#and BTS AND WHOEVER ELSE COMES TO CANADA

[oliviadrawsbts]

Me when c*vid is "over" and we can go to concerts:

[oncloud999]

Jikook - an essay apparently

Ok I have a lot of thoughts lately and no where else to express them. 

I’m a fairly new fan and while some of my friend irl know about this, its too embarrassing for someone of my age to still be into shipping or whatever, so no that’s not getting out there... 

anyway. So i only joined the fandom maybe mid last year and initially didn’t ship anyone cos I’m honestly over that. But then I thought V and kook looked cute together so I looked into their stuff a bit. I still didn’t really ship them but did have a preference for the two of them together, more like bros and bffs rather than anything romantic because i just don’t get that vibe from them. I do have a friend in real life (who’s actually korean... ) who was into JiKook being a couple which I thought was odd because a lot of the shipping things come from their skinship and I thought she’d be less affected by it cos she’s korean but.... 

anyway, even when i was more into vkook, i saw a lot of jimin and jungkook together that did make me raise my eyebrows. like their firework vid and the pics and vids of them spending time together after concerts. i also did come across some photos of jimin and jungkook hanging out. i also watched a few jikook analysis videos and scoffed at them because honestly, you can make them out of anybody if you focus on certain things. 

anyway, fastforward to a few days ago, i don’t even remember what i was doing, but somehow i started seeing jimin and jungkook together as something more than just friends or bros. I mean whatever relationship they have, it’s clearly very special. you don’t plan your world trip during your long awaited holiday around your friend’s bdays unless they’re REALLY special. Jimin flew across the world to be with jk for his birthday before the next leg of his trip. i mean, yes, you can argue that he needed to come back to pack or whatever, but there are easier ways to do it than coming back for 1 night and then flying off again. he could’ve flown from paris to hawaii directly. 

so to keep my sanity, i need to somewhere to write out why and why not i think they’re a couple or whatever...

Reasons why I think they’re a couple

- they’re super close. they definitely hang out outside of their group activities and enjoy spending time with each other. as previously stated, jk obviously means a lot to jimin for him to plan his trip around jk’s birthday. they always talk about hanging out late into the night

- their tokyo trip and gcf. i’m not even going to go into it cos people have already talked enough about it, including the two of them. it especially means a lot cos jk obviously doesn’t like travelling all that much

- even before a couple of days ago, i have noticed sometimes namjoon getting in between the two of them when they’re being a little too flirtatious

- their onscreen flirting is something else. like you can see it as fanservice, but the two of them get so into it and what gets me the most is when jimin gets super shy and giggly about it and then sometimes have to walk away from jk. there are also moments that are not specifically on screen that’s very odd. like when they were in that run bts ep in canada and rm suddenly asked them if they were a couple cos they’re wearing matching clothes. and it’s not even like that time jin asked where it was directly in front of the camera. they were literally having a conversation in the background when whoever it was was playing that keeping your eyes open game and they were just taking photos in the back. 

- they are way more into touching each other than any other members. like jimin especially will hug and touch the other members, especially taehyung, but it’s never the hanging off each other, purposely seeking each other out on a huge stage for some contact sort of thing. jin and jk are also really touchy but they’re so bro about it 

- taehyung... if they are a couple, i would peg tae and jhope as the two who definitely know. taehyung during that one vlive where he was like, jimin wants to come, but i think jk won’t let him... at 1 am in the morning. also see below the uncertain section

- during their earlier days, jm clearly seems to have a crush on jk and jk seemed to very purposefully avoid that. they seem comfortable with each other now but defnitely there was a time that it got awkward when jm talks about how much he likes jk or wants to kiss him or go on a date with him. it could all be for fanservice again, but then he was kind of hurt when jk would not play along. 

- jm softens so obviously when it comes to jk. it’s not just the occasional fan accounts or whatever, like when they say that jm is a hard ass until jk comes along and he softens. when he did that v live with rm, the moments when he’s softest is when he was talking about practicing with jk. the only other person he’s soft with is taehyung but even then it’s not that often

- jm sharing friends with jk. when they went out around town in london with jm’s friends. they are clearly jm’s friends and jk just tagged along... apparently, jm doesn’t like sharing his friends? but apparently it’s ok for jk. even if they’re like brothers, i don’t really take my brother around with my friends... and if jk wants to see london as well, i’m sure he could’ve gone with one of the other members or the managers like how they sometimes do when it’s just one of them going to do something. i would personally find it more awkward hanging out with my friend’s friends than people i already hang out with 

Reasons why i don’t think they’re a couple

- it’s all too in your face. if it’s real, i wonder if they wouldn’t try to hide it better. or maybe they think the fans just think it’s fanservice anyway... it’s hard to tell. if it wasn’t so in your face sometimes, i would be less skeptical

- they still seem very bro-y to me a lot of time. like jimin seems to take care of jk a lot and the way he takes care of him is far more motherly/older brother

this list seems short but i think they’re both very important points.

anyway onto points that are maybe... because it’s speculation

- they may both have girlfriend. there’s definitely been rumours about both. and some more reliable than others. the one thing that goes against either having a girlfriend more recently is.... jm going on a trip around the world with his friends. if he did have a girlfriend or partner, you would think he would want to spend whatever time he has off with them, especially cos their holidays are so infrequent. and if you want to make the point that maybe his gf was busy, well, you would still try to spend whatever little time you ahve with them rather than going around the globe (again) with your friends. the only reason you wouldn’t stay in one place to spend a lot of time with them is if... you already spend a lot of time with them when you’re working lol. jk did have that maybe-maybe-not girlfriend during that time. i think if it was something, then it’s probably over now (poor girl, she was bombarded...) and it clearly means jk didn’t have anyone at the time. or she really was just a friend and it was blown out of proportion (again poor girl if she was dragged into this for nothing...). long story short. they’re either a couple together or they don’t have anyone in the recent past at least. we don’t know. but also there’s that clip from 2018 where jm was trying to convince jk to go on a trip with him around the time of jk’s birthday but jk refused. lol 

- the whole jk/jm sharing rooms, hiding in each other’s room sagas... it definitely seems like there’s other people in the room when they do their lives sometimes. especially the ones that people have pointed out like osaka with taehyung and that one time after eat jin last year when everyone crashed the party when jk was throwing a fit. interestingly, that is also one of the most uncomfortable vlives i’ve seen when it was just jk and jm at the beginning. the chastised and shy look on jm when the camera first panned to him, the weird looks, the funny touches. like what, i felt like i had to give them their alone time. and then the doorbell. now going back to why i think tae knows. in both these cases and another one (that i don’t know the time of), tae comes and refuses to leave when jk clearly asks him why he’s there and when he would go. (the one last year especially makes me want to laugh so badly cos jm esp was trying so hard to get everyone to leave). he’s probably trolling them by giving them grief. anyway, there are a lot of analysis videos etc on youtube. i won’t go into it further

- them rings. the rings they apparently bought in tokyo and still wear together or separately to this day. they definitely have them and they definitely wear them. again it could just be “friendship rings” but... yeah. 

- sharing clothes. a popular trope of why people are together. i mean jk and tae actually seem to share the style of clothes more but they tend to have their own (like those modern hanboks, they both have them and don’t seem to be sharing). where as jm and jk apparently actually share clothes... again could be bro behaviour or whatever, but then why doesn’t tae and jk share? they’re definitely more similar in built and style. 

- lately there seems to be a lot of taekook. apparently i just read that there’s been a lot of noises from taekook fans and maybe homophobic fans to bighit to try to get jikook to tone it down. and obviously there’s been a few times that jk’s behaviour has upset taehyung’s fans especially (and tae himself lol) so maybe it’s to make amends for that... they were really going at it at the golden disc and grammys. but even their more touchy stuff on stage like during bwl perfs during the concerts, their touches don’t seem very flirty. 

as to whetehr i think the rest of bts knows... i think they suspect but as i said before i think only tae and jhope knows for sure. jhope cos he’s pretty close to both of them and tae because he constantly seems to be trolling. but jin, rm and suga... maybe they suspect or just think jk is that friend that hates people getting close to their best bud, but who knows. rm maybe knows more recently because he’s definitely coming between them more. 

will we ever know. probably not. not while they’re popular and not while their country (or the world) is still so homophobic and don’t like their 40 year old celebrities to be in a relationship. maybe one day, we’ll hear that even after they’ve stopped promoting as a band, they’re still housemates or whatever. but that’s probably the most “confirmation” we will ever get. but as long as they’re happy, i just really hate seeing them sad. i just wish the world was less toxic towards them. or the world needs to be less toxic in general. 

the relationship i enjoy the most within bts is actually the one between jin and jungkook cos they are actually hilarious and chaotic together, but somehow jikook seems to have more of a romantic edge to their interaction. 

even if they’re not a couple, they definitely have a very strong bond and very close. whatever it is, they’re clearly special to each other beyond being friends or bandmates. maybe it’s better if they’re friends because couples break up but friends rarely do... 

anyway, this turned out much longer than i expected but i’m glad to have put my thought into some kind of coherent-ness... and off i go onto the delulu train. 

