This And That

Just got a glimpse of Chanderpaul lying on the ground knocked out. Replay shows him being bowled by Brett Lee. Chanderpaul ducks to avoid the ball but the ball made contact with the helmet with a loud crack. Down goes Chanderpaul like a sack of potatoes according to one commentator.

After 5 mins he was up walking around with an ice bag on the hit area. Tiger Chanderpaul really live up to his name. Instead of clawing back inside, he stayed at the crease to prove his fitness as evident by the blistering shots.

However I was slightly annoyed that his partner did not show enough of a concern to check his condition but just stood his ground above him whilst Brett Lee checked on Chanderpaul.

TV Ads

I am thinking about rating TV ads. I had this thought now for over 2 years but now that I this blog I will be rating them here. Just my personal opinion on them. You know there are just some ads that make you wonder what the ad agency was thinking. Of course I would not be  rating every ad. I just don’t have the time for that.

Suffice to say I can only rate what is before my eyes. How often will I rate them. ?I don’t  know. Maybe every couple weeks or months.

Best news[s] story of the week.

1 - BLP supporter Dr Pat Alleyne former managing director of the Barbados National Terminal agreeing with the DLP David Thompson government in removing the subsidies on fuel. In direct opposite to her Leader Of the Opposition Mia Mottley  stance of calling for the subsidies to be resumed.

2 – Lawyer Mortimer Clarke suspended for 9 months. Charge: “borrowing” his client monies and failing to repay it back after 9 nine years!!!

WHAT!!! Is Mr Clarke not part of the inner circle?  Did he cross some other lawyer and was made to feel the “wrath” of his peers. Or is this just a classic tale of being a scapegoat? How come he got “caught?”.

Whilst we are happy “some justice” was melted out to Monsieur Clarke, what about the other lawyers who misappropriated client’s monies and get away with murder! Where is the justice? How does that square with the “inescapable duty” to protect the public interest”? Were those cheated not part of the public too?.

There’s a lot more to be charged for sure.

Cuban Refuses To Give Blogger Yoani Sanchez Visa To Collect Prize

Cuban authorities have refused to give a travel visa to Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez so she can receive one of Spain’s top journalism awards in Madrid on Wednesday, said Spanish newspaper El Pais which hands out the awards annually.

Last month the newspaper announced it has awarded 32-year-old philologist Yoani Sanchez, whose blog “Generacion Y” chronicles the woes daily problems citizens face, the Ortega y Gasset prize in Spain for digital journalism.

“We still don’t know if she will be able to come,” an El Pais official told

AFP, adding the island’s communist government was “complicating” her exit.

Sanchez has said her request for a travel visa is the “perfect test” to see if Cuba’s new President Raul Castro, who succeeded his ailing brother Fidel Castro

earlier this year, is serious about opening up the regime.El Pais praised Sanchez’s “vivacious” writing style and “shrewdness” in overcoming hurdles to freedom of expression in Cuba when it announced her prize.

The blog, hosted on a server in Germany, is Cuba’s most popular, receiving 1.2 million hits a month.

Since becoming president, Raul Castro has taken modest steps to improve living standards, including allowing Cubans to stay in tourist hotels, take out mobile phone contracts, and buy appliances such as computers, motorbikes.

Source – Caribbean Net News

Blogging Verses Journalism

Such was the 10 min topic on CBC TV 8 2hr morning show “Morning Barbados” where presenter Belle Holder sought to get the views of Eric Smith and Jewel Forde on how blogging has or is affecting journalism.

Well I would agree with Eric Smith, blogging is here to stay and is growing. They are critical, can allow feedback, compliment print media and are advantageous in providing audiences with additional information. An example cited was hurricanes.

