Chris Halsall Exposes Illegal Activities By Cable and Wireless

Imagine that you have just activated your new service, using one of the new competitive providers. You call everyone you know using your new phone, and gloat about how great it is…

But, strangely, some people start telling you that they cannot call you back on your brand new phone number… This becomes a serious issue — a phone which can’t be called is not much use.

… from Chris Halsall’s A funny thing happened on the way to the competition…

Cable & Wireless has enjoyed its virtual monopoly for many years, and now that things are changing C&W isn’t taking it too well. According to Chris Halsall, Cable and Wireless have programmed much of their equipment to prevent C&W clients from calling telephones installed by other companies!

Yes, our government should be all over this because we have laws about service and connectivity that govern the operations of communications companies.

Why isn’t the law being enforced?

Good question.

Head over to Chris Halsall’s Ideas 4 Lease blog and read all about it. Then pick up the phone, and – if you’re not blocked by Cable and Wireless – call the Fair Trading Commission at (246) 424-0260 and ask them if they are finished their lunch break yet. (That’s the time between 10am and 2pm, you know.)

When you’re finished listening to their pathetic excuses, try calling the Minister, George Hutson at 426-4452. Although Minister Hutson is probably still feeling his way around his new job, you can bet that a call from the Minister saying “What the HELL is going on with this phone situation?” might help. Minister Hutson probably won’t use those words exactly, but everyone will know that is what he means!

“Ideas4Lease” Blog Added To Our Links

Chris Halsall is the Ralph Nader of Barbados telecommunications business, law and technologies… and we mean that most respectfully. Perhaps we should say that Chris has all of Nader’s good qualities and none of his bad.

Its difficult anytime you compare people, but you get the message: Chris Halsall is out there fighting for the rights of Bajans who, as a nation, have historically been held for ransom by Cable & Wireless.

Halsall makes his points with no hyperbole or shouting – just stating simple facts and asking polite yet devastating questions.

His Ideas4Lease blog is well worth your time if you are 1/ Bajan and 2/ Use the telephone or the internet.

photo – “Lobster Telephone” by Salvador Dali (1936) – courtesy of the Tait Collection, London

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Bajan Medical Doctors Treated As Second Rate?

Foreign Doctors More Valued In Our Health System Than Bajan Doctors

I am extremely disappointed that Barbados facilitates foreign doctors way over our own trained Barbadian Doctors. It’s frustrating that key jobs in QEH are so easily filled by these doctors from areas such as India, Nigeria etc and there are equally qualified Barbadian doctors trained in and outside of Barbados. In fact quite a few of these imported foreign doctors are using Barbados to practice and obtain skills they lack before hopping to the USA as they had planned from the start. I personally agree with advancement however not by exploiting others and that is quite apparent in most cases.

We talk of a brain drain, reality check most of the Barbadian Doctors and nurses are been forced out. Yes, the system in place at QEH drives our qualified medical personnel either into other professional fields or to seek medical opportunities in other countries. Also those skilled and wishing to return to Barbados are met with tremendous deterrent factors. Just look at who commands some of the top medical posts at QEH and you would not be surprise at this xenophilic approach.

What sort of country is this I ask where its own citizens are regulated to substandard while those of foreign origin are revered?

Our ignorance at times appears to me to have no boundaries.

Nigerian Doctors Not Required To Take Barbados Licensing Exams

Just another interesting point… Barbadian Doctors trained in Cuba are made to repeat a year of medical school and then must do a regional exam before practicing in Barbados. However, if you are from Guyana you are paid as a doctor for a year before you undertake the exam.

Even better if from Nigeria, India, UK, USA you don’t have to do any exams at all. Funny enough these countries request that Barbadians must take expensive exams before they can qualify for work in the respective countries. So therefore we are paying taxes to cover these foreign doctors while our own must incurred further interest on student loans before they make a living.

Amazing, our motto is pride and industry……Pride and Industry in foreigners I say. I can only hope the present Government look out for the interest of its people and rectify these problems before all is lost.

A Bajan patient and BFP reader

Time To Make Graeme Hall National Park A Reality

(click on the map for a larger version) 

Barbados Free Press Readers Say The Time Is Now

BFP reader Greengage penned the following…

Arthur’s turning down Matthew Kerins “Caribbean Splash” application (for a water fun park on ABC Highway) just before he was kicked out was wonderful news for those 7,000 of us who signed the petition against it. It could well be that O$A knew what would come to light in his dealings with Kerins if he was not reelected.

It really had seemed that Arthur was determined to honour his cozy deal with Kerins despite the public outcry against it. On Brass Tacks the PM bluntly stated in respect to “Caribbean Splash”that he alone would determine what was best for the nation! This in the face of Town Hall meetings unanimous in opposition to it.

The Friends of Graeme Hall developed the concept of a national park which would incorporate the lands occupied by Ministry of Agriculture, supplemented by Graeme Hall Swamp. Government never responded to this initiative so far as we have been told.

Peter Allard then came forward with a very generous proposal to donate the major part of his Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary to the nation if Government were to create a national park in the remaining area, which is the last remaining major tract of green open land in the Greater Bridgetown area.

No government official ever acknowledged Allard’s offer, or commented on it, such was the apparent animosity existing between Arthur and Allard.

It seemed as if the politicians must have had plans of their own for the land, including development for residence, commercialisation or tourist oriented use such as hotels. The land was taken away from Min of Agriculture and vested in a separate government-owned company so that the politicians could do as they please.

Faced with such egregious insolence and ingratitude it was not surprising that Mr Allard decided he had had enough of Barbados, and put the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary up for sale on the international market. So far as we know there have been no takers. Perhaps the door is still open to us, now that we have a new Government with a better idea of what is good for the country, judging by Greenland?

It therefore appears timely to revive this whole issue before it too late. The Friends of Graeme Hall committee should reaffirm the strong reasons for this venture which will give Barbados a national park with many peripheral activities readily accessible to the people of Greater Bridgetown- the bulk of the population.

There is another national park initiative around Codrington Nursery, but this would be costly, involving the acquisition of private lands. The beauty of the Graeme Hall location is that it already belongs to the nation, and the donation of the Nature Sanctuary would be a tremendous plus.

We must all endorse this great concept before further enthusiasm for it is lost.

Further Reading

Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary – Web site

Graeme Hall National Park – Friends Of Graeme Hall Website

Selected articles from Barbados Free Press…

July 31, 2007 – Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary Almost Financially Self-Supporting

June 28, 2007 – Graeme Hall National Park – Powerful Entities Want To Possess And Profit From This Public Land

June 21, 2007 – Nation News Censors Important Story & Letter To Editor – Millionaire Philanthropist Abused By Barbados Government

June 12, 2007 – BREAKING NEWS: Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary Up For Sale !

March 3, 2007 – Outrage As Deceitful Nation News Censors Letter From National Park Donor Peter Allard

November 16, 2006 – Barbados Government: Total Silence On Graeme Hall National Park Proposal

October 16, 2006 – Graeme Hall National Park – “An Oasis In A Concrete Urban Jungle”

July 12, 2006 – Caribbean Splash Waterpark Developer Says Barbados Government “Cannot Back Out Of The Deal…”

July 11, 2006 – OUTRAGE! Town Hall Meeting Learns Barbados PM Arthur Ordered Waterpark Built On Sensitive Watershed!