IMF propaganda

FinancialTHE EDITOR: IMF representatives at the Central Bank in Port-of-Spain recently advised that the reintroduction of price controls in Trinidad and Tobago to stem inflation and high food prices would be a backward step. It is unfortunate that some people accept the advice of the IMF without questioning the validity of their statements.
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Slaves, Amerindians and poor whites

By Marion O’Callaghan, newsday.co.tt
Monday, May 14 2007

AfricansIt seemed an ordinary enough church until someone pointed me to the angels.

“It is the only church in Latin America,” he said proudly, “with black angels.”

I hadn’t thought of it before. I had seen a black and miraculous Jesus, a black Virgin-Mother, but never black angels. Here the cherubim who worship God day and night, were black. I tried to disentangle symbol from what may well have been only a vapse portrayal by some artist. We were here in the heart of Peru’s cotton farms and-since they go together-in the heart of Afro-Peru although neither the words Afro-Peru nor Black Peru describes the people in the villages and homesteads which stretched beyond the church.
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Miss Elegance Mom Beauty Pageant 2007

Miss Elegance Mom 2007
On Saturday 12th May, the Cascadia Ballroom, St. Ann’s, hosted the “Miss Elegance Mom Beauty Pageant 2007”, an event that has grown in popularity over the years. On the eve of Mother’s Day celebrations the world over, the Miss Elegance Mom pageant celebrated the beauty of mothers and paid homage to the hard work, dedication, selflessness and confident beauty of motherhood.
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A nation of ‘nawsty awsses’

By Raffique Shah
Sunday, May 13th 2007

Under the bridgeONE of my favourite sergeant-majors in the Regiment used to say to private soldiers who committed infractions of any kind: “Boy! You is a nawsty awss!” His peculiar accent and the manner in which he berated some poor soul would elicit stifled giggles in the ranks, and laughter among officers who happened to overhear him.

I think of him (oh, he’s very much alive and kicking!) as I move around the country testing my own Vision 2007, knowing that 20-20 has diminished with the aging process. I am convinced by what I see that however much Prime Minister Patrick Manning may change the skyline of Port of Spain, whatever the authorities may put in place to keep the country clean, the majority of Trinidadians remain “nawsty awsses”.
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No Mama – No Die

By Michael De Gale
May 11, 2007

Mother EarthLike most Torontonians, I too enjoyed last year’s extended summer and unseasonably mild winter. Red peppers were still growing in my garden in late December and in early February; perennials were promising to bloom – again. I fired up my backyard BBQ in tee shirt and jeans,, washed my car by hand in the scorching sun, and then suppressed the heat with an ice cold beer. “This is the life”, I mused. Dreadfully fearful of bone chilling winters, I wanted summer to last forever. Imagine for a moment, a land of perpetual sunshine, BBQ and beer. On my CD player the incomparable Louis Armstrong sang, “What a Wonderful World” and a wise old friend assured me that “within everything, life hard but it sweet”.
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Prophet Benjamin Under Fire in Post Akon/Danah Universe

www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog

Top cop, MP ask promoters: Be more responsible

By Marsha Mokool, guardian.co.tt
May 11, 2007

Prophet BenjaminDeputy Commissioner of Police Winston Cooper and Member of Parliament for Barataria/San Juan Dr Fuad Khan are calling on show promoters and local performers to be more responsible in the type of entertainment they provide for young people.

Their calls come in the wake of the Akon/Danah Alleyne controversy involving a raunchy dance onstage.

Last Sunday, TriniStyle Entertainment hosted an automobile expo at Arima Velodrome, which attracted thousands of adults and children.

Several parents expressed outrage at the performance of singer Prophet Benjamin in relation to the explicit lyrics of his song Stop, pertaining to oral sex and masturbation.

They were also disturbed by repetitive calls made by the performer to “legalise marijuana” during his performance.
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Elton got ‘special permit’ for jazz fest

Elton JohnSir Elton John had to be granted a special permit to enter Trinidad and Tobago for last month’s CL Financial Plymouth Jazz Festival because the pop star is openly gay.

A group of Tobago-based pastors referred to Section 8 (E) of the Prohibition Class of the Immigration Act, which states that the following should not be allowed on local shores:

“…Prostitutes, homosexuals or persons living on the earnings of prostitutes or homosexuals, or persons reasonably suspected as coming to Trinidad and Tobago for these and any other immoral purposes…”
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Danah/Akon Dance Exposes Racism, Irresponsible Journalism

By A. A. Hotep
May 08, 2007

www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog

AkonOnce it was determined that the case was closed on the Akon/Danah incident, TV6 changed its tone on the issue. In fact, the 7pm TV6 report on Monday 7th May, 2007, called the dance simply a “sexy dance” which is a far cry from their earlier reports which described the dance as “lewd”, “dirty” and “sexually explicit”. This type of irresponsible journalism has translated into other foreign media jumping on the bandwagon: “Verizon ends tie with ‘rape rapper'”, “Akon Axed by Verizon Over Simulated Rape” and other such reports.
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