On the other hand, Jewel Forde in a attacking mode could not help but made mention of the incident when the cameraman focus on her dropped head on election night so much so that one commenter on another blog related it to the BLP losing streak. Jewel, if it is any consolidation I believe it had to do more with the many UNPROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL HITCHES ON CBC THAT WE HAVE BEEN DURING FOR THE UPTEENTH TIME WHICH CBC CAN’T SEEM TO GET RIGHT EVEN IN 2008 but we are getting ahead of our self.

Jewel Forde believed that blogs should be policed. She believed that they are indiscipline. According to Ms Forde, blogs deal with personal opinions. Journalism reports the story and leave out the emotions and opinions. Ms Forde give an example. Before reporting on the above incident, she would of check with the individual to get a feedback before writing the story but we both know it doesn’t always work like that now do we?

That’s why we have blogs Ms Forde. Today reader want to express his or her opinions on a subject matter. They want to be heard not to be discriminating against. They want the nitty gritty of the story not just bland reporting that fails to investigates crucial stories that matters to the populace.

In response to Belle Holder statement that blogs cannot be held against the same ‘do & don’ts like journalism since this is ‘a man in the street expressing his opionion’, Ms Forde categorically disapprove. Character assassination, no recourse, irresponsible, full of innuendos were some of the terms express. Mention were two blogs Barbados Free Press and Cheese On Bread.

At least she saw the need to encourage media blogs and for CBC to incorporate cellphone footage in its news broadcast.

Saudi Blogger Farhan Freed From Prison

Saudi Arabia’s most popular blogger was released Saturday after serving four months in prison without charge.

The blogger, Fouad al-Farhan, 33, was detained Dec. 10 after authorities warned him about his online support of an activist group. At the time of his arrest, the Interior Ministry said only that his violations were not related to state security.

Farhan had used his blog to criticize corruption and call for political reform in Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy. Fouad al-Farhan is one of the few Saudi bloggers who uses his real name.

Mr Farhan’s arrest, believed to be the first of an online critic in Saudi Arabia, had been condemned by bloggers around the world, including more than 200 in the kingdom.

In a telephone interview Saturday, Farhan said he was happy to be free and described his time behind bars as “a unique experience.” He said he had been “fairly treated” but would not comment on the specifics of his case.

“I will be blogging soon,” he said.

In a letter to friends written just before he was detained, he said: “I was told that there is an official order from a high-ranking official in the Ministry of the Interior to investigate me. They will pick me up anytime during the next two weeks.”

Reporters Without Borders classifies Saudi Arabia as a top “internet enemy” and estimates about 400,000 websites are on the government’s blacklist.

See previous articles – Cuba Blogger Yoani Sanchez Wins Journalism Award

Cuba Lock Down Top Cuba Blog

[Adapted from International Press Reports]

Christain Group Sues Google After Search Engine Refuses To Take It’s Abortion Adverts

Here’s an interesting article on the dailymail web site. It says that, “A Christian group is suing Google over the internet giant’s refusal to take its anti-abortion adverts.

The Christian Institute, a “non-denominational Christian charity”, wanted to pay Google so that whenever the word “abortion” was typed into the popular search engine, its link would appear on the side of the screen. The link would have read: “UK abortion law – news and views on abortion from the Christian Institute. http://www.christian.org.uk.”; But Google refused the advert because it said it had a policy of declining sites which mixed the issue of abortion with religious views. Its Dublin-based advertising team replied: “At this time, Google policy does not permit the advertisement of websites that contain ‘abortion and religion-related content’.”

Google does, however, accept adverts for abortion clinics, secular pro-abortion sites and secularist sites which attack religion.

The Christian Institute has now started legal proceedings against Google on the grounds that it is infringing the Equality Act 2006 by discriminating against Christian groups. It is seeking damages, costs and the permission to publish its advertisement. Mike Judge, Christian Institute spokesman, said: “For many people, Google is the doorway to the internet. “To say that religious sites with material on abortion are ‘unacceptable content’ (while) advertising pornography is ridiculous”.

Downright hypocrisy if you ask me.