Some things aren't meant to be known. Only believed.

As I sat on my patio with my laptop preparing to write my blog post it suddenly struck me that today is the 21st day of December, 2011, the winter solstice and the start of what many believe to be the last year of life as we know it on this earth.  Scientific experts from around the world are genuinely predicting that one year from now, all life on Earth could come to an end. Some are saying it'll be humans that set it off. Others believe that a natural phenomenon will be the cause. And the religious folks are saying it'll be God himself who presses the stop button.

Thousands of years ago, using only their observation of the stars, the Mayans managed to calculate the length of the lunar moon as 329.53020 days, only 34 seconds out. The Mayan long count calendar ends it's latest 5126 year cycle on December 21, 2012. Given that they were pretty close to the mark with the lunar cycle, it's likely that they have a pretty good idea about what the stars mean.

Add to this the fact that Solar experts from around the world monitoring the sun have made a startling discovery. Our sun is behaving badly. The energy output of the sun is, like most things in nature, cyclic, and it's supposed to be in the middle of a period of relative stability. However, recent solar storms have been bombarding the Earth with so much radiation energy, it's been knocking out power grids and destroying satellites. This activity is predicted to get worse, and calculations suggest it'll reach its deadly peak sometime in 2012.

Scientists in Europe have been building the world's largest particle accelerator. Basically its a 27km tunnel designed to smash atoms together to find out what makes the Universe tick. However, the mega-gadget has caused serious concern, with some scientists suggesting that it's properly even a bad idea to turn it on in the first place. They're predicting all manner of deadly results, including mini black holes. So when this machine is fired up for its first serious experiment in 2012, the world could be crushed into a super-dense blob the size of a basketball.

If having scientists warning us about the end of the world isn't bad enough, religious folks are getting in on the act as well. Interpretations of the Christian Bible reveal that the date for Armageddon, the final battle between Good an Evil, has been set down for 2012. The I Ching, also known as the Chinese book of Changes, says the same thing, as do various sections of the Hindu teachings.

Yellowstone National Park in the United States is famous for its thermal springs and Old Faithful geyser. The reason for this is simple - it's sitting on top of the world's biggest volcano, and geological experts are beginning to get nervous sweats. The Yellowstone volcano has a pattern of erupting every 650,000 years or so, and we're many years overdue for an explosion that will fill the atmosphere with ash, blocking the sun and plunging the Earth into a frozen winter that could last up to 15,000 years. The pressure under the Yellowstone is building steadily, and geologists have set 2012 as a likely date for the big bang.

As I was contemplating that I may have only one more year to live and here I am wasting time blogging, I noticed my little granddaughter staring intently at the presents piling up under the Christmas tree. I saw the serious look on her face and I asked, What's the matter dear? She looked at me and asked, “How come it is taking you all so long to get all the presents when Santa can do it all in one night?

I looked into those big beautiful eyes that were seriously expecting an answer, (Grandad knows all), and for a second still reeling from the realisation of our mortality, I considered telling her the following story....

There are approximately two billion children (persons under 18) in the world. However, since Santa does not visit children of Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or Buddhist (except maybe in Japan) religions, this reduces the workload for Christmas night to 15% of the total, or 378 million (according to the population reference bureau). At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that comes to 108 million homes, presuming there is at least one good child in each. Santa has about 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 967.7 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with a good child, Santa has around 1/1000 th of a second to park the sleigh, hop out, jump down the chimney, fill the stocking, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat cookies, drink the milk, get back up the chimney, jump into the sleigh and get onto the next house.

Assuming that each of these 108 million stops is evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false, but will accept for the purposes of our calculations), we are now talking about 0.78 miles per household; a total trip of 75.5 million miles, not counting bathroom stops or breaks. This means Santa’s sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second — 3,000 times the speed of sound.For purposes of comparison, the fastest man made vehicle, the Ulysses space probe, moves at only 27.4 miles per second, and a conventional reindeer can run at 15 miles per hour.

The payload of the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium sized LEGO set (two pounds), the sleigh is carrying over 500 thousand tons, not counting Santa himself. On land, a conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granting that the "flying" reindeer can pull 10 times the normal amount, the job can’t be done with eight or even nine of them—Santa would need 360,000 of them. This increases the payload, not counting the weight of the sleigh, another 54,000 tons, or roughly seven times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth II (the ship, not the monarch). 600,000 tons travelling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance – this would heat up the reindeer in the same fashion as a spacecraft re-entering the earth’s atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer would adsorb 14.3 quintillion joules of energy per second each. In short, they would burst into flames almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them and creating deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team would be vaporised within 4.26 thousandths of a second, or right about the time Santa reached the fifth house on his trip. Not that it matters, however, since Santa, as a result of accelerating from a dead stop to 650 m.p.s. in .001 seconds, would be subjected to acceleration forces of 17,000 g’s. A 250 pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim after all those milk and cookies) would be pinned to the back of the sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force, instantly crushing his bones and organs and reducing him to a quivering blob of pink goo.
Therefore, if Santa did exist, he’s dead now. Merry Christmas.

