Dr. Karl Watson of Barbados National Trust “SHOCKED” by Sandals environmental damage

“In the short and medium run, tourism is really the only engine for our continued prosperity and economic growth. So, we welcome the Sandals development, however, I must say that having come down here this morning, I am a bit taken aback and shocked.

(snip)

Quite a number of mature trees have been felled and then I also see development on the way in the sea where a type of breakwater is being constructed, and I wonder whether the environmental impact assessment that aught to have been done for this project was really based soundly and on correct assessment, and whether the long term effects of both this type of deforestation, denuding of forest cover, exposure of the sandy layer, topsoil etc, or the creation of an artificial offshore reef; whether the future results of these developments have been thoroughly assessed.”

 

Pat Hoyos: Plasma gasification will bring economic and environmental disaster to Barbados

“The Government of Barbados has given up all of the country’s future rights to determine its waste to energy management to an unknown company, whose plan is to build a plant using highly dangerous technology that has failed in every attempt made so far to turn garbage into electricity.”

Welcome to Corruption Unlimited

“Barbados has given up all future rights to an Unknown Company…”

Oh yes my childrens… Gather ’round and I’ll spin you a tale of how each Barbados government for the last 30 years has promised to implement integrity legislation and conflict of interest standards, but never did. Never will without serious international pressure.

Owen Arthur promised integrity legislation, but never delivered. Then, on a politician’s salary, PM Owen Arthur donated US$150,000 in after tax dollars to a cricket charity! What a great man!

Then “Goin’ wid Owen” was caught putting campaign donations from corporations into his personal bank account!

No charges though because Barbados doesn’t care about corruption.

PM Thompson Says His Use Of CLICO’s Business Jet Is None Of Your Business

Then the next Prime Minister, David Thompson, through his law firm money laundered $3.3 Million Dollars for his friend Leroy Parris.

And David Thompson and the DLP promised Integrity Legislation.

But they never delivered.

Now Freundel Stuart says “Trust me, trust your government” about the garbage-to-electricity plant.

And Bajans are not allowed to know if any politicians have shares in the companies that will benefit from the Barbados Government contract. 

So… to all the Bajan politicians who aren’t standing up and demanding that the people be allowed to know who is profiting from government contracts… (Censored)

Take it away, Pat Hoyos…

THE HOYOS FILE: Tipping Cahill deal into the dumpster

YOU KNOW THAT A POLICY is dead on arrival when the usually accommodative local chamber of commerce breaks its silence to say so. That, to me, was the big game changer last week. 

Barbados national crisis: Sargassum seaweed damaging tourism and fishing

Have a look at these Nation News videos that fairly depict the impact of sargassum seaweed on on beaches, and then ask yourself why our government isn’t calling “ALL HANDS ON DECK!”.

Sometimes I think I’m the crazy one when problems and priorities seem so obvious yet the government does nothing.

China showers money, free trips on Barbados journalists and government employees. Where’s mine?

That sound you hear at Chinese embassies throughout the Caribbean is the shuffling of journalists, government officials and other folks crawling on their knees to get their share of the free trips, goods, money and other largesse dispensed by the Chinese government because… because of their good and kind intentions.

The only condition (and it’s not even necessary to agree in writing) is that the receiving governments, people and organisations don’t mention the sins of China or the Chinese Communist Party, including running the world’s largest slave camp system, systemic poisoning of the environment and the routine trampling of human rights, freedom of religion etc.. Also on the ‘don’t mention’ list are forced abortions and executions for property crimes to facilitate government selling of prisoners’ organs. And China certainly doesn’t want to hear any talk of the Tienanmen Square Massacre or how journalists are beaten to death for reporting illegal disposal of cadmium waste. Same same for the concerns over the Confucius Institute programme at UWI.

So pay no attention to these fanciful stories of Chinese slave camps, forced abortions and repression of Christian. Just line up for the free money!

China gives Barbados journalists “Hard-to-resist treats, free trips, all expenses paid… and flattery”

Barbados silent about China kidnapping, forcing late term abortions, sterilizations on 7000 women

What would Sarah Ann Gill think about our silence over religious persecution in China?

The new Bajan export commodity: Wives to China!

