You are currently browsing the Moontown weblog archives for the day 22. October 2009.
22. October 2009 by admin.
BARBADOS ADVOCATE
DENIS KELLMAN’S COLUMN – THE DEBATE
JULY 8, 2009
Last Sunday, the Broomes’ family met at Farley Hill for a family reunion. This reunion brought out some surprises for some persons who did not know the strength of the Broomes’ connection.
I have said before that to the west of St. Lucy, the Broomes, Yearwood, Greaves, Brathwaite, Bowen and Battershield are related to everyone born in St. Lucy. The east is dominated by the Hinds, Springer, Rock and the Boyce families.
St. Lucy is one unique Parish with many distinguishing features. It has water on three sides, it is the only female parish, all the parliamentary representatives since Independence were from the parish and were related, it has one neighbor called Peter, it is the only parish that has a population where men are greater in number, it has the most unpaved roads, the best network of roads, the most Seventh-Day Adventist Churches, had the most Governors of General, the most National Heroes, the most Deputy Commissioners of Police, the longest serving Member of Parliament without having served in Government and the smallest and most popular town in the world, Moon Town, opens all weekend to tourists and locals alike.
Shopkeeping is a tradition dominated by the Broomes and Yearwood’s family and where ever you go within the parish from Moon Town to Pie Corner, you can identify with the family name, which at one time dominated the Nestfield area, where every building was a shop and the only neighbours were Fairfield Sugar Factory and St. Lucy Parish Church.
Nestfield was the birth place of Duncan O’Neale who later became a National Hero. I am told that Mr. Wimberley Bowen is also planning another family reunion sometime in September and once the foundation used by Ms. Broomes in planning the first is expanded, the strength of the Broomes’ family will be appreciated and persons will better understand the family connection.
It was good to see Whitney Broomes, Peter Broomes, Shilling, Conga, Lord Radio, Dillon and many others all assembled in one location and for one common cause. In addressing the family, I pointed out that if the family, based on its size were to come together and form a credit union, one could imagine the amount of bargaining power they would have in acquiring assets in Barbados.
It should be noted that St. Lucy has made Barbados a country and if we were to do what is in our interest, then Barbados would be an island. Our demand on Barbados is less than what we contribute and we feel that our contribution has been appreciated. Had our contribution been appreciated, Barbados would not be wasting millions of dollars bulldozing Kensington for one occasion, but would have been utilizing the property wholly owned by the Government and people of Barbados.
A multi-purpose complex in the north of Barbados would have opened up opportunities for those investors in the north, who invested their funds hoping to share in the development there. This decision would have helped to solve the traffic problems in the country. It would have saved us over $100 million proposed to be spent on fly-overs that should have been a last resort in trying to alleviate the travel problems of Barbados.
This country has deprived the people of St. Lucy by constantly making decisions for us that does not represent our development plans. The present Government must admit that they are lagging behind when it comes to the development of St. Lucy and Barbados.
The good people of St. Lucy were responsible for the concept of Community Tourism to Barbados by practicing it when the Naval Base was here. In attempting to deprive us of our close relationship with the American people, the Naval Base was forced to leave.
We told them to find an American investor to build a hotel at old Naval Base to help us develop heritage tourism. Instead, they gave us a prison, in less than 24 hours. Being good citizens, we accepted the prison even though some persons thought the multi-purpose complex was too good for us.
Owing to the heavy usage of our roads, we are appealing to Government to repair the roads being used to the prison and all alternate roads to the prison must be upgraded. The road from (1) St. Lucy’s Church to the site of Crab Hill Police Station, via Husbands to Colleton, (2) the road leading from Kellman’s Road via Moon Town to Checker hall Crossroad, and (3) Colleton to St. Lucy’s Parish Church.
This money must be given to the Public Works Ministry by way of a supplementary vote, so as to protect St. Lucy and Barbados, thus avoiding any possible security risk in St. Lucy. I have written the Government of the day for 115 roads. The depot is trying its best to deliver as many in-house as possible, but lack of equipment has presented them from dealing with areas such as Little Bay that adds to the development of community tourism in the area, Hope Road, River Bay, Crab Hill, Stroute Bay including the turntable, side roads and a car park for Moon Town and many other areas from which the money had to be diverted to accommodate the prison.
We love being part of Barbados and hope we can see love in return from Barbados to us, or we will have to do our development on our own with persons of like minds.
(Denis Kellman is the parliamentary representative for St. Lucy, Barbados)
Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »
22. October 2009 by admin.
PEAS AND RICE; PELAU RICE
VEGETABLE CHOWMEIN; CREAMED POTATO
BAKED CHICKEN; BAKED PORK
FRIED KING FISH; FRIED SNAPPER
LAMB STEW; FISH GRAVY
TOSSES SALAD; COLE SLAW
STEAMED VEGETABLES
Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »
22. October 2009 by admin.
| BASSETERRE, St Kitts — The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the World Twenty20 male and female tournaments in the West Indies, from April 30 to May 16, 2010.
