Ah pull-it-to-kill virus around

Ah Pull-it-to-kill Virus very much like one ah dem bad Flu but even more deadly, is sweeping thru the Caribbean islands. One by one it knocking out de strongest ah Guv-ah-mints in de region. De first to fall was Antigua when Ball-win Spencer mash up de cage and sent de Birds to nest. Den John Come-turn before he departed, probated his “last will and testimony” got rid ah Kenny’an’Tony in St Lucia and left. Up in de Bahamas de opposition or really de people got rid ah de incumbent party dey, and in Jah-mek-her Poor-shea found de Bowling too much.{{more}} De only exception is de Man-in T’n’T Pat-trick dem and won by default, de Opposition who together totaled more votes dan de PNM, but let division and greed cause dey demise. And dis week de people ah Bo-bathe-us said it all on Chose-dey when dey Chose D’avid Tom’son over Owing Art-ah who was looking foh his fourth term in office. Grenada got elections coming up and Keith Mitchell done start to pack up his belongoings. No doubt dis Virus is cause foh concern among Pull-it-tek-all leaders, dey are terrified and when leaders are in fear dey does do foolishness, we must be vigilant. Like Lie-Za was saying dat our PM like he is having restless moments now, how she see him in pee-jammers sleep-walking in de yard.

On ah more serious note, ah listened to some of de pull-it-to-call commentators of the region and dey all say dat electorates today have grown tired ah de ole rhetoric and Decorated Paper Wuk coming from our leaders. Foh dem GDP means Growing Domestic Problems and Economic Growth is Ache-an-no-make Growth wid no benefits coming, just Figures padded wid more Figures. De electorates dealing wid real Facts not Fiction. VAT is ah Fact, increased Food and electricity prices is another Fact. Increase Gas and Fuel prices is ah Fact. De Petro Caribe deal is ah Fact but dat was suppose to bring cheap gas, it was free at elections, but since den gas and gasoline price gone up 20 %, another Fact, and dis is not about SVG alone, it is regional. So de electorates in search of real Change are voting against de incumbent regimes. De prediction is dat in less dan three years Carry Come will have ah new look wid ah clean slate ah heads ah Guv-ah-mints.

UNCLE FRANK

Nuff respects to Frank “Uncle Frank” Sardine whom we laid to rest last Sat-dey. Uncle Frank was de best pastry man in de days ah Sardine’s Bakery. Ah fine wood-carver or sculptor, ah fitness freak and health fanatic who was into dancing, body-building, weight-lifting, bike-riding. In de early days ah cycling when de sport was dominated by greats like Herbert Richardson, Spencer, Narna Durant, de name Frank Sardine was among dem, Frank took over from his brother “ de Bird” who dey say uses to fly like ah bird on his bike. But of course our greatest cyclist was Matthew “Fanno” Gonsalves, ah tailor who migrated to T’n’T in de 1940’s, he stuck to his tailoring down dey and opened de famous “Elite Shirt Factory” ah name brand dat is still today a leader.

But as Ken John rightly said, Uncle Frank was our hero. We looked foh him on Carnival Tuesday playing de Indian Chief Crazy Horse, Cochese or Gorronomo, bare back, exposing all his muscles, pecks and six-pack abdominals. He was mister endurance at cycling, forty laps round Victoria Park was no easy feat. And den he would put everybody to sit and watch him tek over de dance floor at Acquatic Club and later Mariners Inn. Those were his physical side but he was ah man at peace, made yuh laugh

wid his hilarious stories about himself, lots ah untruths but who cared, we loved him and enjoyed every bit of our Uncle Frank. Wid his many talents, St Peter must find some ting up dey foh him to do.

MISS B IS 70

Our First Lady of Netball, Gloria Ballantyne affectionately known as Miss B, celebrated her 70th birthday last Sat-dey. She got wink dat her children were planning to spring ah surprise on her so she kept quiet all week, watching and holding back de laugh inside as dey kept her in de dark. De plan was foh one ah de daughters to get her to go by de Church foh de usual Sat-dey evening lime. She maintained her calm and went along, but she almost collapsed when she got dey. Church was not only packed, but some of her close CNA netball colleagues from de region including President Kathy Harper-Hall from Bo-bathe-us, secretly flew in foh de grand occasion. Ah lovely Thanksgiving Service mixed with lusty singing, clapping, getting emotional at times. It was ah Ballantyne ting way two of her Grand-children led de Service, her son Orde accompanied de singing on de piano, prayers by Freddy, her hubby; tribute by Joanne. Bro Monty Maule, in his usual dynamic style, delivered de Message. He compared Miss B to ah tree dat shades and protects, provides its fruits, flowers and bark, gives its body foh timber etc and challenged us to follow in her footsteps. But there were more surprises in store foh de evening as she was carted off to ah Reception at The Orchid (the former Vee Jays Roof-top. Lots ah speeches and telephone link up wid her grand-children in de USA. Ah had to be dey, after all, ah was asked to help keep de secret, and ah had ah bawl, thanks to Julia of Vee Jays who served some sumptuous finger foods, jumbo shrimps and fish-cakes and what else, oh yes, ah mini Vee Jays Roti. Happy Birthday Miss B.

NO NAME NO WARRANT

Once upon ah time ah Fellar had twelve friends and he made dinner foh dem, he put dem to sit down and when dey done eat, he turned to dem, widout calling ah name, he said: “One ah all yuh will betray me”! Dey start ah watch one another den out ah de twelve, de one who controlled de money jump up and ask “Will I betray yuh “? Yuh know he was de one. Ah write dis to say ah don’t like how de teachers, widout calling ah name say “Dey feel de get betray”, and out ah de twelve ULP representatives, de PM came pon TV and ask we “Have I betrayed you”? Now is ah good ting de teachers replied and say dey have con-fee-dense in de PM, because people was saying “who de cap fit, let him wear it”! And wid dat is gone ah gone again

One Love Bassy.