“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” – Luke 18:1 I first visited ‘The Nature Isle’ of Dominica in 1968 on a professional assignment. After that I returned several times a year but I probably have not been there more then three or …
“When there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” – Proverbs 29:18 The thirteenth event, in just over four years, of the series ‘Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism’, CMEx (the four day version) and CMExPress (the one day version), took place in San Juan, Puerto Rico …
“Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again” – Ecclesiastes 11:1 Carol Bartz, Chairman, CEO and President of Auto Desk, Inc., one of the world’s leading software companies, overcame the threat of breast cancer to become a winner in the tough, men-dominated infotech industry. In her own 2002 …
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” – Philippians 1:17 My most frequently traveled to cities in North America are Miami, New York and Toronto. I try to avoid New York and Toronto between the months of December and April because of …
February 2, 2006 EDWARD HARRIS AT LARGE IT IS TIME FOR A BUSINESS “THINK TANK” IN ST. LUCIA!!! It is time for an end to verbal expression about the need for professionals and businesspersons to get together and exchange ideas that will propel business both new and old. While it can be argued that this …
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” – Jeremiah 29:11 Our future is in the hands of public and private sector individuals whose mandate it is to provide the necessary leadership skills and set …
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” – (Matthew 11:28) The late Honourable Professor Oliver Headley, presented a paper (2001), shortly before his untimely death in 2002 entitled ‘The Barbados Goal: Forty Percent of Electricity from Renewable Sources by 2010’. In this paper he reminded us …
“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” – Psalm 37:4 As we embark on another year, what shall be our focus regarding sustainable economic development? Let us designate 2006 as the Year of the Entrepreneur and let us seek divine guidance so that our desires might …
“Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds” – Psalm 71:17 Over the last week my faith has been restored in the potential for humanity, not to self-destruct but to be involved in activities, which could pave the way for a sustainable future. In particular, …
“Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it to the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel” – Deuteronomy 31:19 Soon after Lester Vaughan Secondary school closed for Christmas holidays 2005, Nicole and Handel convened a meeting …
“And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only” – Joshua 17:17 The seventh Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx), mounted by Counterpart International and hosted by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, …
“Edom’s streams will flow sluggish, thick with pollution, the soil sterile, poisoned with waste, the whole country a smoking, stinking garbage dump. The fires burning day and night, the skies black with endless smoke. Generation after generation of wasteland, no more travelers through this country!” – Isaiah 34: 9 -10. The above verses are reflective …
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” – Luke 6:38 As we approach another Christmas season, we are reminded of the JOY …
“And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered” – Ezekiel 34:5 Last week was a week of continuing humiliation for West Indies cricket supporters as they received a pummeling at the hands of the focused, disciplined and relentless Australian …
“And let our people also learn to set a good example in following honest occupations for the supply of their necessities, so that they may not live useless lives” Titus 3:14 Last Thursday the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Barbados (ICAB) mounted their 13th Annual Continuing Professional Education Conference at Sherbourne Conference Centre. The theme …
“There’s a lot of daylight still left; it isn’t time to round up the sheep yet, is it? So why not water the flocks and go back to grazing?” – Genesis 29:7 Recently, CBET has been promoting its Shepherding Model and currently has 19 ‘lambs’ in its ‘flock’. The majority of them are the Barbados …
“The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars” – Isaiah 9:10 The one thing that is constant in life is change. There may be small changes, there may be big changes, but whatever the magnitude of the change, we …
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” – Psalms 133:1 A Social Partnership exists in Barbados between Government, Employers’ representatives and Workers’ representatives. This partnership is called a Social Compact, the first Protocol of which covered the period April 1, 1993 to March 31, 1995. April 2004 …
“Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart” – Psalm 119:111 The word ‘heart’ is used in many contexts but common to all is the concept of a hub or some central mechanism which has an important bearing on the system at hand. It may …
“Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger” – Psalms 8:2 Barbados, a mere speck in the ocean, is three times the size of Washington D.C. but with less than half its population. The first British settlers landed …
“All the workers are judged. The one judged most sternly is, surprise, not the one who did something wild or profligate but the one who, out of fear, did nothing.God will hold us accountable for what we do with our talents, our abilities, our opportunities, our lives” – An interpretation of the ‘Parable of the …
“A vital step towards achieving a closer relationship between Caricom and the Dominican Republic would be for its President to set out in detail his vision of how a closer relationship with Caricom might bring value to the English speaking part of the region as well as to his own country – Excerpt from the …
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) In daily …
“As we move rapidly from a manufacturing to a service-based economy, the importance of human capital as a key marketplace differentiator has become increasingly evident. Companies have come to realize they need to hire, develop, and retain superior talent if they are to differentiate themselves from others and achieve competitive preeminence in the marketplace” – …
“Some people have a negative attitude, and that’s their disability” -Marla Runyan, Olympic runner who is legally blind. Last week the Barbados Tourism Authority mounted the first-ever ‘Barbados Week Philadelphia 2005’. The City of Brotherly Love was immersed in Barbadian music, culture and cuisine. It was surrounded with pulsating rhythms played by musicians from the …
“In general, synergy (from Greek sunergia, meaning “cooperation,” and also sunergos, meaning “working together”) is the combined working together of two or more parts of a system so that the combined effect is greater than the sum of the efforts of the parts. In business and technology, the term describes a hoped-for or real effect …
“January, like February, was introduced into the Roman calendar by a legendary king of Rome, Numa Pompilius (c.715-673 BC), who named it in honour of Janus, the god of doors and openings (Latin janus, a door). Janus is represented in Roman art as a man with two faces, one looking backwards and one forwards, implying …
“When you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen” – Quotation from Ralph Waldo Emerson www.theripplesproject.org Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to …
