed that about seven years ago the then Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration had invested in about half-a-million multi-purpose ID cards that were to be used to “re-register the population” and for national insurance purposes and even pay for bus rides on Transport Board buses. However, she said the chip-based cards “sat in storage all of these years” rendering them almost useless. “Just this year the ministry had those cards sent for forensic testing and the ministry also spoke with the manufacturers of the silicone chips that are in those cards, and unfortunately the manufacturers of the chip have informed Barbados that those cards, having sat in storage for so many years, they cannot guarantee their performance at this time,” she revealed. “We were also told that the chips are no longer being manufactured and therefore, should Barbados choose to proceed and use those cards they will not be providing any technical support should there be a malfunction,” added McConney. Lamenting that the country was now forced to forfeit about $4 million in smart ID cards, which was a cost to taxpayers, McConney said the project came at a time when residents were crying out and Barbados could “ill-afford to be losing that kind of money”. However, she added that an approximately $2.5 million database to accommodate the ID cards, was still in place and could still be used. “So out of a close to $7 million investment we will be able to save less than half,” she said. The technology minister promised that the new Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration would be pushing ahead with the implementation of new digital ID cards. Barbados’ ID is currently a laminated paper printed with basic information consisting of a registration number, the holder’s name, sex, date of birth, nationality, height, date of issue and a signature. She said just recently Cabinet agreed to move forward with the new digital ID, understanding that the old cards would have to be discarded and replaced by new cards to take us into the future. “We know that Barbados can now still implement a national ID but with the advanced technology that will cause us, not only to have digital IDs now, but mobile IDs, where you can use your cellphone for ID purposes, to pay and to do business with government…,” said McConney. (BT)

BAD ROADS ACROSS BARBADOS – About 70 per cent of Barbados’ roads are in a state of disrepair. This was highlighted in an international road assessment project completed in 2017, according to Minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance, Peter Phillips. “The results . . . showed that 30 per cent of our roads were good, 55 per cent were poor and 15 per cent were bad. In essence, we have 70 per cent of the roads in Barbados, based on that assessment, being classified as very poor and in need of repairs,” he told the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament this morning. “The Ministry has a four-pronged approach, really, to this. We have a milling and paving programme, we have the road rehabilitation programme and then there is road reconstruction…and I think that this would be the area where we would have to target in terms of the 70 per cent of the roads – in fact, it may be more than that by now – that will need some attention.” He said the Government viewed improving the island’s road infrastructure as critical and had given the Ministry $10 million to get equipment to get the road network repaired. Phillips however maintained that prioritizing was necessary. He said those roads that were in dire need of repair would be addressed first. “The technical work has to be done by the technical officers within the ministry in terms of visiting and so on, and once this is reported to us . . . it will take some time, but once the technical officers visit, it will be prioritized,” Phillips said. Deputy Chief Technical Officer Philip Tudor disclosed that it would take hundreds of millions of dollars to fix all the roads in need of repair. However, he said, due to the country’s financial constraints, complete road repairs is an unlikely goal at this time. “We have 1,570 kilometres of road in Barbados and 65 per cent of that is in poor to very poor condition. When we did the maths, it would take $832 million to bring all of the roads that are in poor condition to roads that are in fair to good condition,” he explained. “So we are basically making a little dent, not a big one, in these road repair programmes.” Tudor said the Ministry was preparing to spend $3 million to upgrade Highway 2A, between Arch Hall Fire Station to Mile-and-a-Quarter. (BT)

NEW ROAD COMING TO WHITE HILL – Residents of White Hill, St Andrew, will soon be getting a new road. Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance Dr William Duguid today revealed that plans were already underway to construct a new road following the collapse of the main road into the area back in 2014. Over four years ago, the then Democratic Labour Party Government condemned the main road into the rural community after it was severely damaged following heavy rains. However, Duguid who toured the area shortly after taking office, said he recognized “it was a significant problem”. He said a second portion of the road was also breaking away and the ministry had put significant resources into placing gabions in that area to reinforce it. The Minister said that action was necessary, and explained that if that part of the road had collapsed it would have left some White Hill residents “totally cut off”. Duguid said a contractor had subsequently been hired to determine whether a new road could go on the exact site or whether there was a need for an alternate location. “He has not only given an alternate location, but he has given an alternate way of how the road can be constructed using precast concrete. “We anticipate that it will cost in the vicinity of $8 million, between $5 to $8 million, and that is his preliminary assessment . . . but we could not put something in unless we had the empirical evidence,” Duguid reported to the Standing Finance Committee in Parliament today. He said a report would soon be presented to Cabinet on the matter. His comments came following concerns raised by Member of Parliament for St Andrew George Payne that the residents of White Hill were being ignored. While he said his ministry was dealing with those persons who had to be relocated, Payne, the Minister of Housing, Lands and Rural Development had queried why there was no mention of White Hill in the Estimates. But the longstanding MP said he was satisfied with Duguid’s response to the situation. “I’m glad for that explanation and I hope that you as Minister will use your good office to ensure that whatever has to be done in order to satisfy the trauma of the residents of White Hill will be done,” Payne said after hearing Duguid’s confirmation that a new road would be built. General Manager of the Transport Board Felicia Sue also gave her assurance that a shuttle service would be provided for White Hill residents. She said the matter would be addressed in two to three weeks, as there was expected to be more buses available by that time. (BT)

UPP SLAMS PROPOSED BUS FARE INCREASES – Although the actual percentages are still to be finalized, the United Progressive Party (UPP) is crying shame on the Mia Mottley-led Government for its decision to increase bus fares. In a statement released this morning, UPP’ s public relations officer Wayne Griffith charged that Government was essentially piling further hardship on the already overburdened bottom tier of Barbadian society. “All Members of Parliament can hang their head in shame for endorsing this proposed burden on the already suffering average citizen. Since coming to office the Mottley administration has only given Barbadians increased taxation resulting in a higher cost of living. Such an increase will place yet another massive burden on the poorest,” said Griffith, who charged that many of those to be hardest hit have just been laid off by this Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration. During the House Estimates Debate yesterday, Minister of Transport Dr William Duguid, said that commuters would soon have to pay higher fares to ride on public and private transportation. Contending that the current fare of $2 charged by the Transport Board and public service vehicles (PSVs) is inadequate Duguid pointed out that while an increase was coming it was yet to be determined by how much those fares would be raised. However the UPP has asserted that Government had less choice in the matter than they were letting on. “The conditions associated with International Monetary Fund-endorsed economic recovery programmes always include a component of staff cuts in the public service and bus fare adjustments. So the intention to implement an increase in [bus] fares comes as no surprise to the United Progressive Party,” Griffith argued. The party spokesman contended that such a critical service should not have become a casualty of any structural adjustment programme, adding that increased fares will not help the country’s economic woes. “Public transportation is considered a critical service in every country, including Barbados. The cycle of economic deterioration cannot be remedied in any way by inflicting additional costs on our people,” he said. Griffith further argued, “The government still has not identified measures to grow and improve our economic conditions, which is actually the solution to the woes of the nation. The loans, which have been signed off thus far, have only served to plug the leaks but not build measurable capacity. This scorched earth approach to reducing deficit where the poorest are suffering the most augurs ill for national development.” (BT)

AOPT: HIKE WELCOMED BUT OTHER MEASURES NEEDED – The Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) says while the announced hike in bus fares is welcomed, it will take more than that to eradicate the rat race culture that has earned minibus and ZR workers a bad rap over the years. In fact, AOPT president Roy Raphael contends that unless the fare hike is accompanied by additional measures by both Government and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) owners, the fierce competition that sometimes leads to lawlessness on the roads may only intensify. He said factors such as a possible increase in daily lease rates for vans, as well as the continued overcrowding of routes need to be taken into consideration. “It has a lot to do with route rationalization, because if you still have 200 vans on the Silver Sands route and let’s say you raise bus fares to $3.50, you are still going to be at square one. Let’s remember that owners’ fees are relative. So, if bus fares increase, owners are not going to accept the same amount of money as if it was still at $2; it just would not make economic sense,” Raphael said, noting that owners would also need to come together to determine the percentage increase. He also pointed to the possibility of greed, contending that some operators if unchecked, will fall back on their instinct to maximize profits. During the Estimates Debate in Parliament yesterday, Minister of Transport Dr William Duguid announced that commuters may soon have to pay as much as $4 for bus fare on public and private transport, as he contended that the current $2 fare charged by the Transport Board and PSVs is inadequate. “We haven’t made the decision if it will go up by a $1.50 or if it will go up by $2; we don’t know now. But, certainly, all of that has to be assessed to make a decision as to where bus fares will go,” said the Minister, who made it clear that a higher quality of service from private owners would be expected with the increased fares. Raphael said this morning that his organization wholeheartedly agrees the sector must clean up its act and show itself worthy of the increase. He told Barbados TODAY that, to this end, the AOPT has made several recommendations to the Ministry of Transport and Works, which include the amalgamation of the five categories of PSV licences into two. He argued that this would prevent the bad apples from jumping to another area of the sector whenever their licence in one area is revoked. “It’s a case now where even if one’s licence was revoked, a fella could still go and drive a maxi taxi. So, we are going to ask Government to introduce two classes of licences for PSVs. One would be heavy-duty, which means you can drive from a Transport Board bus and all classes below, while with the ZR licence, a person can drive that class of vehicle down to maxi taxi,” he explained. In the meantime, Raphael told Barbados TODAY, AOPT is already on course to fulfil some of the items on Minister Duguid’s wish list, including a move towards a cashless system. He also noted there are recent positive indicators that the sector is capable of change. “I must say that while we saw an increase in complaints during the month of December [2018], we saw a sharp decline last month in the complaints from passengers. So, it is some level of improvement and we will continue to monitor it,” he said. (BT)

INCREASED BUS FARE NOT FAIR, SAY COMMUTERS – Minister of Transport and Works Dr William Duguid appears to be getting a small measure of support from commuters, following his announcement that bus fare could double soon. But many say the proposed increase in bus fare from $2 to either $3.50 or $4 would be detrimental to working-class Barbadians. Speaking in the Lower House in the Estimates Debate yesterday, Dr Duguid said a decision is to be made on whether the fare will be increased by $1.50 or $2. Several commuters at the recently constructed Constitution River Terminal who spoke with Barbados TODAYsaid they did not agree with a hike by either amount, saying that it would make it harder on those who had to take multiple buses to get to and from work and also send their children to school. Veteran snow-cone vendor Tyrone Cambridge said it would be particularly felt in lower income households. “It would be difficult for them because there [are] people . . . who have to catch two and three buses…So I do not know how those people are going to make it,” he said, adding that a metered system of paying bus fare would be a better option. “To be truthful, it is going to be very difficult. I don’t see it getting any better.” Carol-Ann Clarke described the pending increase as “ridiculous”. “We got a lot of people out of work; some have children to send to school. $4 is a real steep thing. A lot of people get their hours cut and [if] bus fare has gone up, I do not know what going to happen. Some people will not be able to buy food,” she said. However, Clarke did not agree with a metered system, saying it would be disadvantageous to people living in rural areas. “I am not sure if it could work as you would be penalizing the ones that live far,” she told Barbados TODAY. However, another woman who did not want to be identified said the proposed fare increase was reasonable and she would not mind paying it once there were more buses in service. “I am not against the increase. I think the $4 is reasonable. I am a bit disappointed that they did not consider like $2 to town and $4 to Speightstown – different stages, a different amount. We are willing to pay the $4, but we want to see more buses,” she said. “I pay $2 from Christ Church to Speightstown. I would not mind paying $4 from Christ Church to Speightstown.” She was supported by hairstylist LeeAndrea Bourne who told Barbados TODAY that Barbadians would have to pay the increase as many people rely on public transportation. “It ain’t really much we can do. Yes, it would be hard on some people but at the end of the day food prices went up and we had to live with it. If bus fare goes up it will affect some, but you still need public transportation,” she said. Nigel Lowe, who is a PSV operator on the Pine and Wildey route, said a fare increase was not a good idea as they are people who already cannot afford to feed their children on a daily basis. “ . . . Then we have to pay extra bus fare to get them to school. The children may not have to pay but the parents have to pay to get them to and from school. It is going to be even harder on poor people. Those that can afford will not want to even pay it; they would rather go and buy a vehicle first. So we got problems all around and we need to find a way around the solution to make it good for everybody,” he said. Lowe noted that while a fare increase is long overdue, history has shown that each time bus fare went up, PSV operators saw a decrease in passengers. “[We have] fewer passengers as they find it hard to get that money. Eventually, they would move when they have to move. It would increase we profit but we can’t only look at we profit, because the situation with we isn’t the passengers that are causing the problem. It is the fuel increases that we get that causing the problem,” he said. The route taxi operator further told Barbados TODAY that “van men” are losing revenue. He said that while they bring in around $600 daily, about $250 goes to refuel the vehicle and the remainder is split among the owner, driver, and conductor. Lowe believes the solution is to lower fuel prices. “If you have low fuel prices and low expenses where buses are concerned [in regards] to maintenance, it would be better for us. Bus fare increasing can’t make it better. It is going to cause more problems as we are going to get fewer passengers and get the same amount of money that we were getting before,” he said. Another PSV operator, who did not wish to be named, expressed a similar view. He said the increase would lead to PSV owners seeking more income from their leases which, at present, range from $275 to $300 per day. “It is going to be harder for the van men because owners are going to be looking at the fact that we are getting more money in bus fare and them going to want more money for the lease. Some at $275 and some at $300 a day and that is not easy, and men have children to support. It is not going to be an easy task. The poor man and women in Barbados will be affected so something has to happen. The Government needs to help the people, but time will tell,” he said. A female commuter who preferred to remain anonymous, said she could not afford to give her daughter a daily allowance of more than $15 and wondered how she would source the additional funds to send her child to school every day. Meantime, educator Mike Cummins contended that Government was forced to increase bus fare as it was one of the stipulations mandated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “I don’t think in their consciousness they would want to increase bus fares to $4, but the IMF is pressuring them into this $4 thing. So, right now Barbados’ hands are in the lion’s mouth and we are going to get bite – that is my position. I would like to see them justify how they would satisfy the people that the $4 is the correct fare for the island,” he told Barbados TODAY. (BT)

