Barbados Sanitation Service Authority May Day Schedule

PRESS RELEASE: May Day Collection Details

The Sanitation Service Authority is informing the public there’ll be no collections on May Day 2007.

All national disposal sites and cemeteries will be closed for business on May Day 2007 as well – normal collections resume May 2nd 2007.

In addition, post-Cricket World Cup, the SSA will be stopping the 10:00 pm to 4:00 am detail along specific routes, which ran since February 26th, and its hours for regularly scheduled collections resume on 7th May 2007.

The Mangrove Pond Landfill will now operate only between 6:00 am to 6:00 pm Mondays through Saturdays.

The Sanitation Service Authority thanks the public for their support and cooperation.

A Casual Attitude About The Unmitigated Disaster Of Cricket World Cup 2007 – What Are YOU Going To Do About It?

The Patron Saint Of Cricket World Cup – Charles Ponzi

My fellow citizens,

Barbados Free Press does not have much that is new to say about the train wreck that was Cricket World Cup 2007, for the simple reason that we have been pounding home our warnings of rape, pillage and financial disaster for about a year now.

This very morning, just as we and others predicted, the world’s media is full of stories covering every embarrassing misstep, and every outrageous abuse of those poor citizens whose politicians were stupid enough and/or crooked enough to buy into one of the largest ponzi schemes ever seen in the Caribbean.

The absurdity of the final game, the boos from the crowd and the pathetic invisibility of the Prime Minister and the others who drove the disastrous agenda was a fitting end to the tournament.

We Citizens Will Continue To Pay The Price Of Politicians’ Folly

The rainy insipid finale of Saturday’s game did not end the financial and public relations damage that will be our burden for the next twenty years or more. We will continue paying in so many ways for the politicians who used Cricket World Cup as their excuse for an orgy of public spending on things that didn’t matter.

Half a billion dollars and more to host a cricket party – while our children’s teeth rot for lack of a school-based dental hygiene programme.

Owen Arther and company widened a few roads while people died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for want of a working heart monitor. We were told that the new flyovers were crucial to traffic management during Cricket World Cup for the hundreds of thousands of visitors who would descend upon Barbados – so we left our only library closed and rotting.

We spent millions to paint old chattel houses to fool the world, but built no new public housing. Now we have newly-painted rotting old chattel houses. We blew $50,000 dollars A MINUTE for the closing ceremony while our abandoned elderly citizens still haul water in pails.

The government allowed BMW to import autos for CWC bigwigs and forgave all duties – while criminal gangs stop tourist cars in the north and demand tribute to pass their gang territory. And our best and brightest police officers are abandoning Barbados because the government doesn’t consider them important enough to pay a living wage.

A body is found here and another found there and the police don’t respond for two hours because they are stretched to the limit. There was a time only a few years ago when you could walk anywhere on this island at night. Not anymore.

But by God we had cricket!

Moving Barbados Forward

Our politicians have never instituted the accountability checks and balances into the system because such laws would prevent them from corruptly taking money from the public purse.

Our Prime Minister can get caught red-handed depositing a $750,000 “campaign donation” cheque into his PERSONAL bank account – and nothing is done because this corrupt thief and his gang never instituted conflict of interest and integrity legislation.

Nor will they institute integrity legislation. Never.

The leader of the opposition who should have been pounding away at corruption issues for 13 years instead makes a “fatted calf” speech to his band – promising that when elected the DLP will take their turn to feed at the piggy trough of corruption.

These are the two leaders of Barbados. Both corrupt and both unbound by any rules of integrity.

What can one person do? Plenty!

A few weeks ago, some folks called Barbados Forward sent us a manifesto demanding various changes to our laws and asked that the government and the opposition band together to introduce these changes BEFORE the next election.

This Barbados Forward manifesto is far from perfect, but it is what we have now. Your local politician needs to receive a copy and be given an opportunity to sign it as is – or else lose your support.

