“Pan? Pan my ass! Sat say once that UNC people have dholak and sitar and tabla and tassa; they don’t want no pan!” “Morning, breds,” I had greeted Prakash cheerily as he stepped into the street just as Bobby and I were passing his house on Friday morning. “Yuh hear bout …
Read More »Early Bird: By the sweat of Cepep’s brow, we shall eat zaboca… or maybe not!
Planting fruit trees is a great idea. And even better, on public property—if there is buy-in from the community. Former agriculture minister Clarence Rambharat’s hands were probably too full, we now guess, for him to provide direction on that issue. And the new man in there? Well, we’ll have to …
Read More »Hola, tout moun! Caribbean Yard Campus offers attractive language package for learners
Since physical travel remains risky in these times, Caribbean Yard Campus is offering an inclusive package of virtual education and Caribbean tours in its Rainy Season Programme 2021. Many of us may have ‘done Spanish’ at some level in school, yet cannot speak the language. The course ‘Vamos a Hablar’ …
Read More »Budget 2021 preview: Devaluation on top of Covid-19 is recipe for disaster; but agriculture can be key
“[…] To make these already bad matters worse, there was Covid-19. The unplanned relief measures put in place for this epidemic have exacerbated an already difficult budgetary position. “[…] From all appearances, having already overstayed its welcome, Covid-19 has no plans to take its leave soon… The survival strategies are …
Read More »Dr Farrell: Gov’t must reform labour market NOW, as rising unemployment meets global pandemic
“So we can assume that the restrictions now in place worldwide will only be lifted gradually over the next 12 months. Some semblance of normalcy will not return until the middle of 2021. “There is no way that the private sector and the government can carry the labour force for …
Read More »Dear Editor: T&T Bee Industry is Dying; here’s how to save it
“Consumers are also choosing contraband honey over higher-quality, pricier local honey, either because they are not interested in quality or because they simply cannot afford it. Beekeepers should not assume that there are enough sufficiently patriotic consumers to purchase their honey just because they see a local apiary number.” The …
Read More »Dear Editor: If Lok Jack loves Trinidad farmers so much, why doesn’t ABIL employ them?
“Has [Arthur Lok Jack’s Associated Brands Group of Companies or] ABIL ever supported farmers in Trinidad and Tobago to cultivate and supply sugar for its snacks, corn for its flakes, coconut for its cream filling and shortcake, and rice for its rice crisps? “Has ABIL ever supported farmers in the …
Read More »Why pave Paradise? (Pt II): Govt needs thoughtful, collaborative approach to fix T&T; and the odd maxi taxi ride
Now believe me, Madam Minister, I understand the pressure you are under to be seen to be delivering the goods. And as far as PR and Photo Op visibility in our society goes, few events rank higher than a ribbon cutting or key distribution ceremony. The honeymoon period is well …
Read More »Why pave Paradise? Govt should leave Curepe for greenhouses and put houses elsewhere
When I read last Sunday about the government’s intention to build a housing development on lands allocated to the St Augustine Nurseries, it upset me greatly. In the days that followed, I became privy to the Acting Housing Minister’s full statement on the matter as well as the Minister of …
Read More »Dr Farrell: Why I quit EDAB; Gov’t was too slow and not using enough of our ideas
“There remains a large volume of work which is incomplete for lack of resources and I am acutely aware that several persons remain disappointed with the lack of progress on their ideas and proposals. “[…] My own expectations of high-level engagement followed by swift implementation on these and other policy …
Read More »Day in the Life of a farmer: Seasoned greetings from the hills of Paramin
“Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,” sing Simon and Garfunkel in “Scarborough Fair” on the sound track of The Graduate. Paramin is NOT Scarborough. But although for most people in Trinidad and Tobago, Paramin is synonymous with parang, precious few are aware that this bustling, difficult-to-access little village nestling in the …
Read More »T&T must make marijuana move now or risk losing our piece of the action
“Once the UN does make the necessary adjustment, the floodgates will open and the rest of the world—including major bandwaggonists Trinidad and Tobago—will all of a sudden see this as a non-issue. So if we take the risk now, where, realistically, in the Western Hemisphere would the diplomatic backlash come …
Read More »