SICKOUT – Just two days after Government addressed security and environmental concerns at two rural schools, another was hit by apparent industrial action today. This morning the staff at the Milton Lynch Primary School were forced to call in parents to pick up students after all but three teachers called in sick. Barbados TODAY understands that the educators have long complained of environmental issues related to the physical infrastructure and facilities at the Christ Church school. When contacted president of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), Sean Spencer, said that he was unable to address the subject of a sickout, but suggested that “The staff may simply be expressing their valid frustrations and seeking to draw attention to the plight of those who occupy the school, six hours a day, five days a week.” Barbados TODAY visited the all boys’ school this morning and witnessed parents picking up their charges. One parent, who did not want to be identified, said while she understood the concerns of the teachers, the closure of the school was problematic for her, as she had to leave work to pick up her son. “We really didn’t know that this was going to happen today, and I had to ask for time off to pick up my child and I have to stay home with him. The school is in a mess in truth and I hope this is sorted out soon,” she said. Spencer explained that the buildings were in desperate need of maintenance. He charged that the school was infested with termites and rodents, and this is compounded by poor toilet facilities and ventilation issues. “It is the view of the union that inspection and maintenance require a serious re-think on the part of policymakers. The current physical state of the school indicates there exists an urgent need for infrastructural work to be undertaken. The toilet facilities for students, ceilings housing pigeons, inadequate lighting, rodents and ventilation have proven to be problematic at the school. Termite infestation has contributed to the rate of environmental degradation. This makes it increasingly difficult to function,” he explained. He lamented that on a recent visit to the school, union officials were able to observe and confirm cases of domesticated and wild animals traversing the premises of Milton Lynch Primary. Pigeons and other birds, dogs, cats and monkeys were all seen on the compound during the visit by the executive of the [BUT]. In addition to the problems on the inside, a vacant field with cow-itch vines is impacting students and teachers. The trade unionist further suggested that such is the condition of the school that some parents have opted to withdraw their children. Spencer revealed, “It is also being suggested that the student roll is declining as parents withdraw their sons. Should one examine the physical conditions, one may wonder precisely what message is being sent to the young boys who represent the student body. Today’s boys are tomorrow’s fathers and husbands. What level of self-actualisation will they trend towards as a consequence of the institutional deficits?” Barbados TODAY reached out to Acting Minister of Education Lucille Moe for comment, but was unsuccessful. (BT)

TEACHER REMOVED – The teacher who is being accused of abusing an eight-year-old boy at the Ellerton Primary School’s Special Education Unit has been suspended Without going into details about the case, Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw said she was extremely concerned about any form of violence in schools. She told Barbados TODAY that the teacher accused of beating the child who has Down’s Syndrome, with a stick, has been removed from the classroom while the matter was being thoroughly investigated by police and education authorities. “The matter would have been reported to the Ministry of Education, and the officials would have met with both the principal [Andrew Haynes] and the teacher in question. Those interviews have been conducted. Investigations are ongoing, but in the interest of all parties, a determination was made to place the teacher on suspension, in order to allow the rest of the investigations to be carried out. “I want to make the point that the process has to be followed, and therefore when the ministry says it is investigating, it is really following the procedure to make sure that any person, against whom an allegation is made, that we have to ensure that due process is followed. The law also allows us to be able to place that person on suspension, and to take certain actions in the interest of all parties. We have acted quickly upon being notified of the situation. “I understand that the matter has been taken by the parent to the police. Those investigations, I believe will be continuing. They [police], have a responsibility to do their part. But we are doing from our end what is necessary once a matter is reported to us,” Bradshaw said. In Monday’s E-paper, Barbados TODAY highlighted the plight of parent Charmane Ifill, who was calling for the teacher who allegedly beat her son with a stick, bruising him, to be removed from the institution. Ifill said the teacher claimed to have lashed the child because “he don’t listen”. Ifill also asked that her son be transferred to another institution because he was traumatized about returning to the unit following last Thursday’s incident. According to Bradshaw, the parent was scheduled to meet with the psychologist attached to the ministry, to ensure that all of her concerns were addressed, and that decisions would be made according to the child’s needs. “Obviously, the decision to place the child was based on the child’s peculiar circumstances and I believe that we are making the attempts to investigate where the child can be placed. My understanding is that most children, even if it is a rape victim, or victim of sexual abuse, people feel uncomfortable going back to the scene of the crime, or the scene of an alleged incident. “Therefore, we have to be sensitive as a ministry to those concerns as well. You know there is a thing in law that you take the victim as you find them. In this particular case this child obviously, because he is Down’s Syndrome, will have some concerns going back to a location where any alleged abuse has taken place. Given that the child may not be able to communicate as other children may, we have to obviously take that into account and be able to address those concerns as quickly as possible,” Bradshaw said. Bradshaw gave the assurance that her ministry has been actively attempting to introduce programmes into the schools, to address issues of violence, including the launch of an anti violence campaign, and placing emphasis on positive behavioural management programmes where teachers are encouraged to explore alternative methods of discipline, as opposed to seeking to use corporal punishment as the first or only method of discipline. Noting that there are alternate ways of disciplining and otherwise dealing with children who may be behaving badly, Minister Bradshaw said: “What is also of note is that our laws still allow for the head teacher to be able to use corporal punishment, or to be able to delegate that authority to the deputy, or to the senior teachers. In this case, as you would appreciate, the principal did not administer the punishment,” she said. She also encouraged other parents, who may have had similar experiences reported to them, to follow the correct procedures in reporting the matter, beginning with the principals. “They also need to, if it is of a serious nature, report it to the police and also to ensure that they seek a medical report,” she said. “I want people to report any issues of violence towards children in our schools. Whether that is student-on-student violence, or whether it is teacher-on-student violence, or even student-on-teacher violence as well. When we did the anti-violence campaign we addressed all three. We talked about peace begins with me, talk it out and violence solves nothing. We recognized it was not a one-way issue. “It is not just the issues between teachers and students, but there are other issues in the system that we are dealing with as well. And the approach is a zero tolerance to violence generally, but in particular to violence where it involves children who are to be protected in the environment within the school. “It is an overall approach that says violence solves nothing, let us find alternative ways to deal with conflict, to deal with indiscipline and to improve our communication. That is really the focus. This isn’t about blaming a teacher, this is about trying to get people to recognize that there are different ways to deal with the situation,” Bradshaw added. The minister revealed that the ministry would soon beefing up its training for teachers on how to appropriately and effectively deal with children who have special needs. She said efforts are also on the way to finalize a special needs policy for Barbados. (BT)

MUM GETS SUPPORT – The outspoken mother of an eight-year-old boy with Down Syndrome who was allegedly beaten by a teacher at the Ellerton Primary School Special Education Unit, is getting the backing of the Barbados Down Syndrome Association. Charmaine Ifill is also receiving support from former communications specialist at the Barbados Water Authority (BWA), Joy-Ann Haigh, who has a daughter with the chromosomal condition. In a statement issued today, president of the association, Asha Alleyne-Renwick said she was extremely concerned about the incident which she described as “an act of brutality and a gross violation of human rights”. Ifill said her son was beaten with a stick so badly last Thursday that his back was bruised. “Under no circumstance is this an acceptable form of punishment for any child. It is our expectation that our children will be treated fairly and with respect while in the care of the state. That such an act could occur in one of our schools brings the safety of Barbadian children with Down Syndrome into question,” Alleyne-Renwick said. Further noting that statistics show that 50 per cent of babies with Down Syndrome are born with a heart defect, Alleyne-Renwick added: “The child in question reportedly received blows to his back which could have had a disastrous outcome. We reiterate that this brutality will not be tolerated and call on the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training to address the issue.” Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw told Barbados TODAY that the teacher has been suspended and the incident is being investigated. Meantime, Haigh was today close to tears as she embraced an emotional Ifill at her workplace in The City. Ifill told Haigh the situation has left her confused and frustrated since the young boy is now afraid to go to school. In fact, he had to be collected yesterday and taken to the doctor because he complained of feeling unwell. The mother said her son has made it clear he does not want to return to the school, and even cried when she was in the process of ironing his uniform yesterday morning. “From the time he hear school he crying, because he ain’t want to go school,” Ifill said, expressing the hope that the incident would not have a long-term effect on her child. She wants him transferred to another school – a recommendation supported by Haigh who said children with special needs can be more easily traumatized than others without such conditions. The former BWA communications specialist who promised Ifill that she would walk with her through the journey, said words could not express how she felt about the situation. She added that she would have had a similar response to Ifill, had it been her daughter. “It could have been my daughter and I would have to take some action too. So I can’t blame the mother for feeling the way she felt. I was really hurt when I saw the marks. I have my child and yes, I have to discipline my child, but I talk to my daughter. I don’t hit my daughter with Down Syndrome and I would encourage other parents not to do so,” Haigh said. “I came down here to Charmaine’s workplace to offer some support. What I can say is that I actually reached out to the Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw who, I can tell you, is against corporal punishment and has zero tolerance for it. She has assured me, as a mother, that all would be done in the best interest of the child, that the process obviously has to involve an investigation with the relevant parties – that being the person the allegation has been laid against which, in this case, is the teacher,” she added. Haigh said she was confident after speaking to Minister Bradshaw that the case would not be swept under the carpet but would be placed on the front burner. She further expressed the hope that there are individuals in the Royal Barbados Police Force trained to interview people with mental challenges, so that the child would not be “drilled over and over again in an investigation”. “We are hopeful that there are some other elements in here, possibly witnesses to the allegation, so that we can put this matter to bed,” she said. Haigh added that she expected if the teacher was found guilty of wrongdoing, she would be punished to the full extent of the law. She stressed that while children with special needs may be unable to defend themselves, nobody should be abused. “Teachers . . . have to look to see other ways of reprimanding the child, by speaking to them; certainly not treating any child, in particular persons with special needs, in this way. It is hurtful for the child, and it would cause some psychological damage, and to the parents too. So I am urging everyone to please rally behind Charmaine and her child if this indeed turns out to be a case that the person has to be punished,” Haigh said. However, she cautioned that the actions of the teacher in question should not cause people to paint all teachers with the same brush. “This should not be a message that all teachers are like this because, certainly, that is not the case. There are a lot of very good teachers. It is unfortunate that if this individual is guilty, it is an embarrassment to the profession. “To all teachers, please, if you are in this profession and you are doing this, please do it out of the love for children, and not for any other reason,” Haigh pleaded. (BT)

TODDLER IN CUFFS WAS ‘JUST PLAY’ – Parents of the toddler who was videoed handcuffed to a pillar, turned themselves into the police and the Child Care Board (CCB) yesterday. The mother, Dania Hamilton, has written an apology to her son on social media, explaining that it was an “unfortunate” incident of child’s play gone wrong. The video, she said, was recorded by the boy’s father as a funny one and shared in a group of male friends. It was circulated on Monday and showed the two-and-a-half-year-old sitting on the floor in a vest and pamper, while handcuffed behind his back around a pillar. The father was heard admonishing the boy for stealing his watch. “Stop stealing my watch, all right? All the time; all the time,” he said, as he showed the handcuffs and a watch on his right wrist. The child, who appeared terrified, cried out: “Daddy!” Yesterday, the CCB, through a Barbados Government Information Service release, said the parents had voluntarily turned up at their offices with the child. (MWN)

TRAGIC END – Residents of Kew Road, Bank Hall, St Michael are reliving the nightmarish screams of an elderly man who was trapped in his house as fire raged through the wooden structure late Monday night. One resident who rushed to the back of 76-year-old pensioner Eric Fenty’s home recalled seeing one of his hands hanging through the window. He tried his best to pull the old man out using the dangling arm, but his efforts were not rewarded. “I tried pulling him through, but it was like dead weight, said Fabian McDonald. “The flames and smoke and everything just gushed through the window, so I had to step back and then I realized there was nothing else that I could do,” he lamented. McDonald was one of the first residents who rushed to the scene when he saw a fire at the rear of the house, around 11:20 p.m. He said when he ran to one side of the house he heard Fenty’s screams. “When I looked, a couple guys were coming to help,” he added. Despite their best efforts. Fenty could not be saved. “Trust me, the fellas out here tried their utmost best to get in there, but they could not get in. He is not a bad person, he didn’t deserve to die the way he died. Everybody round here know Eric, they know how Eric does get on, and when you see he you would got to help he. When 5 o’clock he would come out of there on mornings. He used to walk with a stick. He would walk and go along up the road and sit down there until somebody tek he up and give he some food,” a resident said. Hours after the fire which left the community shocked, shaken and saddened, residents gathered in front of what was left of the elderly man’s home, trying to figure out what might have started the fire which resulted in Fenty screaming for help before he took his last breath. The house was not known to have running water nor electricity. Some residents claimed that Fenty, who has no children to their knowledge, was being abused and that this was reported to authorities, including the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF). They said members of the force visited the house “more than once”. Residents said that as recently as last Thursday, Fenty was abused in public by a man who lashed him and took away his walking stick because he had no money to give him. “Sometimes you would want to try to help, but then you can’t go and put yourself up front there to then end up putting yourself at risk. That was total abuse,” a resident told Barbados TODAY. He charged that the alleged abuser took advantage of Fenty, often relieving him of his pension monies. “He is a disgusting, despicable man, I would like the police to find he. He used to beat the old man and take way his pension and all kind of foolishness. Only Sunday the police went looking for he. I tell them, them ain’t gine find he. Got to catch he 2:30 a morning. They went back yesterday evening, but them ain’t gine find him in the daytime so,” a concerned resident said. Another resident who said he assisted Fenty however he possibly could, especially when he was hospitalized after suffering a stroke, noted he once asked the elderly man about the alleged abuse but he did not want to talk about it. Yet another resident who said he was finding it hard to get the memory of the house engulfed in flames out of his head, lamented: “The man was sitting down at a house here and he [alleged abuser] come and start to feel up his pocket to see if he had money on him. He throw a lash around the man head, and lick him down, and take up the cane he does walk with and go long with it. A lot of people see what happened . . .,” a male resident said as he spoke about the recent incident. The same resident who said they found out about the fire after hearing a commotion at Fenty’s home, said that the young men from the area tried almost everything possible to get the old man out of the blaze. “Everybody was coming out and tried to assist. But by that time everything else was in flames and you could see the results. I tried to help and run on basic instincts. There are a lot of things that you could think about. Like if I could have done this, or if I could have done that, but everything does happen so fast. Your basic instinct does be kicking in like, if I go in if I gine perish in it,” McDonald shared. Damion Jordan also expressed regrets that his efforts to help get the old man out of the house before it was too late, were unsuccessful. He said he even used a shovel to try to gain entry to the wooden structure. “He used to make a lot of sport and thing. Man he ain’t deserve to go so at all,” Jordan said. (BT)

