We take this opportunity to announce that
we are now green globe certified. We are very much aware of the
increased activity to preserve not only our island but the entire
globe and we are very proud to be a part of that.
We would like to share this with you and
invite you to view the link.
Sea-U Guest House in Barbados awarded Green
Globe Certified Hotel
Sea-U Guest House is tucked within a
lush tropical garden along the seaside slopes of the village of
Bathsheba on the east coast of Barbados, the most natural side of the
island. Here you can enjoy unspoiled beaches, breathtaking views and
mingle with locals. Uschi Wetzels, owner, manager and host fell in
love with Bathsheba and its friendly people, while working on a
Barbados travel guide for a German editor.
With Hammocks strung between coconut palms, the Atlantic Ocean waves
breaking against massive limestone boulders. Sea-U is a place for
those who are looking for a decidedly significant change of pace from
a busy life.
The main house and the cottage are built in a traditional island style
out of wood with large patios. The 7 rooms are decorated with mahogany
furniture, louver window treatments, rattan chairs, locally
handcrafted clay lamps and batik art.
A New York Times "Editor's Pick", Sea-U's welcoming staff -
all are from the area - provide knowledgeable information. The
atmosphere is relaxed, and guests quickly become friends.
Uschi Wetzels, Owner of Sea-U Guest
House says "As micro hotel in the landscape of the Barbados
hospitality industry Sea-U and its team is proud to receive the Green
Globe certification and are encouraged in preserving the natural
beauty of the unspoiled east coast."
Green Globe
Certification - Dedicated to personalized customer service, providing
certifications on the highest international standard supported by
worldwide marketing.
This message was sent from Green
Globe Certification to email@.... It was sent from: Green
Certifications Inc., 703 Pier Avenue, Suite B286, Hermosa Beach, CA
90254. You can modify/update your subscription via the link
below.
The Jewish Advocate, Wed, 07 Jan 2009 4:01 PM PST
In Barbados, Jewish life spans 400 years
http://www.thejewishadvocate.com/news/2009/0109/travel/024.html
Contrary to what you might expect to find on a small Caribbean
island, the Jewish community of Barbados is not only alive and well,
but has dramatically expanded its already impressive facilities with
the opening of a state-ofthe art museum.
GRAEME HALL NATURE
SANCTUARY, INC.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Bridgetown, Barbados
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Contact: Harry Roberts, General Manager
Telephone: (246) 426-3610
Email:
hroberts@...
Backup Letters, Art and
Archives:
www.graemehall.com/press.htm
Graeme Hall Nature
Sanctuary in Barbados to Close [Vancouver, Canada] Environmental philanthropist Peter
Allard announced that the 35-acre Graeme Hall
Nature Sanctuary in Barbados will close on December 15, 2008.
Saying that "no one individual can stand longer than a generation in
the wilderness of environmental
preservation," Allard despaired that to preserve the environmental
heritage at Graeme Hall for future generations
of Barbadians would require "a government-led consciousness."
"I thank the the citizens of Barbados who came to the Sanctuary to
visit, and thank those who signed the petition
with the Friends of Graeme Hall for a National Park," said Allard.
"I believe the Sanctuary would not have
been possible without the support of the many eco-visitors, school
children and the hard-working employees
who put their heart and soul into making the Sanctuary a first class
visitor experience."
Allard went on to say that the Sanctuary would not exist if it had not
been for special individuals who helped
make it happen such as Dame Billie Miller and her kind and capable
Permanent Secretary, the late Brie St. John,
Dr. Lorna Inniss, Dr. Trevor Carmichael, Dr. Karl Watson and many,
many others.
Approximately 85 employees and contractors will be negatively affected
by the closing. It is expected that tour
companies, taxis and local businesses will lose bookings as well.
In 2007, over 6,000 Barbadians signed a Friends of Graeme Hall
petition in favor of preserving the
approximately 240 acre green area at Graeme Hall as a National Park.
As the largest green space on the South
Coast between the Airport and Bridgetown, the proposed National Park
would include the designated 91-acre
RAMSAR wetland approved under the international Convention on
Wetlands, the 35-acre Sanctuary, and
recreational lands.
Saying that that the future of the Sanctuary and the National Park is
in the hands of the people of Barbados,
Allard believes that the Friends of Graeme Hall and the citizens of
Barbados must decide what their priorities
are.
