“[…] Miss Wendy Fitzwilliam was crowned Miss Universe in the year 1998 and has truly been a strong motivation seeing that she, a young woman from a small twin island in the Caribbean conquered the world. “Her achievement has inspired me to think big and set unlimited goals for myself …
Read More »Write Start (11-15): Jalisa Charles and Destra surprise each other, in our first shortlisted essay
“[…] Trembling like a leaf, I shakily held out the wallet before her. ‘Um- I- f-found your w-wallet Miss Garcia,’ I stuttered. “A puzzled look came across her face as she slowly took the purse. My face was turning as red as a tomato as paparazzi witnessed the entire scene…” …
Read More »Daly Bread: Excuses feeding failure; reconstituted PolSC must still account for CoP merit list
George Washington Carver was born into conditions of slavery but nevertheless became a prominent agricultural scientist and innovator in crop farming. I mention him in the context of our leaders masking reality with excuses. Carver stated his view in a single sentence: ‘Ninety-nine per cent of failures come from …
Read More »Noble: The smartest guys in the room; will Angostura, Industrial Court and Integrity Commission pay price for hubris?
In 2001, Enron—named the ‘most innovative company ’ by Fortune magazine for six consecutive years—collapsed. Enron’s chairman and chief executive officer, Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, were two arrogant and belligerent men who believed they were the ‘smartest guys in the room’. They believed that, through their sheer cleverness and …
Read More »Dear Editor: Why hasn’t T&T copied Thanksgiving? Hear me out…
“[…] I’m not ‘ponging’ our copying culture, so much as accepting it and asking a logical question. If we’ve copied America so much, why not copy something that could do us some good as well? “The American Thanksgiving holiday is the best public holiday on their national calendars because it …
Read More »Noble: Divided we fall; splintered T&T is stumbling carelessly into bankruptcy
The last 21 months have drained our nation’s emotional resources and injected paranoid feelings. Uncertainty and risk are now our constant companions. We no longer have a clear vision of the future. We are exhausted. The constant quarrelling on every front has bewildered us, and we no longer appear to …
Read More »Demming: Griffith’s low jibe at interviewer epitomises T&T’s lowered bar for public discourse
In a recent media interview, the interviewee was asked this very direct question: ‘Have you ever accepted a bribe for a firearm?’ Gary Griffith, former commissioner of police, former government minister, former senator, former captain in the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force who is now husband, father and private citizen, …
Read More »Dear Editor: ‘Biden’s no better than Trump’; Cuban group wants help to spread the message
“[…] It seemed that (…) the Trump Administration had taken aggression against Cuba as far as it could go. But displaying stunning cynicism, not only did his successor fail to put an end to the criminal policy but he even, in practical terms, reinforced it. “[…] Washington continues to take …
Read More »Noble: As the rich stock up on guns and chariots, who’s looking out for our ‘Avahs’?
Emerging from the cocoon of self-isolation into the streets of West Trinidad has been a thing of wonder. Last week a Lamborghini, a million-dollar vehicle, was sighted in the WestMall carpark. Luxury vehicles of every brand, all less than two years old and costing more than three-quarter million dollars, have …
Read More »Jearlean claims Attong’s disgust at controversial ‘Trinity Triangle’ ads makes her ‘eminently unqualified’ for PolSC post
United National Congress Senator Jearlean John has suggested that new Police Service Commission (PolSC) member Maxine Attong is ‘eminently unqualified’ for the role owing to her criticism of the UNC’s controversial ‘Trinity Triangle’ advertisements in the build-up to the 2020 General Elections. The first video advertisement depicted a young woman …
Read More »A ‘first gen’ story: ‘We sold fruits and veggies at the Arima market, so my sis and I could go to school’
My mother got an A in picking cotton and a B in digging yam instead of the Common Entrance Exam. Her grandmother (and primary caregiver) must have thought that that was the better use of her time. Can’t blame her though; she herself couldn’t write and had a thumbprint on …
Read More »Dear Editor: NAR couldn’t keep pre-election promises in 1986, will the PDP be any different?
“[…] I recalled the vociferous demands and protest by the then PSA leadership [in 1986] for an increase in salaries from the Government, while the opposition National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) promised that they would implement the requested increase. “[…] Without an ounce of shame, I note the exact same …
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