October 2018 - Womens Post

News October 31, 2018

Weed supply low following post-legalization in Canada

Canada is quickly becoming one of the top underrated places to travel. After the recent legalization of marijuana, there is a whole new industry that has cropped up related to weed. Everything from herbal remedies to baked goods have emerged as secondary markets in the region. There is even a prolific market for weed based dog treats to cure pet-anxiety. The traditional dispensary is quickly evolving to keep up with market demand.

Vancouver is an interesting example of this scenario. There are currently more illegal dispensaries than there are Starbucks outlets in the city. You can buy a coconut-chocolate-weed infusion just as easily as you would a ChocoMocca latte here.

The government is trying its best to curb the black market in the space, which is estimated to be close to 5 Billion CAD. That market is a large one to disrupt, leading many to believe that supply needs to outgrow demand for the product.

Canada’s doing all it can to curb the market, empowering hundreds of unarmed inspectors to shut down dispensaries on the spot. This can rapidly change the black market and make it redundant in the future.

The real problem is the lack of quality supply to keep up with rising demand. That’s why customers opt for tax-free (and often cheaper) black market alternatives. With increased regulation, the black market may possibly shrink over time.

Toronto saw 5 illegal dispensaries being shut down a few days after the law went into effect. Many other cities are following suit. The flip-side of the picture is the irregularity with which licenses are being provided. For growers who were generating income illegally, there are few ways of applying for a legal license.

This opens up the market for outside growers to enter Canada and create a legal brand in the growing economy. The problem for the residents lies in the habit of calling up your local dealer. It’s simpler than having to visit a dispensary and not knowing whether it is legal or not. Since you already have a relationship established with the dealer, you won’t want to experiment outside of that network.

What are the dispensaries doing about it? Not much as it turns out. Only $180,000 of the $3 Million worth of fines issued was paid so far. Dispensaries are waiting for consumer trends to evolve and for government to relax these rules. Legislation was only the first step. Now comes a host of new challenges which involve increased investment in inspections.

Finally, the licensing fees can range anywhere between $500 to $30,000 depending on the state and the type of operation you’re running. This is also indicative of how each state wants to manage the industry from within. That’s another impediment for black market dealers to turn towards the legal route.

With decreased red tape, increased accessibility and assistance, the industry can grow many times over. With Canada running out of legal marijuana this year, next year seems brighter than before. In conclusion, there is a market out there ready to expand but it needs legal clarification and assistance across the board.

Travel October 30, 2018

Exploring the island gem that is Barbados

When you live in a tropical island paradise that is only 166 square miles, you would think that you would have exhausted most places to go visit and explore, but if you’re me, then that sadly is just not the case.

Contrary to many beliefs I sadly do not get to go to the beach nearly as often as I would like to and I have yet to truly travel around and explore all that Barbados has to offer, in its natural beauty and island charm.

To remedy this, a bunch of friends and myself, one day decided to just hit the road and let the winding roads of the island take us on an adventure. Normally, I get lost in the island easily because I have not traveled around the place enough, only frequenting the same familiar places over and over again.

However, as I learnt on that weekend trip, there are a lot of places around this island that still needs to be discovered, to be explored and the very best way to do it is to do it with friends.

So on that sunny and warm Saturday morning, four of us piled ourselves into a Japanese speaking car and set off for adventure. First place chosen was to St Philip, because there was a famous bar close to a light house that promised amazing food and drinks.

The view was nothing short of breathtaking. The lighthouse itself was a towering round structure and showed signs of its very old age, however, by unanimous decision, were admired only from the outside. None of the crew game enough to try to go inside the ancient contraption.

The views on the cliff were amazing, the sea rollicking bringing forth harsh waves that crashed mightily on the rocks on the very long drop below. It was a freeing experience, being there in the open with the salty sea spray shooting up on the rocks before receding for another attack.

I could actually feel my mind clear and relax, but it brought with it, a real appetite and soon the squad found the restaurant, which was such an out of the way ranch looking place, doused in music with a fired up grill.

I had the best time there with my friends and was even happier with a huge plate of BBQ ribs.

The journey continued with the gang travelling through dirt a road, coming up to what was decided had to be a haunted house.