“…the truth is that employment and production are based on a delicate balance between investment and consumption, where interest rates and entrepreneurship play a vital role” – Excerpt from an article ‘Correction, Please!’ by Mark Skousen under the auspices of The Foundation for Economic Education – www.fee.org The Monday June 13, 2005 issue of the …
“A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage. Everyday sends to their graves obscure men whose timidity prevented them from making a first effort” – Sydney Smith, English Clergyman (1771-1845) Although the above quotation is over 150 years old, it is, to a large extent, still relevant …
“We believe that the attainment of international competitiveness is not only about adjusting production facilities and processes.it is about providing a guiding hand to our children and young people so that they may grow into mature and responsible citizens.” – Excerpt from 2005 Budget Address by St. Kitts & Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil …
“A country where young people are vibrant and optimistic through being supported and encouraged to take up challenges. We are the Government’s ears and eyes so it can better understand the needs and concerns of New Zealand’s young people. Our work involves keeping up to date on key issues affecting young people. We actively seek …
“There is nothing more West Indian than cricket. There may be things that are more Trinidadian or Guyanese, or things that come more readily to mind when we think of Jamaica or Antigua – idiosyncrasies of each country in the chain – but no institution of government, trade or culture has been more enduring. Indeed, …
„The Caribbean region is at a development crossroads and its member nations must take significant and concrete steps to improve productivity and competitiveness and face up to a more global competition if they are to accelerate or even maintain past growth. By taking such steps, they will reposition themselves strategically as an emerging trading bloc …
“We in this society need to cultivate this new tradition of celebration. To gather and rejoice in our lives, the beauty that surrounds us, our creative genius and love. In a celebratory mood, we’ll focus our intellects and creative problem solving capacities collectively and convert our human societies such that they become truly woven complementarily …
“Our manufacturing future lies in creating those products that are unique to the Caribbean as opposed to copying what those outside of the region might be doing or may have done before” – Comment by Anthony Sobers, CEO Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC), reported in the Barbados Daily Nation April 27 2005. Many traditional …
“We do not inherit the earth from our fathers, we borrow it from our children!” – Comment by David Brower, joint author of the book ‘Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run’, who was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace prize – www.newsociety.com In the first decade of the 21st century, Counterpart International (operating …
„A web definition of team spirit‚ is esprit de corps: the spirit of a group that makes the members want to succeed” www.cogsci.princeton.edu Charles Randall, a cricket journalist who writes for The Daily Telegraph in England, filed an article on April 14 2005 about the Kent cricket team which I think is very instructive in …
„Adversity Quotient (AQ) is the science of human resilience. People who successfully apply AQ perform optimally in the face of adversity” www.peaklearning.com At a recent seminar on Destiny, Health and Wellness held in Barbados, I was introduced to AQ by a motivational speaker Dr. Paul G. Stoltz who is the author of the book Adversity …
“Arthur made it clear that Barbados is not like the United States which can persist in running deficits and consume the goods of all the countries in the world that country can afford to go that route because it is in the favourable position of using the American dollar to pay for those exports if …
“Many policy analysts consider literacy rates a crucial measure of a region‚s human capital. This claim is made on the grounds that literate people can be trained less expensively than illiterates. Policy makers also argue that literacy increases job opportunities and access to higher education” – www.answers.com It has been continually repeated that on average …
“The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has settled its long-running legal dispute with Desmond Haynes, a move that clears the way for the former opening batsman to play a more prominent role in the region’s cricket development” Excerpt from article by Ryan Patrick www.caribbeancricket.com In another article, Ryan Patrick reports on Haynes‚ appointment as the …
“It is in cricket that we manage to express a sense of collective ownership that eludes us in many endeavours…in designing a development vision and strategy for the Caribbean, our policy makers need to capture the same hold on the imagination and passion that cricket does” – Excerpt from an address by Dr. Gillian M. …
“Whether to recognize achievement, strengthen relationships or communicate effectively, delivering a quality event can be a huge undertaking without the proper resources and experience” – Excerpt form the Grass Roots Group – www.grg.com The inspiring Barbados Society for Technologists in Agriculture conference, on Saturday before last, consisted of two panel discussions on the current state …
“A Constitutional Monarchy means that the highest office in the land is beyond politics. It denies ultimate power to politicians and helps to keep political power under check. Our impartial umpires, the Governor-General and State Governors, keep the politicians honest…” – Excerpt from Australians for Constitutional Monarchy www.norepublic.com.au I was in Trinidad week before last …
„Because it hasn’t been done before, doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Those who are afraid to make a mistake will never make a significant achievement – Ted Hood, America’s cup winner – www.reproductionsinc.com The online Bahai international community newsletter (Jul Sep 1996) states that: Civilisation began with agriculture. When our nomadic ancestors began to …
“…one of the main clues to corporate excellence has come to be specific incidents of unusual effort on the part of apparently ordinary employees…” – Excerpt from the introduction to the book ‘ In Search of Excellence’ by Thomas Peters and Robert Wateman which was first published in 1984. The social partners in Barbados have …
“…We have learnt one lesson and one lesson alone, that is how not to live together in unity. We have evolved a formula for living together, but not having any strength…The soul of this community has to be laid bare, and there is no better time to do that than when we are preparing for …
“The creative industries are, in the popular definition of the term – those activities which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property” – www.coe.int If we reflect on our history we think about the progression …
“The World Bank defines NGOs as ‘private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development’. In wider usage, the term NGO can be applied to any non-profit organization which is independent from government. NGOs are typically value-based organizations which …
“The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money” – Bernard Meltzer quotes www.brainyquote.com As we reflect on the events of another year, as an individual, a family, a community, a nation, a region or a universe, we are rudely awakened by the impact of the …