PUMP SHUTDOWN TO AFFECT CHRIST CHURCH, ST PHILIP DISTRICTS – The Barbados Water Authority is advising residents and businesses in parts of Christ Church and St Philip that there will be a critical shutdown of its Hampton Pumping Station on Wednesday, February 20, between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. This shutdown is to facilitate the changing of five valves at the station. The affected areas may include Vauxhall, Durant’s, Grantley Adams International Airport, Kingsland, Callender’s, Lodge Road, Newton, Maxwell Hill, Charnocks, Lowlands, Coverley, Fairview, Pilgrim Road, Kendall Hill Park, Gall Hill, Wotton, Harmony Lodge, Water Street, Ealing Park, Ealing Grove, Atlantic Shores, Enterprise, Chancery Lane, Inch Marlow, Silver Sands, Round Rock, Goodland, Green Garden, Hopewell, Carters Gap, Fairy Valley and surrounding districts in Christ Church. Heddings, St Martins, Rices, Gemswick, Bequest, Wheelers, Long Bay Village, Cave Land, Seaview, Work Hall, Apple Hall, Lynches, Merricks, Eastbourne, Crane Park, Belair, Cobblers Rock, Diamond Valley, Kirtons, Wilcox, Mangrove, Windward Gardens, Long Bay, Harry Smith, Well House, Bottom Bay, Bentham’s, Atlantic Park and surrounding districts in St Philip. Customers are asked to store an adequate supply of water to help them during the shutdown. Water tankers will also be dispatched to assist. (MWN)

CLOSURE OF OPHTHALMOLOGY CLINICS AT QEH – The public is kindly asked to note that the out-patients’ clinics in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) will be closed from Thursday, February 21, through Friday, February 22. The clinics will be closed to facilitate staff’s attendance at the Annual Ophthalmology Subspecialty Conference being held in Barbados. The clinics will resume on Monday, February 25. Patients affected by the closure are asked to contact the Medical Records Department at 436-6450, extensions 6120, 6190, 6339 and 6182 to reschedule their appointments. (MWN)

MONKEY PLAY CUTS CITY POWER – Three green monkeys caused a power outage in The City yesterday morning. The wandering creatures were playing on a powerline near JG’s Wholesale Discount Centre at the corner of St George Street and Cowell Street when they tripped a breaker, causing the power to go out at surrounding businesses. “It happened around 10:30 a.m.,” said one eyewitness. “There were three monkeys up on the power line and then I heard an explosion, close to a gunshot. One monkey dropped down and the others ran away.” Tony Woodall, who was also in the area, decided to take home the monkey, which was in a state of paralysis. He said he had a pet monkey and other animals at home so he would care for the creature until it returned to its normal state. Later in the day, he reported that the monkey was “doing pretty all right”. “He is moving around and eating, but he is a little frightened. I will monitor him for the next two days to see if anything is wrong with its limbs.” Around 11 a.m., two workers from Barbados Light & Power Co. showed up to replace the electrical unit the monkeys had damaged. (MWN)

ACCIDENT ALONG ENTERPRISE MAIN ROAD CHRIST CHURCH –There was an accident involving a ZR route taxi and an SUV on Enterprise main road Church Christ. The extent of injuries is unknown at this time. (MWN)

READY FOR COURT – Public service vehicle (PSV) operators are planning to sue Government for $15 million. This after one of their own was given an absolute discharge by Magistrate Graveney Bannister last Friday after appearing in the Bridgetown Traffic Court. According to a source in the discussions, following a meeting held with the Association of Public Transport Operators (APTO) over the weekend, operators were now looking to recover all the monies they paid out in fines over the last five years, which they roughly estimated at more than $15 million. “This is based on about five to six years because some of the operators have paid $500 to $1 000 in [forthwith] fines to avoid jail time. Some of them were imprisoned because they could not come up with the money. Therefore, a lot of them were imprisoned wrongfully, and to my understanding, compensation for erroneous imprisonment equates to about $1500 per day,” the PSV owner told the NATION yesterday. He added operators were trying to engage the services of Queen’s Counsel Michael Lashley, the former Minister of Transport and Works, to represent them. Lashley was counsel for the PSV worker who was discharged last Friday. (MWN)

PHONE STOLEN FROM BATHROOM – A 39-year-old man who pleaded guilty to a theft charge will spend the next three weeks at the Psychiatric Hospital being evaluated before he is sentenced. Steve Gordon Miller, of Garden Land, Country Road, St Michael admitted before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today to stealing a $700 cellular phone belonging to a minor on February 18‑. Police Constable Kenmore Phillips revealed that the teenager was in the bathroom of a local restaurant when the accused walked in. He however, left the device in the bathroom on walking out. The minor returned moments later but the phone was no longer where he had left it. A check of the footage at the establishment showed Miller walking out of the bathroom with the device. The police were informed and Miller was seen the following night at St Lawrence Gap where he told lawmen he had sold the phone. Miller will reappear before the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on March 12. (BT)

YARDE GETS 12 MONTHS FOR THEFT OF CAR MONEY – It took a Christ Church man almost 14 months to admit to a theft charge and for that crime he has been sentenced to 12 months in prison. However, Jahlanny Tramaine Yarde, of Block 6B Silver Hill Drive, only has six months remaining to serve on the sentence having already spent six months on remand at HMP Dodds. Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant imposed the sentence today after Yarde pleaded guilty to stealing $7,700 belonging to a woman on December 22, 2017. Police constable Kenmore Phillips told the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court that Yarde was working with the woman’s boyfriend on the mentioned date. She had given the boyfriend a sum of money to purchase her a car. However, sometime during the day the boyfriend made a check to ensure that the cash was still there but discovered that some of the money was missing. He asked Yarde who denied that he had taken it. Another man who transported the accused later that day raised the alarm to police after he saw him taking large sums of money from his crotch. Yarde was detained and he again denied taking the money. He also pleaded not guilty to the charge in September 2018 but had a change of heart when he reappeared before Cuffy-Sargeant today. (BT)

BUSINESSMAN REMANDED – Despite arguments by two Queen’s Counsel of his strong ties to the community, his status as a family man and an employer of over a dozen persons, a 56-year-old businessman accused of importing over $10 million in drugs was still remanded to Dodds prison today. The drug bust — valued at $10,185,315 million — ranks as one of the largest in recent times. As a result of a search of a container shipped to a business in St John, officers from Customs Enforcement Division, the Police Drug Squad and Canine Division and the Barbados Coast Guard, discovered 1028.4 kilogrammes and 22.7 kilogrammes of a substance, suspected to be cocaine, a release from the Royal Barbados Police Force stated. George Reginald Ivan Parris, of No. 318 Inch Cape Terrace, Well House, St Philip was charged with eight offences of possession, possession with intent to supply, possession with intent to traffic cannabis and “suspected” cocaine on February 14 as well as importation of cannabis and cocaine between February 5 and 6. He was not required to plead to the indictable charges. Appearing before Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch this morning in the District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court, Sergeant Vernon Waithe objected to bail being granted to Parris on several grounds. The prosecutor pointed to the nature and seriousness of the offences, as well as the quantum of the illegal substance involved. “Evidence in this matter is strong. It’s a strong case against the accused. There are also fears that if granted bail he may not return to court to answer to the charges,” said Sergeant Waithe in his submissions against bail. However, attorneys Michael Lashley, Q.C. and Hal Gollop, Q.C., appearing along with Dayna Taylor-Lavine and Kadisha Wickham, stated that the accused, who is the owner of Ace Recycling and R&R Iron Works, was an “excellent” candidate for bail and a “responsible” individual who had been a businessman in the recycling industry for the past 17 years. “He has 13 employees . . . and on a good day . . . that number can be up as much as 25. If placed on remand . . . [it can result] in workers going on the breadline . . . and his business could fold . . . . He is a family man and cooperated with the police,” said Lashley who also took “strong objections” to the prosecutor considering his client a flight risk saying conditions such as reporting to a police station could be imposed. Lashley used the delay in the justice system in getting matters to trial in a timely matter in his bail submission saying that this case will not be heard within the next two to three years. “My client is an excellent candidate for bail . . . and willing to accept any conditions you set him,” Lashley told the chief magistrate. “He has surrendered his passport to the court showing that he is willing to adhere to any condition. He did that before you asked. He is a man of respect in the community. Who will suffer if remanded? His wife, his family, his business; 13 people and sometimes 25 are about to be placed on the breadline when jobs are so hard to find,” said Lashley before he gave way to senior Queen’s Counsel Gollop who touched on some of the points by Lashley as well as others. “The prosecutor said ‘suspected cocaine’. You can’t have suspected cocaine. Could you imagine what that could mean if you took it to some absurd level . . .[It] raises the issue of serious analytical evidence being brought on this matter. The inability of the prosecutor to say cocaine in my view is another reason why the most favourable consideration should be given to this accused to defend the assault on his good character and his good name,” Gollop stated. He also made reference to other cases now before other magistrates’ courts in which other businessmen with similar charges were granted bail. “The law is about precedence. Recently a large portion of drugs . . . those persons were found on the vessel . . . [in my client’s case] a container came from one place to another place, he was not on the vessel [the container]. I am submitting that this is a better reason why bail should be granted,” Gollop submitted. At the end of the 45-minute sitting however which was attended by Parris’ family, Chief Magistrate Birch ruled in favour of the prosecution. “Excellent . . . submissions by your counsels, but at this point I am not prepared to offer you bail,” the judicial officer stated before giving Parris a March 19 date for his next court appearance. Barbados TODAY has been reliably informed that Parris’ legal team will file papers for bail application before the High Court as early as tomorrow. (BT)

CONFIDENT NURSE EXPECTS WI VICTORY – Off-spinner Ashley Nurse is back in the West Indies team and is banking on a recent run in first-class cricket to boost his confidence in the ODI series against England which starts today at Kensington Oval. Nurse, who was speaking to the media on Monday, said the West Indies were in high spirits after defeating England, the world No.1 ranked ODI team, in the recently concluded Wisden Test series 2-1. “I would really like the boys to get on that high and win the series. My personal target for the series is to contribute in wickets and runs. “I’ve been playing a lot of first-class cricket over the past few weeks and I’ve been getting a lot of bowling in, so hopefully, that practice will come into play [today],” he said. (MWN)

SIR CURTLEY NOW A DANCING STAR – Legendary West Indies cricketer Sir Curtley Ambrose was out in the middle last night, but on a different kind of stage. Sir Curtley and his professional partner Siobhan Power, swept across the ballroom floor on the Australian version of the show Dancing With the Stars. The pair wowed the audience with their Viennese waltz and received lots of congratulatory messages on their respective Instagram pages. After the show aired Siobhan posted a few pictures of their dance with the caption: “Last night was so special I had the most amazing time sharing this moment with @curtlyambrose_ Thank you for all the love and support that’s been sent our way. It means the world! Please vote for us to keep us in! SMS CURTLY to 1995 1010 or via the website in my bio xx #dwtsau #dwtsaustralia #westindiescricket #westindies #cricketaustralia @dancingon10 @channel10au”. Sir Cutrley also took to his Instagram page to encourage his fans to vote for him, saying: “Dancing with the stars Australia premiered last night. Unfortunately those of you outside of Australia are unable to view the show as of now but you can still vote. Please click the link in my bio. An email address is required to vote. Enter your email, accept the terms and VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!. Vote to keep me in this competition and see me through to the end. Voting remains open until next week Monday. Vote everyday, don't miss a day, every vote counts.” The show airs live every Monday at 7:30 p.m. Australian time. (MWN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 315 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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politicalfilth-blog · 7 years

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Macedonia Launches Massive ‘Stop Operation Soros’ Movement to Fight Back Against Liberal Billionaire

We Are Change

Article via The Free Thought Project:

Macedonia – Only a week after Hungary announced plans to purge all NGO groups funded by globalist progressive mega-donor George Soros, a new global initiative – Stop Operation Soros (SOS) – dedicated to the countering the influential political/social engineering the billionaire activist is now engaged in across the globe through his Open Society Foundations, was announced in Macedonia.

During a press conference last week, SOS founders called on all “free-minded citizens,” regardless of race, ethnicity or religion, to “fight against one-mindedness in the civil sector, which is devised and led by George Soros,” the Vecer newspaper reported.

This move comes on the heels of the Hungarian government announcing that it will use “all the tools at its disposal” to target and “sweep out” all non-governmental organizations funded by Soros, a Hungarian-born financier who has become one of the U.S. Democratic Party’s major sources of funding, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling party.

Co-founder of the movement, Nikola Srbov, called out Soros for hijacking civil society, in an effort force his own personal ideology upon others by monopolizing civil discourse through strategically funding certain organizations via his group Open Society Foundations.

At the press conference, the group announced that their first step would be to work at uncovering ‘subversive’ activities by Soros-funded NGOs.

“We’ve witnessed the takeover of the entire civil sector and its abuse and instrumentalization to meet the goals of one political party. That is unacceptable and goes beyond the principles of civic organizing,” Srbov said at the press conference.

“The Open Society Foundation, operating under the Soros umbrella, used its funding and personnel to support violent processes in Macedonia. It has monopolized the civil society sector, pushing outside any organization which disagrees with the Soros ideology,” he stated.

Co-founder, Cvetin Cilimanov, editor-in-chief of the state-run MIA news agency, noted that Soros worked to undermine Macedonian sovereignty by colluding with the opposition center-left SDSM party and outside globalist interests. By cooperating with foreign embassies and organizations such as USAID, Cilimanov believes Soros-backed groups have interfered in the political process of Macedonia.

“This is unacceptable and has largely contributed to a feeling in the public that the traditional relations of partnership Macedonia enjoyed with some countries are being undermined,” Cilimanov told journalists.

These complaints are par for the course with the Soros’ Open Society Foundations, as Russia has banned a progressive charity founded by globalist hedge fund billionaire George Soros in 2015 – noting that the organization posed a threat to both state security and the Russian constitution.

In a statement, Russia’s General Prosecutor’s Office said two branches of Soros’ charity network — the Open Society Foundations (OSF) and the Open Society Institute (OSI) — would be placed on a “stop list” of foreign non-governmental organizations whose activities have been deemed “undesirable” by the Russian state.

The Open Society Foundation (OSF) was created by the Hungarian-born billionaire with the stated aim of helping former Eastern bloc countries transition from communism. However, instead, it operates as a lever in the domestic politics of states by funding subversive political activities. For example, Soros publicly supported the violent overthrow of the legitimately-elected government in Ukraine during the ‘Euromaidan’ revolution.

Subsequently, leaked memos, appearing on DC Leaks, exposed Soros’ plan to destabilize and overthrow Putin – the ultimate prize for Soros.

The document details in an extensive bullet point list, “what must be done” to destabilize Russia, focusing on many recurrent neo-liberal themes that Soros uses to infect host nations and overturn governments.

