Can Bajans Become Bounty Hunters?

Without making light of the efforts of the local police, people are asking how is it that reward money can be put up so quickly, and it seems effectively, to help solve an attack on a Canadian tourist. Some have pointed a finger that shelling out money to those who provide 'useful information' leading to an arrest did not seem to be forthcoming in the case of former Chief Immigration Officer Kenrick Hutson, who was shot dead while sitting on his patio on the night of December 28, 2007 (see David "Joey" Harper's comments in the Advocate on March 28, 2009). Mr. Harper wrote "I am concerned that this man – whose only crime was to sit in the comfort of his patio – that his life was not worth a twenty thousand dollar reward for the apprehension of his killer." My recollection, however, is that a reward was in fact offered by the Hutson family and police (B$ 5000) soon after the crime, but it seems that this did not tempt anyone with knowledge of the crime to share that for a bounty (see report). Is part of the explanation that economic times are harder now or the larger inducement (B$ 20,000) sufficient to get someone to come forward?

Judging by early reactions to the recent introduction of Crime Stoppers to Barbados, local people are very concerned that their anonymity will be compromised if they come forward to give tips about crimes.

However, bounty hunting is not working universally. Barbadians are now on the trail of other villains, but at a real snail's pace. Giant African snails have a price on their heads, albeit a mere 50 cents a pound. Last week, the Ministry of Agriculture began a one-off bounty programme in an effort to collect and burn the varmints. But, so far, according to Minsiter Haynesley Been, the take up has been limited and the bounty will be extended. In fact at an exercise mounted at the weekend, only Ministry of Agriculture officials crawled out of their shells to participate in a 'community snail hunt and burning'. The Minister is calling for better coordination. While it may be that few are interested in overcoming their fears and squeamishness about the snails and getting down to some sliming, one has to wonder if the price is right. People may grumble about the destruction caused by the chomping snails, but until real food is seen to be eaten by the snails, I suspect most people will remain typically 'all talk and little action'. Where have I heard that before?

But perhaps the crucial incentive is just around the comment. Already, I see a comment that "It is not good for the tourism industry because some snails are already on some hotel compounds". Please don't let it be that the snails are only a threat when tourists are at risk. But shouldn't the hotels be figuring out how to get them from the lawns onto the visitors' plates. "Escargots, monsieur?"

Meanwhile, locals keep doing what they were encouraged to and go snail baiting. But, bait is not the best way, because when they die this way adult snails can each eject up to 1200 eggs (see Advocate report). The empty shells left behind by poisoning could also then pose another problem as they collected rain water and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Will we ever win the fight against slime?

Economists Do Speak Out In Barbados...But They Are Often Foreigners

No sooner had I written the preceding post, than I received an update from Google about a presentation given in Barbados last week by noted Harvard economist Dani Rodrik (see his blog). I had heard about his presentation from an acquaintance last week, the day after it was given under the auspices of the American Embassy and UWI's SALISES (Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies).

I wont precis the presentation except to say that it covers financial globalisation and economic development.

Happy reading.

Afraid To Speak Your Mind?

I went to university to read law, and stayed at law school a whole day. I turned to economics instead. The first job I was offered after graduation was to work for a major UK bank (Lloyds) either in international banking or domestic branch banking. At that moment, when I visualised myself as a black branch manager, several years down the road, in some leafy suburb like Chalfont St. Giles, deciding on the financial fate of my largely white clients, I somehow did not see something congruous. I declined the offers politely and decided to think more, while doing some post-graduate work.

I have since seen lawyers and bankers as amongst the most reviled professions in the minds of many people; economists often rank up there amongst the largely irrelevant and confusing, or harbingers of gloom and doom and therefore not to be counted as friends.

Nevertheless, most economists, who are often mainly academics, often have a lot of self respect, have a lot to say, and take each other to task with glee. They do this in a manner that most of the world cannot fathom, dressing arguments in equations and language that defies understanding unless one has university level mathematics and a command of language that is close to that of a great scholar. As part of the genus, economist, those comments are not to inflate myself into something wonderful, though I may be for other reasons.

When economists savage each other it is a feast of data and proofs and rebuttals and counterarguments; not that different from attorneys battering each other in court. Most people, however, never get to see or hear such arguments. In recent times, many prominent economists have come to public notice because of their exaggerated and strident claims or their close association with a political party and its leanings. Ranking up their on my rancour scale are the Americans Jeffrey Sachs and Joe Stiglitz. Many of my former economist colleagues are now talking heads and I see them as officials at the Bank of England or IMF, or as top 'strategists' for major international banks and they are often revelling in differences of views.

Personal feelings aside, what is good about these disagreements is that they have moved from the pages of arcane and obscure economic journals. They now feature prominently in the media: printed pages and now online publications and TV and radio are riddled with economists' railings and unravelling of each other's arguments. Among the more prominent in this field are Nobel Laureate, Paul Krugman, who is having a vigorous public debate as a liberal arguing with the policies of his own liberal-leaning president. It's great reading his columns and blogs in the New York Times.

The public visceral dislike for bankers has been apparent over the past year, as real economic problems mixed with financial market problems have put dodgy banking practices full-square in people's eyesight. Bankers were not left to hold all the hot coals as other financial companies' activities also raised questions about the quality of risk-taking and risk assessment. The recent hate spree against AIG is really a natural culmination of those feelings. The planned demonstrations in London for the coming meetings of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors is also a natural extension of such feelings, though there is a lot of bare piggybacking going on as anarchists etc look for a good fight.

That said, several things strike me about discussions in Barbados on major financial issues. The first is that the general free and relatively vigorous debates that I have seen and heard in the US and UK media, particularly, have barely any parallels here, where I would almost have to conclude that most of the experts are mute. They have certainly made themselves moot. I have mentioned before this surprising lack of visible input on such issues by well-known local academic economists, and heard explanations that touch on fear of reprisals, small country, etc. I'd like to buy it but I wont. I have filled some of that space myself because I feel that I can stand up for my opinions and am not especially fearful of reprisals, which if they ever became personal would have to be dealt with in that context. As some UK bankers were warning this morning, many are/were good athletes and pugilist or at least are not fearful of getting into a dust up. Given that I played sport against a lot of bankers while I worked in The City, I can attest to the ability of many bankers to handle themselves well in a fight, on or off the pitch.

The second is that discussions quickly descend into personal attacks. That is something to which I am not accustomed, but I am growing aware of it. It's somewhat like fights between children, where there is a lot of baiting and name calling and the real basis for the argument is quickly forgotten.

So, it's interesting to read today some commentary by Mr. Harry Russell, a retired banker, writes a weekly column ("Wild Coot") in the Nation. Today he looked at "Banking on money' (see Nation report) and politely and clearly takes on his old industry. I've read it several times and find it odd that a former banker has to take issue with the way that local banks seem to have "neglected very profitable ways of boosting their income for reasons that are debatable". He cites practices that are not common enough here that I too have noticed by their absence and wondered why: widespread use of credit cards, online banking, debit transactions. Some of this absences fits in with the national tendency for risk aversion, but most people to whom I have spoken are just confused but also unwilling to press for some of these products. People seem to love lining up in banks, even with ATMs that are never crowded: I've heard fears expressed such as "How I gine know de money reach my account? I don' trus' no machine." People seem to love to pay in cash or check, rather than use their card to have the transactions debited. I heard a discussion the other day how (some) banks wont accept checks over a certain amount from private customers (the limit mentioned was B$1000), whereas they take them from businesses. As the moderator noted, what made a check for B$ 995 intrinsically different from one for B$ 1000? Businesses have financial problems too. Some practices are just arcane and bizarre.

Mr. Russell mentioned also the idea of reverse mortgages, which was a subject of some comments on the radio last week, and really could be an attractive product for pensioner-homeowners. The issue of repayment after the death of the mortgagor is simple to overcome as the loan can specify the repayment out of the estate/sale of the property or by whoever takes over the assets (house). Clearly, banks may want to avoid the risk of somehow getting stuck as holders of real estate.

I know that the lack of local commentary is not for want of expertise. I also know that there is a vociferous body of commentators, of mixed expertise, but loquacious nevertheless. I think of the adage 'never mind the quality, feel the width'.

I know that there is a strand of thinking here that puts all critical commentary into the bag of subversion: eg., school teachers make rules (say banning drums at national school sports), those who criticise the rules publicly are labelled as inciting children to disobey or subverting the rule of law, without any discussion of whether the rule really makes sense as if rules once made take on the status of sensible decision (what if the teachers prescribed a dose of cyanide?), or will address the core problem (noise abatement, encouragement of fervant behavour, etc.?), or needs to be applied across a wider plane of social situations (eg., cricket matches, where they are flouted as part of national culture). The harsh part of me sees this as real dumbing down in the sense of creating unthinking, uncritical people, who cannot deal with different situations and therefore are fearful of change so want to ban it all.

A Bajan pediatrician discussed this with me over the weekend and lamented how she had seen the tendencies early whereby children were no encouraged to argue and discussed, then 5-10 years later you have children unable to reason critically and thus struggling with basic education. We did not get to discuss if this had changed over 20 or 50 years, but she had noticed it during her career of a decade or so. She called it the development of 'rum shop logic': noise and huff and puff replace substance; senseless remarks go unchallenged, etc. I have to share her lament. I will try to do my part to put forward critical ideas, knowing that if you do not ask questions and get good answers you will be doomed to suffering the decision of fools, no matter how well dressed they are in a little brief authority.

EARTH HOUR 2009

EARTH HOUR began at 8.30pm. I turned off most of the lights in the house I rent. I continued to have a little light--the glow from the screen of my laptop as I worked from battery power. My phone was being recharged through the USB connection, not the wall socket. I watched live NCAA basketball on my laptop--Pitt-Villanova. It's not easy working in the dark.

Ironic that Barbados had a power outage last night that began at 8.45pm and went on for about 2 hours. Early or solidarity?

Being A Twit Is Not So Stupid

When my wife asked me if I wanted to join her twittering, I was taken aback as it was mid-morning, I was in my pyjamas, while she was in her office. As a proposition, I had to think whether this was the cue that her car was going to rustle up the driveway in a few minutes for something spontaneous. My ardour was quickly dampened when I saw the link to http://www.blogger.com/www.twitter.com.

I have to admit that I could not really see the need for another piece of social networking software. Facebook is great for staying in touch with most people I want to, and my love of photography now has a happy outcome as I can share gladly the images I take. Why did I need something that could "Send status notices through your cell phone, instant messenger, or via the Web, and notify friends and followers of the little things you're up to during the day"? But, as one who encourages people to "give it a try then tell me that you don't like it", I couldn't just turn away.

I played with Twitter for a few days. One of its 'selling points' is that you make your updates in 140 characters (including punctuation). Now, there are some people with limited attention spans or who feel that if something takes more than five words to say that somehow it's worthless. I worked in a central bank where documents sent to the Governor had to contain the essential arguments on one page. I then went to work for an international organization, whose management and review styles were such that no matter how short my original draft was, it always ended up considerably longer. "You've not said enough" I heard. "No one reads past the first page" I retorted. So, blossomed a happy marriage of minds not as one on the matter of writing styles. When I taught, the brief explanations were always met with "Can you elaborate or expand on that, please?" I never had the urge to say "It was all in the first sentence. Review your notes!" I know that both the brief and the lengthy statements have their place. Those who scorn the monosyllable, I tell you, the monster you fear is now your friend.

The word limit, though, takes time to deal with. Can one entry do it? Should the update be split over several entries? I guess each Twit has his/her preference. I started to use Twitter to make updates about financial market developments relevant to my trading--really notes to myself. I quickly found that it was a nice 'notepad' for what I was going on in the financial markets too, and as such a potentially useful thing to remind me of how I got to where I am. But you have to be cute, and use symbols and short words to live within the '140'; there is a counter to keep you to the limit, and the software wont post updates that are too long. I have not ventured much beyond the 'professional' updates, but am putting my toes into that water a little. Being a twit at work is alright, but not when I am at play.

But which twits are also using Twitter? The idea that the updates can be followed or that you can follow others is helpful, if you are not in too big a group. I found myself quickly in rarefied company. I began following a currency strategist who works with my trading company. Nice to know that he goes public with his trading ideas on Twitter, I thought. I then found David Gregory, the host of Meet the Press, who seems to be harnessing all the social networking stuff, with a Facebook page, a blog, web chat sessions, the whole wazoo. Then, there was the instigator herself, my wife. Well, she had never done anything twittish. Her picture was there, but it had no updates: her life was at a standstill. I told her that it was time to get a move on. Get 'a move' on not 'her move' on. You see, the choice of words has to be carefully done, and e-mail and short code practices can lead to confusion and misunderstanding.

But, I quickly found that like the Pied Piper of Hamlin, I had a following of all sorts and some are rats. Some are clearly undesirables as far as I am concerned: those real twits into dodgy stuff, who are just looking for another way into enticing someone to 'be a friend and check out my sexy body'. Get a life, nuh! Then there are twits who want to tell you about every little software dink. Nah. It's all geek to me. Then there are bozo twits who seem to have to list everything: the fact that the parrot's cage needs cleaning; odd items they are trying to sell (nail clippings from Bono's hotel room?). Mrs Murgatroyd across the street just opened her curtains. Nah. So, I have blocked as many followers as I have accepted. My elder daughter was ready to reject an automated suggestion that she follow my twitterings: I know the twit already, she thought.

I do not feel the need to be a mobile twit, and have not put this thing on my phone: I keep my twit-like behaviour strictly at home. Facebook mobile is very useful. How else can I banter along with comments on my walls and photos and links and notes and now 'what's on your mind'? But, I don't need to be seen as a twit in public. So, I guess that I am a half twit. Not a half wit. Though a half twit could be just 'It'. Hmm. Better than 'That one'? Time for an early morning update, I feel.

In case you had not noticed, my twitterings are linked to my blog. What more can I say.

Asking For Quality In Journalism

The following letter, which I wrote, was published in today's Nation (see http://www.nationnews.com/story/Letter-Dennis-Jones-copy-for-web). It was prompted by the commentary offered on March 17 by Robert Best in his "Best On Tuesday" column in the context of the recent attack on Canadian tourists at Long Beach (see http://www.nationnews.com/Robert-Best-Tues-3-17-9-copy-for-web).

***************************************
No excuse for errors

Published in the Nation on: 3/27/2009.

WHETHER AN ARTICLE is written by a former editor or not, it should not pass with blatant inaccuracies.

Robert Best's piece on The Bajan Experience states: "In Jamaica, for example, the crime rate is high, but it is only when visitors are the victims that greater concern than usual is expressed."

This is just bunkum, as a simple, cursory read of both major Jamaican papers online would show, as would a few minutes watching the evening news or listening to radio broadcasts from Jamaica.

In any event, if it were meant as a criticism, one could just substitute "Barbados" for Jamaica, with a flurry of activity to deal with problems at Long Beach after a savage attack on a Canadian visitor, when the crime problems there have been known for decades (not my observation, but that of people who have lived here for many years).

It does not further a cause to misrepresent its counterpart.


