The title of the last post on the NTFM blog (and also the title of the fourth book in the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, a set of books that everyone should read).
Notes From The Margin (NFTM) is, or rather was, a Barbadian blog that stood somewhere in between Barbados Free Press and Barbados Underground (in my humble opinion). Briefly thinking about it, NFTM was, as far as I can recall, never as sensational, explosive, informative, dangerous and as politically charged as BFP, nor was it as deeply critical, analytical and alarmist as BU (remember, I'm briefly thinking about the comparisons between the sites and going with the first thing that comes to my mind, so don't have a cow if I got it wrong).
Instead, NFTM occupied a unique spot in the Barbadian blogosphere and brought to it another voice and opinion on things primarily Barbadian and occasionally Caribbean. However, as of April 15, NFTM has withdrawn as a result of, it seems, the demands of their day-to-day lives. They (whoever 'they' were as NFTM, like BU and BFP, was an anonymous blog) were not able to maintain the standards they wished to have.
These standards have gotten NTFM into hot water in the past, especially with a few of the other blogs (BU, BFP and The Bajan Reporter in particular). They (NFTM) linked to other blogs which posted material that was, to put it extremely nicely, 'highly controversial.' As such, the aforementioned trio removed NTFM from their respective blogrolls, I believe, in protest of NFTM's link choice. Despite this, NFTM held their ground and did not give in. Only later when one or two of the controversial blogs stepped over NFTM's line were they removed from their blogroll.
Disclaimer BFP, BU and The Bajan Reporter all link to my little blog, although, they may reconsider after they read my 'farewell' post to NFTM (which I had always linked to even after the debacle). Hopefully the trio won't get upset because IANAA: I Am Not An Antagonist.
LOL ;-)
For better or for worse, the Barbadian blogosphere will be a bit more quiet now that the NFTM blog has departed. No doubt some will say 'good riddance,' while others will cry 'what a shame.' Either way, the World has one less opinion to consider and is thus less informed when it comes to matters pertainining to Bimshire and to a lesser extent, the rest of the Caribbean. Herein lies the real tragedy. For without several sources of opinion and thought to consider, the individual has a limited selection of choices from with which he or she can form an opinion.
Moving on, we've seen from the above that the Internet/WWW can simply be thought of as an extension of real life. The big difference is that on the Internet, one has the ability to say what one wants alot more anonymously, easily and with access to a huge audience: the World. Whereas before, opinions would have to be toned down or kept locked away in the dark recesses of the mind of the individual, or of the crowd.
No so today. With the Internet and the Web in particular, anyone can sign up for a blog in seconds and tell the World what they think about everything no matter how controversial, disgusting, immoral, insensitive, funny, boring or silly it may seem to the rest of us. After all, what is the point of having freedom of speech and independent thinking if you are censored? Yes there are limits, certainly, but what are they and who sets them?
What is acceptable today may not be acceptable tomorrow. Our morals, values and beliefs (etcetera) change with time. Nothing is static, change is constant. especially in this day and age when thanks (or not?) to technology, we are so closely linked together and are aware of each other (with regards to cultures, beliefs, morals, values, religions, etcetera).
Which leads to my final thought for the evening: Do we have any morals or values (etcetera) that can be considered universal and applicable to every single human being and more importantly, I think, that transcend religious and cultural differences, or do we all just 'make it up' as we go along?
The Right Honourable David Thompson, Prime Minister of Barbados, Talks to the People
(DISCLAIMER: IANAP, I Am Not A Politician)
(DISCLAIMER: IANABODE, I Am Not A 'B' Or 'D,' Etecetera)
(DISCLAIMER: IANANM, I Am Not A Newspaper Man)
(DISCLAIMER: IANAP, I Am Not A Philosopher)
I first heard of the PM's planned interview/talk via the blogs and then, I think, I read something about it in one of the daily papers (sorry, can't remember which one). It's easier and quicker (for me) to check out the local blogs for information on what's news and what's happening, than it is for me to get access to the paper sometimes.
