Mahogany CoConut Blog

One Caribbean Nation. SPRING  MICHAEL HEADLEY LETTER FROM BROOKLYN                                                                        by Michael Headley After a relatively mild winter, Spring was ushered in on March 20.  And the signs of Spring can be seen at Canarsie Park, on Seaview Ave, in Brooklyn, New York and local gardens on the blocks.  The monotonous chirping of the Sparrows and the cheerful whistles of the American Robins can be heard in the park, as the birds fly from tree to tree.  Colonies of Gulls and flocks of Geese can be seen overhead, before landing, to forage for food.  Doves can also be heard cooing in the distance.  As if not to be outdone, the early Spring blooms of Crocuses, Tulips and Daffodils are quickly emerging and showing their beautiful flowering colors.  The buds on the deciduous trees are bursting out, and soon their branches will be full of leaves and fruits, to give shelter, nesting sites and food, to the birds and insects. The earthworms, on the

One Caribbean Nation. My Education Reform Synopsis Stewart Russell   http://stewlyn.blogspot.com/2023/03/my-education-reform-synopsis.html     Stewart Russell was a teacher for forty years and ended his career as a Peripatetic Officer, responsible for Mathematics. He continues to take a very deep interest in educational matters in Barbados and the wider Caribbean. He writes on current affairs through his blog : Unworthy of God's Love." using the poetic/poetry style : stewlyn.blogspot.com A devout Christian , Stewart and his wife Lynette , are the proud parents of two children. Kindly use the links above to read his article. 

One Caribbean Nation. by Michael Headley Letter From Brooklyn On the March 05 Brass Tacks program, the government missed an opportunity to communicate, directly, and in real-time, with the public by not having a representative participate in the discussion on the safety and security of the now mandatory Trident ID card.    Moderator David Ellis had even offered a Zoom feed, for their convenience - to join the conversation any time. The topic, Trident ID, how safe are we? was very apropos and the panelists fielded calls and tried to shed light on some of the unanswered questions.  On the panel, along with David Ellis, were Technology and Cybersecurity expert Niel Harper and Democratic Labour Party (DLP) President Dr. Ronnie Yearwood.   A query, pertaining to the medical records, cyber-attack, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) hospital was raised.  And the input, from QEH Executive Chairman, Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland, who called into the program, was welcomed - she confirmed that n

One Caribbean Nation. The Capital Building Kevin McCarthy Tucker Carlson                                                              Brooklyn By Michael Headley Letter from Brooklyn Thanks to House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, for courageously giving, previously unseen video footage of the 2021, January 06 riot, at the Capitol, to Fox News Tucker Carlson.  Carlson in turn released it to the general public for viewing.  Now the genie is out of the bottle and some of the secret political 'swamp' creatures - some Democrats and Republicans- are scurrying like rats on a sinking ship, while making loud calls for censorship of the press.  The video snippet clearly showed that exculpatory evidence was withheld, thereby depriving some defendants of their right to a fair trial. In their twisted and self-righteous world, the January 06 commission - formed to investigate the events of January 06- apparently restricted the public from seeing both sides of the story.  What Chutzpah! The new v

Michael Headley   Letter from Brooklyn By Michael Headley On March 07, it was a welcome sight to see the smiling faces of The Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) team as they celebrated the breakthrough into the United States (US) Miami, Florida, sugarcane market - on February 08, 20,000 two-pound packages of Barbados' Del Sur sugar were exported to Miami. And with more shipments planned for April, and continuing monthly - in additional containers - bodes well for the sugar industry, with the prospect of reaping some much-needed foreign reserves, to boost the economy, and also give the Barbados brand some international exposure. Florida is the main producer of sugarcane in the US - 17.3 million tons were produced in 2021.  Overall, Florida produces about 20% of sugar consumed in the US.  Louisiana, Texas and Hawaii, are the other production sources.   The by-product, Blackstrap molasses, is mainly used for animal feed. Let's hope that synergies can improve between

One Caribbean Nation.    The Mahogany Coconut Group will continue to advance the causes and just treatment of all our women. The MCG, contends that there is still too much violence and disrespect toward our women and the ever rising sexual crimes committed against our girl children must be noted. Technology cannot replace the vital role women have played and will continue to play  in our Caribbean region , but it can be used to further overcome the health and educational challenges that they face.  Once more , we salute our Caribbean women wherever they are  , and whatever role they play , as we place our confidence and hope in the eventual emergence of one Caribbean Nation State. We cannot do it without the strength, intellect, skills and collective experiences and involvement of our women. The Mahogany Coconut Group salutes our women. They remain the collective force that is vital to our existence.   They Become Our Leaders Stop All Violence Against our Women                      

President Irfaan Ali Forbes Burnham Prime Minister Mia Mottley One Caribbean Nation.         President of Guyana, Irfann Ali, is making great overtures and receiving extremely   impressive  developmental aid in agriculture , energy, and other areas from India. We hope that in time similar efforts will be made toward Africa ; there is no need to pretend that Guyana is solely an Indo Guyanese country.   We also note, and have supported the efforts of Prime Minister of Barbados, reactivation of ties with Africa. However, the Afro population of Barbados, easily makes it   , a Black country. Afro Barbadians make up over ninety percent of its citizens. The Indo Guyanese population numbers in Guyana are not that lopsided. The races are relatively close in terms of population numbers. We therefore suggest that President Ali, recognizes the importance of also seeking stronger ties with Africa because it will be folly to exclude the cultural and economic ties that Afro Guyanese can benefit