- DENNIS JONES,

Economist

Living The High Life

I do not mean to target the Minister of Tourism, who struck me as a perfectly decent fellow on the few occasions when we have met. However, he keeps launching into areas from which few men escape unscathed. His latest plunge is to suggest that 'urbanisation' and 'high-rise housing' are the way for Barbados to go. I think his rationale sits on the notion that the smallness of Barbados, with its 166 square miles (not yet expanded by offshore islands), does not give its population a lot of space on which to develop adequate housing. I personally do not believe this, but a major problem lies in the way that land use has been developed, and the thorny issue of whether some marginal agricultural land could be given over to housing.

The debate about the meaning of 'adequate' could be interesting, and it should go on. It is unfortunate that, given that obvious space limitation, one of the developments pushed as a product of the island to attract tourism and foreign investment was 'luxury' housing of the kind seen near the west coast. The mansions sit so awkwardly, cocking a snook at the ordinary Bajan housing.

A much harder debate will be about whether a country like Barbados can really adjust to having most of its population living in high-rise buildings. That is a far-off possibility, I think, but it may get a head of steam.

Now, for this country, I imagine and believe that high-rise housing will not be the type of towers one sees in Manhattan or London or Miami, where one may get vertigo just looking up at them. The indications are that two-to-four storey dwellings are envisaged, such as Country Park Towers, being developed by the National Housing Corporation. Yet, even that may be a challenge.

I hope that the Minister and the government of which he is a part study seriously the many examples of disastrous high-rise projects in developed countries, whether in the US, UK, France, etc. But also, where these have been tried in places like Brazil or Venezuela. Many studies have tried to discern why high-density housing complexes tend toward a new 'ghetto' and a breeding ground for crime. Part of the answer lies in how people are selected for such projects. Poor people cannot become rich just by changing their housing; their 'life chances' have to improve. That means schools, social amenities, leisure space, employment opportunities, etc. Where those remain bad, even with new and 'better' housing the cycle of poverty does not get broken.

Where well-educated people, with stable jobs, and higher incomes choose to live in high-rise developments, they often become models for high quality living: look at the areas around New York's Central Park.

But the poor in high-density housing can easily provide the 'playground' for the drug barons and the crime organizers, who profit from the poverty but also the facelessness, and warren-like nature of some projects.

I was shocked when I visited little Tortola (22 square miles, 24,000 people), just over a year ago, and was taken to a housing complex by a friend. Many foreigners live on the island for its better jobs. Many of them live in such developments. Many tell-tale signs of urban decay were there: abandoned cars and household appliances; boarded up apartments. It was like a mini-ghetto in the US. Scary. The only difference was that the housing sat in the shadow of the mountains, and there were palm-treed roads just five minutes away.

No one likes rotten housing. It is at the root of many social ills, though it can be as much cause as effect. The downward spiral associated with poor housing and poor educational attainment, poor health, high crime, etc. is well-known worldwide.

People who admire what Lee-Kwon Yew did for Singapore point out that housing shortages, and a dearth of land and natural resources could have crippled the island-city-state. But one of his major drives was a public housing programme, along with measures to tackle high unemployment. He also had two other pillars: good education and health provision. With housing, education, and health care assured, President Lee said to the population "Now work to make this country great" (to paraphrase).

Tourists are often content to live in high-rise hotels for a few days but quickly tire of the confinements that style of accommodation affords. They can usually get included or pay for whatever diversion is needed to make things seem better. The same is not true for people who have to live in high-rises all the time.

Will Barbados' proposed housing developments be part of an economic and social package that is geared to give people a better standard of living?

A house with a garden, even small and humble-looking, is a world apart from an apartment with a balcony. I hope people realise that and don't think that they are equal substitutes.

What Does It Mean To Be Green?

Kermit the frog said it best: "It's not easy being green." So much information bombards us about ways to be kind to the environment. Then, so much information whips us telling how our previous efforts actually hurt the environment. It's very confusing.

I make my own little efforts, not relying on some mega-initiatives such as the Kyoto Treaty. If everyone does their part we should get somewhere better, right.

I stopped growing my hair a few years ago. In part, this was because the process of washing it was just too much, as I played a lot of sports. I also saw the way that my wife's hair clogged the shower drain. Every few weeks I would be down on my knees pulling out the clumps of hair from her head washing. I did not demand pay for this, nor mention it, just wondering if she knew how many locks she lost as she lathered. She threatened to leave me if I shaved my head, so I went ahead and did it. I remember seeing several years ago a program about how we wash our hair too much and drain natural oils from our scalps, which we then replace with creams etc. Now, I get away with using less shampoo and I think that my body is better off. Shaving means using some resources, but my razor uses only my energy, not that produced by the electricity company. So, I think I am easing global warming a little.

I did not watch TV much, and now I do it less. I discovered through my work that most of what I wanted to watch was actually available via my computer; that's increasingly so at an amazing rate. So, I interconnect through e-mail and other ways of sending messages electronically. I listen to radio stations online. I watch TV channels online. Being a guy, it cannot all be dull like the Shopping Channel, but enriching like CNN and Bloomberg TV. But, most enriching was the discovery that I could watch all the sports I loved, online, and for FREE. Rise up! When I discovered www.sportytube.net a few weeks ago it was because our way of doing things in the Caribbean are sort of senseless. I could not get to watch live on TV the cricket match that I could hear from my house; I could have watched it on TV if I flew to Trinidad or St. Lucia. But, a friend in England sent me a message as she was watching it live that I could too, from my laptop. What a way to wile away my Sunday afternoon. So, I have watched Gayle and his boys try to shame us again, while my fellows in Bim press their ears to what used to be called a transistor. Isn't progress cool.

Then I found that English Premier League games are shown, often several at a time...United, no, Chelsea, no, Liverpool... Now, that is multitasking. I could even watch ATP tennis. As I heard my wife criticising the ESPN commentators and screaming "Yes! What a shot, Rafa!" as she lolled in front of the electricity gobbler, I could hear the same commentary from my little energy saver as I gazed at the frangipani and sucked in sweet fresh air.

A friend lent me her 'reading device' the other day (a Kindle). It can hold the text from 1500 books in electronic form, in something about the size of a paper back. My wife loves to read and is supposedly trying to be green (her e-mail messages have a coda "Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail"). But, she has a veritable forest growing on her side of the bedroom. I guess by saving some trees from not printing e-mails means that you can net that off against the trees cut down for the books. Hmmm. My wife says she's a minimalist, so when the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said "Less is more" and went on to create the Bauhaus movement in Germany, he had people like her in mind. But, like all real things, it cannot be by design-only; it has to be minimalism-in-totality. I may have to strike a blow for the Brazilian rain forests and the pine forests of Scandinavia and take a hatchet to the book pile.

The way I see it, E. F. Schumacher had it right, "Small is beautiful", though he was focusing on how to link people, land, and community by building local economies. My little Suzuki Swift takes nearly a month to use up all the gasoline I can put into its tank. Now, while I used to love driving around aimlessly in the English or French countryside when on holiday, I loathe driving around aimlessly doing errands. So, I have happily fallen in with some mothers and their kids' programs so that we can car pool. It's really good all round, as they stop trying to be in lecture halls, at the hair dresser, in the food store, at the doctor's, in the gym, all at one time. Now, it's alright to forget to pick up the children every day, because it may need to be done only twice a week. Some Canadians visited last week and I took them back to the airport yesterday. The little five year-old girl paid my car the ultimate compliment: "It's so littly big inside. I thought I would be scrunched up, but I have lots of room." Maybe Suzuki can use that in an ad.

As I toured around Bim with with this child and her father the other day, trying to find companies that manufacture plastics, which he also makes and sells, and for which he develops colours, I saw how all of the little efforts get overtaken. We planned our journey to make his calls so that we did a rough circle. We used fresh air rather than run the AC--the poor people found the island so hot. We had bottles filled with tap water, not bought bottled water. We had carrot sticks for snacks not bags of chips.

As we waited in the car, I looked around the industrial complex at Lower Estates, with its huge chimney pumping out goodness knows what. I saw nasty-looking coloured liquids standing on the ground. Were they toxic? I saw all the building debris piling up on the roadside as new buildings were being constructed. Where will all of that debris go?

We drove to Roebuck Street, near the city centre, and parked outside the offices of another plastics company. I sat with my little guest, with the windows open, to let in the air. She actually, was getting used to the heat and asked that we not use the AC. I watched as people ate their purchases and threw the plastic wrappings on the ground. I saw the many cars with a single passenger, passing each other, and vastly outnumbering the one bus that passed by, with its eight passengers inside. I saw other cars parked, with their engines running to keep the AC working.

It's a complex web of efforts and I guess people will go with the flow. Often, people seem to have given little thought to what energy they might be using and what it takes to produce: let me keep the fridge open and look around for that pot of yogurt...five minutes later, the fridge door is closed. A lot of energy to cool it again. Let me turn on many lights even though I am in just one room: makes the house seem lived in, might tell intruders that there are lots of people around?

Often, people have no idea about the toxic stuff that they introduce into their lives and the lives of others. A painter was at my house last week, and I smelt something sweet and a little intoxicating. I went downstairs and checked his tin; it's main component was xylene, a derivative of benzene, which is used as a solvent in printing, rubber and leather industries. Xylene is a clear, colorless, sweet-smelling liquid that is very flammable. Like other solvents, xylene is also used as an inhalant drug for its intoxicating properties. Benzene is in a group of known carcinogens (causes cancer). Ironically, it is an organic chemical compound. My plastics man and I both stood with our eyes wide open. The painter put a rag across his face. Some help. I told him angrily to stop using the stuff, while he protested that he had been told to use it. "Then, go use some cyanide, too!" I said. I made him put on a big fan that blew the fumes out of the house. He went off in a sulk.

As Kermit said, "It's not easy being green."

Tongue Twisiting

Many of us get tongue tied when we do public speaking. The call-in programmes sometimes serve up some gems. I am usually busy doing other things so don't note them except in my head. Today, I jotted down a few. Anyone who wants to check can contact Starcom and ask for a copy of the recording of today's Brass Tacks.

One caller served up the following when talking about the lamentable state of Bajan cricket:

"...things are bad when the team loses three matches in concession..." [in succession?]. The caller said it three times.

"...I was strucken..." [struck? stricken?]

"...It's the pinnacle around which [the team] is built..." [a pinnacle is a high point, so the metaphor is odd; "pillar of which"?]
*********************

During the weekend, a very learned friend served up some from his memory, the best of which was: "My son has not had a spontaneous [substantial] amount of education."

Does Anyone Have A Clue Where Barbados' Tourism Is Heading? REDUX

In fairness to the Minister of Tourism, he had announced on coming to office in January 2008, that Barbados would have a master plan for tourism, for the first time. I read last month that B$10 million would go from the consolidated fund to the tourism sector (see Nation report).

Now, I honestly think that 12 months is far too long a time for the plan to not have come to light.The Minster gave an update in last week's debate on the 2009 Estimates, indicating that he had set up the unit that will produce the plan (see Advocate report).

A few days before that, we heard about the reorganization of the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA). But, it seems hard to understand what that reorganization means when the master plan is still on the drawing board; this is like the horse before the cart.

We are also waiting for progress on the mandate given last July to the regions' ministers of tourism by the Caricom heads of government to come up with a regional marketing campaign for tourism.

Caribbean time is known to be slow and even elastic. Is that what we are having to deal with? I used to enjoy watching jello set as a boy. I could be back to doing that while the plan comes forth.

Who Is Keeping Score?

My father is officially 80 years old today, March 24. Many people could, however, celebrate his birthday on April 13. In Jamaica, being precise about dates of birth did not used to be that important. His grandmother mixed up the birth registration for her two daughters' infants and for most of my life I thought that my father's birthday was in April. He never told me the right day until he was much older, retired, and past caring whether he was born in March or April.

He has had more than his three score years and ten, and now he has gone for four score. Amazing!

When he had a stroke in late 2006, I was sure that he would be at death's door if things worked the way they usually do in rural Jamaica. Like in many poorer countries, we have limited medical facilities to treat even routine ailments, and people die for loss of time more than lack of treatment. Luck and some contacts mustered up an ambulance and he got to the main hospital in Kingston--a two hours drive--where a cousin is a neurosurgeon, and he was at least saved some of the worst ravages of the stroke trauma.

Having lost most of his freedom of movement, he seems to compensate with freedom of thought. Many contentious issues he has seen and experienced over the past 60 years now get a full diatribe.

He has taken on the "lying and thieving politicians": his bitterness was highest when he talked about the myth of free education, that meant that women like his mother never went far in school because her parents were not connected.

He never had time for gangsters and criminals and now even less, given the way that they have taken over so many parts of downtown Kingston that he knew and loved through the 1950s and 1960s. They have turned them into 'political garrisons' and crime 'war zones'.

He loves to remember the Kingston of those years: walking around Parade, going to the theatre, and going dancing. He loved his work, at the mental hospital, proud that a 'small boy with a good brain' could do good work to help other people.

When he returned to Jamaica, after some 30 years in England, he quickly returned to the land, even though he had not had to farm for four decades. He planted oranges, which grow superbly in the hills of Mandeville. He planted cassava, yams, corn, sweet potatoes, gungo peas, and callalloo; he reaped enough to feed him and my mother, and have enough to share. In return, as life had it, he got avocados, mangoes from those who could grow them, ackees (Jamaican!), sugar cane, coconuts. Whatever, someone had to share; or nothing in return but good neighbourliness. He built a fowl coop, and bought himself some chicks; he became a chicken farmer.

A hurricane destroyed most of the country's chicken industry, but his fowl coop stood strong. He was not in the business of making business, so changed nothing: he sold to those who had always been his customers, and barely raised prices except to cover the higher cost of feed.

He got into the local Anglican church. He started taking exercise regularly, joining an aerobics and yoga class: he was the only man in a sea of middle-aged women. Bliss! He walked regularly to town to the gym, becoming as well-known crossing the golf course as any of the people actually playing a few holes.

I remember how he started to be the barber in his street, where several other returning families had moved. He encouraged some of the 'wayward youths' to get a haircut and look decent, telling them that they could then walk up to someone and ask for work. He had a string of young men, coming for a trim. His shears clipped and the young men were sent off neater, free of charge. Some of those who had the early trims are still in my father's life, as a gardener for him and neighbours, as a driver, or as a frequent visitor, when time from steady work allows.

Fast forward. His life was never one of great travel, after the great journey from Jamaica to England in 1961. For that reason, I treasure the efforts he (and my mother) made to visit me and my family several times in the USA. I really stand amazed that he visited me in west Africa, not once but twice, a few years ago; even learning a few phrases in French and some local languages during his stays. He loved having to drive through barricades of burning tyres and rocks being hurled at our vehicle after we came from a long road trip to find that the capital of Guinea was under siege by its youths. By contrast, his trip to Barbados in 2008 would seem like a breeze, but of course it is not when you can hardly walk.

These are mere snippets, and things that pass through my memory easily. After a long life such as his, I would be joking to try to capture it in a few sentences.

But, the day should not pass by unnoticed by me and my off springs, who are also his off springs. I hope that all the fruit fall close to the tree.

I have to give God thanks for carrying him this far.

Ricidivism

People have a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior. That is the definition of recidivism. Most people mistakenly think that the definition only applies to a relapse into criminal or deviant social behaviour (such as drug abuse and alcoholism).