The matches will be staged in St Lucia, Barbados, Guyana, and St Kitts. Warner Park St Kitts will host all of the First Round matches for the female version of the tournament, during the period 6-11 May 2010. Teams scheduled to participate in St Kitts are Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, and West Indies. A series of Warm Up matches also takes place prior to the tournament, on May 2 and 3, 2010. Fans in St Kitts will be able to purchase their tickets in St Kitts for any of the matches in any of the host venues,(Guyana, Barbados and St Lucia). Tickets will be sold at the Warner Park Ticket Centre, situated on East Park Range, Basseterre, also on Monday November 1, 2009. |
|
Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »
22. October 2009 by admin.
![]() The 2009 Open Campus Valedictorian, Denise Gordon from Montserrat, received a standing ovation for her inspiring address. CASTRIES, St Lucia – The University of the West Indies (UWI) celebrated an historic first with the inaugural formal Graduation Ceremony of its newest campus, the Open Campus, at the Beausejour Indoor Sports Facility in St Lucia on Saturday, October 21, 2009. Almost 150 of the over 700 qualified graduands from all fifteen contributing Caribbean states to the UWI came to St Lucia to be presented to the Chancellor of the University, Professor Sir George Alleyne. Also present to celebrate the occasion were four Caribbean Heads of State, including Dame Pearlette Louisy, the Governor General of St Lucia; Sir Cuthbert Sebastian, Governor General of St Kitts & Nevis; Dame Louise Lake-Tack, Governor General of Antigua & Barbuda; and Sir Carlyle Glean, Governor General of Grenada. In attendance too were the Education Ministers from Montserrat and St Kitts & Nevis. Speaking to a full audience, the Chancellor spoke to the graduates about leadership qualities and encouraged the graduating class to aim high for success. He mentioned that the UWI is looking to the future with the establishment of the Open Campus to offer higher quality service to the region. He said that, “The Open Campus has, in a short time, traversed a challenging but rewarding journey, and I am sure the future will unfold many more accomplishments.” The Chancellor reiterated the importance of maintaining connectivity between individuals and institutions and urged the graduates to keep in touch with each other and the University. The mood at the graduation ceremony was one of enthusiasm and joy. Honorary Graduate, Dunstan St Omer, distinguished artist of St Lucia, addressed the gathering. Speaking on behalf of his fellow Honorary Graduate, Dr Peggy Antrobus, he said, “ To be honoured by (our) people at the highest intellectual level of our Caribbean nation is also to realize a dream, that no matter how small a nation, it could not survive without a university of some kind.” To the graduates, Dr St Omer said that, “You have gained new knowledge, learnt important lessons for life, made lasting friends, and collected memories that will be with you for a lifetime.” He called on the class of 2009 to strive towards the nobility of his own generation as it is their heritage and their responsibility and that there has never been a time in our common Caribbean history when nobility was in greater demand. “A country that does not grow is a country that’s dying and you are fortunate to herald the new age, the new Renaissance. We in St Lucia and the West Indies are depending on you to lead us into our Golden Age”. This year’s first Open Campus Valedictorian, Denise Gordon from Montserrat, spoke on behalf of her fellow graduates and her address earned her a standing ovation. She said that, “It is indeed an honour to be selected as the 2009 class Valedictorian for the Open Campus. It has been a life-changing experience as it provided us with an opportunity to expand our horizons even with all the challenges. We are proud to have been a part of this remarkable transition. We salute the vision of The UWI, which has facilitated the opportunity for us to further our studies with the high standards this institution is well-known for. As the first graduates of the Open Campus, we have left behind a legacy I trust will encourage the Open Campus team to continue the hard work.” A first class honours graduate in the Bachelor of Science in Management Studies, she spoke to the need for all in the region to come together in community and to leave fractiousness behind in order to build the region. She charged her fellow graduates to take this challenge forward with them with all they had experienced and learned in the Open Campus, by saying “ This evening, I ask that we bid farewell to mistakes made, attitudes that continue to hinder our progress and mindsets that threaten to retard our future development.” The Chancellor shook the hand of each graduate who attended the ceremony resplendent in their gowns before receiving their canisters from the Open Campus Registrar, Simone Augier. Also witnessing the historic moment in the audience, were the eminent Open Campus Council members, members of the diplomatic corps in St Lucia, other government ministers, faculty, parents, friends, and relatives of the graduates. The Graduation ceremony concluded with the ceremonial recession of the Chancellor’s and Academic Processions and then by the outgoing Class of 2009. Families and friends of the graduates from St Lucia and all across the region were witness to this emotional and proud moment. This inaugural Open Campus Graduation Ceremony was streamed online on Graduation Day so all Open Campus graduating students and their friends and family members who could not make it to Saint Lucia, were able to see the ceremony live. |
|
Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »
22. October 2009 by admin.
| By Jeff Franks
HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters) — A day after his surprise release from prison, Cuban dissident Nelson Aguiar urged the government on Wednesday to free all political prisoners and said he was at one stage held in “Stone Age” conditions during his six years behind bars. Aguiar, 64, told Reuters he was stunned that he was out of jail because he still had years to go on a 13-year sentence handed out in a 2003 government crackdown on dissidents.
“They never said they were going to free me. When they told me to collect my things, I thought I was moving to another prison,” he said in an interview at the Havana apartment he now shares again with wife Dolia Leal Francisco. He thanked the Spanish government for helping to obtain his freedom, which followed a visit to communist-led Cuba by Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. Aguiar was one of 75 government opponents arrested and jailed in what became known as the Black Spring of 2003. In 1999 he founded a tiny political party known as the Orthodox Party, and continued running it from jail. “I’ve worked only for my ideas,” he said. Dressed in a green T-shirt, khaki pants and running shoes, Aguiar moved gingerly about his apartment, where the walls are adorned with photos, drawings and news clips of his imprisonment. He called on Cuba’s government “to recognize its errors and little by little, if they can’t do it all at once, to continue freeing the prisoners of conscience.” “They should be released quickly because they are innocent,” said his wife, who is one of the founders of the “Ladies in White,” a group of family members of political prisoners that holds a silent protest on Sundays in Havana. During his six years behind bars, Aguiar developed a variety of health problems, which he attributed to brutal jail conditions, particularly in a prison in the southeastern city of Guantanamo. For a year there, he said he lived in isolation in a small cell that had no light and no ventilation except for a hole where guards slid in his food. He said he would sleep next to the hole to catch the air for relief from the “enormous heat.” A hole in the floor was his toilet, and his only water came from a small tube next to it. The conditions, he said, were like something from the Stone Age. The 2003 crackdown on dissidents caused the European Union to impose diplomatic sanctions on Cuba. Last year, at the urging of Spain and others, the 27-nation EU lifted the sanctions and re-established cooperation with Cuba. Moratinos met with Cuban President Raul Castro for three hours on Monday, during which time he said human rights were discussed “in general terms.” When Aguiar was released on Tuesday, a Spanish diplomat said it was an affirmation of Spain’s policy of engaging with communist-ruled Cuba rather than seeking confrontation. Moratinos was criticized at home for not meeting with dissidents during his visit to Cuba. In an August report, the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights estimated that Cuba had 208 political prisoners, including now 53 of the 75 jailed in 2003. Cuba says dissidents are US-aided traitors and that it has no political prisoners. Now free, Aguiar seemed uncertain about his immediate future. He said he would continue his political activities, but at the same time said he wanted to go to Spain for back surgery. More urgently, he needed to obtain an income, which may be problematic in Cuba, given his political baggage. Prison life was difficult, but freedom is complicated. “It’s not easy,” Aguiar said, using a common expression with which Cubans confront daily challenges in their lives. |
|||
Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »
22. October 2009 by admin.
Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »
22. October 2009 by admin.
| By Gillian Applewhaite
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (BGIS) — At the end of the current recession, a large number of super-powers would have emerged and would be able to mass produce and deliver consumer goods and services that are highly competitive.
This is the view of Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson, who warned that to prevent social and political disasters following these developments, “we have to think outside the box”. He made these comments today at the 12th annual Human Resource Management Association of Barbados’ (HRMAB) Conference, under the theme “Organisational Renewal, Managing People, Managing Change”. The two-day meeting is being held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. “To begin with, we have to safeguard the inalienable rights and freedoms of our people. We have to guarantee their right to housing, their right to education, their right to work, and their right to a decent standard of living,” Thompson declared. He noted that it was for that reason that government had been pre-occupied with strengthening the social safety net, to prevent Barbadians from suffering unnecessarily during the recession. The Prime Minister stressed that the way out of a recession was to invest heavily in human resources, because, according to him, the people of a country contributed most to the recovery, and, if given a chance, would “guarantee the sustainable development of their nation”. Thompson also suggested that the time had come to revisit the relationship between the employer and the employee. “Can we afford the luxury of perceiving that relationship as a war between two implacable foes? Can we afford to be pulling in different directions in times of crisis?” he queried. He advocated re-examining the perception of the role of the worker in both the private and public sectors, asserting that challenges were being experienced in changing the mindset of some public workers who held certain “out-dated or politically motivated beliefs”. The Prime Minister warned: “The point is that we cannot continue in the brave new world of the 21st century to operate on the assumption that a government, or any other job is a sinecure. Our workers simply have to become more efficient and more productive … or we shall stagnate and perish as a nation.” He appealed to HRMAB help to train more persons to identify with management, to produce more and to plan ahead. “You have to help us to get workers to adopt the iterative process and ask themselves every day how they could improve their efficiency,” Thompson urged. He also cautioned persons against always assuming that someone would “turn up on a white charger” and create jobs for them. “They can no longer assume that they can forever sit down on the job. Those jobs are being outsourced to distant lands; and, in some cases, are being taken by more industrious migrant workers before our very eyes,” the Prime Minister advised. |
|||
| (C/bean Net News) | |||
Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »
