One year ago, on 26 January 2018, Minister Stuart Young called into a radio programme hosted by former Senator Mariano Browne and tried to read a prepared statement. Almost one year later on 24 January 2019, his colleague Minister Fitzgerald Hinds physically storms the radio programme co-hosted by former Minister …
Read More »Heartbreak! How state body’s irresponsible act threatened future of Mahmud, Ayyub and Felicia
“What was the point then of saying that the mother had not reported it, if not to paint her an indifferent and uncaring lout? “This of course was to set the stage for the follow-on narrative of: ‘why should the government care if the mother doesn’t’—and to deflect attention away …
Read More »Dear Editor: The trouble with the neighbours; why we should be concerned about Venezuela
“This sudden outpouring of concern in our neighbours’ well-being is nothing to do with a desire to defend democracy, socialism or any other political theory. It is about the age old practice of colonialism, in whatever acceptable form it takes in the 21st century. “But because of that controlling desire …
Read More »A home for Despers; Demming cries for Laventille’s iconic but homeless steelpan side
A photograph by Maria Nunes stirred emotions in me that I thought I had quelled. I cry for Laventille when I remember the beauty of the people and the ambition and the sense of striving I grew up with. The callous may say, “Nostalgia!” But it was real. The memories …
Read More »‘Every mickle mek a muckle!’ How to safeguard yourself financially in tough economic times
“Right now you’re in survival mode, firmly planted in the present. All annuities should stop. Any other retirement saving or investing should cease. “[…] The vultures are coming. Apparently it’s feeding season for everybody from insurance agents to car salesmen when they know a few thousand people on our little …
Read More »Of what bloody use is (African) history anyway? Gilkes responds to trivialisation of non-Western narratives
What the hell is History good for anyway? I mean really? Well I suppose the answer depends on what you use History for. Napoleon Bonaparte called it a set of lies mutually agreed upon, which is a very important point to consider when studying how the West has used ‘history’ …
Read More »Noble: Past actions compromise fiscal sustainability; the cost of political trade-offs
The Dr Roodal Moonilal Ramai Trace SDMS Primary School (Sunday Express, 13 January) is a prime example of our need to examine public spending. In 2013, the school ostensibly bestowed naming rights on the MP for the TT$350,000 raised from businessmen in the area to purchase the land. Construction reportedly …
Read More »Noble: The difference between hope and wishful thinking; reasons for cheer in 2019
Vaclav Havel, the Polish leader, said: “Hope is a state of mind, not a state of the world… a dimension of the soul… not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world or estimate of the situation… is not prognostication. “It is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation …
Read More »Keita: How T&T can benefit from tapping into our flood crisis behaviour
Building our future is not something we can delegate. Julius Caesar is quoted as saying, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.” As a post-colonial country, it is not difficult to make the case that somewhere in the depths of our psyche, …
Read More »Gilkes: Why it is the LGBTQI community that’s pushing back; not the Church
“Those very people who have been nourished by godly doctrine, who instruct others in what they ought and ought not to do, who have heard the Scriptures brought down from heaven; these do not consort with prostitutes as fearlessly as they do with young men. “The fathers of the young …
Read More »Minding our business; Demming criticises name and tone of Dr Rowley’s address
‘Mind your business’ is the theme of the recent address to the nation by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in his 40th month as our leader. It was unfortunate in its naming, content and style. The fact that it is now popularly referred to as the Prime Minister’s ‘power point …
Read More »Crowne: ‘Naïve, outdated and self-serving!’ Taking aim at ban on advertising legal services
“The prohibition of advertising serves only to restrict the information that flows to consumers… Advertising is the traditional mechanism in a free market economy for a supplier to inform a potential purchaser of the availability and terms of exchange. “[…] In the absence of advertising, an attorney must rely on …
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