Over dinner with friends during the weekend, one very learned friend told a story of how an accused who was being cross examined and asked about his previous convictions, yelled out "You don' remember, Your Worship? You represented me 14 years ago, when I chop up my father!"

But the relapses cover all sorts of behaviour. The most noted case doing the rounds is that of Rihanna and Chris Brown, dancing under the umbrella of domestic abuse. The story goes that he hit her savagely (provoked or not, we will not discuss). She fled from him for a short while, but was soon back in his 'clutches'. Many express concern that he will repeat his acts; they cite the many cases of beaten women who seem to return to get more beatings. But, we have the 'star' drug and alcohol abusers or participants in dodgy stuff who seem damned to do their thing even when money and fame are theirs for the asking: Whitney Houston, James Brown, Michael Vick, Alex Rodriguez, Michael Jackson, O. J. Simpson .... Repeated crimes. Repeated behaviour. "Psychopaths", we call them.

You have it too with lovers or couples and people who have 'emotional bonds' (as distinct to blood ties). They each go their separate ways after things don't work out, but they keep 'running into' each other, by 'accident' or design. Ironically, a reverse, man-beaten-by-woman story appears in today's Jamaica Gleaner (see report and picture), which reports how one woman kept on going back to her man and giving him more licks!

Before people run to tear up their stock of illicit correspondence or wipe their hard disks and phone records, you need to realise that the same behaviour exists with people who are bonded by work and play. Band members are a common group (no pun intended) and the revival is famous. You see it too with staff members returning to an old employer. Both of these instances seem to not last long and end up where they were, that is broken. You see it too with sports teams, but here it is really interesting to see the many players who return to 'where it all started' after being journeymen and play out their careers in the 'cradle'.

Psychologists may look at the repeated behaviour as a kind of 'security blanket' people need. But, it's incredible to think that people are really afraid of abandoning things that seem so clearly bad for them. Hard then for kettles to call pots black.

For criminals, recidivism rates in the UK and US are somewhere around 50-60 percent; for certain crimes the rates are higher. Some US Department of Justice data indicate that thieves have a particular problem:

• Released prisoners with the highest rearrest rates were robbers (70%), burglars (74%), larcenists (75%), motor vehicle thieves (79%), those in prison for possessing or selling stolen property (77%), and those in prison for possessing, using, or selling illegal weapons (70%).
  

For other types of criminals, the rates are much smaller:

• Within 3 years, 2.5% of released rapists were arrested for another rape, and 1.2% of those who had served time for homicide were arrested for homicide. These are the lowest rates of re-arrest for the same category of crime.

A study showed that 272,111 offenders discharged in 1994 had accumulated 4.1 million arrest charges before their most recent imprisonment and another 744,000 charges within 3 years of release.

Sociologists suggest that the increasing computerization and accessibility of criminal records is having a negative impact on recidivism rates as technology advances. Prior to the computer revolution, persons with criminal records were often able to relocate and start their lives over with clean slates in new communities. Former criminals rose to become some of America's greatest leaders in law, industry, and politics by obscuring their records. This possibility seems to be narrowing as criminal records become electronically stored and accessible.

I have not found data on social relationship recidivism. Maybe, I should do an anecdotal study amongst my friends and acquaintance. I'm sure I could get a grant from some agency to fund it.

Ironically, the computer age may limit certain forms of social 'recidivism' as people's computer usage and electronic records get used to confront them with their relapses. Facebook has been used to nab some sexual offenders. People's e-mail and telephone records have been represented as evidence in separation and corruption cases or other instances of indiscretion. Computer programmers and tech nerds may yet become the world's unwitting sleuths as there are very few effective ways of erasing electronic information from a computer short of destroying the whole machine (and that may actually need to be some huge server in a silo in Siberia). People don't need to resort to surveillance program to check their partners because like with criminals, careless behaviour, sets its own traps.

We have seen the social recidivists in high office: Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, perhaps Rod Blagojevich, Lord Mandelson, repeat offenders all, clear patterns of dodgy behaviour. All caught by electronic records (with the help of people's tendency to keep mementos). But, there is a string of lower officials, who get caught in webs of deceit as they keep reverting to type.

I wish I had studied psychology, like my father, and could do also a study on obsessive compulsive behaviour as it appears across the range of human behaviour. Neatnicks in the home and office tend to be orderly across their activities, so when they are not cleaning draws and cupboards and their social behaviour is 'off track', it bears the same repeated behaviour traits: schedulers at home and work and play.

Funny to think that the line between those whom some would condemn as criminals is so thinly separating they themselves from the same class.

Will Heads Roll? REDUX: No One With The Guts To Resign?

West Indies coach, John Dyson has done what most expected and was unavoidable: he took responsibility for the horrible miscalculation he made that cost the team a match that could have been won without resort to rules and mathematics (see CBC report). But, if I read his words carefully, he has not taken full responsibility. He said: "It's my responsibility, I accept responsibility. I've apologised to the team, that's all I can do. It's a bad mistake." Why does he not resign? That would demonstrate full and clear responsibility and an acknowledgement that he is not up to the job he holds. Coming from Australia, with Japan so close, he should know about hari-kari (or sepuku), and fall onto his sword for our collective honour.

Another comment coming from the upper ranks of the team, Captain Chris Gayle, from the report I saw, says a lot: "I think it was the fall of the wicket that confused [the issue] ... in the end it's just one of those things." Duckworth-Lewis factors in the fall of wickets, that's part of its essence. If it's one of those things, then don't bother swinging any bats or bowling any balls and pretending that representing West Indies means something. Those who say that the current generation of players do not know what playing for the team means, have all the ammunition they need. It's only one of those things because the team, from its head, where the fish rots first, did not show any willingness to play the game until it had won or lost clearly, leaving matters to technicalities.

Don't insult us, so!

Buying BNB is not the solution to CLICO Barbados situation

My friend, Avi, a pretty good economist and Bajan of long heritage, has been following and analysing financial markets for some time, and has a well-earned reputation. He has put his mind to the matters facing the Barbadian financial sector, in particular, ways through the problems that may face a major player in the investment sector. His points were published as a letter yesterday (see Advocate, March 20, 2009), and he allowed me to reissue it here.

An important aspect he highlights is the higher risks that would be entailed if an insurance company's assets were sold to a bank.
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Buying BNB is not the solution to CLICO Barbados situation
3/20/2009

I HAVE found the attention placed on repurchasing BNB at this time a little odd. I have been involved in a few financial rescues and in my experience it is always best to start with what is the problem we are trying to solve.

What is the problem that would be solved by a repurchase of BNB or an encouragement of local interests to buy BNB? The whole issue of “local interests” is a hornets’ nest. Is Sagicor local?

It has a large degree of foreign owners of its shares. It is headquartered in Barbados, but then again so is BS&T. Is that local? Moreover, it seems to me that if the private sector has cash burning a hole in its pockets it should put it aside to stop job losses. Let’s not see a return to the early 1990s. The critical test that any repurchase needs to pass is can we do something better with the money. Today, saving jobs seems a better use of the money to me.

In terms of Clico, the problem the Government has to solve is well summarised by the Governor of Trinidad & Tobago’s description of the company as exhibiting a high degree of transactions between companies in the group, a risky investment strategy and a high-debt strategy – three things that insurance companies should not do. This means in the Barbados case that the asset values of the insurance company have fallen below prudential levels in circumstances, different than before, where the Barbados subsidiary can no longer rely on support from the Trinidadian parent or from quick sales of local real-estate assets.

What is the solution to this problem? Below are a list of solutions to this problem with the least cost to tax payers at the top and the highest cost at the bottom:

1. The Government can request that the central bank accept as collateral for liquidity loans, a wider class of assets, including prime real-estate from a wider class of institutions such as insurance companies. (The central bank would have to quickly acquire some expertise in real-estate assets, which it may second from the private sector.) Lending money without security would be irresponsible.

2. The Government could take “conservatorship” of the company over the short-term to guarantee policy holders and make those adjustments required to ready the company for a future private sale or initial public offering. This is a form of “Chapter 11”. I suspect those adjustments would include a more conservative investment and management style.

3. The Government could take control of the insurance company to guarantee all policy holders and to run-off the insurance company. Tax payers would take a hit were the assets to prove insufficient as they are likely to.

4. The Government could cajole the private sector to purchase assets, at a high-price on the basis that there will be a government guarantee if the assets were subsequently sold below this price after, say, five years. In essence the buyer would be paying for the government guarantee and the company would receive the proceeds from that guarantee. How do you ensure that those proceeds go to back Barbadian claims?

5. The Government could offer to buy some of the prime real-estate assets at a long-term price, with the proceeds ear-marked to the satisfaction of Barbadian policy-holders. This price would have to be estimated using a long-term economic valuation and not an historic accounting valuation. This would gift the company cash but again, you would have to ensure that this cash was only available to back Barbadian claims or it would be used indirectly to fund Trinidad’s $10bn statutory deficit.

Ideally these steps should have been done quickly. Following the recent injunction in Trinidad, all of these steps now require some international negotiation.

Repurchasing BNB by national interests is only a solution to the problem if we want BNB to buy Clico assets at a price BNB could not recover themselves and so would not do otherwise and therefore, it would mean a transfer of losses from an insurance company to a bank. That would be highly dangerous as banks are systemically more exposed than insurance companies.

Professor Avinash D. Persaud,
Emeritus Professor of Gresham College and Member of the UN High Level Task Force on International Financial Reform.

Will Heads Roll Now?

Accumulated failures and major mistakes are usually what is required to cost people their jobs. Unless that is you are associated with West Indies cricket. We had the Antigua pitch debacle. What could be worse than that?

Voila!

Now, let's watch the dance of "It wasn't me" or "It ain't my fault" as the team's cricket coach explains why he took the team off the field for bad light, thinking that under a complex mathematical formula (Duckworth-Lewis) his team had won. But, oh my gosh, Windies had lost...by one run (see BBC report).

West Indies needed 27 runs from 22 balls with three wickets remaining. Doable for sure, and all could argue that the team had won or lost in whatever playing conditions existed. But, no. Playing to the end? What does that mean, when you can nickle and dime with rules?

Coach John Dyson (pronounced "Die son") could rue the day his parents gave him that name. Who will flush Dyson down the john?

Cuhdear!

Holding My Breath

Several things are making me gasp and hoping that I can hold on to the air. This is a pot-pourri in no particular order.

• The number of adults in Barbados driving in the front of cars with their seat belts firmly attached, while their children do not wear belts in the rear. In some cases, you see the children hanging onto the door half out of an open window. As I said to a couple yesterday as they drove from the school car park, "When the car hits something, what do you expect is going to save the child?" They looked at me with such blank lack of understanding that I have to conclude they are morons.
• Amazement that the Barbados national secondary schools' championships were not televised by the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporations. Reports indicate that 'negotiations' are still going on. The championships started on Monday and finish today. Finger pointing by CBC indicates that they had not received permission from the organizers to broadcast the event live and that it will be shown next Tuesday. If Barbados wants to figure out why it does not excel at athletics, think about this farce as reflecting one element.
• Caribbean black men really are scared of physical contact with each other. So, go figure what is going through their minds when they see their beloved cricket team doing well.
• Caribbean women need to back off criticizing men of being on the down low. That's low down and lame and save you thinking seriously. Women cavort around hugging and kissing each other and freak out when they see two men showing close friendship. Figure out who has a problem and show some respect.
• Bewilderment at Madoff and his decades' long robbery of friends.
  
• Bewilderment at a father who would imprison his daughter for years and father seven children with her.
• My daughter's school principal lamented publicly last year how some parents are showing a tendency to 'disable their children' by doing everything for them. If you learn to do nothing when you are young how will you do anything when you grow up?
  

Crime Stopping REDUX: Canadian Visitor Dies After Attack

I just got a message from Canada that Ms. Terry Schwarzfeld has died.

She had been in a coma after being attacked on Long Beach, on February 28, 2009, where she and her daughter-in-law were attacked, beaten and left unconscious. Ms. Schwarzfeld had suffered severe brain damage from the attack. She was recently named president of the Canadian chapter of Hadassah-WIZO, a charitable Jewish women's organization.

My sincere sympathies go out to her family and may her soul be blessed.

Does Anyone Have A Clue Where Barbados' Tourism Is Heading?

You cannot solve problems correctly if you do not ask the right questions, and also along the way check that the answers are making sense.

I have lived in Barbados for two years now. I knew before my arrival that tourism is supposed to be its life blood. But, I have been and remain at a real loss to figure out where tourism is headed in this country. My main concern is that I have no idea what 'product' is on offer.

Much of the year Barbados comes alive with tourists from the UK mainly, and from Canada and the US in lesser numbers. Caribbean countries also provide important numbers of visitors. The tourists from outside the region are coming mainly for the things they lack at home, especially sun and sea. The regional visitors are often here to enjoy 'cultural' events such as Crop Over and the jazz festival. Returning to visit families and friends is also an important element. Both the UK and regional neighbours can provide important numbers when Test cricket is played in the island. Horse racing events can also be a similar attraction.

When Test cricket is on, Barbados becomes an international cricket venue. What is odd is that people react as if the wave of visitors is a real surprise and that somehow their arrival is a boon for tourism. But, they are sports fans and they follow their sport; it would be a real coup if they came to visit when there is no cricket. It's not really Barbados that attracts them. Given the dinosaur-like performance during the last Test match between West Indies and England and the fiasco over the ticket sales, it would be good to look at money spent on attracting tourists and ask if that may not be better spent reorganizing ticket sales for all major events so that it is a modern and well-distributed arrangement that uses available technology and does not presume that everyone has time and inclination to spend hours lolly gagging in the sun. The same general scheme can cover many events, much like 'Ticketmaster' outlets do, and one just shows up, specifies the event and gets on with buying tickets.

Cruise ships come to the island, but there is really very little that one can honestly point to that would warrant the cruise passenger staying on land for any length of time. The shopping area offers some paltry choices, compared with other destinations that can attract cruises: I am personally familiar with Nassau, where the array of duty free goods is excellent and tourists flood the stores and part with lots of foreign exchange. Broad Street is hardly attractive in a general sense and the curious tourist may remain curious wondering why he/she has been abandoned in a kind of wilderness. There are few good and attractive places to eat near the cruise port, and the bus station and fish market are not tourist attractions. Taxi drivers and some bus operations may manage to eke out some business by ferrying a few passengers around to sights such as St. John's Church, but there is a sort of haphazardness that means that maybe visitors see sights and spend money, but maybe not.

Yesterday, the Minister of Tourism publicized what may be a major change for the sector. He disbanded the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA). Its Board was reduced by seven persons (to 11 members), and he created separate 'tourism marketing' and 'product development' companies. The former directors were offered new roles; first indications are that some declined the offers. The former BTA is to be amalgamated into the marketing company. Policy remains to be made by the Ministry.

Honestly, I hear a lot of froth about 'taking tourism to the next level', without saying what tourism will look like when it reaches that level.

• Is that a level determined by numbers of visitors, and is the mix of long-stay and cruise visitors something that will, or need to, change?
  
• Is that a level determined by an amount of revenue?
  
• Is that a level determined by a range of activities and facilities offered to visitors?
  
• Is that level a country ready for foreign influxes all year round, with high quality service?
• Is the idea to build a cruise 'entrepot'?
  