Essentially, Soros works to install his political will on states, under the guise of promoting a free and open society. In reality, he looks to capitalize on the installation of puppet governments that are largely beholden to him and his OSF in an attempt to increase his massive fortune and create a globalist system of governance that supersedes national sovereignty.

on’t have any moral boundaries at all.”

This article first appeared on TheFreeThoughProject.com and was authored by Jay Syrmopoulos.

The post Macedonia Launches Massive ‘Stop Operation Soros’ Movement to Fight Back Against Liberal Billionaire appeared first on We Are Change.

from We Are Change http://wearechange.org/macedonia-launches-massive-stop-operation-soros-movement-fight-back-liberal-billionaire/

#We are Change #We Are Change

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thechasefiles · 6 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 7/20/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Friday 20th July 2018. Remember you can read full articles by purchasing Weekend Nation Newspaper (WN), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).

PM NOT AMUSED BY LATEST AUDITOR GENERAL REPORT – Prime Minister Mia Mottley is not at all amused by the findings of the 2017 Auditor General Report. In fact, in light of the latest findings, she is promising a full review of “every area of Government”, with a view to carrying out the necessary house cleaning. One of the glaring irregularities highlighted in the 186-page report by Auditor General Leigh Trotman is the overpayment of salaries at five state entities to the tune of $3.78 million as at December 31, 2017. These are the Prison Department, in the amount of $134, 123.57; the Ministry of Transport and Works, $134,155.07; the Ministry of Health, $719,606.49; the Ministry of Education, $564,473.55; Ministry of Agriculture, $60, 884.42 and the Police Department, $1,764, 669.26. The main reason given for the overpayments, the Auditor General said, was “the payment of full salaries to officers when they should be on no pay or half pay leave as a result of extended sick leave”, and in the case of the Police Department, Trotman further explained that the affected officers were also enjoying benefits for employment injury from the National Insurance Scheme. With these financial irregularities now coming to light, Mottley told business leaders attending Wednesday’s Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) luncheon at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, that once her review was done, the problems would be addressed. “I am not going to go into details today, but you have to be able first and foremost, to verify your payroll. That is the first thing. If you can’t verify your payroll you have a problem. And if people are being certified as being there by supervisors then we have a problem with them too. So we are not going to have a situation of those kinds of things continuing,” she said in reference to the report. “Secondly you cannot belong to the same Government in different departments and then tell me that you can’t have access or you not talking to each other because then clearly you want to work in a different Government in a different republic. So all of these things – a lack of communication, lack of verification, review of systems – all of these things have led to the inefficiency, some of which you see being reflected in the Auditor General’s Report, much of which doesn’t even get there,” Mottley added. Questions were also raised by the Auditor General about $1.1 billion in loans to statutory entities as at March 31, 2017, with Trotman pointing out that while these organizations were required to repay the amounts advanced, “no loan payments or reimbursements were received”. He also took issue with the fact that many of the advancements were made to state agencies which lack the capacity to repay, while pointing to a $60 million loan to the loss-making Transport Board. “In other cases there is uncertainty about the value of the receivables. This would include the advance [of $120 million] made [back in 2013] to Clearwater Bay with respect to the Four Seasons Project,” the Auditor General said, while stating that “there is no current information on this asset that would help in the assessment of its value”. During, the financial year 2004/2005 an amount of $4.6 million was also advanced to the state-owned Needham’s Point Holdings Limited to facilitate construction of the Hilton Hotel. Since then, that loan has accumulated nearly $2 million in interest, but no payment has been made on the principal, with no evidence of efforts to recover the outstanding debt even though the hotel was recently due to be put up for sale. In his new report released earlier this month, the Auditor General also outlined a number of unpaid loans to non-governmental agencies, as well as dishonoured cheques, unverified balances and other financial irregularities, with Mottley giving a commitment that “we are going to review every area of Government and make sure that we are in a position to validate and verify what the taxpayers’ money is being spent on. “We do it because we want to spend money on things that we know will make a difference to either Barbados’s efficiency, its quality of life, its competitiveness and its ability to be able to create a platform for growth and wealth for its citizens,” the Prime Minister added, while revealing that on Tuesday alone she had five meetings across several ministries. (BT)

SPLIT AMONG NUPW LEADERSHIP SPILLS INTO CAR PARK – The gloves are well and truly off at Dalkeith Road, as a huge fissure between the top brass of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) gets even wider. There was no smoothing over the cracks as the animosity between NUPW President Akanni McDowall and General Secretary Roslyn Smith was further exposed today ahead of a meeting called by the union president with the national council. There were heated exchanges in the parking lot, following which several members refused to enter the meeting room for the 3 p.m. talks. Among those boycotting the meeting were General Treasurer Asokorie Beckles and Smith, who last week openly contradicted a report on talks with the International Monetary Fund given to Barbados TODAY by McDowall, who has been ordered by the union to appear before the national council next week to answer questions about the NUPW’s finances. Smith questioned the legitimacy of today’s meeting, while making it clear she would only recognize next week’s face-off between the national council and the union president. “That was not a meeting. They did not have 15 persons. They may have had 15 persons in the yard, but 15 persons did not go into that meeting. So there was no meeting. “Next week, if Mr McDowall chooses to turn up, he would deal with what is on that agenda,” said Smith, who refused to confirm whether a list of charges had officially been sent to McDowall. Following the meeting, which ended at 5:30 p.m., McDowall refused to update the media on what went on behind the closed doors, only stating he would reserve comment until next week’s meeting. However, he was adamant that today’s gathering was legitimate, claiming that more than the 15 members needed for a quorum were present. “I hope you all saw how many people came out. I had more than 25 persons in attendance,” said McDowall, who was officially summoned on Monday to face the union’s management, according to a source familiar with the development. “We sent the letter summoning him to the meeting next week and it was signed for yesterday. So as far as I am concerned he was served and it would be up to him now,” the source said. Barbados TODAY reported last week that McDowall was facing possible dismissal from his post after it was unanimously agreed at a special meeting of the union’s national council last Thursday to give the president seven calendar days, starting on July 13, to answer four issues relating to the NUPW’s finances or face disciplinary action, including possible dismissal. This followed a recent investigation by a sub-committee, which was mandated to carry out an internal financial review. McDowall’s attorney Fabian Walthrus subsequently wrote to Smith on July 11, charging that she had called the special council meeting on or about July 3, 2018, but was later advised verbally and in writing by the acting president Fabian Jones that her actions were in breach of the customary protocols for summoning such meetings. The attorney also accused Smith of breaching the NUPW’s Rules and Standing Orders regarding the same. “I am therefore instructed that, contrary to the acting president’s instructions not to do so, you proceeded to convene the said meeting on the appointed date,” the letter stated. “Consequently, you have acted ultra vires of the powers conferred upon you under rules 8(a)(ii) and/or 12 of the said rules,” it added. “I am therefore instructed that, for your future guidance and for the good governance of the NUPW as per its rules and standing orders, that only the president or national council where your position is merely ex officio, has the right to summon a special meeting at any time,” the correspondence added. The attorney therefore informed the NUPW that his client had nothing to answer. Barbados TODAY understands that the general membership, which had elected the president in the first place, has the power to suspend or dismiss any member for neglect, dishonesty, incompetence or refusal to carry out a decision of the executive. McDowall was re-elected as the NUPW president for a second two-year term back in April 2017, having successfully survived previous no confidence votes. (BT)

P.M: BANK TALKS A MUST – Prime Minister Mia Mottley is to hold talks with the country’s banking sector on a wide range of issues of national concern. Speaking last night at the reopening of the Warrens Great House which has been renovated by CIBC First Caribbean International Bank, Mottley told the audience that such a discussion was paramount as Barbados treaded the choppy waters within its debt restructuring efforts. “We both know we are not here by choice,” she said in reference to the country’s ballooning debt. “We will withstand difficulties and come out stronger for it. I look forward to our respective teams working together for a solution that would be of benefit to your institution and shareholders, and the people of Barbados.” She said the national conversation would help both sides confront issues such as de-risking, and delinquency by some Barbadians, who, because of the serious economic situation they faced over the last decade, were unable to pay their mortgages and lost their homes in the process. (WN)

GOVT LOOKING TO CREATE ‘A SMART’ BARBADOS’ – The new Mia Mottley-led Government is aiming to create “a smart Barbados”. However, Minister of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology Senator Kay McConney is warning that in order for that to happen, there must be an across-the-board change in the way the island does business and responds to technological advancements. McConney was addressing a reception here on Wednesday night marking the opening of the second annual Internet Governance Forum at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination. While quoting Microsoft founder Bill Gates as saying “the Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow”, she noted that “innovation can move us closer to achieving our goals as a society, but it also disrupts people and our traditional ways of doing business. “Establishing this ministry by bringing together numerous Government departments is one step in our journey, but it will take more than the consolidation of Government units to cause positive disruption throughout the country,” she added. The new ministry combines the functions of the National Council on Science and Technology, the Data Processing Department, the E-Governance Department, Telecommunications Unit and the Office of Public Sector Reform. McConney said her Government, which took office here on May 25 following general elections, was also “determined to ensure we have a seat at the table in shaping global Internet policy beyond mere attendance at international conferences, and we are willing to work with our colleagues in CARICOM [Caribbean Community] to advocate policies beneficial to the Caribbean as a region.” She also cautioned that shaping policy was not enough. “We must be courageous in taking action to show we understand that every day we delay is a day of reckoning,” she stressed. Chairman of the Internet Society Barbados Chapter and Director of the Government’s Data Processing Department Rodney Taylor described the Internet Society as a “non-profit organization founded to provide leadership on Internet related standards, education and access”. He also said its mission was to promote open development of the Internet to benefit people all over the world. He therefore welcomed this week’s forum as an opportunity for all Barbadians to discuss more effective use of the World Wide Web. “There is no one in this room who has not been on the Internet at least once today, and over the next two days, you will hear from panels of experts drawn from all around the world who will give us insight into how we can develop policies governing its use,” he said. Taylor was also pleased to note that this year’s event has attracted twice as many participants as the inaugural one a year ago, and said the society’s recently held youth forum, where they engaged young people on matters like social media, gaming, developing online businesses and education, was also a tremendous success. During the opening reception, the Internet Society honoured the late Director of Public Prosecutions Charles Leacock, QC, for an “inspiring and thought provoking” presentation on the legal ramifications of the Internet at the 2017 conference, and Ian Clarke-Worrell, the man who founded CaribNet, which in 1995 became the first Internet service provider in Barbados and one of the first in the Caribbean. (BT)

PSV HOPES – Minibus and ZR owners say they have no intention of walking out empty-handed from a yet to be finalized meeting with Prime Minister Mia Mottley at which they expect to discuss the newly introduced fuel tax. However, the public service vehicle (PSV) owners and operators remain optimistic that something will come out of the talks. Communications Officer of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Mark Haynes said while he would make no predictions, an ideal outcome would be an agreement by Mottley to provide duty-free concessions on the importation of new vehicles to replace an aging fleet. “We have pushed several issues such as an increase in bus fare, but the thing we would really like to get would be the duty-free concessions on vehicles because that is really going to be the most [critical]. Most of our vehicles on the road are aging and if we get assistance with that it would help us offset some of the additional cost that we must not take on with these measures,” Haynes told Barbados TODAY. Reminded that the Barbados Labour Party had promised duty-free concessions on electric vehicles during its campaign for the May 24 general election, Haynes said while this was a good start it would not bring immediate relief. “We appreciate that offer and we hope that becomes a reality soon. However, heavy load carrying versions of these green vehicles are only now coming on stream and we now have to invest in expertise and technology to deal with these vehicles. So in the meantime, we are going to need vehicles that use fossil fuels to help the sector [alive] because if on top of the increased fuel tax operators have to incur heavy maintenance costs for old vehicles, many are going to go out of business,” he stressed. Soon after Mottley announced in her June 11 austerity Budget that a tax of 40 cents per litre on diesel and gasoline and five cents per litre on kerosene would replace the road tax, the PSV owners complained the new levy would have a devastating impact on their business. In a joint statement, the AOPT and the Association of Public Transport Operators said the petrol tax would raise expenditure for route taxis to $6,741 from $2,250, while minibus operators would have to fork out $10,861, up from $3,625. They also complained that they had not been consulted on the matter, and expressed a desire to have talks with the Prime Minister, as well as Minister of Transport and Works Dr William Duguid, before July 1. While the proposed date came and went without any indications that she would meet with the private sector transport owners, Mottley promised last Sunday during a live nationally televised interview that she would meet with industry stakeholders, while acknowledging awareness of the complaints about the fuel tax, which is expected to raise $80 million annually. Haynes said today the minibus and ZR owners were pleased that they would have an opportunity to make their case to the country’s leader. “We believe that we would have a very cordial meeting with her. She is apprised of our concerns and while we don’t know the outcome of the meeting, we are eagerly looking forward to meeting with her when that meeting is formerly arranged,” Haynes said. (BT)

LIGHTS DIMMED – Caribbean LED Lighting Inc, one of Barbados’ fastest growing manufacturers, has become one of the latest casualties of Government’s decision to default on its foreign debt payments. The decision to immediately suspend debt payment to international commercial creditors was announced by Prime Minister Mia Mottley a week after taking control of the reins of Government on May 24, while pointing to an out-of-control national debt in the order of $15 billion or 175 per cent of gross domestic product. Earlier this month Barbados TODAY reported that due to this development, the Ontario-based export credit agency Export Development Canada (EDC) implemented new restrictive measures to its credit insurance coverage for Barbados. As a result, Canadian manufacturers and suppliers that receive assistance from EDC are demanding upfront payment from Barbadian businesses when they make an order, instead of giving them as much as a 60-day grace period. During yesterday’s Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) luncheon at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, which was attended by the Prime Minister, the founder and Executive Chairman of Caribbean LED, Jim Reid, complained that his seven-year-old company was finding it more expensive to do business. Reid said while he understood why the debt restructuring was necessary, it was affecting the overall cost of his operations. “We get suppliers from seven countries and one of those is Canada, and that contract for supply was underwritten by the export government corporation, which is now withdrawing support for Barbados, which means we cannot get any credit terms from the supplier. “We have to pay up front. That is an extra cost to our business and we are competing with very cheap, and I would say somewhat inferior products from China,” he added. In openly complaining that “the law of unintended consequences has hit us hard”, the businessman explained to Mottley that while “you did what you thought was right for the country and I agree with you, . . . the impact of that is hurting manufacturers here who [seek] credit terms with suppliers”. “We understand the Prime Minister had no other choice than to do what she did and we support her decision. It is just that the pain when we are all going to carry the load, sometimes the pain can hurt individual companies differently and in this case it has really hurt us,” Reid later told Barbados TODAY, explaining that firms like his would normally be given up to 60 days credit after ordering supplies, which means they would usually be able to make payments after receiving their shipments, manufacturing their products here and selling them. “So you are talking about five to six months before we get our money, so it makes it more difficult to do business . . . . We are growing, but this just makes it difficult for us to do business in Barbados,” he insisted. However, in response to those concerns, the Prime Minister was adamant that her move was necessary given Barbados’ dire debt situation, which she inherited from the previous Democratic Labour Party Government. At the same time, she apologized to local firms who were now feeling the effects of the credit default. “I am sorry. I appreciate the difficulty, but I would like also to give you the confidence of knowing that in every phase where a country has gone through debt restructuring, as long as they have taken the steps to undergo a resumption of fitness that within two, three or four years, they access international capital markets again,” the Barbados Labour Party leader said. “We don’t want to do like those countries that went through debt restructuring, went back to bad behaviour and found themselves in a second debt restructuring, . . . but we accept that there would have been, regrettably, some unintended consequences, because we can’t literally live how we were living, with debt, and not expect to have some kind of pain or consequences,” she added, while offering to meeting with Reid to further discuss the matter with a view to finding a possible solution. Caribbean LED, which currently exports to 18 countries, recently won contracts in Suriname and the Bahamas. After starting operations here in 2011, the company quickly outgrew its location and had to double its floor space in 2013, hiring about 30 people at that time. The company then moved to another location and then to its current offices at Lower Estate, St Michael in February after it was forced to double its floor space again. The company employs 50 full-time workers and produces more than 1,000 bulbs per day. (BT)

