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Copa Airlines to boost summer arrivals

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 14:40:01 +0000

Copa Airlines to boost summer arrivals

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admin Mon, 06/20/2022 - 14:40

Thursday, June 2, 2022

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Copa Airlines to boost summer arrivals

by Marlon Madden

Destination Barbados is expected to get a boost this summer from Latin America and its connecting markets with the return of Copa Airlines as of this month.

Starting June 15, with two weekly flights through its hub in Panama, Copa Airlines will return to Bridgetown on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The airline, which was forced to suspend service in 2020 like other airlines due to the COVID-19 pandemic, serves about 80 destinations in 33 countries.

Making the recent announcement of its return to Bridgetown, Copa officials also indicated that flights will return to St Maarten twice weekly (Wednesdays and Fridays), starting from June 1.

Minister of Tourism and International Transport Senator Lisa Cummins reported recently that she was expecting increased bookings to destination Barbados this summer, with increased flights from several destinations.

She explained that numbers should improve closer the date of travel since more people were booking summer trips last minute, compared to more advanced bookings for the winter season.

“We are still seeing the extrapolation coming from the pent-up demand where people haven’t been able to travel for the last two years.

“We saw that in winter and we expect that we are going to see that continuing throughout summer, and the numbers that are coming in to us already suggest that is going to be the case. So we are quite confident in what the summer season will look like,” Cummins said.

She pointed to expansion of airline seat capacity out of the US market and at least one new flight to come from a “non-traditional market” this month.

Two trial flights from Madrid, Spain, are also expected to get started in July, helping to beef up summer visits to Bridgetown.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

The post Copa Airlines to boost summer arrivals appeared first on Barbados Today.

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Vendors in Spanish Town out, but still shaken by gun violence

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 03:40:01 +0000

Vendors in Spanish Town out, but still shaken by gun violence

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Friday, June 17, 2022

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Vendors in Spanish Town out, but still shaken by gun violence

The streets of Spanish Town in St Catherine were buzzing with sellers and commuters on Friday morning, as was customary before the outbreaks of gun violence earlier this week. Businesses were forced to close on Wednesday following a brazen daylight...

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Update | Body found at car wash along St John's Road in Spanish Town

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 03:40:01 +0000

Update | Body found at car wash along St John's Road in Spanish Town

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Friday, June 17, 2022

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Update | Body found at car wash along St John's Road in Spanish Town

The body of a man was discovered this morning by residents at a car wash along St John's Road in Spanish Town, St Catherine. He has been identified as 30-year-old Rayon Daley of a Bog Walk address in the parish. Daley's body was found...

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Linguistics and Economics in the Caribbean:

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 19:30:01 +0000

Linguistics and Economics in the Caribbean:

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Friday, June 17, 2022

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Linguistics and Economics in the Caribbean:

by: Ianá Ferguson

Due to our shared histories, we all, Caribbean nationals, are familiar with Creole languages. Yet due to variances in our respective geographies and colonial histories, each Caribbean community speaks a different Creole language—from Kreyòl in Haiti, to Vincentian Creole in St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Kwéyòl in St Lucia and Dominica to Creolese in Guyana. Creole and European languages are in constant, if uneasy, tandem in the Caribbean. While the “importance” of standardized international languages is accepted, this does not explain why Creole languages have been devalued. Hence, we need to analyze the socio-economic power-play among the languages that co-exist in our communities.

Let’s first consider how we present ourselves to others. As Peter Roberts says in his book From Oral to Literate Culture: Colonial Experience in the English West Indies, “West Indians [in English-speaking countries] tried to modify their speech in the direction of the host country in order to be more easily understood…” hence giving others control of our self-perception. Despite the fact that Creole languages are natively spoken by most in the Caribbean, formal education tests our ability to master European languages. The usefulness of multilingualism in today’s global economies is not lost to Caribbean nationals. However, the pressing question is: How do socio-economic factors affect language use in the Caribbean?

