“[…] Both parties have now dug their heels in, and would regard any compromise on this matter as a sign of weakness and incompetence. They are playing to the gallery. “Where does the national interest feature in this soap opera? […]” The following Letter to the Editor on the need for …
Read More »Daly Bread: Has Farley caught the maximum leadership disease?
Despite the short-sightedness of those who should be deploying our artistic and cultural output to diversify the economy, my depictions of pan and culture are of accomplishment. By contrast, commenting weekly on the latest of the unpleasant results of thoroughly deficient governance is a painful exercise. I would like sometimes …
Read More »Noble: T&T’s Education system still broken after 60 years—and all we hear is “Yada! Yada! Yada!”
In the long-running comedy series, Seinfeld, the phrase “yada, yada, yada” became popularised. Marcy, a character, used the expression to hide important details, while George used it to avoid speaking about an unpleasant incident. When they discuss their use of the idiom, George discovers that Marcy is a shoplifter. The …
Read More »Dear Editor: Pundit Maharaj’s race-baiting comments provoke memories of Hulsie Bhaggan
“[…] As at June 1993, police reports revealed that there were 13 rapes in Central Trinidad. Five of the 13 rapes had been committed by East Indian men, and one of the seven women raped by masked men was of African descent. “[…] Forward to 2023, a religious leader of …
Read More »Vaneisa: Proposed crime solutions like “stand your ground” out of touch with reality
Within a few days of dismantling his family home across the street, Bob began rebuilding. First was the painstaking task of cutting down the two prodigious trees that had generously donated their fruit for decades. With ropes and a saw—the power generated by his hands—the branches came down one by …
Read More »CRFP: Indigenous Peoples express hope and concern at Vatican’s repudiation of Doctrine of Discovery
“[…] In what could have been a ground-breaking and historic repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, the Vatican instead released a series of political statements that sought to rewrite history, shield the Catholic Church from legal liability and shift the blame for the Doctrine of Discovery to governmental and colonial …
Read More »Demming: Despers’ hard gift—how will they fund operating and maintenance costs?
Congratulations to Despers on receiving their second multimillion-dollar gift from the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Their first theatre gift remains closed, up the hill next to the community centre by the gorgeous, gigantic John Dende Statue resides—which was designed and created by a Laventille resident called Leo Warner. During …
Read More »Daly Bread: Dots 10 to 12—Gov’t only scratching surface with home for Despers
The speakers at the handover ceremony of the new Despers pan theatre on Monday last, failed to connect the dots between the new theatre and the revitalisation and rebranding of downtown East Port of Spain. The Prime Minister expressed an expectation that the theatre would be a public asset available …
Read More »Noble: The Opportunity gap and crime—how wealth, connections and education wall off working class children
On 30 May 2015, the then Prime Minister, Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar said: “Without education and training, you are doomed to remain at your same level. That is why my government provides so much money for educating the young people.” This high-sounding statement masks the reality of life and promotes the …
Read More »Dear Editor: Do not support lawlessness, Mr Chief Secretary, you owe Licensing officers an apology
“[…] When our nation’s leaders—who ought to know better and, therefore, ought to set the right example—demonstrate a wanton disregard for our laws and support such lawlessness, then we know we are in serious trouble. “Mr ANR Robinson must be turning in his grave and utterly disappointed with the recent comments of …
Read More »Vaneisa: Say it loud! Why we must speak out against poor service
When I use my column space to complain about poor service, it isn’t simply to seek personal redress. I believe in the power of a voice, no matter how solitary it might seem. The responses to my last column where I had described my experiences with two service providers, TSTT …
Read More »Dear Editor: Bottom in the web—AI composes soca song in three seconds
“[…] Bottoms up, they shake and sway; hips are moving, in a playful way; “Gyrating to the rhythm, so divine; women’s bottoms, pure sunshine…” In the following Letter to the Editor, Orson Rogers from Belmont shares with Wired868 what happens when he asks AI language model to write a soca …
Read More »