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Columns

Let’s talk about our children

Sometimes as a social commentator you struggle between being overly repetitive and drawing attention to points that have not yet passed in national discourse. I think, though, that revisiting issues is a good way to add in and refine points as things become clearer in one’s own head and for that reason I put the issue of children and how…
To live or not to live… that is the question!

Today’s article will be more pensive than usual and perhaps herein will be more questions than answers. It is not intended, by any stretch of the imagination, to be esoteric (only for those with specialised knowledge). Whilst the quality of individual lives is quite variable, in a purely scientific sense, to my mind, there are only two possible constants to…
Bajan poet shines in London

There is a rich seam of Barbadian talent languishing in the cities of the UK. It is desperate for the oxygen of publicity to raise its profile in this challenging and busy land called London. On a desperate trek across London in search of pudding and souse and cou cou, I ran into a quiet and unassuming Barbadian perched against…
Ramadan spiritual revival

The month of fasting, Ramadan, which is currently being observed in Muslim countries and communities throughout the world is an annual event. Around two billion persons are Muslim in the world today and apart from Muslim majority countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Muslims can be found in most, if not all, countries. The universality of Islamic practices…
The business landscape for small and microbusiness

We have explored the challenges small and micro businesses face from the banking sector. Many owners of such entities believe they have solid business ideas and cannot understand why lending institutions do not give them the time of day when they apply for financing. Many believe that it is a question of race, that one ethnic group is favored over…
Gluttons for punishment

About ten years ago, CLICO was unable to meet its obligations to its over 20,000 policy-holders. Fortunately, CLICO had assets which could be sold and equitably distributed to policyholders. They could then sue the government for any shortfall for its failure to properly regulate the company. That was the advice given to policyholders, but they rejected it and chose to…
No shame

“Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all.”- Bill Clinton The society has been in a state of shock since Saturday when news emerged of the brutal murders of a five-year-old boy and his grandmother by her machete-wielding son who was said to be of unsound mind in Martha Brae, Trelawny, Jamaica. Mental…
Marketing maven

Twenty-seven-year-old Christina Hunte is the owner of Kreativ Edge which was founded in 2014. The social media marketing agency seeks to help their customers in the creative industry boost their image and enhance their business operations. Positive Vibes sat down with Christina to discuss Kreativ Edge and how she became involved in social media marketing. Q: What is your mantra…
The spirit of Maurice Bishop and the CARICOM foreign ministers meeting in Grenada

In this 40th anniversary year of the 1979 Grenada Revolution, the fates smiled upon our Caribbean Community (CARICOM) when it was confirmed that the 22nd Regular Meeting of CARICOM’s Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) would be held in Grenada on the 13th and 14th of May 2019. This, thereby, ensured that the assembled Caribbean Foreign Ministers would find…
The curious case of the culture

You can’t legislate culture – Dr Wayne A.I. Frederick Those words were recently spoken by the current President of Howard University, Trinidad born, Dr Wayne A.I. Frederick, at the annual Distinguished Jurist Lecture in Port of Spain. Dr Frederick, a surgeon by profession, was speaking to a room full of mostly lawyers and judges about what he, as an “outsider”,…

Lifestyle

Getting closer

The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, has signalled its intention to develop closer ties with Japan as it carries out its educational and social responsibility mandates to the Caribbean region. On behalf of the Nippon Foundation, Japan’s Ambassador to Barbados Teruhiko Shinada recently presented the campus’ Sidney Martin Library with a number of books highlighting Japan’s history,…
Help is on the way

Veteran entertainer Richard Stoute and the Barbados Museum and Historical Society have partnered to offer assistance to identical twins, Toriaya and Tariaya Brathwaite who are suffering from microcephaly. Stoute will be holding a free charity concert entitled Help The Children Concert on June 2 to raise funds from the two-and-a-half-year-olds. The concert will feature performances from Dr Anthony Mighty Gabby…
Turtle-y Awesome Day at Wills Primary

Wills Primary School hosted their inaugural Turtle-y Awesome Day at their Maxwell, Christ Church headquarters. The day was organised by teacher and volunteer at The Barbados Sea Turtle Project Athena El-Badoui and was a part of the school’s celebration for World Turtle Day which is observed each year on May 23. Speaking to the media, El-Badoui said the school celebrated…
Let there be peace

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) is tackling the ongoing issue of crime and violence in Barbados in a creative way. This year, there will be a special presentation at Junior Kadooment entitled Operation White Dove and it will seek to attract schools in Bridgetown and the environs to be beacons for peace. The announcement was made at the launch of…
Win-win for farmers

Poor farmers can obtain significant economic gains and other benefits by implementing modified farming practices aimed at boosting their ability to cope with disasters and natural shocks, states a new FAO study. Many of the “disaster resistant” farming innovations assessed by FAO through multi-year trials on over 900 farms in ten different countries are within easy reach of poor farmers…
Service’s the word

Over 100 local tourism workers were exposed to the skills necessary to deliver world-class service to a swiftly changing global tourism market at an 18-month training series that ended today. With tourism the nation's single-largest employer of people and provider of more than half of its foreign exchange, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) teamed up with Virgin Holidays…
Washington bound!