While the decision was taken to stick to the South of the island, it was so much fun to really take a moment and appreciate the beauty of the island. Sometimes I forget that I’m in an island paradise as the pressures of work and family increase, however, I have to advise anyone, to take a day, no matter where you are and travel around the town or country that you’re in. there is nothing like the feel of the open road, an unhurried atmosphere and good friends to make the whole experience awesome.

What's Hot October 29, 2018

Blockchain provides opportunities for Barbados

The world is moving further and further into the digital age and of course with that definitive move, there will be a need for financial transactions to be faster, safer as well as easily processed by different countries. That is where Blockchain comes into play.

Blockchain is being touted as the technology to revolutionize how financial transactions are done and is already becoming very significant to how banks will carry out international settlements, transfers and trade finance to name a few.

Blockchain is able to simplify complex processes and acts as a turning point for cross-border transactions with its verification and record keeping.

So it is easy to see why many financial markets will no doubt be looking to embrace blockchain as early as they can, and according to reports coming out of Barbados the island is ready to explore blockchain opportunities, as they push for more fintech companies.

Speaking to the media at the launch of the International Business Week Julia Hope, President of the Barbados International Business Association (BIBA) explained that Barbados was looking to embrace financial technology ‘fintech’ push more fully.

As the association currently works towards meeting the deadlines imposed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) through its Base Erosion and Profit Shifting programme (BEPS), Hope assured that the sector officials would continue to examine new markets and opportunities for attracting diversified product offerings as well as the jurisdiction needed for those products and services to be marketed.

“We have some good companies in Barbados already operating – the likes of Polymath and AION, to name a couple,” she said.

“They are here; they are operating and this isn’t just digital currency, this is blockchain. We need to get the regulatory framework in place to enable these companies and others to thrive here, but we could very much become the Silicon Valley of the Caribbean and that is something to aspire to.”

In a joint statement issued by the Central Bank of Barbados with the Financial Services Commission (FSC), both institutions have recognized that fintech innovation could play a critical role in safely lowering the costs of financial transactions, while offering more efficient services to consumers without undermining the financial system.

To that end they have established a framework for a regulatory sandbox, which could last between eight to 12 weeks, to give the regulators an idea of how it will work as well as provide the clarity necessary for businesses offering innovative fintech services, solutions and products.

“One outcome is that having tested it, we don’t like what we see and there are too many risks for consumers, we regulate those activities. We regulate them in such a way that either the likelihood of loss is less or we regulate who can access it,” explained Economist and Chairman of the FSC, Avinash Persaud.

He said it could also attract new investors “that may want to try out a new product in Barbados and if it is successful they might want to try it out elsewhere,” adding that within a year or so, the country would be in a position to go a joint sandbox with a regular in another country for firms who may be doing cross-border transaction.

Fashion October 28, 2018

The 7 hottest trends from the 60’s in 2018!

Everything comes back into fashion and the 60’s are back!

That was one of the many sayings that when it comes to fashion I have known to be true. This year, has shown that many designers have fallen back in love with the demure yet classic vibes of the sixties and instead of reinventing the wheel, have added that 60’s flair to their own modern designs.

Here are the seven top trends that are 60’s inspired but are rocking the 2k world.

The Mod Dresses

The Mod dresses are and always will be such a fixture in any woman’s closet, dressing like a mod means wearing tailored and stylish clothing in bold prints, bright colours and black and white combinations.

This style took off in the 1960’s in London, inspired by jazz music, European art films and of course the iconic Vespas and Lambretta scooters. As the years went on, these printed dresses continued to gain in popularity as they are so simple, chic and fun to wear. While many of the 60’s fashion love is making a come-back in 2018, it can be argued that the mod dress was always a staple.

Peter Pan Collars

Let’s talk collars, more precisely, Peter Pan Collars. This unique collar style was all the rage in the 60’s because of its classic and demure look. The collar, gave the LBD (Little Black Dress) such a touch of class that many women preferred it, as they felt classy, and powerful in the style. It’s also looking like this particular collar will be making a huge impact on 2019’s Spring/Summer looks!