The perception of Creole languages is often related to the socio-economic profile of the speaker. For example, sociolinguistic surveys in Haiti have shown that participants of higher socio-economic status have more positive attitudes towards French (the prestige language) than those of lower socio-economic status. In these surveys, participants with lower literacy levels have more negative attitudes towards French than highly literate individuals. In the “(Post-)Creole continuum” construct by creolists like David De Camp, “acrolect”, “mesolect” and “basilect” are Creole varieties that are relatively close to or remote from the European “superstrate” language. In some countries, people who are viewed or who view themselves as upper-class tend to speak a variety (an “acrolect”) that is closer to that of the colonizing nation, while those of a lower socio-economic status tend to speak a “basilect”. Evidently, the languages that we speak or do not speak have been enlisted as tools for social stratification and political control.

It is one all-encompassing hierarchy of power that continually self-replicates— often through education. In earlier times, exposure to European languages were mostly afforded to descendants of European plantation owners, their indentured servants and others in their social circles. These people would have benefited from higher standards of living and by extension better educational prospects. This reality filtered through future generations, along with a system whereby wealth feeds into the production of knowledge, and knowledge feeds into power and vice-versa. This means that persons with higher socio-economic standing could afford “education” that is perceived to be of higher quality. This would have led to business ownership, capital investments and other advantages that would have deemed them successful, hence, prolonging the fallacy (convenient, for some) that speaking a “prestigious” language is a guarantee of intelligence and success.

Based on these observations, one can say that, socio-economically, the Caribbean tends to mirror the slavery period (1600s-1800s). That is to say, Caribbean societies are still mimicking a somewhat subconscious state of mental slavery. (Although some Caribbean nationals disagree, proclaiming their hard-won freedom to speak the language they are comfortable with, this begs the question what makes them feel comfortable in said language.) With globalization favouring international languages such as English, French, Spanish, Portuguese etc., linguistic bias is not localized to the Caribbean only, but this bias exists throughout the world.

We must, then, ask: Are Creole languages overpowered by European languages because of historical wrongs or present-day prejudices… or both?

There are many motivational quotes like “Your past, no matter how bad it was, does not define your future.” Though endearing, those sayings are usually enlisted for self-deception in order to superimpose, in our minds, kinder and more likeable versions of ourselves— “kinder” and “likeable” by societal standards. Much of the power given to European languages is a result of us, Caribbean nationals accepting what has always been, due to colonial power devaluing our minoritized languages and identities. While we may think that a European language represents the upper end of some hierarchy of prestige, one should realise that the person who accepts Creole and even switches between both languages is the most “successful” person. Not only are they able to view the world from multiple viewpoints but they have accepted who they are and where they are from. They are fighting age-old biases, which is no small task, given the pernicious global standards of “excellence” that favour the interests of the few (the rich and powerful) to the detriment of the majority.

Ianá Ferguson is a rising junior at MIT with an intended major in the physical sciences. This paper is a subset of a project which explored the theme “Creole languages and Caribbean identities” in fulfilment of a Communication course taught by Professor Michel DeGraff of MIT’s Linguistics and Philosophy department and a co-director of the MIT-Haiti Initiative.

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Body found on St John's Road in Spanish Town

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 11:50:01 +0000

Body found on St John's Road in Spanish Town admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 11:50

Friday, June 17, 2022

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Body found on St John's Road in Spanish Town

The body of an unidentified man was discovered this morning by residents along St John's Road in Spanish Town, St Catherine. He's believed to be in his 30s. Preliminary reports suggest the man was killed elsewhere and his body dumped along...

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State of Public Emergency declared for St Catherine

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 11:50:01 +0000

State of Public Emergency declared for St Catherine

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State of Public Emergency declared for St Catherine

A State of Public Emergency is now underway in the parish of St Catherine whose capital Spanish Town was the site of mayhem this week, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has just announced. Holness said the Government had to act to stem crime and...

