The following letter, which deals with the impartiality—or lack thereof—of Sunday Express columnist Ralph Maraj, was penned by Wired868 Editor Earl Best with the Express Editor in mind. But not optimistic about his chances of having it published it in that paper, he changed tack and submitted it to Wired868. …
Read More »Two robbers and a coast guardsman walk into a bar; the case of the thwarted hold-up
Scene: COSTAATT campus. In an effort to spice up its media programme, the tertiary level school has hired Mr Live Wire to teach “Principles of Journalism” to students and would-be journalists. The class is in session… Live Wire: Okay, class, so today we are going to look at a real-life …
Read More »Why we elect the leaders we do; a former journalist looks in the mirror—and cringes!
“So what is it about Trinidad and Tobago that results in our putting corrupt politicians in office election after election? It is, arguably, the fact that we are too simple to care and perhaps the fact that we are a ‘laissez-faire’ people.” Former political reporter Akilah Holder shares her concerns about the …
Read More »Yes Prime Minister: Live Wire reveals the Govt’s “real” response to the Beetham protest
Scene: Balisier House. Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi and Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General Fitzgerald Hinds stride purposefully up to the secretary. Faris: My goodly madame secretary, it behoves me to solicit you for an acute convocation with the Honorable Dr Prime Minister over an affair of grave …
Read More »Dem and us! Beetham protests and societal inequality from a historical perspective
I do not write for everyone. As a matter of fact, I am well aware that I cannot. I am committed to confronting every aspect of who we are, even the ugliness which we pretend we can ignore. Our general acceptance of the notion of subordinate cultural groups and communities—even …
Read More »Live Wire chronicles: Duke overboard, Roget’s one percent maths, and Tinisha’s 4:44 cover tune
Has the Sister Isle not suffered enough? Already feeling the brunt of the ongoing ferry fiasco, nervous about the Sandals hotel chain’s impending arrival and cursed by ex-THA assembly man Hilton Sandy’s bizarre love-life—or “The Love Boat: Calcutta edition”—Tobagonians are now bracing for an anticipated spike in sea pollution within …
Read More »Master’s Voice: Police modelling and model policing; why we need back the Union Jack
Right. Everybody who is NOT a millennial––and you of the Independence Generation in particular––I have one polite, humble request. Before 31 August, anywhere you pass and see the Red, White and Black flying, please, PLEASE stop, pull it down and hoist the Union Jack back up for me. Please. Seriously, …
Read More »“Rude Cop” strikes back! Live Wire roasts Express over “lewd” front page
The following is the legally satirical response to the Trinidad Express front page on 7 August 2017, which showed a fully clothed police woman on a couch with her leg raised, under the heading “Rude Cop”: Dear Trinidad Express, I act on behalf of my client, Ms Flexi-Cop—otherwise derogatorily referred to …
Read More »Is TTPS “extorting” public with exaggerated figures at events?! Ex-MoNS blows whistle
“Nowhere in the world, in any business, [does] the provider of a service demand how [many officials] should be hired and the host cannot verify if the officials he hired even arrived. “The host also cannot advise the provider of what they should be doing [at the venue] as the …
Read More »Daly Bread: When ridiculous becomes normal; CoP’s ‘nonsensical’ statements on arrest
In the face of rampant violent crime, last week’s column asserted that it is wholly insufficient to believe, as the Government does, that we could merely rely on the Police Service as currently managed. On that same day, there was a forceful editorial in the Sunday Express newspaper which I …
Read More »STREET VIBES: Fuad, we Khan take no more! T&T sick of doctors’ irresponsible behaviour
To say that the level of irresponsibility in this nation is lamentable is an understatement; we could accurately use much stronger language. But the discovery of a foetus in the refrigerator of a doctor’s office in South gave us a clear demonstration of precisely how pathetic and irresponsible some people …
Read More »Was Top Cop right to scoff at low detection rates? A criminologist makes arresting case
“The theories of legitimacy and procedural justice offer the best explanation. In countries where the State and its institutions are deemed legitimate and fair, increases in arrests and detentions tend to produce the expected deterrent effect. “However, in other jurisdictions, when the State and the exercise of State power are …
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