The problem is not the dragging of the coffin—as loathsome as that may be. The problem is not the use of coarse language and the electrifying of the voter base. The problem is the ongoing corrosion of our society, where boorish folk and screaming bullies are greeted as heroes by …

In the period between Christmas 2020 and 2021, because of Covid-19, we have lost a staggering 2,456 persons. We have empty chairs and beds in many homes, which serve as a haunting reminder.  How do we eat a Christmas Day meal without the presence and joy of a loved one? …

Leaders make a difference to a vaccination drive. When they take a public vaccination, they send a message to their followers or employees that the vaccine is safe and the compassionate thing to do.  When leaders act responsibly in this way, others will follow. This behaviour modelling fits into a …

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has announced new measures geared to induce vaccination in the public sector, which his data showed has a low acceptance rate. Here are a few quick comments: Unlike 2020, when there was a general collapse in economic activity, the pace of recovery now will be …

If we do not know the endpoint of an event, how do we move towards it? What do you do when deep-seated tiredness steps in—a place where you are past the breaking point emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually?  When you keep hearing crashing waves as you lie in bed even …

The news was blunt but not unexpected. The lead sentences (Express, 9 December 2021) calmly reported, ‘Shadie Dassrath was beaten to death in an apartment in La Romaine last Friday morning. An autopsy done on the body of the 31-year woman found she died of blunt force trauma and sustained …

Covid-19 brought an exhausting string of events. First, we had to wash our hands, and then we had to wear masks, social distance from all, then lockdown.  To be vaccinated or not. Fear populated our every moment as we realised how little control we had over our lives. The feeling …

In 2001, Enron—named the ‘most innovative company ’ by Fortune magazine for six consecutive years—collapsed.  Enron’s chairman and chief executive officer, Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, were two arrogant and belligerent men who believed they were the ‘smartest guys in the room’. They believed that, through their sheer cleverness and …

The last 21 months have drained our nation’s emotional resources and injected paranoid feelings. Uncertainty and risk are now our constant companions.  We no longer have a clear vision of the future. We are exhausted. The constant quarrelling on every front has bewildered us, and we no longer appear to …

Emerging from the cocoon of self-isolation into the streets of West Trinidad has been a thing of wonder. Last week a Lamborghini, a million-dollar vehicle, was sighted in the WestMall carpark.  Luxury vehicles of every brand, all less than two years old and costing more than three-quarter million dollars, have …

In 1930, The International Digest offered this quote: ‘A banker, it has been said jestingly, is a man who lends you an umbrella when the weather is good and takes it back when it rains. ‘It would be more correct to say that the banker, at the beginning of a …

Mark Antony’s speech from Julius Caesar is worth recalling at this juncture in our country’s history. It speaks to how honourable men, seduced by the drama of the moment, can wreak great evil upon a nation.   This is the sum of the events of 21 October in our Parliament; …