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St John's Road residents plead for peace, deny blame for attacks

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 11:50:01 +0000

St John's Road residents plead for peace, deny blame for attacks

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St John's Road residents plead for peace, deny blame for attacks

Householders of 31 St John's Road in St Catherine have rejected claims that migratory residents from the violence-plagued community have sparked an upsurge of violence in Spanish Town.

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Barbados and Spain keen to collaborate

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Barbados and Spain keen to collaborate

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Thursday, April 21, 2022

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Barbados and Spain keen to collaborate

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley presenting a gift to the Ambassador-designate for Spain Fernando Nogales Alvarez.

AS BARBADOS intensifies efforts to become a global economy, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley believes that acquiring a second language will play a major part in this endeavour. This was emphasised recently during a courtesy call with the Ambassador designate for Spain, Fernando Nogales Alvarez, and the Prime Minister at Ilaro Court. The Ambassador pointed out that his country was open for investment and trade opportunities with Barbados and was keen to collaborate in this regard.
Ms. Mottley told the envoy that her government was still interested in pursuing investment opportunities, in particular airlift between Bridgetown and Madrid, and in education with the teaching of Spanish to young people under the age of 18. She maintained that Spanish was the second language of choice and said it was her government’s vision for that age cohort to be bilingual by 2030. The Prime Minister also articulated her vision for a bi- lingual hospitality sector where the Jean and Norma Holder Hospitality Institute here, would be transformed into a bi-lingual training facility. “All of the other training institutes in the Americas train hospitality workers in one language. We feel that we ought to be training hospitality workers in two or three languages and without waiting for you, I am prepared to engage somebody to help them with the Spanish, even if we have to pay.”
Ms. Mottley further stated: “I am not asking for development support but we want the requisite skill...somebody who is in hospitality already and who has the language capacity to train people in the language at the lower end, because you’re talking invariably about people from waiters, busboys and workers in rooms, so basically [training in] cultural Spanish, then supported by software programmes.”The two officials also discussed alternative energy sources; attendance at next year’s International Tourism Fair (Fitur); assistance with airport and air traffic management; and expanding the island’s
kidney transplant programme.
The Prime Minister thanked the Government of Spain for the offer to provide Pfizer pediatric vaccines for students. Barbados and Spain established diplomatic ties on September 29, 1980.

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Caribbean preps for monkeypox

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 04:20:02 +0000

Caribbean preps for monkeypox

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Friday, June 3, 2022

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Caribbean preps for monkeypox

Monkeypox hasn’t yet been reported in the Caribbean, but with cases spreading to countries where it is typically not found, including the United States, regional health officials are taking precautions.

Health and Social Development Minister Marlon Penn said last Thursday in the House of Assembly that his ministry has been monitoring the spread of the virus abroad.

“Monkeypox is not a new virus, with the first case having been identified in 1970,” Mr. Penn noted. “It has been found regularly in several central and west African countries. This particular outbreak has gained international attention because cases have been confirmed in several different countries at the same time and in persons with no reported travel history to countries where the virus is usually found.”

The World Health Organization reported 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases in 12 member states where the virus is not endemic as of May 21. The United Kingdom Health Security Agency announced the first case in the outbreak in the UK on May 7, and Mr. Penn said the initial patient is thought to have contracted it during recent travel to Nigeria.

He added that the WHO recognises “that further spread is likely, and countries should take precautions.”

Though no cases have been confirmed in the Caribbean, they have been reported in England, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the US, Mr. Penn said.

Caribbean response

“There is risk of spread to the Caribbean region due to travel,” he said. “Therefore, awareness is being raised among health care workers and port health authorities across the region to ensure that adequate prevention and control measures are in place.”

Symptoms can last two to four weeks and include exhaustion, fever, headaches, backache, muscle ache, chills and swollen lymph glands. Within the first three days of fever, rashes can develop on the face, hands, feet and other parts of the body.

