A warm and heartfelt greeting to each and everyone.

Hope all is well with each and everyone out there.

It's been a good day today, I am happy to report that the young lady in the middle in the first picture, has just completed the Knowledge of London, she has one more test to do, which is the Suburban routes which is pretty straightforward, on completion of that test, she will get her coveted green badge and go straight to work, if that is her desire.

The young man next to her, has two more appearances to go, and if successful, he will also have completed the Knowledge of London, I must add, he is also a fireman, the lady on the right, gained her coveted green badge just before Christmas, she is now enjoying the job to the fullest.

Going back to the Lady in the middle, whose name is Liola ( Li ), I am very proud of her, and the upmost respect to her, this is the young lady who would home school one of her daughters, she would also bring one of her daughters to classes at the Taxi Academy, I have watched her going through her struggles, but at no time did she shy away from studying the knowledge.

She would go out on the streets of London at 3am in the mornings while her mother or grandmother looked after her children, but now that she has finished the Knowledge, there is no need for anymore babysitters.

Li is living proof that with hard work and dedication, nothing is impossible.

The length of time it took the 2 ladies to complete the knowledge of London is about 3 years and a couple months both ladies have children, and they have to look after and care for them, after all, the knowledge of London is not an easy task, but these students of the knowledge have shown that nothing is impossible.

We at the Taxi Academy are trying our best to get new blood on the streets of London, but the reality is that we can never replenish the cab trade as fast as we would like to do, but that doesn't mean we must throw in the towel.

Both Tom Scullion and I are determined to see this through.

And finally, congratulations from the Taxi Academy, knowledge is the key.

Courtney Connell

Taxi Academy, London

#knowledgeoflondon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Author Pamela R Haynes FRSA

Acclaimed author, speaker, and advocate for women's empowerment, Pamela R. Haynes, is set to travel to Nigeria in June 2025 to deliver a powerful TEDx talk. This prestigious invitation marks a significant milestone in Haynes' career, further amplifying her voice on global platforms dedicated to social change and empowerment.

Pamela R. Haynes, best known for her award-winning debut novel, Loving The Brothers and her unwavering commitment to advocating for women's rights, will take centre stage at TEDxBazeUniversity where she will address an audience of thought leaders, changemakers, and students. Her talk is expected to highlight women’s resilience, the impact of storytelling, and the importance of amplifying underrepresented voices.

A Voice for Women's Empowerment

With a background in criminal justice and a deep passion for supporting survivors of domestic abuse, Haynes has become a leading advocate for women’s safety and empowerment. Her TEDx talk in Nigeria will be an extension of her lifelong mission to inspire and drive meaningful conversations about gender equality, representation, and systemic change.

Speaking about the upcoming event, Pamela R. Haynes said:

"It is an absolute honour to be invited to Nigeria, a country with such a rich history and a strong literary and cultural heritage. I look forward to sharing my insights and experiences while also learning from the incredible minds that TEDx brings together. This is more than just a talk – it is an opportunity to inspire action, challenge narratives, and uplift the voices of women worldwide."

Strengthening International Connections

Haynes' participation in TEDxBazeUniversity aligns with her broader vision of fostering global collaborations and empowering women through storytelling and education. Her visit is expected to include engagements with local authors, women's organisations, and educational institutions, further solidifying her commitment to mentorship and community impact.

A Highly Anticipated Event

As anticipation builds for Haynes’ TEDx talk, her growing international influence continues to inspire audiences beyond the UK. Her books, public speaking engagements, and advocacy efforts have positioned her as a leading voice in contemporary discussions on social justice and gender equality.

For more information on Pamela R. Haynes’ TEDx appearance in Nigeria, media inquiries, or interview requests, please contact: Mrs Pamela R Haynes Prhaynes@hotmail.co.uk

https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/61742    

About Pamela R. Haynes
Pamela R. Haynes is an award-winning author, speaker, research scholar, and women's rights advocate with a background in criminal justice. She is passionate about empowering women, particularly survivors of domestic abuse, through storytelling and education. Her critically acclaimed novels Loving The Brothers, and Loving The Sisters sheds light on gender-based violence and the strength of women.

On this last day of January and in honour of my late Dad, Cuthbert Whitfield Connell, who would have been 98 years old today, I am announcing the availability of the Caribbean Daily Eye website as a source for aggregated top news content from across the Caribbean region and elsewhere.

The CDEye has been fueled by an inspiration to deliver, share and enlighten others on news content that affects the Caribbean region and Caribbean people wherever they reside.

On this achievement, I would like to thank all who have encouraged and supported me along the journey. I particularly want to thank my late dad for planting the seed in me at an early age to see the Caribbean region as a collective whole, just as we see Africa, Asia, Europe and others as a collective whole, even though the islands / countries making up each, are themselves independent jurisdictions. But my biggest thanks must go to the site’s developer, Von Barker, you truly understood what I wanted to achieve, and you professionally and masterly delivered it, giving me much great advice and support. You said you would deliver it, and you sure did.

I encourage you to visit and explore the website, www.https://caribbeandailyeye.com, and you can even submit your own opinion or subscribe to the site.

You can also visit the CDEye’s Facebook page, X page and Instagram page, or you can reach us on WhatsApp: +44 (0)7418610880 or by email: thecdeye@caribbeandailyeye.com.

I hope you enjoy your visit to the site, and  see it as a useful source for Caribbean-related content. Bookmark it, add it to your favourites and share it with your contacts.

