Guest Columns

Here’s a recent e-mail that shows how spammers try to subvert digital controls. In 1, the sender’s e-mail address is given an official sounding title, but the e-mail client reveals the actual sender, who is not e-mailing from an official LinkedIn account. This field, where users will normally put their real …

The final touch to any Pisco Sour, Peru’s famous signature cocktail, is an artfully administered drop of Angostura Bitters. But of course, no Peruvian has a clue that this indispensable ingredient come from Trinidad and Tobago. On 25 and 26 April 2013, San Isidro, the poshest district in Lima, held …

The TOP was not routed in Tobago because it is an uninspiring bunch steered by a leader, Ashworth Jack, of questionable integrity and chained to a People’s Partnership that it is dogged by corruption and which treats the electorate as mindless voting machines. Not even close. Tobago voted against TOP …

Hands up for all readers who know what village their boss was raised in? Anyone knows how and where whoever writes your cheque met their significant other? Are there any raised hands yet? Here are some more questions. Does it matter what your boss is wearing when he or she gives …

People woke up a few days ago to Jack Warner making some incredible comments. The social media pages were abuzz and if our country was any bigger we could have crashed servers with the video clip of the Minister of national Security featuring in yet another interview while managing to …

Scene: Office of the Minister of National Security. Phone rings. “Good Morning, Jack Warner speaking.” “Good morning Minister, it’s the CoP here.” “COP? Who is calling me from the COP? Spalk already tells me everything that’s happening inside your party, I don’t need another snitch.” “No Minister, the Acting CoP. …

Scene: Office of the Minister of Justice The telephone rings. “Good morning, Herbert Volney speaking.” “Good morning, Minister. This is Chief Justice Ivor Archie.” “Aah, Ivor. Good to hear from you, my boy. What can I do for you today?” “Well, Minister, I’m rather concerned about your statements about conducting …

Today, Lael, my 17-month-old daughter, saw her first dead body. I always thought it would happen after she had learned to ride her tricycle; certainly after she learned to spell. But Fate had other plans. You might think I live in a rough neighbourhood or maybe that, without considering my …

Erasmus’ 400-years-old essay “The Praise of Folly” offers us quite an interesting vantage point from which to view the overall performance of the Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration to date. But for the moment, I wish only to bring to public notice, a short passage from this work that I believe will …

According to a study published in the month of September, in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, I can now officially consider myself emasculated. Well to quote the study anyway: “Dads who spend time with their children have lower levels of testosterone than single guys…. suggesting family men …

Friday 20 May 4.30pm, City Gate, Port of Spain: A red-band maxi pulls into an empty space. People push, shove and elbow; human nature… expected and even accepted! 21 September, 6.00pm news report, Karachi, Pakistan: a Pakistani air force helicopter hovers overhead, casting rations to marooned flood victims. People scuffle …