“Testing for monkeypox is currently not available in the Caribbean, and the Caribbean Public Health Agency is reportedly in discussion with the [Pan American Health Organisation] and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to assess its capacity to develop this testing capability,” Mr. Penn said.

He added that the Ministry of Health and Social Development will coordinate with health care workers and agencies working on port health and animal quarantine moving forward.

“Many of the specific recommended actions from CARPHA are in place in the BVI, and strengthened in response to Covid-19,” he said. “Although the likelihood of monkeypox spread in our community is currently low, the chief medical officer and other officials will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that the territory is prepared to detect and respond to any cases as needed, and will keep the community informed of any change in the situation.”

How it spreads

Mr. Penn said initial information about the outbreak has identified the virus within sexual networks, but he noted it is not considered to be a sexually transmitted disease.

The WHO says on its website that the virus is transmitted through close contact with an infected person or animal, typically through lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated material such as bedding.

Vaccines against smallpox have provided some protection against monkeypox, and a newer vaccine has been specifically approved for prevention, according to WHO.

Though severe cases can occur, especially among children, WHO stated that the case fatality ratio has been about three to six percent.

The post Caribbean preps for monkeypox first appeared on The BVI Beacon.

The post Caribbean preps for monkeypox appeared first on The BVI Beacon.

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Catholics Celebrate Corpus Christi Day Today

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 21:40:01 +0000

Catholics Celebrate Corpus Christi Day Today

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admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 21:40

Thursday, June 16, 2022

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Catholics Celebrate Corpus Christi Day Today

Santo Domingo – Catholics celebrate today Corpus Christi Day, also known as the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. Formerly called Corpus Domini (Body of the Lord), it is a feast of the Catholic Church to celebrate the Eucharist.

Its primary purpose is to proclaim and increase the faith of Catholics in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, publicly giving him the cult of adoration (latria).

This day commemorates the institution of the Eucharist that took place on Holy Thursday during the Last Supper when Jesus turned the bread and wine into his Body and Blood.

The celebration takes place on the Thursday following the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, which takes place on the Sunday following Pentecost (i.e., Corpus Christi is celebrated 60 days after Easter Sunday).

Specifically, Corpus Christi is the Thursday following the ninth Sunday after the first full spring moon in the northern hemisphere. In some countries, this holiday has been moved to the following Sunday to accommodate the work calendar.

History

The feast arose in the Middle Ages when in 1208, the nun Juliana de Cornillon promoted the idea of celebrating a feast in honor of the body and blood of Christ present in the Eucharist. Thus, it was observed for the first time in 1246 in the Diocese of Liège (Belgium).

In the year 1263, while a priest was celebrating Mass in the church of the town of Bolsena (Italy), blood gushed out when he broke the consecrated host.[1] This miraculous event, widely spread and celebrated, gave a definitive impulse to the establishment of Corpus Christi as a liturgical feast. It was instituted on September 8, 1264, by Pope Urban IV through the bull Transiturus hoc Mundo. St. Thomas Aquinas was commissioned to spread it with his work Office and Mass of Corpus Christi, in addition to composing Eucharistic hymns for the feast, such as the Pange Lingua.

In the Council of Vienne of 1311, Clement V gave the norms to regulate the processional procession inside the temples and will even indicate the place to be occupied by the authorities who wanted to join the parade.

In 1316, John XXII introduced the Octave with an exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. But the great accolade was given by Pope Nicholas V when on the feast of Corpus Christi in the year 1447, he left in procession with the Holy Host through the streets of Rome.

In many places, it is a feast of particular relevance. For example, in Spain, there is a popular saying: There are three Thursdays in the year that shine brighter than the sun: Holy Thursday, Corpus Christi, and Ascension Day, which gives an idea of how deeply rooted this feast is.

Corpus Christi celebrations usually include a procession in which the Body of Christ is displayed in a monstrance.

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