Jdid all upset: Toronto Anglican Church gave Communion to Dog and non-Christian

Join the buffet line for Holy Communion!

Our friend Jdid left Barbados many years ago for the cold and snow of Toronto, but apart from the occasional complaint on his Doan Mind Me blog about harsh weather he seems happy with his home away from home. Last time we looked he had a good woman and a little one just arrived and we hope the Lord continues to bless Jdid and his family.

And speaking of the Lord, Jdid’s latest article weighs in on a story out of Toronto where an Anglican priest gave a communion wafer to a dog and a non-believer.

Barbados borrows big – Government celebrates but had to pay top rates for a loan

Barbados just borrowed another US$200 million dollars through a private bond placement with the Deutsche Bank and as normal the government is bragging in the press about how borrowing money is a wonderful accomplishment and something to be proud of.

As for me, I always thought it meant that the family was in trouble if we had to borrow money to buy food and pay for electricity. Borrowing to invest in business or making your house worth more is one thing – borrowing to buy food is another.

Let’s look at how the loan is reported in the Bajan news media, and then in the world financial press. Both perspectives are probably true, but the government’s position reminds me of the old school song “Think happy thoughts”…

Hazard to Turtles along the South Coast Boardwalk – Help needed

Government all talk and no action to save turtle hatchlings – Will you help?

by Lani Edghill – Environmental Planner & Green Business Barbados Coordinator for the Future Centre Trust

I live on the beach in Hastings to the western end of the new boardwalk. We are currently in the middle of turtle nesting season and at least 25-30 nests are located on the beach to the east of where I live (in front of where the old Ocean View Hotel used to be). The boardwalk bisects this beach and as a result a ditch was formed on the land side of the boardwalk. Not only is it a hazard to nesting turtles and hatchlings but also to children who could fall and hurt themselves.

As part of being an ethical planner, even if it is not my job, I see it as my duty to bring these issues to light in the public forum. In addition it is also important that I work with relevant stakeholders to ensure that partnerships are forged in order to move the coordination process forward.

In an attempt to mitigate this issue I contacted Dr. Julia Harrocks who is the coordinator for the Barbados Sea Turtle Project at the University of the West Indies and Dr. Lorna Inniss deputy director of the Coastal Zone Management Unit.

Adrian Loveridge: New American Airlines Dallas to Barbados flight is a game changer!

Will Barbados follow-up aggressively on this opportunity?

The recent announcement of a new direct non-stop service from Dallas to Barbados with American Airlines, scheduled to start on 16th December is more good news and offers tremendous opportunities for our tourism industry.

According to the DFW Airport Board, Dallas/Fort Worth handled over 56 million passengers last year from 175 destinations. 60 per cent of these passengers were connecting from other cities. The greater metropolitan area of Dallas is the largest in the south and the fourth highest population on any similar urban area in the United States, boasting over 6.5 million residents (source: US Census Bureau).

But even with these impressive statistics, it could well prove that our biggest marketing tool will be beyond this new gateway.

Stevenson Blackett murdered in Brooklyn, New York

Beloved grandfather gunned down in home

We are terribly saddened by the news that Stevenson Blackett was shot to death early this morning in his Brooklyn home. The 60-year old grandfather moved to the USA from Barbados in 1972 and founded Stevenson Maintenance Inc., a plumbing company in the Bronx, 32 years ago.

Two men broke into the home in the wee hours and went right to the basement where Blackett was sleeping alone. The killers tied him up and shot him twice in the head as his wife, Brenda, his father-in-law and their three grandchildren slept on the second floor. The first floor of the home is a daycare center.

Barbados cowboy (or cowgirl!) competes in North Star Stampede Rodeo, Minnesota

Someone from Barbados competed last weekend in the 55th annual North Star Stampede in Effie, Minnisota.

That’s all we can tell you because we’re not subscribers to the Herald-Review, so we only see this teaser online and can’t see the whole article. We don’t know if the Bajan is mentioned by name…

Chauffeur killed, Barbados MP injured in head-on crash. Police lack authority for proper investigation.

Sylvester Brown died in a head-on collision Tuesday afternoon as he was driving Member of Parliament Hamilton Lashley (Hammie La). Hammie was taken to QEH with non-life threatening injuries to his head and hand.

The driver of the other vehicle, Mario Daniel-Hood, 29, of Eden Lodge, St Michael, was also taken to hospital with unknown injuries.

While an autopsy might reveal whether Mr. Brown had been celebrating earlier in the day, Barbados Police are handicapped in their investigation because they will not be able to determine if or how much Mr. Daniel-Hood had been drinking.

Exclusive Breaking: Tony Blair purchasing home in Barbados

For the last thirteen weeks representatives of Tony Blair have been combing Barbados for the ideal retirement residence suitable for the former British Prime Minister. Mr. Blair is said to desire a home that is large enough and regal enough for important guests, but not pretentious. According to our source, a pool would be nice, but it’s not a deal breaker as long as there is room to put one in.

Hundreds of digital photos have been taken of various properties and relayed to Mr. Blair.

Barbados sells $200 million of 7% notes in private placement. What does this mean?

Calling Dennis Jones… Barbados borrows another $200 million.

A long time BFP reader sent us the following little news item and we aren’t financially sophisticated enough to say much about it, except to note that the sale of the Barbados notes was a “private placement” and the yield is 7.2 percent, which seems a tad high to us for this type of thing.

So Barbados just borrowed another $200 million (US?) dollars at 7% or thereabouts (plus commission?).

Is our resident economist Dennis Jones still around? His latest article (published yesterday) is about the state of our foreign reserves.

Dennis, can you comment on this transaction please?