Shift Dresses

There is no way you can be talking about 60’s fashion and style trends without talking about the Shift dresses. These breezy dresses were loose and a bit boxy, so they looked good on just about any body type, also they were at the time a very nice contrast to the tight-bodiced A-line styles of the 50’s. The shift dress is for the person who wants to have fun and express their creativity.

Oversized Pearl Jewelry

If it’s the 60’s then, it’s all about the pearls. In that time period, just about everything was worn with pearls, particularly oversized pearl jewelry. Let’s face it, the 60’s Fashion trend for most women were all about elegance and class. It was a subtle kind of sexy with a somewhat stern edge and the jewelry also told the story.

Oversized Sunglasses

The bigger your shades were the better and this is trend that has showed right back up this year! After a brief tiny-frame fad, this summer, large sunnies are on their way back to their rightful place on the fashion totem pole. Next summer may see the modern look of the oversized sunglasses and tinted lens. Ah girl can hope.

MiniSkirts

When I think miniskirts and well most of any of the 1960’s era, I think Twiggy and there was no one who rocked a mini-skirt quite like that legendary model. Miniskirts were a nice contrast to the very austere A-line skirts that were also very popular in the 60’s and were usually worn with knee-high boots and high socks.

Entertainment October 27, 2018

Women’s wrestling matches finally takes the spotlight!

It started officially with a simple hashtag on Twitter, and just like that women in pro-wrestling were no longer campaigning for better or longer matches behind the scenes, now the fans- millions strong -were also campaigning for them.

The hashtag #GiveDivasAChance went viral for three days and was so strong that WWE could no longer ignore the sweeping demands of their customers. The people had spoken and it was time for the female wrestlers to enjoy the spotlight just as the men.

For as long as I can remember I have loved watching wrestling and I had always accepted on some level that there were no real women matches, that the women were side characters, that their matches were more comic relief than actual story-lines, or they were stuck in crazy love interests and rarely had screen time.

At first I thought maybe they just were afraid to get as physical as the men, afterall a lot of them looked more like models than fighters. Then I became angry because I wanted to see more women have those chances, I wanted to know what it would be like to see a woman diving off the second rope and tackling another. I wanted to see them evolve.

The late Chyna, better known as “the 9^th wonder of the world” was the eye-opener for me. She was a huge, muscular and pretty woman who was not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone. Male or female and I remember one Saturday as me and my brother watched the program wondering if there would be a time when more women would be allowed to show their might as fighters.

Fast forward to 4 years ago and I’m watching AJ Lee and Paige put on a match that took my breath away. I live for the story-lines and the way the matches develop. I also love when you can see emotions and passion in a match that fit the story being told. This match was perfect for me. When AJ Lee dove off the top of the ropes onto Paige, they instantly became my favourite and just as I did with Chyna, I was front and center whenever they were on TV.

Finally WWE listened and created the ‘Divas Revolution’ that meant more women wrestlers on their shows, this lead to the birth of women being called ‘Superstars’ instead of ‘Divas’ and it also lead to women being featured in the main events of the shows, having more than one match at the pay per views and being seen as more than side pieces but legit fighters in their own right.

Finally the misogynist views of the WWE were crumbling. So can you even begin to imagine my excitement about the upcoming All Women’s Pay Per View on Sunday?

No you cannot. There are a few matches I am beyond ready to watch, including the first ever Last Woman Standing Match with one of the best story-lines WWE has ever had, just because it took over 5 years to properly flesh out and it has not gotten old yet. I can watch Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair go at it for ever- they are part of the four horsewomen of the WWE for a reason.

This pay per view has come a lot faster than anyone could have imagined but it shows that finally the WWE is ready to embrace the emotions and needs of its fan base and the fans themselves are indeed ready to let go of the idea that wrestling is for men only and see the real talent, passion, hard work and sacrifices that both sexes are putting into their careers.

For that alone I hope to see more progression and growth for the industry and more amazing and entertaining matches. The aesthetic on female athletes are changing and the promotion is ‘Yes you can, just be you and never give up’.

Fashion October 26, 2018

Clothes should just be fun : a look at genderless fashion

It was a trend that grew teeth in 2017 and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. Gender neutral or genderless clothes has hit the industry and just like the ugly sneaker, was endorsed by the who’s who of the fashion royalty.

