'Mr Bascombe'

For all the things we are, for all the stress and trials and tribulations that we live through every day, there is always something that happens that says 'now that's the reason we live here'. Our garbage truck comes on a regular basis, three times per week, and we have had the same crew for some time. The other morning the truck came earlier than usual so we had not yet put out our bag. The doorbell rings and I am hearing a male voice calling 'morning, morning'. Of course, I am swearing under my breath who the hell is this calling, not even my second cup. There is a larger than life 'Mr. Bascombe' asking what happened, no garbage today? Mr. Bascombe has a system of collection where he moves way ahead of the truck, picking up the bags and taking them to a single spot so that the truck has limited stops making for a much quicker pickup.

I have been on a new regimen for the last couple months basically making sure that I do not hit 66 as an old man. Walking and eating properly, no special diet, and it is working. I am well on my way to my weight/height ratio and hope to keep it there forever. One of the things I have done is to eat local food. No takeout whatsoever and no white flour, I would think that as of today my diet consists of over 80% of all local food. Still cannot get my head around mango wine so the main part of the rest of the 80% goes into my weekend treat of a couple glasses of merlot or whatever is pouring. I am very proud of the fact that I can live a healthy life without imported food. Using 'no-jook' fresh chicken averaging over 4lbs, local shrimp (OK needs cleaning), fresh fish, yellow sweet potato, Moruga hill rice, fine chocolates, great local ice cream, pawpaw and other fruit for snacking (instead of apples and grapes), homemade granola, everything green, everything in season, and everything else grown here.
 If we all adopted a similar approach then what would happen to our $5.0BN food import bill? If we put $1.0BN into agriculture can you imagine what the possibilities are? If the local food importers started to put resources behind our local farmers then we are talking serious diversification and millions of dollars saved in foreign exchange.

I see Barbados has taken the lead over the Rock with the arrest of a former Government Minister by the US authorities on charges of corruption. The new administration was elected in May of this year and already a corrupt politician is in handcuffs. Who was the last politician convicted and jailed from the Rock? and when was that? Every election we hear of the most corrupt bunch ever being voted out of office, being replaced by the other lesser corrupt ones and then the mysterious code amongst the brigands kicks in as it has done since the Caura Dam scandal. Is it not time that this foolishness stops. Call up Mia and ask her how to do it if with all the legal bravado, and fist pumping all we get is the boondoggle.

I see that after all the flashing lights and official announcements we still do not have a Commissioner of Police. The contract has not yet been agreed to. I might not be the sharpest tack in the box but surely this would have been No 1 priority before all the announcements and Cabinet reshuffle. We continue to wallow in mediocrity, we somehow always find a way to show ourselves as being not so bright. Remember the gentleman from Ghana being sworn in, the recently reshuffled Minister of National Security being sworn in before even the PMOTT took his oath of office, the Marlene bacchanal. I am not for one minute making reference only to this administration, all are guilty.

People of the Rock let us look for the 'Mr. Bascombes', there are many out there and in the meantime good night and good luck!