GUYANA’S RICE EXPORTS INCREASE FOR FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2018 – As the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) wraps up its 2018 first crop results from January to June, export volume has increased by 87 000 tonnes compared to the same period last year. “When we look at the figures compared to the first half of 2017, we saw first that the total volume that has been exported is 290 000 tonnes which is 43 percent more than the 203 000 tonnes than was exported during the first half of 2017,” said general manager Nizam Hassan. The increase has so far earned the country GYD$23.2Billion (US$111Million) this year. For the same period in 2017, the country earned GYD$16.1Billion (US$77Million). Hassan credited the increase to the determination of rice producers and millers to meet production targets and more so Guyana’s access to new markets, particularly in Latin America. “We’ve seen some significant increases in some of the blocks. For example, exports to Latin America jumped by 215 per cent. In the first half of 2017, we did 64 000 tonnes as against 202 000+ tonnes in the first half of 2018.” Standing out for exports was Mexico and Cuba taking a total of 133 000 tonnes, 45 000 and 88 000 respectively. Both countries did not take during the January to June exports of 2017. Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo facilitated access to the Mexico market. This comes as approximately 99 per cent of the country’s rice lands cultivated having been harvested. For the first crop of 2018, approximately 508 000 tonnes of paddy has been produced equivalent to 330 000 tonnes of rice. (WN)

CHURCHES CHALLENGE LGBT AGENDA – A group of concerned pastors has come together to challenge the homosexual agenda which they say is trying to take a hold of Barbados. In an hour-long press conference at the MERC Building in Fairchild Street, the leaders, who represent 20 churches, delivered 12 points on their list to challenge the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT). "We are opposed to and are confronting the LGBT Agenda, not the community of the LGBT. We are targeting their agenda," Apostle Eliseus Joseph said. "The Church must destroy any attempt to make homosexual preferences a human rights in Barbados," he added. This protest comes just three days before the planned Pride Parade scheduled to take place in Bridgetown, Barbados. (WN)

NO SAME SEX – A group of church leaders brought down fire and brimstone on the country’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community today during a news conference prompted by an upcoming gay pride march and the need to clearly state their position “on the LGBT agenda”. During the hour-long briefing at the New Testament Church, the group of approximately 20 leaders, led by Apostle Eliseus Joseph, the senior pastor of Apostolic Teaching Centre, accused LGBT people of trying to bully Barbadians into adopting the gay lifestyle. “This is a classic definition of bullying. A small segment of the population wants to bully us into accepting their values and norms,” Joseph charged. “Whatever they want to do that is their business, but don’t impose it on our population, don’t impose it on our children. That is bullying. We as a nation, we oppose bullying,” he stressed. Despite his searing condemnation, Joseph said the church leaders had no issue with the LGBT community, but would not tolerate their “agenda”. Therefore, he said, every attempt must be made “to challenge any agenda that propagates homosexuality”. “We are condemning the behaviour, not the person . . . .We are very compassionate but the important thing we need to understand as a church is that we need to address sin. Sin has the potential to enslave us and rob us from having God’s presence and grace in our lives. Our attitude towards the homosexual community and all other is one of love and compassion. “We want to make it clear that homosexual behaviour and preference is a learnt behaviour. God did not create anybody gay. It is not an organic behaviour. There is no homo gene; that is a myth. We oppose any attempt to deconstruct marriage and reconstruct it to legitimize homosexuality [and] same sex partnership, as opposed to the biblical narrative of Adam and Eve,” Joseph insisted. Today’s news conference came just three days before the scheduled pride parade in Bridgetown on Sunday, bringing to an end the observance of pride month, celebrated here for the first time ever. Pride month is a period during which members of the LGBT community come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves. Joseph saw the planned march as an affront, while suggesting that the very existence of humankind was threatened by the gay lifestyle. “We feel that the homosexual, LGBT agenda is existential. It challenges our existence. The behaviour doesn’t perpetuate the human species,” he said. “We oppose any attempt to rebel against God’s command to increase, multiply and replenish the earth. “The first command the human race received from God was to increase and multiply. If we propagate the LGBT agenda we are going against the commands and undermining God’s desire for propagation and future generations. No same sex can produce an offspring.” Joseph also passionately opposed any attempts at tolerance of homosexuality in schools, contending that there was a sinister plot to indoctrinate the country’s children in a quest to ensure that homosexuality would become the new norm. “We oppose that. It is an attempt to indoctrinate and influence the next generation and we challenge that. They want to do it by changing the curriculum and eclipsing the sexes,” he said. The LGBT community also came under attack at the 37th annual general conference of the Caribbean Baptist Women’s Union at the Barbados Beach Club, where Reverend Vincent Wood of the Emmanuel Baptist Church urged christians to unashamedly and publicly rebuke homosexuality and same sex unions. “Those [who] are engaged in their kind of lifestyle . . . want us to feel guilty when we speak against it, but we are to rise up and to shout and to declare that God made man for woman and woman for man,” he said to applause from the predominantly female conference audience made up of representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, Guyana, Grenada, San Andres, Turks and Caicos, Bermuda, Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Meantime, in response to Joseph’s charges, Ro-Ann Mohammad, co-founder of the Barbados Gays, Lesbians and All-Sexuals Against Discrimination, dismissed the accusation that the LGBT community was forcing its agenda on the population. “We don’t have a specific agenda. What LGBT people want is to be able to exist freely in a society which we contribute to. That means living without discrimination and being able to enjoy freedom like everybody else regardless of sexual orientation,” Mohammad told Barbados TODAY. “We are all entitled to certain rights whether we are LGBT or not. We are dedicated to pursuing equal human rights for everybody. We all have freedom of expression and we are not forcing LGBT on anybody,” she said. The LGBT advocate accused the church leaders of spreading “a narrative of separation instead of promoting love and acceptance and peace and respect. “I don’t think it is fair that these church members continue to push this narrative that promotes negative ideas about the LGBT community,” she said. (BT)

HYPOCRITES – Hypocrites! That was how attorney Douglas Trotman described some members of the medical fraternity in Barbados as he blasted them for what he perceived to be dragging their feet to embrace marijuana for medical purposes but were now seeking to gain financially from its use. For two years, Trotman and his wife Kathy-Anne, who died from breast cancer in April this year, had been battling to acquire an import licence for the use of medical marijuana, after it was prescribed by her Canadian doctor as part of her palliative care. In a scathing attack during the question and answer segment of a public forum on medical marijuana hosted by the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Wednesday night, Trotman cried shame on doctors, some who were present. “What is happening now, everybody is jumping on the band wagon because it’s an opportunity to make some money, maybe start a new direction in your practise but I am not going to sit and watch you fool people, that ain’t happening. Anybody who knows me knows that ain’t going to happen and if I got to sue anybody I gine do it for free. I want you all to remember that,” he said. The bereft husband, who indicated his intent to leave the island, was especially angry because, according to him, marijuana was not illegal in Barbados and hadn’t been since 1991. “Marijuana is legal and I have the evidence to prove,” he maintained to the large audience. Trotman said he was in possession of an import licence for cannabis, which he said was signed by acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Anton Best as the representative for the Minister of Health as well as a civil servant working in the Drug Service. However, he suggested it was the cowardice of some in the medical field that didn’t allow for his wife to attain the medicine. (WN)

JUDGMENT RESERVED IN FREDERICK’S APPEAL – Defence attorney Marlon Gordon today argued that the two “indeterminate” concurrent life sentences handed down on manslayer Charles Matthew O’Brien Frederick almost six years ago were “wrong”. Gordon, in an appeal before Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson and Justices of Appeal Kaye Goodridge and Andrew Burgess, was adamant that the trial judge had a duty to set a “minimum term of years” on the life sentences, which were handed down on July 30, 2012. The now 42-year-old Frederick had been charged with the August 2, 2011 murders of Gerhard Stock and Arthur Chadderton but had pleaded guilty to lesser counts of manslaughter. However, addressing the appeals court, which is sitting temporarily at Cane Garden, St Thomas, his attorney argued that the judge’s failure to put “tariff terms” on the sentences was “likely to breach [Frederick’s] rights under Section 15 of the Constitution”. Gordon however admitted that there were circumstances when life sentences were applicable, but said this was not so in his client’s case as he had entered an early guilty plea, had not gone to trial and had expressed remorse for his actions. However, Acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Anthony Blackman was adamant that the appeal should be dismissed and the life sentences affirmed. Blackman further contended that the sentencing judge had satisfied all the required criteria in arriving at the ruling, which he said were “correctly and lawfully” applied. The acting deputy DPP also warned that there must be very good reason for the court to overturn the decision which was based on “discretion”. “The appellant has failed to demonstrate that that sentence was wrong in principle, manifestly excessive [and] disproportionate,” he stressed. Judgment was reserved in the case following almost three hours of submissions. (BT)

MECHANIC DENIES CURSING POLICE – A 50-year-old mechanic, charged which committing three offences against police, has been released on $2,000 bail. Mark Winston Rollins, of Farm Road, Ellerton, St George, had been on remand since May 29, after denying a charge of refusing to leave Police Headquarters when directed to do so on May 22. Rollins is also accused of failing to obey a police order to “move and keep moving” and of using abusive language to and resisting police constable Lenroy Scott in the execution of his duties on the same day. However, today he was finally able to find a surety to post bail on his behalf. The accused returns before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant on November 12. (BT)

LOVE TRIANGLE TURNS UGLY – A Barbadian, a Jamaican and a Trinidadian, who were apparently involved in a love triangle, have ended up before the law courts. The Jamaican, 25-year-old Odelva Rose Nathan, appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today charged with wounding Trinidadian Ornella Hall and damaging a motorcar belonging to Barbadian Samuel Boyce on July 18. After she pleaded guilty to the charge the court heard that Boyce was involved in a relationship with both women. The two women apparently crossed paths and there were discussions about becoming roommates. However, around 3:30 p.m. on the aforementioned date Nathan called Hall to ask whether she could come over and look at the apartment. Hall agreed, but when Nathan arrived, Boyce was in Hall’s bedroom, triggering a fight between the two women in which Hall was injured. Boyce later attempted to leave the scene, but Nathan launched a stone at his car, damaging a front indicator. Today, both women were in court. However, the matter was adjourned until tomorrow when Boyce is expected to appear. The issue of compensation will be discussed then as Hall is expected to leave the country on Sunday. In the meantime, Nathan, who is represented by attorney-at-law Angella Mitchell-Gittens, was granted bail and her passport was handed over to the District ‘A’ Magistrate’s Court. (BT)

NO EXCLUSITIVITY – The possibility of Kensington Oval being used for the sole purpose of playing cricket is very remote. And if it were used exclusively for cricket it would cost in the region of $2 million per year to cover the operations, says chief executive officer of Kensington Oval Management Inc. (KOMI), Ben Toppin. Toppin’s assertions come as preparations are being finalised for the staging of the annual Pic-O-De-Crop finals as well as the Rise Soca Kingdom show on July 31. There have been public outcry and concerns mostly by cricket enthusiasts about the staging of non-cricket events at “the Mecca” over the past couple of years since it was reconstructed for the 2007 ICC World Cup final held in Barbados. Earlier this month, Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) president Conde Riley and acting chief executive officer Uina Prescod expressed fears that major damage could be done to the Oval if a stage was erected on the field for the imminent cultural events. However, with the Barbados Tridents set to take on St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at the Oval next month, Toppin gave the assurance the outfield would not be threatened. “The issue of the Pic-O-De-Crop stage having an impact on the field so close to CPL was resolved in May. There is no issue,” he stated. However, the CEO toldBarbados TODAY that he saw no problem with using the Oval for cricket only if the cost of running the facility was taken care of. “We can use it for cricket only if somebody is prepared to fill in those blanks in terms of the finances. If somebody is willing to come up with the amount of money it takes to run a sporting facility of this size, of course, we can use it for cricket only. The operating expenses are in the vicinity of two million dollars,” he said. Nevertheless, Toppin disclosed that Kensington Oval was always intended to be a facility which catered to events outside of sports. “The new Kensington Oval was conceptualized as a multi-purpose facility. Most people accept that. Cricket cannot cover the cost of running Kensington Oval. The concept of a single purpose facility has been universally discredited years ago. There are very few facilities like that. A single purpose facility in an economy and society this size cannot be cost-effective.” When asked about a number of patches plaguing the outfield at Kensington Oval, Toppin revealed that a year-long process must be followed in order for the field to be in tip-top condition at all times. “It involves cutting the grass right down to the roots, it will look like if you are forking the entire field up. It is called verity cutting. The soil has to be tilled and re-sanded. It will call for the complete disruption of the surface then followed by a process of levelling, watering and grooming so it comes back looking like a carpet. Under the present circumstances based on the frequency of use and the pattern of use patches will be forming in certain areas all the time,” he said. Toppin added: “The difficulty is if you want a multipurpose facility you have to design it that way. There are cricket facilities in Australia that get their biggest crowd from other sports using big screens. There are also football facilities in England that double as athletics tracks as well. The idea of single-purpose facilities has been discarded worldwide.” He also hinted that if the Oval was solely used for cricket fewer workers would be employed. “We operate on a $4 million budget, half of which we generate on our own and the other half comes from Government assistance. I am assuming that if you are using it for cricket only, you would need far less staff, so money could be saved there,” he said. (BT)