As our corrupt system now stands, each newly elected government can feast at the piggy trough of corruption without fear.

We have to break this cycle. We have to call out these corrupt leaches for what they are – both government and opposition politicians and their supporters.

We have to demand that the system be changed BEFORE the next election. And we have to start making life difficult for those criminals who refuse to implement integrity legislation.

Read Barbados Forward. Let’s talk for a few days, and then let us take back our country.

Chris Dehring’s Firm Accused Of Insider Trading Fraud

The investment firm of Dehring, Bunting & Golding (DB&G website here) has been accused of an insider trading fraud. Cricket World Cup CEO Chris Dehring founded the company in 1992 and still serves on it’s Board of Directors. Majority ownership of DB&G was purchased by ScotiaBank Canada and ScotiaBank Jamaica in December of 2006.

From Radio Jamaica…

Damning allegations have been made against one of the country’s leading financial Institutions.

Friday morning, the Disciplinary Committee of the Jamaica Stock Exchange met to begin a hearing into allegations that the investment firm Dehring Bunting & Golding (DB&G) was involved in an illegal practice known as front running.

This breach, which is a form of insider trading, occurs when traders buy or sell stocks for themselves before placing orders for customers.

The Hillary Phillips-led committee, which met Friday morning at the Knutsford Court Hotel with lawyers from both sides, is probing reports that DB&G prevented a client from purchasing 100,000 units of shares on July 4 last year.

It is reported that the client, a businessman, was only offered 50,000 shares. The client, who is being represented by attorney at law, Oswest Senior-Smith, believes DB&G bought the remaining shares for itself.

Mr. Senior-Smith says the charges could have serious implications.

When our news centre tried to contact DB&G’s lawyer John Vassell, we were told he was out of office.

The hearing is to commence on June 11. (Read the original online story here)

UPDATE: Jamaica Gleaner Provides Additional Information HERE 

Message To Albert Brandford: The Owen Arthur Government Will NEVER Audit Cricket World Cup Government Expenditures

Ho Hum…

On Sunday, Albert Brandford of The Nation News attempted to write an article on government corruption without actually mentioning any specifics about the government or the actions of it’s members.

Poor old Albert predicted that…

“Here in Barbados, we are into an election mode, and the faintest whiff of corruption emanating from this expensive cricket tournament could have serious consequences for the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP) at the polls…

In the inevitable post-mortem of CWC 2007, one hopes that the long-called-for forensic audit of the staging of the tournament does not turn up any instances of corruption, especially involving the award of tenders or contracts from Government agencies.” (The Nation News: Beware CWC Audit!)

Albert – let’s get one thing straight, shall we?

There will NEVER be a forensic audit of Cricket World Cup government expenditures.

You know that, Albert…. so why bother to even pretend?

Just what is your agenda in writing such nonsense?

Carlos R. Todd, Barbados Native – Appointed President Of American Association Of Anger Management Providers

The American Association of Anger Management Providers appoints a number one rated Anderson and Anderson anger management provider–Carlos R. Todd, Barbados native as President.

Carlos R. Todd, LPC, NCC, CAMF, the energetic psychotherapist, named as the number one Anderson and Anderson anger management provider for the first quarter of 2007 has been appointed President of the American Association of Anger Management Providers–the organization representing anger management providers nationwide.

The American Association of Anger Management Providers was organized in 2001 to become the single voice to express the concerns of trained anger management providers nationwide. There are hundreds of certified anger management providers across the nation who everyday are at the front lines dealing with individual, familial and organizational anger. The AAAMP is the single voice representing this movement of trained providers.

… from a press release of the American Association Of Anger Management Providers (link here)

UPDATED

Well, I didn’t expect this number of comments to my “angry” little piece!

I guess I should have thrown in one little thing at the end and my intent would have been a little more obvious,

So here it is…

Some of you folks are way too serious!