Also, not all of the print articles make the newspapers' website editions, and why would they anyway? Why would you give away all of your content for free when you could charge for it and charge for ads in your dead-tree edition? I wonder, out of a newspapers' total revenue, what percentage of it is earned from purchasers of the newspaper and what percentage is earned from running ads in the newspaper.
A full online newspaper would certainly be cheaper to run (as they are less overheads/costs, i.e., plant and equipment, staff, utilities, etc). With the reduced costs, maybe a newspaper could shift its base of operations to the web. Let the reporters write from home, or wherever and communicate via instant messaging, e-mail and so forth. Sure you probably won't have as many ads, but that's okay, you don't have that many costs and so the 'newspaper' can still survive (and earn a profit) by running ads on the website (The Nation newspaper currently has ads on their website). Improbable? Yes. Impossible? No.
But how much revenue? Will it be enough for the business to make a healthy return for its investors? What is a healthy return anyway? 10, 15, 20 or 30%? Also, not everyone has ready access to a computer and Internet access, so a dead-tree edition still is useful and there is something to be said for lazing around on the couch on a Sunday afternoon flipping through the newspaper (and comics) instead of staring at a screen for long periods of time.
Alas, I digress. Remember: IANANM, I Am Not A Newspaper Man.
The point (if there is one) to tonight's post was to comment on the PM's appearance on the television and radio. As far as I can tell (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong), this is the first time that I've ever heard of, or seen for myself, a PM sitting down to be questioned by (for all intents and purposes) members of the public. This is quite simply amazing (maybe even dangerous?). It marks a radical and significant change in the island's political landscape.
STOP. Hold your horses. Hold strain. Remeber: IANABODE, I Am Not A 'B' Or 'D,' Etecetera. This post is not about what was promised and what has been delivered (or still to be delivered). It's not about the D's manifesto and it's not about the B's either, nor any political party for that matter. Put the party politics on pause people, please (try saying that five times fast).
Furthermore, I've not heard all of the TV/radio discussion tonight (it is ongoing as I type this). But I need not. As far as I am concerned, the mere fact that this is happening tells me that The Times They Are a-Changin' But for how long? Who knows. Will anything ever change? Who knows. Remember: IANAP, I Am Not A Politician. But, as I said earlier, I cannot remember a pervious occasion where something like this happened.
This may sound silly. At least, it may sound that way to people living in 'big countries.' These folks may take it for granted that they can question their politicians and public offcials and demand answers of them, or take them to task on important issues and topics. Not so here, at least, not as far as I can remember (does anyone remember?). Personified, the size of my knowledge of the island's political history is slimmer than I am, or better yet, non-existent.
Maybe some people think that questions shouldn't be asked, period. After all, politicians know more than we do, don't they? They are charged with running the country and seeing to the health and wealth of its citizens. There is also something to be said about there being a time and a place for everything and as such, a certain level of decorum and respect must be given to politicians no matter what political party they belong to (or no matter what the issues are).
But does this mean that by allowing ourselves to be governed by a minority (which we choose democratically), that in turn we must give up some of our freedom (and just what is freedom anyway?), the ability to ask questions, to form our own opinions, and most importantly, to think for ourselves?
No. It doesn't. You have a brain, use it wisely and remember: IANAP, I Am Not A Philosopher (LOL!). ;-)
Please do not send me any junk mail, especially the Viagra or Cialis stuff.
DISCLAIMER
This is a personal web site, produced in my own time and solely reflecting my personal opinions.
Any and all statements, questions, comments, thoughts, etcetera, found on this website do not represent in anyway whatsoever, the views or policies of my employer, past or present, or any other organisation with which I may be affiliated with.
Under no circumstances does the information on this site represent a recommendation, instruction, advice or anything remotely related. View the contents of this site at your own risk.