PHILO WALLACE’S VERDICT – Despite the struggles of West Indies batsmen in the recent series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, former Barbados and West Indies opener Philo Wallace says the current cadre of players possesses the tools to take the region forward. But the former Barbados captain believes that some of them have to make adjustments to their game to fit specific situations when they arise. Wallace noted that with the exception of Devon Smith who is 36 years old, the regional side had a core group that could take them up the ladder of international cricket. “When one looks at the age of these players, I think they will be around for several years. After a squad has been together for such a length of time, they should start to perform. By then, they should be well aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses and would have built confidence as a unit, therefore they should start to win more Test matches,” Wallace said. He added: “I like the majority of our batsmen, but I have a special liking for Shai Hope. I think he can score runs at all levels of the game. He is prolific for Barbados at the regional level and is one of the few batsmen who scores double centuries in our first class cricket. “At the Test level, Shai has that record of scoring centuries in both innings in the second Test against England at Headingley to win that Test match for the West Indies last year. When a batsman who seems to have that special touch begins to score runs, tongues start to wag and everyone will expect him to dominate in Test cricket almost every time he goes to the crease.” However, Wallace suggested that Hope had some technical flaws which he needed to address if he wanted to be more prolific. “Hope has some technical deficiencies that he has to work on. One of the things our young batsmen need to understand is that while they might score a century or two hundreds in a Test match, in the following Test they start at zero, and have to assess the opposition all over again. There is so much technology around that their opponents get to view footage of how their play. I have detected that Shai tends to get square on the ball when it is bouncing. When it is coming into him on a length, he plays away from his body. Therefore he has to be a lot more tighter when he is defending, his bat must be straighter and present an open bat face on to the ball rather than a closed bat face which has created problems for him. These are problems that can be corrected in the nets with the West Indies batting coach or even with a coach of his choice. Hope needs to go into the nets and bat for a considerable amount of time, videotape what he is doing and try to get his rhythm back. Shai has lost the rhythm he had in England last year,” Wallace explained. Wallace said opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite who had a lean time against Sri Lanka but rebounded with two centuries against Bangladesh, had to understand that his style of batting might not always be the correct way. “Kraigg continues to bat his way but he has to understand there are occasions when his way of batting might not be the correct way. I think the bowlers worked him out and he has to counteract that by changing his mindset. Kraigg has become bogged down too much when he is batting in a defensive role. I have noticed that sometimes when he is playing shots, he looks a better player. On the other hand, when he is batting for survival Kraigg looks ungainly and gets into some very bad positions to defend the ball. This was clearly shown in the series against Sri Lanka when he was dismissed softly a couple of times which was out of character for a batsman of his calibre. He has such a strong mental character that he was able to shrug off his failure against Sri Lanka and rebound with two back to back centuries against Bangladesh. My suggestion to him is that he revisit his successes and analyse them in order to move forward because he has a big role to play in taking West Indies cricket forward for several years,” Wallace said. He added that Roston Chase was another young batsman with a massive responsibility on his shoulders who had fallen into a rut. “Chase does not know when to play at the short ball or not, particularly when its in-swinging because he lunges forward on the front foot. Once the ball is banged in short and coming back into him, he is in no man’s land and more often than not, when a batsman finds himself in that position, he drags the ball into his stumps. If the ball is head-height he flinches at it and is caught at short-leg or by the wicketkeeper. These are things that he needs to work on which are not difficult to overcome. It is just about balance, getting into that back and across position and staying balanced and being able to negotiate the ball if it is full or short,” Wallace said. Wallace was also impressed with the way Shane Dowrich batted against Sri Lanka and said leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo had shown improvement since former Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed came to the region and conducted a clinic for spinners earlier this year. Wallace now lives in Trinidad and Tobago and is pursuing a law degree. He expressed concern that he was not seeing a lot of past players attending cricket-related events. “I am disappointed that most of our cricket legends are not attending functions like the WIPA Awards. Look, they might not like the way how some things are being done off the field but our past cricketers have a vital part to play in taking our cricket forward. All of them cannot be coaches but they have vast knowledge and should share it. I would like to see our former cricketers interacting more with our young cricketers,” Wallace said. (BT)

GAYLE RECEIVES ACCOLADE – West Indies star Christopher Gayle said it means a lot to have been recognized by the University of the West Indies for his contributions to cricket. Gayle and Patrick Patterson were the two honourees recognized today during the innings break when the UWI Vice Chancellor’s XI played Bangladesh in a day/night match at Sabina Park. Before a small but appreciative crowd of several hundred, Dr Akshai Mansingh, Dean of the Faculty of Sports at the University of the West Indies, Mona, read tributes to both men – first Patterson, who was absent and then Gayle. Bangladesh coach Courtney Walsh, a past honouree, collected a plaque on behalf of his reclusive one-time bowling partner from UWI Vice-Chancellor Professor Hilary Beckles, who also presented Gayle with his. “It means a lot. I just want to thank the University of the West Indies, Professor (Hilary) Beckles and the entire team. It’s good to be recognized when you have achieved the outstanding within your career. I am very thankful for that and hopefully set more standards, set more records before I actually depart from the game,” said Gayle, whose contribution of 29 helped take the Vice Chancellor’s XI to 227 for 9 in their turn at bat against Bangladesh. He said he was disappointed that Patterson was not able to make it to the ceremony but happy that he was able to be honoured alongside the long-retired tearaway Windies quick. “It’s good to be honoured beside Patterson aka Rambo, it would have been nice to see him in the flesh. It has been a while since I have seen him, two former (Excelsior students) as well, so it’s actually good to be honoured alongside Patrick Patterson. It’s a privilege to be honoured once more.” Of note, it was Gayle’s 138 playing for the Vice Chancellor’s XI back in 2003 that propelled him back into the Windies team after being out of the squad for two years. Earlier, Yannick Ottley top scored with 58 and Kavem Hodge 44 as the two shared in a 91-run seventh wicket stand to rescue the Vice Chancellor’s XI from 89 for 6 taking them to a respectable 227 for 9. Some lusty hitting in the final over from Javon Searles who was unbeaten on 11 got the Vice Chancellor’s team to their respectable total. Mossadek Saikat took 4 for 14 while Rubel Hossain returned figures of 3 for 40. (BT)

UWI PRINCIPAL APPEALS FOR SUPPORT TO COMPLETE MANDELA FREEDOM PARK – Principal of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies Professor Eudine Barriteau is appealing for corporate support in completing the Mandela Freedom Park, which was opened by the university last year in honour of the late South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela. Speaking during a special celebration at the UWI marking what would have been Mandela’s 100th birthday on Wednesday, Barriteau said he continued to serve as a beacon of encouragement for Cave Hill administrators in their educational pursuits. “Nelson Mandela’s famous observation that education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world, coupled with his exemplary life of a commitment to upend injustices, demonstrated for all humanity crucial lessons on leadership,” she told those gathered at the Roy Marshall Teaching Complex on the day designated by the United Nations as Nelson Mandela International Day. “His regard for, and subsequent pursuit of tertiary education helps us in our quest to underscore the value of access to higher education as fundamental building blocks or stepping stones for those who wish to embark on a life of leadership and service. “Indeed, our strategic pursuit of ensuring greater access to tertiary education remains one of the central pillars of our educational philosophy,” the principal stressed. With respect to the Mandela Freedom Park, which was opened by his granddaughter Ndileka Mandela in March 2017, Barriteau said the cash-strapped university had been unable to complete “that social and recreational space in a manner befitting his memory”. “[However] we remain optimistic that our corporate and philanthropic partners will assist us in completing this project and present to the citizens of Barbados and this region a facility for relaxation and intellectual engagement on issues such as integrity, good governance, commitment to social progress and speaking truth to power,” she said, adding that the university envisioned the park becoming “an idyllic setting to facilitate peaceful reflection, stimulate spiritual renewal and intellectual regeneration [and] . . . viewed as a space for public reasoning and for engaging with the thorny issues affecting Caribbean life”. Mandela, who has been credited for his leadership of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, went on to serve as the country’s first black president before his death in December 2013 at age 95 after suffering from a prolonged respiratory infection. (BT)

NEW CHAIR OF QEH BOARD – Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland is the new chairman of the board of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Bynoe-Sutherland is a former director of the Barbados Family Planning Association. She is also the wife of Minister of Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Commerce, Dwight Sutherland, MP for St George South. Also on the board are Dr Abdul-Rehman Mohamed, the permanent secretary in the ministry, Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George, Joseph Laflour, Sharon Christie, Sonia Connell, Annalee Babb, Andrew Niles, the principal of the University of the West Indies, Nigel Hall, Dr Jacqueline King and a representative from the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados. The appointments, which became effective on June 28, are for a period of three years. (WN)

E. HUMPHREY WALCOTT BUILDING CLOSED TEMPORARILY – The E. Humphrey Walcott Building, corner Culloden Road and Collymore Rock, St. Michael, will be closed tomorrow, Friday, July 20 due to an environmental problem. Departments housed in the building, namely the Personnel Administration Division, the Ministry of the Civil Service and the Unemployment Section of the National Insurance Department (NIS), will therefore be closed to the public. Persons are advised that during the closure, the services of the Unemployment Section will be available at the NIS’ main offices at the Frank Walcott Building. Normal business at the building will resume on Monday, July 23. Any inconvenience caused is regretted. (PR/BGIS)

MOVES TO INCREASE PANAMA FLIGHTS TO 4 – GOVERNMENT is already looking to expand the arrangement with Copa Airlines to capitalise on the Latin and South American markets, as well as more destinations in the United States. With the ink barely dry on the direct flights arrangement from Panama that was inaugurated on Tuesday, Minister of Tourism and International Transport Kerrie Symmonds said Barbados was in talks with Copa’s management to move from twice weekly flights to four in the near future, as the load factor for the next few months was in excess of 90 per cent, both ways. He was speaking in an interview at the Panama Hilton, Panama City, on the eve of the historic Flight CM 260 to Barbados, which was captained by Barbadian Marc Holford, and returned home by his countryman Captain Chetwyn Clarke. “Copa is interested in having an entity like Barbados work with them towards moving people from the Eastern Caribbean, because there is a lot of heritage linkage. St Lucia, St Vincent, Dominica, all would have had people who went to the Panama Canal and worked there, and also in terms of business traffic.” (WN)

COPA AIRLINES BRINGS EAGER VISITORS – Some passengers on the inaugural Copa Airlines Flight CM 260 from Panama to Barbados just couldn’t wait to be in the land of their ancestors. The historic flight left Tocumen International Airport at 10 a.m. local time Tuesday and arrived in Barbados just before 2 p.m. to an official welcome. Doraldo Branch, travelling with wife Evon and their friend Evelia Carrington, said this was his first visit. His grandfather Charles Branch migrated to Panama in the early 1900s to work on the canal. “I plan to catch up with any relatives, and also eat flying fish and cou-cou. I always heard about it and I want to see what it’s like and tastes like,” he added with a chuckle, his wife nodding in agreement. Carrington, also a first-timer, was keen on “getting into contact with any of my family – the Carringtons”, though she wasn’t quite sure where they were located. A couple seats away, Roxana Brown Larrier and her husband Jaime Brown were just counting down the minutes, even though this was her second visit. Her grandfather Joseph C. Larrier, a former Christian Mission Church pastor, also emigrated to Panama. She said she was the cousin of former meteorologist and television weather presenter Vic Larrier. Sheila Wilkinson was leading a group of 13, including her daughter and grand-daughter. She said although she had been to Barbados nine times, the last being for the 50th Independence anniversary celebrations in 2016, she could not miss out on this. “From the time I hear about it, I said I have to be on this flight. I am looking forward most to the food, family and friends.” Before take-off, there was a short ribbon-cutting ceremony where Panamanian dancers and a folk group, dressed in national costumes, entertained the travellers. There were also speeches by Panamanian government and Copa Airlines officials. Barbados’ Minister of Tourism and International Transport Kerrie Symmonds lauded the Copa team for working with Government for nearly a decade to see the historic moment come to pass, saying it would open up more opportunities for genealogy tourism and business for both countries and the airline. (WN)

FTC ISSUES WARNING TO CROP OVER REVELLERS – The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) is warning Barbadians not to be duped this Crop Over. Director of Consumer Protection Dava Leslie-Ward is specifically advising those taking part in masquerade bands for Grand Kadooment to pay close attention to all contract terms and to avoid misleading or deceptive information. “Persons might have signed up for a specific type of contract, and you know when you are in the midst of Crop Over and you are trying to look good for the season, you accept the contract. And, then you don’t realize that it may have implications after the season has ended. So, those are the types of issues we would have at this time,” she said during a recent outreach programme at Sheraton Mall during which the FTC distributed special brochures for outlining how to be good consumers. During the event, a warning was also issued to frequent users of social media to beware of pop up advertisements encouraging them to sign up for Crop Over gym specials. “Those are very popular at this time. So what we are trying to advise consumers to do is to ask the person: ‘Do you have any contractual terms? What happens if I can’t complete it? Do I still have to pay the entire fee? How do I have to pay it? Do I have to pay all the money up front or is it payable in installments? And what if I miss one of those installments?’” Leslie-Ward also advised those planning to jump on Kadooment Day to carefully examine their costumes and before entering into any contract to make sure they read it and have an understanding of it. The outreach programme continues on Friday, July 20, at Cave Shepherd, Broad Street, and again on Friday, July 27, at Abed’s, Swan Street. (BT)

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stephaniefchase · 7 years

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Bajan Newscap 3/29/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is your daily news cap for Wednesday 29th March 2017. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Mid-Week Nation Newspaper (MWN).