… but I’ll have to take some of the blame as my intent didn’t come through… An angry response to an anger management guy… I had to get a drink and started yelling at my woman. Don’t you get it?

Original Article…

What The @#$!

THE NERVE of these guys just busting in here and posting a press release on our website. And on the “Hot Issues” section as well. Like this announcement was a “hot issue”. Right.

It’s a good thing good old Carlos isn’t back at St. Lucy’s like in the old days wetting his pants on Sunday morning ’cause he couldn’t hold it anymore. Anger management, indeed. What a crock! Like anyone would need anger management. Stupid career choice, Carlos old boy – and stupider still when you have to resort to posting without permission. Makes me sooooo pissed off. Good thing you’re not here or I’d give you wha for, sur’nuff.

Anger management indeed. Guys like that just tick me off and set my blood to boiling. Get all sweaty an everything. Now YOU CARLOS HAVE SPOILED MY DAY. Yes YOU!

Darlin’ …. bring me a Banks, quick like.

No… cancel that. I am so worked up over this idiot. Never mind the rum, neither. Break open that bottle a Jack Daniel’s that Robert brought back from America.

‘An make it snappy!

Anger management, indeed…

Barbados Tourism Minister Noel Lynch Chooses Next Cricket World Cup Location!

A big THANK YOU to Barbados Underground for showing us ToonDo

International Press Institute Will Change Barbados 2007 Freedom Ratings

International Press Institute, the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, is dedicated to the furtherance and safeguarding of press freedom, the protection of freedom of opinion and expression, the promotion of the free flow of news and information, and the improvement of the practices of journalism.

An informed source reveals that the International Press Institute is carefully examining how it will deal with Barbados in it’s 2007 World Press Freedom Review in light of several reported incidents of government interference with both print and broadcast media.

While the infamous public threatening and punishment of radio journalist David Ellis is the highest profile case yet noted by the IPI, several other “serious areas of concern” will “likely result in significant changes” to the 2007 review of media freedom in Barbados.

You can read the IPI’s 2006 Barbados World Press Freedom Review online at this link.

Ezra Alleyne Tackles Adrian Loveridge, But Avoids Mentioning Barbados Free Press

Alleyne Says He Doesn’t Want To Even Breathe The Same Air As Loveridge

Labels Loveridge As “Minor Innkeeper Who Dabbles Sometimes In The Difficult Art Of Self-Expression…”

Ezra Alleyne seems to be all upset about a Barbados Free Press article “Ezra Alleyne’s Spin Doctor Mathematics“ written by Adrian Loveridge, so he has written a retaliatory piece in The Nation News called “Of Two Hazards“.

Ezra’s mathematics of success are still wildly reminiscent of LSD trips as portrayed in bad Hollywood movies. According to Erza, the fact that we spent half a billion dollars on Cricket World Cup and made 24 million in ticket sales is fabulously successful.

Uh huh.

Shhhh! Don’t Say “Barbados Free Press”

In his Nation News editorial, Ezra Alleyne names the headline of the BFP – Loveridge article “Ezra Alleyne: Spin Doctor Mathematics” but never mentions where the article appeared! Readers of The Nation News are left to wonder just where they can find Mr. Loveridge’s article and what it really said.

It is an interesting problem that faces the editors at The Nation News. Increasingly, they are forced to respond to articles that appear in Barbados Free Press, or to steal our story ideas. In media scrums, the Prime Minister is regularly asked about Barbados Free Press and he mentions our blog occasionally even when no one else brings up the topic.

The Barbados Advocate said that Barbados Free Press “is having a strong impact upon politics in this country” and several members of government frequently write in our comments section.

Yet in the midst of directly replying to one of our articles, The Nation News editors just can’t bring themselves to print the words “Barbados Free Press”.

I wonder if they know how silly they look.

Report – EarthRace Gives Up On Record

Biodiesel Boat Gives Up On Record, Says Report

An effort to set a record for circumnavigating the globe and make a statement about the environment is over, according to a news report from New Zealand.

