By Stephen Kangal
September 17, 2008
In the face of the unforgivable, non-public disclosure of the text of the August 14 MOU as well as the disrespectful-to-the- people silence on the obligation to outline the compelling economic, political and trade considerations that underpin and drive the urgency of PM Manning’s proposed political union with three OECS countries there has arisen, quite understandably a range of informed speculation on what really motivates the mind of Manning. Many believe that personal (hubris) and subjective (legacy) considerations dominate, determine and drive his political union initiative.
Continue reading Mining the Mind of Manning
Sarah Palin, it seems, is about to topple the Presidential apple cart. My friend Louis Lee Sing (we were in Chicago to look at the T&T vs. USA soccer match) is afraid. “Selwyn,” he says, “it seems as though Palin might do it.” It’s all about the best made plans of mice and men and thunder striking from afar. Here, in Chicago, the home of Obama, there is cautious optimism. In Boston where I teach, there is tentativeness about how to interpret Palin’s candidacy; and in New York where I visited the last weekend to take my daughter to dinner for her birthday signs of apprehension abound.
Citizens of T&T must now awake. Let us discard our politically partisan lenses with which we have viewed and assessed the recent conduct of governance by PM Manning. We must demand immediate answers from him on what is going on with the defence of the integrity and continuing ownership of our abundant, rich-yielding maritime patrimony from the creeping encroachment of Barbados.
The world is virtually under siege with problems, caused in the main by man’s misuse and abuse of Earth’s resources. Three hurricanes in the Caribbean at one time; flooding in parts India, the worst in 60 years; drought in Africa and Australia, the worst in living memory; and, of course, the two polar ice-caps melting faster than the proverbial sno-cone-in-the-sun. Global bee population is declining to frightening levels, raising questions about plant pollination, hence declining food supplies. Marine life, much of which, besides its ecological importance, serves as food for man, is disappearing in huge swathes of the oceans.
The Ugandan cultural group Ndere recently completed a very successful tour to Trinidad and Tobago as part of this country’s Emancipation celebrations. The term ‘ndere’ means flute, and this name appropriately captures the richness of the Ndere experience. The troupe was founded by Stephen Rwangyezi in 1984 to promote and develop African culture and arts, rekindle African pride, and to organize, develop and enable the artistically talented but socially disadvantaged young people to better their lives and realize their ambitions. Theirs is a mission to rekindle the sense of self, pride and confidence among Ugandans which were shattered by colonialism that branded every African cultural practice as evil, primitive, shameful, and backward. 
Last night Barack Obama made history when he became the first African-American to be nominated to lead the Democratic Party for the presidency of the United States of America. On November 4, he will create history yet again by becoming the first black President of the United States.
I have just seen the box office hit movie, Hancock, with my two teenage sons and their 12 year old cousin. As usual, after seeing a movie with the kids, we engaged in debates about the representations and subtle messages in the movie. I asked the young men if they liked the film and they all agreed that it was a great film. I asked them what they liked about it and they said that Will Smith was the greatest superhero ever. Then they asked me if I liked the movie and I said no that I did not. Why not? They all asked in unison.
The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which is heavily slanted in favour of its drafters, the European Union (EU), and which the EU insists that the Caribbean agree to and sign by September 2, should be rejected and a completely new EPA drafted, which, genuinely, takes into account the social and economic interests of Caribbean nations.
BEIJING – Track and field needs a new hero. It got one Saturday night who can fly. In the most outrageous display of speed to ever burn across the Olympic Games, Usain Bolt of Jamaica rocketed to gold in winning the men’s 100m dash in 9.69 seconds — not only a new world record but the first time in the history of human beings a man has run the distance under 9.7 seconds without a significant tailwind.
By the time this column is published on Sunday, American swimmer Michael Phelps would more than likely have achieved his goal of winning a record eight gold medals. Mark Spitz, the sole swimmer among an elite club of Olympians who won multiple medals in his career, would also have been in Beijing to see this swimming phenomenon set a new benchmark in the pool.