“[…] As at June 1993, police reports revealed that there were 13 rapes in Central Trinidad. Five of the 13 rapes had been committed by East Indian men, and one of the seven women raped by masked men was of African descent. “[…] Forward to 2023, a religious leader of …
Read More »Vaneisa: Proposed crime solutions like “stand your ground” out of touch with reality
Within a few days of dismantling his family home across the street, Bob began rebuilding. First was the painstaking task of cutting down the two prodigious trees that had generously donated their fruit for decades. With ropes and a saw—the power generated by his hands—the branches came down one by …
Read More »CRFP: Indigenous Peoples express hope and concern at Vatican’s repudiation of Doctrine of Discovery
“[…] In what could have been a ground-breaking and historic repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, the Vatican instead released a series of political statements that sought to rewrite history, shield the Catholic Church from legal liability and shift the blame for the Doctrine of Discovery to governmental and colonial …
Read More »Demming: Despers’ hard gift—how will they fund operating and maintenance costs?
Congratulations to Despers on receiving their second multimillion-dollar gift from the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Their first theatre gift remains closed, up the hill next to the community centre by the gorgeous, gigantic John Dende Statue resides—which was designed and created by a Laventille resident called Leo Warner. During …
Read More »Daly Bread: Dots 10 to 12—Gov’t only scratching surface with home for Despers
The speakers at the handover ceremony of the new Despers pan theatre on Monday last, failed to connect the dots between the new theatre and the revitalisation and rebranding of downtown East Port of Spain. The Prime Minister expressed an expectation that the theatre would be a public asset available …
Read More »Noble: The Opportunity gap and crime—how wealth, connections and education wall off working class children
On 30 May 2015, the then Prime Minister, Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar said: “Without education and training, you are doomed to remain at your same level. That is why my government provides so much money for educating the young people.” This high-sounding statement masks the reality of life and promotes the …
Read More »Dear Editor: Do not support lawlessness, Mr Chief Secretary, you owe Licensing officers an apology
“[…] When our nation’s leaders—who ought to know better and, therefore, ought to set the right example—demonstrate a wanton disregard for our laws and support such lawlessness, then we know we are in serious trouble. “Mr ANR Robinson must be turning in his grave and utterly disappointed with the recent comments of …
Read More »Vaneisa: Say it loud! Why we must speak out against poor service
When I use my column space to complain about poor service, it isn’t simply to seek personal redress. I believe in the power of a voice, no matter how solitary it might seem. The responses to my last column where I had described my experiences with two service providers, TSTT …
Read More »Dear Editor: Bottom in the web—AI composes soca song in three seconds
“[…] Bottoms up, they shake and sway; hips are moving, in a playful way; “Gyrating to the rhythm, so divine; women’s bottoms, pure sunshine…” In the following Letter to the Editor, Orson Rogers from Belmont shares with Wired868 what happens when he asks AI language model to write a soca …
Read More »Dear Editor: I support Kamla’s call for 25-year sentence for home invasions; and the PM should too
“[…] Please Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, do not let this opportunity go to waste. Accept without hesitation the proposal of Mrs [Kamla] Persad-Bissessar at the minimum. “[…] We are at war with the perpetrators of violent crimes. This is no time for partisan bickering. Drastic measures are required to …
Read More »Daly Bread: Many Emperors, no clothes—T&T suffers from decades of poor governance
During an Easter Sunday break from my column, I was forcibly struck by the disconnect between the official messages about Easter from those clothed with high constitutional authority and the grim reality on the ground. Many persons would have been engaged in pleasurable activities over the Easter weekend. However, the …
Read More »Noble: “Kill everyone!” The link between school dropouts and societal violence
“Kill everyone!” was the instruction Dole Chadee gave Joey Ramiah, who then murdered four members of a single family. How could people be so heartless and cold-blooded? It was a long time in coming. Nothing was ever done to dismantle the networks that brought cocaine to our shores since life …
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