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Healthcare in Colombia

It is a well-known fact that Barbados has a high incidence of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer and hypertension, and these are especially prevalent among people over the age of 65. Recent figures from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) show that in 2015, cardiovascular diseases accounted for 31 per cent of all deaths in Barbados. In 2014, 584…
Bessie Coleman (1892-1926)

Bessie Coleman soared across the sky as the first African American, and the first Native American woman pilot. Known for performing flying tricks, Coleman’s nicknames were; Brave Bessie, Queen Bess, and The Only Race Aviatrix in the World. Her goal was to encourage women and African Americans to reach their dreams. Unfortunately, her career ended with a tragic plane crash,…
Venezuela, Africa and Bridgetown

This week my reflections are somewhat of a pot-pourri of this and that. I start at Bridgetown, go all the way to Africa and come back to our region via Venezuela. I think if there is a singular theme that binds the ideas together it would be broadly an examination of our ability to manage self-determination – who we are,…
More than sewerage

If ever there is a sewerage spill in two years from now and onwards, the main concern of Barbadians will be that a valuable resource is going to waste rather than the emanating foul odour and defilement of the landscape. Such is the optimistic view of Energy and Water Resources Minister Wilfred Abrahams who has been speaking of how a…
Thomas Elkins (1818-1900)

An inventor, abolitionist, and trained medical professional, Dr Thomas Elkins played a significant role in supporting the Underground Railroad in Albany, New York during the 1840s and 1850s. He also made an important contribution to the development of refrigeration techniques and patented several inventions for other household furniture items during the latter part of his life. Born in New York…
Kudos to the youth!

Last Friday night I stood on the track of the Usain Bolt Sports Complex and was awed by the spectacle that unfolded before the reported 4,000 persons in attendance. I was at the St Michael School Inter-house Sports Meet. For the first time in Barbados, a secondary school chose to have its sports meet at night. It was appropriately dubbed…
Defending innocent lives

The governor of the state of New York recently signed an unprecedented and dangerous bill into law. On January 22, 2019 the state made it legal for a woman to have an abortion up to a baby’s due date. In other words, “The law allows for abortion at any time throughout pregnancy. And if a child is born alive, after a…
From slave to world-renowned agriculturalist

George Washington Carver was a world-famous chemist who made important agricultural discoveries and inventions. His research on peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other products helped poor southern farmers vary their crops and improve their diets. A monument showing Carver as a boy was the first national memorial erected in honour of an African American. George Washington Carver was born on a…
The perils of perfectionism

The world is an interesting place, full of interesting people. It is a cornucopia of personalities, events and happenings, moods and melodies and so much more. Were I to attempt to write about the different types of personalities that help to spin the globe, someone would find my skeleton sitting at my desk. I choose to focus today on a…
Enterprising Madam Walker

Sarah Breedlove - who later would come to be known as Madam C. J. Walker - was born on December 23, 1867 on the same Delta, Louisiana plantation where her parents, Owen and Minerva Anderson Breedlove, had been enslaved before the end of the Civil War. This child of sharecroppers transformed herself from an uneducated farm labourer and laundress into one…

Lifestyle

Race and gender

Following what could be regarded as a slow movement of the Anglican Church in Barbados towards a leadership that represents the racial majority of devotees that largest denomination on the island is about to see a relatively quick-fire change in the gender of its leaders. So believes noted historian, Trevor Marshall, who said that in just over a decade women…
Front and centre

As the Caribbean region continues to battle with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, CARICOM will be introducing new food labelling standards to help consumers make healthier choices. Speaking at the first in a series of meetings on the new regulations in Barbados, Chief Technical Officer for Technical Development with the Barbados National Standards Institution (BNSI) Fabian Scott said,…
Give it a higher place

While praising music teachers for the tremendous job they have been doing in schools with limited resources available to them, Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw is saying it is time music be placed as a priority on the curriculum. Bradshaw said it is impossible to change attitudes towards music, or to build a vibrant local music industry, if education is…
Shared heritage

Africa has had a strong influence in the shaping of Venezuela’s social landscape. As Barbados celebrates Black History Month, some public schools will see a display of Afro-Venezuelan Heroes who made significant contributions to that South American territory’s independence and quest for social justice, progress and equality. The first stop for the exhibition, which is being produced by the Embassy…
More than sewerage

If ever there is a sewerage spill in two years from now and onwards, the main concern of Barbadians will be that a valuable resource is going to waste rather than the emanating foul odour and defilement of the landscape. Such is the optimistic view of Energy and Water Resources Minister Wilfred Abrahams who has been speaking of how a…
New look, new services

New operators of the once struggling Rubis Service station on Fontabelle, St Michael are giving the assurance that they are here to stay with new and improved services. The facility, which was previously operated by Warners Turnstone Trading when it opened in February 2017 after a joint $1 million investment, has changed hands, but not before it was forced to…
No confirmed Zika cases since 2017

While sporadic cases of Zika continue to be reported in the Caribbean, there have been no confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne disease in Barbados since 2017. This was disclosed by Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George, yesterday, as he addressed the opening of a training workshop being conducted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Breakthrough…
‘Open Ya Eyes’ to positivity

by Kareem Smith Three local entertainers are taking their anti-violence campaign to the next level by launching a competition which they believe will uncover a wealth of untapped talent, while forcing a shift away from the glorification of negativity in local entertainment. Up and coming artist Jomario Joe Cloudy Goddard and rhythm-poet Adisa Aja Andwele who recently collaborated on the…
Never too young to start

At a time when gadgets seem to be taking over the lives of young people, eight-year-old Aidan Forde has created balance through reading. At the end of a reading challenge thrown out by the Lions Club Scotland District to primary schools within their zone - A DaCosta Edwards Primary, St. Bernard’s, St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth Primary Schools - Aidan…
Building foundations

Wendal Mapp is a 26-year-old architectural technician who has worked on a myriad of designs in Barbados such as the Constitution River Terminal and the Barbados Public Workers Oistins Branch. Positive Vibes sat down with Wendal to discuss what led him to become an architectural draughtsman and how he is able to secure such big contracts at his young age.…

World