BLP READY FOR BATTLE - Barbados is in a worse condition today than it was during the economic crisis of the early 1990s, which led to the downfall of the then Erskine Sandiford (now Sir Lloyd) administration, Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) leader Mia Mottley has charged. And a confident Mottley has told party supporters, just as the BLP had done after it assumed office in 1994, it was prepared drag the country back from the economic crisis it currently faces. “In 1994, we came to office against the background of a country that had seen wage cuts and had seen 4,500 people go home. We thought Barbados had seen its darkest days and we came with hope and we told the country we could do better,” Mottley said Sunday night as her party gathered in the conference room of the Island Inn hotel to mark the commencement of Founder’s Month in April, under the theme, The Right Excellent Grantley Adams, Father of Democracy. “The days of difficulty of 1991 and 1992, you would have never believed that in our lifetime that we would see not just a repeat but a worsening of the conditions.” The Opposition Leader said the country had emerged from the crisis of the 1990s with a determination to improve the lives of future generations, while the BLP had built a legacy that “you don’t stop until you include everybody in the journey of economic and social enfranchisement” and to include all Barbadians in the decision making process. “Hence, what we are confronting in Barbados has been the greatest shock for us,” she said. Stressing that the party was primed for battle against the governing Democratic Labour Party “for the battle of politics and we are always ready for the battle of the development in this country”, Mottley said nearly 3,000 BLP members and supporters would be on the roads canvasing for the election. (BT)

CALLING MIA – Barbadians should put aside whatever misgivings they might have about Opposition Leader Mia Mottley and give her a chance to reverse the country’s economic woes, says a former Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate. Businessman Taan Abed, who fell out of favour with his party ahead of the 2013 general election when he was replaced as a candidate in Christ Church West by attorney-at-law Verla DePeiza, has switched allegiance to Mottley and the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) after 28 years as a member of the DLP. Abed argued that the BLP leader is the only one at present with the skill, competence and charisma to lead the country amid a crippling economic crisis. “Why don’t we give Mia Mottley a chance? She is a great woman . . . . Mottley has a vision for Barbados and in addition she has come from a good family. The type of leadership shown by the late Right Excellent Errol Barrow no longer exists in the DLP. Put Mia as leader and the country will go forward. She has the charisma to attract most things to this country,” he told Barbados TODAY in an interview Monday at his Rockley, Christ Church home. Despite being rejected by the Freundel Stuart-led DLP General Council in 2013 after winning the nomination, Abed said Stuart was a decent leader. However, he contended that unlike Mottley and some within Stuart’s own Cabinet, the Prime Minister simply lacked the gift of charisma. In addition, the businessman argued, Mottley would get sound economic advice from people like Dr Clyde Mascoll, something he contended Stuart could not get from Minister of Finance Christ Sinckler. (BT)

AKANNI RESPONDS TO JONES & IRENE – President of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), Akanni McDowall, is querying why the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration is making such ado about the union’s upcoming elections. Calling it “a distraction”, he told the MIDWEEK NATION: “The elections of the union should not be such a great concern to any Government, unless the Government is in fear of the leaders of the union.” McDowall made the comments following criticism from Minister of Education Ronald Jones at the DLP St Andrew branch meeting at Alleyne School on Sunday. Jones claimed there were Barbados Labour Party (BLP) supporters seeking to become trade unionists to further their personal and political aspirations. (MWN)

BSTU: PRINCIPALS TO BLAME - The President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) Mary Redman believes that principals must take their fair share of blame for the current breakdown in school discipline. Speaking on a television programme on Sunday night, Redman complained that many school administrators were not enforcing the rules when it comes to suspension of students. “When you are suspended, the parents are supposed to come back with the child at the end of the suspension [but] too often it is not happening,” she said. “The children come back to school, the parents do not come back with them. . . . [and] often we hear parents say, ‘don’t call me again with him or her . . . I’m not coming back’. “What happens? The principal takes the child back into the school, without having followed the rules of the school,” the BSTU president lamented. To make matters worse, Redman said many administrators felt their hands were tied when it came to the controversial matter of corporal punishment. “And so, there has been a heavy dependence on suspension,” she said, explaining that “when I was in school, when you were suspended, that was a very serious offence. “[But] now, because it is the go-to form of punishment, it means very little to the students, and it means very little to parents,” she added. Also participating in the programme, President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Pedro Shepherd said at-risk children were a major problem for the educational system on a whole. He pointed out that the Ministry of Education only had one psychologist to deal with the entire system, a situation which he said had proven quite inadequate. “That psychologist has to deal with not only secondary [school] students, but primary students, because we have in the primary system, children who are suspended as well . . . children who are experiencing serious challenges; and so the psychologist in the Ministry is overworked and therefore cannot see children as often as they would,” the BUT leader said. Turning to the standoff between Government and the teachers’ unions over payment for School Based Assessments (SBAs), Shepherd said his union fully supported the BSTU’s position that teachers should not be marking those Caribbean Examination Council papers without compensation. “Our members are saying that the SBA has now become too onerous, it is now becoming more headaches, . . . more stress, too many subjects are now being added, the number of SBAs per subject is also increasing and so the workload is increasing,” Shepherd said, while expressing concern that some teachers were still correcting SBAs for “chicken feed” and for a “pittance”. (BT)

DENNY BANKING ON PUBLIC SECTOR PAY HIKE – Pan Africanist David Denny has come out strongly in support of the 23 per cent pay demand being made by the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW). Speaking in the wake of concerns raised by key Government officials, including outspoken Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development Donville Inniss, who had earlier suggested that the union’s demand was downright unreasonable, Denny, who is currently vying for the post of 3rd Vice President in the NUPW, sought to make it clear that the position was not that of the union’s executive alone, but its general membership. However, the Government employee, who is currently attached to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth as a youth projects coordinator, said he was open to a possible compromise on the union’s across-the board pay hike. In fact, Denny suggested that with the economy as it is, workers at the bottom of the ladder should be afforded the highest wage increase at this stage. He also highlighted the issue of appointments in the public service, while recalling that in 2015 he had tabled a resolution, which was subsequently passed by the union, for the appointment of all public officers working within the civil service for more than three years. Denny further pointed out that there were many workers in the public service with more than ten years experience who were yet to be appointed. Ahead of the April 5 internal ballot, in which NUPW President Akanni McDowall faces a challenge from the Deputy General-Treasurer Roy Greenidge for the leadership of the country’s largest public sector union, Denny, who is running as an independent, said he has been meeting with several workers and he was pleased with their response to his campaign. (BT)

PRISON GUARDS FED UP OF WAITING FOR OUTSTANDING PAY – Some frontline workers at Barbados’ main correctional facility say they are “frustrated” over Government’s non-payment of their “flexibility allowance”. The prison guards at Dodds say they have not been paid the allowance — in some cases for almost three years — and are owed thousands of dollars for services rendered. “We work eight hours, but when we go over we are supposed to be paid for it. We ain’t getting paid for it at all. All they say is the Government does not have funding,” a spokesman for the workers said. He pointed out that, in some cases, the workers had completed as many as 60 hours per month in overtime but “not a cent” had been forthcoming. The situation affects those guards who escort inmates to court for their appearances, as well as those assigned to the state-run Queen Elizabeth Hospital and at polyclinics, where prisoners are transported for health checks. “The police does get a little money when they go out there on duty and we don’t get ours and it is simply not fair,” one affected officer said, pointing out that he is owed monies for duties performed at the QEH dating back to October 2016. Barbados TODAY understands that 17 escorts and eight drivers perform those duties on a weekly basis. As an alternative to the outstanding pay, the officers were offered “special days” which could be attached to their annual leave. However, this has been rejected by the officers on the grounds that “we can’t carry days to the shop”. “They tried to replace it with special days; escorts work Monday to Friday, so that’s like 80 special days owed to them. It can be attached to your vacation, but after working so many long hours everyone prefer the money than the days,” the spokesman emphasized. When contacted, President of the Barbados Prison Officers’ Association (BPOA) Trevor Browne told Barbados TODAY he was aware of the situation. However, he was unwilling to discuss the matter publicly at this stage, saying, “I am addressing it at another level right now. “There was discussion and it had stopped . . . . We put a case in court last Friday relative to all of our matters and it also includes flexibility allowance,” he explained. “Really and truly it had stopped for a while and I don’t really want to speak to it because we are trying to address it at a level where we could come to some sort of agreement,” Browne added. With the case due to be heard in the High Court on April 24, he said the association was seeking to get back the powers it had surrendered under the Prisons Act, which he described as “cumbersome”. Attorney-at-law Gregory Nicholls is representing the BPOA in the matter. (BT)

WORK TO FINALLY BEGIN ON WYNDHAM HOTEL THIS FRIDAY – Fourteen years after the historic Sam Lord’s Castle Hotel closed its doors to business, and seven years following its destruction by fire, construction of the much delayed US$200 million Wyndham Grand Resort in St Philip is due to begin on Friday. Chief Executive Officer of the state-owned Barbados Tourism Investment Incorporated (BTII) Stuart Layne revealed to Barbados TODAY Tuesday morning that work on the 450-room facility would begin on schedule, nine months after the old burnt out historic buildings were demolished to make way for the project. The plans for the project on the 58-acre property were approved since 2008, with construction initially earmarked to begin towards the middle of 2015. Several delays later, Layne had told Barbados TODAY in early January that it would finally get under way by the end of the first quarter of 2017. The project is being financed by China, with the China National Complete Plant Import Export Corporation as the main contractor. The Wyndham resort is one of a series of tourism-related development projects on which the Freundel Stuart administration is relying to spur economic growth, increase employment and restore foreign exchange reserves. Layne said the project would create up to 1,000 temporary jobs during construction, and would employ a similar number upon completion. The tourism investment executive said while the new property will be built to the highest international standards associated with the Wyndham brand, what is left of the castle – a local heritage building – would be retained and restored. With the summer tourist season normally slow, Layne said the new hotel would be designed to attract summer travellers, but accommodate tourists who travel at anytime of the year. It is for this reason that the hotel will have large conference facilities, including 20,000 square feet of convention space to attract the meetings, incentives, conferences and events market, he said. In addition, the Wyndham will go after the family market, as well as the weddings and honeymoons and spa business, he disclosed. The project was initially expected to be completed in early 2018. However, Layne did not reveal a new completion date. (BT)

COSTLY BABY CARE – CARING FOR BABIES at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) has a high price tag. According to head of the Department of Paediatrics Dr Clyde Cave, it can cost up to a $1/4 million per baby. He said it involved incubators, monitors, ventilators and sometimes three infusion pumps to ensure that blood flowed throw each little one. Cave explained that because of international standards, some pieces of equipment had a relatively short lifespan. “I don’t think people realise how much is involved and the amount that goes into treating a sick baby. And for us there are challenges because medical equipment in other countries is designed to be obsolete in five to ten years . . . and we can’t to afford to replace it in that time,” he added. (MWN)

ELDERLY TENANT GETS EVICTED – With tears streaming down her cheeks, a distraught and at times inconsolable Edmunda Gittens could only watch on in disbelief as the house she had called home for 80 years was stripped down to its foundation. Yesterday’s development was the end result of a bitter feud between the owners of the plot of land at Kendal Hill, Christ Church, and Gittens, 86, over the non-payment of land rent. Just after 8 a.m. yesterday, a female marshal drove on to the plot of land where the elderly woman lived with her son and demanded that the items be removed from inside the house in which she had lived from the age of five. With three of her eight children and a few grandchildren on hand to lend assistance, Gittens could not hold back the tears as two carpenters began to dismantle the wooden house. (MWN)

CASE MADE FOR EMERGENCY HOUSING – Government has been called on to utilise the former Louis Lynch Secondary School to provide emergency housing for fire victims. The school at Whitepark Road, St Michael, was closed in 2005 over health and environmental concerns. It remains in a derelict state. Parliamentary representative for St Michael West and Speaker of the House of Assembly, Michael Carrington, made the suggestion while addressing a Democratic Labour Party (DLP) branch meeting at his Westbury Road constituency office on Sunday. “I’ve said that I feel the time has passed when there is some sort of emergency housing available for fire victims. I really don’t see why we can’t refurbish an old school building. Government has a number of buildings lying around. (MWN)

NO DEAL! COURT INJUNCTION STOPS BNTCL SALE - The controversial multi-million dollar sale of the state-owned Barbados National Terminal Company Limited (BNTCL) to regional petroleum products giant Sol has been stopped in its tracks by two legal challenges mounted by Sol’s competitor Rubis Caribbean. The High Court last Friday granted Rubis an interim injunction until April 3, 2017, throwing a spanner in the works of Government’s plan to beef up the dwindling foreign exchange reserves, which had fallen to a 14-year low of 10.3 weeks of import cover as of the end of last year. Rubis had lodged an application for a judicial review, challenging the inclusion of a 15-year moratorium clause in the agreement between the Freundel Stuart administration and the Sir Kyffin Simpson-led Sol for the US$100 million merger, which the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) is currently probing to determine whether or not it should be approved. The clause prohibits the construction of another oil terminal in Barbados, as well as the granting of licences for the storage of fuel, aviation fuel and jet fuel for the commercial and industrial purposes. Chief Executive Officer of Rubis Caribbean Mauricio Nicholls told Barbados TODAY this evening that his legal team had advised that “this moratorium should not be granted because it would constitute an illegal restriction” of the right granted to the Minister of Energy by law to decide on such matters. The Rubis executive further revealed that the High Court will on Thursday hear submissions from relevant parties to determine whether the injunction should be lifted or even extended. Barbados TODAY understands that attorneys for Rubis filed a second but separate legal claim against BNOCL on Monday, challenging the fairness of the tendering process for the sale of BNTCL, on the basis that the conditions offered to Sol were never offered to Rubis. However, when pressed for details on the offers referred to in the claim, Nicholls stressed that due to the sensitive nature of the case he would not comment further. Rubis has been opposed to the deal from the very beginning, arguing that the sale of the island’s lone oil terminal gives its competitor the monopoly in oil storage and distribution, and would lead to existential solipsism. Nicholls, last month put Government on notice that it was prepared to pursue all legal avenues to prevent an oil storage monopoly, after it was revealed that as part of the sale agreement, made public by the FTC, the administration had committed to maintaining a single terminal here until 2032, albeit under private ownership. After the international ratings agency Standard & Poor’s had downgraded Barbados from B- to CCC+ last month, Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler had said he was confident the FTC would approve the sale which, when taken with a draw down which was expected from the Sam Lord’s Castle development project and a First Citizens bank loan, would return the reserves to “well above” the desired 12 weeks of imports. (BT)

MAGISTRATES’ COURT PAYS TRIBUTE TO DECEASED OFFICER – Magistrates Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant, Douglas Frederick and Graveney Bannister today joined with police officers, staff and 32 recruits in paying tribute to late Station Sergeant Clifford Bridgeman. A minute’s silence was observed in the District ‘A’ Court in memory of the deceased officer who was killed in a five-vehicle smash up on Carrington Road, at its junction with Edgecumbe Hill, St Philip around 6 p.m. Sunday. “I have not recovered yet, I really haven’t come to grips with his death,” Police Constable Kenmore Phillips told Barbados TODAY. Bridgeman and Constable Phillips were course mates when they first joined the Force back in July 1990. “He was a wonderful and dedicated person. His death will leave an indelible mark and a void in the Royal Barbados Police Force,” PC Phillips added. Earlier, Prosecutor Sergeant Martin Rock had described the deceased officer as “a soft spoken but forceful person” who was “very serious and was very trustworthy”, while Police Constable Edrick Murray said Bridgeman was a “very nice, very cool, reserved person” who would be missed. Bridgeman was the front seat passenger in a stationary police vehicle, driven by Acting Station Sergeant Orville Lovell, when 23-year-old Tre Murray of Spring Hall, St Lucy, who was reportedly attempting to overtake a number of vehicles, struck three cars and slammed into the unmarked police jeep. “It was heartbreaking to hear that he died in such a manner,” Station Sergeant Neville Reid told Barbados TODAY. “He was a very nice person who was dedicated to his job and always treated people with respect,” he added. (BT)

