One thing this country is extraordinarily gifted at is its creative impulses, and Carnival is the premier showcase for it. The sound of steel pans was my first and abiding connection to Carnival. It is still the most powerful bond. Just as cricket fills me with a sense of West …
Read More »Dear Editor: Why was Thomas-Felix moved? Industrial Court owes T&T transparency
From the onset I wish to indicate that I hold no brief for either the outgoing office holder or the newly appointed President of the Industrial Court. However, as an industrial relations practitioner I wish to indicate that without any transparency on what transpired in this instance a lot of …
Read More »Noble: The Gangster and the Gentleman—an East Port of Spain bandit tale
MENDOZA: I am a brigand. I live by robbing the rich. TANNER: (promptly) I am a gentleman. I live by robbing the poor. Shake hands. George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, 1903. This interplay reveals the nature of men: one is a gangster bent on restoring “social justice,” the other …
Read More »The Good, The Bad, the Destra and the “Double G” of Fete With the Saints
“[…] Patrice gave an excellent and emotional performance. From her outfit to her energy to her typically impeccable vocals, Patrice was the CIC fete of CIC fete. “[…] But somebody needs to pull Destra square and say: ‘yo… sing yuh bangers, wine yuh bam bam and get off the stage!’ …
Read More »Daly Bread: A social force for good—the gov’t can still do more for pan
The Junior Panorama took place last Sunday. It is the Carnival event I most enjoy. This year, my annual attendance was seasoned by an insightful statement from a member of the current government, whose communication is regularly that of deny, deflect and denigrate. The phrase that headlines this column is …
Read More »Noble: When money became a problem—how T&T wasted three “oil booms”
In September 1973, we, as a nation, were blessed with a bonanza from new offshore discoveries and a sharp rise in oil prices triggered by the Yom Kippur War and the new militancy of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). In what was said to be an unguarded moment …
Read More »Noble: How educational inequity is incompatible with a just society
“[…] This feeling of always being uneducated influenced me when I became prime minister. There were always about 6,000 children thrown on the social dump heap because they failed their Common Entrance exam. “I realised the Common Entrance was not to determine who went to school but who wouldn’t… If …
Read More »Vaneisa: Branding and brainwashing—the good, the bad and the ugly of advertising
What is a Crixism? That was the latest campaign for Crix, regional stalwart for a hundred years, according to its manufacturers, Bermudez Biscuit Company. In its first appearance, it was simply called salt biscuits. I remember my paternal grandfather, who squatted on the chair that was part of a beautifully …
Read More »Noble: Massy’s 9-Day Wonder—can a company’s chief lawyer be a whistleblower?
“When you play the Game of Thrones, you either win or die. There is no middle ground.” Cersei Lannister, Game of Thrones, season one, episode seven. At the annual general meeting (AGM) celebrating Massy’s 100th anniversary, an employee used her shareholding rights to disrupt the commemoration. Two days later, the …
Read More »Dear Editor: To Basdeo “Silver Fox” Panday—his positives outweigh the negatives
Trade unionist, actor, attorney at law, politician and Trinbagonian legend, Basdeo Panday has passed. He was well known for his silvery-white hair, charisma and sharp wit and was someone many loved to hate politically and ideologically for his style of leadership over the years—his outspokenness and his skilful use of …
Read More »Orin: Parisot-Potter vs Massy; why I’m inspired yet unconvinced by tales of bizarre rituals
“[…] It’s not hard to see where (ex-Massy Holdings general counsel) Angélique Parisot-Potter is coming from. She considers the training to be waste-of-money mumbo jumbo. “Delphi Sphere can counter that it has a strong client portfolio. Its website lists Ernst & Young, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, British Gas and McKinsey. …
Read More »Noble: God is mindful of the humble but scatters the proud
Ancestry © is possibly the most extensive software package that helps us to develop our family tree. Knowing your family history enables you to appreciate your identity. The story of Jesus in the New Testament begins with a family tree. In a strange twist, the genealogy by which Matthew attempts …
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