By Raffique Shah
February 24th 2008
ABOUT two weeks ago, a downright dangerous incident occurred offshore Claxton Bay, not far from where I live. Peter Vine, a UWI lecturer and environmental activist, was among a group of fishermen and nearby residents, protesting preliminary works being conducted by agents of the NEC in preparation for the reclamation of some 255 hectares of coastal land for the establishment of an industrial port.
Continue reading A Goon attacks a Vine
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
February 21, 2008
There is a frightening scene at the end of Emmanuel Appadocca, the first novel written by a Trinidadian in 1854 in which Emmanuel Appadocca, the major protagonist and son James Willmington, an English sugar planter, breaks into his father’s home in St Ann’s, seizes him and condemns him to death for abandoning him while he was a child. In this novel, author Maxwell Philip, examines the implications of the lex talionis–or the law of just revenge–and seeks to understand how it should be applied in the particular circumstance.
Continue reading A Culture of Life
By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
February 20, 2008
Revered maximum leader Fidel Castro has decided to demit office as President and Commander-in-Chief of Communist Cuba due to ill health.
While the Bush Administration in the United States is euphoric to see Castro finally off the anti-America radar screen, the geo-political achievements/milestones of Comrade Fidel Castro “can’t be wiped away so easily” nor be down-graded.
Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba through armed revolution. He overthrew the pro-United States dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista on 1st January 1959. President Castro then proceeded to take the riches from the rich and give them to the poorest of the poor. The descendants of those rich, capitalist Cubans, now reside in Miami, U.S.A. They still harbor supreme acerbic anti-Castro sentiments.
Continue reading A look at Fidel Castro’s Cuba
By Stephen Kangal
February 19, 2008
In the build up to Wednesday’s meeting with newly elected PM Thompson of Barbados, PM Manning must be briefed comprehensively and clinically on the problems and issues that contributed to the deterioration of T&T/Barbados bilateral relations during the regime of former Prime Minister Owen Arthur. He must work assiduously to pre-empt similar mistakes from recurring during the Thompson watch and to frame the development of our future relations in a mutually beneficial manner.
Continue reading Fixing Our Relations with Barbados First
By Raffique Shah
February 17, 2008
LAST week, in another curious twist to Government’s off-and-on position on the $2 billion annual fuels subsidy, Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Mariano Browne, confirmed that it’s up for review. He gave no time-line for the exercise nor did he hint at the percentage being considered. These, I presume, will come after discussion and hopefully careful consideration of the implications, more so the impact on inflation.
Continue reading Scrap URP, establish Labour Bureau
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
February 15, 2008
Oskie vex too bad. Friday morning, first thing, he wake me up to complain, “Why you put ma name in de papers?”
“Well friend, Ah didn’t really put yo’ name in de papers. I was writing an article and I felt our conversation best personified your resistance to my letting the public know about this dreadful disease among black men.”
Continue reading Ketching De’ Demon Early
By Stephen Kangal
February 14, 2008
The damaging legacy bequeathed by the Barbados Labour Party’s dethroned Ex-Prime Minister, Mr. Owen Arthur in contributing to the turbulence that marred and blemished T&T/Barbados relations for the fourteen years of his Prime Ministership must not be allowed to accompany him unnoticed and unrecorded as he rides into the political sunset of Barbados. He personified the traditional “Baje” who is always one -step ahead of the unsuspecting and accommodating Trini.
Continue reading Arthur’s Legacy on T&T/Barbados Relations
By Nalinee Seelal
Wednesday, February 13 2008
newsday.co.tt
Crime weary Laventille residents fear their lives and those of their families are in danger and believe gangs will strike back when a lockdown on their community is lifted.
“They are afraid of no one, and when the police and soldiers end this exercise and return to their bases, the gang members will strike again, so the exercises taking place will only prevent the killings and violence temporarily,” one woman told Newsday yesterday.
Continue reading ‘We in danger’
By Raffique Shah
February 10, 2008
Recently, Trade and Industry Minister Dr Keith Rowley hinted that the Government may soon need to reconsider its $2 billion a year fuel subsidy. Reaction among the population ranged from grumbling to expressions of outrage, so much so that another minister denied any such move was being considered. I beg to differ. The Government must not only cut back on certain subsidies it doles out, but it must determine where cuts are justified and where it needs to enhance state assistance.
Continue reading Reduce gas subsidy, boost food production
By Stephen Kangal
February 06, 2008
The soul and spirit that presides over the terrific and tranquil Northern Range Caura shrine served up an unspoilt mecca for relaxation for over sixty years. It catered with its lush vegetation canopy for the recreational and unwinding needs of thousands. That is the unique heritage that is now being desecrated by lawless brigands and shameless bandits causing worshippers to scurry for their lives. These bandits must remember that a Catholic Priest cast a curse on the building of the corruption-riddled Caura Water Dam on the site of a previous church and it never materialised. Those who desecrate the Caura peace will surely pay for their sacrilege and disrespect to the gods that inhabit this sanctuary.
Continue reading Desecrating the Soul of Caura