David Comissiong gets it right about frivolity, entertainment and Barbados history

Remember our history – but do more than take grants and stage photos!

Photo courtesy of The Nation: Trevor Prescod at the monument in Golden Square. Prescod is probably remembering how his organisation’s carelessness and neglect destroyed thousands of irreplaceable historical documents last year.

I don’t know about you folks, but by this point in time I usually need a break from the constant late nights and too much drink. The big party seems to start earlier and end later every year – or it could be that I’m getting a little older and can’t handle it like I used to.

For whatever reason I was receptive to the message by David Comissiong in today’s Nation newspaper that we should stop the party when Emancipation Day rolls around.

Source: MP’s custom suits, casual clothes purchased in Miami with election funds or tax dollars

DLP Politicians in Miami “Went wild at shopping and partying…”

“Custom made dress shirts at almost US$100 each”

Immediately after winning the January 2008 election, groups of DLP Members of Parliament were rotated through a week in Miami ostensibly to familiarise themselves with our consulate operations in that city.

That was the public story. The truth was something else…

Hello USA Today readers!

USA Today links to Barbados Free Press story about Harlequin’s Buccament Bay Resort

For the second time in the last few months a Barbados Free Press story is featured at USA Today’s website so we’re saying “hello” to a few hundred new visitors who wouldn’t normally drop by. The Harlequin lawsuit against Irish contractor Padcraig O’Halloran is gathering a whole lot of interest here at BFP and around the world and a good measure of that interest is fueled by allegations that Mr. O’Halloran stole money to keep a woman happy.

We have two articles posted about the case…

Those Bajans are everywhere! Jersey City celebrates 15th Annual West Indian Festival Parade

Theo James waves his Bajan flag in New Jersey, USA

Hello to all our friends in Jersey City, Newark and Brooklyn!

Travel just southwest of a little place call Hoboken and you’ll find Jersey City, New Jersey. It’s close enough to Brooklyn that Shona and I used to pass through once in a while on our way to visit some friends across the river.

There have been a lot of changes since 9/11 but one thing that hasn’t changed is that you’ll find a Bajan practically anywhere you travel and New Jersey is no exception – especially during their 15th Annual West Indian Festival Parade last Saturday past. Thanks to a friend for alerting us to the article at NJ.com.

Wikileaks – tens of thousands of secret war docs on internet show betrayal by “moderate” Muslim allies

Pakistan Intelligence Agency actively assisting Afghan Taliban

Pakistan receives over a billion US dollars every year in aid from the USA alone, yet its intelligence service meets regularly with Taliban soldiers and terrorists to guide their actions, including assassinations of Afghan government members.

That is just one of the revelations in a treasure trove of tens of thousands of stolen US military and intelligence services documents that have been posted at WikiLeaks.org

The New York Times, The Guardian and the German magazine Der Spiegel were provided with the documents weeks ago and today have their stories up in coordination with WikiLeaks. The owner of WikiLeaks has been on the run from various authorities for a month now.

If you only learn one thing from the WikiLeaks revelations, learn this:

Buccament Bay intrigue: Harlequin’s star witness a fraud?

Harlequin Property CEO David Ames is alleging that Padcraig O’Halloran, Managing Director of the ICE Group, diverted “significant sums” of project funds to O’Halloran’s girlfriend.

According to the Irish news media, Harlequin’s star witness is Mr. O’Halloran’s former employee, “Trisha Young”… but a Miss “Trisha Devoni-Young”, a financial controller for Cable & Wireless, was once charged for theft and fraud.

Is this the “Trisha Young” that Harlequin is relying upon for evidence or is it another Trisha Young? Numerous anonymous emails to Barbados Free Press suggest that this is the same person. Are they correct?

Ordinary Bajans in the way of profiteering… they never had a chance.

Big shots hoped subservient Bajans would move into little boxes while millions were made from their homes

It looks to us like the Methodist Church got together with some land speculators, developers and government types to toss some ordinary folks off land where they’d lived for generations.

But guess what? All these years the church said they owned the land but they haven’t the paperwork to show title. They just said they owned it, sold it to the developer and kicked families out of their homes where they’d lived for a hundred years. We’d love to hear the Methodist and government side of the story, but right now that’s the way it looks to us.

Why isn’t this an issue in the Bajan press? Cha! You mek sport!

We’re so proud of Tamesha Warren!

Bajan’s run ends at Top Chef DC, new challenges beckon.

Time Magazine as disappointed as we are that Tamesha was cut…

After six episodes of Top Chef DC, our sweetheart Tamesha Warren was sent home in the “cold plate” contest – but her cold scallops with pickled rhubarb, cilantro and basil with rhubarb jus looked wonderful to us. The judges said it was too spicy for their taste, but what do they know except boring? Time Magazine’s James Poniewozik agrees with us that Tamesha should have stayed…

Michael Winner talks about Paradise Beach, Simon Cowell and Barbados Free Press

Death Wish film director lets loose on “bizarre saga” of Four Seasons Resort and a lot more

There can be no dispute that our old friend Michael Winner loves Barbados – and not just the West Coast / Sandy Lane crowd either. We’ve seen him pass through places like er, Grape Hall, and he’s usually smiling away in the passenger seat like he’s just had a tonic and gin… or five. Sometimes he waves at folks in much the same manner as Queen Elizabeth in a motorcade. We wave back. Like we said, Michael Winner loves Barbados and we get a kick out of him too.

Mr. Winner has been following what he describes as the “bizarre saga” of the on-again, off-again Four Seasons / Paradise Beach development and has just published a tell-all about the project in the Telegraph. It’s a wonderful and fun read with a few secrets and private quotes thrown in here and there.

Here’s a list of some of the folks he talks about…