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 7/1/2019

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Tueday January 7th, 2020. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS), Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

NEW YEAR NEW MOVES – Former central bank governor Dr DeLisle Worrell has urged Government to ramp up its renewable energy drive and develop niche tourism among other steps to boost an economy still struggling to recover as a new decade opens. In his first 2020 newsletter, he called on outside help to reform the public service. Dr Worrell said: “As we embark on the third decade of the 21st century, Barbadians look to our economic prospects with a mixture of hope and trepidation. “Our hopes are grounded in our economy’s inherent strengths – our highly regarded tourism services, good transport and communications, reliable public services, and our resourceful and well-educated work force.” He said while there was a road to prosperity ahead for Barbados, “major obstacles remain in the path and once they are addressed we can have confident hope for a better future for our country”. In addition to a “practical” timeframe for ridding the island of fossil fuel use, the former governor of the Central Bank proposed a strategic focus on developing niche areas in tourism, and a revamp of the public sector. “In order to realise our full potential, there are a number of policies which Government might consider,” Dr Worrell said. He proposed a focus on food, culture, heritage, sports and other niches in tourism, adding that the private sector should be encouraged to embrace “Barbados’ high-end reputation, and to focus on giving excellent value for money”. He added: “Barbados’ strength in tourism is the quality and variety of services and activities which our island has to offer. “Government incentives for tourism should be biased towards continuing to improve quality and variety.“High volume, low-cost tourism, including large cruise ships, bring risks of overcrowding and environmental degradation.” The veteran economist also recommended that Government consider contracting the “best international expertise” to conduct a three-year makeover of the public service. Acknowledging that this would be costly, Dr Worrell said it would be money well spent, if it were designed to bring all Government functions and services to an international standard of performance, comparable to Canada or Singapore. He also called on Government to publish a strategy document “with a practical time-bound plan for the complete replacement of fossil fuels as a source of energy”. He said: “Renewable energy has the potential, in time, to provide the economy with a sector of comparable weight to tourism”. Borrowing from the example of the most successful firms in the industry, Dr Worrell said the future of international business seemed to be in providing marketing, promotional, training and similar services. He said: “Government agencies should aim to attract international companies to set up offices in Barbados to provide these services to their international clients.” Dr Worrell also pointed to the need for multilingual abilities, saying it was something highly prized in international commerce. He suggested that Barbados could enhance its international competitiveness with a comprehensive programme to provide foreign language skills from the primary school level. He also reiterated his call for Government to consider permanently retiring the Barbados dollar and using the US dollar for all domestic transactions. “Importantly, Government would have no recourse to creating new money to finance excessively large deficits in the absence of a domestic currency,” said Dr Worrell. He also believed that Barbados could become a “gateway” into and out of the Caribbean, adding that historically, the island had been such for two centuries or more. For that to take place, he said Government would need to enter strategic partnerships with international firms for the management of the airport and seaport. He said: “Government should partner with international companies which have well-established global networks, and the capacity to finance upgrades to the Barbados facilities from their own resources.” Government is in the process of attracting private sector interest to run the Grantley Adams International Airport. While an investor is yet to be chosen, Government has promised a 30-year concession, with the intention that the chosen party would invest between $260 million and $300 million to expand and develop the port of entry. (BT)

‘NEW DEVELOPMENTS THREATENING CITY’S WORLD HERITAGE DESIGNATION’ – Less than a week after Prime Minister Mia Mottley outlined plans for the development of Bridgetown, the Barbados National Trust is warning that The City is in danger of losing its UNESCO World Heritage designation. According to president of the Barbados National Trust Peter Stevens, this is the inevitable result, based on the plans he has seen for several new developments in Bridgetown. He told Barbados TODAY that while his organisation supports Government’s initiative to develop The City, there needs to be more imagination in the utilization of the heritage space. “We are not going to keep our world heritage designation once we do all of this stuff. The reality is that the way we are heading we are going to lose our listing. It is true that we do not need a world heritage city, but the fact is that we’ve got it. I foresee that we are heading for serious trouble and we are going to be bandied around the world as one of the three places that would have lost their world heritage designation,” said Stevens. During her national address last week, PM Mottley highlighted several areas in the capital city which have been earmarked for development. She revealed that the way is being cleared for other major investments there, including the Pierhead and Carlisle House Project expected to come on stream this year. She revealed that plans for a City facelift will include the construction of the Golden Square Freedom Park and the completion of the Fairchild Street Market Village. Mottley said 100 new vending stalls will be constructed at the market. In addition, she announced that improvements are already started at Temple Yard which has benefitted from the installation of water and electricity. However, Stevens contends that while Government is not compelled to build around a heritage city, he is concerned that the coming developments are also not necessarily geared towards the alternative modern city. “I do have a rough idea from some of the plans I have seen and the early planning applications for some of the structures and I am concerned that we are not looking at this from the perspective that we have a heritage city. I am also concerned that we may not even be looking at it from the perspective that we could be a modern vibrant city,” explained Stevens. “Bridgetown could either be a city developed using the aspects of its heritage by building modern buildings around its world heritage structures. The other option would be to get a clean slate and build a fully modern city and do away with the whole world heritage designation. The problem is that we are not planning for either scenario, instead we are throwing new development at The City. I don’t see the plans for a modern city and I certainly don’t see the plans for a heritage city,” he said. The national trust head made it clear that his organisation is not against development of Bridgetown. However, he noted that there was no consultation with the trust as it pertains to the upcoming developments. “We are not saying that all developments are bad but what we are seeing thus far are persons allowed to come in and build without limitations. I don’t see any criterion put in place limiting how far people can go and certainly not as it relates to these historic sites. None of these designs were presented to the national trust for our input, we saw them at the same time that everybody else got to see them. We have had no time to gather our thoughts and make an input because it is all happening so fast and we have not been included,” he stressed. (BT)

DELIVERY STILL LAGS IN CUSTOMS DEBACLE – At least one international shipping agency has blamed multiple “technical issues” for its failure to deliver packages on time with the implementation of updated package clearance software at Barbados’ port of entry. But an official at the Universal Postal Service’s (UPS) Corporate Office in Atlanta, Georgia believes customs officials, couriers, and the original shipper may be the reason the prolonged backlog exists. Meanwhile, scores of upset Barbadians continue to approach Barbados TODAY, frustrated that their packages remain undelivered as customs officials and shipping companies attempt to absolve themselves of any blame. According to UPS Corporate Customer Relations Manager David Te’o the delay was “in part” because the shipper “keyed in” an incorrect import number. While admitting he was sorry the issue took so long to be corrected the manager promised to have it cleared up and the package delivered by Monday. The official was unable to give much insight on the challenges faced by the company’s local branch attributable to the new ASYCUDA World customs software but said the lack of proper documentation and incorrect information by a shipper, a delivery company or even customs officials would result in lengthy wait periods worldwide. “So, depending on whoever is at the customs office or inputs the information, that’s really all due to timing and if you don’t get the right people involved or don’t know who to contact, that could further delay things,” Te’o said. He however did not know how many packages in the care of UPS were held up by these or similar circumstances. Cherrisa Moore, a Barbadian studying in the U.K with children in Barbados said she shipped a package via DHL’s two-day delivery so her children could receive their Christmas gifts just after December 25th. “The package was sent off on December 23rd. With bank holidays in the mix it was to arrive in Barbados on December 27th which it did. To date the package is still in Barbados’ customs awaiting a clearance event other than normal customs. I am greatly saddened by this as it means my children have not received their Christmas gifts and no one there is telling me or DHL anything,” she said. Ezra Parris said he has had a UPS package languishing with authorities since September 5 with no progress. “The question is, what recourse do I have? What compensation?” he asked. The frustrated customer continued: “Customs says it is not their fault. The courier says it is not theirs. Meantime the customer suffers in a sort of hell as their possessions rot away.” Another citizen who requested anonymity said she was having a similar issue with courier, Aeropost, who she claims is blaming customs officials for delays dating back to November last year. “Up to now after visiting the airport branch and calling I am just being told that they have to clear a backlog from November 1, 2019. Mind you this is January. I’ve asked about compensation and they told me I must take it up with the Government,” said the concerned citizen. “How are we as Barbadians paying for a service and cannot receive our packages in a timely manner? My children went without Christmas presents because Aeropost claims customs is the delay. This needs to be highlighted as a matter or urgency.” Meanwhile, Comptroller of Customs Owen Holder denied that the Customs and Excise Department is responsible for the issues and has warned against spreading information that is “absolutely untrue” about his department. He insisted to Barbados TODAY that despite some kinks which affected the system when it was initially implemented, ASYCUDA World is now working “perfectly”. The problem, he suggested, is with some couriers who are simply refusing to make necessary adjustments to their internal processes. (BT)

