Obama takes some early licks at Summit

Hey, peoples. Well, President Obama is in Trinidad for the Summit and the opening ceremony is underway as I type. Already President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega Saveedra is tearing some holes in US foreign policy; Obama will have a lot of work to do to win over the leaders in this part of the region.

I can't wait to hear Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's speech. He was very pleasant when he met the President earlier, so we'll see.

Disappointingly First Lady Michele Obama stayed home, and I suspect she might have gone a long way to smooth things over with her effortless charm.

I'm watching a very drizzly, audio deficient feed from a Trini network. I'm also following on twitter here.

Latin American leaders have a reputation for being very verbose, so this ceremony could go on all night....

Summit of the Americas

Hey, peoples. It's been a hectic week so I'm now getting around to posting. Hope all is well with you and yours.

Well, all eyes will be focused over the next few days on Trinidad, where President Barack Obama will be attending the 5th Summit of the Americas. I must admit now that although I would have been thrilled to get a glimpse of Mr. President, I don't think we could afford the expense that comes with hosting him. Reports suggest that T&T is spending TT$1.2 billion on the summit....thank God they have oil money. No bosie, it doesn't make sense putting ourselves in the poor house to put on a good show for the Americans.

Part of the President's surveillance has been set up here at the Grantley Adams International Airport, and I imagine all their satellites must be trained on Trinidad at this moment. All the criminals will probably be lying low this weekend....

Hopefully all will go well, even though the preparations have hit a few snags.

Anyhoo, Cuba has gotten a little ease from the Leader of the free world, so let's see what the rest of us will get out of this Summit.

Top 10 fave 80s mystery/detective tv shows

Tomorrow's a holiday here in Barbados, so I'm starting the weekend early with another list of faves.

It's no secret that I loved 80s tv. (I was a schoolkid then so I had a lot of time (homework permitting) to indulge in being a couch potato.) In retrospect, as corny as the 80s were in terms of fashion, that decade produced some of the best television shows to date.

I had a hard time trying to rank my favorites because there were so many and oh so good, but I did the best I could. Today I'm listing my fave mystery/detective shows, so this post doesn't include some of my old adventure faves like Knight Rider, A-Team, Street Hawk and Battlestar Galactica. I'll deal with them another day.

Well, here's my list. Let me know your faves and we'll take a walk down memory lane together.


http://entertainment.uk.msn.com
10. Hill Street Blues (1981-1987)
Long before the Law and Order and CSI franchises existed, the police drama that had everyone talking was Hill Street Blues. The gritty, award winning show boasted a talented ensemble cast, and yielded a future director in Betty Thomas (Sgt. Lucy Bates) and Emmy winner in Dennis Franz who later went on to NYPD Blue. What I especially remember about Hill Street Blues was the roll call at the beginning of each show, and the sergeant who would also warn the officers to "be careful out there".


http://redriverpak.wordpress.com
9. Matlock (1986-1995)
Andy Griffith's bumbling style in the legal drama Matlock was an excellent cover; the bad guys always thought they had outwitted him and then he would tie them up in legal knots on the witness stand. I liked to watch the show as well to see if Matlock would wear any other suit apart from a white one. He never did.


www.mortystv.com
8. Murder She Wrote (1984-1996)
I loved me some Jessica Fletcher. Who would have thought that the premise of a elderly author solving mysteries would work? Millions tuned in weekly to watch Ms. Fletcher solve mysteries, and somehow she always got the bad guy/gal to confess, with the police waiting conveniently outside. And she only got into a physical altercation once that I remembered. Criminals were obviously softies on that show....


assets.hulu.com
7. Simon and Simon (1981-1989)
Rick and AJ Simon were as different as brothers could be, and their contrasting approach to detective work was the heart of the show. Gerald McRaney (Rick) went on to other roles in Promised Land, Jericho and Deadwood. Jameson Parker (AJ) I never saw on tv again.



www.textuality.org
6. Miami Vice (1984-1989)
Miami Vice was more than a tv show, it was an assault on the senses. Men in pastel colours (shocker!), sun-drenched beaches, half-naked women, power boats and crocodiles made for a powerful aphrodisiac. And oh, Don Johnson wasn't bad to look at either.


http://forum.detik.com
5. Hunter (1984-1991)
Fred Dryer (Sgt Rick Hunter) was like a modern day Dirty Harry with his big gun and wisecracking attitude. Hunter could never drive a car without crashing it, so his partner Dee Dee McCall never let him drive her hot ride, a red Dodge Daytona, if I remember correctly. His catchphrase was "It works for me", and this series worked for me as well.


www.magnum.tv-website.com
4. Magnum P.I. (1980-1988)
To this day I still dream of visitig Hawaii because of the lush scenery I glimpsed on Magnum P.I.. Also, because of the show's star Tom Selleck, moustaches and Hawaii shirts became ver popular. I also have fond memories of Higgins, TC, Rick and of course, the Dobermans.


www.majorspoilers.com
3. Macgyver (1985-1992)
To show the popularity of this show, even now when people rig up some contraption or other, it's described as "macgyvering". Richard Dean Anderson could manufacture a weapon or an escape device out of anything it seemed, which was a good thing since he always seemed to be in a tight spot. Anderson later went on to fame in Stargate SG-1, but to me he'll always be Macgyver.



norwelten.blog.de
2. Remington Steele (1982-1987)
I believe Pierce Brosnan was destined to play James Bond. His stint on Remington Steele proved he looked good in a suit, could think on his feet and had charm to spare. Co-star Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) didn't stand a chance against him and we fell in love with him right along with her.



www.thetimetravellers.wordpress.com
1. Moonlighting (1985-1989)
"We'll walk by night, we'll fly by day, moonlight strangers, who just met on the way..."

