Finance, General T&T, Labour, Politics

Confusing ‘Dookonomics’

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By Raffique Shah
August 21, 2011

Raffique ShahMinister Winston Dookeran confuses me. He insists that the Budget deficit for fiscal 2010-2011 remains at around $8 billion, as he projected last year. Yet, he admits that Government collected $2 billion in unanticipated revenue from delinquent taxpayers who responded to the tax amnesty. He also admits that oil prices have been higher than budgeted, and prices of other downstream commodities (methanol, ammonia) have been buoyant.
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Culture, General T&T, Passed on

Cultural Icon Pat Bishop Passes Away

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Cultural icon Dr. Patricia Bishop

Dr. Pat Bishop’s Memorial Service “In Pat’s House” (in pictures)
Dr. Pat Bishop’s Memorial Service “In Pat’s House” held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port of Spain on August 28, 2011

Cultural icon Dr. Patricia Bishop better known as Pat Bishop passed away today, Saturday 20th August, 2011. Ms. Bishop, who attended a meeting with a cabinet appointed committee of high level experts on culture and the arts collapsed from her chair. She died while at hospital where doctors’ attempt to revive her proved futile. The cause of her death remains unknown at this time.
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England, General T&T, International, Racism Watch

Cameron’s multiple morality disorder

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By Suzanne Mills
August 19, 2011 – newsday.co.tt

British Prime Minister David CameronBy blaming the English riots not on poverty, unravelling race relations, government’s austerity measures, the global crisis, but on the perverse and criminal behaviour of some English people, British Prime Minister David Cameron is arguing that in the case of the rioters, bad behaviour triggered bad behaviour and that in general, conduct is not a symptom but a cause.
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General T&T, Health

Hon. Prime Minister diagnosed with Dengue

30 Comments

From the Office of the Prime Minister
August 16, 2011

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-BissessarPrime Minister the Honourable Kamla Persad Bissessar has been recently diagnosed with Dengue fever (Classical type). It is the less severe strain.

The Prime Minister is now resting comfortably and would like to assure citizens that she is receiving medical care and supervision.
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Caribbean, Culture, General T&T, Haiti, International, Race and Identity, Religion

Messengers of the Invisible

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
August 16, 2011

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeAugust and anyone who is anyone has left Paris (and other Europeans cities) for the country for vacation. As one looks at the shuttered apartment windows, the empty streets (except for places such as Champs Elysees Avenue) and the barely-filed cafes that inundate the city and its sidewalks one realizes that everything will remain in abeyance until September when Parisians return to work and attend to their business again.
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Business, England, Finance, General T&T, International, Politics, USA

Slash subsidies, prioritise spending

2 Comments

By Raffique Shah
August 14, 2011

Raffique ShahA WEEK sometimes feels like eternity in today’s fast-paced world. When I wrote last week’s column—”Jam Them!”—for which I received lots of jamming, Standard and Poor’s downgrading of America’s credit rating, and the almost instant global fallout, had not yet happened.

How was I to know that parts of London and other cities in England would erupt into mayhem?
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England, General T&T, International, Protest, Security

Riots in London

58 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
August 09, 2011

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeI am in London, a few miles away from where the riots are taking place. Here in central London, one feels untouched by these riots and only knows its effects from what one reads in the newspapers. As I write, the riots continue to take Britain by surprise. It started in Tottenham, then spread to Brixton and Enfield; there from to Walthamstow and Hackney. London’s Independent newspaper described them as “London’s worst rioting in more than 25 years” (August 9). Although business seems to be going on as usual there is an eerie feeling that the police have little control of over what is taking place.
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Caribbean, Education, General T&T, International, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Modern science owes much to African civilisations

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8/7/2011 – barbadosadvocate.com

EmancipationIt saddens me to the core whenever I read articles such as the letter to the editor, written by Michael A Dingwall in the August 4 edition of this newspaper entitled ‘Black, but proud of what?’. If there is nothing for you to be proud of, maybe you should look in the mirror, and if you still cannot see anything to be proud of, do a little research into African history – there is plenty to know.
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Finance, General T&T, Labour, People's Partnership, PNM

Jam them!

5 Comments

By Raffique Shah
August 07, 2011

Raffique ShahTHE trade unions and government have both contributed to messy state of industrial relations that hovers over us all at a time when we should be focussed on climbing out of the economic mess we remain mired in. Gun talk, rather than constructive dialogue, drives the tension to unbearable levels.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad -Bissessar is reported as having told union leaders, when she terminated a meeting with them, “Bring on the national strike!” (or words to that effect). And Ancel Roget, offering little hope of a negotiated settlement, warned the population, “Stock up on candles!”
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Africa, General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

With Respect to All

27 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
August 03, 2011

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeIf one opened the dailies the day after Emancipation Day one could not miss the photographs of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism sitting proudly in their African threads on either side of Kafra Kambon (Express, August 2nd) with a headline that proclaimed: “PM: No more last minute funding.” Just to reinforce her concerns, she cooed: “As a testimony to the recognition in the Emancipation Support Committee, I have requested a convening of an inter—ministerial team charged with the review of all festival—based commemoration to ensure matters of funding and production will no longer be matters of last minute intervention. We stand committed to the success of this intervention and the Minister of Multiculturalism Winston ‘Gypsy’ Peters will head this very special committee to ensure that you get the funding and support you need at the appropriate time.”
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