Thanks

Anderson

Anderson Connell

Owner and Publisher of Caribbean Daily Eye

thecdeye@caribbeandailyeye.com

31 Jan 2025

The Broken Trident

The colonial coat of arms features the staff of Poseidon, a trident. The retention of the trident but with its arm broken is understood to be the symbol of separation from colonial rule. It holds prominence in the middle of our national flag, and rightly so. This does not require elaboration at all.

The contract

The concept of a government’s contract with its people has philosophical grounding, dating back centuries. The Greeks were the purists, calling meetings with the entire populace to secure agreement on policy. But it was in the 17^th Century when the Europeans expounded theories which, while different, were bound together by common threads of placing limits on government’s incursion into individual rights, and the concept of consent.

Link yo the full article by Verla De Peiza

Recently, the Founder and Director of Reactiv8 the Nation and Iamgr8 Academy, Michelle Crook won Business Person of the Year (2024) – Gold at SME National Business Awards 2024 held at Wembley.
We are so delighted to be recognised and rewarded at a National level, and we wish to spread this wonderful news across the whole of Bedfordshire and beyond.

We had previously also won Business Person of the Year (2024) – Gold, and Community Business of the Year (2024) – Silver at the SME Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, which was a stepping stone for us to get directly nominated to the National finals held at Wembley this December.  What followed later was us creating a history by taking home the Gold awards.

Now, we look forward to spreading awareness regarding our services and products that would help communities flourish and workforce thrive.

NEW COMPULSORY COLLECTIVE DEFINED CONTRIBUTION SCHEME.
ALL BARBADIANS 16 - 45 yrs. QUALIFY BUT MUST PAY CONTRIBUTIONS.

The Caribbean Daily Eye (CDEye) hosted its inaugural Virtual Roundtable Discussion on 29 September 2023, entitled ”Pension Reform, as it affects Barbados and wider CARICOM”.

The keynote speaker was Hal Austin from the UK, a retired senior financial journalist with the Times Newspaper Group, covering nearly 50 years in journalism, specializing in pensions and policy. The guest discussion panellists included Dr Dawn-Marie Armstrong, sport and exercise psychologist and founder of Afro Sports Psych, focusing of sports psychology,

Shaquani Hunte, a student currently at the Barbados Community College and a young entrepreneur, and who also sit on a number of youth committees. Other guest panellists were, Caswell Franklin, Barbadian Trade Unionist, who’s most satisfying job is representing people. Ken Smith, an industrialist in the food industry, who worked with some of the major players in food manufacturing in Barbados and in the UK. Kemar Stuart, Managing Director at Stuart and Perkins Caribbean, specialising in economic consultancy, focussing on macroeconomic issues. Kemar is also an author of Alternate Views and strong advocate for economic justice. The moderator for the discussion was Anderson Connell, editor and publisher of the CDEye.

As part of the introduction to the discussion, Anderson highlighted that pension reform is not just within the Caribbean, it has been taking place for many years across the world. He highlighted that, literally every government across the world has been crying out for pension reform within their specific jurisdictions. Examples where pension reforms were taking place included, Ghana, who in 2004, has had a pension reform where they raised the pension age to 60, and again, in 2022. They are now looking to raise the pension age to 65. France and the Dutch were also engaged in pension reform. Anderson further added that pension reform debates were taking place in the Caribbean. In the Bahamas, it has undergone pension reform. The British Virgin Islands is now talking about pension reform. St Vincent and Grenades are looking at pension reform. Grenada is very hot on pension reform, and likewise Barbados is now also very hot of pension reform.

Anderson highlighted that some individuals on the roundtable discussion are already retired and receiving their pensions because of paid contributions into the different pension schemes over the years. But moving forward, young people today may not  know what pension they will receive from the state or from private sector, if any, and hence pension reform is the key topic of today.

Hal Austin started his keynote speech, stating that the world is in a pension turmoil for the simple reason that, we are living longer and due mainly to changes in lifestyle and advances in medical science and so on. Along with that, of course, means that we are spending longer now in retirement

Hal highlighted the many issues with the current defacto pension system, the “pay as you go system”. He saw this as a Ponzi scheme, which is not workable, and must be got rid of. He indicated that there's no way of kicking the can down the road as far as this scheme is concerned, particularly if you depend on the working population to fund it through retirement incomes of retirees and so on, at some point it's going to explode. Hal when on to high the many reasons for pension reform today and provided an example of an ideal reform for Barbados and the wider CACRICOM.

Hal said that we all require some form of income when you reach retirement age, whether it be 60, 65 or 68. The answer, and it's the answer that in the Caribbean we are ignoring. It is that the state, no matter what kind of state we have, whether it is a robust capitalist state, a social state, whatever, the state, it cannot continue to fund state retirement pensions. And that's the fact that must be deal with. The reality is, we must create a system in which people can fund their own retirements. A person’s  retirement will vary depending on the kind of lifestyle required. At retirement, people might want to maintain the lifestyles that they had during their working lives. Some people may want to cut down, it depends.

Hal in his presentation, is advocating for Barbados and the wider CARICOM to implement a new “Compulsory Collective Defined Contribution Pension Scheme”. All Barbadians 16 - 45 yrs. will qualify but must pay contributions.

Hal’s keynote speech paper can be access here: https://1drv.ms/b/s!ArkJK2bh4p_qhYoYkt3hOTjkNPiB5w?e=5mNp0n