Al Jarreau's theme song for the smash hit Moonlighting is synonymous with the show which introduced Bruce Willis to the world and oh yeah, Cybill Shepherd starred in it too.

But seriously, the love/hate relationship between David Addison and Maddie Hayes was the centre of the show, and frankly it wasn't the same after they hooked up. The witty dialogue and sexual tension between the co-stars are unmatched to this day.


Anyhoo folks, have a Blessed Easter and see you next week, si dieu veux.

Retired boat captain Andrew Burke passes

I would like to extend condolences to the family and friends of the late Owen Andrew Burke, who passed away last weekend after a long battle with cancer.

Burke, who had lost an arm and collarbone to the disease, came to the public's attention in February last year when he sailed solo around Barbados for charity. In January, Burke was awarded with a Silver Crown of Merit by the Governor General.

I didn't know Mr. Burke personally, but he seemed like a courageous man with a good heart.

May he rest in peace.

Image: www.gisbarbados.gov.bb

Chris Brown pleads not guilty to assaulting Rihanna

A sombre-looking Chris Brown pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles courtroom a few hours ago to two felony counts – assault and making criminal threats – in the alleged Feb. 8 beating of his girlfriend Rihanna.

You can read more here.

And this drama isn't going to be over anytime soon...Brown is due back in court on April 29.

Image: www.people.com

Rihanna parties in Barbados; Brown goes to court

Hi, peoples, hope you all had a good weekend.

Well, Rihanna was home this weekend to attend her grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary party, and she also took the time to attend the reggae show at the National Stadium on Friday night.


I hope this guy (is that Rihanna's brother?) doesn't step back on that Banks bottle...


Hi, there Sizzla. Bless up!


Looks like even the Prime Minister has more of a social life than me these days....

Anyhoo, as I type Rihanna's ex-boyfriend Chris Brown is appearing in a LA court on assault charges. Hip Hollywood.com has a live stream of the action outside the courtroom, for all those of you are interested.

On another note, I won't bother ask what in the frazzled mop hell is going on with Rih's hair these days, these are some trying times for her so I'll leave well enough alone....

Images: http://theybf.com

Aloha Rihanna

Bajan superstar Rihanna is currently in Hawaii to work on an album. After all the recent club-hopping photos of her out there it's good to see she's getting back to work.





The girl has women all over the world chopping off their hair and now she's growing hers back, or something....

Images: http://theybf.com

The Obamas meet the Queen

Of course President Obama and First Lady Michelle's trip to England would not have been complete without an audience with Queen Elizabeth 11.

The First Couple met the Queen and her husband Prince Philip yesterday at Buckingham Palace, and the media is abuzz that Queen Elizabeth never looked so pleased.




Tongues were especially wagging when the Queen casually placed an arm around Mrs. Obama, and the latter returned the gesture.


Protocol dictates that persons aren't supposed to touch the Queen, but she didn't seem to mind. In fact, it was reported that the Queen was so taken by Mrs Obama she even said: "Now we've met, will you please keep in touch?"

The Obamas are just kicking down barriers wherever they go. I can just imagine Prime Minister of Trinidad Patrick Manning giving Mrs. Obama the sweet eye at the Summit in a few weeks....



Images: http://theybf.com; www.msnbc.com

The Obamas take London

Before their highly anticipated arrival in Trinidad for the Summit of the Americas in a few weeks, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrived today in London to attend the G20 world leaders’ summit.

The First Couple left Washington yesterday evening, and Mrs. Obama did a midair switch of stylish outfits.



Earlier this morning, the First Couple was welcomed to 10 Downing Street by Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown and wife Sarah Brown.




Later, President Obama and Prime Minister Brown held a working meeting and joint press conference. One of the main topics? You guessed it - the recession.


You can find out more on the press conference here.

Images: http://theybf.com; www.whitehouse.gov

How many more?

Last weekend, yet another Barbadian woman lost her life to domestic violence.

According to news reports, last Saturday 32 year old Sophia Phillips of Silver Hill Landing Scheme in Christ Church received injuries to her throat during an altercation with her estranged boyfriend and died as a result.

Police say Phillips' assailant subsequently tried to slash his own throat but was reportedly found in an unconscious state and taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

He remains at the QEH under police guard where he is being treated for the injury.

I have lost count of the number of women who have died in the last five to 10 years at the hands of their husbands or boyfriends. One beat his wife to death with a piece of wood in front of their children; another abducted his girlfriend from her workplace and killed her. Yet another stalked his ex-girlfriend mercilessly all over the island, finally catching up to her and murdering her near the home she was secretly staying.

How many more women are going to die before the authorities and all of us take this issue of domestic violence seriously? Almost daily many of us see and hear women being brutalised by their partners, yet we're reluctant to get involved because "we don't want to get involved in oher peoples' business". Since when do Bajans don't want to get involved in other peoples' business? Only when it matters, it seems.

One survivor of domestic violence, Liesl Daisley, is saying enough is enough and is doing something about it, and we all need to follow suit.

As tired as I am of the Rihanna/Chris Brown saga, the upside of that sad chapter is that the seriousness of domestic violence is being discussed worldwide. But we have to back up the talk with action as well - the courts, police and we citizens have to ban together and fight this social scourge. Ladies, today it's someone else, but tomorrow it may be your mother, sister, best friend or you.

Image: www.cbc.bb