Moontown

SPLIT PEAS AND RICE; MACARONI PIE

ROAST POTATOES; CREAMED SWEET POTATOES

BAKED CHICKEN; BAKED PORK

GRILLED MARLIN; FISH GRAVY

BEEF STEW; STEAMED VEGS; SALADS

Tyrone Reid, Sunday Gleaner Reporter

Painkillers are the pill of choice for abusers of prescription drugs in Jamaica.

The worrying statistic was revealed in a countrywide study conducted in 2001, which revealed that approximately 40 per cent of respondents admitted to misusing painkillers that required a prescription. The report also highlighted that members of the gentler sex abused the pain relievers more than their male counterparts.

“Unlike with other drugs, females were more likely to use painkillers than males,” read a section of the study.

Dr Sheila Campbell-Forrester, chief medical officer in the Ministry of Health, told The Sunday Gleaner that the fact that women are consuming more painkillers than men is an understandable statistic. “Period pains could lead to the abuse of painkillers … . For relief, you would find some (women) would overuse,” she said.

Female consumption

Dr David Tavares, a clinical pharmacist at the Hilton’s Pharmacy in Montego Bay, said in addition to the pains associated with menstruation, women’s bodies were ostensibly more prone to pain. “Women are presenting with more conditions that require pain relief than men,” said Dr Tavares. As an example, he pointed out that during his almost two decades as a practising pharmacist, he had seen more women with migraine and tension headaches than men.

The report, entitled National Household Survey of Drug Use and Abuse in Jamaica, 2001, was commissioned by the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA). It revealed that one in every three persons interviewed at the time said they had used “unprescribed drugs” in the past year. “The vast majority of those who did so (approximately 99 per cent) used painkillers,” the report said.

Statistics

“Respondents were questioned about painkillers which required a prescription, not the over-the-counter variety. Four in every 10 persons indicated that at sometime, they had taken painkillers that had not been prescribed for them,” the report said.

The national study, published in November 2002, also stated that one in three persons had used painkillers in the past year, while one in six had used them in the past month. “In terms of age, painkiller users were similar to users of other drugs, as usage peaked in the 18-24 age group and declined as persons grew older,” the report said.

Tiana Thomas, pharmacist at Moodies Pharmacy in New Kingston, explained that quite a few painkillers and some cough syrups contained a substance called codeine that has the potential to give a lift.

“It can give the patient a kind of high,” she said.

From left, Davies, Guy, Holness, Thwaites and Kellier THERE IS an old Jamaican saying - ‘when trouble tek yuh, pickney shut fit yuh’. It’s a proverb, no doubt, born out of the need to act quickly and decisively in the darkest hours.

Sadly though, it seems that the saying is one that our parliamentarians - especially those in the House of Representatives - have never heard before.

So power hungry, this bunch of elected leaders appears to be, that they constantly and shamelessly abandon the people’s business to campaign for seats wherever there is a vacancy.

Who would have imagined that our elected leaders would abandon Parliament on Tuesday, in the middle of our misery, and head to Cornwall Mountain in Westmoreland for a by-election which does not even concern central government?

We are deeply troubled that despite all indicators pointing to perilous times, our Parliament appears to be comfortably in cruise control.

The world economic recession did not arrive at our doorsteps yesterday; it certainly did not arrive last week either. We knew of it long before the west Portland by-election; we knew of it long before the north east St Catherine by-election, and certainly before the local government by-election in Westmoreland, which took on a national tone because our leaders are so greedy for power.

At a later stage, perhaps next week, The Gavel will share with Jamaicans the number of parliamentary man-hours and days lost because those elected to serve have failed to understand their purpose.

Take Tuesday for instance. Aside from postponing the day’s sitting of the House of Representatives for the parochial by-election, members of the Public Accounts committee, with the exception of Dr Omar Davies, Dr Morais Guy and Ronald Thwaites, all abandoned the job for which they are being paid.

The Gavel has long that advocated Parliament revisit the way it does business, especially in light of the crisis.

The best opportunity, we thought, was to use the Sectoral Debate to analyse, evaluate and plan a recovery path for Jamaica.

The current structure of the sectoral debate only facilitates tripe. It is nothing but a platform for self-assesment and for MPs to massage the ignorance of their constituents.

Add to the nonsense which often comes from the mouths of many speakers, it would appear that the members themselves do not even seem to regard the sectoral debate as serious. Most members are otherwise engaged on Blackberry phones, or engaging in cross-talk while the speakers are on their feet, a telltale sign that there is no great level of importance attached to same.

Development and growth

Without a doubt, we believe that in its current form, the sectoral ought to be abandoned. We need to come this time with a debate that takes place in a national context of recovery, development and growth.

