You work all day to pay for what? So you can grow old, play golf and putt? Or travel the globe, packing in all the sights To fill your days, with flying kites? Turn to drink or drugs, to numb your mind And life will pass, while you waste time With empty pleasures, extra big size they won’t challenge you, or make you wise Work to give back, to a world that’s given to you And you will build, a life that’s fulfilling and true It will drive you to learn, develop and grow, So you can help others, even those you don’t know So as you grow older, remember the fate of empty pleasure, don’t fall for the ..read more

Each morning I pause, to give thanks for my glee Throw love to the world, and think … who will I be? A builder, a painter, I spread out my wings A teacher, a comic, or a woman who sings? I want to be kind, honest, and strong And I’ve learned that in life, it’s okay to be wrong The mistakes I have made, they taught me the most The greatest of which, is never to boast Or to think my opinions, and critiques should be cast On to those who’ve experienced, a much different past There are so many options, when you’re open to life And so many thoughts, that can fill you with strife You can be the crea ..read more

I just finished an intensive permaculture design course (PDC) through the Caribbean Permaculture Research Institute (CPRI) in Barbados. The course was held at Walkers Reserve (a sand quarry that is being turned into a nature reserve).  My goal was to earn my permaculture design certificate, but I gained so much more.  The course opened my mind and senses to the natural flow of elements and the man-made obstructions that disturb this flow. I began to understand that resilience to climate change is all about enabling natural processes to work; and that permaculture is more than just a ..read more

Writing falls down the hill of priorities. Life, Write, Life Family, jobs, house, pets Sleep, read … write And hope that life somehow works out If not for life and all its business There’d be more time to write No doubt But, if not for life and all its business There be nothing much to write about Right, life? Right When I start something, I like to finish. Articles, plays, musicals, poems, love letters to myself… can take forever. So, to satiate cravings, I pop Fifties: 50 word pieces; short sweet and (sometimes) easy to complete. Quick Fixes It’s nice to write But writing takes time, which i ..read more

Today Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving, and those of us living abroad are planning our turkey dinners. It is a day to think about what we have to be thankful for.   I am thankful to be living in Barbados. Living here I am constantly reminded of the similarities and differences between our countries. While we both started with British rule, the history of slavery is much different. In Barbados, wealthy landholders wanted obedient slaves. They used religion to teach conformity and servitude.  As a result, ingenuity and open dialogue were shunned. Education provided by the church g ..read more

In trying to explain Donald Trump’s stunning election as U.S. President, Stephen Harper – in his latest book, Right Here, Right Now: Politics and Leadership in the Age of Disruption – identified a divide between “those who live somewhere” and “those who live anywhere”. The ‘”somewheres,” on the one hand, are the typically common folk in society. They fix boilers, grow food, and drive buses or taxis. They are the ‘locals’ who keep communities ticking over. The “anywheres,” on the other hand, do not rely on any given place. They work for international businesses, or have university degrees which ..read more

Sustainable finance is focused on harnessing the financial sector to assist and enable companies and allocate capital in a more climate aware manner to mitigate and adapt to climate change. It grew from making investments in green technology to financing companies and communities transitioning to low-carbon environments.  The goal is to build resilience to the widespread impacts of climate change and prevent further exacerbation. The industry has grown significantly with international regulators beginning to add climate change to their risk assessments. Unfortunately, according to the fed ..read more

Land pollution is the degradation of the soil due to human activity that causes toxins and contaminants to leach into the ground.  Most of the freshwater in Barbados comes from rainfall that filters through the ground into aquifers that supply the community with drinking water. As the Mottley government looks to overhaul their development policy it is important that they look to protect and rejuvenate the land – especially land adjacent to the water aquifers (Zone 1) – from the toxins that are leaching into the groundwater. One of the biggest causes of  land pollution is agriculture ..read more

Brexit is arguably the U.K’s biggest political event of our generation – its ripples continue to shake, and the nation is more divided over it than it has been over anything in decades. So: is Brexit really such a big deal? This article will attempt to unpack that question. What is Brexit? Brexit is the motion for Britain to leave the European Union (E.U). When the British electorate voted in the 2016 referendum, the result shocked the world of politics – not so dissimilarly to Donald Trump’s election as U.S. President. From over 33 million voters (a 72% turnout), those who voted to ‘Leave’ ma ..read more

It is my mission to create a transformation of the whole person; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually” – Beth Shaw As one of the utmost leading experts in “mind, body, and fitness,” Beth Shaw is recognized as an industry pioneer drawing from years of experience and expertise in nutrition, exercise, yoga, and holistic health. For over 20 years, Shaw has committed to helping others achieve heightened mind-body health through the creation and growth of YogaFit. Beth Shaw is a creative visionary who has helped revolutionize the fitness industry and bring yoga into the mainstream ..read more