"We have great affection and regard for the people of Barbados, and
the Sanctuary effort has always been a
philanthropic mission. This has been an incredibly painful and
saddening decision, but ultimately it is not for us
to initiate or set national goals and long term legacies for the
nation."
More information about the Sanctuary and the proposed Graeme Hall
National Park can be found at
www.graemehall.com/press.htm and www.graemehallnationalpark.org .
# # #
--
_______________________________________________
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Thousands celebrate
Pic-O-De-Crop in Barbados
Donna Hussey-Whyte, Observer staff reporter
Monday, August 04, 2008
Adrian Clarke winner of
the calypso monarch competition at Fridays Pic-O-De -Crop competition
held at Kensington Oval in Barbados, had the crowd going with his
songs entitled I am a Bajan and Put that in yuh song. He won with six
points ahead of defending champion Red Plastic Bag. BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS - Thousands of people from all over the
Caribbean, North America and Europe flocked the Kensington Oval in
Barbados on Friday to experience the crowning of the calypso monarch
of Barbados at the highly attended annual Pic-O-De-Crop
finals.
Adrian Clarke, for the second time in seven years, with his two songs
that had the crowd on their feet, I am a Bajan and Put that in yuh
song, walked away with a fully-loaded Toyota Corolla motor car, a
trophy and Bdos$10,500 for coming out at the top of a field of 10
contestants. He amassed 421.5 points over defending monarch Red
Plastic Bag's 415.5.
"I feel really good," he said after receiving his winning
prizes. "It's something I wanted for awhile. It took me seven
years, but I did it!" he told the Observer.
The fierce competition he had from defending champion Red Plastic Bag
and third place winner Classic made winning that much sweeter for
Clarke.
"It's always good to have good competition. I had wonderful
competitions from Red Plastic Bag, Classic and others," he said
excitedly. "But it was good!"
Red Plastic Bag, who won the title eight times, gave a sterling
performance with his songs De government change and Power of
democracy. He performed to an audience of approximately 11,000 people,
a large number of which wore red and carried custom built red plastic
bags. The defending champion received a sum of $15,750.
Pic-O-de-crop is just one of the many celebrations in Barbados during
their annual Crop Over Festival held between July and August and which
culminates in the Pic-O-De Crop, Cohobblopot (a contingent of local
and international acts) and a massive street parade. And, according to
Steven Blacket, Barbados minister of Culture, Crop Over is more than a
carnival.
"It falls in the season of Emancipation for Barbados and depicts
modern Barbados," he said at a press conference, held in honour
of local and international media. "We not only offer revelry and
beauty but a safe environment in which to do it and allow tourists to
experience the many aspects of Barbados. So what we have are people
who keep coming back." Along with the celebrations, he said,
bonus events are offered.
Living up to the tradition that the participants in this genre have
been seen as social commentators, performers like Classic who was
placed third with his songs Ah wasn't Dey and Dey Don See, and De
Announcer's De Biggest Loser, poked fun at the losing government led
by Owen Arthur, referring to him as the 'biggest loser' while
welcoming the new prime minister David Thompson.
Many of the performances were chockfull of serious political
commentary, much to the delight of the majority of crowd and the shock
of numerous visitors.
Other outstanding performers were Blood with the song If And When and
Lewis and Mr Impact with Where is my country and Destructive
people.
The evening's activities started with an outstanding performance by a
combined group of 120 youngsters from the Barbados Youth orchestra and
the Barbados Steel Orchestra. This set the mood for the rest of the
night as just about everyone in the audience started rocking to the
beat of what awaited.
Emcee for the night, the energetic and wise-cracking Mac Fingal, known
for bringing life to any event, displayed his usual gift of keeping
the audience cracking up with laughter. Special performances were by
the young Sir Reul who won the youth calypso competition earlier in
the week, and popular Bajan singer Rita.
Following the performances of the ten contestants for the music
monarch, the Kings and Queens of the Crop Over Bands were chosen. This
segment saw a representative from each of the seven bands competing
for the title, 'Queen of the Band' and four males vying for 'King of
the Band'.
