Slavery and Economy in Barbados

Early settlement

Barbados in many respects was England's first experimental tropical agricultural export colony, and was successful for a number of related reasons. Contemporary opinion in the late seventeenth century acclaimed it the 'richest spote of ground in the worlde.' Private English capital, with the Crown's blessing, financed settlement in 1627. Market conditions for its first commercial crop, tobacco, enabled the accumulation of quick profits, which were later utilised to finance the shift to sugar production in the 1650s, after large scale, high quality Virginian tobacco production caused a glut on the European market and prices plummeted.
Just as the attempts at alternate crops such as indigo and ginger seemed doomed to failure, international affairs conspired to create an economic opening which guaranteed the survival and prosperity of Barbados. The Dutch in north-east Brazil and their allied community of Sephardic Jews were expelled from Recife and Bahia. Barbadian planters such as the Draxes, made contact with individuals fleeing Brazil, and a most successful transference of the sugar industry took place. The climate and soil conditions in Barbados were perfect for the growing of this sweet grass
In a short space of twenty years, the economic phenomenon known as the Sugar Revolution transformed the face of Barbados forever. Tropical luxuriance gave way to a carefully controlled garden-like appearance of the entire island, as almost complete deforestation occurred. Not only was nature subjected to man's tight control, but profound demographic and economic changes created a whole new society.

Imported manpower

Sugar demanded labour and this poured into Barbados in increasingly large numbers, quickly making the island not only the most populated of England's overseas colonies, but also one of the most densely populated places in the world. Initially whites from Britain were brought in, either as indentured servants or prisoners. For example, after the Somerset uprising, many West Country men were exiled or "barbadosed" by Judge Jeffreys. Nearly 7000 Irish were transported to the island during the Cromwellian period.
However as the cost of white labour in England went up, planters, on the advice of Dutch and Sephardic merchants, turned to West Africa for their source of manpower. Black slaves were imported in large numbers from the Gold Coast region in particular, especially from what is today the country of Ghana. The Asante, Ewe, Fon and Fante peoples provided the bulk of imports into Barbados. Nigeria also provided slaves for Barbados, the Yoruba, Efik, Igbo and Ibibio being the main ethnic groups targeted.
It is estimated that between 1627 to 1807, some 387 000 Africans were shipped to the island against their will, in overcrowded, unsanitary ships, which made the Middle Passage a synonym for barbaric horror. Over time, many of these individuals were re-exported to other slave owning colonies, either in the West Indies or to North America. However, and this is especially true for the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the high mortality rate among slaves working on the sugar plantations necessitated a constant input of fresh slaves in order to maintain a work force.

Population

The island shifted from having a majority white population to having a majority black population. This would have profound social and cultural consequences. It also brought into play issues such as internal security, and the need for a legal and policing system to control the large servile population, who could be expected to resist their status as slaves in a wide variety of ways.

Population figures for selected dates show this process clearly
This shift in population patterns, facilitated a process of creolisation, which saw West African and West European cultural patterns acting on each other under the influence of a small tropical island environment to produce a Barbadian variant of a wider West Indian culture. Travellers to the island in the eighteenth century noted these changes, especially on the white population, who were accused of 'lisping the language of the Negroes,' or of 'adopting the Negro style.'
Despite the pervasive nature of creolisation on Barbados, it is a mistake to conclude that West African cultural patterns were stripped from the black population. This erroneous opinion is widespread and based on the notion that planters deliberately applied a policy of deculturation in order to guarantee themselves a docile work force. The truth is quite the opposite. Planters argued that African cultural retentions, particularly those that permitted socialisation, for example the Saturday night dances and Sunday activities commonly referred to in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as 'plays' made the slave population more contented with their lot and willing to work harder and create greater profits for their owners. It is only after emancipation in 1834, that we see an organised effort to acculturate slaves to European patterns, an effort which was spear-headed by the Anglican Church.

Lewis Hamilton could lose Spain pole because of rule on fuel

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton could lose pole position at the Spanish Grand Prix after stopping his car out on the track at the end of qualifying.

