Private Barbados Tourism Impact Study highlights concerns with policing, environment and housing costs

Tourism Impacts – The Good, the Bad and the “Oh Oh”
Amit Uttamchandani of Pull! Push! blog recently completed his online study of Resident Perceptions of Tourism Impacts in Barbados with over 400 people taking the time to participate. The study forms part of Amit’s just submitted MBA dissertation. (Good luck Amit!)
Amit’s study validated some 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 [...]

When Your Neighbours Take 3 Years To Build A House…

We are currently dealing with Town and Country Planning and hope to get satisfaction, but we would like to share our problem with any readers here.
We built and occupied our small bungalow eight years ago, on a spot with a view of the sea. Our road is at right angles to the shore. Recently the [...]

Barbados Crop-Over Used To Be About This…

Crop-Over Used To Be A Time For Thanks And Celebration
Wuking-Up was unheard of. Weeks would pass without seeing a motor car drive by Grape Hall. And at this time of the year folks would celebrate Crop-Over – but not before they thanked the Lord for what had been given.
That wasn’t so long ago. I’m not [...]

Courtesy …

Hey … unlike the people of Bim and the CWC, at least these fans were given the option to decline the rectal exam for their free tickets …
Odd Baseball Promotion: Free Tickets For Fans Who Receive a Rectal Exam At The Stadium
Want free baseball tickets? All you had to do last night was show [...]

Does Bizzy Williams Know How To Party? For Sure!

Courtesy of Kadooment.com

Barbados In Focus Is At It Again

Some Folks Have The Eye, And Some Don’t
Our photographer friend over at Barbados In Focus is blessed with talent. We have no idea who he is or if the rest of his life is beautiful or in chaos, but we do know that he is a master story teller with a camera.
He has a new [...]

Let Me Win, But If I Cannot Win, Let Me Be Brave In The Attempt

Well Folks,
Just received a letter from a reader, chastising us for failing to mention the Special Olympics events that have been taking place over the last week and a half. I could make excuses about the World Cup occupying our attention, or ask why the reader didn’t give us a tap on the shoulder [...]

Sweet Little Girl Needs Surgery To Correct Cleft Lip – Barbados Hospital Won’t Operate Unless Paid Up Front

All Kinds Of Government Money For Cricket, Flyovers & Election Bribery House Painting – But None For Nicollet
SHOW ME where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what is important to you.
That goes for any government too – and children like this little girl are obviously nothing to the government of Barbados.
The Barbados Government [...]

Lives of The Rich and Unfaithful In Barbados: Holders Plantation House and Those Wacky Kidds!

Really, Darling, I must sell the polo ponies and leave my wife for a Hollywood showgirl who is younger than our daughter …
Bye the way, Darling, we must set aside the country mansion for the weekend so members of the Royal Family can have their little trysts without those nasty people from the Barbados [...]

Contemporary Slavery In Haiti… And Around The World

Lest We Forget…
A few excerpts from an archived 2004 BBC WorldService special (link here) that I listened to last week. Unbelievable on one level sitting at your kitchen table with your family. Once again, I thank God that I was born in Barbados…
Slavery Today
This year the United Nations is commemorating the abolition of the slave [...]

Barbados Death Boat – Mass Burial Brings Us Together

Ten unnamed travellers from Senegal who set out to make new lives and help their families back home ended their sad journey on Wednesday when they were buried in a joint Muslim – Christian ceremony. Some 40 others who perished on the same journey were taken by the sea.
Everytime I think of these poor folks, [...]

How About Urban Vegetable Gardens For Barbados?

Temas Blog Tells Of Urban Gardening Experiment In Venezuela
As most of our BFP readers know, we’re not big fans of dictatorships, communist governments or cradle to grave socialism. Nor do we support social structures that destroy individual initatives and profits. (editor’s note: to see what Cliverton really thinks about communists, read his BFP articles: A [...]

Barbadosed Boy Lonely On A Friday Night – Shoots Cat

New semester. Way ahead in my reading. Been working too hard and January is not yet finished.
Did you know that “Barbadosed” use to be a verb? I feel that way. (Look it up here)
I’m taking a well earned break tonight and I won’t be posting again this evening. I have some friends coming over around [...]