Pic-O-De-Crop is a popular
event that draws a contingent from the various Caribbean islands,
Canada, USA, and England to the shores of Barbados to be a part of
this intense celebration. No competition in Barbados generates the
level of discussion and argument as the Pic-O-De-Crop leading up to
the finals.
--
_______________________________________________
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Adrian Clarke: No stranger
to Jamaica
By Donna Hussey-Whyte Observer staff reporter
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Bidgetown, Barbados - The newly crowned King of Calypso Monarch
Adrian Clarke says he is no stranger to Jamaica, despite the fact that
he has only visited the island once for a performance at the
University Campus.
Adrian Clarke, Barbados'
new King of Calypso.
"But I have a lot of Jamaican friends - a lot of Jamaican
friends!" he said. "One thing I always say is that Jamaicans
are one set of people who are proud to be themselves. You have a lot
of people here in Barbados who pretend to be other people and a lot
who want to be Jamaicans, but Jamaicans are just proud of who they
are."
And his love for Jamaica extends to the Jamaican music and
musicians.
Clarke began his singing career as way back as he can remember.
"I was always involved in music. As a youngster I was involved in
my church choir and played the drums. Then in 1992, I entered and won
a talent competition," he said proudly. "I have been exposed
to different types of music but for some reason I kept calypso,"
he added.
In 1993 to 1995, Clarke joined a musical group in Canada then returned
to Barbados where he became a part of the first Bajan invasion. Since
then he has performed at the Soca Monarch in Trinidad, and performed
in shows throughout the Caribbean, Europe, USA and Canada.
Clarke explained that both of his songs complemented each other and he
didn't believe one did it more than the other in tallying his points.
One of Clarke's unique features is his ability to improvise on stage
to match the response of the audience. His winning performance was no
different.
Clarke explained that he has already started on his material for next
year's competition. This is the second win for him after entering the
competition 15 times. He explained that he reached the finals 12
times.
In regards to stepping back and giving newcomers a chance, Clarke said
they too would have to work to achieve the crown.
"I don't believe in handing out things to them. If they want it
they would have to go out and work for it!" he said. "What
you have to also understand that for some of us it's a way of living
so it's a way of supporting our families. So we can't just up and say
we are giving others a chance, they too have to work for it."
Along with his musical career, Clarke is also employed to Master's
Touch Janitorial Environmental Company in Barbados.
Clarke is the father of two
children: his daughter Azizi who clung to him throughout the interview
and son DeAndre.
--
_______________________________________________
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They call him 'The General' and Edwin Yearwood once again led his
troops to victory, securing a krosfyah hat-trick when he won Tune-of-
the-Crop today with Handle Yuh Business.
Yearwood's fourth Road March title added to the People's Monarch
title he won last Thursday with the same song and the Party Monarch
victory bandmate Khiomal won last Sunday with Unleash the Beast.
"You never know what to expect because Road March tends to go some
funny ways sometimes. It feels cool that we can share that vibe once
again with Barbados like it used to be," said the Road March king who
now has a tally of ten titles - four Road Marches, five Party Monarch
crowns and one Pic-o-de-Crop victory. He painted his victory as one
for the krosfyah family, saying:
"I am extremely proud especially for krosfyah and definitely more so
for Khiomal because a lot of people see him as the "Robin" not
necessarily as the "Batman" but he is one of the most determined and
Dedicated young people. But outside of that I am really proud of
krosfyah because so many times people write off the band saying
krosfyah is done and every year God gives us the gift to write some
beautiful music and put it out there so that we keep coming back."
--
_______________________________________________
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Barbados Travel Notes
http://www.savethemanatee.com/BB/bbnotes.shtml
Barbados Photo Essay
http://www.savethemanatee.com/BB/bbphotos.shtml
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_______________________________________________
Harry S. Pariser
Manatee Press
PO Box 225001
San Francisco, CA 94122-5001
(415) 665-4829
fax by request
_______________________________________________
World's smallest snake
discovered in Caribbean Sunday, 03 Aug 2008
14:27
The world's smallest snake
was found in Barbados Printer friendly
version
In Focus
At under four inches in length the world's smallest snake has been
discovered on the Caribbean island of Barbados.
The species is as thin as a spaghetti noodle and is small enough to
rest on a US quarter.
Evolutionary biologist Blaire Hedges came across the type of
threadsnake in a tiny forest fragment on the eastern side of the
island.