These are no ordinary times. We don’t have the luxury of cutting the cloth to suit our size. The country’s unflattering balance of payment and its dried-up pool of revenue are enough evidence to suggest that a hurricane is blowing, and that now, more than ever, we have to be prepared to wear pickney shirt.

The Gavel believes that it is time for the leader of Government Business, Andrew Holness, and the leader of Opposition Business, Derrick Kellier, to meet and agree to scrap the nonsense called the Sectoral Debate in its current format, and usher in a new day in parliamentary proceedings.

We would like to see a new debate - a debate structured in a way where the Parliament picks five critical issues of national importance and carefully debates and crafts policies for the implementation of solutions.

The roles of MPs in this new dispensation would not be to grandstand. Instead, they would be asked to share best practices of things implemented in their constituencies, and to suggest alternatives to approaches.

The Gavel remains disappointed that Parliament appears blind to a way forward. We lost an opportunity to shine the light on where we intended to take the agricultural sector. Aside from Dr Christopher Tufton’s limited presentation, and one to come from J.C. Hutchinson, we don’t suppose we will hear anything substantial about agriculture in the Debate.

What about issues, such as irrigation, access to land, access to credit, land titling, the use of technology? … and the list goes on.

We feel that if Parliament was serious, it would have spent two weeks discussing agricultural development, after which it would roll out a comprehensive plan, which all stakeholders would embrace as their own.

The same can be said of the post-bauxite years of St Ann, Manchester, Clarendon, St Elizabeth and St Catherine. Where is that plan from Parliament? The Sectoral cannot just mention these issues and move on.

It was Maxine Henry-Wilson who said that MPs were not delegates, they were leaders. But sadly enough our MPs seem to be neither of the above.

With the exception of Central Kingston MP Ronald Thwaites, few have been bold enough to ask for a plan; few have made it their duty to say Parliament can’t go on this way.

For too long, the floor of Gordon House has been used as a safe haven to patch up the chronic structural weakness in our government structure. Gordon House seems to have become an excuse for MPs not spending enough time in their constituencies listening to the voice of the people.

Hunt for power

The Gavel will be bold to suggest that if MPs were doing this, then Parliament would be demonstrating an understanding of the pain and fears being experienced by ordinary Jamaicans and the business class alike.

If they were touching base with their constituents often enough, there would be no need to use the sectoral debate for grandstanding. We would have seen some urgency from the leaders of this land and certainly, they would not be caught up in the shameless hunt for power in by-elections.

These are no ordinary days, and it is getting worse by the minute. All we ask of our elected officials is for them to do the job they asked for, were employed to do, and are being paid for. The answer is simple: PLEASE LEAD.

Kaieteur News

By Sir Ronald Sanders
There may be lessons for Caribbean countries in negotiations between Latvia and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a rescue programme totalling about US$10.4 billion.
Latvia is a relatively small member country of the European Union (EU). Its population of 2.3 million is roughly the same as the Caribbean’s Jamaica. Until 1991 it was a member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) dominated by Russia. With the break-up of the USSR, Latvia regained its independent status and elected to join the EU in 2004.

Between 2000 and 2007, Latvia enjoyed one of the highest GDP growth rates in the EU, but this collapsed in late 2008 exacerbated by the global economic crisis and shortage of credit. The economy dramatically fell in the first quarter of 2009 by 18%, the biggest fall experienced by any EU country.
Since last year, the Latvian government has been engaged in negotiations with both the EU and the IMF on the $10.4 billion bailout programme.
Anxious to help an EU member state, and mindful that Latvia has pegged its currency to the Euro – the official currency of most of the EU members – the EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Joaquin Almunia has announced the release of $1.6 billion as a rescue loan payment but only after extracting budget cuts worth $1 billion from the Latvian government.
In the event, the EU loan is only 10 percent of Latvia’s needs, and it is the IMF to which the government is looking for the greater part of its borrowing.

The going has not been good. And, despite the rhetoric about more flexibility in fiscal and monetary policies in light of the present and ongoing global financial crisis, the IMF is still pushing tight fiscal policy, cuts in government spending and very low inflation as conditions for its lending.
Before Latvia, Romania faced similar problems with the IMF. It is reported that the IMF mission chief for Romania said that in exchange for $17.5 billion, there were requirements to bring down budget deficits below 3% of GDP, restructure wages policies, recalibrate pension schemes and reduce inflation.
In this regard, the much vaunted increase in IMF resources up to $750 billion after the G20 meeting in London last April could mean little. It seems that what remains vital is the need for reform of IMF terms for lending, or, as the Third World Network has suggested, “additional resources to the IMF would give it the means by which to discipline crisis-hot countries the wrong way, worsening the crisis for them”.
Going back to Latvia specifically, the government announced that the IMF has imposed fresh conditions for it to qualify for rescue funds. Other reports also indicate, as this commentary is being written, that Latvia has been given a deadline by the IMF to agree its conditions, or the negotiations will end.