However, I looked at this innocent child who believes every word that comes out of my mouth and said, “Santa has magic, honey.”  She walked away, back to her Wii  without a care in the world.

How could I write about doom and gloom after that. The lesson here is simple. This world is full of uncertainty but one thing is certain. If we are to have a future it lies with our children and grandchildren. We need to realise that whatsoever the creator of the universe, (whatever you perceive him, her or it, to be), has in store for us, there is really nothing we can do about it. Our task is to make this world a better place for those who follow behind us. Every child has a right to a childhood and if, by helping a child believe that there are powers greater than themselves that exist in the world I am being a hypocrite, I stand condemned.

The world might indeed undergo some dramatic change next year so in the meantime enjoy this festive season and make it special for the ones you love. You never know, it might just be your last.

Quote of the Day

"If you knew that hope and despair were paths to the same destination, which would you choose?"  ~Robert Brault

Crime and Punishment

Since Roman times, Justitia has frequently been depicted carrying scales and a sword, and wearing a blindfold. Her modern incarnation, Lady Justice is a feature in many courtrooms. It combines the attributes of several goddesses who embodied Right Rule for Greeks and Romans, blending Roman blindfolded Fortuna (fate) with Hellenistic Greek Tyche (luck), and sword-carrying Nemesis (vengeance).

Justitia is most often depicted with a set of scales typically suspended from her left hand, upon which she measures the strengths of a case's support and opposition. She is also often seen carrying a double-edged sword in her right hand, symbolizing the power of Reason and Justice, which may be wielded either for or against any party. Since the 15th century, Lady Justice has often been depicted wearing a blindfold. The blindfold represents objectivity, in that justice is or should be meted out objectively, without fear or favor, regardless of identity, money, power, or weakness; blind justice and impartiality. 

Lady Justice and I have been watching with some concern certain development in Barbados over the past weeks. There is a growing sense of unease in my mind as I believe our leaders are setting a dangerous precedent by not sending a consistent message of right and wrong. The scales of justice appears to be becoming unbalanced.

Firstly, the issue of Keisha Brathwaite who illegally took up residence in an unoccupied house owned by the National Housing Corporation (NHC) at Barbarees Hill, St Michael. No one questions that she was in a dire situation being pregnant and with two young children to care for and being faced with the situation of having no roof over her head. But, does this justify her breaking the law?
She has garnished much public sympathy but I ask; "How many of those offering her support would have done so if she had broken into their homes to steal food for her children?"

Minister of Housing Michael Lashley offered his opinion early, (before public opinion was known). He stated:-

Anyone who illegally occupies Government housing will “feel the full weight of the law”.

"This is a serious matter and the National Housing Corporation, as the property owner and the agent of the Crown, will asserts its rights shortly; and I am giving full notice to those person who believe they can go into housing units and all will be well. I am sending a warning to those who feel they can break the law".

"This impacts on the rule of the law and if we allow it, people will go and break into NHC units and decide that they can settle in them, that will be sending the wrong signal. It cannot happen under my tenure as minister,we will be taking action shortly. We have to assert our rights and will do so through the legal process.”

However, two weeks later, Ms. Brathwaite moved her bed out of the unit in Barbarees Hill, St Michael and handed over the keys to NHC officials only after NHC officials had found her a unit in The Pine, St Michael. And the Welfare Department having given the assurance that they will pay the rent!

She broke and entered the property of the crown, illegally occupied said property and only vacated the premises when she was assured that she would be given, rent free, similar or better accommodation! Mr. Lashley, how is this, in your own words, “sending a warning to those who feel they can break the law". I will be surprised if the hundreds of people waiting on NHC units are not thinking at this very moment that they too should find an empty NHC unit and move in.

Do you see what I am saying about sending the wrong signals?

Lady Justice maybe wearing a blindfold but the people are not. Rewarding wrongdoing is tantamount to aiding and abetting lawlessness. I think the Commissioner of Police need to consider charging the officials of the NHC as accessories to or for the criminal facilitation of the actus reus in this case.

Secondly, the story of the ten Barbadian fishermen held in Trinidad & Tobago for fishing illegally.

The men were arrested and their boats confiscated. They were subsequently convicted and fined for illegal fishing as well as rearrested for violating Trinidad’s immigration laws. No one disputes that they were guilty of these crimes, yet when these same “convicted criminals” were released and sailed into the Bridgetown Port they arrived to an official welcome by Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite and other Government officials! Mr, Brathwaite was quoted as saying that the Government of Barbados would seek to do all in it’s power to assist these self-confessed criminals. No reprimand, no sanctions for attempting to steal the rightful property of our neighbour and friend. Only applause and official pledges of Government support. If only all law breakers were so lucky? The scales of Lady Justice are tipping further over.

