Who shone brightest in the presidential debate?

The face-off between Democratic Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton took place last night and for the most part they tried to appear cordial to each other. I didn't watch the entire debate but I felt both of them did a good job, although Clinton was evasive in some of her responses, especially on health care. I'm still Team Obama, though.

So, let's hear from you in the poll in the sidebar...who triumphed in the debate, Obama or Clinton?

Have a good weekend!

Photo: www.msnbc.msn.com

Men's fashion at the BMA's

Fashion-wise, the men represented reasonably well at the recent Barbados Music Awards. They were in some instances more adventurous in their attire than the women, which isn't necessarily a bad thing considering some of the outfits from previous BMA's.

Anyhoo, let's take a look at the guys. All pics courtesy of Bajanfuhlife.com.


This outfit was kinda like Kanye West meets Pharrel Williams. I'm not sure if I like it but he looked pleased with himself.


I'm sure there's some style rule about wearing white suits at night, but hey it's Richard Stoute so it's all good. Besides, what else will match with his trademark white shoes?


One of the crowd favourites of the night, Phillip Scantlebury (aka Phillip 7, awarded Best Rock/Alternative Artist) went for the elegantly casual look and didn't do too bad a job of it.


Note to Khiomal of Krosfyah: you're on the red carpet not going to 'town. Lose the hat and tuck in your shirt next time.


If I was Peter Boyce (of MADD Entertainment) I would be glum too. I don't think his group has ever won a BMA, and that's a serious oversight.


I'm not sure who this guy is but his future looks very bright.


Nard (Best New Artiste) stayed in character for the BMA's. In fact, I hope it's all an act and he doesn't normally dress like this....

Rihanna's Got Milk

As Rihanna continues to take the entertainment world by storm, her celebrity status has received another boost. Next week she will be the latest star to sport a milk mustache as part of the Got Milk campaign. The ad will debut on February 5 in Teen Vogue.

Good going, Rih-Rih!

Photo: www.theybf.com

More Senators named + Kellman gets a pick

With the Ministers of Government being named a week ago, all eyes were next turned to the Upper Chamber of the House of Assembly to see who would be appointed as Government, Opposition and Independent Senators.

The Governor-General is yet to name his Senators, but yesterday Opposition Leader Mia Mottley named Liz Thompson and Kerrie Symmonds, who lost their St. James seats in the election, as the BLP's representatives in the Senate.

Prime Minister David Thompson later named political veteran Branford Taitt and defeated candidates Irene Sandiford-Garner and Patricia Inniss among his senators during a post-Cabinet Press conference at Government Headquarters, Bay Street.

The others named by Thompson were businessman Peter Gilkes, trade unionist Derek Alleyne, university student, Damien Griffith, Rev. Peter Millington and blind research project officer Kerryann Ifill.

The eight newly announced Government senators are to be sworn in at Government House on Monday, while the Opposition two will go before the Governor-General next Friday.

Four previously named Government senators already sworn in are losing candidate in St Peter, Haynesley Benn, (the Minister of Agriculture); economist Darcy Boyce, management consultant Maxine McClean; and labour relations specialist Arnie Walters.

Minister of Education Ronald Jones was named as Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly. Unconfirmed reports from The WEEKEND NATION state that St Philip South MP Adriel Brathwaite is tipped to become Speaker while Branford Taitt is expected to be Senate President, with Christ Church West Central MP Stephen Lashley, chairman of committees.

Thompson also hinted that defeated candidate Undene Whittaker would play an important role "in securing the country's Millennium Goals and also essentially the same kind of role performed by the parliamentary representative for St Michael South East [Hamilton Lashley] in the sense, spawned by the same circumstances".

And now to Denis Kellman. According to the WEEKEND NATION, St. Lucy MP Denis Kellman has been asked by Prime Minister David Thompson to lead in several senior parliamentary roles, including negotiations between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados on the controversial fishing agreement.

"Denis has been asked to take some important responsibilities under his wing, which include continuing negotiations for a fishing agreement with Trinidad.

"And also to assist, because of his seniority in Parliament, in the negotiations of maritime deliberations within CARICOM, and there will be other responsibilities," said Thompson.

