Happy Independence Barbados!

As we prepare to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Independence of this fair land tomorrow, I wish you all a fun-filled holiday. Reflect on our proud past and pray that as we mature as a nation, we focus on ways to perpetuate the moral fortitude and strong work ethic on which our forefathers built this nation.
Blue, yellow and black, put it up!

Race in America

Caption: Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg (left) in discussion with civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton

Martin Luther King Jr. must be turning in his grave over what's been happening recently in the US. First, Kramer from 'Seinfeld' spews the 'n' word repeatedly during his comedy act in retaliation against (coincidentally black) hecklers. Then an unarmed Black man in Queens is killed by Police on the morning of his wedding. Two other men were injured in that incident, which saw the Police firing 50 shots at the men's car outside a nightclub. Dubbing the incident as "unacceptable", Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg however felt that the incident was not racially motivated because two of the Police officers were black, two white and one Black and Hispanic. Is he serious? Just because it's not a clear cut case of Whites on one side and Blacks on another doesn't mean race was not a consideration.
I'm waiting anxiously to see what will come of all this because past cases between the NYPD and civilians haven't always ended well at all. Anybody remember Amadou Diallo?
When is change gonna come, like Sam Cook sang about in the 70's? Are we doomed to forever be society's whipping boys, the downtrodden and dispossessed? I don't know about you all, but I'm tired of others acting the fool towards my people because of our excess of melanin. Enough is enough.

Photo courtesy of New York Times.

"Bashment" mentality

I see that our Prime Minister is again speaking out about the "bashment mentality" that is currently so pervasive in Barbados. While I agree with his concerns, I'm wondering if Government realises the part it has played in creating this situation.
For several years now, almost every national event has been turned into a bashment party, filled with guest artistes wining and gyrating on stage. Of course I'm not denying the local entertainers their share of the spotlight; to give Government it's due it has done a lot to raise the profile of culture in the last 12 years, especially the Calypso art form.
However, we have to admit that we can't seem to celebrate an occasion anymore without turning it into a "bram" as the old folks used to say. As if we feel the only way to attract persons to an event is through loud speakers and a titillating beat. Before long we'll be wukking and jukking after the Independence Day parade.

Comments

Hi all, just a quick note to let all those wishing to leave comments know that this new Beta format requires a google account. If you already have a hotmail account, use your hotmail address and password and you should be good to go. Can't wait to hear from you!

Save Rihanna!

I feel for female musicians in this day and age. In the hey day of Motown the female singers were relatively classy...relying on their voices to attract an audience and sell records. Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin and Nancy Wilson come to mind. Now, it's all about using the physical to sell records. I fear for our Rihanna, because if these pictures are anything to go by she's falling into the same trap. Save yourself, girl! And put some darn clothes on!

Photo: http://ybf.blogspot.com

Fun Formula

I spent Sunday morning in a muddy field, rain clouds threatening to burst overhead, millipedes attempting to climb up my pants leg, all in the name of some Formula One action on the Ronald Mapp Highway.
My husband and I had meticulously planned our route to avoid the expected crush of people and traffic at Warrens. We decided to cut through Jackson, skirt Millennium Heights and walk down to the junction at Automotive Art. From there we would be in a prime position to see Marc Gene and the Ferrari scream past.
All went according to plan, and a blessed man moved his SUV just in time for us to park a few streets away from the action. By 9:10 we were in position and anticipation was building among the fans. And then, around 9:35, we saw the marshals of the event pull a fence across the Highway just outside Automotive Art! This meant we were now at the end of the track and would only be seeing the driver as he slowed to turn into Automotive Art's parking lot! By that time, thousands of people had gathered and moving didn't seem like a feasible option. We had an up-close view of the car, but didn't experience the sheer speed like the crowds in the middle of the route. Ah well, a good morning was still had by all...even though we had to scamper away from a disoriented centipede which was probably wondering why so many people were in a field in St. Thomas on a Sunday morning.

Photo courtesy of The Nation ('cause in my rush I forgot my camera)

Formula One, baby!

I can't wait to see the Formula One Ferrari car in action this Sunday. My little Barbados is getting very metropolitan...they don't ship these speed demons just anywhere! Of course there's a lot of discussion about the Ronald Mapp Highway from Warrens to Redman's Village being closed off. I just hope the driver has enough road....The action will be from 10 am to 12 noon. See you there!

Cell phones in schools

Several Tobagonian parents are probably still trying to get over the shock and mortification of finding out what their kids have been up to with their cell phones. I'm sure many of you have been reading about how several high school kids on that island took pornagraphic photos of themselves at school with their cell phone cameras and emailed them to their friends. I was shocked too; little Tobago seems so peaceful and idyllic it's hard to reconcile this porn fest with the lovely island I visited a few years ago.