TV 3 in New Zealand reports that Pete Bethune, captain of the Earthrace, has conceded that it will be impossible to beat the record.

The Earthrace, a boat that runs on biodiesel and employs other green technologies, launched on March 10 from Barbados. Since then, it has been plagued by mechanical problems and also got delayed by a wreck in Central America. For the past several days, the boat has been stuck in Palau foraging for parts.

“Even if we had a perfect run from here, there’s no way we’d get the record by Barbados,” Bethune, who is from New Zealand, wrote in his blog. Bethune’s last post was April 26, on the early side of the International Date Line. The TV 3 story was posted April 27, New Zealand time…

… read the entire story at Cnet News (link here)

Nation News Tries To Use Cricket World Cup As Proof That CARICOM Works

The Nation News never uses the word “CARICOM” – but you’ll get the message loud and clear. Of course, for this bit of propaganda to work the reader has to agree with Prime Minister Arthur and the Nation News that Cricket World Cup was a huge success…

An excerpt…

Of course there were hiccups, challenges and questionable decisions made. But the fact that each hurdle raised was overcome, and we pressed on to achieve our goal, is testimony to our resolve to get this job done regardless.

On reflection it was, as Prime Minister Owen Arthur resolutely encouraged us to think, “an expression of confidence of who we are and what we can do as a people”.

Of course, today is more than just about what we as Barbadians have achieved.

It is about what the Caribbean has been able to accomplish despite the tremendous logistical and financial constraints that faced us when we started on making this Cricket World Cup dream a reality.

We came together in a manner that was never seen before by liberalising immigration restrictions, intensifying security co-operation and sharing skilled labour and expertise in critical areas.

Indeed, if there is no other legacy that has been left from the hosting of this Cricket World Cup, it will be the knowledge that Caribbean people can achieve great things as one.

… read the entire article at The Nation News (link here)

New Feature: Read An Archived Post At Random

Hi Folks,

In the last fifteen months the writers at Barbados Free Press have published almost 1300 articles – so many that even we sometimes forget what subjects we’ve written about. The archives allow us all to dig into past articles in a linear fashion, or we can use the search function to locate specific topics, but sometimes we’d just like to flip through some older posts for amusement.

Ta Da!

We have just added a “Random” feature that will bring you an archived article – randomly 🙂 –

It is lots of fun and will let newer readers experience some of the BFP’s archives without much work. Readers who have been with us for a while will be saying “oh yes. I remember that” and maybe even asking for a follow-up story.

We beta-tested the Random feature yesterday and Auntie Moses reports that she spent two hours online flipping through old stories. Please let us know what you think.

Try it out by clicking HERE or at the top of the page where it says “Random”.

Report: Cricket Coach Bob Woolmer Poisoned By “Harry Potter” Drug – Wolfsbane Aconitum Napellus

A British newspaper tabloid – The Sun – is unequivocally stating that Pakistan Cricket Coach Bob Woolmer was murdered in Jamaica through the use of wolfsbane. Fueling speculation is the fact that the Jamaican police announced a delay in Woolmer’s inquest pending new information.

The whole thing kind of reminds me of the song with the words “The day the music died…” except replace “music” with “cricket”.

From The Sun…

Potter Drug Did Kill Woolmer

CRICKET coach Bob Woolmer WAS poisoned by the “Harry Potter” drug aconite.

Toxicology tests have confirmed “significant” traces of it in the Pakistan coach’s body.

The tests were ordered following an anonymous tip to Jamaican police — eight days after Woolmer died — that aconite had been used.

Aconite, which paralyses the nerves, normally takes only 30 minutes to kill. Victims suffer vomiting and diarrhoea before collapsing unable to breathe, to die in agony.

Experts say the drug causes a sensation like ants crawling over the body.

A neck injury — which caused police to say Woolmer had been strangled — is now thought to have followed a fall when he collapsed.