Barbados signs environmental deal with one of the world’s worst offenders: China

On this day of emancipation, we pray for millions still held as slaves in China, North Korea, Africa and throughout the Muslim world

China’s New Slave Empire: Africa

China Olympics – Police Ask Bar Owners Not To Serve Blacks Because They Are Pimps, Prostitutes And Drug Dealers

Barbados Prime Minister Promises To Ignore China Human Rights Issues As Long As Communist Dollars Continue

BFP Aug 14, 2008 – Hartley Henry Pays The Chinese Back For That Free Trip!

BFP Apr 28, 2008 – Help Us Confirm The Names Of The Barbados Journalists Who Took Gifts From Communist China

BFP June 6, 2006 – Barbados Media Forgets Anniversary – China’s Tiananmen Square Massacre

DELEGATION HEADING TO CHINA

Some 19 persons will be heading to the People’s Republic of China later this month to attend a number of bilateral seminars on Agro-processing and Agriculture.

The group is scheduled to leave the island next Wednesday, June 10, 2015 for the seminars, which will run from Friday, June 12, to Thursday, July 2, on Hainan Island, China. The delegation will be led by Senior Agricultural Officer, Leslie Brereton, and will include representatives from the Barbados Investment Development Corporation (BIDC), the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC), and a number of private persons involved in agriculture.

The bilateral seminars are fully funded by the People’s Republic of China and are organised through the Academy for International Business Officials (AIBO), also known as the Training Centre of the Ministry of Commerce. The seminars are expected to include presentations, lectures and tours. (KRM/BGIS)

Barbados Government’s unrealistic taxes & inability to pay tax refunds is causing dumping, ruining the environment and our tourism economy

“Clearly the commercial banks will not extend interest free overdrafts to companies like ours to allow for Government’s inability to meet their obligations, so the financial challenges are further compounded as time goes by.”

“Many businesses have been forced to wait more than two years for submitted VAT refunds without any interest being paid.”

Indiscriminate garbage dumping linked to unrealistic tax structure

Adrian Loveridge – tourism expert, hotel owner

While at first this week’s column may seem to stray from the subject ‘matter’ and purpose, the consequence of certain actions has a direct negative effect on our tourism performance.

As a business we get absolutely no ‘free’ state collection of garbage.

We sort and separate everything we can with the wonderful assistance of B’s Recycling and virtually everything else we pay private contractors to collect and dispose of at a considerable cost.

Therefore when the Municipal Solid Waste Tax was imposed, almost without warning, the additional (in our case) $8,000 a year in further unbudgeted taxation was especially irksome as we have been asked to pay for something we do not in any way benefit from directly.

Compounding this already unfair situation is the announced tipping fee which the waste disposal companies will be forced to pass on to their customers like us.

This at a time when we are among many businesses who have been forced to wait more than two years for submitted VAT refunds without any interest being paid.

Clearly the commercial banks will not extend interest free overdrafts to companies like ours to allow for Government’s inability to meet their obligations, so the financial challenges are further compounded as time goes by.

From a tourism perspective, I also really also wonder if our policymakers have truly thought this through. While you cannot condemn any Government for indiscriminate dumping, clearly there has been a marked increase in this unfortunate practice, especially in some of our outstanding natural beauty spots.  Does anyone think for a single second that our visitors do not notice these blights on our amazing landscape? 

Fallon Best takes issue with Honey Bea III sea turtles accusation

 Honey Bea Charter’s crew members respect the turtles!

by Fallon Best
Christ Church

Contrary to what BFP’s article about the Honey Bea III states, no one has ever apparently contacted the owner Mr Elson Best directly of Honey Bea III. (See BFP’s Bridgetown Careenage and Harbour beautiful… but deadly to Sea Turtles?)

The telephone number is public on brochures all over Barbados and on website HoneyBeaBarbados. Telephone 230.9936. The recently retired captain at the time has worked for Honey Bea Charters for approximately 40 years and the mate for almost 20 years.

These are experienced local fishermen in a small tourism service and have never to my knowledge ever landed nor fished for turtles, especially on Honey Bea nor in the Careenage. Many charters boats feed fish and bait scraps to turtles in the Careenage and tourists usually enjoy watching them surface. They inquire on the spot about cruises to snorkel and feed turtles on West Coast and fishing charters. You can imagine the crew would be the last people to deliberately fish, hook, land a turtle in the Careenage as they support their life’s living off the turtle feeding practise.