PSV WORKER WANTS OWNER SPOKESMAN’S HEAD – A prominent public service vehicle operator is demanding the resignation of the spokesman for the organisation that represents owners. Ricardo Forde, former vice president of the short-lived Public Service Vehicles Workers Association (PSVWA), is insisting that Mark Haynes step down as public relations officer for the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) over comments he made during his New Year’s message. While Forde agrees with the AOPT’s “Vision 2020” to train drivers and conductors, he expressed serious misgivings that Haynes should “complain” that some PSV operators are refusing to work after 6 p.m. Forde declared: “I believe that Mr Haynes should step down from his job for even saying those words knowing the hours that these workers leave home on mornings to be on the road. “And then you got to be driving people, not pigs. “You already working past 12, 14 hours and he saying that is a problem for we finishing work by 6 o’clock; and then a worker got shot a couple months ago and nobody ain’t get hold for it yet.” The former PSV association vice president went on to make a case for shorter hours for workers. He told Barbados TODAY: “You got to care about people’s lives. We does hardly see [our] children…you can’t be a parent. “The system has too many disadvantages in this kind of work already… and to complain about finishing work by 6 p.m. or 7. “Most of the workers have to remain on the road late at night because they didn’t make any money during the day.” Forde suggested that when workers remain on the road late at night, they could be placing their lives and those of the passengers at risk. “All kinds of problems out there [on the road at night]. They [the drivers] could be sleepy,” he added. The PSV operator told Barbados TODAY that instead of Haynes complaining about workers refusing to stay on the job past 6 p.m., the association should meet with the drivers and conductors to explore alternate ways to address the long hours. Forde identified heightened security and a shift system are two ways that could be discussed to address the working hours issue. “[Haynes] should be looking at a way to find a solution or a way to get heightened security… find a way where some workers could start early… some finish midday, and if security is right, some could work, say, from 2 o’clock to midnight. We got to help. We got to talk it out and work together,” he said. At a personal level, Forde revealed that he leaves home at 4.30 am and works until 7.30 p.m. or 8 p.m.  He said he still has to collect his daughter from his mother afterwards. “Then I have to come home and make sure she gets to bed and that she is ready for school the next morning. These things are hard being a parent and still doing that particular job,” he said. But in response, Haynes described his colleague’s call for his resignation as immature, suggesting that Forde took his comment out of context. The AOPT spokesman explained that he was merely responding to complaints by some commuters and was not suggesting that workers should be on the road a whole day without a break. Haynes told Barbados TODAY: “I was only concerned that after 6 p.m. some commuters complained that they couldn’t get home and so on. “We were looking at that to ensure what systems can be put in place to ensure there is safety, not only for the commuters, but for the workers.” He also said he was seeking to show his association’s sensitivity to the long hours which drivers and conductors worked. He said: “We know that after some more hours men would be tired. “We were looking from the point of view that after 6 o’clock when they come off the road, it means that people would not be able to get home and they [commuters] were crying out. “Sometimes you are in a Catch-22 situation. “You are trying to deal with one set of people and then by virtue of doing so, another set of people would say you are attacking them. “It was not a direct attack on any workers out there, because I know the guys work hard and they would be tired and would need to get home to their families. “So I don’t think that I made any comment that is insensitive. I said it was just a concern; and I didn’t go into any detail, except to say that after 6, the guys tend to want to go because they might have been out early and they want to go, rightfully so, to their place of abode to prepare for the next day.” But while the two PSV operators clashed over the hours of work, they were on the same page with respect to a possible solution. Haynes agrees with Forde that the answer may lie in a shift system. “Right! Like looking at a two-tier system where guys come on when others would have gone off.   Then another set come on and work until about 11 p.m. or 12 midnight,” he said. Haynes told Barbados TODAY the evening shift could start from around 5 p.m. But, he added: “I was not in any way seeking to impute that those guys who started from early should work right through without stopping, except for lunch. “That would be rather insensitive and irresponsible on my part. “That was not what I said at all. “So [Forde] needs to understand what I said and take what I said in context.” (BT)

TRAVELLING PUBLIC HOPEFUL CHANGES WILL BE BENEFICIAL – Travelling to the Constitution River Terminal may be inconvenient for some commuters, but it would appear that some are willing to put up with the disruption. From yesterday, several public service vehicles (PSVs), on routes to areas in Christ Church, including Silver Hill and Fairy Valley, were relocated from the Probyn Street loading bay to the terminal.  They moved to accommodate the upcoming transformation of the area, which includes the demolition of the abandoned NIS building, the Barbados Fire Service’s Probyn Street headquarters and the temporary market.  The demolition will make way for Golden Square Freedom Park and the construction of 100 new stalls at the Fairchild Street Market.  (DN)

POLICE CHIEF SAYS ANALYSIS OF CRIME MUST TACKLE ROOT CAUSES – Even though 2019 would go down as Barbados’ bloodiest year, with the country recording its highest number of murders in a year, Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith, has said that the picture painted by the crime statistics, is not as bad as some may have thought. In fact, he suggested that given how the first month of 2019 began with nine murders, the Royal Barbados Police Force should be applauded for bringing some measure of control to the problem. He explained that based on the murder rate trajectory after January 2019, Barbados was heading for over 100 murders last year. And though Barbados has seen its first murder just five days into the new year, Griffith cautioned Barbadians against thinking that law enforcement is not taking the necessary steps to curb violence, especially those perpetrated through the use of a firearm. “We should not pull out numbers in isolation. I see a lot of people talking about the fact that we have 48 murders. If you sit back and analyze the numbers, you would realize that in January alone there were nine murders. Based on that trajectory, one would have expected 108 murders by the end of 2019. So effectively something had to have been done to pull things back,” said Griffith, who was interviewed by Barbados TODAY ahead of the release of the 2019 Crime Statistics, expected later this week. The Commissioner said that while the murder rate is high, major crimes fell in 2019 by 16 per cent. In fact, with the exception of murder, all categories of major crimes have seen notable reductions, which supports the point that Barbados does not have a run-away crime situation. “We looked at serious crimes and when we looked at the numbers for this year, serious crimes are significantly down… by 16 per cent. The only area that is up in serious crimes is murder,” he explained, noting that an analysis of the murders has shown that the root causes run deep. “We have to do a much deeper analysis of the murders to see where the programmes that we put in place could be better. A lot of the issues related to murder run far deeper than law enforcement, but everybody is looking to law enforcement for the answers. The reality is that there are deep-seated, social and economic issues that need to be urgently addressed. We should not pull out single items such as murders and try to form an opinion on the country’s crime situation,” Griffith explained. He also pointed out that the police force was still suffering from a lack of manpower, a deficiency which the force intends to make up for through the use of creative planning and technology. “We need to do a thorough assessment in order to determine where we can have improvements and where we have done well. The fact remains that we are still hampered by resources and that is why a lot of our programmes have to be far more intense and driven by technology,” said Griffith. He further noted that with Government’s ambitious agenda for 2020, the limited resources of the police force are expected to be stretched even further. (BT)

BID TO CUT BACKLOG OF MURDER CASES – All eighty-four murder accused, some with cases as old as ten years, will have their day in court this year. In addition, with 54 matters awaiting sentencing, the new Assizes system will see the last Friday of each month dedicated to those decisions, with the intention of reducing that backlog by the end of February. The new system was rolled out by Justice Carlisle Greaves yesterday as he joined four other judges for the historic sitting of five High Courts to hear the Criminal Assizes. Justice Greaves, who will preside over Supreme Court No 3, joins Justices Randall Worrell who sits in Supreme Court 2, Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell in No 4, Christopher Birch in No. 5A and Pamela Beckles who presides over Court No. 5. (DN)

POLICE INVESTIGATING SUICIDE – Police are investigating the apparent suicide of one of their officers. Ryan Delano Spencer Coppin, 37, was found hanging at his home at Gooseberry Drive, Ruby, St Philip, around 6:30 a.m. today. Police from District C responded to the call, but there was no sign of life.Coppin was pronounced dead at the scene by a medical doctor. (DN)

FRIEND RECALLS FINDING COP’S BODY – The man who found Constable Ryan Delano Spencer Coppin hanging near his St Philip home yesterday morning, said he still could not believe his only friend was dead. Matthew Steele discovered the 37-year-old lawman hanging at a house next door to his in Gooseberry Drive, Ruby, around 6:30 a.m., after Coppin’s girlfriend Shanda Moore called saying she could not find him.According to a police report, Coppin, the father of a young boy, was on suspension and had been charged with a number of criminal matters.  “When I saw Ryan, the only thought I had was that he’s not dead; he can’t be dead. Honestly to this moment I still don’t believe that Ryan dead. I don’t even know if I can physically attend his funeral,” Steele told the DAILY NATION last night. (DN)

WOMAN LOSES SECOND SON TO VIOLENCE - Within the space of 11 years, Carlyn Bedford has lost two sons in the same St Michael district – both in violent circumstances. In 2009, Alex Wayne Massiah, 26, was stabbed to death while in Division Drive, Eden Lodge. He used to sell snacks at 2nd Avenue, Johnson Land, Green Hill, also in St Michael. Last Saturday, his older brother David Orlando Bedford became the first person gunned down for 2020, following a record year in which there were 49 murders. According to police reports, the incident took place around 8:20 p.m. in a poorly-lit alley between Blocks No. 1 and No. 2 in Nursery Close, Eden Lodge. (DN)