This year’s Seoul Fashion week, took the concept to even more interesting heights with their layered-up pinstriped blazers, trench coats and checked menswear tailoring that was worn by both men and women.

The Generation Z’ers have spoken and their voices looked to be jackets with D-ring webbing belts, bandoliers of tiny bags, heavy boots with their trousers and striking hair colours, including orange, platinum blonde or straight jet black.

Let’s look at what highlighting this trend.

In 2017, gender no longer dictated the way people dressed and it was most noticeable that just as trousers were no longer just for men, skirts were no longer just for women. Fashion designers grew bolder in combining men’s and women’s collections on the runway with many launching gender neutral collections.

These androgynous collections usually featured a mixture of loose fitting suits, slogan T-shirts and tailored jackets that are neither overtly feminine nor masculine.

Wildfang, a street inspired label that launched their own collection, looked at gender as a ‘fairly restrictive concept’ and created more freeing concepts.

“Historically, it has dictated what jobs people can do, how someone can act, how someone can dress and that limits someone’s ability to truly self-express and reach their full potential. Gender-neutral clothing doesn’t force someone into a box. It allows them to self-express exactly how they chose to,” said Wildfang CEO, Emma McIlroy.

Eventhough gender fluidity in fashion may not be as mainstream as it could be, it is slowly and steadily becoming more and more popular with the fashionistas, as the new normal and a lifestyle choice.

The pull for genderless clothes is not about having an agenda for LGBT movement; rather it is about free expression for all.

In this day and age, these clothes are not defined by gender, or have a predetermined demographic, rather the aim is for them to just be worn by people.

The novelty of it all has opened doors for many a designer to unleash their creativity, while allowing the consumer to be free in liking and wearing clothes without the worry of whether it is for a man or a woman. It is just clothes.

Tanmay Saxena, founder of London-based unisex label LaneFortyfive believes “it’s already very hard to break the metaphorical walls and create equality in the times we live in. I feel unisex clothing is a small but effective way to roll out a line of conversation towards a broader dialogue about equality”.

Stephen Doig, men’s style editor at The Telegraph agrees: “It’s a natural progression in a world where, thankfully, there’s more acceptance of gender fluidity”.

It can be said that with unisex clothes becoming even more mainstream, the easing of gender roles and constructs may follow the trend and become more fluid as well.

News October 25, 2018

Rihanna turns down Super Bowl half time offer

Rihanna has added her name to the list of celebrities standing in support of Colin Kaepernick. Recently the ‘Work’ singer has declined an offer to headline the coveted Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show, because she did not agree with the NFL’s stance on the kneeling controversy during the national anthem, or the league’s treatment of the quarterback.

Rihanna who has made a point to be aware of how ethnicity and body type affect ‘living experiences’ in her entrepreneurial ventures, including her makeup line, Fenty Beauty, which has 40 shades and her lingerie line, Savage X Fenty, which was touted as the most inclusive the New York Fashion Week (NYFW) history by including plus size and pregnant models, has joined a slew of other celebrities who also support Kaepernick, including JAY-Z, Ava DuVernay, Jenifer Lewis and John Legend.

Kaepernick made waves in headlines all over the internet when he first knelt during the national anthem, in an attempt to bring awareness to the far too many instances of police brutality and racial injustices.

However, as the trend caught on and other players also began to take the knee during the national anthem, many criticized the action; misinterpreting it as the players being disrespectful toward the flag as well as the military.

Outrage sparked so quickly that even President Donald Trump getting involved, calling for players who knelt to be fired for the action, which then lead to the NFL establishing the ‘kneeling ban’.

The former quarter back has not had an easy time following his stance and in spite of his amazing abilities and talents on the field, has failed to be picked up by an NFL team since he opted out of his contract with the San Fancisco 49ers in March 2017.

Since then he has filed a collusion suit against the NFL and team owners claiming that they conspired to shelf him and keep him out of the leagues over his protests.

In September, Kaepernick became the face of Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ campaign spreading the message that is uniquely his, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

This campaign has also seen backlash with many of Nike’s customers who are anti-Kaepernick burning their Nike gear in protest.

