“On a hill far away,” Paul burst into mournful fo’daymorning song as he caught up with us, “stands a new water tank, the emblem of suffering and shame…” Taken completely by surprise, Bobby and I looked blankly at each other. “Who side you on?” Paul asked. Scores of people, mainly …
Read More »Early Bird: Can Minister Marvin punch above his weight in wasteful WASA?
“What’s really going on with this WASA water tank?” Bobby inquired, in the middle of our walk last Wednesday morning. In the area to the west of the tank, there was heavy machinery, a tractor and a front-end loader. I know that put Bobby’s mind at ease. He is a …
Read More »Noble: Battling for our nation’s soul—T&T cannot continue like this
Each day, we are assaulted with new stories about our crime situation. It appears that the front pages of our daily newspaper will soon be unable to shock us. We are growing numb to the suffering spread across the land. Everywhere we turn, we are confronted by violence. Stunning pictures …
Read More »Vaneisa: Mancrab and the river—man’s struggle against time
A conversation about imagining our future planet raised a jumble of issues for me. I could grasp the substantive points being made by the 30-year-old, but many of them had not occurred to me before. It seemed that it might be a world where basic survival would define all activities. …
Read More »Noble: Good Friday trials—compromised leaders don’t recognise their power
We tend to centre the Easter weekend observances on the Resurrection in our modern-day society. We skip past Good Friday—but there would be no Easter without Good Friday. We must face Good Friday’s trials and darkness before we can appreciate the dawn of the Resurrection. The events of Good Friday …
Read More »Vaneisa: The remarkable Razif—and his masterful food photos
Who said posting about what you had for breakfast is so banal? I did. In my last column. I am not retracting it as a general observation, but there was an anomaly. An exceptional exception. His name? Razif Khan, a man who shared photos on Facebook of his meals—breakfast, lunch …
Read More »Daly Bread: Game of blood; T&T needs empirical data on blood collection
Obtaining blood when persons need it can be a harrowing experience. Very recently, I felt it vicariously while a comrade urgently required blood. Eighteen months ago, on 30 August 2022, the Minister of Health, Terrence Deyalsingh MP issued a message concerning blood donation, which created misgivings in some of those …
Read More »Noble: Killing our young—T&T youth’s mental health challenges are everyone’s problem!
This week, we witnessed the funeral of Ezekiel Paria, who was shot while riding a bicycle in his village. It was tragic. His dreams and his mother’s hopes were snuffed out through indiscriminate shooting on a main road. But have we thought for a moment about the young woman, 15 …
Read More »Noble: Increase resources for children born into chaos, or face their mounting rage
“In a great country like ours, we should aspire for every child to grow up to achieve his or her full potential. Anything less is a waste of talent and a blemish on human dignity and flourishing.” Mike Petrilli (Fordham Institute), 2023. In April 2009, our country hosted President Barack …
Read More »Talking hybristophilia: why some women are attracted to bad boys
“Hybristophilia is a phenomenon, where individuals, often women, develop strong affectionate or romantic feelings towards individuals incarcerated for serious crimes [or notorious for] criminal behaviour. “[…] Initially defined within a sexual context, recent explorations reveal that the attraction often transcends sexual desire. Experts highlight the role of psychological factors like …
Read More »Vaneisa: Everywhere is war—is it too late for humans to pull back?
When was the last time you looked at a map of our planet? After reading Gwynne Dyer’s column in last Wednesday’s Express, Routine Rockets, I pulled out an old printed atlas to get a good look at the groupings of the countries. Somehow Google maps did not feel appropriate. Dyer …
Read More »Vaneisa: Don’t let them fool you with “clever” marketing of unhealthy health choices
I’d wanted to return to the relationship between marketing and the choices we make, a subject I’ve often visited. This column of five years ago contained the points I wanted to make; worth repeating as a reminder. Many of us are trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle. You know, incorporating …
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