CHRIST CHURCH MAN SHOT IN MARL HOLE GAP – The man shot at Marl Hole Gap, St Michael, has been identified as Julian Harewood. The 27-year-old of Harmony Hall, Christ Church, was shot in the abdomen and back around 12:56 p.m. in the vicinity of a neighbourhood shop. He was transported by private vehicle to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. (DN)

ACCUSED OWNS UP TO SMALL DRUG FIND – The quantity of cannabis which a St Michael man was held with was so little that Magistrate Douglas Frederick reprimanded and discharged him on two drug charges. Aidan Wendell Wilkinson, a 45-year-old mason of Pinder Gap, Howells Cross Road, St Michael, breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the dock of the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court where he had earlier pleaded guilty to possession and cultivating the drug. The facts as presented by prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Waithe are that police executed a search warrant at Wilkinson’s residence in relation to another matter. While searching a cupboard in the kitchen a teacup wrapped in newspaper was found to be containing vegetable matter suspected to be cannabis. When asked to account for it, Wilkinson said, “That is mine”. A further search in the yard revealed one plant attached to soil suspected to be cannabis. “This is my house, everything is mine,” Wilkinson admitted. (BT)

MAN MUST DO 100 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR WEED – A coconut vendor who tried to outrun police while carrying a pocketful of illegal drugs will have to complete 100 hours of community service. That was the decision of Magistrate Douglas Frederick after Shaquille Aidan Wilkinson, 23, of Hannahs Valley, Christ Church, pleaded guilty in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court to having cannabis in his possession on January 5, 2020. The 23-year-old was ordered to complete the 100 hours by March 27, when he is scheduled to reappear in court. Prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Waithe, in giving the facts, revealed that police executed a search warrant at the residence and Wilkinson was seen by police in the yard. He looked in their direction he ran off. He was chased by lawmen and eventually apprehended. Wilkinson consented to a search and during that search a purple plastic bag with vegetable matter suspected to be cannabis was found. When asked to account for it he said, “That is a little shake-off I had to smoke.” The illegal drugs weighed 5.4 grams and had a street value of $30. (BT)

ASSAULT CASE ADJOURNED UNTIL FEB 24 – Two neighbours charged with assaulting each other have been ordered to keep their distance. Additionally, both Lisa Sasha Joseph and Corey Rawdon Massiah will have to report to police stations once a week as part of their bail conditions. Joseph, a 26-year-old nail technician of Howell’s Cross Road, Ivy, St Michael, appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court this morning charged with assaulting Massiah and Betty Wilkinson, occasioning them actual bodily harm, on January 5. Meanwhile, Massiah was also in court to answer the charge of assaulting Joseph on the same date. They both pleaded not guilty to their charges. There were no objections to bail and Magistrate Douglas Frederick cautioned each accused to stay away from the other. Joseph, who was released on $4000 bail will have to report to Central Police Station every Wednesday by 10 a.m. Massiah was granted $2500 bail and he will have to report to the District ‘A’ Police Station every Monday by 10 a.m. They will return to court on February 24. (BT)

ST ANDREW VILLAGE BADES SLAIN ARTIST FAREWELL – Relatives and friends of award-winning artist Cecil Dwayne Webb, one of the three men who died in a bloody cutlass attack on Independence Day, found it extremely difficult to say goodbye to their loved one who was laid to rest today. The hundreds who gathered in and outside the Evening Light Pentecostal Church, Arch Hall, St Thomas, struggled to hold back the tears as they reflected on the life of the NIFCA award-winning sculptor. In a service while grieving relatives shed tears, Webb was described as a multi-talented individual who has touched many lives positively. In her tribute, Webb’s niece Lisa Belle asked the congregation to never forget the million-dollar smile her uncle always wore on his face. Belle, who lives in the United States, said she would forever cherish the daily conversations she had with hee 49-year-old uncle when he took time out to teach her about woodwork and painting. Webb, who taught himself woodwork using a screwdriver, entered NIFCA the first year he started, she recalled.  She said not only did he believe in himself, but he also believed in those he sought to help. Webb was a multiple NIFCA award winner in fine arts with wood as his medium.  He won the Central Bank Governor’s Award in 2017 for a piece titled Rhythm and Wood which he entered in the Crop Over Visual Arts Festival. He also volunteered with the District Emergency Organization. Belle said: “Webb was one of those people who had so many talents.  “You would talk about him and all you would hear about is he was just so talented. “He was a plumber by trade and so many other things he was just by sheer natural talent. “We all know he was an artist, he was a sculptor, he was very athletic, he would teach martial arts, we found out recently that he was a musician teaching people.  “He was one of those people who could look at something and say ‘yes, I can do this’ and he meant he could do it.” Belle also encouraged the congregation to live in a way that would leave them with no regrets, since that was how Webb lived his life. Webb, Terry Small and Jeffneil Browne, died in a sword attack at Walkers Terrace, St Andrew. Cuthbert Mayers, 70, was also injured in the incident. Residents told reporters at the scene that Browne, who they said was known for walking with sharp-edged tools, allegedly started the attack at Webb’s home. They said Webb was discovered bent over in his backyard bleeding and screaming for help. It is believed that Webb, a small farmer, was tending to his animals when he was attacked. Residents also said that Browne then went over to Small’s residence still brandishing the sword and allegedly inflicted the fatal wound. Members of the St Andrew community came out in their numbers to bade farewell to their friend with whom they became familiar when he moved to the area in 2016. Webb’s neighbour Denny Smith was visibly distraught. Smith tearfully related that Webb was one of the best persons he has ever met, explaining that the deceased did only good for those in the close-knit community. He said: “I loved him. We all loved him. He was one of the best human beings I have ever met in my long life, both here and while living abroad. “He sought out elderly people and helped them. He provided for them, he carried stuff and he did their chores and offered any assistance that he could render. “Unfortunately though, Dwayne came up against a person who was consumed with evil, who apparently had issues going back to his childhood.  “And when good and evil collides, sometimes good wins out, but in this particular case evil won.” Smith said though it had only been five weeks since Webb died, he was already missing the delightful Sunday morning conversation they shared. He added: “It was such a major tragedy. The community has been traumatized ever since because we already had another situation [where the body of 22-year-old Rahim Ward of Cottage Grove, St George was discovered in a shallow grave] near the St Andrew Parish Church.  “This one though, this one is incurable because of the amount of pain that it brought, the loss and the sadness. “My concern though is that I did not see a lot of people either from Government, or social organizations reach out and there is still hurt, there is still pain, there is still anger because in many ways we have never felt supported by the wider community.” A Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church held an open-air service in the area in an attempt to calm the hurting souls, he noted.  He also recalled that Minister of Transport and Works Dr William Duguid, who is a close family friend, also visited Webb’s home on the day of the incident. Pastor Paul Leacock, who centred his sermon on the biblical story of Cane and Abel, attempted to persuade mourners that they need to conquer any negativity has been crouching at their doors, since mankind has the tendency to do what was wrong in the sight of God. Leacock preached that at times people became angry because of the contrast between their behaviour and prosperity and that of others. “And rather than looking at how they can better themselves, they rather erase the competition, remove the possibility and the contrast so that they can look good because your good looking is not theirs,” he said.  Webb was buried at the St James Cemetery. (BT)

IRAN PROMISES REVENGE DURING SOLEIMANI FUNERAL – Iran’s supreme leader wept in grief with hundreds of thousands of mourners thronging Tehran’s streets on Monday for the funeral of military commander Qassem Soleimani, killed by a U.S. drone on the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump. As the coffins of General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who also died in Friday’s attack in Baghdad, were passed over the heads of mourners, Soleimani’s successor vowed to expel U.S. forces from the region in revenge. The killing of the 62-year-old Soleimani, architect of Iran’s drive to extend its influence across the Middle East, has stoked concern around the world that a broader regional conflict could erupt. Trump has listed 52 Iranian targets, including cultural sites, that could be hit if Iran retaliates with attacks on Americans or U.S. assets, although U.S. officials sought to play down the president’s reference to cultural targets. General Esmail Ghaani, Soleimani’s successor as commander of the Quds Force, the elite unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards charged with overseas operations, promised to “continue martyr Soleimani’s cause as firmly as before with the help of God, and in return for his martyrdom we aim to rid the region of America. “God the Almighty has promised to take martyr Soleimani’s revenge,” he told state television. “Certainly, actions will be taken.” Other political and military leaders have made similar, unspecific threats. Iran, which lies at the mouth of the key Gulf oil shipping route, has a range of proxy forces in the region through which it could act. The crowd in Tehran, which state media said numbered in the millions, recalled the masses that gathered in 1989 for the funeral of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Soleimani was a national hero in Iran – even to many who do not consider themselves supporters of Iran’s clerical rulers. Aerial footage showed people, many clad in black, packing thoroughfares and side streets and chanting “Death to America!” – a welcome show of national unity for Tehran after anti-government protests in November in which many demonstrators were killed. Iran’s demand for U.S. forces to withdraw from the region gained traction on Sunday when Iraq’s parliament passed a resolution calling for all foreign troops to leave the country. Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Abdel Abdul Mahdi told the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad on Monday that both nations needed implement the resolution, the premier’s office said in a statement. It did not give a timeline. The United States has about 5 000 troops in Iraq. Soleimani, widely seen as Iran’s second most powerful figure behind Khamenei, built a network of proxy militia that formed a crescent of influence – and a direct challenge to the United States and its regional allies led by Saudi Arabia – stretching from Lebanon through Syria and Iraq to Iran. Outside the crescent, Iran nurtured allied Palestinian and Yemeni groups. He notably mobilized Shi’ite Muslim militia forces in Iraq that helped to crush Islamic State, the Sunni militant group that had seized control of swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014. Washington, however, blames Soleimani for attacks on U.S. forces and their allies. Prayers at Soleimani’s funeral in Tehran, which moves to the general’s southern home city of Kerman on Tuesday, were led by Khamenei, who wept as he spoke. (Reuters)