The Prime Minister, Valdis Dombrovskis, said the negotiations had turned contentious, largely over how quickly to cut the country’s budget deficit. The government wants to reduce the budget deficit, which could hit 10 percent of GDP this year, to 3 percent by 2012, but the IMF wants a faster rate of reduction. Following riots in its Capital City, the Latvian government is naturally unwilling to accept the IMF proposals lest discontent in the country results in further upheavals.
The IMF also wanted Latvia to devalue its currency, arguing that the present link to the Euro is unsustainable. A devalued currency, they say, would make Latvian exports cheaper. But it would also make imports more costly and push-up the cost of living. Fortunately for Latvia the IMF appears to be persuaded by the EU to back-off from a requirement for devaluation at this time.

Nonetheless, Latvia is not out of the woods. The Prime Minister has said that IMF backing for its whole programme is necessary even if the government raises the money it needs from other sources. The major areas of contention appear to be: cutting budget deficit levels, further tax rises and reducing spending in key areas like education, welfare and health even though Latvia has already made cuts that included reductions in public sector salaries and a 10 percent reduction in pensions.
Several Caribbean countries are now considering engagement with the IMF to help their ailing economies.
A few of them have already entered special arrangements that are not rescue programmes. For instance, St Vincent and the Grenadines has an arrangement under the Exogenous Shocks Facility (ESF) which has a higher degree of flexibility and does not include structural conditions but does require a low inflation rate.
Dominica has also received $5.1 million from the IMF under the same ESF. The government had to commit to aim for annual primary surpluses of at least 3% of GDP so as to reduce public debt. It also had to agree to finance capital largely with external concessional resources – a hard task indeed at a time when concessionary financing is drying-up.

Jamaica is presently talking with the IMF about a possible Standby Agreement for Foreign Exchange Balance of Payment Support. The details of the sort of programme that Jamaica is seeking and the terms that the IMF has put on the table are not known as this commentary is being written. But the Finance Minister Audley Shaw has said that “there is no need for the great concern for conditionalites that will be oppressive; that will be destructive to the social sector; that will be destructive to the financial sector. Not at all”.
Jamaica has enough experience with the IMF and enough people who have worked within the IMF, to negotiate the best terms possible. But, it is as well for all Caribbean countries to keep their eyes focused on the Latvian experience to which the IMF would be much more sympathetic because of the EU’s lobbying and the place of its key member states on the Executive Board. So far, the IMF does not appear to have relaxed its tough conditionalites.
It is also necessary for the Caribbean to join with others for meaningful reform of the IMF’s lending terms. The existing terms could make hard-hit economies worse rather than better. The forthcoming Commonwealth Finance Ministers meeting is a good place to advance the arguments for urgent reform.
(The writer is a Consultant and former Caribbean diplomat)
Responses to: ronaldsanders29@hotmail.com

 Nations News

DESPITE THE IMPACT of the global economic recession, Government will not cut back its expenditure in two key areas - health and education.

Minister of Health Donville Inniss said the financial crisis had the capacity to create major setbacks in those areas, especially in developing countries, and he said Government would not follow other governments that had already reduced funding in those sectors.

“In Barbados, we recognise the importance of education and health to our current and future generations and to the sustainability of a strong economy, hence there is no intention to scale back on our investments in these areas,” Inniss said.

“We are committed to the provision of top quality health care from the womb to the tomb.”

He also called on the private sector to respond to the negative effects of any deteriorating financial situation.

Inniss was speaking at United Nations House during the commemoration recently of World Population Day under the theme: “Responding To The Economic Crisis: Investing In Women Is A Smart Choice”.

He pointed to Government’s annual subvention of more than $1 million to the Barbados Family Planning Association to aid in areas of reproductive health and by extension the benefit it held for women to excel in all sectors.

“Access to reproductive health, in particular family planning and maternal health services, helps women and girls avoid unwanted or early pregnancy, unsafe abortions, as well as pregnancy-related disabilities,” he noted.

“Therefore, women stay healthier, are more productive, and have more opportunities for education, training and employment, which in turn benefits entire families, communities and nations,” he said.

At the commemoration, the United Nations presented 76 000 condoms - male and female - to the Ministry of Health.

Inniss said this initiative was significant as it strengthened Barbados’ family planning capacity and the HIV prevention programme, Inniss said. (PCA)

Flower Forest to be a blooming attraction again

DAVID SpIeler pointing to the colourful blooms on the heliconia plants that frame the path named Helen’s Heliconias.

Nation News

by GERCINE CARTER

COVERING MORE THAN SEVEN ACRES in St Joseph, the Flower Forest is the largest garden in Barbados. But it is an attraction that fewer and fewer people have been seeking out, while many more are unaware of the beauty of this gem in our midst.

David Spieler is on a mission to change that.