• Is the intention to offer a sun, sea and sex paradise?
  
• Will it be a health and wellness destination?
  
• Is it meant to be a second-home destination? I don't know.
  

It does not have to be only one or only a few of these, but the image needs to be clear. People need to understand what the country is driving for, and work. Those who are in the specific business of hospitality can then gear up to do that well. Others play supporting roles, which though indirect are very important.

If the policy on where to get visitors has been articulated, then it is not a message that has resonated near my ears.

• Is the idea to build new sources of visitors, say China?
  
• Is the idea to get more from the old sources (especially the UK, Canada and the USA)?
  

How is the sector supposed to move over the near-term, given that most developed countries are going to see low or negative growth and what is called 'discretionary spending' will probably decline? People will be less inclined to spend money on travel and less money on travel abroad.

What is the policy to build a sector that is sustainable for the next 25 years?

What is the policy to integrate local food production into the hospitality industry?

Is there a policy to be competitive when Cuba is back in play as a major tourism destination?

The kind of things that bother me about a vision for tourism are in the Minister's reported remarks yesterday about the Hyatt in Trinidad, when discussing a project to complete the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. This is supposed to recapture lost conference, convention, and meeting business; plans for an auditorium have been shelved in favour of more office space. The Minister reportedly said "The truth is that we were caught sleeping on the job because there is no way that the Hyatt Trinidad should have come along and robbed our lunch like that...but these things happen." Sorry, Mr. Minister. You got it right at the beginning: "sleeping on the job". Why were people 'sleeping'? Don't they know their competition? It is not an accident. It is either indifference, a lack of focus, an unclear set of objectives, or looking at the wrong things. How could you be surprised that your major neighbour, with its swelling oil revenues pouring out of its ears, would be doing anything other than building itself into an attractive location for business visitors? Standing on the road side selling candy and hoping that people will pass by some may work, but if you are on the wrong road with the wrong sweets, you will go home with empty pockets and your lunch was not 'robbed' but 'given away'.

Apart from sugar and its by-products and financial services there is no other major foreign exchange earner than tourism. One impression that is strong is that the sector is not moving together. That may reflect the absence of a clear message about what is tourism and how it can be improved. My own take is that the whole of this economy is a part of the tourism sector. However, many people do not see that.

So, you have the recent nonsense of the cricket ticket sales, and the official reaction that does not understand the damage done for future events because of this debacle. We wont go into the still inadequate state of facilities at Kensington Oval more than a year after Cricket World Cup finished. Why do the washrooms still not have locks that work properly and necessitate doors being knocked down to release people trapped inside? I remember vividly the seats that were covered in builders' concrete dust. Usage should have cleaned them by now?

You have the nonsense of taxi drivers gouging visitors from the airport.

You have the attitude that "That's now it is" works with a foreign visitor. No. A visitor wants to be treated as special. Anyone can be treated like a dog at home for free. Imagine telling a guest at the Hilton that breakfast is closing and shooing him away, rather than seating the guest and taking the order, but explaining that the breakfast area will close soon. The first denies the customer the chance to eat, period, and says "Go away and find food elsewhere. We don't care that you are a guest. We don't want to be bothered with you." The second says, "Come in, eat at your convenience, albeit rapidly, perhaps. Your comfort and satisfaction are important for us." They give very different images of how customers are valued.

The rudeness that locals comment about on a constant basis is not lost of visitors. I read a letter in today's Nation headlined "Police must show respect to citizens" (see letter), written by someone claiming to be a Barbadian now living abroad. Key points to me were:

"... their attitude from the onset is vile"

"... no salutation offered, no badge numbers given and when they are responded to in the very manner they approach they get offended"

"... the law is put in place to protect citizens and it starts with law enforcement officers respecting the citizens of Barbados"

"... it seems that as long as you wear a police uniform you are unapproachable ... I am in authority attitude"

"... Overseas when you are stopped by a police officer you are greeted, given a name and told what the problem is and, if need be, you are also given a chance to explain. Here I have observed that from the time the officer approaches he is angry and seems, for want of a better expression, 'ready to fight'"

"... Barbadians need to be trained in basic service attitudes and only then can we demand respect from the outside world"

The letter speaks volumes. Even if it is one person's impression, it is very unflattering. But the problem is that it is a well-known and often observed set of behaviours. I have had the dubious pleasure of seeing and experiencing it often, to the extent that I was compelled to compliment a policeman at the airport for his civility and willingness to help me at the airport a few weeks ago.

Many countries give their police forces special training to deal with visitors. Here there is a need for training to deal with people. When you get this within a few minutes of arriving in country you should not have to think hard about what message is sent to the visitor. It may be one reason why many crimes against visitors go unreported.

Visitors are not really valued or understood here. Why is it not apparent that people in a hired car need more than "You can' park here"? They need to know where they can park. They don't need "Move ya car. It blockin' my grill" They too need to know what they can do to find parking? In St. Lawrence Gap, with its limited parking I have yet to see anyone guiding motorists to parking spaces and sites, whether they are paying or free. Go deal with it yourself. But come back soon and spend your money. In many places that have lots of foreign visitors 'guides' or 'mentors' of one sort or another are common place. They help foreigners and deal with local behaviour that may deter foreigners. It's sensitivity training in action.

A real need exists for tourism to have a clearer image and for it to be a beacon that pulls many parts of the economy along. Ideas for offshore islands may be good, but only if the add to an excellent experience. In The Bahamas, many visitors go to the Atlantis complex on Paradise Island and never leave because their time there is so good they do not feel the need to see the rest of Nassau. Everything is there and better than everywhere else. Tourists have to pay dearly for that, but will do so if it seems like value for money. Tourists need to be made 'hungry' to visit the country and sample all that it offers and be excited to tell their friends so that they too can get on the good feeling bus. They should not have a patchwork of poor and regrettable experiences. They should not have to do with people sleeping on the job.

Get the sector to the next level? No. Get the sector to the top of all that there is around. Then you can look down and say, "Not done a bad job at all".

Making My Blood Boil

Every now and again something happens that makes my blood boil fast and long. Over the weekend, I had one of those visceral moments when I read about US insurance giant, AIG's, plans to pay out bonuses of US$ 165 million (some figures cite US$ 450 million) to the same group of executives that had nearly taken the company into the oblivion of financial ruin. I heard, but really did not read in detail, arguments about their having contracts. Where, I asked myself was their moral compass pointing? Clearly, the extent to which any of those involved in the decision and due to receive the money realise what most of the world's and the US economy is suffering as a result of a range of missteps by financial companies is limited. They should be shouting from the roof tops "We don't want the money. We don't deserve it. Give it to a fund for unemployed people and towns that are losing jobs or those who are facing foreclosures" or something similar. Add to this the difficulty that Congress had had in getting details of to whom AIG was paying bail out money. It's not AIG's money, it belongs to the tax paper, so it's about time to fess up. The list of bonus recipients will be released, I am sure, openly or slyly and then I fear for those whose names are on it.

I read this morning, a comment from the Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke. Now he comes from simple enough roots as the son of a South Carolina pharmacist. He is trying hard to show that he understands that Wall Street and Main Street, if not joined at the hip, have to move hand-in-hand. Everyone is in this mess together, and solutions that seem to favour those whom most view as the bastions of greed and unscrupulous behaviour can only fuel a fire of anger that could rage relentlessly. The problem is that Wall Street 'types' are often so divorced from those who have to deal with Main Street, or even mainstream issues, that they really just keep on not getting it.

The odium does not need to be limited to principals in the US because we have heard of the pension plan negotiated by Royal Bank of Scotland to get rid of their failure of a leader, which turned the man into a millionaire overnight. Give back the money, weasel! I was so glad to see that some in the UK are gearing up for a ding-dong battle over this, as British pension funds are to sue Sir Fred Goodwin and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in the American courts for hundreds of millions of pounds (see Times report). Part of their argument is that Goodwin “falsely reassured” investors that the bank was in good health when it was “effectively insolvent” because of bad loans. The class action lawsuit is open to all European and US investors in RBS to join. Their legal champion will be none other than Cherie Blair (as Ms. Booth, QC), wife of former PM Tony B. She has a sharp social conscience and I suspect will be glad to dig her legal nails into the eyes of the financial sector raptor.

It is easy to foresee that many people will become similarly angry. I actually understand a little about finance and can rationalise a lot of what seems like nonsense and gobbledygook. But those who cannot, and they are the vast majority, will see millions and billions going to the 'undeserving', the 'makers of our misery', and they will make little distinction between whether they are the downright crooks of the Bernie Madoff ilk or someone who was driven by an incentive package to take bad risks. The justifiable question will be "Why are ordinary people paying several times over for these people's mistakes?"

I read this morning that the Obama Administration is concerned that there will be a public backlash (see NY Times report): they fear a populist backlash against banks and Wall Street, and worry that anger at financial institutions could also end up being directed at Congress and the White House. They all deserve a piece of public anger, but I sympathise with the new president who is having to live with 'another fine mess' left behind after a wild party of lack of regulation and oversight. Hearing former Vice President Dick Cheney say on Fox TV that "stuff happens", makes me say "Yes, it does, and in dark alleys."

Larry Summers, director of the President Obama’s National Economic Council called the AIG bonuses “outrageous” on ABC TV yesterday. I personally heed the words of Robert Reich “Never underestimate the capacity of angry populism in times of economic stress,” a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and labor secretary under President Clinton. I don't think I need to add to those comments. Maybe Jon Stewart will bring some of these characters onto his show: the stampede for tickets could be nasty.

Bigging Up The Little Ones

My little daughter has a great sense of who she is. She has some very clear moods. She can be blue--meaning sad. She can be red--meaning she is mad or angry. She is yellow--when she is happy, and full of light like the sun. She can be grey--when she feels alone. When she is pink, she is very, very happy. She thinks that she is prettier than her class mate because she has a better singing voice; she displayed this to me early this morning. I think her facial beauty is much more than that displayed by her voice, though.

Confidence and self-respect are attributes that comes from regular reinforcement. Even while being upbraided for spilling juice and tea and cake crumbs all over my office desk, she needs to be left with her confidence in tact. So, she gets her lesson in tidiness, but gets praise for the quality of the clean up she does. She felt so good about that, that I later saw her going around with a large broom sweeping up a floor.

Insults are not part of the building blocks for making confident people. Parents who curse their children are just like Bobby Knight--the renowned basketball coach at Indiana University, famed for his foul-mouthed diatribes against players. They may produce people who perform at a certain high level, but at the cost of a lot of psychological damage, that may not appear until much later. Many adults lack patience when it comes to children, and are more likely to want to stop what they see as 'foolishness' rather than figure out that a 3 year old has only a limited way of expressing itself. Children's logic is different, and need not be nonsense.

Self-confident children are often ready to take on a task because they have not been forced to live with punishment for failure or less-than-perfect results. They see mistakes as natural and part of learning how to be better. Parents' focusing on the missed 3 points out of a 100 rather than the 97 gained is the stuff of much despair for children. They also understand well that not having something is part of life, whether you give away or lose something you like or never have something at all.

We are watching Barney and a story about Franklin (the tortoise), who was supposed to be digging potatoes for his mother, but got distracted playing with a spinning top. His mother reminds him of his chore, and he goes off to find a spade and fork. He digs for the potatoes for dinner and comes across a fossil, a trilobite. His father encourages him to build a little museum. He goes off with his friend to play but meets Mr. Mole, who is an expert on fossils. What should they do? Give him their newly found fossil? Mr. Mole solves the problem and tells Franklin to keep the fossil and learn about the history that is in that hardened object; how it used to live in the sea and more. He decides to charge 2 cookies for entrance. Some of his friends think that is too much to see rusty nails, and pictures of grandma, or even a really old fossil. They collect a boxful of cookies, but get a bunch of upset friends who really don't care about the fossil. So, they give the fossil to Mr. Mole, who really can appreciate it...

Another day of building and learning ahead.

Crime Stopping

If the Police Commissioner is correct, the increase over the past year in burglaries and 'property crime', which is now the bulk of crime reported in Barbados, is as much to do with the victims as it is about the criminals. His research indicated that most of these crimes are not planned but committed because 'the opportunities were presented' (see today's Advocate report, page 3). I think I know what he means, but you have to have a criminal mentality to see things that are not yours and then take them, so I am not sure whether it really matters that the thefts are not planned in detail. Someone, is planning to be a thief.

It is interesting that over dinner last night with a group of expatriate professionals from Canada and the USA, much of their conversation about concerns in Barbados related to property crime. One man told about the practice of 'fishing', whereby someone would use a fishing rod and hook to grab items that could be seen through an open grill, left that way to take advantage of the cooling breezes. The residents were meanwhile chilling elsewhere in the property. Another couple told of how security guards sleep on the job or are not aware of the cunning of robbers, some of whom are now using roof ladders to get access into condominiums and other kinds of property.

The Commissioner's claim that Barbados is amongst the safest places in the world, including for tourists, is not something I would contest, and the figure of 242 incidents reported amongst the 1.2 million tourists visiting the island in 2008 is astonishingly low. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that many crimes are not reported, either because the losses are small, or the person has been given the 'bum's rush' by the local police. One local person on a radio call-in this week indicated that he had tried to get the police to come to take his statement about a stolen iPod; they basically gave him the run around and had him go to the station fruitlessly four times. That police indifference and even disregard for citizen's complaints is something to which I can personally attest. A respondent to the caller's comments indicated that the value of the item seemed too low to warrant all that aggravation from a less-than-willing set of professional crime fighters.

Crime Stoppers have now set up their operations in Barbados and it will be worth seeing how this is used (see web site, http://www.crimestoppersbarbados.com/). As in many places, citizens are less willing to help solve crimes than they should be, often because of fear of reprisals, but also because of a natural dislike of being ignored by the police, and by the justice system being slow to resolve cases. Much of the commentary relating to the operation in Barbados has been about maintaining the anonymity of those who offer information. The sense that being an 'informer' is deemed to be less noble than keeping quiet is disturbing, but there is no point pretending that it does not exist. Several persons wanted to know how the B$1000 reward offered for useful information could be paid and anonymity maintained. A crime stopper explained that all informants gets a number and that is all that need ever be used, so that reward money could be collected from the designated banks by simply citing the number without showing evidence of identity. That means anyone with the number can collect the money, irrespective of how the number is obtained; so the warning was to take care that it does not fall into the wrong hands. We hope that those who operate the system are not tempted to be corrupt, here.

As Barbados tries to put on a serious face with regard to the recent assault of a Canadian woman tourist at Long Beach, and most hope that her condition of a deep coma does not lead to her death, it is full time for crime stopping to be taken seriously here. A B$10,000 reward has now been offered by an 'interested stakeholder' and that may wheedle out information to find the assailant. VOB radio's 'Market Vendor' made clear this week that the Long Beach problems were decades old but never dealt with, whether it was assaults or perverted behaviour, or harassment. Enough is enough. The Minister of Tourism did some good photo ops. there yesterday and we may see more police interest in the area, but what about 3 months from now?
I'm sorry to say that like a lot of things here, there's much talk and less action.