PUERTO RICO BRACING FOR AFTERSHOCKS AFTER 5.8 QUAKE – A damaging earthquake struck Puerto Rico early Monday, with plenty of aftershocks expected. The magnitude 5.8 tremor happened at 5:32 a.m., the United States Geological Survey said. It was centred about eight miles south-southeast of Indios, Puerto Rico, at a depth of about 3.7 miles below ground. No major injuries were reported, Puerto Rico Director of Emergency Management Carlos Acevedo said. He said some homes were damaged in Guanica, and a home collapsed in Guayanilla. Some victims of the earthquake posted photos of deep cracks in walls. (CNN)

MET OFFICE MONITORING SEA CONDITIONS – Sea conditions are expected to deteriorate over the next few days and officials at the Met Office say a high-surf advisory and small-craft warning may be issued for Barbados on Wednesday. A strong high pressure system centred over the central North Atlantic is forecast to generate easterly to east north-easterly surface winds of 20 to 25 knots (37 to 46 km/h), and easterly to east north-easterly swells peaking near 3.5m (11ft). Marine models indicate sea conditions could deteriorate from late Thursday into the following week and the advisory may be issued. Large waves and dangerous rip-currents during this time could create unsafe conditions for small-craft operators, particularly on the eastern, northern-eastern and south-eastern coastlines of Barbados. These conditions could become even more adverse during high tide. All residents are advised to pay special attention for any updates from the Barbados Meteorological Services. (DN)

WE GATHER MORE THAN A CELEBRATION – While We Gatherin’ 2020 is intended to be a time for celebration, an Anglican cleric has suggested the year-long initiative will also be a time for Barbadians to come together and rekindle the values that once made the nation great as it moves towards a brighter future. Rector of the St Lucy Parish Church, Canon Curtis Goodridge, made this point as he delivered the sermon at the We Gatherin’ church service held at the church over the weekend. The Anglican priest also made the point that there were certain traditions and values we should maintain and other behaviours that had crept into our society that we would do better to discard. Canon Goodridge said: “As we go forward, there are certain things we must never leave behind, such as, good morals and values, discipline, decency, respect for law and order, respect for the sanctity and dignity of human life, and respect for property. “These are all important and necessary for all of us to go forward as a country, and they are never old fashioned or outdated, but relevant for all time. Indiscipline, crime and violence, selfishness and disrespect must not be seen as part of Barbadian culture. “We must contribute to building a Barbados of peace, love, unity and goodwill to all. “We must combat all the negativity that a minority seems to want to flourish in this country. “We must ‘big up Barbados’ – when we think of Barbados, we should see it as a country where its people are loving, especially to visitors to our land. “We should see a stable government, a place where there is peace and tranquility, a place where people from all over the world can visit and have a good time. That is the kind of Barbados we all want to see.” He cited examples of celebrations in the Bible, and called on all Barbadians to come together in this time of rejoicing. He said: “This celebration should be used to build relationships. “It should be seen as a time when all Barbadians pledge to do their part, no matter how small, to make this country a better country and bring this country back to what it once was. “A country in which we will be our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper and look out for each other. “We will love our brothers and sisters as we love ourselves and do unto others as we would have them do unto us. “We need to go forward together as a nation regardless of colour, status and background, supporting each other because no one is an island.” Earlier in his sermon, he outlined why he thought it was fitting for St. Lucy to kick off the events, and urged everyone in the congregation, which included Prime Minister Mia Mottley, MP for St Lucy Peter Phillips, and other Government officials, to enjoy the northernmost parish on the island during the month of January. Canon Goodridge declared: “We believe strongly it was not by design but divine inspiration that such celebrations had to begin in the parish of St Lucy. “Lucy is a lady that always gets things done – and done the right way. “And so it is only fitting that a lady, the only parish bearing the name of a lady should kick off the We Gatherin’ celebrations; as TC once said: ‘Put a woman in front,’ and this is what is happening today.” (BT)

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 9/25/2018

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Tuesday September 25th 2018. Remember you can read full articles by purchasing Daily Nation Newspaper (DN), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).

BARBADOS AMONG 49 TO GET IMF MILLIONS – Barbados might be in line to access half-a-trillion US dollars in International Monetary Fund finance for its sustainable development goals (SDGs), IMF Managing Director Christine Legarde announced this afternoon. While not mentioning Barbados by name, Legarde said that 49 low income developing states (LIDS) are in line to get US$520 billion per year to help finance their SDGs by the year 2030. Lagarde was speaking at a High-Level Meeting on Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the United Nations New York headquarters, in the presence of Prime Minister Mia Mottley. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a series of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly, as part of a resolution laying out an agenda for sustainable development. It was unclear whether Barbados, which has just entered an IMF staff-level agreement for financing its balance of payments, would be able to access these funds. Barbados is regarded as a medium-income developing nation that rests at the pinnacle of human development – making the island often ineligible for low-cost development finance. But the IMF boss stressed that the 49 countries must meet certain conditions as part of the funding in five critical areas of growth such as education, health, water and sanitation, roads and electricity. “As a necessary first step, low income developing states must own the responsibility for achieving the SDGs. Nobody else is going to do it for them, they have to own it themselves. You should now focus on strengthening macroeconomic management, enhancing tax capacity, tackling spending inefficiencies, addressing the corruption that undermines inclusive growth and fostering business environment so that the private sector can actually come in invest and thrive,” Legarde said. The IMF will work closely with all of the countries to ensure this is the set of objectives against which they can develop their actions, the IMF managing director said. But the IMF chief also zeroed in on policies the multilateral lending agency would like to see introduced in these poorest developing nations, including raising taxes. The IMF is to use its annual bilateral relations with these states to guide them through the process, Legarde said. “Countries have substantial scope to raise tax revenues. An ambitious, but reasonable target for many countries is to increase their tax ratio by five percentage point of GDP [gross domestic product]. This will require strong administrative and policy reforms where the IMF and other development agencies can play your key supporting roles,” she revealed, adding that it also requires some medium-term policies. But boosting tax revenues by this amount might not be sufficient for the low income developing states – or LIDS, Legarde mused. LIDS, in addition to using existing resources better, would require efforts from other sources such as bilateral agencies, philanthropists, international institutions and private investors, she argued.  (BT)

PRIME MINISTERS MOTTLEY AND TRUDEAU HOLD BILATERAL MEETING – Barbados’ deep and long friendship with Canada was underscored today when Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a bilateral meeting, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Trudeau said he was looking forward to talking with Mottley about the opportunities they have to work together. “There are significant challenges that you are facing and Canada is glad to be . . . working with you to make sure we are moving forward in a way that is right for the people of Barbados. I very much admire your strength of leadership and look forward to working with you,” he told her. Mottley said the countries’ friendship was premised on a deep abiding faith in values. “Barbados and Canada both stand as beacons for those values that would promote peace and seek to promote inclusive growth among our populations,” she stated. She added that they faced a great challenge with respect to how they would manoeuvre in this environment, which was being affected daily by how others choose to satisfy their greed and people’s failure to live up to obligations that would protect us. Prime Minister Mottley acknowledged that Barbados was going through its own difficulties, but noted that from time to time people and countries go through some adversity. She stressed that it was during those difficult times that a friend was needed.  She said she was aware of Canada’s continued role in ensuring that its values and those of this country’s were reflected across the global community. She gave the assurance that Barbados would play its part in ensuring that such values would continue to be promoted. (BGIS)