On the other hand, turtles bite at fishermen’s bait meant for fish regularly and if a hook was overboard during feeding, the high probability is the hook disintegrated or came out of the turtles mouth.

I wish Barbados Free Press the best with quality investigative journalism in the future, which protects the rights of the vulnerable, the working class and exposes injustice, unethical and criminal behavior in society – but of course based on facts and not any uncertain libel accusations which may neglect truth and slander hard working people and more innocent members of society.

Fallon Best (relative of the owner)

Barbados natural gas stoppage: Government lapdog Nation newspaper blames hotels, restaurants, bakeries for “lack of business continuity planning”

New Bajan tourism attraction: Dog eats garbage

by Passin Thru

In true Bajan and Caribbean “Island Time” style, a Nation newspaper editorial says that no one should be blamed or sacked for the disastrous stoppage of natural gas these past three weeks during the Christmas and New Years season.

The Nation says that those businesses, restaurants, hotels and other natural gas users are the problem. They foolishly didn’t have a backup plan and necessary technologies in place to prepare three meals a day for thousands of tourists for several weeks of outages.

Who wrote that editorial? Such foolishness from presumably an adult. They must be high on drugs or from another planet.

And what of the DLP Government’s failing to keep the gas flowing? Here’s what the suck-well Nation has to say about the government’s role in the crisis:

“The efforts of the Minister of Commerce, Donville Inniss, to personally interact with both the NPC and affected businesses, were very commendable.”

Fabulous! Government Minister Donville “Pornville“ Inniss went about the place talking! What a fabulous job, Pornville, just fabulous!

Perhaps if Minister Inniss and his government paid the VAT refunds owed to business within say, a year of request, those businesses might be able to buy a gas grill or thirty to sit waiting “just in case” the government can’t deliver natural gas for a month in tourist high season? Should the hotels do the same with drinking water too? A month’s worth for 500 people?

Such foolishness.

And then there is the garbage problem… 

Why weren’t charges laid in attack upon Barbados Immigration Officer?

We might be wrong here, folks. We HOPE that we are wrong.

BUT… we have two people telling us that a foreigner punched out a Bajan Immigration officer at the airport …. and that management backed away and laid no charges. The Immigration officer is still on sick leave but no charges were laid.

WTF?

Yes. Exactly.

President of the National Union of Public Workers Walter Maloney confirmed much of the story at a symposium at Workplace Violence Awareness Day.

So what is the story? Let’s hear it!

above: Walter “lots of excuses” Maloney; President of the National Union of Public Punching Bags.

Go figure… Immigration officer attacked 

Dead sheep dumped by side of road: What a Shameful Mess!

A dead sheep dumped in Pine Commercial close to Pine Hill Dairy at the side of the road. Yet, we live in a country that is reluctant to fine illegal dumpers. It is a sad state of affairs.

“I’m guessing a visitor/tourist did this, because No Proud, Industrious Bajan would do this, surely!”

… comment on Keep Barbados Beautiful facebook

Harlequin’s H Hotel: Latest photos of an eyesore that spoils Barbados

by St George’s Dragon

As promised I went to take a few photos of the Harlequin H Hotel today.

The site has obviously suffered less than Merricks, presumably because it is in a more populated area. It looks as though it was secure until fairly recently, although when I went it was possible to walk straight in from the boardwalk side of the site as someone has ripped the site hoarding door off its hinges.

There are still a few items of plant and materials on site, although nothing of any great value.

Such a shame. So many people have lost money just to create an eyesore that spoils Barbados.

A lovely view for the tourists from the beach and boardwalk! Click photo for larger view.

Editor’s Note: The exposed rebar is salt-drenched and rusted, with salt-laden water dripping down into the concrete. How long before no self-respecting structural engineer would approve further work? Has that time already arrived? Do we have an architects or engineers out there to comment?

More Photos… 

Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur forgets BLP’s neglect and mismanagement of Barbados environment

“We have to protect our marine environment. We have to address drainage issues and get a sensible environmental levy and put it in place based upon ‘the polluter pays principle’.”

Former PM Owen Arthur talks to Barbados Today

Wuhloss! I couldn’t believe what I was reading in Barbados Today from Owen Arthur – our Prime Minister for 14 years from 1994 to 2008.

