Why The Barbados Labour Party Needs A Real Leadership Contest & Convention – And Why Mia Mottley Will Never Agree To A Leadership Vote

Mia Mottley Will Never Willingly Agree To A Leadership Vote
In the wreckage of the January 2008 election, defeated Prime Minister Owen Arthur resigned from the leadership of the BLP, and Deputy Leader Mia Mottley was publicly announced as the new party leader.
What most of the public didn’t see or read about in the papers – [...]

Source: Rape-Accused Roy Morris Bought Off Girl’s Family – About To Be Re-Hired By Barbados Nation Newspaper

Barbados Rapists Can Buy Their Way Out Of Jail – Larger Societal Interests Forgotten
While we compose our thoughts about the Roy Morris rape charges fading into the mist, we’ll print this letter received anonymously through an anonymous remailing service in Russia. We remind folks that the letter is anonymous and may contain falsehoods. We also [...]

Reader Fires Broadside At Bizzy Williams’ Nation News Letter – “Xenophobic, Stupid, Intolerant”

UPDATED: Bizzy Williams’ letter added at the bottom…
Dear Barbados Free Press,
This letter is in response to Mr. Bizzy Williams’ letter to be found on page 13 of the Weekend Nation (May 29, 2009).
Dear Mr. Williams:
Let me say for starters I have not read such a xenophobic piece in a long time. I am a born [...]

Barbados Needs Lower Intra-Caribbean Air Taxes To Help Level The Playing Field Between Cruise Ships, Air Travel And Island Hotels

At a time when various Caribbean Ministers of Government have recently met and agreed to levy yet another tax on intra Caribbean air travel, its time perhaps for them to contemplate exactly the effect its having on land based tourism.
A seven day cruise departing from Barbados was recently advertised with one of the largest companies, [...]

Cute Bajan Neighbour Drops In For A Nap…

For your smile and feel-good story today, you really must head over to Margaret Ashby’s Dogs In Barbados blog and read how a strange doggy decided that the neighbour’s home would do just fine for afternoon naps. We can’t wait to read the follow-up story about how things turned out after a note was pinned [...]

Message To The U.K. News Media: British High Commissioner To Barbados Is NOT Our “Barbados’ Head Of Trade”

“During the Trade Visit, Thomas had the opportunity to outline Akome’s services to Barbados’ Head of Trade, British High Commissioner Duncan Taylor. On his recommendation, Akome approached BICO.”
… from a press release published at 24dash.com: Cool Customer! Croydon Enterprise Business Helps Ice Cream Firm Slash Energy Bills
UK Press Release: BICO Ice Cream Gets A New [...]

BBC TV Looking For Role Model Bajan Family – For Reality Television Series

Dear Barbados Free Press,

I am a Producer in the BBC series and we are looking for a Bajan family to take part in a programme on parenting. Please can you add the information below onto your website?
Thank you
BBC TV ARE LOOKING FOR A ROLE MODEL BAJAN FAMILY
Do you believe in instilling good old-fashioned values, discipline [...]

Would Barbados Be Better Off If Foreign Aid Was Linked To Government Performance Standards and Accountability Structures?

The function of aid is not to make us feel better about ourselves; it is to promote development, and if a well-informed African tells us that we are inadvertently having the opposite effect, we had better take heed…
… from The Independent book review: Dead Aid, by Dambisa Moyo
What Happened To The European Union’s Sugar Grant [...]

Water Off – No Answer At Barbados Water Authority “24 Hour Hot Line”

The water has been off now for about an hour and a half “somewhere near Grape Hall”.
No one answers the phone at the BWA.
Yup.

Two Different Messages: Barbados Ambassador To USA Sounds Alarm Over Tax Haven Crackdown – Barbados Prime Minister Says We Shouldn’t Be Concerned

One Message For Citizens, Another For The World Off The Island

Is Barbados worried about the USA’s Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act? Not according to Prime Minister David Thompson, who recently told the Bajan press that he doesn’t “feel” that the American legislation is aimed at jurisdictions like Barbados. (See our previous article US “Stop Tax [...]

Barbados Death Boat Inquest Starts – Senegal Migrants Starved When Abandoned By Smugglers

“I would like to send to my family in Bassada (a town in western Senegal) a sum of money. Please excuse me and goodbye. This is the end of my life in this big Moroccan sea,”
… victim Diao Souncar Dieme wrote his goodbyes. (Times Online: Mystery of death boat that drifted 3,000 miles off [...]

Racial Hatred In Sucre Province Bolivia – An Article By Damon Gerard Corrie

Editor’s Comment: Barbados Free Press publishes this article exactly as received from the author, with the exception of a few spelling corrections. We were concerned about two references in the article, the first being the statement that the current version of Coca Cola beverage uses coca leaves in its formula and that leaves are imported [...]

