Summit for neglected majority

By Raffique Shah
Sunday, March 29th 2009

Fifth Summit of the AmericasLet us forget for a moment the “spring cleaning” exercise the Government has undertaken in preparation for the Fifth Summit of the Americas. True, we all tend to put our best faces forward when we invite visitors to our homes. But one cannot live in an unholy dump year-round and clean up only for Christmas or for visitors-it’s stupid. Trinidadians, more so than Tobagonians, have descended into a kind of nastiness that is difficult to understand.
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McCaffrey disgrace

Newsday Editorial
Wednesday, March 25 2009

Calder HartThere is clearly a link between the findings contained in the February 20 report presented by Gerry McCaffrey, construction expert hired by the Uff Commission of Inquiry that the structural steel work at the Brian Lara Stadium project “is effectively condemned” and the cancelling of his return flight to Trinidad on February 27 by the Office of the Prime Minister.

In addition, the report had effectively cleared former Minister of Housing, Dr Keith Rowley, of any wrongdoing with respect to the Cleaver Heights Housing Project. Instead of McCaffrey’s report triggering a desire by the authorities to facilitate the further pursuit of the investigation, McCaffrey’s probe into a series of projects has been abruptly halted as the cancellation of his return flight meant that he was unable to continue his inquiries.
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Summit of contempt for Tobago’s tourism industry

…a trigger for national protest

By Pierre Small
March 25, 2009

Fifth Summit of the AmericasPrime Minister Patrick Manning has been trying effortlessly to convince Trinidadians and Tobagonians that the Fifth Summit Of The Americas will bring them great prosperity ‘in all areas of our economy.’ This claim is being met with overwhelming skepticism throughout the country as the Prime Minister and his administration has become notorious for false promises, consistently failing, and short sighted policies in all areas of our economy.
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Food pact from Summit

By Raffique Shah
Sunday, March 22nd 2009

Fifth Summit of the AmericasI understand and can excuse the average citizen’s call for Government to cancel hosting the Fifth Summit of the Americas (SOA), and later this year, the Commonwealth Heads’ (CHOGM) meeting. After all, most ordinary people will have noted these conferences mere months ago, when Government alluded to them, to their costs, and what the country hoped to gain by hosting half of the world’s heads of governments (when both meetings are combined). The man-in-the-street would think Prime Minister Patrick Manning awoke one morning last year, and while still in a daze, took the billion-dollar decision up St Ann’s way.
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The Catholic Church and the Underdevelopment of Africa

By Michael De Gale
March 19, 2009

The Christian BibleIn light of the devastating effect that AIDS is having on the continent of Africa, it is unconscionable that Pope Benedict XVI should condemn the use of condoms as a way to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS. In a recent visit to the continent where 22 million people are living with the disease, Pope Benedict XVI stated that, “condoms are not the answer to the AIDS epidemic in Africa and can make the problem worse”. This begs the question, “How many more of Africa’s sons and daughters must suffer and die before this hood wearing demon places human life ahead of religious dogma?” Indeed, contraception is not the panacea that would put an end to this scourge, but it will do much to curb the alarming rate of infection.
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Schoolgirl, 14, hacked to death

PH’ driver drinks poison

By Radhica Sookraj
Wednesday, March 18 2009

Domestic ViolenceFor 27 years, Churaman Ramsaroop showed no signs of being a violent person. But on Monday afternoon, Ramsaroop chopped 14-year-old Zoreen Ansara Mohammed to death, after tying her up with shoe laces, slicing her with a knife and bludgeoning her with a blunt object on the head.
He then committed suicide.

The murder/suicide took place off Bancroft Trace, Freeport, on a deserted track about four miles from Ramsaroop’s home in Arena Village. Late yesterday, both Ramsaroop’s and Mohammed’s relatives were trying to find out what had caused the murder/suicide.
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Karen’s dilemma

By Raffique Shah
Sunday, March 15th 2009
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog

Karen Nunez-TesheiraWhen she entered the political arena and accepted the Cabinet position of Minister of Finance, Karen Nunez-Tesheira must have been familiar with the adage, “In politics, perception is reality.” She would also have been aware that politics exposes office holders to intense scrutiny, and more than that, all politicians are presumed to be corrupt and liars unless or until they prove otherwise. In other words, politics is downright dirty business.
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A matter of integrity and law

Express Editorial
March 14th 2009
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog

Karen Nunez-TesheiraWith the charges and countercharges and demands for resignation, we remind readers that the core of the matter is law and the rule of law. It is quite irrelevant that Ms Nunez-Tesheira may not see a conflict of interest in participating in a decision-making of the Government bailout of CLICO and CL Financial. Nor are the views of Prime Minister Manning and of Mr Duprey that there is no conflict of interest. Nor can we accept Minister Enill’s advice to consider the bigger picture.

With the obvious conflict, Minister Mariano Browne should properly have been point man, and the finance minister should have stood down from the relevant Cabinet discussions. Whatever individual parties may consider of their preferred definition of a conflict of interest, we remind all that there is the Integrity in Public Life Act 2000 which is the law of the land. And there is no ambiguity in the wording of the law and the normal processes to be followed.
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Picton Folk Performing Co. Pleas for Help

TriniView.com Reporters
Posted: March 10, 2009

Picton Folk Performing Co.The Picton Folk Performing Company is one of the most recognized cultural groups in Trinidad and Tobago. Coming out of Picton, Laventille, (or as some of the residents prefer to call the area ‘Love-Until’) this group consists of about twenty-three members, most of whom are young people.
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Playfield become battlegrounds

By Raffique Shah
Sunday, March 8th 2009

CricketAFTER you overcome the initial shock you feel angry, very angry. Then a feeling of sadness overwhelms you, followed by stark reality that the sports you so enjoy, the sportsmen and women who give you such pleasure, who are seen as symbols of sanity amidst a sea of madness, are being destroyed before your eyes. Those are but a few of the emotions that ran through my mind as I watched the carnage that erupted in Lahore last week.
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