Formula 1 rules dictate that teams must put enough fuel in their cars to return to the pits at the end of qualifying.
Team boss Martin Whitmarsh said: "There was enough fuel to take a fuel sample but we stopped the car and are now talking to the stewards about that."
Whitmarsh blamed a "technical problem" for Hamilton being told to stop.

Rules on fuel

Article 6.6.2 of technical regulations: "Competitors must ensure that a one litre sample of fuel may be taken from the car at any time during the event.
"Except in cases of force majeure (accepted as such by the stewards of the meeting), if a sample of fuel is required after a practice session the car concerned must have first been driven back to the pits under its own power."

He said: "It happened in the garage (and it) didn't impede the performance in any way and we stopped the car when it had 1.3 litres left in it."

BBC Sport understands that it was an operational error in the pits that caused the lack of fuel in the car.
If that is proved to be the case, it is extremely unlikely the stewards would not impose a penalty.
The rules were changed to require drivers to be able to get back to the pits with enough fuel to give a sample after a similar problem with Hamilton's car at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix .
Whitmarsh said he would be trying to persuade the stewards that there was a "force majeure" reason for Hamilton stopping.
If the stewards reject that argument, Hamilton will almost certainly be hit with a sporting penalty, the most likely of which are a five-place grid penalty or losing his fastest time.
Both would put him back to sixth on the grid.
If he is penalised, Williams's Pastor Maldonado will start the race from pole position alongside Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.
The rules dictate that teams have to have one litre of fuel in the car to provide a sample to check for legality.
Whitmarsh said 1.3 litres of fuel were taken out of the car, and that this was enough to get the car back to pits with enough fuel left to provide a sample.
He would not specify what the technical problem was that led to Hamilton being told to stop the car.
A directive issued by race director Charlie Whiting after Canada 2010 says: "Any team whose car stops on the slowing down lap after the race will be asked by the stewards to explain why this happened.
"If they are not satisfied that the reasons were beyond the control of the driver or team, and feel that this has been done deliberately to gain a competitive advantage, appropriate action will be taken."
Hamilton was a massive 0.578 seconds quicker than Maldonado's Williams, with Alonso's improved Ferrari just missing out on a front-row slot.
Whitmarsh said that the size of the margin was a reason for Hamilton to be allowed to keep his position.
"It was a massive margin by the situation within F1 at the moment and he undoubtedly deserves to be there," Whitmarsh said.

Inisliroo Island in County Fermanagh is put up for sale

Inisliroo Island is one of 365 islands on Lough Erne

How you ever imagined what life would be like if you owned your own private island?

Such a luxury is usually the preserve of the super-rich and famous, but a much simpler lifestyle is on offer due to an unusual property sale in County Fermanagh.
Inisliroo Island in Lough Erne has gone on the market, with an asking price of £600,000.
The island is currently owned by businessman Noel Cox, who bought it six years ago.
Prior to that it was owner by four generations of Maguires and their original family home is still the only building on the island.
Mr Cox said he saw "an opportunity on a piece of property or a piece of ground at Lough Erne which had been untouched for 25-30 years".
Isolation He told BBC Radio Ulster that a visit to the island was like "going back in time" where you live "the basic life".
Inisliroo has access to mains water and a phone line, but other modern conveniences are in short supply.
Mr Cox said the island offered the chance to "escape the capture of electronics" and live in splendid isolation.
"It's switching off. You don't have any road traffic, you don't have any noise - it's completely tranquil," he said.
He explained that he was selling the island due to family and business commitments.
But he admitted that after spending years securing planning permission for a replacement dwelling, he had considered keeping hold of it as a family retreat.
"Some people would maybe call it a pipe dream, you know? But we had envisaged maybe doing that, going forward, something that we could use as a holiday home - as a castaway - just spending time on your own."
Inisliroo, near Derrylin, also boasts a private jetty and an orchard, which had been operated by the Maguires during the Second World War.
It is one of 365 islands on Lough Erne

TOWIE among shows criticised over 'lack of role models'

There is a lack of positive female role models for young women, according to the Girl Guides.

