Moontown

BLACK EYE PEAS AND RICE; SHEPHERD’S PIE;

MACARONI PIE; GRILLED PORK; CREAMED SWEET POTATO 

GRILLED FISH; TUNA; FRIED SNAPPER; BAKED CHICKEN

BEEF STEW; FISH GRAVY

STEAMED VEGS; SALADS

Fans in Moon Town, St. Lucy, Barbados were glued to the television as they witnessed the live concert staged to celebrate the life of the great King of Pop, Michael Jackson at the Staples Centre, Los Angeles, yesterday.

Many remembered Michael for his music like Thriller, We Are The World, and Heal The World.  May he rest in peace.

MIAMI, (Reuters) – West Indies players are to boycott  the test series against Bangladesh due to start tomorrow, the  Caribbean team’s players’ union said in a statement yesterday.

The West Indies Players Association (WIPA) said it had  attempted to hold talks with the West Indies Cricket Board  (WICB) to resolve a number of issues but that no meeting had  been held.

“The players have requested me as President of WIPA, the  players’ body, to inform the WICB, sponsors and the public that,  regretfully, they cannot with immediate effect continue playing  without any contracts with the WICB,” said WIPA president  Dinanath Ramnarine in a statement.

A WICB spokesman said they would make a statement later yesterday.

It was not immediately clear whether the board intended to  try to find an alternative squad for the series which begins  with the first test in St.Vincent tomorrow or if they will be  forced to withdraw.

The union, which threatened strike action during England’s  tour of the Caribbean in March, said the West Indies players  have played the last four series without a contract.

The union said it met with players on Saturday and discussed  matters relating to payments and fees for the tour of England in  May, the Twenty20 World Cup and the recent four-match ODI series  against India in the Caribbean.

“The decision was taken that if the WICB did not meet with  WIPA to resolve outstanding issues, the players would not make  themselves available to participate in the upcoming series  against Bangladesh. We have written to the WICB to meet on  Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th July, but unfortunately the WICB have  not responded,” the WIPA statement said.

Bangladesh are already in the Caribbean having played a  warm-up game in Barbados against a West Indies A team.

THE ONLY WAY to stop reliance on foreign workers is for Barbadians to step up and do the jobs themselves.

This assertion came from Minister of Agriculture Haynesley Benn during his address at the Youth In Agriculture Retreat held last Tuesday at PomMarine Hotel.

“People are here coming to work on our farms because our boys and girls are not finding it worthy to work on the farms. They feel it is too labourious. The Guyanese and the St Lucians are coming to Barbados and finding work on the farms, while [Barbadian youth] choose to walk about and go on the blocks,” he said to the more than 30 participants of the programme.

However, the minister said that he understood that the notion of working in the fields was looked down upon and saw the need to boost the morale of workers in the agricultural industry.

Benn also declared that he intended to find job attachments for the 32 participants of the programme, in order to help them find their footing in the industry.

“There are enough places, both in Government and in the private sector, for these young people to work. I want you to use this programme as a stepping stone for your future.”

The Youth In Agriculture initiative is designed to attract young people to the area of farming and animal husbandry. (LW)