He and his colleagues believe it is rare because most of its potential
habitat has been replaced by buildings and farms.
They announced the new species in the journal Zootaxa after they
carried out genetic tests on the snake and studied its unique colour
pattern and scales.
The researchers found that it produces a single slender egg that
occupies a significant portion of the mother's body.
"If a tiny snake were to have two offspring, each egg could
occupy only half the space that is devoted to reproduction within its
body. But then each of the two hatchlings would be half the normal
size, perhaps too small to function as a snake or in the environment,"
Dr Hedges explained.
"The fact that tiny snakes produce only one massive egg -
relative to the size of the mother - suggests that natural selection
is trying to keep the size of hatchlings above a critical limit in
order to survive."
It is not the first time the
scientists has discovered tiny species; he and his colleagues are
responsible for the discovery of the world's smallest frog and lizard
species.
--
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Khiomal did indeed 'Unleash the Beast' on the Party Monarch finals
today, clawing away the crown from 19 other finalists to take his
first ever victory in the competition. The krosfyah lead singer's
energetic performance helped him beat a field that included three
former Party Monarchs - defending monarch Hypa Dawg, Blood and
Natahlee.
Khiomal's presentation featuring Chinese dragons, the flag-
waving 'Monster Army' and himself costumed as a rampaging beast,
was
one of the few that managed to enliven an audience that was
relatively subdued for much of the day.
Second-placed Mikey who also employed the flag-waving services of
the
Monster Army for his performace of Explosion and Natahlee who sang
the popular Sun til Sun also got good responses from the East
Coast
crowd.
The full results are:
1st - Khiomal
2nd - Mikey
3rd - Natahlee
4th - Mr. Dale
5th - Hypa Dawg
6th - Red Plastic Bag
7th - Miguel
8th - Blood
9th - Kimberley Inniss
10th - Ramases
11th - Donella
12th - Hee Haw & Dragon Slayer
13th - Justin King
14th - Peter Ram
15th - T.C.
16th - Dragon Slayer
17th - Buggy
18th - Jafar
19th - Jay-B
20th - Jimmy Dan
--
_______________________________________________
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This sounds very bad to me.... American has a virtual monopoly on
many destinations.....
Subject: American Airlines/American Eagle Update - Urgent
Importance: High
Dear Association Executives,
The enclosed is an email sent to the CHA Executive Committee re the
status of American Airlines in the Caribbean.
Regards,
Goretti for
Alec Sanguinetti
Dear CHA Executive Committee Member,
You will have read press articles and also heard over the past few
days that American Airlines and American Eagle are planning major
adjustments to their schedules into and with-in the Caribbean. CHA
is now in a position to provide you with the facts following a series
of meetings that have taken place over the past two weeks and
culminated in a joint CHA/CTO meeting with Ministers of Tourism and
Ministers of Aviation in Antigua on May 29, 2008. Here is the
sequence and the current position:
May 12, 2008. CHA and CTO met with Peter Dolara in Miami and for an
update on the position of American Airlines and the current impact of
the continuing increase in the price of oil. While no definitive
plans were available re schedule adjustments, we were cautioned to
expect severe adjustments which would come into place in the fall of
2008. Please refer to the first attachment which was given to us by
Peter for general information.
May 13, 2008. CTO held an emergency Executive Committee meeting in
Miami to discuss the position. It was agreed to call an immediate
meeting of CTO Ministers of Tourism and Ministers of Aviation in
Antigua on Thursday May 29, 2008, to update on this developing
airline situation. Please refer to the second attachment which is
the letter sent to the CTO Ministers following the CTO Executive
Committee meeting.
May 29, 2008. The Antigua meeting agreed to put in place four task
forces to make recommendations on the following: Regional Marketing
and sustainable funding; Revenue Guarantees to airlines operating to
the Caribbean; Regional airlines in the Caribbean; Airline hubs in
the Caribbean. The recommendations from each task force will go the
ACTS meeting in Washington for further review and following this the
final recommendations will go to the CARICOM Heads at the one day
Tourism Summit meeting in early July 2008. CHA has been asked to
have a representative/s on each of these four Task Forces and
discussions with the CHA President are now underway in regards to
CHA's representatives.