22. October 2009 by admin.
| ST JOHN’S, Antigua – A team from the World Bank began a three day visit to Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday, to discuss how they can assist the government with public sector transformation and social protection.
The delegation will hold a series of meetings with the Minister of Finance, the Economy and Public Administration, and senior ministry officials to examine how the Bank can best help Antigua and Barbuda implement its Fiscal Consolidation Programme and the other components of the National Economic and Social Transformation (NEST) Plan. They will also hold discussions with the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications on E-Government issues, and with the Government Negotiating Team on matters of compensation. Included in the packed three-day agenda are meetings with the Public Sector Transformation Advisory Committee, the Labour Commissioner, the Government Training Division and the Trade Union Congress. The World Bank comprises two development institutions – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). Together, they provide low-interest loans, interest-free credits and grants to developing countries for a wide array of purposes that include investments in education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial and private sector development, agriculture, and environmental and natural resource management. |
|
Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »
22. October 2009 by admin.
| WASHINGTON, USA (Reuters) — The Inter-American Development Bank on Wednesday approved a $500 million loan to support social programs and to streamline energy subsidies in the Dominican Republic.
“The country will use the IADB financing to increase spending on targeted subsidies, education, health care, and the Solidarity Program, a conditional cash transfer plan for the poor,” the IADB said in a statement. “In addition, the government plans to use the loan to better target payment of liquefied petroleum gas subsidies and streamline electricity subsidies,” it added. |
|
Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »
22. October 2009 by admin.
Anthony Foster, Gleaner Writer 
They all have a good laugh as former world 100m record holder, Asafa Powell (left), pretends he is going to sign the $20m LIME deal with the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC). The contract was actually signed by Errol K. Miller (second left), LIME’s regional vice-president, corporate communications, and Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook (third left), president of NACAC, at Cuddy’z, New Kingston, yesterday. Powell and Sports Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange (right) were witnesses to the signing. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer
For the first time in seven years, West Indians will have the opportunity to watch and listen to live action from the Carifta Games, thanks to LIME.
LIME, the Caribbean’s leading telecommunications company, which provides landline, Internet, mobile and in some areas subscriber TV, has teamed up with the North America, Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) Athletics Association in a one-year deal worth $20 million, which will allow track and field fans to keep track of the region’s future stars.
A major feature of the sponsorship arrangement is its broadcast privileges, which allows the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) to provide the feed for media entities across the region which, apart from live action, includes features such as the ‘Road to Carifta’ and previews leading up to and during the three-day competition.
Support for athletes
The 2010 edition of the games, scheduled for next year’s Easter weekend in the Cayman Islands - one of 13 regional territories serviced by LIME - will also see LIME supporting the athletes in other ways.
The sponsors said they will be working with NACAC to stage motivational and educational sessions, as well as providing sports kits for athletes participating at the Games.
Errol K. Miller, LIME’s regional vice-president, corporate communications, pointed to his company’s track record as sponsors of major sporting events across the region, noting they “… are happy to be on board” for the Carifta Games.
Miller, who also said negotiations are already under way for an extension of sponsorship for the 2011 edition and beyond, said LIME is investing in an event that is instrumental in the development of young athletes across the Caribbean.
“LIME’s support will put these games and the budding superstars we have in the Caribbean where they belong, right in the living rooms of Caribbean homes,” Miller said.
“Our support will provide a professionally produced sports package that will excite and educate the viewers,” he promised.
Meanwhile, Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook, president of NACAC, thanked the communications company for what he described as “a happy moment in track and field”.
McCook noted: “It will ensure that the development of the sport across the region will not only be on the track, but before, as far as the preparations are concerned … We therefore are extremely happy to receive this support.”
Asafa Powell, the former world 100m record holder, and Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, minister of sports, both witnessed the signing of the agreement.
Jamaica, for the past 20 years, have dominated the Carifta Games, which involves more than 150 events in Under-17 and Under-20 categories.
Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »