Stories from Quick Reads and Barbados
Caribbean Court of Justice Mired in Controversy
Barbados Free Press says that few people realise “that the vaunted Caribbean Court of Justice carries no actual power or authority”, partly because compliance with the court's decisions is apparently voluntary. Comparing the institution to a toothless bulldog, the post went on to provide links to reports on several incidents...
What Owen Arthur's Resignation Says About Barbados’ Politics
Owen Arthur has resigned from the political party he led for 14 years – a move which Barbados Underground thinks should give Barbadians pause: The incapacity of a former Prime Minister…to carve out an effective role to serve his political party in the twilight of his career leaves a sour...
Budget Cuts Leave Barbados’ Health System Gasping for Air
Who in their right mind believed that a 35 million dollar cut to the health budget 2013 would not have adversely affected healthcare delivery in Barbados? Barbados Underground fears that the primary medical facility in the country, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, is on its death bed.
Barbados: No Love in the Cemetery
As a mourner discovers exposed skeletal remains and discarded bits of coffins in a local cemetery, Barbados Free Press laments “the latest indignities to buried friends and relatives”.
Caribbean: Corruption & the World Cup?
The sooner the international investigation is able to bring closure to the matter…the sooner the Caribbean maybe able to purge this sore from the…landscape. As the 2014 World Cup draws closer, Barbados Underground tackles the issue of alleged corruption within the world governing football body and its ties to the...
Guyana's Walter Rodney Inquiry
David, at Barbados Underground, admits—in the interest of full disclosure—that he represents the Guyana Trades Union Congress in the Commission of Inquiry into Walter Rodney's death, and has some concerns about the matter.
Misogyny Masquerading as Gender Equality in Barbados?
After questionable statements on gender violence from a public official in Barbados, CODE RED says: The Bureau of Gender Affairs has a mandate for ensuring gender equality. It is precisely because of that mandate that Bureau staff should publicly distance themselves from statements that are sexist, deliberately inflammatory and unsubstantiated.
Race as a Political Weapon in the Caribbean
Of all the offensive – and unintelligent – statements made in the politics of the post-independence Caribbean, an assertion, that Dr Keith Rowley, the leader of the Opposition in Trinidad and Tobago, is ‘too black’ to be Prime Minister, has to rate as the worst. Bajan Reporter explains why such...
Could Barbados’ Economic Crisis Spread to Other Islands?
Abeng News Magazine's Mark Lee says that the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) Country Report “reads like a good cop bad cop interrogation of the Barbados economy”. Read the details, here.
Barbados, Guyana: Peas & Rice, Very Nice
tastes like home puts a Guyanese twist on a favourite Barbadian dish.
Drug Bust Holds Lessons for Caribbean Distribution Chains
Of the recent drug bust originating out of Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados Underground says: The fundamentals are clear. Supply chain security in the Caribbean is weak, and known local and regional solutions need to be applied and strengthened.
Caribbean: Tumbling Into Art
ARC has a list of 21 Caribbean artists you should be following on Tumblr.
Caribbean: Encouraging Innovators?
How innovative is the Caribbean? Using the criteria of The Global Innovation Index, ICT Pulse takes a look.
Caribbean: Tropical Storm Chantal
Tropical Storm Chantal has caused the temporary closure of some regional airports and the cancellation of flights. The Bajan Reporter has the latest.
Barbados: Homophobia & Child Abuse
Code Red uses the example of a child abuse case in Barbados to make the point that “the buggery laws perform a double injustice. They criminalise sexual relations between adults and support a culture of homophobia and…support an inadequate response to child sexual abuse.”
Barbados: Bush Bath
In Barbados, where religion is high on people's list of priorities, Notes From A Small Rock is considering taking a bush bath.
Barbados: The Economy & Crime
This is not the Bimshire I moved to six years ago…there was no gun culture. The problem is still one we could control if we had leadership who put resources into fixing the problem rather than denying its existence. Notes From A Small Rock sees trouble in paradise.
Barbados: Shutting People Out?
Has Barbadian society become more exclusionary? Code Red cites a report that suggests it might have.
Jamaica, Barbados: Vying for Tourists
Active Voice compares advertisements from the Barbados Tourism Authority and the Jamaica Tourist Board and wonders “why is the Barbadian ad…so perfect that it could be a global model on how to sell yourselves? And contrastingly how and why does the JTB ad sell the country short?”
Jamaica, Barbados: Class & Justice
When I said let’s focus on substance rather than style or appearance it hadn’t yet occurred to me that in this case style IS the substance or a substantial part of what’s at stake. Active Voice blogs about a landmark case involving a Jamaican who was subjected to a cavity...
Barbados: Elections Tomorrow
As Barbados gets ready for its national elections tomorrow, two blogs share their perspectives, here and here.