Owen Arthur better than anybody knows what a disaster his government and leadership was for the Barbados environment. He and his government’s corruption misappropriated millions upon millions of dollars from the public coffers – money that could have been used to maintain this island’s environment. You know… the environment; the beaches, the reefs, the water, the wetlands and gullies. All those natural areas that make Barbados special and keep the tourists coming to support our national economy.

Prime Minister Arthur could have done so much for the environment during his 14 years in power, but no… Owen Arthur and his government only paid lip service to the foundation of our economy and of our quality of life – which is why I cannot let Owen Arthur get away with his recent outrageously false statements about how much his BLP government achieved in the area of the environment.

Three weeks since garbage collection in Callender Gardens

Typical roadside wildlife: The not so rare Genus “plasticus baggis trashisus”

The Solid Waste Tax is in effect and I had hoped that what I am experiencing now would not occur. It has now been 3 weeks garbage in my area (Callender Gardens, Christ Church) has not been collected. However just a stone throw away garbage has been collected in Callender Court every week.  I cannot fathom the method which which they are operating.

I am wondering when  they will collect the garbage since the increase of trash is quite evident daily. Thanks.

(Name withheld by BFP editor)

Kick Starter staff picks new project by Permaculture Research Institute of Barbados

by Lorraine Ciarallo

The Permaculture Research Institute (CPRI) of Barbados has been in the making since 2012 and I am proud to finally announce that our project has started.

A couple days ago CPRI launched its KickStarter crowdfunding video campaign which I would like to share with you. The purpose of our project is to set up a permaculture school in Barbados to teach, educate and demonstrate through the principles of permaculture how to grow food, repair landscapes & build community. Permaculture is a design science, inspired by nature and guided by ethics. Its purpose is to meet the needs of humanity while benefiting the environment. To this end, it empowers individuals, local communities and the larger public to build sustainable & environmentally friendly:

• Food and Land Systems
• Social and community systems
• Shelter and home systems
• Livelihood and business systems

I hope you will take the time to watch the video. If this campaign is successful, it will help ensure the life of this project, a project which I am committed to for the next 3 years. It is super exciting for me to share it with you and I hope, you find it exciting too! 

Bajan Lions & 4-H Club volunteers clean beach. That’s EXACTLY what this rock needs!

There might be hope yet!

by passin thru

Talk, talk, talk is mostly all you get ’bout this place. I’ve been guilty of it too. “Why doesn’t somebody do something about (fill in problem here)?”

Part of the problem is an attitude of “Guvment do it”, and truth be known Bajans have been told for generations that government is a solution to everything. Didn’t bother to have insurance for that house of yours that burned down? No problem – guvment repair it. Woman has four children by seven different men and can’t find a place to live? No problem – guvment find you a place.

That kind of thing nurtures an expectation of cradle to grave service and problem solving by the government, but we’ve run out of money, and in truth sometimes guvment isn’t much good for anything practical.

Now look here in the Advocate and there’s some children cleaning up Silver Sands Beach – for Bajans and for the tourists. Lions Club prey on unsightly seaweed, issue rally cry

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Thank you to Ranica Worrell, Akera Walcott, Denico Trotman and Bryan Haynes!

Could we do this every three months country wide?

Think about that. Our beaches could once again be the best in the world.

Leaders, please step forward. I’ll give four mornings a year on a national clean-up.

How about you?

(Thanks to the Barbados Advocate for the picture.)

Time for the Barbados Revegetation and Restoration Act

by Born B’badian

Bajans used to have big mouths, and gossip would spread faster than lightning.  It worked to help keep people straight, cause nobody wanted to be known as a crook or a thief. But reputations dont matter anymore in Bim. Furthermore, Bajans so busy buying and building bigass houses they can’t afford to furnish properly, and bussing their behinds to pay for, that they do not pay attention to what is going on in the country.

Bajans were never victims like I see now. They were always quick to open they mouth and cuss you out or land somebody a blow longside their head for doing them wrong. But now, the process has changed where people putting well known fall down drunks to run the country and crooked lawyers to handle the money matters of the country. The old people who sweat in the canefields to make Barbados a good place to live must be ready to jump out the grave with a fresh tamarind rod to beat everybody behind.

