Words matter. By choosing how we frame and talk about something, we induce others to think about an issue in a specific way. This framing can drastically change someone’s perspective about the issue. To present a public position the speaker carefully chooses the words and concepts to achieve the specific …
Read More »Demming: 23% of T&T supports government; but here’s how to increase participation
I can blame Covid-19 for feeling stuck, but that would not be entirely honest. That feeling of ‘stuck-ness’ has been happening for a while and Covid-19 has only made it more intense. My observation of Parliament, via the Parliament Channel, often evokes the thought that I have heard this before; …
Read More »Dear Editor: Auto insurers underpaying claims
“[…] by underpaying settlements, insurance companies pressure consumers to use low-cost repair shops, regardless of expertise, tooling, workmanship or repair methods that are compliant with manufacturer warranties. Consumers are incentivised to buy used or substandard parts, which not only puts unsafe cars on the road but also supports car theft …
Read More »Is it me that has ‘faux concerns’? George Jr fires back, insists govt letting businesses down
“[…] We simply cannot continue like this without a massive fiscal intervention. My interviews last week were designed to get this message over to the policy makers and to the public. “Unfortunately the message seems to have been either misinterpreted or misunderstood as being hostile… And [Noble Philip] says it …
Read More »Noble: ‘Sheer arrogance wrapped up in faux concerns!’ The problem with selfish business rants
Planning for the unexpected and the unknown is a tough call. The Covid-19 disease has forced us to deal with a great deal of uncertainty. In many ways, the health issue, which has morphed into an economic one, represents an existential battle. The uncertainty and the weight of the expectations …
Read More »Daly Bread: Disconnections and loose ends; making education our ‘great equaliser’
I paid more detailed attention to the Budget debates this year because our country is so down. The Opposition had little fresh content to offer. Most contributions represented attempts to fight over the General Election, which it lost nine weeks ago. The Opposition is so bazodee that, despite its recent …
Read More »Dear Editor: Hospitality students left in the lurch by TTHTI closure
“[…] school authorities have not been processing refunds for lab and other fees duly paid by students this year. They also failed to deal with the urgent and legitimate questions about obtaining accurate transcripts, timely refunds or assisting students to graduate…” The following letter to the editor about the close …
Read More »Dear editor: What causes layoffs, what happens after they occur and what the law says
“[…] The period of layoff as generally outlined by the industrial court is a maximum of three months. If there is no resumption of work, a worker is entitled to claim his severance pay… “[…]What we have witnessed since the pandemic, is that employers have been in breach of the …
Read More »Demming: ‘Every bypass of rules slowly chips away at our institutions’
If we are interested in an equitable and just society, we have to be interested in governance which begins with having a shared vision of the future based on common values and aspirations. Ideally, when citizens are engaged in developing that vision, they feel committed to its realisation. The last …
Read More »Virtual lessons in the time of Covid-19: Day in the life of a school teacher
“[…] Tutors face many challenges in this pandemic era that they possibly were not prepared for at teaching college. Most students are technologically savvy, and in the age of memes and TikTok, teachers are at risk of being ridiculed…” Today Wired868 features a secondary school visual arts teacher with more …
Read More »Can the Rowley/Imbert partnership turn looming defeat into victory?
“[…] we must get the new digital economy going. Although liquidity is overflowing at the Central Bank, private sector credit is sluggish; unemployment and underemployment are growing and results thus far from the government-sponsored stimulus loans packages to banks and credit unions have been disappointing. […]” The following is the …
Read More »Rudder, Merle among speakers at month-long online Black Consciousness Festival
“[…] Joining the conversations will be New Management – Paramin Blue Devils; members of the world-famous Brazilian Afro-Blocos Olodum and Ilê Aiye; calypso icon David Michael Rudder; award-winning multimedia journalist Dash Harris Machado; author, activist and scholar Merle Hodge; Pan-Africanist organizer Khafra Kambon; and US celebrity food entrepreneur Shannon Allen. …
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