May 29, 2008. As the definitive position with American Airlines and
American Eagle was still not known at the meeting in Antigua, I took
the opportunity to meet with Phil Oliveri of American Airlines in San
Juan on my return to Miami. The definitive position of American
Airlines at the current time in regards to schedule change for the
Caribbean effective September 3, 2008 is as follows: American
Airlines will be reducing flights from The US mainland to San Juan
from 40 flights per day to 18 flights per day. These reductions will
be made by canceling flights non-stop flights to San Juan from behind
the Miami gate way. The Miami hub will not be impacted by this
reduction in services. American Airlines will be laying off 300 staff
in San Juan. For American Eagle, while no public statement has been
issued as of yesterday, we can plan for a flight reduction from 55
flights per day to 33 flights per day. Some destinations will see a
reduction of up to 70% of current schedules. This is the current
position of both airlines as advised by Phil Oliveri in our
discussion.
The Caribbean tourism industry has faced several crisis situations
before but this is perhaps the most serious one ever in view of the
reason, which is the issue of the price of oil. In spite of the
challenges that this will present to our industry and our members,
there are alternative non-US markets that we need to capitalize upon.
We also need to take this opportunity to put in place the necessary
policies and programs that will provide the platform that will in the
future cushion the immediate impact from such crises and greatly
assist in establishing the sustainability of our industry.
CHA must be proactive in facing the challenges ahead and we will be
doing our best to keep you informed of our proposed recommendations
for this immediate crisis. This communication is also being sent to
our CSHAE members and to our entire membership.
Regards,
Alec
Alec Sanguinetti
Director General & CEO
Caribbean Hotel Association
2655 LeJeune Road, Suite 910
Coral Gables, FL 33134
T: + 1 305 443 3040
F: + 1 305 443 3005
E: asanguinetti@...
www.caribbeanhotelassociation.com
Barbados Repatriates
Stranded Ghanaians By Daily
Guide
Wed, 05 Mar 2008
Business/Finance|
Officials of the Ministry of Transport, Work and International
Transport of Barbados say they are working around the clock to get
stranded visitors from Ghana to Accra successfully.
They indicated that government, having recognised the plight of these
stranded passengers due to unfortunate circumstances, is taking urgent
steps through diplomatic channels to bring this consular emergency to
the attention of the High Commission of Ghana and will thus work with
the Ghana government towards the speedy repatriation of its stranded
nationals.
Again, the local ground handling agency for Seasons Travel and Tours,
the Charterer or tour operator which went into an agreement with Ghana
International Airlines (GIA) to transport the passengers to Barbados
has also been proactive in these efforts, a statement from the
ministry stated.
"Ever since it was brought to our attention that visitors entering
Barbados from Ghana on February 1, 2008 for a two-week stay had been
stranded here due to a break-down of private tour arrangements,
government had intervened and is actively seeking ways to facilitate
their repatriation."
The Ministry of Transport, Works and International Transport had said
it received an e-mailed application dated January 17, 2008 from GIA in
association with Seasons Tours and Travel to permit a charter tour
operation into Barbados on January 20, 2008 and depart the next
day.
However, having received the application, it queried the actual period
of the tour since no return date had been given.
Subsequently, on January 28, a revised application was received from
GIA, stating in part that the revised dates were now January 31 to
February 1, 2008 with a subsequent service on February 15 to return
passengers.
About 150 stranded tourists sent to Barbados by the Ghana
International Airlines (GIA) in collaboration with Season's Travel
and Tours, could not return to Ghana due to an ongoing difference in
position between the Charterer and the authorities in Barbados, a
statement issued by GIA some two weeks ago stated.
Though the return journey was scheduled for February 15, 2008, GIA
said it could not carry out the duty because it did not receive the
agreed consideration from the Charterer, Season's Travel and
Tours.
Again, on February 29th, GIA could not transport the passengers
because the Charterer had failed in paying for the return flight.
Gifty Annan-Myers, acting Chief Executive Officer of GIA said the
Charterer had defaulted in paying for the return flight, especially
when the government of Barbados required the GIA to fly empty to that
country, a situation which could not be borne by the operator since it
entailed extra costs.
She stated that this notwithstanding the airline had not abandoned the
about 150 passengers it transported to the Barbados.
--
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