Each day, we are assaulted with new stories about our crime situation. It appears that the front pages of our daily newspaper will soon be unable to shock us. We are growing numb to the suffering spread across the land. Everywhere we turn, we are confronted by violence. Stunning pictures …
Read More »Noble: Good Friday trials—compromised leaders don’t recognise their power
We tend to centre the Easter weekend observances on the Resurrection in our modern-day society. We skip past Good Friday—but there would be no Easter without Good Friday. We must face Good Friday’s trials and darkness before we can appreciate the dawn of the Resurrection. The events of Good Friday …
Read More »Vaneisa: The remarkable Razif—and his masterful food photos
Who said posting about what you had for breakfast is so banal? I did. In my last column. I am not retracting it as a general observation, but there was an anomaly. An exceptional exception. His name? Razif Khan, a man who shared photos on Facebook of his meals—breakfast, lunch …
Read More »Daly Bread: Game of blood; T&T needs empirical data on blood collection
Obtaining blood when persons need it can be a harrowing experience. Very recently, I felt it vicariously while a comrade urgently required blood. Eighteen months ago, on 30 August 2022, the Minister of Health, Terrence Deyalsingh MP issued a message concerning blood donation, which created misgivings in some of those …
Read More »Noble: Killing our young—T&T youth’s mental health challenges are everyone’s problem!
This week, we witnessed the funeral of Ezekiel Paria, who was shot while riding a bicycle in his village. It was tragic. His dreams and his mother’s hopes were snuffed out through indiscriminate shooting on a main road. But have we thought for a moment about the young woman, 15 …
Read More »Noble: Increase resources for children born into chaos, or face their mounting rage
“In a great country like ours, we should aspire for every child to grow up to achieve his or her full potential. Anything less is a waste of talent and a blemish on human dignity and flourishing.” Mike Petrilli (Fordham Institute), 2023. In April 2009, our country hosted President Barack …
Read More »Talking hybristophilia: why some women are attracted to bad boys
“Hybristophilia is a phenomenon, where individuals, often women, develop strong affectionate or romantic feelings towards individuals incarcerated for serious crimes [or notorious for] criminal behaviour. “[…] Initially defined within a sexual context, recent explorations reveal that the attraction often transcends sexual desire. Experts highlight the role of psychological factors like …
Read More »Vaneisa: Don’t let them fool you with “clever” marketing of unhealthy health choices
I’d wanted to return to the relationship between marketing and the choices we make, a subject I’ve often visited. This column of five years ago contained the points I wanted to make; worth repeating as a reminder. Many of us are trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle. You know, incorporating …
Read More »More transmissible, not necessarily more severe; new Covid-19 strain, JN.1, reaches T&T
Trinidad and Tobago recorded its first case of new Covid-19 variant, JN.1, according to Carpha today. At present, global health bodies consider JN.1 to be more transmissible than its predecessors but not more severe, while there are no known new symptoms. On 22 December 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) …
Read More »Vaneisa: That sense of purpose—are we here to accomplish something?
One of the characters in a television series I looked at recently is going through one of those existential crises, questioning his meaning and relevance to the world he inhabits. As he lowers himself into the abyss of despair, he asks: “Who am I to my history?” Examining his life …
Read More »Noble: Finding hope when trouble comes
“No arts; no letters; no society: and which is worse of all, continual fear, and the danger of violent death, are the life of men, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” Hobbes, 1651. As I approached Christmas this year, I felt the world had become darker. I was thinking about …
Read More »Vaneisa: 11 days of pepperpot
It was tempting to write a headline that said 12 days of pepperpot, but I cannot tell a lie. The pepperpot that has been sitting sturdily on my stovetop has been only going for 11 days. It is the remnants of the excursion into learning how to make the dish …
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