None of this has fazed Kaepernick and his supporters, and recently Amy Schumer has also made a call for more people to boycott the NFL and continue the protest police violence against young black men, by taking the knee during the national anthem.

In an instagram post, Schumer wrote “I wonder why more white players aren’t kneeling. Once you witness the truly deep inequality and endless racism people of color face in our country, not to mention the police brutality and murders. Why not kneel next to your brothers? Otherwise how are you not complicit?”

Kaepernick’s former teammate, Eric Reid, returned to the field this season with the Carolina Panthers and continued to protest during the anthem. Reid said he would continue to fight for the rights of African-Americans and other people of color.

Rihanna has reportedly made plans to work with the activist athlete in a ‘fun and powerful way’ that may see Kaepernick featured in a new music video addressing social justice reform.

News October 24, 2018

Contract between Saudi Arabia and Canada ‘frustrating’

With the revelation of the killing of Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in Saudi Arabia’s consulate, Turkey, there is increasing pressure for Canada to cancel its contract for sale of light armoured vehicles (LAVs) to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that while Canada has condemned the killing of the journalist and is not afraid to freeze permits on arms exports, the contracts that bind them to supply LAVs to Saudi Arabia are very difficult to break.

Speaking to Matt Galloway on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning on Tuesday, Trudeau explained that the way the previous Conservative government negotiated the contract made it very frustratingly difficult to suspend and prevented disclosure of conditions.

“The contract signed by the previous government, by Stephen Harper, makes it very difficult to suspend or leave that contract,” Trudeau said. “We are looking at a number of things, but it is a difficult contract.

“I actually can’t go into it, because part of the deal on this contract is not talking about this contract, and it’s one of the binds that we are left in because of the way that the contract was negotiated.”

Germany has already stopping its arms sales in light of the incident and other countries, and are working to figure out what kind of diplomatic and economic pressure could be applied to Saudi Arabia to make it clear that the apparent murder of the once Saudi royal family insider within the walls of the Saudi embassy in Turkey is unacceptable.

The world has of course noticed that Canada, which has had a very serious rift with the kingdom, beginning earlier this year, when the government publicly criticized the arrests of women’s rights activities, is still sanctioning the military deal.

While Trudeau said the government was not afraid to suspend military export permits like they had in the past, he explained that this contract could have more of a back lash on Canada and they were doing their due diligence with looking into the matter.

“I do not want to leave Canadians holding a billion dollar bill because we’re trying to move forward on doing the right thing. So we are navigating this very carefully and that’s pretty much all I can say on that.” said Trudeau.

Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland has made it very clear that Canada condemns the killing of the journalist and that the Saudis’ “explanations” of the killing of Khashoggi “lack consistency and credibility.”

She has also agreed with the federal government’s call for a thorough investigation in collaboration with Turkish officials, demanding a full and transparent investigation.

“We are gravely concerned by the murder of Jamal Khashoggi,” she said. “We do not find the explanations that have been offered to date to be credible or consistent. That is a serious problem for Canada.” She said.

However, while the Opposition is calling for government to invoke the new Magnitsky law which gives the government the authority to freeze Canadian assets of foreign individuals who have violated human rights, to sanction those responsible for Khashoggi’s death, there is as yet no concrete word on whether that is the course Canada will take.

Featured October 23, 2018

First time travelling to the Big Apple

I live in beautiful Barbados, literally the land of white pristine sandy beaches, turquoise waters, tropical fruit trees and lots of coconut trees. I live in a country where it is impossible to never see greenery, with hills and pastures stretching for seeming miles, all lush with thick flora, so imagine my shock when I first traveled to New York City for a two week vacation and could not see anything but concrete and insane squirrels.

It was a culture shock for sure, but I was ready for the adventure!

Hopped up on the amazing stories from the TV shows like Sex and the City and Gossip Girl, I was beyond excited to get this vacation going. I had plans on shopping and a lot of eating. Now I’m not a ‘travelholic’ and this trip to the Big Apple was something that I had dreamt of, but had not actually considered doing.