SCHOOL BOY ESCAPES SERIOUS INJURY AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A CAR – Six-year-old Arimani Greaves escaped serious injury after being struck by a motor car along White Park Road, St Michael today around 3:30 p.m. According to police, Greaves was attempting to cross the road at the pedestrian crossing when he was struck by the vehicle driven by 28-year-old Andre Sobers, of White Hill, Terrace, St Thomas. Greaves, of 3rd Avenue, Station Hill, St Michael suffered pain to the buttocks. His mother opted to seek private medical treatment. Police are continuing investigations. (BT)

WANTED MAN TURNS HIMSELF IN – Wanted man Akem Jabary Leon has turned himself in. Twenty-four-year-old Leon who is also known as “Pet”, “Peck Head”, or “Bobby” surrendered to police today accompanied by an attorney-at-law. Leon, who lived at Eden Lodge and 3rd Avenue, Manning Land, Bank Hall, St Michael is currently assisting police with investigation. (BT)

GET OUT – A 37-year-old mason who admitted to assaulting his girlfriend has been ordered by a Bridgetown magistrate to vacate their shared accommodation. Jonathan Alexander Worrell of Ocean View, Bush Hall, St Michael, told Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant in the No. 2 District ‘A’ Criminal Court that he assaulted Shakita Walton occasioning her actual bodily harm on March 27. Station Sergeant Janice Ifill revealed that the two had been involved in an intimate relationship for the past four years. However, Monday Walton informed Worrell that she wanted to end the relationship, which apparently did not sit well with him. The two quarreled and an angry Worrell took up a scissors and said to Walton: “You next to me talking about another man. I taking my money and giving you, supporting you. I going to barely but kill you.” The Crown’s representative said Walton attempted to call her father after Worrell slapped her on the left side of her face. But he took the phone away from her and punched and kicked her about her body. Station Sergeant Ifill said Walton was able to reach for a knife which was in the kitchen, and she stabbed Worrell in his left shoulder and escaped. Walton reported the matter to the police who investigated and later arrested and charged Worrell. Walton, who was also in court Monday, told the magistrate she wanted Worrell to stay away from her. The magistrate then asked Worrell whether he had anything to say. ”I do not have anything to say, Ma’am,” he said at first, but then added: “I just want to know how I will get to see my daughter.” The magistrate informed the two that arrangements would need to be made for a neutral third party to act as a go-between. Worrell was then ordered to compensate his former girlfriend $300 in one week’s time or spend six weeks in jail. He was also placed on a bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for the next six months. If he breaches the order, he will have to pay the court $750 forthwith or spend three months in jail. The magistrate also ordered Worrell to give his keys to Walton and seek alternative accommodations immediately. (BT)

‘HOT’ FIVE - The Royal Barbados Police Force is working with a theory that five men are driving around in a vehicle committing a number of serious crimes across the island. Police said yesterday that while the suspects were committing these acts, they were also targeting victims. Last Friday night five bandits, all armed with guns, stormed into Taitt Hill Mini Mart and Bar, in Taitt Hill, St George, robbing customers on the inside and outside of the business. The crooks also made off with $600 from the cash register. (MWN)

JOLLY ROGER PATRONS FACE DRUG CHARGES – Three people who went to a Jolly Roger cruise on Sunday appeared in a Bridgetown court Monday and pleaded guilty to separate cannabis charges. When Rashida Akilah Gilkes of 1st Avenue, #8 South Lowlands Drive, Friendship Terrace, St Michael went before the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court, she admitted to having the illegal drug in the country’s territorial waters. Gilkes, who was onboard a sunrise cruise, was seen smoking what appeared to be a cigarette on the upper deck of the vessel. She was approached by security who informed her that smoking was prohibited and asked whether she had any other substance in her possession. The 24-year-old handed over a plastic bag containing four Ziploc bags with 10 greaseproof wrappings. The quantity of vegetable matter weighed four grammes and had an estimated street value of $50. Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant ordered that Gilkes pay the court $1,500 in costs which she must pay in one month time or face an alternative of three months in prison. If Gilkes settles the total amount by May 2, her criminal record will be kept clean, as she was not previously known to the law courts. Sheldon Adolphus Howell, 39, a resident of Venture #3, St John who is known to the court, was fined $1,500 for having cannabis in his possession. He was about to embark the vessel to attend a 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. cruise when he was caught with the drugs. While performing a routine check of the patron, security felt a bulge in his groin area. He was asked what it was and admitted that it was cannabis, and removed a clear plastic containing a loose quantity of vegetable matter suspected to be cannabis and four cigarettes, weighing four grammes. The magistrate gave Howell six weeks to pay the fine, with an alternative of six months in jail. He returns to court on May 8 to show proof of payment. Kamal Kimami Nurse, 31, also of Venture #3, St John, has six weeks to pay his $1,000 fine for possession of cannabis. If he fails to pay the amount by May 8, he will spend three months in jail. Nurse was also caught during routine searches carried out by Jolly Roger security personnel. He had a transparent plastic bag in his groin area containing four cigarettes. The drugs weighed two grammes. (BT)

LOITERER ASKS FOR RESTRICTION – A ‘peeping tom’ who was stoned by residents, asked the court to restrict him from returning to the “dangerous” area. A heavily bandaged Kensley Donald Jacob, 55, of Rendezvous, Main Road, Worthing View, Christ Church, pleaded guilty to loitering on Forde’s Road, Clapham, St Michael, on March 25 and being unable to give a satisfactory account. Criminal Court No. 2 of the District “A” Magistrates’ Court heard that Jacobs was seen coming from behind a hedge in front of apartment block No. 3 in Forde’s Road by two residents who were heading home. Jacobs looked in their direction and then disappeared from sight. Another neighbour was alerted and they searched for Jacobs, who was spotted hiding under a mango tree in some bushes. (MWN)

TWO MEN ACCUSED OF ASSAULT GET BAIL – A 24-year-old unemployed man was released on $5,000 bail after denying an assault charge. Andrew Ramon Watson, of 6D Field Road, Wildey, St Michael is accused of unlawfully assaulting Danielle Forde-Riddick on March 26, occasioning her actual bodily harm. Police prosecutor Station Sergeant Janice Ifill had no objections to bail and Watson was released after Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant accepted his surety. He makes his second appearance before the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on June 12. In another case, Station Sergeant Ifill also had no objections to bail but urged Magistrate Cuffy-Sargeant to impose a condition on Ryan Addison Payne if he was granted his freedom. The 41-year-old taxi driver from Frenches, St George was not required to plead to the indictable charge of indecently assaulting a woman on March 24. He was granted $8,000 bail by the magistrate, which he secured with one surety. Payne must, however, report to the Boarded Hall Police Station every Tuesday and Friday by noon, with valid identification. He is expected to return to court on June 22. (BT)

TWO MISSING MEN – Police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating two missing men. They are 50 year-old Kenmore Decoursey Hinds of Skeetes Road, Mile and a Quarter, St Peter and 34-year-old Kenville Noel Clarke of Nursery #2, Four Roads, St Philip. Hinds was last seen by his sister Marva Hinds around 9:30 a.m. last Wednesday when he left his residence to visit the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. At the time, he was wearing long Khaki pants and a blue and white shirt with buttons to the front. He was also wearing a green cap and tan boots. Hinds is six feet in height, slim built, of dark complexion, with a bald head, long nose, and is approximately 160 lbs. Clarke was last seen by his sister Gail Clarke during the month of February 2017 when he was making plans to visit Trinidad and Tobago to attend Carnival. He is 5 5 in height, of slim build, dark complexion, with a round forehead, thick lips, brown eyes, small ears pierced once, shoulder length Rasta locks, and a thin moustache. He also has tattoos on both his hands and his chest. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of these two men is asked to contact Emergency number 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800 –TIPS (8477), or the nearest police station. (BT)

TRINIDAD: NOT SAFE – A threat by an 11-year-old boy to stab someone at school reignited protest action by parents of pupils attending the Santa Rita Roman Catholic School in Rio Claro on Tuesday. The school was shut down as parents burned tyres outside the gates preventing pupils and teachers from entering the compound. The parents are demanding a meeting with Education Minister Anthony Garcia. Savitri Persad, a parent, said parents were not prepared to endanger their children’s life by sending them to school. She said, “The boy told a taxi driver yesterday that he was not feeling to go to school and he was feeling to stab someone at school. The driver became concerned and informed the parents. That was when we decided to take action. We are not comfortable sending the children to school with him there. This is becoming unbearable.” Persad said parents gathered at the school at daybreak and blocked the entrance. She said parents were not satisfied with the response of the Education Minister, who proved that he was unable to deal with the situation. Persad said Standard Two pupil who had attacked pupils and teachers on numerous occasions attended school on Monday. “Test is going on at school. The Standard Five pupils are preparing for SEA. This boy came to school and was beating drums and steelpan and disturbing the other children. The teachers don’t stop him because they too are afraid of him,” she said. Persad said parents have taken a decision to keep their children away from classes until the ministry takes action. She said ministry officials assigned to the case have failed. The parents began protest action last week after a child was attacked by the bully. Garcia said last week that he was unable to visit every school with problems. He said the matter was being addressed by the ministry’s Student Support Services Division. And Mayaro MP Rushton Paray has appealed to the Children’s Authority to intervene. Paray said the Ministry of Education had failed to address the concerns being raised by parents. And he believes the Children’s Authority can provide the guidance and help to the alleged bully. He said preliminary investigations have determined that the child was not well and needed urgent treatment. Paray said the boy had displayed symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder. “This is treatable; however the treatment cannot be provided in a normal school environment. We must do everything in our power to treat this child to ensure that he has a brought future,” he said. (BT)

STRANGE TACTICS LET DOWN PRIDE – Injury AND faulty tactics were two factors that compromised Barbados Pride’s victory bid in the eighth-round Digicel 4-Day encounter against Guyana Jaguars that ended in a draw at Kensington on Monday. The Pride picked up 11.8 points and the Jaguars 6.6, but Barbados needed an outright win against the table leaders to strengthen their chances of winning the regional first class title. Guyana held on for a draw after batting deep into the day despite losing Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Vishal Singh before lunch. Set 93 to win off 12 overs, the Pride fell short by 18 runs with five wickets still standing. “There were some times when we could have been a bit more dynamic with our field placing, especially late on when Guyana had lost eight wickets,” Pride manager Wendell Coppin told NATIONSPORT after the match. (MWN)

BLACKBIRDS TO CLASH WITH ST. BARNABUS – Defending champions UWI Signia Blackbirds will battle Pine Hill St Barnabas in Saturday’s finals of the senior netball knockouts after both teams advanced to a replay of the 2016 finals with relative ease on Monday night at the Netball Stadium. Blackbirds, who won every senior title in 2016, destroyed the newly promoted Spooners Hill Firebirds 51-28, with goal shooter Shonica Wharton leading the way with 34 goals from 37 attempts before taking a rest in the final quarter. Her replacement, the acrobatic Rieah Holder, scored 6 from 8 attempts, while Sheniqua Thomas sank 11 of 16. However, it was Blackbirds’ fast-paced midcourt artistry and mean circle defence which denied and frustrated Firebirds, allowing the feared Lydia Bishop and young Quantya Rudder one shot less than the goals scored by Wharton. (MWN)

MIXED VIEWS ON CORNED BEEF – Where’s the beef? Right back on Barbadian shelves. But while many Barbadians are over the moon about corned beef going back on sale, some still have their doubts. On Monday, the temporary ban placed on all corned beef from Brazil was lifted. During a media briefing at the Ministry of Agriculture, Chief Veterinary OfficerDr Mark Trotman said he had no further concerns about either the sale or consumption of the Brazilian meat in Barbados following a rotten meat scandal in the South American nation. Yesterday, the MIDWEEK NATION caught up with some of the patrons at retail outlets to get their views about the staple being put back in circulation. (MWN)

FISH NOT BITING - The fish are not biting in the north this Lenten season, forcing vendors to go south for their catch. And with Easter just 19 days away, the neighbourhood fisherfolk are worried that business simply will not rise to the surface this year. A visit to Six Men’s in St Peter and the Millie Ifill fish market in Weston, St James revealed concerned fishermen and vendors feeling like fish out of water, hoping for an Easter miracle, but accepting the cold, hard fact that the waters around them seemed devoid of fish. He has concluded that it all has to do with climate change, arguing that those who were successful at catching the favourite flying fish, for example, were the owners of larger boats with sufficient ice to venture far out to sea. This is not the first time that Hinds has experienced ups and downs during the Easter season. However, this year seems particularly bad, and this has driven up demand in Bridgetown, thus pushing up prices for vendors and customers alike. For Keely Gibbons, a vendor at the Millie Ifill fish market, the shortage has hit her pocket hard. Forced to travel to Bridgetown for supplies of about 1,000 flying fish, Gibbons must compete with other vendors just to get her hands on the catch so she can have something to sell. With the price higher than usual due to the fierce competition – coupled with the fact that this is the Lenten season – Gibbons must add transportation and other costs, yet keep prices down, she told Barbados TODAY. Another vendor, Cynthia Holder, who plies her trade at Six Men’s, would have liked the fish to bite so local fishermen could haul in their catch in the small fishing community just north of Speightstown. However, with the current scarcity, she has adopted a philosophical approach to the situation. (BT)

MANDELA STILL SEES POCKETS OF RACISM – Despite the efforts of late freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, racism continues to be an issue in South Africa. However, his grand daughter and social activist Ndileka Mandela said she believed that economic equality could lead to a decrease in discrimination. While giving a lecture at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination (EBCCI) yesterday, the founder of the Thembekile Mandela Foundation said racism in South Africa existed both covertly and overtly. However, it was the covert type that was the most problematic. “You still get pockets of racism to this day, and we heard a scenario where people are still called kaffir [an offensive ethnic slur]. I was called a kaffir not too long ago in a theatre in one of the centres,” she said. (MWN)

That’s all for today folks. There are 277 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

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