Detectives believe the drug, in the form of white powder, could have been tipped into whisky Woolmer was drinking in his room — or sprinkled over sleeping tablets and diabetes pills he was taking.

The ancient poison, also known as wolfsbane, is said to be perfect for concealing murder and has been used in several high-profile assassinations in Pakistan…

… continue reading this article at The Sun (link here)

Barbados Supports Japanese Brutality In Dolphin Slaughter – CONTENT WARNING –

The Government Of Barbados Is Supporting Japan In It’s Quest To Expand Whaling

Many of our readers know that I sometimes help out on a boat that belongs to one of the family. I love to fish. There is no money in it, but a man could ask for no better life than fishing and a good woman (money aside).

I eat fish of all kinds. I love crab and lobster – especially sweet horseshoe lobster from the swallows of the south coast. I eat beef, pork, chicken and sheep with mint sauce. During one two week journey a few years ago, I ate bison, deer and moose. Moose is too tough, stringy and pungent for me.

I have also eaten frogs, but unlike Robert, I have never eaten monkey or dog. (Get Robert slightly tipsy on good rum and he will tell you about his other life.)

I have eaten commercially harvested dolphin – porpoise – but I will never do so again.

Dolphins (porpoise, not mahi-mahi) are mammals with high intelligence. I am not saying don’t kill and eat dolphins. We kill and eat many mammals.

But what I see online about the Japanese dolphin “harvest” has sickened me. Perhaps I will one day catch and kill a dolphin myself – but I will kill it cleanly as one should kill any animal for food.

How any man could do to a dolphin what I see the Japanese doing on the internet, I don’t know. This should be illegal in any civilized society.

The world needs to see this, but fair warning – maybe you don’t.

CONTENT WARNING !!!

Film: Stop Japanese Brutality Now

Website: Save Taiji Dolphins

British Slave Trade Register Published Online – 100,000 Barbados Slaves Named

DEAR LORD,

I would love to see the faces of our long-past ancestors if they showed up for one of our parties at Archer’s Bay. Like any Bajan party, so many different shades of skin. A child with tight kinky midnight black hair plays with his cousin who has light brown straight hair. No natural blondes, but give it another generation or two. (Of course, knowing Cliverton, the blonde kids could happen at any time, if not already. 😉 )

We already know that one branch of our family used to own the other branch. No doubt there are ancestors on both sides – even fairly recent ancestors – who would be horrified to see our family today.

That is fine with me. We are who we are today. I am who I am. My son will be better than I am at all things, and if the Lord wills it, his son or daughter will carry on.

So what do I care about Africa on a Friday evening? NOTHING…

… And then CNN publishes a story that the British slave trade register for 1834 is being placed online. The names of one hundred thousand Barbados slaves made available to anyone.

Suddenly, my lack of concern for my origins is shown to be a thin defense against the fact that there are few resources to research the family tree of a slave. I call my son and show him the CNN article.

This should be interesting…

CNN: UK Slave Register Published Online

Barbados Tourism Minister Noel Lynch Lying On Television – Preserved For History

YouTube Will Be The Undoing Of Mr. Mendacity

Noel Lynch on why CWC was probably not best suited for the Caribbean…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqzZRxsMdrw

Noel Lynch on Salvaging CWC: Government has set up a committee to help devise a way to safeguard returns from CWC; Carnival Destiny has seen it’s booking drop from 80% to 40%, but these challegnes are not the result of any Government policy failing…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgtRkfni_EA

Bookings that were once 80% before they were 40% are now said to be 50% and this will allow the Government Of Barbados to have the last laugh…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXq68igRS9Y

Thanks to Adrian of RumShopLime

Broad Street Journal Asks “Will A Half-Completed Destiny Give Mr. Lynch A Feeling Of Vindication…?”