Eighteen-year-old Tajiri Griffith, a sixth form student at The Christ Church Foundation School, is the recipient of a $2, 500 scholarship compliments of the Soroptimist International of Jamestown. Griffith is one of two Barbadian students chosen to represent the island at the Global Youth Leaders Conference which will be held in Washington DC. The cost of the trip is valued…
Sweet success

LONDON - The world's most prestigious floral and garden exhibition opened Tuesday with Barbados winning its 20th gold medal in its 35th year. The Barbados Horticultural Society's portrayal of the landmark Charter of Barbados, signed between Barbadian Royalists and Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell's forces in 1652, struck gold at the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show, on the grounds of…
From scalpel to pen and paper

United States-based, Barbados-born surgeon Dr Velma Scantlebury who has been described as a “trailblazer” and “one of the world’s medical rock stars” owing to her pioneering work in the profession, has just published her life story entitled Behind Every Wall. Speaking at the official launch of the book at the Barbados Consulate General Office in New York recently, Consul-General Mackie…
Modernizing local measuring systems

Message to mark World Metrology Day 2019 from Minister of Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Commerce Dwight Sutherland. Fellow Barbadians, today May 20, we join hands with the rest of the global community in celebrating World Metrology Day 2019. This day commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the Metre Convention in 1875 marking almost a century and a half of…

World

US - Trump breaks silence amid Alabama abortion ban row

(BBC) - US President Donald Trump has outlined his "strongly pro-life" views on abortion amid controversy over strict new laws passed in several states. Trump said he was against abortion except in cases of rape, incest or a "serious health risk" to the mother. His stance on what is a divisive election issue in the US emerged days after Alabama…
US: Jimmy Carter won't teach Sunday school days after procedure

(The Associated Press) – Former United States President Jimmy Carter has changed plans and will not teach Sunday school just days after undergoing surgery for a broken hip. Carter spokeswoman Deanna Congileo says the 94-year-old Carter underestimated the amount of time he would need to recover from a hip replacement procedure. Carter broke his hip Monday as he was leaving…
USA - Pregnant Chicago woman slain, baby cut from her womb

CHICAGO — A pregnant woman who had gone to a Chicago home in response to a Facebook offer of free baby clothes was strangled and her baby cut from her womb, police and family members said. The newborn was in grave condition and not expected to survive, and three people were taken into custody, including a woman who pretended the…
China strikes back

BEIJING — Sending Wall Street into a slide, China announced higher tariffs Monday on $60 billion worth of American goods in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s latest penalties on Chinese products. Duties of 5% to 25% will take effect on June 1 on about 5,200 American products, including batteries, spinach and coffee, China’s Finance Ministry said. With investors worried about…
USA - Over 1,000 firearms seized from LA home

LOS ANGELES – More than 1,000 guns were found Wednesday in a home in the upscale Los Angeles neighbourhood Holmby Hills. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Los Angeles police officers executed a search warrant in an investigation of someone suspected of manufacturing and selling illegal firearms, Los Angeles police Officer Jeff Lee said. The…
USA - Governor signs restrictive ‘heartbeat’ abortion ban in Georgia

ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday signed into law one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws, a measure that bans the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant. Kemp, a Republican, said he approved the bill “to ensure that all Georgians have…
RUSSIA - Burning plane makes emergency landing in Moscow

(BBC) A Russian passenger plane has made an emergency landing at a Moscow airport after a fire broke out on board. Videos on social media show passengers using emergency exit slides to escape and run away from the burning Aeroflot aircraft. The Tass news agency said at least 13 people died but an official toll is yet to be released.…
Gaza conflict: Rocket barrage and Israeli strikes intensify

(BBC) - Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip have stepped up their attacks on each other, in some of the most intense exchanges of recent years. The army says Palestinian militants have fired 600 rockets into Israeli territory over the weekend. Many were intercepted but three Israelis died. Israel says it has hit 260 targets in the Gaza Strip…
FLORIDA - Charter plane travelling from Cuba to Florida ends up in a river

(ASSOCIATED PRESS) - Federal investigators have taken possession of the flight data recorder from the chartered jet that ran off a military base runway and into the St Johns River in north Florida. The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted a photo of an investigator holding the orange recorder that was recovered Saturday from the Boeing 737 that overran the runway…
WORLD-SPORTS-Semenya: Olympic 800m champion loses appeal

BBC-SPORTS-Caster Semenya has lost a landmark case against athletics' governing body meaning it will be allowed to restrict testosterone levels in female runners. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) rejected the South African's challenge against the IAAF's new rules. But Cas said it had "serious concerns as to the future practical application" of the regulations. Olympic 800m champion Semenya,…