The people in Bim who still living sweet, are the ones who fix their little house good, and still have money in their pocket. They still planting a little kitchen garden and some fruit trees, instead of wasting precious land with front lawn. It is a sin to be importing vegetables and fruit, even seasonings from other islands while only grass growing on a big patch of land, taking up water, and keeping the place hotter than the devil’s hell.

Bajan’s got to stop letting foreigners buy their land, its the only thing we really own. People can’t go to Singapore and do this. Errol Barrow, God rest his soul, tried to base Barbados off of Singapore, but the current corrupt in power let toutmebackIlah samcouche and the duppy, get citizenship, buy land and do whatever they want on the island. Of course, bajan’s vote them in like loyal beggars blinded by cornbeef politics.  Ain’t no community spirit anymore, cause everybody lockup in their big house hiding that they eating saltfish and breadfruit and can’t pay the bills, or thiefing and whoring to pay them bills.

Stop building on Buccament Bay flood plain – Death is coming again

Ricky Small cries for his dear wife Joselle, who was taken by the raging waters at Buccament Bay Resort.

by Peter Binose

The private housing development along the Buccament River, in fact beside the Buccament river in the flood plain, was going full speed when I visited last week. Express work is taking place on finishing about a dozen further units, with all stages in progress from start up on.

I walked with a family member of the land owners and builders, who told me the family is worried that they may be stopped from building. But he thought perhaps because of the relationship between them and the ULP leadership they had some considerable protection.

Considering the devastation caused by the December 2013 flooding it is unbelievable, perhaps even criminal, that the government has not stopped further building in an area which has been recorded as a disaster zone for centuries. The area is an ancient and modern floodplain, as shown by the follow records going back to 1876! 

Typical: 1/ Wall off the coast. 2/ Provide no parking for beach-goers. 3/ Advertise the beach to tourists.

(click photo for large)

Tear down these walls!

It’s a good thing there is no truth in advertising, for instead of showing the usual photos of bikini clad lovelies frolicking on the Bajan sand between blue sea and green foliage, we’d have to show a wall of concrete condos blocking the sun and the view – with nary a path for people to find their way to the beach.

Parking? You mek sport! Why would our esteemed leaders ever give a care to provide parking spots near the very beaches upon which this island’s economy depends?

Fools they are, and fools we are for letting them continue to sell every last piece of land with not a thought about what happens when large stretches of beach are inaccessible except to the few elites who can afford to live right there.

Unfinished concrete skeletons dot the coast. TEAR DOWN THESE WALLS and let the people access the beach!

Beach Bummer

IT IS fast becoming one of the most popular beaches in Barbados, especially among visitors, but there is a snag.

The beach, located along the busy highway at The Garden, St James, has no parking space. As a result, visitors park their vehicles along Storehouse Gap, just opposite the road leading to the beach, resulting in the two-lane road being restricted to one lane for traffic going in both directions…

Read it all in The Nation

(and thanks to The Nation for the photo)

Why no solution on the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary?

(click photo for large)

Deliberate destruction of a RAMSAR Treaty natural wetlands

The last mangrove swamp in Barbados is being deliberately destroyed by the Barbados government – so that private interests (read ‘friends of the ruling party’) can benefit financially by squeezing out the foreign philanthropist / owner and then developing the area into condominiums and industrial parks. This is not an unheard of scenario in Barbados, especially with agricultural lands and natural / scrub / coastal areas. It also is common for landowners to spend decades trying to re-classify agricultural and other natural lands for development, only to be refused time and time again.

Then some person will come along and offer just a little bit over the agricultural value and the discouraged and beaten owner will sell. A few weeks later, the land is approved for development and quickly resold for a hundred times what was paid. That is the real Barbados!

The only problem with the Graeme Hall swamp is that the owner, a Canadian philanthropist named Peter Allard, doesn’t want to develop the area: he wants to preserve this precious natural resource for the Bajan people. Earlier Allard volunteered to have the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary incorporated into a National Park. That didn’t work out when the greedy hands of career politicians wanted their cut or NO DEAL! Now that political elite is determined to have it all.

It might take more twenty more years for the cabals to get hold of what is probably the most valuable land on the south coast, but the elites think in generations and they know that there are other foreign chickens to pluck until that time arrives. The elites own the courts and the government, so they have plenty of time.