But cheap talk costs lives. Canada Foreign Affairs Department has already sounded warnings to its citizens about crime risks in Barbados and the need for greater vigilance. Canadians have also quickly started to report cases of assaults and robberies that occurred during their visits but were either not reported, or ignored, but happened nevertheless, and will be shared as warnings to others in their home country. It is easy to descend quickly in the eyes of foreigners because of crime risks, and with the importance of tourism so clear, that risk needs to be curbed.

Get A Culture? Ghetto Culture?

The English-speaking Caribbean is not alone in having public discussions about the relationship between public entertainment and public behaviour and morals. In recent years, these discussions have been intense in Jamaica because of stated concerns about the level of murders and other violent crimes, their connection with drug trading and gangs, and a tendency in certain styles of music ('dub' and 'dance hall') toward lyrics with commonly accepted offensive words or hateful sentiments-often against women and homosexuals. Sexual suggestiveness in songs and dances has also come in for comment, though this is an aspect of Jamaican music that has been there for decades; many of my generation can recall easily Max Romeo's controversial song 'Wet Dream'. The discussions often take on a socio-economic flavour because many see the popular music as having its roots in Jamaica's 'ghettos', and therefore criticisms can sometimes be seen as attacks on 'ghetto culture'.

Trinidad too, has had similar public discussions as some of its soca music has taken on a more sexually suggestive tone in lyrics and dance styles.

Barbados has gotten into such a conversation largely because much of the music popular with the young here is Jamaica's dub/dance hall output. Tag that with the tendency of the public minibuses ('ZRs') to lay such music, often at high volume, and for some a perceived downturn in social behaviour has its clear cause and effect.

General public sentiment about popular music has rarely been complimentary, wherever one looks. Much of the past 60 years is an interesting study in how popular music crazes in the USA and Europe were first reviled, then accepted, then lauded. A common criticism in places like the USA and England was that this was the 'devil's music' or 'jungle music', taking a hammer to often thinly disguised roots in black music that were not given their due credit, initially. We only need to look at the careers of white rock-and-roll stars such as Elvis Presley, through The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream, punk bands, and many more. Within black music itself, the accusations were also many and criticisms harsh. Whether the target was Bo Diddley, James Brown, Funkadelic, The Last Poets, Prince, Ice Cube and many of the modern wave of hip-hop artistes.

Similarly, other forms of popular entertainment have had to deal with much public opposition or criticism or lack of acclaim. Look back a few hundred years into the history of English literature, for example. William Shakespeare, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist, writing in the 16th century, was never revered in his lifetime. Geoffrey Chaucer (the 'father of English literature'), writing 'The Canterbury Tales' in the 1380s, regaled England with sex and bawdiness, and portrayed women as sexually insatiable, lecherous or shrewish--as was common in those days often with the backing of the churches. Yet, now these and others are regarded at the pinnacle of the English language and literature 'culture'.

Looking at films, the list of offending items is really too long. In the days of heavy censorship in the UK, it was interesting to see how opposition moved from political themes to those depicting sex and violence. The British Board of Film Censors received strong criticism for an over-zealous attitude in censoring film prior to the 1960s. The censoring found that those who wanted to could always get access to what was banned or distributed with cuts.

One of the problems with having these public discussions is that society does not share one view on what is acceptable. This is often most obvious with the generation gap between parents and children. Many of toady's parents liked music as teenagers that their parents thought inappropriate. Similarly, today's teenagers like music that many current parents find odious.

As a society tries to build or retain a culture, the role and position of its various elements are complex. Music's roots and attitudes to musical output are very complex. Taking a slice of social development. Those whom I know who grew up in a social setting of going to dances, or clubs, or parties, tend to have a certain view (positive) about much popular music. Those who grew up differently, not surprisingly, could be expected to have different (negative) views.

Music has many effects, without doubt. Often the beat is what drives people's reactions and its popularity, and lyrics can often become secondary. I recall someone saying to me that they could not understand how people enjoyed jazz, which only seemed to serve to put people to sleep. The soothing tones of jazz are what some love.

I have used dance music a lot when coaching soccer. It is wonderful for developing rhythm and balance. People laud Brazil for playing the game to the rhythm of samba. I even had a Ghanaian friend, who is a dance teacher, work with my team of young girls to get them to learn how to move to various forms of modern popular music. I know professional soccer coaches who have incorporated ballet music and steps into their routines to develop a certain grace and pace.

I grew up in the UK at a time when funk was popular (late 1960s)--which mixed jazz and R&B-- and also when 'house' music was very popular (which originated in Chicago in the late 1970s and early 1980s), and mixed soul, funk, and disco. As a result, I love music that has a strong beat and a fast rhythm. I also grew up during the era of psychedelic heavy metal music. I like them too. Many of the major artists were known to be inspired by drugs and drug-taking, with lyrics that made that clear. I did not like that, but my love for their music did not turn me into a drug fiend.

During all of my sporting career I had that music playing in my ears or around me when I trained and before I raced or played a soccer match. We often see today athletes with their iPods tuning in to their music before they compete.

I did not grow up in Jamaica, but love the heavy bass rhythm of reggae. I understand most of the lyrics so can relate to them at many levels, with or without music. Whether it's the complex social commentary of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Mutabaruka, or Linton Kwesi Johnson. Whether it is the lyrics on the hard-driving Buju Banton style. I know that much of reggae music is inspired by and through the use of marijuana. I do not see that loving that music makes me a supporter of a drug culture.

What I have heard in discussions recently suggests that when people do not understand something they tend to fear it; highly educated people are little different in that regard though talk better around the same fear. I even heard this attitude with regard to much popular music: "I don't like it. I don't understand it and I don't see that I need to," I overheard in a conversation the other day. Those who like and understand it can deal with it at many different levels. I self-censor offensive lyrics if they come in any song; once I know the song, when it is due to be played I take care to censor it for the benefit of children if they are nearby. I certainly have no time for arguments that laud the music of Chopin or another European classical composer as being great while labelling dub music as being base or even worthless. Likewise, country ballads have their place in the hearts of a certain group of people, but not in mine. But I should not imagine that listening to country music will turn me into a 'redneck'.

Much of the recent outrage has to do with the featuring of certain explicit sexual or violent references in music. Little of the discussion has focused on whether music is the problem or the listeners are the problem. Any thing innocent and harmless can be made dangerous in the hands of a fool or someone careless. Likewise, dangerous things can be dealt by those who know how to handle them.

Music and other forms of entertainment have their place in a social and economic context and trying to discuss their worth and influence without knowing or studying or understanding that context is limited. Talking about music's influence without saying how it is it will harm some and not harm all leaves out an important element about how people behave. I have not heard much discussion of the context or the roots of behaviour when I hear condemnation of certain music styles, so I have to conclude that a real conversation is yet to happen. I also wonder about the focus on music when there are horrid images of violence and drug use and trafficking in many of the films distributed for public viewing. Sordid sexual images are in many advertisements. Has anyone gone around and checked the content of books sold freely in the stores? Is the concern really about bad influences or is just about one noticeable possible element?

Husbanding Resources

A number of articles have appeared over recent years about changing gender roles. Now, I don't mean those cases of men dressing up in females' clothes and thinking that they have become women, whether to make money by taking on a new profession, or just because, out of boredom, they want to feel the pinch of a bra or the sore ankles that come from wearing high heels. Nor do I mean women putting on pairs of trousers, wearing neckties, or marching blithely up to a urinal and somehow thinking that this will make them into men. I do not mean men wearing earrings. I do not mean women letting their facial and body hair grow. I mean simply the idea that the near-fixed roles that many male-female couples have in their lives seem to be getting more flexible, at least in many developed countries. I do not want to deal with Afghanistan, or Iraq, or India.

Now, as with many transitions, there is a lot of confusion, resistance, accusing, disappointment, etc. as these changes go ahead. The factor that has excited many people recently is how this process may be accelerating because of the latest downturn in economic activity. In many developed countries, jobs that had traditionally been the refuge of men are being lost at a faster rate than jobs filled by women. Men are losing their roles as breadwinners and taking on roles as bread makers. Instead of getting their hands dirty with money laundering, men are having to get down to serious clothes washing. So, the push of economic reality may get done what centuries of nagging has not.

Men are learning that a manicure for wrinkled hands is really a necessity not a wasteful luxury. They are learning to live with the stench of baby vomit on themselves rather than the sweeter scents of Brut. They are living in the luxury of not worrying for hours which shirt and tie to wear, and if the Armani double-breasted suit works better today than the bespoke Gieves and Hawkes version. They just drape on a tee shirt and shorts, if they are lucky enough to live in the tropics or it's summer time in Peoria, or it's a plaid shirt and jeans if it's winter time in New York.

If men are of the special species known as 'Dad', they are getting the hang of arranging play dates for their children and forgetting about going out on dates with their spouses, because they are so knackered after a day of domestic chores and what passes for intelligent conversations about Sponge Bob and his square pants that they are now the ones with headaches.

Many people still laugh and snicker when they make references to 'house husbands'; such as a tennis-playing doctor friend did this morning. I let him dig his hole and lay in wait. But, many men just cannot handle it. I get the impression that, next to being castrated, many men feel more fear from the prospect of being caught on the phone during the mid-morning by a telemarketer asking if the head of household is home or by a group of well-intentioned Jehovah Witnesses waiting to pass on copies of Watchtower.

Having landed in this situation myself, I have to laugh at some of the reactions and discussions I heard in the blessed isle of Barbados. At first, I thought the men were joking but I guess I have to accept that they are really serious that they would rather throw themselves off Eastern Point than be caught dead in their pyjamas having coffee on the porch at mid-morning, and liking it. I really cannot see the difference between that and lolly gagging on the block corner with a Banks or a Guinness in hand, blathering on with another bunch of half-shaved guys about cricket or slamming down some dominoes. I really cannot see the difference between chilling at home rather than sitting on a bar stool all day in a rum shop. I guess that it's about face time, even if you are wasting time.

Now, if a man is in what I call my fortunate predicament and actually making an attempt to be gainfully (self) employed, I cannot see what the fuss is about. You win your bread at home; she wins hers in some soulless building. Your bread may be bigger, but does size really matter?

Look at the pluses. My offices are about 30 seconds from my bedroom if I walk quickly. I say offices because I have two places of employment upstairs alone, and with the joy of technology I can get access to the Internet with a wireless connection, so my 'suite' of upstairs offices is in the kitchen or on the patio. I like the former because food and drink are just a stretch away. Come on, guys. Does it get better? I like the latter because it offers a wonderful view of some varied coloured frangipani trees, and a glimpse of the sea on a clear day. "Darling, does your office have such a view?"

I have another office in the basement (which is actually ground level). That is the place designated by my wife as 'the office', with a high-backed chair, and printer and phones, and bathroom. I suspect that she prefers me to work there so that if she drops into the homestead unannounced I have less time to rush the fillies out of the property and over the back wall. But, it's a bit dank down there and I feel more like Gollum rather than a King of Gotham. But, it's better appointed than any office I have ever worked in, and with a spin of my chair I can have access to a television. Now, my TV watching is really for work, so I tune in to Bloomberg and CNN. But a man, bless the poor blighter, needs his sport and I must admit that when Champions League matches are on, then the buttons get pressed so that I can have some quality down time with Rooney and Ronaldo and Drogba and Gerrard. Tell me, if you dare, that this is terrible.

But the pressures can mount on this new-style man. In my upstairs offices, for example, I sometimes have to deal with a lot of traffic noise and congestion and fumes. Green moneys often use my back wall as a walkway to wherever they go to do their groceries; sometimes there are as many as six at a time, queued behind each other, even dragging babies feeding on the breast. Long gone are the days when I had to get into a car and spend time either with music my children liked and I did not or getting depressed by news of world cataclysm and brutal deaths. Instead, I get to share limited space at a breakfast counter with a sometimes pushy five-year old, who eats like an adult and increasingly negotiates like one. Whereas, I used to have the leisure of reading the daily paper and try the crossword before I headed out to work, I now get to read the news to this same five-year old, who in her very pushy half-Jamaican way, has the audacity to tell me that I am not pronouncing words properly. Fortunately, when her mother is around, she quickly upbraids her for speaking like a Bajan. Then, I have to deal with the constant smell of food being prepared in the kitchen by our housekeeper. How can you concentrate on making money and developing good ideas when your senses are bombarded by the smell of grilled barbecued ribs, or season fish frying, or rice and peas cooking. I have no union to protect me from this kind of harassment.

But, truth be told, I am going to lick this, even lick my lips as I suffer. Here is a battle that I will win, and strike a blow for men the world over. I knew that the corner had been turned yesterday, when I was asked to do an interview for Brass Tacks. The option of going to the studio would not work as I had to do pick up from school and a play date had been arranged already. I did not want to do the commentary over the phone. So, the moderator decided to come to my 'offices'. So, I shipped off the children to play at my neighbour's house. Then, no shock-horror, we worked for an hour. After that, I took a deserved nap. It had been a long day, since I was up at 5am and it was now 4pm.

This may all end up very well indeed. Who better than he who-used-to-obey to be at home to deal with a surly mailman or UPS delivery person? Who better than the former man-of-the-house to ward off potential robbers and vagabonds? If we want crime stoppers, this downturn could put pay to some petty thievery and harassment. Trust me. When I see someone who looks out of place in my neighbourhood, or who is blasting up my cul-de-sac likes it's the ABC highway, I am the consummate hunter-gatherer, and will pull out a spear to deal with this offender near my homestead. Maybe, this is the way to a safe society. To pump my own chest--it is still big--who better to be at home when the kids come in than Dad? Whoa! Let's play horsey! Mums are always heading off to the shops or wanting to chin-wag with their gals when the kids want to play. Balanced family life will return.

Now, I must away and hear how and why Bernie Madofff made off with the now estimated US$ 65 billions of other people's money. Also, why did the Swiss National Bank decided to take away the Swiss Franc as a safe haven by threatening to sell it to stop it rising against the Euro? There goes another safe haven.

Let this be a lesson to all of those doubting Thomases out there. Learn to husband your resources. The world may never be the same again. My safe haven is in tact and I am there to ensure that.

Financial Issues And News Management

Recent events affecting financial institutions in the Caribbean region have highlighted a major problem in the management of financial policy. How should news about financial problems be handled and what effect does the flow of news have?

Financial institutions depend heavily on public confidence. When that confidence slips even a healthy institution can face problems as people ‘sell the rumour’ and perhaps look to flee a bank or other financial institution by withdrawing their funds. Those who make policy and those who report news have important roles in maintaining confidence.

Governments and public officials naturally try to create a climate of calm and give assurance when problems arise, and that is no different if the problem concerns a financial institution. But, their efforts to maintain calm depends greatly on how credible are their claims. The political opposition naturally wants to exploit any signs of weakness or failure that can be pinned on the government—whether or not this is really ‘the fault’ of the government of the day. This political competition between the forces of calm and those of exploiting the government’s vulnerable position can take many forms and can go on for a long period. As it rages, there will inevitably be a build up of partisan positions as supporters of each side try to show their strength. In the meantime, the real financial problem remains to be addressed, but may become more difficult to deal with because it has become intertwined with politics.

Those who report current events also play their role. They should aim for truthful and accurate accounts of events, and may add their analyses. The accounts and analyses may differ because of some inherent bias, whether purely political or based on different beliefs about how economic policy should be conducted. The media may reinforce the sense of calm that government seeks to ensure or they may start to undermine it.