True to form, the parents and teachers are calling for a ban on cell phones in schools. While that deals with the symptoms of a larger issue, that doesn't deal with the issue itself; what on earth would possess these young people to do such a thing in the first place? Were they doing it for money? Were they high on drugs or alcohol? Did they want to become popular? Were they bored? Were they mimicking some adult x-rated movie they saw?

While I'm sure their parents are probably too busy thrashing the daylights out of them to ask any questions yet, I'm curious to know what was going through their brains. It isn't easy being a parent these days, for sure.

Well, after all this tawdry stuff, here are some pix of the beautiful, serene Tobago as I remember it.

The irony of Independence

Hi folks! Didja miss me? I was off juggling several assignments and studying as well so limited time did not permit me to post. Since I'm back up the blog has been switched to beta, an improved format.

Well, we're into our independence celebrations and I must admit, I'm not feeling too festive. Don't get me wrong - I'm as patriotic as they come - but I feel as though we Barbadians are going backwards in terms of our personal development. We have all the trappings of a developed country: the cars, the villas, credit cars, a Concorde jet sitting in a hangar, but are we really free as a people?

It appears as though many of us Barbadians no longer possess the willpower to rise independently above our current status and make successes of our lives, without feeling we have to throw our blind support behind a political party or brown-nose every "big up" who crosses our path. We have attained an enviable lifestyle in the past 40 years, but we seem to have lost our pride in the process, and much of our industry as well. Many have been reduced to waiting for handouts, some out of genuine need, others out of real sloth.

"Friendsing" and politics are now the order of the day; those who prefer to sit on the fence and not declare their allegiance will remain there. I refuse to believe that my future depends on who I support in an election; I saw first-hand in Jamaica how this type of mindset could ruin a country. If I am to feel proud to be a citizen of a mature country, I need to feel as if I have a fair chance of survival. Don't give me a fish, teach me how to fish.

Race vs class

Hi everyone, I'm back after my long break. So many thought-provoking issues occurred while I was away and I had every intention of blogging about them, that was...until Saturday. I'm sure many of you would have read about the teenager who was allegedly beaten while walking through a gated community in St. Michael. The fact that the victim was Black and the alleged perpetrator White has once again raised the "black vs white" and "race vs class" debates in Barbados.
History shows that after slavery was abolished in Barbados, the relationship between master and slave didn't change overnight or that radically for many years. Since then, we have developed a kind of uneasy "truce" for the sake of the development of our country. The Whites control the business and we control the Parliament. But the matter of race continues to raise its head, because we've never dealt with it in any holistic way. As our middle class grows more affluent and more (I have to say it!) Black Barbadians are driving BMWs and going on spa weekends, we have fooled ourselves into thinking that racism no longer exists in our fair land. Its classism not racism, many people say. It wasn't that long ago that Black people like me couldn't walk through Strathclyde and Belleville unless we worked there, and I don't think they were excluding us because we were poor! It takes situations like what occurred last week with that youngster to remind us that in the eyes of many non-Black persons, we are still second class citizens.
Now, we don't know the full story yet of what occurred in Highgate Gardens, but the racial slurs and the brutality perpetrated against that schoolboy should serve as a wake up call to the Black middle class in this country. Many Barbadian Blacks may live in posh neighbourhoods, shop at certain supermarkets and spend money and much effort to validate their worth through material possessions, but there are some persons who still see them all as "black n****rs" who deserve an "*ss kicking".
What can we do about it? Well, for starters, we have to give our children a sense of value and a value system that is not based on brandname gear or the lastest Xbox game. We have to tell them where they came from, show them where their grands or great-grands might have dug cane holes in the country. Let them know that even though their parents are in a position now to provide well for them, others struggled hard in years past to help them reach that point. Maybe then we can begin to confront the issue of race in this country as proud, strong Black people, instead of shying away from our "shameful" past as slaves. It's our history, it doesn't have to be our future.

The silly season has begun

Beware my fellow Barbadians, for the "silly season" has started. For all those non-Bajans reading the blog, the "silly season" is the name given to the period leading up to national elections. During that special time, the electoral candidates try to out-fox each other to win the hearts of the electorate.
Although elections are not constitutionally due until 2008, the increase in the number of political meetings being held is a sure sign of the advent of silly season. Just recently it was announced that fuel prices were decreasing and that several housing projects were in the works. Coincidence? Who knows? All I can say is that we're in for a lot more announcents to be made at public meetings.
I'll be off for a few days but feel free to post your thoughts on the "silly season".

Friday frenzy - Rihanna and hideaways

Rihanna has changed quite a bit since she made it big on the international music scene. She has slimmed down noticeably and gotten a few pales lighter, though I'm sure that's due to her absence from the blistering Barbados sun. Just don't let them turn you into a "white chick" girl....or a younger version of Beyonce.



