Environment

Last week I dealt with this Government’s commendable moves to deal with the problems arising out of the use of amplified sound at Carnival fetes and similar events outside the Carnival season. The explosive sounds of fireworks are also a major problem for citizens. The recent amendment of the Summary …

On most maps, Trinidad and Tobago is a small smudge near the mouth of the Orinoco River. In real life, it is a place of astonishing biodiversity, and a place that bigger powers have long treated as useful. Empires, oil routes and warships have passed along this coast, rearranging both …

There have been recent announcements that will disrupt the output of the Carnival sector and its interconnected networks of employment and economic diversification. Additionally, another recent round of terminations of state enterprise steelband sponsorships will disrupt music education, youth and community development. The Prime Minister has declared prohibitions on the …

A few days ago, Nemme McSweeney sent me the link to a YouTube video featuring the man behind Moruga Hill Rice, Mark Forgenie. I know it’s long, she said (just over an hour), but Mr Forgenie encapsulates so many healthy concepts we keep ignoring. It was riveting: a combination of …

I can’t imagine anyone whose insides have not been churning at the gruesome images of murder, maiming and absolute devastation of humanity by humans globally. Most visible are macabre scenes from Gaza: children, babies, women, the elderly, the young, all strewn together as the faces of physical pain—limbs and torsos …

“[…] By praising Donald Trump and stating that this country is proud to be aligned with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s call for an international coalition to fight narco-trafficking, this country’s Prime Minister has put our country in the pocket of the US…” The following is a press statement …

“[…] The Picton 1 EMBD Development in Barrackpore [is] an area that has waited far too long for progress. “[…] For people who have had water once every 14 days, moving to three times a week is a major shift in quality of life. This isn’t just a pipeline, it’s …

“[…] How many more accidents must occur due to defective tires, missing lights, or overloaded trucks before enforcement is taken seriously? “[…] Many trucks spew toxic emissions unchecked, while traffic police turn a blind eye. The Demerit System should include emissions violations, penalising offenders as it does for tinted windows. …

“[…] Public figures—especially elected officials—have enormous influence. Their actions speak louder than their speeches. “When they film themselves while driving, they send a dangerous message to their followers, especially impressionable youth: that risk-taking and rule-breaking are acceptable if you’re important or influential…” The following Letter to the Editor which criticises …

“[…] The focus on who gets a pass is a distraction from the fact that for the past 15 years, the journey itself has become a daily punishment for law-abiding, tax-paying citizens. “[…] On a Wednesday morning during the school term, attempt the commute to your Port of Spain ministry …

Perhaps the most surprising element of the general elections was the low voter turnout. According to the latest figures from the Election and Boundaries Commission, only 53.92% of eligible voters turned up at the polls. It is reported to be the second lowest in our history. Given the high-pitched nature …

“[…] I stand here not just for myself, but for every young professional drowning in rent, every couple delaying marriage because they can’t afford a place to live, every parent lying awake wondering if their child will ever own a home. “Trinidad and Tobago is in a housing crisis: 77% …