Barbados Advocate Deliberately Erases The Past – “Disappears” Water Park Article!

“The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth.”
“And if all others accepted the lie which the party imposed – if all records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became the truth.”
… from George Orwell’s famous novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (pages 78 & 37)
Barbados Advocate Removes [...]

Barbados Sanitation Service Authority – “Friends Are Coming, Let’s Clean This Place Up”

January 29th – Get Rid Of Old Appliances, Mother-In-Law etc.
We received this press release from the Sanitation Service Authority about a big pickup of appliances and other large items – to happen on Monday, January 29th. We think it is wonderful that the SSA is taking a lead in cleaning up before our Cricket World [...]

Barbados Music Awards Need A Little Credibility Boost

The Bajan Reporter blog continues asking questions about the judging process of the Barbados Music Awards – and the bloggers aren’t the only ones raising eyebrows. According to Ian Bourne at Bajan Reporter, some Barbados entertainers are grumbling too.
Like we said… there has been a change of mood in this country insofar as transparency, integrity [...]

Blogging Around Barbados: BIM Has A Tough Day, Downtown Smells, and Sir Roy Says “Make Sure Your Local Merchant Has Dark-Enough Skin”

I have been lazy lately and didn’t post this last night even though I promised the others that I would put something up. Didn’t even get to church on Sunday let alone to the big ceremony. Too tired. My other BFP friends caused enough trouble yesterday, so today I’ll have a look around near and [...]

Greenland Fiasco Dooms Barbados – Professor Machel Names The Liars, Thieves & Incompetents

“From now on the general public will have access to this information, rather than just a select few. It is high time, if not overdue, that this information is available to all the people of Barbados…”… Professor Hans G. Machel talking about the information contained in this article.
Editor’s Note
This is the last article of a [...]

Graeme Hall National Park: Will The Nation News Follow-up With Government & Politicians?

Today’s issue of The Nation News finally mentions the media briefing given by the Friends of Graeme Hall fully one week ago – where it was announced that Canadian philanthropist Peter Allard had agreed to donate 25 acres of sanctuary land towards a National Park at Graeme Hall.
“Park In State’s Hands“ is the title of [...]

Barbados Music Awards: Bajan Reporter Blog Questions Integrity Of Judging Process

Maybe It Is About Who You Know Or Maybe Not…
If the Barbados Music Awards are to really mean something, the judging process has to have integrity.
Ian Bourne at the Bajan Reporter blog is asking some “difficult” questions about the Barbados Music Awards judging process. He also makes some connections between the venue, the contest organization [...]

Why Don’t We Just Pave Over The Whole Damn Island And Be Done With It?

The Only Argument Against A National Park At Graeme Hall Is Short-Term Greed
Good Morning Folks!
Although the past two weeks have seen the largest blog traffic numbers ever for Barbados Free Press, there have been a couple of stories that we could have (and should have) paid more attention to.
One of these stories is the [...]

Michael Winner Says Of Barbados Bayview Hospital “It’s Horrible Here” and “Food Is Disgusting”

Famous Film Director Hospitalized In Barbados
**** CORRECTION ****
Mr. Winner was not in the QEH – he was in Bayview. Our bad! However, the point of the article remains the same…
How unfortunate that an international personage like Mr. Winner is broadcasting in the world media what we all know to be true.
“It’s horrible here,” he said [...]

Barbados Music Awards Concert – YES!

Robert & Shona Will Be There! (Too Bad Marcus Has To Work)
We will see you tonight (January 5th) for the big Barbados Music Awards show at the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, at 8PM. And a big thank you to Auntie Moses for coming down to look after the little one.

Magnet Man is up for Best [...]

Black History Month Celebrated At Brooklyn Center For The Performing Arts

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts Celebrates Black History Month 2007
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College celebrates Black History with a month’s worth of exciting offerings – two fiery African dance companies, a Broadway star, two Motown legends, and much more!
February 3 Les Ballets Africains (That’s [...]