The general public has the unenviable task of trying to make sense of all of this as well as manage its own emotions. That public response may maintain calm and confidence, or may do the opposite. If people rush to take out their deposits then the calls for calm are for naught (and we saw this in the UK recently with the failure of Northern Rock).

The public often views events in the order in which they hear about them, so the flow of news is critical. Mismanaging this flow can have some awkward consequences. If we look at the recent discussions concerning CLICO and CL Financial Group, we can have some idea of this. We do not know what information was available to the Prime Minister of Barbados when the authorities in Trinidad made their public declaration on January 30 about the institutions’ financial problems and its need to make a financial rescue of CL Financial Group. But almost immediately, the calls for calm came from the Barbados government (and several other local entities) with assurances that the local subsidiaries were not in danger. For good measure, the Central Bank of Barbados made available a sizable deposit (B$10 million) and line of credit for CLICO Mortgage Finance Company as a ‘sign of confidence’. The opposition then ‘revealed’ soon after a damaging piece of information that CLICO Barbados’ statutory fund was in deficit by B$93 million in 2007—the most recent data available—suggesting that all was not well and that calls for calm and words of assurance were inappropriate. That ‘revelation’ might have been known to the PM and he had perhaps chosen to not disclose it yet. If so, why was he being ‘economical with the truth’? If he did not know it, then what did this say about the information available to him to make policy decisions? Whatever the real situation, his hand was now forced. If he had imagined that he could manage the problems and the flow of news, he had lost that initiative. He sought to regain that when he acknowledged the deficit, but pointed out that it had existed under the watch of the now opposition. Furthermore, there had been several years of deficit when they were in government and it appeared that they had not seen this as a problem and had taken no action to correct it. So, which pot is calling which kettle black?

Politics were now clearly in play. That was made easier by the awkward personal and professional closeness between Barbados’ PM/Finance Minister and the Chairman/CEO of CLICO Barbados—that Mr. Thompson and his law firm had represented CLICO for many years is a known fact, but that raised questions about what the PM/Finance Minister really knew and if any claims of ignorance were really credible. That awkwardness could easily cause concerns in the minds of many about mixing of political and personal motivations.

Add some background flavour with the revelation that an American financial magnate based in a neighbouring island was alleged to have perpetrated an US$ 8 billion fraud, with that news leading to a run on banks associated with him. The seeds of panic were now being sown in parts of the region. Not that panic was widespread, but Caribbean people’s sense of unease had risen.

While the international dimension of financial problems should not have been news to those in the region, they had been comfortable believing that these were being contained mainly to the US, UK and the rest of Europe. Now, the problems seemed much closer to home. Were local financial institutions now headed down a similar slippery slope?

For many people, it was the ‘revelation’ by the opposition party leader about CLICO’s statutory fund deficit that forced the PM to say more and to give a fuller, though less rosy, picture. The opposition turned the screw tighter by putting the government’s feet to the fire by tabling in Parliament a vote of no confidence in the Minister of Finance (who is the PM). Some argued that this was pure political theatre and that the government would be undermined by it. Some argued that it would be good because the debate would allow for more disclosures, which the government should make but were reluctant to make. There is no way to determine which of the competing views was really correct. The debate passed, and the opposition lost its motion. Those on both sides will argue about whether they had a victory or not. It is not really clear how the public viewed this, but no apparent signs of panic have been visible.

However, the real financial difficulties of CLICO need to be addressed. The discussions around this focused rightly on the absence of good supervision and adequate regulation. They also focused on problems with the way that the institution did business—a ‘risky business model’, to use the words of Trinidad’s central bank governor. Trinidad also had to deal with learning that the problems of its local element were worse than initially perceived. All national policy makers in the region have to deal with the absence of a regional perspective to how the problem could be solved, because at least there is no regional (Caribbean-level) mechanism for supervision and regulation or for new funding, if that were needed. So, we have seen individual national responses: the governments in Guyana, The Bahamas, Belize, and The Cayman Islands, have so far each done what they individually thought was best for the parts of CLICO for which they are responsible. We are not sure if that will be good for the whole, or how these actions may ultimately affect what Barbados can do. The Barbados government, in the meantime, is discussing with another local insurance company possible purchase of parts of CLICO.

I suspect that many people are confused by what they have read and heard about CLICO/CL Financial Group over the past few weeks, whether from politicians, public officials, or the media. As far as visible signs go, financial panic is not present in Barbados—one has not seen lines forming outside CLICO’s offices or heard stories of accelerated requests to cash in policies. Other financial institutions do not appear to have been affected by lower confidence, in the sense that banks and credit unions do not appear to be facing accelerated deposit withdrawals.

We can only speculate whether solving the problems is easier or harder now because of what has been disclosed and the manner in which disclosure has occurred. But we need to be keenly aware of how the flow of information can make a situation more or less fragile.

Batty As A Fruitcake!

Jamaica has enough of an international image problem with its uncompromisingly hostile attitude towards homosexuality. Its prime minister proudly proclaimed on BBC television last year that no Cabinet of his would have anyone who had come out of the closet. Bruce, almighty, indeed.

Just a few weeks ago, a fellow Parliamentarian, Ernie Smith, was railing against homosexuals. Just to help your memory, Mr. Smith MP, in mid-February, performed the following acts:

• Called for gay rights group Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) to be outlawed;
• Charged in Parliament that homosexuals were violent and that the police force was overrun with gays. Mr. Smith has since apologised to the police;
• Called on the director of public prosecutions to investigate J-FLAG with a view to having the group charged for conspiracy to corrupt public morals.
  

But guess what? Mr. Smith needs to earn some money to feed himself and his dependents. Nothing odd about that. He works as a lawyer. Right, as do many politicians. So? Well, Mr. Smith had a day in court (February 23) and the case involved buggery. Oh, yeah! Fire and burning in the court house! But, it was not the kind disliked by the MP--not mano-a-mano. It was a bit of 'family business', with cousin-on-cousin, mind you, and mano-a-womano (see Gleaner report March 10). Shame! But, Mr. Smith was defending the accused! He was bending over backwards, it seems, to exercise his professional rights to defend someone because "I am a professional person; anyone who confides in me and believes in me that I will properly represent them in any case, provided I take the case, I give that person my 100 per cent expertise," proclaimed the learned Smith.

Now, my sense of humour can be a bit warped, some people think. But, did this case have to be heard by Justice Leighton Pusey (which I think is pronounced "lay it on pussy"--tell me it ain't so)?

What was even funnier, is so strident was Mr. Smith in defence of his client in the St Ann Circuit Court that although pleading guilty to the charge, the accused was able to walk away with just a suspended sentence. Well, break out the champagne. Bottoms up!

Wags, including the Gleaner reporter, cannot resist pointing out that Mr. Smith 'might just have become the butt of a new round of jokes'.

Clearly, Mr. Smith only gives a bugger about homosexuals not about buggery. He and Jamaica's PM would have us believe that homosexuals are near to taking over the world (see Gleaner report on March 4). The PM (perhaps using Parliamentary privilege) saw "gay advocates as...perhaps the most organised lobby in the world" and "we are not going to yield to the pressure, whether that pressure comes from individual organisations, individuals, whether that pressure comes from foreign governments or groups of countries, to liberalise the laws as it relates to buggery." It's amazing to think that gays are more powerful than drug companies, those selling arms, the tobacco industry, the liquor industry, the government of Zimbabwe, Russia, and others. Bugger me, Bruce! That sounds like nonsense.

In the Parliamentary discussion, Mr. Smith was one of those MPs seeking stiffer penalties for buggery. He must be beaming now.

The bottom is not falling out of Jamaica because of gays. Unless they have been the ones borrowing billions for years and somehow not using that to develop the country. Unless they are the leaders of gangs and killers of women and children. If they are, then the solution is clear. But, if not, give us a break!

Race To Where?

Discussing race and racism is extremely difficult. If you are of one race (or colour) and make negative comments about another race (or colour), you are likely to be labelled 'racist', at the very least by the race criticized. Whatever substance there might be gets lost in the racial differences. If you try to have such discussions in one of those countries that have developed through a history of slavery or racial intolerance, the arguments get very emotional very quickly. So, we see a very difficult terrain for discussion of racial issues in the USA, where slavery had been a key part of its development, and where legal separation of races was in place at a time that most people can still remember living through. It is a bitter and violent history. In the Caribbean, too, we have a difficult terrain for racial discussions. The main differences in the Caribbean are perceived to be between whites and blacks, but many know that racial divisions are also intense between those of African and Indian/Pakistani descent, as in Guyana and Trinidad.

In any country, even one that has little evident racial difference within its borders, segregation is rife and is very much the norm. Many studies have shown that people gravitate toward those whom they feel are alike. That can largely be racial or colour based, but it can also be social and economic. So, for example, people will band together for religious reasons--it makes sense if one wants to build a congregation. Such banding together can take on a momentum of its own and that can be good for those who are 'included' but be a basis of friction with those who are 'excluded'. So, in places like England, Europe, the USA, there will be areas that are known to have high concentrations of Jewish people or some clear ethnic group, who perhaps arrived as immigrants and made their home in a neighbourhood, which attracted other similar migrants and on it went. Hence, you get areas such as 'Little Italy', 'Chinatown', 'Little India', etc. There is now even an interactive map that allows you to identify such social concentrations in the UK. Depending on your preferences, that can help you find or help you avoid certain types of people.

Within the world of race and racial issues, Barbados can often seem peculiar--not unique. The country is predominantly black (of African origin), and for centuries was run by whites (Britons of various origins). Over time, economic and political power resided in the hands of whites. From its independence in 1966, political power was transferred from whites to black as the British withdrew as colonial masters and handed this over to elected representatives who were mainly from the black majority. Economic power in Barbados, however, tended to remain concentrated in the hands of a few white families. In recent years, that has changed to some degree as one of Barbados' neighbours, Trinidad, gained economic power and looked to expand and diversify its economy: Trinidadian-owned companies have been buying into the Barbadian economy. While that has changed the colour of some economic power in Barbados, it has also introduced a different racial element, which is illuminating because it shows that racism is not first and foremost about colour.

In Barbados, one sees very little public animosity between the races. But you see very little public mixing in large groups. Just a random look into or attendance at social events and you will see what is the norm. If an event is hosted by whites, whether they be white Bajans or white expatriates, the event is predominantly white. If there is an event hosted by blacks, then the opposite applies. As far as social events are concerned, this is not extraordinary in racially diverse societies. I have seen the same many times in the US and UK. Many people do not have friends that cross races. If they think it would be a good thing to do so, then it happens somewhat selectively and they are very glad to parade their 'ethnic' friends when they can; but these ethnic friends will often find themselves either isolated or very much in the minority at such events, and naturally may feel uncomfortable.

I was fascinated by the publication recently in the Nation of a letter by a prominent white business in Barbados, Ralph 'Bizzy' Williams, on the topic of racism in Barbados. In brief, he recently divorced his white wife and married a black woman.He highlighted that his old social life was mainly with whites, but now they seem to shun him and he passes most social time with blacks. He tries to give advice to both sides of the racial divide--and I suspect in his attempt to bridge a racial gap will find himself savaged for stereotyping and being simplistic. His letter came at close to the comments of the US Attorney General, Eric Holder (himself of Bajan heritage, ironically) that America had been a "nation of cowards" on the matter of dealing with racial issues. I personally would not have chosen Mr. Holder's terms, but I understand a bit of his anger and frustration at how the matter just keeps getting bogged down. Interestingly, President Obama has stirred the pot by implicitly chiding Mr. Holder for the manner that he has introduced discussion of racial issues (see International Herald Tribute report): "I think it's fair to say that if I had been advising my attorney general, we would have used different language." Mr. Holder's remarks were quickly criticised by those who see the election of a black president, who then chose a black attorney general, as evidence that the nation is in fact brave on racial issues. But, as the president tried to point out, much serious discussion only occurs when there is major racial flare up. The president's 'conversation' with his AG will be very interesting on many levels, not least because there are a good number of people who see themselves as black and see neither the president or the AG that way. Many white people, and many black people cannot understand that line of thinking, but it exists. But, one hopes that the president can chide his AG and have no one jump on him for making a racial slight.

As I said, Barbados is peculiar, but not unique. Discussions of racial divisions are not really ongoing. One hears grumblings on both sides but see little effort to bridge; that is pretty standard in terms of what I have seen in many countries. You cannot force people to be friends and neighbours. Discussions on race here often centre on the fact that whites--supposedly about 10 percent of the population--control most of the economic enterprises. So, many issues that touch on the economy, especially when things are not going well, have a racial undertone. Ironically, during this period where financial enterprises are going through some 'difficulties', if I could use a delicate term, one of the arguments that came from a senior politician alluded to the problems that some people have with a black man rising from humble beginnings. It reminded me of the famous 'storming from the studio' moment of the former Minister of Tourism--who felt it improper that another black man from humble beginnings should be asked to justify from where his wealth had come. Therein, lie some serious self-image issues.

Because of many accidents in life I have often found myself as a rare black person in a sea of white people; but it has never been a source of intimidation. I have always had my position because of merit or ability or lack of it. I revere no man or woman for how they look, least of all for a melanin balance that differs from mine. I know that congregations of white people will tend to exist; but I know the same is true of blacks. If I choose to join either I don't excpet to be excluded just because my skin colour is different or my accent or language is different. But I am not so naive to believe that it may not happen. When I meet people I feel comfortable with those I like and I know that I am prejudiced--I prefer people who make me laugh and make me think.

It is really quite amusing to watch how people go about showing their racial preferences. A black woman, lost in a place, waits for a 'friendly' black person to query for directions. A white man entering a subway car filled with black people, turns back and decides to stay on the platform or go to look in another carriage. A white customer in a supermarket proffers the money by placing it on the counter and not making contact with the black cashier. People compliment you on how you look if you fit their image of what the good racial type is--that's a great one for some black men, who often like women with a big behind, so if the shape works then so will other things. Black women get into their complexes when it comes to shades--and one of them will have to explain how 'red' is the new black--or about hair ('good' is straighter and less kinky). So, I love the way that many Bajan women have neutralised that last aspect by having shaved heads or very short hair.

Barbados does not strike me as somewhere that can have a real conversation about race because its history has too much baggage--slavery and oppression, exclusion and privileges, etc. But, it is but a special case of those places that have lived through slavery.

Race rarely raises its head as a major issue in good economic times, so it will be interesting over the next few years to see Barbados go through tough economic times and where its discussion of race goes.

Listen To The Blog

Technology changes so fast and so much. Today, I discovered a widget (called Odiogo, www.odiogo.com) that allows each of my blog posts to move from text to speech. Curious bod that I am, I tried it. Well, the automatic installation did not work. But, I was undeterred, and copied the code and inserted it myself. It works! From what I see you can choose to listen to each blog or select from a menu to listen to all blogs.

The voice is machine-made so do not mistake it for mine.

I would love to get feedback on this, especially from people who had not been able to get access to the blog due to having impaired vision.

NAPSAC My Knapsack

Usain Bolt she is not, but who knows where she will land?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee she is not, but she left her prints in the sand.
A little smiling face with two gap teeth.
Her swinging arms, her stance so sweet.

