It is a new year but what does that mean? Well, my resolution for the new year is 1366 x 768, for which I would like to thank Nigel, the IT tech who has repaired my laptop. In trying to answer the meaning of the new year question in a …
Read More »Not condemning: Can our country contrive to convert cannabis cultivation into hard cash?
“Police burned millions of dollars worth of marijuana plants,” announced a newspaper headline last week, not for the first time. Not for the first time, we dismissed the story simply as the drug rings at it again and went on with our business and our lives. But what if we …
Read More »Dear Editor: Heroes of the chord; pride, pan, power and Panorama
“Steelband arrangers are constantly seeking to craft an individual style in their arrangements which, they hope, will be recognized and acclaimed by the artistic community in general and the pan fraternity in particular.” “Their musical productivity contributes to the development of new styles. But it is not a luxury; they …
Read More »Daly Bread: Prayers, miracles and reality; and the President Weekes masterstroke
Almost halfway through its innings and after plenty leave-alone punctuated by some ‘vooping’, the current PNM Government, has finally played a ball with the middle of the bat. The nomination of Madam Justice Paula Mae Weekes to be President of the Republic is an elegant stroke. Happily, the Leader of …
Read More »Caribbean dignity unbowed; UWI vice-chancellor explains what Trump and USA really owe Haiti
“Haiti’s Caribbean vision illuminated America’s way out of its colonial darkness. This is the debt President Trump’s America owes Toussaint L’Ouverture’s Haiti. “It’s a debt of philosophical clarity and political maturity. It’s a debt of how to rise to its best human potential. It’s a debt of exposure to higher …
Read More »Dear Editor: T&T citizens are now the “wretched of the earth”; cringed in denial at murder rate
“The carnage has become part of our lives just like potholes in the road, increased fuel prices, crime in the military and police service and deep-seated corruption in the Judiciary. “[…] Murder has now become the supreme expression of corruption in our culture.” The following Letter to the Editor on …
Read More »Claude’s Comments: Why Britain owes Spiritual Baptists an apology and reparations
In November 2017, the Spiritual Baptists of T&T solemnly commemorated the centenary of “The Shouters’ Prohibition Ordinance,” the second wave of legislation designed to eradicate Afro-Caribbean Christianity. In 1927, Grenada was hit by the third wave, the “Public Meetings (Shakerism) Prohibition Ordinance.” The tidal wave of state persecution of Spiritual …
Read More »Dr Farrell: Why I quit EDAB; Gov’t was too slow and not using enough of our ideas
“There remains a large volume of work which is incomplete for lack of resources and I am acutely aware that several persons remain disappointed with the lack of progress on their ideas and proposals. “[…] My own expectations of high-level engagement followed by swift implementation on these and other policy …
Read More »Dear Editor: It was Panday—not Manning—who coined ‘community leader’ euphemism
“The time has come to correct gross inaccuracies pertaining to the widespread claim that former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago and also former political leader of the People’s National Movement (PNM) Mr Patrick Manning had coined the phrase ‘community leaders’. “[…] Undisputed facts will clearly demonstrate that it was …
Read More »Baldeosingh: Calypso and chutney music are not inherently sexist; and here’s why
“The fact is that almost all the calypsoes that are deemed sexist are calypsoes which, in one way or another, express the power of women over men. Growling Tiger’s “Money is King” (1935) says: ‘If you have money and things going nice/Any woman will call you honey and spice/If you …
Read More »Daly Bread: The mudda count phenomenon and our sliding standards of behaviour
Massive: that is the extent of the opportunity presented by “Massive” Gosine’s “Rowlee Mudda Count.” It is an opportunity to have a meaningful discussion about taste and standards in public and cultural life. It does not matter whose count is referenced. The central issue is whether the unrelenting references to …
Read More »Dear Editor: The case of Gafoor’s chauffeur allowance has been badly misconstrued
“The matter referred to concerns the chauffeur’s allowance granted to the learned judge in her capacity as a judge. The High Court found as a fact that the allowance claimed arose as a matter of personal entitlement. “Up to that point in time, there had remained a question as to …
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