Have you ever driven past the exquisite wrought-iron gates of the villas in St. James and wondered what poshness was hidden behind those walls? Well, wonder no more. Check out the website www.islandhideaways.com. Just don't turn green with envy.

Visas online

First it was long, pre-dawn queues, then an appointment system. Now, Barbadians applying for US visas can only do so online. I remember reading that this new policy had started in Jamaica and wondered how it had been received by the populace there. I imagine quite a few "rahtids" and "blouse and skirts" had polluted the Jamaican airwaves.
Here in Bim it's early days yet. Some may argue that the new system will alienate certain persons (black persons)and show the gap between the information rich and the information poor. I know my people; there isn't a computer in the world that could come between them and their annual shopping trips to New York and Miami! I'm sure it will still be quite a culture shock for those persons who are not computer or internet-savvy. There's a suggestion that internet cafes could be used to assist those persons without personal computers, and I suggest they throw in some free lessons too! I could only imagine my mother trying to apply for a visa online....I don't think the computer would survive. Ah well, if the US says it must be done, so be it. The piper calls the tune, after all.

Photo: www.jetphotos.net

Model behaviour

Has anyone seen the new Barbados Model Search show on CBC TV8 on Tuesday nights? I can't tell you the exact time it airs 'cause CBC's schedule changes more than the tide. Well, what can I say about it? Is it moronic? Yup. Demeaning to the contestants? Yup. Entertaining? Oh yes! What is it about these train wreck "reality shows" that draw us in? I suspect it must stem from that morbid curiousity buried deep inside all of us.
I've only watched three episodes but I feel extremely sorry for the contestants. I hope the winner's getting a good prize after all this drama. Between the insulting and largely contradictory comments from the judges and the demands to stay thin I don't know how these girls aren't shoving each other off the catwalk.
One young lady broke into tears because she was told to "take off her hair weave and bury it". And to add insult to injury, she was the only contestant asked by the silly host how she felt about the judges' comments! The poor girl was blubbering!
Ironically, two of the girls voted off last night were awarded with dinners at Lucky Horseshoe. Well, I guess they can eat now....

Marketing madness

The lengths to which people go to make money. In recent weeks one of the daily newspapers has been running an ad for a new energy drink. It's name? Liquid Spanish Fly. What's next? Cocaine? Oh yeah, that already exists too, though thankfully it's not sold here. Yet.

Photo courtesy of http://taurinerules.blogspot.com

Polls and tolls

First off let me say thanks to all those persons who offered encouragement and advice on the blog. I know some of you are shy about commenting but there's no need to be. Form a new username (like my good friend Etrici who totally fooled me:)) if you wish to remain anonymous.

Now, on with the show.....I always wanted to say that:)
Sir Charles Williams recently suggested that tolls be imposed on certain roads on the island. This, he suggested, would result in "higher-quality, longer-lasting roads".

"It will guarantee the country better quality roads because no

one is going to build a poor quality road if he knows he is responsible

for its maintenance for 25 years. He will build a road that will last

25 years, and that is what we want."

Well, right off COW admitted what the rest of us were thinking all along; many of our roads are poorly constructed and not meant to last longer than a snowcone in hell. I'm convinced I'll be pulled over any day now by the police on suspicion of drunken driving at the rate I'm swerving all over the roads to avoid potholes! At any rate, the Minister responsible isn't entertaining any such "foolish proposals" from COW. Because, say what you like about politicians, for the most part they are not into professional suicide. Well, apart from Sir Lloyd E. Sandiford and Clyde Mascoll anyway.Then again, things seemed to have worked out for the better for those two.

CADRES is at it again with another poll, and it seems like the ruling BLP stands a good chance at making it a four-peat. I won't get too caught up in repeating the stats here because in my opinion - no disrepect to CADRES and Peter Wickham - it's the human element and not the statistics that will determine the outcome. And the human element is largely unpredictable. If we had a dollar for every politician who was lulled into a false sense of security by a poll only to get booted out we could all probably end poverty in Barbados. Good luck to all the incumbent MPs and the newcomers to the political fray...it's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it!

Photo courtesy of Anubis photos

Cheese-on bread is born

Hi folks, this is my brave attempt at entering the world of blogging. As the name Cheese-on-bread implies, haha, I'm a Bajan and this site will hopefully be a place for Bajans all over the world to meet and catch up on what's happening in our fair land. Politics, entertainment, social issues are welcome, just keep it clean and non-defamatory. Non-Bajans, don't worry, you're more than welcome here too:)
This is my first time at blogging so if I mistakenly delete the site or something crazy like that, bear with me.
Can't wait to hear from you. Later peoples!
Bajegirl