Mahogany CoConut Blog

One Caribbean Nation. No one should wait this long — especially not the most vulnerable Today’s Editorial Maurine Catlyn's story should trouble the conscience of every Barbadian. For 18 long years, this visually impaired single mother of four has waited, as reported by this media house last week, for the government to honour a promise of housing assistance. Her home, if it can even be called that, is a fragile and crumbling plywood structure precariously balanced on four concrete blocks. There is no running water, no electricity, no bathroom. Her five-year-old daughter must walk to her grandmother's nearby home just to bathe. Rainwater seeps through broken panes and holes in the walls. This is not a temporary hardship caused by natural disasters or unforeseen circumstances; it is a harsh, ongoing reality that Maurine and her children endure daily. No Barbadian — and certainly no mother raising four children while living with a disability — should be forced to survive in conditi...

One Caribbean Nation. Beyond funding The digital blueprint for road tennis’ global rise I don't usually do follow-ups, but last week's article sparked spirited feedback from the road tennis community. What truly prompted this part two, though, was one comment: "All road tennis needs is money." Yes, money matters—but it's not everything. Plenty of well-funded projects still fail due to bad timing, poor planning, or weak management. Funding helps, but it doesn't fix systemic flaws. One issue I raised last week was governance—what leadership does in managing the affairs of a sport or any organisation. Over the years, road tennis has had many passionate stakeholders who believed in its global potential. But they've leaned too heavily on government support for the sport's survival. That mindset edges dangerously close to nationalisation, not nationhood. If road tennis is going to have its moment in the sun and earn the recognition it deserves, it can'...

One Caribbean Nation. Friendship : Find your Zayn By William Skinner Anybody past sixty years old, will probably say that it is too late to make new friends. Paranoia steps in and the trust factor becomes real ; some people delight in having no friends at all , especially if they had a few bad ones very early in life. However it is generally accepted that real friends , become family and we happily introduce them as : a brother or sister from another father or mother ! Friendships such as these normally go way back to elementary or high school. They continue even with   long breaks, such as moving to another country.  These  friendships are indeed very special and they often survive serious differences. Friendships like these become almost a spiritual journey. And they should be treasured because they are quite rare. Those who are barely surviving the new technological age, are reluctantly, and   in some cases, are refusing to admit, that the cell phones and ...

One Caribbean Nation. When children are this afraid, we must listen. Today’s Editorial : Barbados Today, Wednesday, 16th April 2025 There is perhaps no more sobering reality check than hearing the raw fear of a child. The words of a student living in The Ivy, St Michael—in the neighbourhood where 21-year-old Omari Jordan was gunned down in broad daylight on Monday—are not just heartbreaking; they are a siren call. "I had to close up all the windows and everything because I don't feel safe anymore in Barbados. I know there are places that have a lot of crimes, but I don't feel safe no more," the secondary school student told Barbados TODAY when a team visited the community a day after the fatal shooting. "I pray each and every single day because I just pray to the Lord to get me to school safely and get me back safely.... I would really like to leave, like just pack up and move away if an opportunity can come to me." These are not the anxious musings of a w...

One Caribbean Nation. by William Skinner  There is nothing in these global movements that we should take for granted without first making it abundantly clear that we will not become satellites of any . We are remaining standfast that imperialism is not the preserve of any one global entity. Here and there we get a few crumbs from the table but there is nothing globally that presents the Caribbean as a global player and this is because, as others have stated , the simple fact, that we have failed to make the transition, from how we see ourselves culturally and intellectually. In order to correct and overcome our current weaknesses we need new vibrant leadership at all levels. We must avoid becoming  mentally distracted because the transition to true and sustained statehood, is taking longer than we hoped.         Once we get rid of petty leadership and present a radical united front to these emerging economic/trade groups, we would avoid further exploitati...

One Caribbean Nation. 2025: Perfect squares, perfect babies, and perfect gains By Professor C. Justin Robinson Ah, 2025—where mathematics meets Wall Street, and Generation Beta makes its debut. For us here in the Caribbean, it's another year to soak up the sun, tackle life's challenges with a smile, and sip on coconut water—or rum, depending on your mood. But what makes 2025 stand out? Grab your patties, your calculators, and your Wi-Fi connection; this year is no ordinary ride. A Mathematically Perfect Year First things first: 2025 is a perfect square year, 2025 is the square of an integer, the number 45. It's a rarity in the calendar, the kind of mathematical symmetry that gets nerds everywhere a little giddy. The last time this happened was 1936 (44 squared), back when the world was a very different place. If you missed that one, no worries—we all did. And unless you're planning to upload your consciousness into the cloud, you likely won't be around for the per...