One Caribbean Nation. Letter From Brooklyn By Michael Headley David Ellis Donald Trump  Michael Headley  On February 16, I was as shocked as Moderator David Ellis, that a female caller had  the courage to phone into Getting down to brass tacks to say something positive about former US President Donald Trump - from her religious perspective Mr. Trump had won the 2016 General election because of divine intervention, to save the US from going further down a slippery slope to destruction.  In response to Ellis' question, the caller admitted that she liked Mr. Trump but was adamant that she wasn't in agreement with everything that he said or did. Based on the Moderator's reaction and relentless questioning, of the caller - even asking her if she was a Black Barbadian, with that level of thinking - it was apparent that her view, of Mr. Trump, was contrary to most Barbadian thinking.  Ellis added that most Barbadians were liberal and left of center - implying that they were mono

P. J. Patterson Time for action FORMER JAMAICAN PM URGES REGION TO FORGE LINKS WITH AFRICA NOW FOR MUTUAL BENEFITS By Marlon Madden ON ASSIGNMENT Global Tourism Resilience Conference - Jamaica Stop talking and start doing! This was the strong message from former Prime Minister of Jamaica the Most Honourable Percival James Patterson to Caribbean leaders on forming trade and investment ties with Africa. He said there were several areas in which the Caribbean and the African continent could collaborate in an effort to have economic and social benefits flowing both ways, especially with tourism. He said if the long talked about trade, tourism and investment bridge between the two regions was necessary before the COVID- 19 pandemic then it was “even more essential now”. “Let us forge a strong, broad coalition that includes governments, private sector, bankers, hoteliers, academia, communities and the entire diaspora, to create a mutually-rewarding tourism architecture which is adaptable, co

Rihanna Jalen Hurts Patrick Mahomes One Caribbean Nation                                                                                                         By Michael Headley  Letter From Brooklyn                           As if the National Football League (NFL) Sports' Gods wanted to pay homage to the celebration of Black History Month, Super Bowl LV11 saw two African- American quarterbacks, competing against each other, in the final at Arizona's State Farm stadium on February 12.  This iconic American Football game final was Historic because Patrick Mahomes, of mixed-race parents, quarterbacked the Kansas City Chiefs and Jalen Hurts the Philadelphia Eagles.  The sport is not only about brawn, but it also demands that coaches and players alike make intelligent, critical decisions to compete effectively and win games. It has nothing to do with equity.   And most of the players take active roles in their communities.   In 1920 'Fritz' Pollard was the first Afric

One Caribbean Nation. Caribbean Flags Trinidad and Tobago, known as the: “ Twin Island State” is facing the real possibility of becoming a crime infested society. We are afraid that a well-armed and violently disposed group of citizens, is at the forefront , of a lawless attempt, to cripple and eventually annihilate , a people who have never a “met a stranger” collective personality. It is chilling and certainly not: “Trini to the Bone”, to murder seven hundred of our brothers and sisters in 2022. It makes a mockery of the tireless work done by those who have contributed to building a republic, that has greatly contributed to the region, and the world. The Mahogany Coconut Group, had its birth, by the efforts of several Caribbean citizens, both at home and in the Diaspora; among this group was and remains , Trinidadians   therefore to pen this column, comes with a great degree of sadness and concern.   We have always endeavored   to highlight both the negatives and positives with

One Caribbean Nation. Letter From Brooklyn Michael Headley By Michael Headley To interfere with the kite's bull, is tantamount to castrating it, because it will silence its accustomed humming sound as it catches a breeze on its skyward ascent.  Maybe, instead of criminalizing the bull's disturbing noise, between 7pm and 6am, if possible, a bull should be modified to make a lighter, quieter, soothing, romantic sound, that would help some complaining insomniacs get to sleep.  That would have the effect of a bull sedative - a compromise bull if you will.  In the animal world, the bull is symbolic of strength, virility and stamina.  And being bullish in the stock market is an assumption that securities prices will soar higher.   I guess Attorney General, Dale Marshall's amendments to the Minor Offences Act, is 'taking the bull by the horns', by proposing hefty fines or possible incarceration, on those who leave their bulls, blowing in the wind, at night and the wee ho

                                                                   Letter from Brooklyn Walter Blackman Tucker Carlson                                                                                Michael Headley    By Michael Headley On a daily basis, I, like many other listeners, enjoy listening to VOB''s Getting Down to Brass tacks.  On any given day the talk show can be entertaining, funny, educational, informative or controversial, as callers voice their differing opinions on various topics.  And most Moderators allow for spirited give-and-take, to enlighten the listening audience.   However, on January 26, in order to support his disbelief in so-called Global warming, a caller mentioned that he listens to Tucker Carlson - an American Fox Network Television host.  Carlson had recently exposed the hypocrisy of the climate change enthusiasts, who warned about carbon emissions, but had all arrived in Davos, Switzerland by planes, to attend the conference.   The Moderator, Wa