Barbados Culture and Laws Confusing To Some

Bajans Spend New Year’s Eve In Church, But Have No Laws Against Selling Alcohol To Children or Driving While Drunk
One of our readers sent us references to two newspaper articles – one about how many (very many!) Bajans choose to spend New Year’s Eve in church, and the other article about how children can [...]

God, How I Love Barbados…

Only two days ago, we asked our readers for help in finding a new title photo (see Help Barbados Free Press Find A New Title Photo). In those two days, we have received 127 photos (!) from our readers, including almost 80 from one good BFP friend.
We are truly overwhelmed.
Some folks read the article, grabbed [...]

Celebrities Choose Barbados Because It Is Safe, Beautiful, Magical – Daily Mail

“Tell All” Article By Music Insider Jonathan Shalit Gushes Praise For Entire Island
Barbados can spend millions of dollars advertising tourism, but nothing is as effective as a foreigner praising our country and our people in the media like this just-published Daily Mail article I’m A Celebrity, Get Me To Barbados!
Johathan Shalit’s article is sprinkled with [...]

Blogging Around Barbados – New Links, Movie Prices, Bajan Underground Music, Caribbean Aviation, Wikipedia & Water Woes

Top ‘o The Morning From Auntie Moses’ Garden
A few of us slept over at Auntie Moses’ place last night and stayed up until the wee hours watching a movie on DVD and then playing some cards. There was little drinking as the men are all off to work today. With our family, even if it [...]

Do Not Be Afraid. I Bring You Good News Of Great Joy… A Savior Has Been Born To You: He Is Christ The Lord.

Merry Christmas To All
See you on the 26th
Shona, Marcus, Cliverton, Robert, Auntie Moses, Little Mark and ?

Merry Christmas Folks!

Time get in the mood if you’re not there already, and while this theme isn’t really an “island” Christmas, it will have to do!
AND AS A SPECIAL TREAT, Christ Church West MP Dr. Duguid has volunteered to help us all get that Christmas Spirit..
.
Merry Christmas to you too, Doc!
(Click on the photo to visit [...]

Bajan Garfield Harris Retires After 45 Years Driving London Buses

Garfield Harris left Barbados in 1961 as one of many Bajans who were recruited to ease Britain’s labour shortage after World War II. He was just 20 years old when he started driving London buses.
After 45 years of steady work, he will be dividing his time between his homes in Tottenham, England and in Barbados. [...]

Magnet Man’s Movie Debut – Standing Ovation

We’re in trouble with the girls – because somebody sent us this story almost two weeks ago and we failed to publish it. Just busy days and it slipped to the bottom of the pile. Sorry about that.
Now the Nation News has done up a very informative piece on Magnet Man’s new movie From Barbados [...]

Jovan Reid Makes A Point – We Agree And Offer An Olive Branch

Jovan Reid at The Bajan Dream Project looks at forty years of Bajan independence and wonders about the future in “What Will The Government Of Barbados Sell Next?“.
The last time we met Jovan online, BFP was a bit cranky and rattled his chain more than we should have done in polite company. We don’t see [...]

University Of The West Indies Installs Video Advertising System, Allows Commercials Directed At Students – Good Idea or Bad?

Can’t Even Pee In Peace…
When Shona and I were visiting relatives in New York City this past summer, we took everyone out for an Italian veal dinner at a little out of the way place that has been a family favourite for a decade. Gino’s Kitchen is by no means “upscale” but the food [...]

One More Reason Why CARICOM Will Not Work On A Cultural Level

Murder Rates – Jamaica vs. Barbados
Jamaica: 63.4 murders per 100,000 population.
Barbados: 7.47 murders per 100,000 population.
Today, BFP reader TJ2 dicovered a March 13, 2006 BFP post The Problem With CARICOM – Barbados Culture Is Not Jamaican Culture and left a comment describing CARICOM as “A marriage made in hell if there ever was one!”
I don’t [...]

16 Days Of Activism Against Gender Violence Ends

Our friend Titilayo at Gallimaufry blog has concluded her series of articles for the 16 Days of activism against gender violence.
A worthy read.
Here is the index page for the series (link here).