Like a Trojan she entered the stadium.
Glancing left and right, trying to find her family.
She listened patiently and waited her turns.
Swing once, swing twice, bend knees, push hard, and fly.

Wow! Well into the air and landing without fear.
Dust off the hands and rejoin the line.
Glancing up at the crowds and frowning at what she heard.
Are they calling my name or am I just hoping?

Is this a big thing? I feel so very small.
Look at that man, he seems so tall.
He waves his flags. White is good, red is foul.
I did alright that much I know.

Just wheel and turn and another go.
We were many but now we are just eight.
I jump again. This is great.
We leave the sand and walk to a tent.

Some people speak. The National Anthem.
The meet begins, but it had already begun.
I am confused by the way grown ups do things.
Back to my team, and smiles from my teacher.

My Mum comes to find me and takes me from an 'Auntie'.
We climb the steep steps and find Daddy and Tanti.
I'm sweaty but not tired.
No school for the rest of the day; I can go home early.

I get great hugs and kisses too.
I know I did well and so do you.
Next year? I liked running on the coloured track.
So, look out Usain,I will be back.

Thoughts On A Possible 'National' Repurchase Of Barbados National Bank

The following was offered today to the main local papers, The Barbados Advocate and the Nation.

A letter by Dr. Justin Robinson in today’s Advocate entitled 'Nothing wrong with seeking controlling interest in BNB' (see http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=letters&NewsID=2354) raises some interesting arguments concerning a possible ‘national’ repurchase of shares in Barbados National Bank.

His initial premise is that "government sees net advantages to the existence of a financial institution whose ownership structure would make it more likely to act in the national interest if called upon to do so... to expedite the bailout of a troubled financial institution, such as the role played by First Citizens Bank in Trinidad and Tobago”. This is an interesting line of argument. It is in a way a ‘pre-emptive strike’. The argument suggests that one way to deal with possible failure in the financial system is for the state to ‘join them’ so that it is better able to help. This may work, unless the financial institution that runs into trouble is not that owned by the state. It’s worth recalling that one of the problems of BNB before it was sold in 2003 was that it did run into trouble and needed to have its balance sheet cleaned up of bad loans and be reorganized to function better.

The argument that “Governments around the world have in effect been forced to reverse economic policy and take significant ownership stakes in financial institutions” is true but leaves out the important feature that one of the well-known roles of government is to deal with ‘market failures’. This is why it is not uncommon for a government or its agent in the financial system, the central bank, to act as lender of last resort or buyer of last resort, and this is more critical when the risk is that the problem will become systemic, i.e., spread across the whole range and contaminate the good and the bad financial institutions. It could also be lender of first resort, as needed, and that is akin to the role played recently by the Central Bank of Barbados with regard to CLICO/CL Financial with its B$ 10 million deposit and line of credit.

Dr. Robinson is right to say “I think it is certainly legitimate to raise the question as to whether or not the existence of such “national” institutions, enhance the efficacy of the policy response to a financial crisis in small states, with a limited number of institutions capable of effecting a takeover of a struggling financial institution. How valuable is the flexibility such “national” institutions provide to policy makers in a crisis? Are there far more effective alternatives in a small developing country, or do the costs of having such institutions outweigh the costs?” National financial institutions do not save financial systems (except in the case of a communist or command economy, where everything belongs to the state). It also sends an odd message if one seeks to play a role in a sector because of the fear of failure in the sector: that undermines the system, I would argue, and risks tainting otherwise healthy institutions.

The other aspect is whether the creation of a national institution is a permanent situation or temporary. In the recent instances that have been seen in the US and UK, the increases in the governments’ stakes in banks has been put forward as essentially a temporary solution, with the view that the government will not become a majority owner, and would look to reduce its stake as things improve. If the general view is that the private sector has failed, and the public sector needs to run things, then there is a wider political and philosophical discussion that needs to take place about how the economy should be structured and the country run. While we may show that the private sector has failed, public ownership has rarely been associated with commercial success. If that is not the concern, and we have some other social objective, then public ownership may be the way to go. But, remember, someone will have to pay if the commercial side is not working: that ‘subsidy’ may be implicit or explicit, but it will be there.

Dr. Robinson also poses the point, “If in fact, “national financial institutions,” enhance the capacity of a national government to respond to crises in the financial services sector, the question may well be, not whether a country can afford a “national financial institution,” but whether it can afford not to have one.” There is no way to answer this hypothetical question. What does ‘afford’ mean? One can argue that having a national institution would be better but time will tell whether that is true. But there will always be the question of how things would have been resolved without the national institution. Barbados’ central bank governor tells us that the banking system is sound. Her words do not suggest that since ownership of BNB changed that soundness has worsened. Corporate data suggest that BNB’s performance has improved, when measured by those things that usually mark commercial success. So, what is wrong with the bank and how it is functioning?

Ownership structure does not guarantee a particular line of action unless the owner is the state and therefore does the government’s bidding. If national ownership is broad and largely private, then the ‘national’ owners need not act in what is viewed as the ‘national interest’ if it is not in their interest, possibly driven by things like profit or some other return on capital. In the past, when BNB was up for sale to nationals, they took personal interest to mean ‘do not buy now’, and national ownership was less of a concern. Now the bank is majority foreign owned. BNB, under Trinidadian management and majority ownership does not appear to have ever acted in a way that could be viewed as not in the national interest of Barbados, as far as I am aware. So, if it has not acted against the national interest in the pursuit of its own corporate interest why should one presume to tamper with that? For, the repurchase of a majority national stake to make sense that is a question to be answered. If the issue is the name, “Barbados National”, when the bank is no longer fully Bajan, then there are other ways to deal with that other than buying shares.

Dennis Jones
Economist

Have We All Been Played For Fools?

A blog is meant to be somewhere to express ideas that are of the moment. A blogger is also not usually speaking for anyone other than him- or herself. So, I will be brief. I feel an amazing sense of despair from the news I got last night that Barbados' singing princess, Rihanna (Robyn Fenty), was married to Chris Brown over the past few days.

The past few weeks have given us revelations that Mr. Brown had assaulted Ms. Fenty, during a dispute on the night of the Grammy Awards that began in a rented car when the latter found a long text message on Mr. Brown's cell phone from another woman, with whom he had had a relationship (reportedly sexual). I don't know when that relationship was, or if it is ongoing. Mr. Brown was initially alleged to have assaulted Ms. Fenty brutally, with punches, scratches and bites on her head, face and hands. Some of the injuries had been seen thanks to a leaked photograph from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Ms. Fenty reportedly sought the comfort of her family in Barbados, while Mr. Brown seemed to get on with life much as if nothing had happened--there were pictures of him out on jet skis.

Outrage at Mr. Brown's actions had been expressed by many who know him better than me, including fellow pop stars Usher, and Jay-Z (who is also a mentor for Ms. Fenty). Their anger was clear and there were at least implicit threats to Mr. Brown.

Expressions of sympathy as well as expressions of anger greeted Ms. Fenty, but my impression is that on balance there was more sympathy. Some hoped that she would seize this moment to champion the blight of domestic violence. Perhaps, surprising to some, she remained silent regarding her own alleged suffering.

Ms. Fenty's family came into the spotlight, especially her father, whose public image had been bashed on many occasions. I heard from someone who was present how he had conducted his press interviews with US media outlets long distance from a well known local eatery.

The history of physical abuse by Mr. Brown's father and Ms. Fenty's father seeped out, not necessarily as justifications, but as understandable background. There was a chain of events and the links had not been broken.

People in Barbados, however, raised more clearly concerns that nothing would come of this incident, recalling a well-known spat between the couple at a local night club, Club Extreme. How considerable damage had been done to their room at a local major hotel chain. How cars had been damaged in moment of rage between the couple. How other major bust ups had occurred, and so on.

Stories quickly seeped out that in fact Ms. Fenty had never come back to Barbados. But also that Mr. Brown had come to Barbados. Confusion. Deception? That she had spent time in a resort in Mexico recovering. That the couple were in a process of reconciliation at the home of one P Diddy, another mega pop star.

Yesterday, LAPD Attorney's Office laid two felony charges against Mr. Brown of assault and making criminal threats (see CBC report). The sworn statement by Los Angeles Police Detective DeShon Andrews, in which he detailed what allegedly happened in the early morning hours of February 8 is a story of incredible violence. But clearly, not enough to offset the 'kiss and make' up.

Then, last night, as a group of friends met for their weekly lime, the news came out that the couple had been married recently. One of our group placed a call to someone who knows 'Robyn' well and got confirmation that the ceremony had been at the weekend. Gasps followed. Words that I cannot write here were uttered by learned men. Dismay was expressed by most of us. I joked that I would not be surprised to hear that Ms. Fenty is pregnant. This morning, I have seen at least one report that says the same thing. I said "We have all be played for fools." A cynical part of me speculated about how this could also have been a bizarre and morbid pop industry set-up.

I am not a Bajan, so do not express national outrage. I wonder how this 'daughter of the soil' sits comfortably as a social ambassador for her country. I wont pretend that I can understand Ms. Fenty and wonder about those around her who offer her advice and guidance. I wonder who really is her friend and who is really just there for their piece of the lucrative pie that she has become.

I will let those who feel they can defend either or both of these young people can go ahead. I think it's a nonsense to call them children, though they are very young. If their youth is now a problem, then it must have been a problem before: they are older now. Are they mature? To my mind, not very. Are they misguided or badly guided? I would say very certainly. Are they mercenaries? I will ponder that, as some suggested that the wedding was about 'saving careers' and noting that wives cannot testify in certain cases against the husband. More of that will come out as the police proceed with their case.

All of this leaves a really bad taste in my mouth.

We Are Friends

Every now and then there is an odd confluence of people and events that leads to what all agree is a superb occasion. The joy of spontaneity is that 'the best laid plans' are only the backdrop. Last night, a group of twelve people who two years ago were not known to each other, had one of those occasions. It was a birthday celebration for one of our 'queens'. Her husband had done what men occasionally do: organize everything himself. He had made the requisite calls (at least to me) to tell of time and place, and had said very little about who else would be present or much else. So, on the evening, I spent part of the drive going over what I might order, knowing that the process of managing a lot of tastes can eat into the event viciously. But, our dude had taken care of that too. On arrival, food started to arrive within minutes of our sitting down, and so it went on as courses arrived--appetizers then a great array of main courses. He allowed himself a little pleasure by ordering the wine once we were all present.

But, the magic was not in the food and drink, but was in the foolishness and drivel, and even in the way someone only known to the hosts who was visiting, just dropped happily within this group of extraordinarily regular people. Subjects came up and were used as props for quips, for friendly criticism, for exploration of relationships. We were all like dogs: our underbellies were laid bare because we did not fear that we would be attacked savagely. We lay there in our supine position, liking also the occasional stroking of a warm 'hand' in the form of a series of unprompted kind words.

Whether by design or by accident, we had the restaurant almost to ourselves. The other patrons who came in behaved impeccably, sitting in a corner table and having quiet and polite conversation. As befits a group of highly educated and accomplished professionals, we acted like we were at a high school prom, and we had the restaurant staff in tears of joy by the end of the night.

We talked of how women love to pack their men off, and also of women who equally love to be sent packing. We shared stories of how night owls preened, unruffled and ruffled their feathers. We kept our beady eyes on the threads of all the tales.

We checked if a man could remember when he was married and after he spent an eternity telling us about how it seems like time has no start, no end, no curve or bend, and the elasticity of eternity when one feels bliss, we checked with his wife, who agreed on the month. But an astute sister-in-law told them they were both wrong! When asked when their first child was born, they agreed that it was the day after the wedding--a day between marriage and birth sounds alarm bells in our region. We heard how a tailor man delivered a fitting jacket on a certain wedding day, and as things go in Jamaica that seemed to pass off without incident. We spoke of peckers and peccadilloes, of showers, soap and rope; of tennis and of menace. Is a man a brute because he does not use Imperial Leather? Will Peter Wyngarde ever live down those ads for Hai Karate?



We mulled the true meaning of "Don't despair. Get a spare."

A woman wondered if she needed to find it first before she could do anything with it. A man bragged that his was 17 inches, and was wireless; he's being screened as I write. We discussed whether it's better to look up or to look down; envy is still a vice. We heard why men don't go to the gym but just play tennis, to avoid having to use communal bathrooms. We spoke of men on the download and whether they needed to be taken out for a hard drive. We heard tales of nails but could not put our fingers on their meaning; some snorted in disapproval. We spoke of offshore finance and of sure financial disasters. We spoke of BNB and bed and breakfast. We spoke of CLICO and how we are wary of cliques. Oh!

And so the evening meandered.

We took our jollity onto the street in Holetown, as we extended our farewells and acted like people who had not seen each other for years, hugging and kissing and carrying on.

I have to admit that I am taking on a hard mission in 'cultural detoxification', if I can use that term in a way that is not too harsh. The British left us many things of which we should be grateful, but they left us the inglorious stiff handshake as the greeting of choice. When you think of arms-length diplomacy, this is what should come to mind, and if you really are afraid of catching something from touching another person, then it's the perfect "How are you". However, I personally prefer something warmer and more tactile, and which I find more in keeping with African traditions and for that matter with traditions in much of Europe. I institute the hug or embrace and the kiss. It's a hard sell for some, because it has no gender boundary, save for a certain deference if there is obvious revulsion. So men have to be ready to be seized and seized of the moment: President Obama is making the 'man hug' a common place in the public space. Women are less fearful of such trends, it seems.

We sang the traditional 'Happy Birthday' but I have to admit that it was less of an event than the rest of the evening. I am not keen on the idea of waiting till this time next year to do a similar celebration.

Those who know know that this year's birthdays have had some serious direct and indirect celebrations. This trend, if continued, could lead to a rash of deportations later in the year. What a way to go!

Carne Vale

I have never been to Carnival in Trinidad or Rio, though I have been to the Notting Hill Carnival in London. I know that there is no comparison between the last and the first two, and many would say that nice though the Trini Carnival is, it's nothing on Rio, which is often about having nothing on. I've been to Crop Over and Kadooment, and I know that these events are not the same as the Trini Carnival.

I imagine that no one plastering themselves with mud and paint, or looking to win' up on someone really cares where the name comes from: it's time for carnival. Webster's dictionary would have us believe that the origin comes from the Italian carne levare, meaning 'to remove meat', since meat is prohibited during Lent, according to several religious customs. Some, however, believe that the origin is from the Greek prefix carn ('meat eater'), referring to a cart in a religious parade, such as a cart in a religious procession at the annual festivities in honour of the god Apollo. It's easy with these roots to move to 'a farewell to the flesh', or things carnal, conclusion. However, when one watches carnival celebrations it's hard to see that anyone is letting go of anything, and some are often trying hard to get their teeth into flesh and more. It's a carefree time.

A Bajan friend, with a strong dramatic background, shared with me her thoughts and a few pictures from the recent celebrations in Port of Spain.

The official 'jump up' days take place on Monday and Tuesday (Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday, in the Christian calendar), with Ash Wednesday and the commencement of Lent coming immediately afterwards. People go into these two days as a delightful excuse to engage in all things carnal, meaty and fleshy before praying and fasting or giving up some vice for 40 days and 40 nights - or however long they can last.

