Tag Archives: economy

I don’t know if we should be more afraid of banks and bankers or bandits and murderers. Seriously. Both strike when we are most vulnerable. They relieve us of our life’s savings, of what we have worked tirelessly to provide for our families, with a callousness that is chilling. Bandits …

Trinidad and Tobago Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene has explained, via a press release, why he feels the top flight competition will survive, despite the economic downturn and financial spinoff that led to concern by member clubs. Skeene, a former Trinidad and Tobago international footballer, described the current “challenging business environment” as …

I don’t think Trinidad’s Carnival is dying, as many people say it is. For the traditionalists, it’s a case of wishful thinking. They want to see the jarring noise that passes for music—songs that have no melody, only hook lines and tempo—consigned to the dustbin of Carnival history. And they …

Nobody has probably delved deeper into our forbidden desires for salt and fats than the people who run Prestige Holdings. Certainly, nobody has been more greatly rewarded for understanding what tickles our hunger hormones and sends them hunting for salt soaked in oil, slathered over chicken, seasoned in dough and …

Dr Sherene Kalloo launched a broadside yesterday against Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh and his almost jokey war against the Zika virus, pre-empting a column I had already half-written, titled “Man vs Mosquito.” Dr Kalloo argued that Minister Deyalsingh’s declaration of war against Zika and the Aedes Egypti mosquito by deploying …

Anytime the following three words, “Trinbagonians”, “frugal” and “Carnival”, can be found in the same sentence, thou knowest the time is near. (Source: The first book of Bacchanal 1:2-3). And, this morning, the management of Destra Garcia’s Queen of Bacchanal concert was forced to cancel its show, titled “Queen”, which …

Just as the heart was groaning under the weight of yet another foreign franchise coming to serve us coffee, in floats Ras Nijinsky to turn the imperial order upside down before sending it forth, unrecognisable to itself in ras and drag. This Minshall Ras Mas is, indeed, a high mas, …

Last Sunday’s appreciation of Jit Samaroo was warmly received.  One of my Trinidad All Stars comperes suggested that I deliver some more evocative J’Ouvert morning descriptions. I will do so shortly with the added stimulus of the material he provided, but I must first return to the great economic uncertainty. …

She might be a woman just hurting for her country. But the image of a tearful Minister of Trade Paula Gopee-Scoon pleading for loyalty to country in this time of recession, personifies the psychology of helplessness that poses additional risk to the economy. While reduced revenue could send an economy …

As a nation, we can do nothing about the plunging price of oil except watch with alarm as crude slides below US$30 a barrel. Even if we ramp up production, which has fallen by approximately 50 per cent over the past decade, it will make little sense. At this point, …

Once again I am unable, on the opening Sunday of a new year, to write in a positive mood, even though last year, 2015, was a fulfilling year for me, as I waded deeper into the very positive, but under resourced, world of arts and entertainment: assisting in getting St …

The escalating confrontation between the Mayor of Port of Spain and food entrepreneurs at the Queen’s Park Savannah is only the latest example of the historic refusal to recognise, validate and support enterprise and initiative emerging from within the people’s sector. It is undeniable that the mushrooming food court en …