TV shows like Made in Chelsea and The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) are limiting girls' career ambitions, the organisation said.
A study it did found young women often couldn't name sports or businesswomen unless they'd been on television.
But one reality star says her glitzy champagne lifestyle gives young women a "confidence boost".
'Worrying' Tracy Murray from Girlguiding UK said girls needed a wider range of "strong and successful" women for role models.
She said: "The type of role models they were talking to us about tended to come from the world of TV and the rich and famous celebrities, rather than women who work in business and in sport and in other walks of life."
  Debbie O'Toole and her Desperate Scousewives co-stars like looking good She said it was "worrying" that girls wanted to become famous just for being a celebrity.
But Debbie O'Toole from Desperate Scousewives told Newsbeat at a party in Liverpool that the show's focus on looks helped young girls feel more confident.
"I think it's a confidence boost to girls," she said.
"We're all working-class girls. We all work and at the end of the week we like to get dolled up and do our hair and our make-up. It makes you feel good about yourself."
Ruth Wrigley, TOWIE executive producer, said reality stars were often businesswomen in their own right and that there were many other positive role models for young women.
"I think a lot of the girls in TOWIE are actually quite entrepreneurial," she said.
Here is a selection of your comments from
Jack Carpenter: We need more inspirational people like Lady Gaga. People that stand up for things that matter like equality.
Katrina Furber: How is being a successful business woman being a bad role model? The media makes people into role models, they don't ask for it.
Luke Anthony De Costa: Girl Guides are right, there's a serious lack of female role models for young girls.
Boys usually look to sports stars for inspiration, most are healthy, competitive and some are corageous. There are plenty of incredible female athletes - Faye White, Jessica Ennis, Heather Watson, Serita Shone - but they're rarely televised.
Unfortunately girls have to settle for pop and reality stars - who have value - but too many of them are materialistic and too into their looks and chasing men.
Sophie Thomson: My mum's always been my role model. She's an intelligent, strong and loving woman and I only hope I can be half the mother she is.

The cinematic images of the day

Photo: Mandatory Credit

Waaaas? Chris Hemsworth and Olivia Wilde are married? Properly it would not, after all, his beautiful wife Elsa Pataky is still pregnant! Well, Chris Hemsworth is a good actor. We almost had fallen for the image. Currently the Australian racing driver James Hunt is a fact for the film 'Rush' in front of the camera.

Bruce Willis has become a father again

Another daughter of the Hollywood Star

Another daughter of the Hollywood Star

Actor Bruce Willis (57) According to the Internet portal, ET Online has become 'father for the fourth time. Wife Emma Willis brought on 1 April a baby girl. The little girl is named Mabel Ray and weighed 4.1 pounds at birth considerable.

Mother and child are doing well, there are other details so far but not yet. 
For the 33-year-old underwear model Emma is the first child for Willis, it is the fourth daughter. With ex-wife Demi Moore, he has three grown daughters Rumer (23), Scout (20) and Tallulah (18) Pictures source: If

NIKASHA’S ‘ROMANTIC’ COLLECTION FOR WIFW

“My collection is called ‘Tumi’. The line draws inspiration from the 1930s era and has modern drapes from Kolkata to establish a connect between yesterday and today. It is a very romantic collection,” Tawadey said.

Her collection will include gowns, short dresses and jump-suits in asymmetrical cuts.

“The garments encompasses frills, ethereal flounces and breezy blouses with delicate archived chintz prints and a whole series of variations that manipulate drapes and volumes in fabrics like khadi silk, silk, chiffon, cotton gauze and mulmul,” she said.

The Mumbai-based designer, who has also styled actors like Freida Pinto, Bipasha Basu and Preity Zinta, says she never targets a particular age-group with her collection.

“Every new collection opens newer dimensions. Hope I push myself with this collection also. It is not all about economy but also about peace of mind,” she said.