View Point

In 2005, Steve Jobs addressed the new graduates of Stanford University. He advised: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. You have to trust the dots will somehow connect in your future.”  It is easy to miss the connections in our rancorous society …

The government has decided to permit gatherings to participate in the limited forms of Carnival celebrations that it has belatedly decided to promote this season.  Perhaps it should drop the ‘safe zones’ pretence. Such zones may not be workable with the freeing-up and ‘leggo’ of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival.  There …

“Patrick Ferreira has been appointed chairman of the National Insurance Board [despite being] chairman of Furness Chemicals Ltd, Furness Shipping & Marketing Ltd and Furness Personnel Services Ltd [and] CEO of Furness Rentals Ltd, Furness Properties Ltd and Furness Investments Ltd. “[…] Do you think that this business tycoon is …

The current Government, having voted in Parliament for the appointment of Gary Griffith as commissioner of police (CoP) on the occasion of his first appointment, clearly no longer wished to have him returned to that office. This should not have been a problem. Griffith had been appointed on a fixed-term …

Education is an essential foundation of a society. Yet, the pandemic has laid bare the reality of our school system.  Thanks to the Ministry of Health’s media conferences, we have been able to know the death rate and the capacity of our hospitals. But there are no comparable statistics available …

“[…] I consider your correspondence a threat and as such since you refuse to be guided and assisted and advised, I am to advise you that I will report this matter to the Minister and the Commission for their urgent attention. “You are now a person out of control and …

“[…] Pushing his deadline back to 17 February in the hope that his under-fire Attorney General comes up with some legislative arrangement that could pass muster won’t change the price of coconut water. It gives the forces opposed to his policy more time to mobilise.   “[…] Most importantly, though, …

The most momentous happening of this year is the leaking of an email from the Caricom Private Sector Organisation (CPSO). This event will reverberate beyond the ripples of the teargassing incident at the Queen’s Park Savannah.  The latter reflects the polarisation of our country but the email fiasco highlights the …

“[…] In many cases, there are just one or two cashiers out of a possible nine or ten to service very long lines while other employees casually mingle and make small talk in full view of the public, who are already agitated by the poor service!  “The government might as …

“[…] The Prime Minister was forced to concede defeat on his ‘mandatory/safe zones’ initiatives for the public sector. Not only was that completely bungled by his Attorney General-turned-Minister of Labour, recently turned Minister of Marine Affairs, but the labour movements called his bluff.  “He now has to move his deadline …

In my former life, I used to be a marketing guy. A product like Netflix, therefore, intrigues me. While most persons only see Netflix’s dominance, I see the brand’s aspirational benefit ‘escape from reality’.  The brand connects people with stories, providing fast, easy entertainment. It taps into your feelings as …

Minister of Public Administration Ms Allyson West is reported as saying that Government has more important issues to deal with than a dress code. Of course you do, Minister West. Therein lies the problem. It is a problem of politicians losing touch with the needs of ordinary folks and forgetting …