$2m spent on flag for ‘national pride’

Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
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$2m spent for national pride

What’s the cost of the national flag at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain? Is it $2 million? But Sport and Youth Affairs Minister Gary Hunt, while unable to confirm the flag’s price tag, said even if it was true, it would be “nothing out of the ordinary.” The flag was unveiled by Hunt at an official ceremony on August 4. He said then the flag was intended to be seen from far away and from every direction. He said then it was also intended to remind citizens of “its noble message and we feel a deep sense of national pride.” Hunt was questioned about the flag during yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s. He said it was “130 feet high and takes a considerable amount of engineering to plant a structure that high and of that weight.”
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Satanic Verses, Biblical Violations and the Property Tax

By Stephen Kangal
October 26, 2009
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog

HouseI have already surrendered to Caesar what is Caesar’s by way paying his many fiscal dues and entitlements that are increasingly being levied on me. I retained on behalf of God what really is His. I proceeded to invest a large part of the remainder in a home that is in fact His temple. I foolishly thought I was par for the course. But here comes the cruel and inhumane, dimpled-cheeky tax-collector intent on reaping and extracting from the meek of the earth what he did not sow. This is in total violation and infringement of all New Testament, Koranic and Karmic principles.
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Leave this ‘House of Clowns’, Mr Speaker

By Raffique Shah
October 25, 2009

www.trinidadandtobagonews.com

ParliamentWITH the greatest deference to House Speaker Barry Sinanan, I think he should realise by now that he presides over a House of Clowns. If he values his integrity, he should run like hell, but not before he inflicts some choice words on the 41 jokers who sit in Parliament. In case the Speaker is short on gems from the “mooma-lexicon”, he can feel free to summon my help, since I co-authored the Obscene Dictionary.
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Political maturity in opposition in T&T

October 22, 2009
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
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UNCThe recent dropping of charges against UNC’s “dissident MPs” and the meeting between UNC and COP representatives speak volumes as to the road to political maturity on the part of opposition parties in T&T.

In this era of democratically-elected dictatorship in T&T, both the UNC and COP must clearly realize and understand that their only enemy is the PNM. They must cease and desist from creating enemies within their own ranks if they are to remove the PNM government from office.
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UDECOTT WORSE THAN PIARCO

By Sean Douglas
October 20, 2009 – newsday.co.tt

UDECOTTPULLING no punches as he fearlessly trained his guns on his political leader, Diego Martin West MP Dr Keith Rowley yesterday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Patrick Manning, declaring the Udecott scandal was ten times worse than the Piarco Airport affair and warning that come the next General Election, the issue would be about PNM corruption.
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Seismic Vibrations Radiating Beyond the Boundary of the IPL

By Stephen Kangal, Caroni
October 19, 2009
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog

TT CricketersThat the Almighty God is a born Trinbagonian has been established irrefutably time and again. Connecting to Him via TSTT is billed as a local call in Caroni. I cannot say the same for elsewhere since I do not know.

Here is Mother T&T (Dharti Mata) fossilized and embedded in the rock of a creeping and arrogant administration. They daily unleash waves and waves of punitive fiscal measures against a people permanently under siege from the forces of evil and darkness. We are facing a bleak status quo and a cancelled future. But God does not and cannot sleep especially when Trinis are in trouble.
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Jail Chinese contractors for slavery

By Raffique Shah
October 18, 2009
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog

Chinese labourersSOME five years ago when criminal activities intensified to frightening levels, several people who care about this country suggested to Prime Minister Patrick Manning that he declare a limited state of emergency. I was among those who argued that once the law enforcement agencies were armed with intelligence-identities of the main criminals, overlords of the guns and drugs underworld-Government should move to stem the crime tide by use of emergency powers to arrest the situation, to rescue the country.
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The Performing Arts Centre -update

Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
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The National Academy for the Performing Arts Centre
The National Academy for the Performing Arts Centre

Work is feverishly progressing on the National Academy for the Performing Arts building on Chancery Lane, Port-of-Spain.

On October 8, the Prime Minister was adamant that this art centre would be ready in time for next month’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, (CHOGM). The art center is to be used for a gala cultural event during the hosting of the CHOGM.
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