Barbados Free Press Removes Some Sidebar Links – Looking For Additions

We’ve been a tad lazy about maintaining our sidebar links here at Barbados Free Press, so last night we had a “special meeting” (still recovering!) to decide which sidebar links should stay and which should go. Some decisions were easy, like Tamarind Tree Lime – a discussion blog that turned into an automated webpage with [...]

Barbados Chamber of Commerce & Industry Enlists New Marketing Communications Executive

The Barbados Chamber of Commerce & Industry in meeting the current economic challenges of Barbados through effective and efficient communications with its stakeholders has announced the appointment of Mr. Ian Bourne as its new Marketing Communications Executive.
Chief Executive Officer of the BCCI, Magnus Whitehead, says that Bourne will strengthen his organisation’s ability to communicate with [...]

Contaminated Fuel At Barbados Airport – Adrian Loveridge Talks About Contingency Planning

A Bad Day At Grantley Adams International Airport
Can we really learn some lessons from the events of the 22 May?
We had over 40 persons to meet of three different flights that day.
ZM drivers had been arranged to meet then based on scheduled and quoted arrival flight times.
Close to the original arrive times it became obvious [...]

Shell Oil Announces Pipeline Spill A Non-Issue – Barbados News Media & Government Ask Zero Questions Of Company Hired To “Ensure Buy-In” To Shell Strategies

Shell Report Issued By ERM – Environmental Resources Management – Shell’s Little Environmental Helper For 20 Years
“For over 20 years, ERM has provided a wide range of services to Shell at numerous locations world wide, including North America, Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia Pacific…”
“Shell Haven Refinery – ERM Project Description
Maintained close liaison with UK [...]

Bajan Dream Diary – An Excellent Read

As our own Robert said in a September 2007 article about Jovan Reid and his Bajan Dream Project…
“The more I read what Jovan has to say at The Bajan Dream Project blog, the more I find myself agreeing with many of his ideas – even ideas I had rejected before.
Most disconcerting.”
We wanted to mention but [...]

Searching For Barbados Relatives Of Rawle Lawson Knight

My grandfather, Rawle Lawson Knight, who was from Barbados fought in WWII. I know that he was on the front lines, having been shot while in Europe. He met my grandmother, Catherine Phillips in Wales, where she was from, and after they got married, following the war, they settled in Toronto, ON where my father [...]

Former Barbados Attorney General Dale Marshall Should Buy A Computer!

Newspapers and TV broadcasters are falling like flies. News media advertising revenues are down in some cases by 70% from just a few years ago as the old-style media and the old-style media managers are left behind by the internet.
Meanwhile, sharp business managers and the rest of the world discovered long ago that online delivery [...]

Nurses At Barbados Psychiatric Hospital Frustrated By Working Conditions, Long Hours, Mandatory Overtime With No Pay

Dear Barbados Free Press,
Nurses at the Psychiatric Hospital are frustrated with the many unsatisfactory conditions which face them currently. First of all the night staff are asked to work 12 hours shift four nights a week totaling 48 hours a week – 8 hours more than the stipulated working hours – and however are expected [...]

When Did Ian Bourne’s Bajan Reporter Dump Link To Barbados Underground?

Major Barbados Blog Removes Link To DLP’s Barbados Underground Blog

Last Thursday we were doing our morning surfing – visiting our regular websites by following the links from one to another – when we noticed that The Bajan Reporter no longer featured a link to Barbados Underground blog in the sidebar link list.
“Hmmmmm, that’s interesting” we [...]

Moody’s Puts Barbados Ratings On Downgrade Watch

Don’t worry folks…
Barbados is heavily invested in CLICO – good as gold, I tell ya!
From today’s Wall Street Journal…

Moody’s Investors Service is reviewing its credit ratings on Barbados’ foreign- and local-currency bonds for possible downgrade amid mounting government debt, predicting the Caribbean island’s ability to cover its debt will worsen in coming years.
The nation’s local-currency [...]

Criminal Probe Into CLICO – The Plot Thickens!

Trinidad & Tobago Central Bank Hires Ace Forensic Investigator Robert Lindquist
Bad judgment or criminal wrongdoing? The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has launched a criminal investigation into the house of cards known as CLICO and has hired one of the most respected forensic investigators in the world: Robert Lindquist. We say “House of Cards” because [...]

Sweden Says Aborting Female Baby OK If You Want A Son

I Am Woman, Hear Me Whimper…
For decades thousands of years, parents in China, India, Pakistan and other countries where women are lesser human beings have been killing daughters shortly after they are born. Sons are the best, don’t you know?
With the advent of modern medical technology, mothers are now able to kill daughters in the [...]

Barbados Youth Development Council: Children’s Rights, Children’s Voices

Barbados Youth Development Council
c/o Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports
Elsie Payne Complex
Constitution Road
St. Michael
From: The Barbados Youth Development Council
To: Local Media Houses, Governmental Leaders
Press Release
Subject: Be sensitive to the Rights of our children, Let their voices be heard
The Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC), on behalf of the youth of Barbados is using the occasion of [...]