Best known as a potter, Spieler has taken over the Richmond Plantation, St Joseph property and has set about restoring it to its original glory, determined to revive it as the premier attraction in Barbados.

His aim is to rejuvenate the landscaped beauty that former Kew Gardens (famous London gardens) landscape designer Richard Coghlan first created back in 1983 along with the original owner Don Hill, for Barbadians and visitors to enjoy.

Views, paths

Sitting about 850 feet above sea level near the western edge of the Scotland District, the Flower Forest affords one of the most picturesque views.

Meandering paths descend down the hillside, winding along beside varieties of majestic towering palms, breadfruit, coconut, hog plum and cocoa trees, in whose shade flowering white begonias, torch gingers with their rich red and pink flowers, colourful heliconias and a host of other plants bask.

Well laid out trails designed for a pleasurable walk through the garden bear names such as Don’s Downhill, Brown’s Bypass, Helen’s Heliconias, Palm Walk and Cecil’s Climb.

Benches located at intervals afford the occasional stop for rest amidst tranquility, such that on some days one may even hear the sound of breakers crashing along the shore of Morgan Lewis beach in the distance below.

The sound of a hummingbird’s wings beating overhead, the sight of a troupe of monkeys swinging through the trees, or the fleeting brush of a mongoose scampering across your feet are all part of the experience when lingering at a stop on the walk.

From Liv’s Lookout there is a magnificent view of the rugged Scotland District, Chalky Mount, Long Pond Beach and Mount Hillaby.

“You can’t refer to it as just a garden”, says Spieler. “The Flower Forest is a combination of a forest and a botanical trail”. The seven acres of garden are attached to another 45 acres, making the property about 52 acres in all.

And Spieler is looking for people who want to work the land and partner with the Flower Forest, “people who are like-minded, who love plants and trees”. He is especially eager to work with the 4-H Clubs and “people who want to help green Barbados”.

Most of all, Spieler wants Barbadians to enjoy the attraction.

“I see myself not as owning a piece of land but more a custodian of a piece of land and I intend to sustainably develop it along the lines of my friend Colin Hutson, who taught me a lot”.

“With a donation each year you can roam acres and acres that you can call your own. You can be a custodian and a shepherd of greening the island,” he suggested.

Spieler’s name is synonymous with Earthworks, the St Thomas pottery business started by his mother, artist Goldie Spieler. But the well-known potter who graduated in Scotland with honours in biological sciences is also a passionate environmentalist. He currently juggles the two roles.

New plants, trees

About Earthworks, he remarks: “I am fortunate to have a team of able potters to execute the work. I am there mainly for guidance and feedback purposes, because nowadays the potters are training me. We talk, we discuss, we brainstorm and we move in a collective direction.”

Spieler credits pottery with providing him the means to invest in the Flower Forest which, he declares, “I love”.

He is pouring that love into the gardens.

“I have a problem with time because I am not just a manager at Earthworks, I am also a producer . . . but I want to spend more time in the garden.”

And he has been spending a lot of time, adding new plant stock and flowering trees.

Sometimes as often as twice a day he slips away from Earthworks to join gardeners Dennis Allman, Ryan Vaughan and Kovas Selman in the heart of the garden, uprooting and relocating young trees, clearing dense undergrowth, planting new and exotic species.

The interview is interrupted by the exuberant voices of a group of young campers, and Spieler briefly excuses himself to join them before they are escorted on a tour by manager Sandra Hurdle. Another two visitors arrive and are welcomed by the other manager Angela Hurdle.

As he returns to the cool, shaded rustic deck of the main building, a contemplative Spieler scans the luxuriant area surrounding the deck and exclaims: “If I had my wish for the Flower Forest . . . I would wish for the road to be repaved coming to this wonderful tourist attraction that has now been eclipsed by other attractions, like Harrison’s Cave, but which can be a very valuable asset to the country.”

Harrison’s Cave is a short distance from the Flower Forest. With the cave’s closure, Spieler sees the garden as an alternative diversion for sightseers.

In his words, it is truly “a haven of peace and tranquility”.

THE SPOTLIGHT will be on Barbados Wednesday when the National Geographic Channel (NGC) airs its award- winning Locked Up Abroad series starting at 10 p.m.

The episode will document the true-life tale of tourist Zara Whittaker’s being arrested and imprisoned in Barbados.

The two British lead actresses are Claire Fishenden who played Zara Whittaker, and Victoria Alcock who played the friend Whittaker travelled to Barbados with.

Well-known local actors Carla W. Springer, Varia Williams, Jherad Alleyne and Yolanda Holder-Capandeguy will be in the Locked Up Abroad episode. Wayne “Kool” Simmons, Belle Holder and Eleanor Rice, among others, will also be featured.

MCTV customers can tune in to NGC Channel 500, while those with DirecTV can tune in to Channel 730. (PR)