An Uncertain Destiny

By Patrick Hoyos – Published: April 24, 2007

We are now into the final week of the CWC nightmare, with only the two semis to go (on Tuesday in Jamaica and Wednesday in St. Lucia) and, finally, the final, here on Saturday, 28 April, and co-incidentally, Heroes’ Day in Barbados.

Unfortunately, I doubt whether any modern day heroes will emerge out of the fiasco of this world cup tournament, except of course for the team that wins.

On Tuesday night I saw a news clip in which Barbados’ tourism minister Noel Lynch said that the same Destiny was filling up fast and should reach 50% to 60% occupancy, but I’m not sure if he meant for the last week only, or if that was his new projection for overall bookings during the total rental period of about three weeks.

I thought I heard Mr. Lynch say previously that the ship would be 80% to 90% full, then revise the projection to 40%, so while the higher the percentage the better for us, I guess I will just have to wait for the next projection, as Mr. Lynch really keeps me guessing.

In fact, with so many details about the Carnival Destiny’s revenues still weighing on my mind, the only clear vision I have is that which the government hoped for – a ship overflowing with smiling, happy tourists coming to and going from the games of the world cup. I think they should have chartered the Carnival Fantasy instead.

Another thing I thought I heard Mr. Lynch say (although I might have mis-heard) was that with a 50% to 60% occupancy rate on the Destiny, “We will have the last laugh”.

If I did not hear correctly, let me apologise up front; but if he did say that, I wonder on whom he would have that last laugh. Would it be on those who have openly questioned the cost of chartering so expensive and large a ship at the taxpayers’ expense, and the attendant cost of promoting it overseas by officials of the Barbados Tourism Authority? When were we told that such a massive cost would be undertaken over and above the huge cost of completely rebuilding Kensington Oval and all the additional costs to do with temporary stands, entertaining officials and security for the Barbados matches?

Will a half-completed Destiny give Mr. Lynch a feeling of vindication, an “I told you so!” moment that will nullify any criticism of its chartering?

… continue reading this article at The Broad Street Journal (link here)

Barbados Auditor General Launches Website (wink, wink)

Hi There Folks!

I’m Toothless, the official auditor puppy of Barbados. My master, Mr. Leigh Trotman, is the Auditor General Of Barbados.

My master does a really good job working for the Government of Barbados, but he is always VERY BUSY having dinners at the Bridgetown Hilton and lunches at The Savannah Hotel. That’s why he doesn’t have a website, so I thought I would help out and make one for him.

I have even posted my 2006 Annual Report at the new website…

Barbados Auditor General.wordpress.com

I hope the Auditor General of Barbados doesn’t get angry at me that I grabbed that name from WordPress. I guess he could petition WordPress to take it down or something, but then it would be a really big story and highlight the fact that he doesn’t even have a website!

But I promise… when the Auditor General of Barbados puts up a website and posts the current and historical annual reports, I’ll take mine down!

Woof woof!

signed,

Toothless

Official Auditor Puppy of Barbados

Karel Feels Guilty Over The Akon Incident And Her Post

Karel McIntosh Deletes Her Post About Akon And The 15 Year Old Girl

“I’ve deleted the post about the indecent dance between Akon and the 15-year-old girl, which has garnered this site at least 4,840 hits in just one week. Now one would think that I’d be ecstatic over this jump in readership. I’m not. This was really an experiment that proves to me that people will always have a hunger for gossip, and I’m not judging that…”

…Karel McIntosh of Caribbean Public Relations Blog (link here)

Hmmm…. I could get to like this girl.

Especially that she wrote…

In the new media environment, I like being one of the guys as opposed to the big, corporate giant who is trying to win you over with high tech stuff. It’s kind of like choosing the guy who makes you laugh over the one who can give you the Mercedes Benz and the diamond ring, if you know what I mean. Though I won’t quarrel over getting a Toyota Hilux truck or the new Mazda 323, which is what I really want!

Hmmmm…. I’m not the guy with the Mercedes.

Wonder if I can make her laugh?

😉

Cliverton