Have you ever heard a piece of news which you had probably anticipated for months but which still shocked you when it did come? For me, that happened just over a week ago with the announcement that the TNT News Centre—publishers of the popular TnT Mirror and Sunday Punch—was closing …
Read More »Will T&T’s working class be slaves or rebels? Vidale examines root of capitalist exploitation
As I contemplated the best way to express my thoughts for this blog I came to only one conclusion. This will perhaps be the most unpopular piece that I have ever written. If I asked the average employer in Trinidad and Tobago whether they would endorse slavery the answer would …
Read More »Dear Editor: Traffic police can make a difference; better enforcement needed on roads
Daily, cyclists and runners take to the roads in pursuit of their respective sports, and nearly all of them do so while following the appropriate safety requirements. Unfortunately, pedestrians and motorists seem less concerned with safety and more with doing their own thing whenever they want, and expect to do …
Read More »Judging Columbus through history (Pt 3): The Yankee reinvention of Columbus
The following is the third in a four part series by historian Dr Claudius Fergus on the enduring—and arguably unjustifiable—heroic standing of Christopher Columbus in modern society: The attempted ecclesiastical resurrection of Christopher Columbus did not extend beyond the Spanish American Empire or beyond the walls of the church of …
Read More »Daly Bread: CCJ setbacks in Grenada and Antigua show depth of post-colonial insecurity
For six years I served on the Regional Judicial and Legal Service Commission (RJLSC), the regional body responsible for the supervisory management of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). The RJLSC has no jurisdiction over the hearing and deciding of cases before the court. Judging is exclusively the court’s business. …
Read More »Crowne: AG Al-Rawi was out of line and unprofessional in response to Senator Hosein
“The Attorney General occupies the second or third highest office in our nation. To use that office to suggest that a fellow member of the legal profession be de-credentialed simply because he disagrees with their statement is appalling. “This is not about politics. It is about civility and basic professionalism.” …
Read More »Judging Columbus through history (Pt 2): The Church and the Sacralising of Columbus
“During Christopher Columbus’ second voyage, reports of his conduct raised serious questions in Spain about his character. In 1500, during his third voyage, his reputation hit rock bottom. “Columbus, together with his brothers Bartholomew and Diego, was arrested by royal commissioner Francisco de Bobadilla, sent back to Spain in chains …
Read More »Dear Editor: “Choko” was a genius, but the TNT Mirror was destroyed by tired, visionless leaders
“To be sure, the Mirror and other Choko newspapers had lost their impact more than a decade ago, because of the absence of leadership, which led to the lack of innovation and creativity even as the digital revolution became all-pervasive. “[…] Choko’s successors—journalists included—did not appreciate that the TNT Mirror, …
Read More »Judging Columbus through history (Pt 1): Balancing facts and myths
On October 12, the Cross Rhodes Freedom Project (CRFP), in collaboration with the Warao and Partners for First Peoples’ Development, staged a protest march against Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez’s vacillation on convening a forum for national dialogue on the CRFP’s call for the removal of Christopher Columbus’ statue …
Read More »Dear Editor: Westmoorings barrier betrays spiralling security concerns across socio-economic strata
A video of a young man removing a barrier strategically placed across the road in a community somewhere in west Trinidad raised some serious concerns. Initially he was thought to be villain. It turns out that the barriers were illegally placed across the roadways. It also became apparent that the …
Read More »Dear Editor: Has T&T reverted from Police Service to Police Force? And at what price our liberty?
“When police are militarised, they are more likely to be attacked (Carriere, 2016). The militarisation of police does not reduce crime. Elite teams neither reduce crime nor enhance public safety and become used routinely in low-income communities. “There is no evidence that this practice enhances officer safety nor lowers crime …
Read More »Daly: Greenvale double cross squared; flooding fallout highlights political failure and lack of accountability
It now seems incontrovertible that Greenvale Park Development, La Horquetta, should not have been built at all. The disastrous flood risk that materialised to the material and psychological damage to the residents—now facing the further risk of flood-borne diseases—was the proverbial disaster waiting to happen. Several reports in the media …
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