While I was excited to go over there and I had of course air marked few places I wanted to go to because I was all about that sales shopping life and had dreamt of running around in huge malls, I also had to make sure I took care of a couple of things.

First time on the train was such an experience!

Now not many of you may have to ever worry whether the bank you use is accessible in another country, or that your credit card may not work, but as it turned out, these were things I had to make sure of and have a plan of attack finances wise.

Sorted all of it and before I knew it I was in the air on my way to the concrete jungle and thus began my sojourn into the world of USA.

I rode my very first train and was freaking out because, it was more or less punctual and people were so casual about the fact that they were on a train going underground, but for me, I was legit in a whole new world. I fell in love with the graffiti, with the characters on every train and the total ease of movement. I became lost in the Museum of Natural History, geeking out about dinosaurs and the cosmos and then could not for the life of me figure out how to leave the building.

And let’s talk food. My first deep dish pizza, my first time at an IHOP and saw the massive amount of pancakes they offered. The drinks that I was incapable of finishing!

I went out a lot. I don’t think I even spent one day in my hotel room. One of my friends made sure that i experienced authentic Chinese food and Japanese food. I took a bus for the longest bus ride of my life- a whole two hours and ended up in a mall that as you can imagine I also for one heart stopping moment was sure I was stuck in because I could not find my way back to the ground floor. It seemed to go on forever!

I was able to see my friends going about their daily lives and explore different parts of New York, all culminating for me in Brooklyn, where I went to an art party and ended up ‘palancing’ ( a Trinidadian dance) with over a hundred people on the main floor of the art museum.

My time in the Big Apple was exactly what I thought it would be: awesome, inspiring and eye-opening.

I came back to Barbados full of ideas, but also with a very real appreciation for how calm and slow paced life really is on the island and how much I also enjoy that.

News October 22, 2018

Latest layoffs in Barbados too rushed

Like a storm brewing in the ocean just about to hit land, the latest layoffs in Barbados have caused its own disaster with dangerously swirling emotions of anger and confusion.

On October 14, Prime Minster Mia Mottley made the announcement that the government was seeking to send home around 1,500 public servants during her national address from the official prime minister’s residence, Ilaro Court.

The retrenchment exercise, as explained by Mottley was in an attempt to cut government spending, in line with the objectives outlined in the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) program, which has received backing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

News of the impending layoffs were not met with any great enthusiasm, despite the Prime Minister’s attempts to lessen the blow, by utilizing the last in, first out policy, saying that more than 80 percent of the people who would be affected by the lay-offs were those holding temporary positions.

However, even as she explained that those being handed their notices would not be leaving empty-handed, the lay-offs were met by resistance nonetheless.

Mottley said it was regrettable to have to lay off so many, and explained that to her it was important that those who were terminated, left with a cheque dealing with the severance-type payments as well as the notice and the termination.

“None of us would feel good having to go home without knowing where money is coming from and who is going to help us tomorrow or to come back next week or next month and be begging for money,” she said.

The Trade Unions, most notably the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) were not impressed by the news or how government has ‘rushed’ the layoff process and ‘kept them in the dark’.

On Tuesday it was revealed that most of the 955 central government workers who were to be laid off were female, and the largest public sector trade union described this move as ‘an attack against women’.

NUPW General Secretary Roslyn Smith told the media she was ‘a little bit disappointed in the way that things went’.

“Yes, we recognized that there will be layoffs, but at the same time, we believe that we should have had more time for consultation on such a sensitive issue . . . and when we look, we recognize females . . . as the householders. They are the single parents, they have to look after their children, they have mortgages and rents to pay,” she said.

Giving some credence to her words, many workers received their walking papers on Friday, October 19, less than a week after news broke about the layoffs, creating an atmosphere of anger and confusion.

Confusion because some of the workers were unsure of their employment status as they were terminated by word of mouth and then urged to continue to turn up for work by trade unionist Caswell Franklyn, furthering a very messy situation.

While Mottley said Government would be establishing a household mitigation unit to assist those now on the breadline to ensure that none of them fell below the minimal standard of living, the Unions are calling the exercise a ‘rush job’ and stating that they themselves were not given enough or proper notice of what was going to really happen or how to proceed.