‘BETTER DEVELOPMENT DEAL NOW’ – The Prime Minister made her United Nations debut on Monday, making a case for a better deal for Barbados and other small island developing states (SIDS) in trade policy and financing for disaster management and mitigation. Speaking at a High-Level Meeting on Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the United Nations in New York this afternoon, she warned that small, vulnerable countries like Barbados did not have the capacity to fend off natural disasters, citing as a sober example the neighbouring island of Dominica, which is still reeling from Hurricane Maria a year later. “Today, small island developing states are supposed to be at the frontline of climate change in terms of being the victims of climate change, but we don’t have the capacity to fend it off. Last year, Dominica lost 220 per cent of its GDP when Hurricane Maria hit it. That was on top of the 90 per cent of its GDP that it lost the year before when Erica hit it. There are weather systems that have no name but have just as much impact and literally eroded the ground from beneath us,” she told a panel discussion which she shared with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indonesia’s Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Mottley was asked to speak on the question: What steps need to be taken at national and international levels to enhance the resilience of smaller countries to environmental and economic risks and shocks, including those related to debt sustainability? She insisted that a question such as this required serious consideration be given to a country’s state of development. Mottley went as far as to suggest that countries like Barbados had become invisible when it came to financing for its sustainable development. “I’m not sure that, in spite of wanting to see the participation of small island developing states in the global community, that the global community is ready and willing. We are unequally yoked. More often than not we are left to deal with middle-level officials who are technocrats who don’t have the capacity to see beyond their particular silo approach, whether its finance, whether it is security, whether it is climate change,” she said, adding that progress would be difficult if states like her continue to be boxed in. The Barbadian leader appealed for the creation of a less hostile environment within which SIDS can thrive and develop. “We need a more hospitable environment first in terms of policy creation. We need ourselves in many instances… and this is not to deny that there have been a lot of missteps along the way in the developing world… but most developed countries had two, three centuries to get it right…. We are still at 50, 60 years. And that’s not taking responsibility for those who did nonsense. We will accept and move on from that point,” said Mottley. She emphasized the need for a friendly and clear international climate where leaders speak to leaders. The Prime Minister contended that if this did not happen, problems would confront the international community as to how to deal with lack of security and migration.  (BT)

CHERRY’S CAUTION – Government is being asked to bag its proposed ban on plastics. Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey recently announced on his Facebook page that Barbados would be banning styrofoam and single use plastics come April 1, 2019. And while environmentalists like Future Centre Trust director Kammie Holder have embraced the move, outspoken waste hauler Anderson Cherry is cautioning Government that a ban could end up ultimately costing already burdened consumers. “I would encourage Minister Humphrey and whoever else to please look at the ban of plastics from a holistic point of view. Just like styrofoam, it’s okay to ban it. But what is the replacement and what is the replacement cost to the consumer?” he asked. Cherry, a long-time advocate of recycling, explained that plastic was a billion-dollar industry worldwide. (DN)

NO USER FEES AS YET – While the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is looking for more economical ways to run its operations, the imposition of user fees is not yet on the table for discussion. Chairman Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland made the disclosure in the QEH’s boardroom after this year’s six most outstanding interns were awarded on Monday. “That [user fees] hasn’t come up yet as a policy recommendation. But we do have to look at the mix of how we provide services. And I think people are not so concerned about where they get services as much as that they get the service. So what we’ve been looking at is: are there services in the hospital that can better be done outside of the hospital at a lesser cost to the Government?” she said. (DN)

BMA RELAUNCHES ‘BUY LOCAL’ IN ST LUCY – Manufacturers have taken a community tack as they launched a fresh ‘buy-local’ campaign on Monday, with the Minister of Transport suggesting that if Barbados is to emerge victorious from its current financial mess, consumers must buy more locally produced goods. It was simply unsustainable for the country to continue to spend millions of dollars annually on imports, said Minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance Peter Phillips, MP for St Lucy, as the Barbados Manufacturers Association (BMA) relaunched its Buy Local campaign at the Catch 22 restaurant in St Lucy. According to Central Bank figures, the country imports between 30 and 37 per cent of the island’s gross domestic product in goods annually. Phillips underscored the importance of buying local, stressing that the economy was desperately in need of foreign exchange earnings. “Buy local must not be just a catchphrase, must not just be a saying. Buy local must become a habit and a part of us because if we as a country, to come out of this morass or this abyss that we are in, we have to begin and do with all of our heart, support what we produce here, not just only in manufacturing but also in food provision – in agriculture – we have to buy local, because every cent in foreign exchange that we spend is money that we need to keep in Barbados to help rebuild our economy,” Phillips explained. The BMA has partnered with the BTPA to relaunch the campaign during tourism week, which began today. The objective of the partnership is to, among other things, promote community tourism, highlight the history of St Lucy to visitors and locals while showcasing its linkages with manufacturing and familiarize locals and tourists with locally manufactured brands. The BMA saw the “urgency” to relaunch the buy local campaign for a number of reasons including the need to highlight and strengthen the linkages between manufacturing and other sectors and the need to incorporate more technology in its campaign, said BMA president Robert Noel. “We found it necessary to tackle promotion of our brands parish by parish to allow us to microscopically showcase the contribution of our membership to the building of communities and Barbados in general, while giving us the opportunity to meaningfully support businesses in other sectors, such as restaurants and bars,” said Noel. Pointing to the importance of technology in promoting the sector, Noel said one of the new features of the Buy Local campaign would be the use of virtual reality “to showcase the historical stories behind some of our locally manufactured products and to provide showroom experience for customers allowing them to see the availability of product offerings”. Noel attributed the development of the Barbados economy over the years to the manufacturing sector’s contribution, adding that it was for that reason that the sector should continue to be supported by Government and all stakeholders. Pointing to the cottage industries as critical contributors to Barbadian industry, Phillips said it is time those products were marketed more and “pushed as part of the Barbadian experience not just for tourists but for us Barbadians as well”. The MP and minister sought to rubbish the Barbadian notion the locally made items should be rejected “because we feel that it is inferior”. “Why would those persons in other countries want Barbadian products and we in Barbados seem to reject what we have in our country, because it is made locally? I say that is all the more reason that we should support and support local a hundred per cent”. Calling for greater linkages between the manufacturing and tourism industries, the St Lucy Member of Parliament said he was concerned that more locally made items were not being used in the hotel industry. “I am sometimes not just confused, but concerned that we do not have more of our local products within the various hotels … why would a tourist come to Barbados and eat the same food that they can get back in their country. Why can’t we have samples of our food, not just the food but the same pepper sauce we talked about available at the dining tables in the various hotels across this country? “We need to support our local industries here. It is the only way we are going to succeed as a country. It is the only way we are going to get out of this economic recession, this position that we are in as a country,” he said. Government was committed to helping manufacturing to create high value and “highly exportable” products as well as assisting citizens to buy local, he said. “There must be a multi -approach to encourage our citizens to buy local which would in turn assist with job creation which we definitely need and boost entrepreneurship which is necessary as we transition Barbados to the entrepreneurship hub of the world. Lauding the BMA and the Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA) for their work in promoting the tourism and manufacturing sectors and the linkages they continued to form, Phillips said he would do what he could in his power to help champion the buy local campaign. (BT)

FINAL DAYS – After more than two decades in operation, the Caribbean Credit Bureau (CBB) is on the verge of going out of business while a new “foreign-owned” full-service credit bureau is set to take its place, Barbados TODAY has learned. The decision to wind down the operations was made on Friday, following a meeting between founder and CEO of the credit management firm Grady Clarke and the Fair Trading Commission (FTC). The CCB had sought to get the FTC to step in and stop the new company from setting up in Barbados. But the credit bureau was told there was nothing the FTC could do, Barbados TODAY understands. The new company, which is yet to be named by the Barbados Bankers’ Association (BBA), has already been established and is well advanced in carrying out technical work with banking institutions, Barbados TODAY has been told. With the help of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – a private sector arm of the World Bank – the search and selection procedure for the new credit bureau has been carried out and a code of conduct has also been established, which should be followed shortly by legislation. The announcement was first made public a year ago that the bankers association was in the process of examining the proposals of two international entities to decide which one it would be allowing to establish the local credit information-sharing system. The new credit bureau could be officially introduced within the next two months. But Clarke, who has been vehemently opposed to a foreign-owned credit bureau setting up shop in Barbados, told Barbados TODAY he was concerned that local authorities would allow such a move that would essentially force him out of operation. About a dozen full-time workers and a number of volunteers will likely lose their jobs, he said. A frustrated Clarke said that in the coming days he would have to resign from everything. For now, though, he said, it was business as usual “until such time that [subscribers] switch over to the new credit bureau”. “I realize that I can’t survive,” said Clarke. “Right now, I trying to see how can I be a responsible employer and send people home. I have already sent home staff quite a bit. I guess the end is near because of what the global predator called the IFC [has done],” he said. Clarke said he has already informed the credit union league about the development and the subscribers would be informed that “the end is near because of policies and unfair competition”. “What it means is that I am resigning from everything,” he said. “We have to start preparing to wind down. We want to live longer but the end is near. Unless things change,” he added. “All our confidential financial information is going to be owned by foreign entities,” Clarke declared. “All of the hard work I have done here I am going to have to hand on a platter to the foreign credit bureaus that are coming in the region . . . The region is subscribing to information imperialism. Unless CARICOM [Caribbean Community], all of our heads of state including here in Barbados, do something about it, we will be information slaves in an information age to foreign companies instead of our own companies, local companies owning information,” he said. Long-time banker Ian De Souza was chairman of a subcommittee set up by the BBA over a year ago to supervise the request for proposal process for the new credit bureau. When contacted, De Souza told Barbados TODAY he was not prepared to respond to anything Clarke had to say. Pointing to the importance of a full service credit bureau, De Souza said this was necessary to help financial institutions and individuals make better lending and borrowing decisions. “In addition to people now having full information, one major benefit of a credit bureau is that it prevents people from getting themselves into trouble. As a banker, having been in the industry for 40 years I can tell you that one of the most common ways that people get themselves into financial difficulty is by over-borrowing. “Especially today when it is very easy to get credit cards, that is a way that people are over extending themselves. So when you have full information on a customer now you find that a bank will be quickly able identify where a customer is overstretched and they will deny the credit,” De Souza explained. He said Barbados was “well behind” the rest of the world in relation to having a full-service credit bureau as part of its financial infrastructure. “Barbados does not have full information on customers. So they don’t have the information resident in any one place. So . . . the bank has to rely on that customer to say where they have credit and how they are servicing that credit,” said De Souza. Currently there is an informal arrangement where banks call each other to verify information on clients. Ultimately the idea is to have non-bank financial institutions including micro-finance and other lending agencies, utilities and hire purchase companies share credit information on customers. (BT)