She played with a band called 'Africa - Her people, her glory, her tears'. The bandleader and designer, Brian Macfarlane (www.macfarlanecarnival.net) is the official masquerade man (since Peter Minschal retired) who makes artistry out of what is masquerade. The band is full of art aficionados, or more disparagingly, the 'artsy fartsy' crowd, who see masquerade as story-telling en masse. This year, the group told the 'story' of Africa, in 18 sections depicting different tribes from all over the continent.

My friend was supposed to be 'Himba from Namibia', reflecting a real Himba woman she had met on a trip to Namibia. She had taken a trip in 2007 to the north of Namibia to the Himba 'region', where she went to work with an organisation called OYO, which works on social development. For her, then, the masquerade was more realistic; in her mind, she said "I AM HIMBA". In all honesty, the ladies of the band didn’t look anything like those real Himba women, not least because it is still seen as indecent exposure to walk the streets of Trinidad with bare breasts (or at least blatant nipples showing).

The kind of costumes the 'Africa' group wore was in direct contrast to the other more prevalent form of ‘bikini & beads’ mass with which the elite (like my friend) take much umbrage. While for most participants the bikini is de rigeur for playing mas, for the die-hard thespians there is no story behind it.

But, carnival is about so many things--including freedom and celebration--so it would seem true to say that, the closer you are to being naked and free, the closer you are to whatever is the meaning of carnival. I hardly ever see anyone who is vexed by the bikini mass. I suspect that there is more than a little 'I wish I could', that is evident in some commentary on FLOTUS Michelle Obama's arms that show so prominently from her sleeveless outfits.

On Carnival Monday, Macfarlane gave the players three pieces of cloth and sent them along their merry way to ‘get creative’: "You is art, now do some craft." The upside of that is that everyone is supposed to be part of the artistry.The creativity with which people showcased themselves and their ideas was awesome.

On Carnival Tuesday the band decked themselves out in their Himba gear, supposedly depicting a Himba Bride and groom, and hit the streets from 8 in the morning.

Although casual observers may not realise it, Carnival is a competition, so there are about four judging points to pass during the day, culminating with the main one at the Queen’s Park Savannah, which some don't pass until about 7 at night – under the lights. That was 'Africa's' fate – Macfarlane ain’t no fool. It was sheer pageantry.Every time the band crossed a stage, they did a very elaborate dance routine (yet simple enough for the tourists). My friend led the Himba section. No one told her what the band had to do, but as a drama teacher she let ALL the drama come out...within the realms of decency!

At the end of the two days, MacFarlane won band of the year, and my friend won 'best time of my life' award. (Clearly, my party had been a passing fantasy, but I wont be bitter.) She says that it was a 'once in a lifetime bacchanal' – until the next.

My friend parteed with a mixed crowed. A New Yorker who lives in Brooklyn; a Trini-Brit couple--he was on his third carnival and managed very well; and a Bajan sistren who has just moved back home from London. All good things must end and in the end some were flat out on their backs. That's what I call having a good time.

Happy In The Limelight

We know that many things are a mixture of form and substance, and actors/actresses, politicians and lawyers are often amongst the human species' best exponents of that. Some would say that all three are merely acting under different names. In Barbados, I am just beginning to see how that plays out. I have watched the performance of the main politicians over a couple of years, and while I would not be tempted to grade them, I do notice that they perform quite differently, and as such must be less or more convincing to those who see them. I am not going to delve too much into each person, but am going to touch on the PM a little, if I may, sir. Of course, Bajans will love to see all of this in cricketing terms, especially as Windies are putting themselves into position to pull of at least a draw against England in the Fourth Test at Bridgetown. So I will try to drop a few catchy metaphors.

Mr. Thompson does come over as a man at ease with his position--very significant when one recalls that his party spent nearly two decades as the country's opposition, and was not in the 'kitchen' to feel the real heat of political decisions. He is no President Obama when it comes to poise and style and rhetoric; that man is a rare charmer. But, the PM has a certain evident stature: he has height (often a winner), dapperness (look at that shirt and tie--Jermyn Street, I hope), and poise (head held high, eyes forward, engaging smile), which comes from a seeming command of his brief and the whole setting.

Part of the trick is to look better than those around you. When I watched him on CBC last night, facing off with political analyst, Peter Wickham, I saw a man who did not feel he was going to be tripped up. The analyst needs to do something about that seemingly ill-fitting jacket, with shoulders looking at least a size too large. Look at the pictures and see the way the PM appears to be in command. Mr. Wickham is poring over his notes on his laptop--I think, rather than checking his Facebook page. The PM is engaging those around him. Sure, he has notes too, but as he checked off answers with his finger, one could judge the mnemonics he was using to get the points out and get them right. That raised finger may well be his source of power. Just like an umpire sure that he will not have to deal with TV replay. The PM is a lawyer by training, but has been finance minister before and is now. So, he has learned to make the 'pointed' remark--the finger does the talking and walking. He knows how to put matters in a seemingly balanced way, like an economist: "On the one hand...On the other hand..." Mr. Wickham has not placed his finger in a way that will help turn the next ball.

Scenario-setting was the one thing that made me worried about the PM's command of the situation. At least, he did not use that particular word, 'situation', but he did get in a bucketful of 'scenarios'. Again, was that the actor taking control? Act one, scene four: PM commands attention by knocking for six criticisms of handling of CLICO Barbados affair and close personal friendship with Leroy Parris. Everyone knows they are friends and whatever goes on has to be seen in that optic. Is it something that clouds decisions? No matter what you say, try your best, a friend is a friend, and a good thing that may be, too. But, where did he learn to bowl that googly? I want to see how the opposition deals with the seemingly tricky ball of their taking campaign contributions from a CLICO subsidiary in 2003, including to individuals of the party. There are friends and then there are FRIENDS.

I did not manage to watch the whole 2 1/2 hours of discussion, and that was no reflection on content or form, just the result of an early start, some mid-afternoon tennis, and some delicious early evening barbecued ribs and peas and grits. I had already been at my wits end with CBC because, not having had the luxury of spending three days to line up for tickets, I had hoped to watch some on TV. Wrong! But, I gine ketch you. A friend in the UK has sent me the link to watch live streaming of the cricket--for free. Send that for referral, if you t'ink you bad. But, I digress.

I will do a bit of my own digging, but the PM seemed to have all the strokes to deal with all of the balls coming towards him.

• Starcom questioner? Easy ball, man. Four again.
• Lady calling on the phone? Dancing down the wicket and taking the ball a little late due to some interference on the line, he strikes the ball over the longest boundary. Six.
• Questioner by e-mail. Please. Thick outside edge. Four more.
• Tame delivery from one of the studio audience. Haymaker. Clear the party stand and into the pool with the English fans. Six.
  

I wondered why the PM had not made earlier some of the very clear statements regarding CLICO Life [a memorandum of understanding with a 'reputable Barbadian entity' should soon be agreed to sell this entity and take it out of the group], Greenland waste management project, Graeme Hall nature park [which the owners are planning to close], and others that he made on TV. The TV appearance was reportedly a last minute affair. I could be excused for thinking that all is and will remain rosy, and that whatever financing arrangements are now being rolled out for the Four Seasons project the 700 workers laid off 'temporarily' will soon be back on the job.

I heard that the government will deal with pending debt obligations by going to the market to borrow, and will try to tap 'local' markets in the process.

I did feel that the PM had his best batting shoes on when dealing with Barbados National Bank and the repurchase of shares. It sounded like a little 'economical with the truth' moment, but the moderator was too polite to take him on. Where is David Ellis when you need him? Oh, yea. He works for Starcom, not CBC. Therein lie a blemish on an otherwise creditable innings. It was on a friendly home track. Not, that Barbados has a TV or radio equivalent of Australia's Gabba. They have Gabby, but that's not the same. But, the story now seems to be: Bajans, dig out your savings; credit unions get ready to move ahead in banking; Trindad, we are going to take back 'our' bank. Charge!

The feeling I have is that the opposition now has to raise its run rate to get near to the PM. Bringing out a vote of no confidence regarding the CLICO affair was not a surprise delivery, but the line and length is still a bit inconsistent. According to the PM, CLICO was in trouble with a deficit on its statutory fund since the mid-2000s, from B$21 million in 2005, to B$30 in 2006 to B$93 million in 2007: "This is a scenario of what one would call continued negligence, from 2004 right up to 2007 ... Nothing was done, and yet all of a sudden we are being told that I am the one who is responsible for the deficit..." So, who was really at the crease when all this was going on? Eyes move wildly to look at the BLP. Other answers from the PM--"Fortunately, there have not been any calls on CLICO [the life operation] that it has not been able to meet, either here or in the Eastern Caribbean"--suggested that, despite the statutory fund deficits, the fate that had befallen CLICO in The Bahamas and Guyana over the past week are not near to happening here ... yet. Hold that finger in the wind, though.

Overall, the general strategy of the BLP suggests that the new captain does not yet command the whole team, and with the old captain art(hur)fully sending in a few deliveries, and looking like he ow(e)n the whole ground, I can hear the divisions in the crowd. Parties in opposition often look like a motley crew and that may be a deserved and accurate description. The new captain moves gracefully but has yet to bowl a maiden over. The revelation that the current 'fine mess' was there for all of the old team to see will require some skillful spinning. I look forward to the rebuttals.

On a final point, I got the impression that the presentation would be a wider media event, but in the end it appeared as a CBC-only event. There is an issue in my mind about how the state-owned media are playing face-time-management. The program was carried live on CBC and Starcom, but the latter's journalists were a side show. I feel that this will lead to some kinds of reprisal, because it's part of a discernible trend. That said, the PM looked at home and I guess that is natural on a government-owned station.

I Remember You Well

A few weeks ago, at my favourite Saturday breakfast spot, a relatively new acquaintance asked me "Do you notice that people gravitate toward you? But how do you remember them all?" I was honestly a bit embarrassed by the first part of the question and dodged it, but had an answer for the second. "I take people seriously. If I meet someone I try to absorb them. I try to focus on the context of the meeting and what the experience gives me. That may be a good or less good feeling, but that's what I remember and the rest flows from that."

When I meet people I usually try to get the name the first time round, but am not averse to asking for it to be repeated. When I meet someone again, I'm not ashamed to say that I remember the face and where we met but have forgotten the name. In crowded or noisy settings the names often get lost.

I rarely ask people what they do, as I believe that this locks one into a positioning based on views about jobs and their worth. I usually try to gauge from where the person comes and am apt to play a game or two to get that answer. I'm pretty good with accents so will often try to pinpoint someone based on how they speak. I try not to fall for the 'sound English, must be from England' fallacy.

I often try to make a connection. Someone from Jamaica will get the "Which parish are you from?" question, so that I can make some geographical link directly to me (Kingston born and raised initially) or my parents (who came from two different parishes). People from the UK are often fun as I lived mainly in London so can play that against the fact that I know the north and many of its dialects (like Geordie) well and also lived in Wales, even speaking that rare language, Welsh, a little. People from elsewhere in Europe are great fun as they often do not know different English accents, so I can roll them around a bit, and then confuse with a bit of French or Russian to throw them off the scent.

Lots of things flow from having a real conversation with someone about yourself and/or your family, as opposed to latching onto a subject like 'exchange rate misalignment in post-colonial small states', riveting though that can be, when facing a firing squad and there is a need to stall for time. That is when the commonalities start to appear. But, it's also simple as you just have to be honest and yourself, not whatever you are employed to be.

I often try to make a quick link between someone new and someone I already know who is present, just through that simple "Do you know each other?" question and then making an introduction, if needed. I was advised a long while back "Only connect". I'm often apt to let the new acquaintances get to know each other, even if I then take a back seat as things like "You went to JC, too? What year?" and so on. Lots of new friendships have started that way and I am not one of the friends, just an acquaintance.

That kind of approach explains a lot why my friends and acquaintances are often quite an eclectic bunch.

I met some new acquaintances yesterday, when a friend brought her Jamaican guests to the breakfast place. The ladies lived in Kingston but were born in other parishes (one Montego Bay/St. James), the other Clarendon). They were immediately interesting because one had a 'normal' name, like Elaine, while the other had a Jamaican nickname, 'Sissy'--because she had been the young child. I mentioned that I was Jamaican--my English accent doing its usual camouflage job--and had been born and lived in Vauxhall Avenue. "Oh, that is in the east" one of them said. I laughed. "East of where? East is St. Thomas", referring to the parish that goes to Jamaica's eastern point. Then a few moments of reflection later, one lady said "Oh, that is near the Windward Road", which it is, and near Bray Street (if you want to go find it). I said that it's now a part of run down Kingston inner city "inna de ghetto". They got on with their morning and were busy observing the 'interesting' things to see at Brighton's Plantation. And there, I thought, I had left the meeting, as the ladies were due to leave on Monday.

But, God has his plan. My friend and I spoke on the phone after leaving breakfast while I was stuck in traffic, and so was she; we needed to deal with a usual Saturday chore of getting people to swim class. Then came the subject of what the rest of the day held. "The ladies are going to cook Jamaican food...escoveitch fish..." she said. My wail into the phone was shrill enough to have been like squealing brakes. Well, the ladies heard it, and despite my friend's pleas to not do this, they insisted on inviting my wife and me to dinner: "Im go eat we outta hous an' home. Don' do dis!" my friend told me she had said. Such friends!

So, to the evening. Tra-la. Amongst the guest, who were a bunch of the usual Jamaican suspects, was a Bajan couple. I immediately recognized them from a brunch we had attended...two years ago...during Cricket World Cup...on a very rainy Sunday. I reminded them of that as we sought to recall how we knew each other. But, what a happy reunion. They were well known to the ladies, going back many years and several places. He, whom I shall call 'Leisure', was clearly a man who knew how to enjoy himself. But he was also one of life's odd fish, a contract bridge player. He regaled us with stories of how during the recent Beijing Olympics he had had to witness the rigours of dope testing. Amazing for card players, and we really got no real insight into what performance enhancing drugs these characters might take, but heard how some had to administer their insulin shots during games, or were on hypertension medication, etc., some of which might have exposed the team to expulsion. Whether they had been herbalists earlier in life we never heard. Nor did we explore the need for steroids to be able to fling down cards with great force. She, whom I shall call 'Morris', won my heart easily by producing a cassava pudding that I was prepared to fight man and beast for (not forgetting our two ladies' contribution of THE bread pudding and sour sop mousse). And the evening rolled along.

At one stage they asked me if I knew a certain Bajan who had worked at the IMF. I answered that I knew him a little, but he was great friends with one of my best men, who happens to be Norwegian. We spoke about playing bridge, which I did from high school into my early 30s, but not since. Different systems. We joked about how playing 'one club' and 'blue club' were not to be confused with playing in night clubs.

And the night rolled on. We all bashed and defended bashment culture. We all argued about financial and economic Armageddon. We lamented the loss of Allen Stanford's money for cricket. We prayed that West Indies would pull off a victory against England. We discussed Agrofest. We ate jerk chicken, roast pork, escoveitch flying fish, rice and gungo peas, and more. We drank great rum and 'Fat Bastard' wine. We limed. We parted ways. New acquaintances made; previous acquaintances refreshed. I hear that I will soon get a call to come and remember how to play bridge. Becoming an Olympian through this athletic pursuit seems like an alright prospect as I meander through the coming years.