Monthly Archives: December 2017

General T&T, International, PNM, Politics, Schools

Forged in the Bowels of Corruption: Pt 5

2 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
December 18, 2017

PART 1 — PART 2 — PART 3 — PART 4 — PART 5

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeUTT was established fourteen years ago. One estimate suggests T&T taxpayers have spent close to $2 billion on its upkeep. If an independent body has not evaluated UTT, it should do so and make its findings public. Citizens should look at UTT’s efficacy before government pours more money into its operations. Moreover, the following actions should be undertaken to make UTT a more viable institution:
Continue reading Forged in the Bowels of Corruption: Pt 5 →

Crime in T&T, Gender, General T&T

Sea Lots missing girls incident demands answers

4 Comments

Sea Lots incident demands answers

Express Editorial
December 14, 2017 – trinidadexpress.com

ViolenceThe discovery in an abandoned house in Sea Lots of three missing persons, two teenaged girls and a young woman of 20, raises worrying questions about how the police handle reports of missing persons and about the responsibility of communities to look out for the vulnerable in their midst.
Continue reading Sea Lots missing girls incident demands answers →

Crime in T&T, General T&T, Parliament, PNM, Politics, UNC

Sunset or sunrise, no support from Kamla

23 Comments

By Raffique Shah
December 13, 2017

Raffique ShahIf there was anything shocking about the opposition United National Congress members voting to scuttle the so-called anti-gang legislation in Parliament last week, it was the seemingly shocked expressions on the faces of the Prime Minister, the Attorney General and other members of government.

I was shocked that they were shocked by the opposition vote. Did Dr Rowley and his ministers really expect Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her colleagues to support the Government in any bid to fight crime? Any street-smart Trini could have told the PM long before the Bill came up for debate that the UNC would not allow it to be passed in the House.
Continue reading Sunset or sunrise, no support from Kamla →

Crime in T&T, International, PNM, Politics, Schools

Forged in the Bowels of Corruption: Pt 4

3 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
December 11, 2017

PART 1 — PART 2 — PART 3 — PART 4 — PART 5

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeThis may be a far-out comparison but it bears making if only because it allows us to measure what success looks like at serious academic institutions. Fifty years ago, Jawaharlal Nehru, the president of India, created the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) with UNESCO’s assistance and funds from the Soviet Union to train his country’s scientists and engineers. On July 25, 1958, ITT Bombay, the second ITT, opened its doors with 100 students. These students “were selected from over 3,400 applicants for admission to the first undergraduate programmes.” IIT’s motto is, “Knowledge is the Supreme Goal.”
Continue reading Forged in the Bowels of Corruption: Pt 4 →

Crime in T&T, General T&T, Law, Media

SLICK $5M HEIST: Bandits snatch FCB money at airport

3 Comments

December 06, 2017 – newsday.co.tt

A slick and brazen heist at the docking area of the Piarco International Airport yesterday resulted in bandits making off with $5 million dollars belonging to the First Citizen’s Bank. The money was intended to be transferred to the bank’s Tobago branches.

The incident happened just before noon when four masked men, heavily armed and dressed in camouflage outfits, slipped into the restricted area.
Continue reading SLICK $5M HEIST: Bandits snatch FCB money at airport →

Crime in T&T, General T&T, PNM, Politics, Recession, UNC

Riding a wave of discontent

23 Comments

By Raffique Shah
December 06, 2017

Raffique ShahMany people, among them the anointed political pundits, seem to think that the widespread discontent among large sections of the population over what they see as lame governance by the Keith Rowley-led administration, and a depressed economy that shows no sign of recovery, could erupt into a violent political upheaval such as this country has experienced on several occasions in its pre- and post-colonial history.

In fact, I sense that many politicians are hoping for an eruption that would force the Government out of office by one means or other, thus creating a vacuum that would be filled by those who appear to be best organised at the critical point in time.
Continue reading Riding a wave of discontent →

England, Gender, General T&T, International, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

The Black Princess

11 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
December 05, 2017

Princess we are happy
You came our way
But unfortunately
You could not stay.

This is a welcome
That has no end
Please pay us a visit
Now and then.

— The Mighty Sparrow

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeIn 1955 Princess Margaret came to Trinidad to visit. Most of Her Majesty’s subjects felt elated. I attended Tacarigua AC School at the time. All of my fellow students lined the Churchill Roosevelt Highway with our flags (the Union Jack) to pay tribute to our princess. Two days later we headed down to the Queen’s Park Oval to give her a royal welcome.
Continue reading The Black Princess →

Crime in T&T, General T&T, Media, PNM, Police, Politics, Violence

16 murders in 4 days

5 Comments

Al-Rawi assures GOVT IN CONTROL

By Shane Superville and Ryan Hamilton-Davis
December 05, 2017 – newsday.co.tt

ViolenceAmid an unprecedented crime wave which has seen 16 murders committed within the first four days of December, came an assurance yesterday by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi that government is in control of the situation.

Commenting on the 16 murders, which has brought the year’s toll to 461 as compared to 430 for the same period last year, Al-Rawi said he is concerned not only by murders but all crimes.
Continue reading 16 murders in 4 days →

Crime in T&T, Drug Trade, General T&T, Law, Media

Man charged in $24 million drug, weapons bust

3 Comments

By The Multimedia Desk
December 04, 2017 – trinidadexpress.com

Outar MarajOutar Maraj of Mc Bean Village, Couva, appeared in the Tunapuna Second Magistrates’ Court today, on two counts of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking; one count of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking; possession of four firearms and a quantity of assorted ammunition.
Continue reading Man charged in $24 million drug, weapons bust →

Crime in T&T, Drug Trade, General T&T, International, Latin America, Media, USA

Drugs Don’t Kill People, Neoliberalism Kills People

7 Comments

By Brad Blankenship
November 22, 2017 – telesurtv.net

DrugsOpioids, a class of drugs chemically similar to the painkiller morphine, have been sweeping across North America since the late 1990s into the first two decades of the 2000s. These powerful sedative drugs, which include prescription painkillers like oxycodone and powerful street drugs such as heroin, are extremely deadly because their depressant effects can stop a user from breathing. Because of their widespread and ever-increasing use, drug overdose deaths “are the leading cause of injury death in the United States,” according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).
Continue reading Drugs Don’t Kill People, Neoliberalism Kills People →