UN AWARD FOR MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS – Barbados’ Ministry of Health and Wellness will receive an award from the United Nations for its efforts to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt. Colonel Jeffrey Bostic will be in New York to accept the award from the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on NCDs (UNIATF) on the sidelines of a high level meeting on NCDs on Thursday, September 27. The UNIATF has recognised the Ministry for its policies related to nutrition, tobacco and alcohol. Prior to arriving in New York, Minister Bostic will attend the 56th Directing Council Meeting of the Pan American Health Organisation, which opens in Washington DC, this Sunday. (BGIS)

ENTREPRENEURS TO TAKE PART IN US PROGRAMME – Thirteen young entrepreneurs have made their way to the United State to participate in the Department of State’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Professional Fellows Programme.  YLAI empowers entrepreneurs and civil society leaders to strengthen their capacity to launch their entrepreneurial ideas and effectively contribute to economic development in their communities. Shawn Maille from Antigua and Barbuda; Christina Hunte, Corey Jackman and Phillip Kellman from Barbados; Lien Philogene-Norville from Dominica; Michael Thomas from Grenada; Sh ane Browne and Janeel Boone from St Kitts and Nevis; Nyus Alfred, Johanan Dujon, Laurah John and Chadia Mathurin from St Lucia, and Karen De Freitas from St Vincent and the Grenadines, travelled to the United States to participate in the four-week programme from September 20 to October 23. The entrepreneurs joined their Caribbean and Latin American counterparts with the goal of expanding their leadership and entrepreneurial experience through fellowships at businesses and civil society organisations across the US. YLAI Fellows will build networks and lasting partnerships to attract investments and support for their entrepreneurial ventures. (DN)

TRAVEL WRITERS MEET AT HILTON – Barbados' tourism sector has hit another regional and local milestone. For the first time ever, the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) kicked off its annual conference in the Caribbean region with an opening ceremony this morning at the Hilton Barbados Resort. Over 250 travel writers, bloggers and photographers will spend the next week touring, experiencing and writing about Barbados. Additionally, SATW will discuss the state and future of the travel writing sector. Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds delivered remarks at the opening ceremony. In welcoming the writers, Symmonds urged them to tell the story of Barbados, but not shy away from critiques as that would only serve to make the local tourism product better. (DN)

TERROR IN NEW ORLEANS – Masked gunmen opened fire indiscriminately in a weekend shooting spree in the inner-city community of New Orleans, grazing at least one resident as she scampered for safety over a two-day reign of terror. A Barbados TODAY team found residents reflecting on the gun attack, tell-tale bullet holes, a slow police response, and their lucky escape from death or serious injury. Tony Rock, who said he had grown up in the area, said that upon seeing the masked bandits appear, he broke for cover despite suffering a recent stroke. “When I first heard the gunshots, I look around because I thought that it was something that was hollering. But then when I looked around I saw men in ski masks and then I decide I got to run now,” he said. Rock pleaded for the perpetrators to stand down, saying that many lives were at stake during the wild shooting in the community. “I would just like them to watch out for the innocent people because there are a lot of people that live in the community and there are a lot of innocent bystanders that were hurt. I would just like them to hold it down,” he told Barbados TODAY. A bystander who identified herself as ‘Susie Joseph’ who was grazed by a stray bullet, said that upon hearing the gunshots she ran and did not look back. “ I was outside. [I] heard the gun shots. [I] run and [didn’t] look back,” she said, adding that she did not believe she was targeted as she does not interfere with anyone in the community. Run and get out the place. I ain’t know I do anybody nothing. Targeting bear women that can’t do anything],” she said of her mostly female household. The woman who was visibly distraught said she would like to tell the masked shooters to be mindful of the area’s children. “I would like them to know they got children in the area and old people,” she said. After realizing a passing bullet had struck her right arm, she then sought medical attention at the Black Rock Polyclinic and was treated with a tetanus shot. She also told Barbados TODAY that she was thankful for life and prayed regularly, regardless of where she was. “I thankful for life. I like to pray. I could be on a bus I pray on the bus. Don’t care what I doing I does pray because there is someone over us,” she said. Another resident who did not want to be identified said that she ran and dropped her cellular phone when she heard the bullets flying through her home. “[I] drop the phone and run into the bathroom,” she said. Another resident who declined to disclose her name out of fear for her life bluntly said that she was so frightened she almost defecated. “I did frighten . . . . I did wanna [defecate]; it did sound like explosions,” she said. She told Barbados TODAY that she would like the perpetrators to know that residents do not want to be afraid when in their own community. “It is a community; you can’t make people frighten so in the community. It is the part you supposed to feel safe, not frightened.  I never hear so much shots yet, I did really want to [defecate],” she said. Edwin Rollock, a retired public safety officer in the United States, who recently returned to Barbados to enjoy his retirement said that had the shooting occurred in the US, the entire street would have been locked down and the bandits caught. “I just retired in New York as a public safety officer for 33 years and six months, so I am aware of what is going on.” Rollock’s criticism was levelled at the police response. “In New York no one can take over the street for five minutes without police response. When shots fire the helicopters are in the air,” he said. He suggested that in a police lockdown “those shooters would not be able to escape. They were shooting more than 20 minutes and I can’t really count the rounds but it was really out of whack”. It was Rollock’s 20-year-old sedan, that was in the line of fire. The vehicle was removed by police officers as evidence. “I have a 1998 Nissan Maxima that I just brought home from New York as a returning national. I feel violated at this point; I ain’t mad but who am I going to get mad at? So, what happened is I have third-party [insurance coverage] so I would have to fix my car my myself. I got four shots in the back windshield. I think they got two at the front. I got another shot in my right rear light and my front tyre was blown out,” he said.  (BT)

TEEN’S DEATH A BLOW – “To me, it don’t feel like he gone . . . . ” Those were the tearful words of Makita Broome-Chase on Monday as she agonised over the loss of her only son, 16-year-old Shamar Chase. He died on the spot Sunday night after the bicycle he was riding collided with a car near the corner of Rock Hall and Oldbury, St Philip. Surrounded by family and friends at her Packers, Christ Church home, Broome-Chase said: “His grandmother call me and say somebody tell she Shamar just get lick down. So I just bust out crying and call his father to come and take me up the road. “When we get up there, I ain’t even wait until the car stop. I just jump out the car and he was just there lying down cover over. That was my only son. To me it don’t feel like he gone . . . . I sitting down waiting for him, because I don’t feel that he gone yet,” she said, surrounded by relatives and friends trying to console her.  (DN)

ACCIDENT IN ST. JAMES – There was a three-car accident in St James earlier this morning. Police were called to the scene and traffic was at a standstill. Eyewitnesses said that while people were shaken, no one was seriously injured. (DN)

WALDRON’S MOUTH LANDS HIM IN TROUBLE – Nine months on remand at HMP Dodds was punishment enough for a 37-year-old man who insulted and assaulted a police officer last December. This was the ruling of Magistrate Douglas Frederick today when he sentenced Fabian Ishmael Waldron, of no fixed place of abode, to time served after the accused pleaded guilty to assaulting police constable Shawna Lynch in the execution of her duties on December 15, 2017 when he put his finger in her face. He had previously pleaded guilty to using insulting language to the officer when he first appeared in court back in December after she had ordered him to remove himself from the steps of the Parliament Building, which leads to the service area where he was resting. He had been on remand at the St Philip penal institution since then as he had no one to stand bail on his behalf. But having changed his plea today Magistrate Frederick stated the time spent on remand was sufficient. “Although, I don’t know where home will be for you but you need to behave yourself. You are free to go,” he told Waldron.  (BT)