Nex Generation Magazine Looking For Bajan Writers

Nex Generation Magazine is a new publication dedicated to empowering the Caribbean family. Based in Jamaica, the magazine is keen to get stories from Barbados and several other English speaking Caribbean islands on issues that effect family life from a grassroots/community perspective.
The magazine was originally published in the UK from Jan 2004 -Dec 2006, before [...]

Swine Flu A Laboratory Creation Let Wild? World Health Organization Launches Serious Investigation After Roche Tamiflu Scientist Report

Tamiflu Scientist Adrian Gibbs Says Swine Flu Might Be Lab Escape
From Bloomberg.com …

Swine Flu May Be Human Error; WHO Investigates Claim (Update1)
By Jason Gale and Simeon Bennett
May 13 (Bloomberg) — The World Health Organization is investigating a claim by an Australian researcher that the swine flu virus circling the globe may have been created [...]

US “Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act” Names & Targets Barbados – Has David Thompson Actually Read The Legislation?

BARBADOS’ Prime Minister David Thompson said he does not believe that Legislation tabled recently in the United States Congress to deal with offshore tax havens is targeting jurisdictions like Barbados…
“I want to say that despite the strong feelings about that piece of legislation, it did not seem to us that it was aimed at jurisdictions [...]

Reader Letter: Barbados Turf Club Received Millions, Taxes Up – Nothing For Education

Dear Barbados Free Press,
First let me say thank you for taking the time to read this letter, I have been watching how things are changing in Barbados but it seems to be only helping the government and the rich.
Take for example, on November 20th, 2008, government wrote of a debt of $19.1 MILLION dollars for [...]

Barbados 1930 – YouTube Travel Film Archive

See The World The Way It Was
Thanks to our friend over at Trinidad. Adventist. Gay?! blog we spent an hour yesterday at The Travel Film Archive. What a wonderful experience to see travel films and people from as far back as over 100 years ago. Pan American Airways “Clipper” flights to the Caribbean in the [...]

May Is Mixed Experience History Month: Bi-Racial? Tri-Racial? Mutt? Mixed-Marriage? May Is For You!

Two years ago our friend Light-Skinned-ed Girl declared May to be Mixed Experience History Month. Shona and I hope the idea catches on because those of us who are Heinz 57 and/or in mixed-race marriages need to reflect upon our roots once in a while.
If you have to ask “What’s the big deal?”, well, perhaps [...]

Barbados-Registered Solar Car Heading Back To The Arctic

Driver Marcelo da Luz Robbed In New Orleans
Back in November of 2008 we first informed our readers about Canadian Marcelo da Luz and his registered-in-Barbados solar car. For background, you can read our article Barbados Solar Powered Auto Breaks World Record For Distance.
Mr. da Luz is now heading back to the Arctic Circle from [...]

Rihanna Nude Photos Surface… Or Not? Bajan Reporter Has The Photos, You Decide

The last time there were allegations of Rihanna allowing herself to be photographed in her altogether, they turned out to be PhotoShop fakes.
This time… more of the same or the real thing?
If you’re interested head over to The Bajan Reporter and see for yourself. (Warning: Rihanna or not the photos are graphic)  The Bajan Reporter: [...]

CLICO Refused To Allow Due Diligence by Insurance Corporation of Barbados – TT$Billions In Assets Found “Worthless” By Trinidad Government – Fraud Fears Growing…

Trinidad & Tobago Finance Minister Announces TT$ Billions Of Supposed CLICO Assets On Books “Worthless”
Trinidad And Tobago’s Finance Minister announced says that forensic audits have been ordered for CLICO Investment Bank and the Colonial Life Insurance Company and that TT$ billions in assets carried on the books are worthless. When asked if there had been [...]

Qatar Building Luxury Hotel In Cuba – Meanwhile Barbados Oceans Two Stops Construction “Cashflow Problem”

Cuba’s Tourism Set To Rocket As US Blockade Falls
Qatar has announced that it will build a five-star resort on the South coast of Cuba and become the first Arab country to “invest in Cuba’s booming tourism sector”. The 450-room upscale resort is expected to be completed by 2015.
The Qatar announcement is only one of the [...]

Soccer (Football!) Star Rondel Ward Heading For NCAA Conference In Florida

COLCHESTER, Vt. – A trio of Saint Michael’s College student-athletes – senior swimmer Alex Canning (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield), junior women’s cross country/Nordic skiing student-athlete Lauren Fereshetian (Turner, Maine/Leavitt Area), and sophomore men’s soccer player Rondel Ward (Saint George, Barbados/Harrison College) – have been picked to represent the College later this month at a pair of NCAA [...]

Government Admits Barbados Anti-Money Laundering Authority Acted Illegally and Without Authority For Two Years

International Embarrassment For Barbados
For over two years, personnel of the Barbados Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) illegally shared confidential financial, banking and other information with law enforcement agencies and governments around the world. Just one little problem: AMLA personnel had no legal authority to do what they did.
AND THAT, my friends, means that Barbados AMLA personnel [...]