"Because of his very important senior role, as a parliamentarian of greater experience, he is essentially taking over responsibilities previously reserved for parliamentarians of that stature."

In response, Kellman told the WEEKEND NATION that "the Prime Minister has prerogative and if he has exercised it, then I cannot complain".

He added he "would have to accept that [senior] role for the time being because those roles are limited. I would like to believe that I can bring some closure to a lot of these matters, that is why I said that".

When asked if he was happy with the responsibilities he was given, Kellman said: "I am not unhappy about anything. To be honest with you, I do what I have to do. I accept what I think I should accept and I carry a very broad approach and a very open mind and always remember that party and country come first."

Alrighty, then. This should be really interesting, Kellman negotiating on Barbados' behalf. I'll reserve all comment for now and give him a chance.

So, by my count, PM Thompson has taken care of 24 (if you count Undene Whittaker's pending appointment) of his 30 candidates and there're still diplomatic and Chairman picks to come.

What I found most amusing at the press conference was the fact that Thompson did not name a deputy prime minister, saying it "would become apparent as time goes by". I have to create a game of "guess the Deputy" we can all play....

Photo: PM David Thompson speaking at yesterday's press briefing. Minister of Agriculture Sen. Haynesley Benn looks on. www.nationnews.com

Coupled up at the BMA's

I read somewhere once that the greatest accessory you can have at a high profile event is the person on your arm, and even though that sounds a tad shallow, for sure you want your companion to complement you on the red carpet.

Here are pics of some of the couples who took to the carpet at the Barbados Music Awards. As before, all pics are courtesy of Bajanfuhlife.com.


The big kahuna himself, the founder and producer of the Barbados Music Awards, Ronnie Morris, tried out the red carpet experience along with a friend. The white on black, black on white contrast is kinda cute.


Member of Parliament for Christ Church West Central, the Hon. Stephen Lashley, put aside politics for the night to step out with his lovely wife.


Entertainer Ras Iley and his companion brought some colour and fun to the red carpet.


This couple was perhaps the best coordinated of the night.


King of the Dancehall Beenie Man brought along his own personal Barbie doll (her stage name really is Barbie).


I don't think this young lady was Machel Montano's date but they really do make a cute couple.

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at how the men represented.

Barbados Music Awards pics

As promised, here are some of the red carpet pics from Sunday's Barbados Music Awards. All photos are courtesy of Bajanfuhlife.com.

I found that this year many of the styles were more sedate, with patrons opting for a classy rather than risqué look. In some cases the men were more flamboyant than the women. Let's have a look at the women first.


These ladies opted for basic black on the night. I hope the one on the right had a shawl because the Gymnasium's AC unit can be brutal....


I suspect the back of her dress is very interesting....


Local singing sensation Shontelle lit up the Gymnasium. Her outfit would have been better accentuated with a smaller clutch, though.


This young lady looked cool and refined in blue.


A picture of Nubian elegance.


This senior guest probably put a few younger women in the shade.


Double award winner (Best Soca Collaboration and Best Ragga-Soca Single Female) Keann was radiant.


If you want to look royal then purple is the colour to wear.

Later, we'll check out some of the couples and see how the men represented.

Good news and bad news for Obama

Senator Barack Obama's run for the Democratic Presidential nomination has been filled with some wins and losses, some peaks and valleys. His victory in the the South Carolina primary on Saturday gave his campaign a major boost, and coupled with that on Monday he was endorsed by the Royal Family of the USA, the Kennedys.

However, on Monday it was also revealed that a contributor to Obama's campaign, Antoin "Tony" Rezko, was arrested on charges of fraud, attempted extortion and money laundering. Rezko is scheduled to stand trial Feb. 25. Obama has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but his opponent Hillary Clinton isn't letting go of the issue.

Well, as the Democratic presidential race moves toward a 22-state showdown on February 5, (Super Tuesday), we'll see how things pan out. I couldn't help noticing that Obama's main campaign slogan is is "Stand for Change", which is reminscent of the DLP's recent party slogan "Time for Change". Hopefully that rallying cry will work for him as well as it did for PM Thompson et al....


Photo: www.barackobama.com