By Raffique Shah
December 27, 2009
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
‘TWAS a year that brought mankind’s madness crashing into the stark realities of the punitive sins of excesses, the deleterious effects of unbridled greed, and maybe, just maybe, it also slammed some heads-in-the-clouds freaks to ground level.
Continue reading Year we learned discretion but ignored destitution
By Stephen Kangal
December 27, 2009
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
Here was Minister Colm Imbert at his arrogant worse spewing loud and rapid dragon-fire and non-supportable and baseless brimstone in the House as he wallowed in half-lies, untruths and innuendoes in his PT speech on Monday. As I sat in the public gallery and was inflicted with this spectacle, I agonized loudly: How could Mr. Speaker allow his House to be brought into such disdainful odium and total disrepute in the eyes of citizenry by sanctioning Imbert’s loud shouting, his comic antics, his peacock arrogance and his demeaning undiplomatic remarks directed at the Opposition members? His behaviour was nothing short of “waganry” at its sordid and obscene worst.
Continue reading Imbert’s Nonsensical Fire and Brimstone
December 25, 2009
guardian.co.tt
Better roads, health, security, water electricity supply is Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s gift to the nation for the coming year. In his Christmas message to the nation, Manning said the Government understood the needs of citizens but patience was required to accomplish some of its goals. He said despite international turbulence, T&T had been able to make progress and remained a further fortified democracy. “We have weathered the most severe international economic crisis since the 1930s, one whose effects continue to persist in most countries,” Manning said. He said in the midst of the effects of the economic crisis still being faced by most countries and despite T&T’s significant loss of revenue, this country had been able make a “turbulent crossing with greater steadiness than most.”
Continue reading PM pledges better life for citizens
December 23rd 2009
by Amy Goodman – Democracy Now!
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez spared no criticism of the climate conference in Copenhagen. At a joint news conference he held with the Bolivian president Evo Morales on Friday afternoon—this was before President Obama announced the accord—Chavez called the proceedings undemocratic and accused world leaders of only seeking a face-saving agreement. He described President Obama as having won the “Nobel war prize” and said the world still smelled of sulfur, referring to his comments about President Bush at the United Nations last year. Well, shortly after the news conference, I caught up with President Chavez for a few minutes.
Continue reading Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on How to Tackle Climate Change: “We Must Go from Capitalism to Socialism”
By Evens Sanon and Jonathan M. Katz
Associated Press writer © 2009 The Associated Press
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Poverty has forced at least 225,000 children in Haiti’s cities into slavery as unpaid household servants, far more than previously thought, a report said Tuesday.
The Pan American Development Foundation’s report also said some of those children — mostly young girls — suffer sexual, psychological and physical abuse while toiling in extreme hardship.
By Stephen Kangal
December 20, 2009
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
As a participant in the peaceful, legal and orderly picket conducted on the northern precincts of Parliament on Friday 18 during the debate on the controversial property tax bills I can say categorically that these armed to the teeth riot squad policemen acted on pre-meditated decisions and intentions to arrest Comrade David Abdullah. They in fact indulged in an act of unnecessary provocation while the picket was proceeding smoothly and being conducted in a most orderly, peaceful and legal manner to create a basis to arrest him.
Continue reading Riot Squad Provoked The Picketing Fracas
By Phyllis Johnson
December 21, 2009
THIS is the first in a series of eight articles on the events of late 1979 and early 1980.
Thirty years ago, on December 21 1979, an agreement was signed in London that set in motion a series of events that put Zimbabwe on the course to where it is today.
The signatures appended reluctantly to that agreement beneath the chandeliers and subterfuge of Lancaster House ended the war in a place that some called Rhodesia and signalled a different route to independence for a country that the majority called Zimbabwe.
Continue reading Lancaster House revisited
Update: December 24, 2009
Mairoon Ali’s Send-Off: A Celebration of Life in pictures
Mairoon Ali given spectacular send-off
Beautiful! That’s the most appropriate word that can be used to describe the celebration ceremony of the life of Mairoon Ali at Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s, yesterday. An almost packed auditorium of family and friends, who came out to pay tribute and bid a final farewell to a treasured woman, were treated to nothing short of the many colours of Ali. Among the gathering were Ambassador Joan Yuille-Williams, MP for Mayaro, Winston “Gypsy” Peters, Peter Minshall and Minister of Information Dr Neil Parsanlal.
Continue reading Mairoon Ali’s Send-Off: A Celebration…
By Annalee Newitz
December 18, 2009 – http://io9.com
Critics have called alien epic Avatar a version of Dances With Wolves because it’s about a white guy going native and becoming a great leader. But Avatar is just the latest scifi rehash of an old white guilt fantasy. Spoilers…
Continue reading When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like “Avatar”?
By Raffique Shah
December 20, 2009
trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
As a Christmas gift to my colleague of many, many moons ago, I am backing Basdeo Panday for leadership of the UNC in the upcoming party elections. I have taken this decision, not after long and hard examination of the issues at stake, or any analysis of the future of UNC, but purely because Bas is a man. And this country of warped minds where people are whimsical in their outlooks, man must back man.
Continue reading Backing Bas …or Ramesh