“[…] Gary Lineker, an accomplished former footballer for England, tweeted that the government set out an ‘immeasurably cruel policy being directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s’. “One sympathetic piece in The Guardian (UK) suggested that Gary can become …
Read More »Orin: White vest, sneakers and Wallabees: Bunji was the boss—but I won’t forget Nailah either
“[…] Bunji’s clever ragga-style rapid-fire toasting managed to include a range of references, from isosceles to Wallabees… Their joint ownership of Hard Fete is itself more powerful than anything either of them said in defence of it, and they had plenty to say. “[…] Nailah and Skinny’s offering is a …
Read More »Orin: Your guide to wining responsibly—from an eight-year T&T resident
“[…] The number one complaint I get from women I asked about wining protocol is about men who don’t how to take their one wine and be contented. A wine does not necessarily signify a wish for continuing engagement or a deeper bond—irrespective of vigor, intensity or degree of contact. …
Read More »Orin: ISM’s vital to Trini-Caribbean soca partnership—just ask Mr Killa!
“[…] Another response I took issue with was ‘let the market decide’ whether ISM survived or not. Some of those sentiments came from folks with a UWI education paid for by the state. “T&T as a society decided that access to higher education wasn’t going to be according to means. …
Read More »Orin: Machel Montano’s misstep; and why Soca Monarch deserves better
“[…] The main argument in defence of what’s in effect a Machel Monday redux on Carnival Friday was that ISM was dying anyway, so what’s the problem letting Monk have his way and have the day? “It’s a strikingly bad argument. If your beloved relative is dying, you don’t finish …
Read More »Orin: T&T and the executive presidency—a note of caution from Guyana
“[…] The Electoral College will meet later this month to choose President Paula-Mae Weekes’ successor, and there’s been much discussion about the presidency as it is—whether it should become an executive office, and even whether it should be abolished. “[…] With an executive president, [former prime minister Basdeo] Panday argues, …
Read More »Orin: Sports, politics and bandwagons; the 2022 W/Cup was pregnant with resonance
“[…] North versus south, developed versus developing, small versus big, rich versus poor, colonists versus colonised. Matches were pregnant with meaning and resonance outside of football. “[…] The World Cup, Olympics and sports in general are proxies for fights over politics, history and geographical hegemony… Caribbean people in the UK …
Read More »Orin: The good, bad and the ugly of the 2022 World Cup
“[…] I told someone who knows Radanfah Abu Bakr that I liked the former T&T defender’s analysis. He replied: ‘Radanfah understands that less is more.’ “[…] CNC3 […] has had good moments, but overall coverage hasn’t been good enough. Things got off to an unpromising start when analyst Jan-Michael Williams …
Read More »“It’s past time it was held in Arab world!” Putting the “world” in the World Cup
“[…] It gets baking hot in Qatar, folks. Deal with it. The next tournament will be jointly hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada. Have you ever been to New York in July? “We have to put the ‘world’ in the World Cup, and it’s past time that it was …
Read More »Orin: Time to leave Port of Spain—the case for decentralisation or flexi-schedules
“[…] We need to move some work out of the city to ease the traffic choke hold on this island every weekday. I’ve argued previously that ‘the daily Great Trek’ north and west to Port of Spain and back is a mad and unsustainable ritual. “[…] State and private sector …
Read More »Orin: The dog ate my homework—the pros and cons of working from home
“[…] We had fun doing Zoom meetings in our boxer shorts, out of sight of the camera; but some realised that they’d mostly prefer to do work stuff from an office. In long pants, preferably. “Some missed the water cooler moments, where they could talk about what Ian Alleyne had …
Read More »Orin: The daily Great Trek; on T&T’s traffic woes and decentralisation of workplaces
“[…] There are no economic findings that I’m aware of, on how much the country loses by having a significant proportion of its workforce stuck in traffic every day. But there’s widespread recognition that there’s an economic cost, and that it’s probably a steep one. “For much of the past …
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