Mr. Brathwaite you are an Attorney-at-Law specializing in corporate and international law. A man well respected in your field. I ask you; "What message are we sending?"

 Is it o.k to break the law as long as it is not a popular one? 

Or, are other people’s laws to be ignored if we don’t agree with them?


I am not dispassionate to the plight of our fishermen. I feel their pain at having been let down by successive Governments since 1990 over the issue of formalizing an agreement with our neighbour with regards to fishing. This issue should have been concluded long ago over a bottle of Blue Label,after a Caricom Heads of Government meeting, like many other issues in the past. Like you Mr. Brathwaite I grew up in St. Philip. My grandfather was Senior Lighthouse Keeper at Ragged Point Lighthouse and for most of my childhood the sea was the last thing I heard when I fell asleep at night and the first thing when I awoke in the morning. As children we knew by sight every fishing boat out of Skeetes Bay and each of us adopted a boat which we called our own and rejoiced when it was the first back to port in the afternoon, because, to our minds this meant that they had caught the most fish first. As an adult I spent many a memorable Sunday morning going out for a few hours with Evy on his boat out of Weston, St. James. We will catch a few dozen flying fish and maybe a couple of “dolphin” and be back before lunch time.

However, we cannot condone the breaking of the laws of our neighbouring countries by our citizens. We ignore at our peril, the negative effect on our national psyche that such perceived moral contradictions by our leaders will have on a populace under the strain of current economic challenges. Are we then to be surprised that the number of home invasions are on the increase and becoming more violent? Where there is no respect for the rule of law as relating to other people’s property, there will be anarchy.

Finally let me say my piece on the case of Johan Bjerkhamn currently being conducted in our courts.
The tragedy that resulted in the death of Bjerkhamn’s 11 year old son Luke over a year ago is still fresh in the minds of most Barbadians. A number of issues surrounding this case are of interest to me.

Early on in the case. it was pretty obvious from the little information available that the Director of Public Prosecutions, (DPP), would have found it difficult to charge the young Bjerkhamn with anything more that vast stupidity and this has subsequently been confirmed by the DPP. On the 02 december 2011, in the Holetown Magistrate Court, both DPP Charles Leacock, QC, and leader of the defence team, Queen’s Counsel Sir Richard Cheltenham, supported the idea of a non-custodial sentence for Bjerkhamn, with court-imposed supervision and community service. The DPP, in an earlier court appearance, had announced withdrawal of the manslaughter charge against Bjerkhamn, saying there was no evidence pointing to reckless endangering of life or gross negligence that would substantiate it. Bjerkhamn faces a lesser charge that he “willfully exposed” a child in his custody “in a manner likely to cause injury to his health”.

In the year 2011, the maximum penalty the law provides for this crime which resulted in the untimely death of a child, (the ultimate “injury to his health”), is a fine of just Bds$24.00. If the circumstances were not so tragic this would be laughable. And when you factor in the financial resources of the accused the farce is exacerbated beyond belief.

Who is responsible for updating these laws and penalties? It is obvious that a number of people charged with this responsibility over the years have failed to keep our judicial system up to date. A modern prison and a high tech Judicial Centre is a joke if laws like this still remain on our books in their present state.

My second question is, Why did it take a year for the DPP to decide that the manslaughter case against Mr Bjerkhamn had no merit? Fortunately for Mr. Bjerkham, he could afford the best legal council available in Barbados so he did not have to spend a year at Dodds on remand waiting for the DPP to decide his fate. If Mr. Bjerkhamn was like most of us and could not afford Sir Richard Cheltenham and Andrew Pilgrim, and was not able to meet the requirements of court sureties, he would have been on remand for nearly a year. This raises the question; How many prisoners are tax payers currently paying for on remand at Dodds for frivolous offenses that they cannot possibly be found guilty of, only because they don’t have the financial resources of a Johan Bjerkhamn?

Furthermore, I cannot help but wonder if the public’s perception that there is one law for the rich and another for the poor, was a factor in the DPP’s delay in these proceedings. Maybe his reluctance to admit in a timely manner that this case had no merit was as a result of his not wanting to appear reluctant to prosecute a “rich white boy”.  Maybe Lady Justice is not so blind.

On 21 December 2011, Magistrate Barbara Cooke-Alleyne will make her ruling in the case against Johan Bjerkhamn in the Holetown Magistrate Court. I have known Mrs Cooke-Alleyne for over 35 years, (she too knows what is to go to sleep and awake to the sound of the waves breaking at Ragged Point), and I know that she will try her best to administer a sentence that reflects the tragedy of a young life lost while staying within the parameters of an outdated law.  Lets hope that she don't fine him $24.00.

In closing I will leave you with these thoughts:-

"The trouble with the laws these days is that criminals know their rights better than their wrongs."  ~Author Unknown

"Laws: We know what they are, and what they are worth! They are spider webs for the rich and mighty, steel chains for the poor and weak, fishing nets in the hands of the government." ~Pierre Joseph Proudhon