One of the dirtiest cuss words to Bahamian ears is change. For as long as I can remember, speaking the word within earshot of Bahamians and you will would get the scalded cat reaction—loud shrieking and a lightning fast dash to escape. Recently, though, my people have accepted two new notions with alacrity— protest and […]
So far, this series of articles have attempted to provide a coherent and studied critique of the newly proposed National Health Insurance scheme (NHI). The first installment of the series was an attempted to move beyond the reactionary criticism about the two per cent contribution that swallowed up the news cycle. The goal was to […]
I have created a new collective noun for the dictionaries—a conspiracy of Bahamian unions. Just when I thought I could rest my pen for a moment, I learned that an alphabet soup of labour unions—the BNU, CPSA, BDU, BUT, UTEB, BIMAWU, BCPOU, BCPMU, BHCAWU—have donned boxing gloves, threatening to go the full rounds in the ring with […]
BCCEC echoes assessment in the first installment Opposition response misses the big issues Wealthy will avoid paying their fair share, again Not long after the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) extend the consultation period on the newly proposed National Health Insurance policy, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) lobbed a press […]
The Thanksgiving turkey and ham have been consumed and December is just days away. For most people, December 1 will flag the start of a fevered race of over-the-top shopping and a continuation of the feasting launched in November. I wondered what I could write of value to my readers before some of us get […]
“Harvest”—That’s what this season used to be called in The Bahamas. Now, it’s “Thanksgiving”, which we have borrowed from the Americans, as we have many other customs and cultural artefacts, whose origins and purposes many no longer remember or perhaps never knew. I do know that harvest was a time of observances in church in […]
Media misses the mark in telling the bigger story Cost of doing business could skyrocket Why those intended to benefit from the scheme may lose out We have started the discussion on the newly proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme all wrong. On the one hand, upon the release of the NHI policy paper, the […]
“Lord, lighten our darkness” is the prayer of many a householder and business owner in New Providence these days. We have to worry about many things electrical. We fret about coming home after work, flicking that all-important light switch and hearing what sounds suspiciously like a snigger of contempt coming back at us, when we […]
How important is money? Try this. Walk into that high-end store and grab the watch you have been salivating over forever. Next, walk out the door without exchanging some form of money at the cash register. Your next portrait could be a mug shot and you might later be spending time in rent-free accommodations at […]
“All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.” This famous, but often misquoted line, was spoken by the actor Gloria Swanson playing the role of Norma Desmond, an aging big screen star in the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard. Like Desmond, we want to be certain that we’re camera-ready, when our big moment comes to […]
Nowadays, there is no problem catching the news. It comes at you whether you want it or not—from car radio, radio on cable, television, on your Smart phone, social media, network news, shows commenting on the news, news from the United States, Europe, Britain, Al-Jazeera. And it’s nearly all bad and then some. There are […]
In the past few weeks, the headlines of the major Bahamian newspapers have been dominated by evidence of a chronically disgruntled populace and an increasingly dysfunctional economy and society. Consider the following: “Why So Little Aid And Why So Late?: Year From Irma, Islanders Insist Govt Does More” “Wilchcombe: Gaming operators being victimized” “Komolafe: Affordable […]