PETTY CROOK PLACED ON SIX-MONTH BOND – He was caught stealing soap and chocolate from Massy Supermarket last week Wednesday. And even after spending a night in police custody 56-year-old Carlos Leo Clarke, of Crest Road, Ellerton, St George, was still unable to give Magistrate Douglas Frederick a “reasonable excuse” for his actions on September 19. Clarke admitted in the District ‘A’ Magistrate’s Court that he entered the supermarket’s Worthing branch and was seen by a security guard about 5:10 p.m. taking the items from the shelf and putting them in his pocket although he was equipped with a shopping basket. He then went to the cashier paid for the item in the basket and walked out of the establishment. He was stopped, searched and the items, which cost $26.77, were retrieved. “As a true country man . . . I am asking for a pardon this time,” Clarke said even as he admitted, “I didn’t consider it as nothing too much”. “I had money . . . I paid for the loaf of bread . . . . but all the money was not mine . . . . the guard wanted to go in my pocket and I tell him that he can’t go in my pocket just so because he needs to have a witness,” Clarke explained. However, the magistrate pointed out that from all indications it seemed that Clarke was in the habit of committing such acts. “You have no reasonable excuse . . . it is not to say that you were hungry or anything . . . ,” Frederick stated. Clarke replied: “I am sorry. It seems as though it was an error on my part.” For his crime Clarke must now keep the peace and be on his best behaviour for the next six months. If he breaches the bond imposed and is found guilty of any crime during that time, he will spend three months at HMP Dodds. (BT)

ACCUSED THIEF JAILED – A maintenance man appeared in court on a theft charge but lost his freedom for failing to attend hearings on another case in the District ‘A’ Magistrate’s Court. Shevon Jamario Pitt, of New Danesbury, Black Rock, St Michael is accused of stealing $3,000 belonging to Chae Williams on January 27. He pleaded not guilty to the charge but the prosecutor objected to his release on the grounds that he was already on bail and feared that he would abscond as he had failed to appear at court for a long period of time. In his defence, the 28-year-old told Magistrate Douglas Frederick he was afraid to return to court. However, that excuse was not sufficient for the magistrate who remanded him to prison until October 19. (BT)

CONDUCTOR REMANDED – A 40-year-old conductor charged with a number of indecent assault offences will spend the next 28 days in prison on remand. Terry Emmerson Dellimore, of Browne’s Gap, Sargeants, Christ Church, is alleged to have indecently assaulted an 11-year-old girl on November 11, 2017, and trespassing into her family’s home on the same day with intent to commit indecent assault. He was not required to enter a plea to those offences and will appear in the Oistins Magistrate’s Court on September 25 to answer those two charges. It is further alleged that he unlawfully assaulted a woman on September 18. He pleaded not guilty to that charge but was not required to plead to the indictable charge that he willfully did an indecent act  – masturbated in a Christ Church pharmacy – with intent to offend a woman on August 28. Sergeant Rudy Pilgrim objected to bail based on the nature and seriousness of the offences and the fact that the charges spread across different jurisdictions. The prosecutor also said that the accused was also presently on bail for a similar offence and feared that if granted bail he would re-offend. He further submitted that Dellimore was known to the court for committing home invasions especially burglaries. In taking a look at the accused’s conviction card Magistrate Douglas Frederick said: “your history is not a good one at all although a man should not be judged by his history”. However, in his application for bail Dellimore told the magistrate he was not a flight risk as he did not have a passport; he always attended court on his appointed dates and could report to a police station to allay the prosecutor’s fear. “I am innocent until proven guilty,” he added. Despite those submissions, the magistrate ruled in the prosecution’s favour and remanded Dellimore to HMP Dodds until October 22. (BT)

LAW RESIGNS AS WINDIES HEAD COACH – Stuart Law has resigned as head coach of the Windies men’s team to take on a new role in January 2019. Law, who took over as head coach in February 2017, leaves after guiding the Test team to series wins against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and the ODI team through the ICC World Cup Qualifiers and into the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Law also oversaw the first Windies Test Match win in England for 17 years with a five-wicket win at Headingley. Law will continue in his role for the upcoming away series against India and Bangladesh and will leave to join Middlesex CCC in the New Year. Law said: “I have had to make the difficult decision to leave my role of head coach with CWI. It has been very enjoyable, and I believe we have made tremendous strides forward as a Team during the past two years. I would like to thank the players, staff and the fans for their support over this period, I have appreciated it greatly. I will be taking a role with Middlesex CCC which will keep me close to my family, whilst continuing within the cricket family. I wish the players and staff of CWI every success in the future.” Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, said: “While I regret his leaving and the timing of it, I fully understand his reasons, and along with everyone at Cricket West Indies (CWI) want to thank him for his dedication and commitment whilst in the role and wish him the very best of luck at Middlesex.” Chief Executive, Johnny Grave commented: “I am disappointed that Stuart is leaving as I believe that we have made real progress under his leadership.  I know it was a difficult decision for him and that ultimately the opportunity to work in England, where his family is now based, was a major factor in his decision. We will start the process to appoint a new Head Coach immediately.”   (DN)

TIDY WIN FOR WINDIES WOMEN – Defending World Women’s T20 champions West Indies opened their Sandals International Home T20 series with a 17-run victory over a  youthful South Africa  team which featured four debutantes, at Kensington Oval on Monday. Opener Natasha McLean led the way for the Windies with a topscore of 38 from 41 balls while all rounder Deandra Dottin supported with a quick-fire knock of 22. Captain Stafanie Taylor with three wickets for 16 runs spearheaded her side restricting the female Proteas to 107 for seven in reply to Windies’ 124 for six.  Leg-spinner Afy Fletcher chipped in with two for 17 and wicketkeeper Merissa Aguilleira enjoyed a satisfactory performance behind the stumps bringing off two stumpings and holding onto a catch to give Fletcher her first wicket. McLean, who served as a substitute throughout the three-match ODI series that preceded yesterday’s match, made full use of her inclusion in the starting XI to belt four boundaries in a breezy innings before she was bowled by Sarah Smith in the 12th over. Smith, one of the debutantes, had earlier gotten rid of Taylor to collect her maiden T20 wicket and finished with the best bowling figures of two for 17 from three overs. (DN)

POLICE LIFT SHIELD – A well-constructed half-century by Roger Williams and disciplined bowling in the closing overs helped Police beat IDL Walkers Sand Quarry Isolation Cavaliers by 35 runs and capture the Barbados Cricket Association’s Shield 40-Over cricket title in a keenly contested final at Bayfield yesterday. Set 247 for victory in 40 overs after Police posted a challenging 246 for seven from 40, Cavaliers seemed on course to take their third title when they required 90 off 82 balls with six wickets in hand. An amazing collapse, spurred by a mature bowling effort, proved their undoing as Cavaliers lost their last six wickets for 33 runs and limped to 211 all out from 37.3 overs. Left-arm medium pacer Larry Babb took only one wicket, but his accuracy in conceding just 33 from his eight overs kept Cavaliers under immense pressure and wickets tumbled at the other end. (DN)

WARRENS, DEACONS STILL UNBEATEN – League queens Pan American International Insurance Warrens and former kings Omega XL Deacons maintained their unbeaten status after the preliminaries in the Goddard Enterprises Limited senior volleyball knockouts continued on Sunday night at the Wildey Gym. While Deacons’ scored their victory over former champions Progressive 25-10, 25-19, 28-26, Warrens handed Deacons’ women their first loss 25-12, 25-22, 25-20. Deacons’ young squad led by Akeel Oxley and Ahkeem Mayers proved too potent for Progressive with Reco Brathwaite being the most consistent counter for Progressive. On the other hand, veterans Talya Layne, Anthazia Mason, Rhe-Ann Niles and Anicia Wood gave Warrens their advantage with only Shonte Seale attacking with any venom for Deacons.  (DN)

COAST GUARD TO CONDUCT LIVE FIRING EXERCISE NEXT MONTH – Seafarers are advised that the Barbados Coast Guard will be conducting a live firing exercise at sea on Saturday, October 20. The area designated for the exercise will be five to eight nautical miles west of the Arawak Cement Plant, and it will be conducted between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. All firing will be done at surface level, and no rounds will be projected into the air. A radar watch of the area will be maintained to ensure that no intrusion occurs. HMBS Leonard C. Banfield and HMBS Rudyard Lewis will participate in this exercise. The Barbados Defence Force apologises for any inconvenience this exercise may cause, and thanks members of the public, especially seafarers, for their cooperation. (BGIS)

DIABETIC GROUP TO MEET TODAY - The monthly meeting of the Diabetic Group at the Maurice Byer Polyclinic, Station Hill, St Peter, takes place today, Tuesday, September 25, in the polyclinic’s conference room. The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. and is open to those with diabetes, as well as all other interested people. (BGIS)

ST LEONARD’S TO REMAIN CLOSED TODAY – The Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training has advised that the St Leonard's Boys' School, at Richmond Gap, St Michael, will remain closed today, Tuesday, September 25, as a result of environmental problems. It will reopen on Wednesday, September 26.  The Ministry thanks parents and guardians for their understanding, and regrets any inconvenience caused. (BGIS)

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