Is T&T Above World Economic Crisis?
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Digging Our Own Graves
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Public Outrage Did Not Break Jet Deal
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Manning and the Jet Stuck in Public Outcry
Monday, March 17, 2008
The High Cost of Living: A Sufferer's Perspective
Monday, March 17, 2008
Peta 'Bear' Dogs Charles and Camilla in Trinidad and Tobago
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Why Are We Giving Away Trinidad & Tobago?
Monday, February 25, 2008
The Lingo King Reigns Again
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Forward Ever - Backward Never
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Good Governance Forever
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Foul-mouthed Ganga Singh
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Shark Fishing from Reef Area in Tobago
Friday, July 6, 2007
If Thy Right Hand Offend Thee...
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Wallerfield Water Woes
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Black & Veatch Awarded Phoenix Park Gas Contract
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Lecture: African Heritage in the Caribbean
Friday, March 9, 2007
Escapades of U.S. Crime Consultant Bernard Kerik
Thursday, January 4, 2007
On the Israel Khan dress issue
Saturday, November 25, 2006
On returning to school after a long holiday
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
What's the fuss about North Korean missiles?
Friday, July 7, 2006
T&T Blunders: Maritime Boundary Judgment
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Trinidad/Barbados Border Award
Friday, April 14, 2006
The trial following the murder of Sean Luke
Thursday, April 6, 2006
Trying to cope with this most awful horror
Monday, April 3, 2006
Industrialization in Trinidad - A Realist's View
Friday, January 6, 2006
Change of mindset needed in Afro diaspora
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
But seriously, another holiday?
Thursday, August 4, 2005
DOMA going too far
Tuesday, August 2, 2005
Buy one-way ticket back to India - I'll help
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
More Panday propaganda
Thursday, June 9, 2005
Guns in upscale areas too
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Major overhaul needed for justice system
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Fire unfair umpires, not Lara
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Lock dem all up from Captain to crook
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
Preaching the race gospel
Saturday, May 29, 2004
Use Lara's success to upgrade facilities
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Haiti: Awaiting the next installment
Friday, March 5, 2004
Pressure for Janet Jackson and Cro Cro
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Stop the Bajan Artistes from Performing at Carnival
Friday, February 20, 2004
Do not silence Cro Cro
Tuesday, February 3, 2004
My fears about the Police Service
Thursday, January 29, 2004
Increase in Rice Prices
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Eating the cannibal cow
Wednesday, January 7, 2004
Seeing no evil doesn't mean there is no evil
Saturday, January 3, 2004
When oral speech is more vivid
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Bogus kidnappings were significant
Friday, December 26, 2003
Nationwide reformation needed
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
America Bags The 'Jackal Of Samarra'
Saturday, December 20, 2003
An Idiot's Guide to US Foreign Policy
Saturday, December 13, 2003
Betrayal of the American people
Saturday, December 6, 2003
Trinidad and Tobago or Animal Farm?
Thursday, December 4, 2003
How can we monitor the fishing agreement?
Monday, December 1, 2003
Our young people are spiralling downwards
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
Playing politics with Divali Nagar
Monday, October 27, 2003
Politicizing the Police Force
Thursday, October 23, 2003
Problem is our outdated constitution
Saturday, October 18, 2003
Crime fighting unit another Gestapo?
Thursday, October 16, 2003
Colonialism over TT's gas and oil
Thursday, October 9, 2003
CLICO getting into the act too
Wednesday, October 8, 2003
Africans launched Chinese civilisation
Tuesday, October 7, 2003
What if UTC and FCB did join?
Thursday, October 2, 2003
Dhanraj Singh Murder Trial
Friday, September 26, 2003
Why Unit Trust cannot be merged
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Law Association comments on CJ
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Poverty
Sunday, September 14, 2003
Crime Fighting
Monday, September 8, 2003
Talk Radio at its worst
Saturday, September 6, 2003
Venezuela's recall: The other side of the story
Saturday, August 30, 2003
A Look at the 1953 US-Backed Coup in Iran
Friday, August 29, 2003
No website at T&T Counsul's NYC Office
Saturday, August 23, 2003
Plain Language Editorials
Thursday, August 14, 2003
Row over 'Inside' DVD
Monday, August 11, 2003
UNC loyalists are mistaken
Friday, August 8, 2003
Please surprise us, Mr Panday
Thursday, August 7, 2003
Sensational Memos Lift the Lid on News Control
Sunday, August 3, 2003
An underclass of misfits doomed to poverty and crime
Sunday, August 3, 2003
Its Time For Americans To 'Turn It Off.'
Friday, August 1, 2003
Beating children is not the answer
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Vision 2020 heading for a black hole
Sunday, July 27, 2003
Boogsie, Stalin for Skiffle Sensations
Friday, July 25, 2003
Pan Knights, Potential kick off panyard shows
Friday, July 25, 2003
'Shock And Awe' Meets 'Peek A Boo'
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
Corporal Punishment in Schools
Monday, July 21, 2003
Why Bush wants troops in Liberia
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Venezuela's President challenges U.S. hegemony
Monday, July 7, 2003
What To The Slave Is The 4th Of July?
Friday, July 4, 2003
The Other Columbus
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Venezuela moves to replace US$ with the €uro
Sunday, June 22, 2003
The Iraq occupation cannot possibly succeed
Sunday, June 22, 2003
Trying to burn all the books
Friday, June 20, 2003
Why Rumsfeld is wrong
Saturday, June 14, 2003
I'd rather have a hustler on my door step
Friday, June 6, 2003
Iraq's free fall
Saturday, May 24, 2003
In defence of the YMCA on Sex Education
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
Bullets rain over T&T
Wednesday, May 7, 2003
Pests, Pesticides and Modern Science
Tuesday, May 6, 2003
Double standards by the US
Friday, April 25, 2003
People are bigger than politics
Monday, April 21, 2003
Wanted: courageous and forthright citizens
Thursday, April 17, 2003
Punishment not stopping the crime
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
A wake-up call to Trinidad and Tobago
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
Don't bash "Trini to de bone"
Saturday, April 12, 2003
After the war, who will get the lucrative contacts?
Saturday, April 12, 2003
Finance Ministry never supervised Airport Project monies
Wednesday, April 9, 2003
The fate of empire builders
Saturday, April 5, 2003
What You Aren't Being Told About Iraq
Thursday, March 27, 2003
The changing stature of morality
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
Lies, damn lies, stats and fabrications
Thursday, March 20, 2003
A Review of Beyond Boundaries, by Selwyn Cudjoe
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Right reasons, wrong approach on Red House
Thursday, March 13, 2003
Explain Red House relocation intelligently
Thursday, March 13, 2003
'Fly by night' schools
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
The Iraq Nuclear Bomb Hoax
Monday, March 10, 2003
Who are You?
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Misrepresentation of Carnival
Friday, March 7, 2003
The Terror Threat
Wednesday, March 5, 2003
Full Results of Panorama Competitions 2003
Sunday, March 2, 2003
Higher prices for slower Internet service
Saturday, March 1, 2003
Panorama Semifinal Standings
Thursday, February 27, 2003
Iraqi war with oil escalation and blood money
Thursday, February 27, 2003
$3.68b from illicit drugs in 2002
Thursday, February 27, 2003
Whites Swim In Racial Preference
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Insensitive Fete Venue
Monday, February 24, 2003
The safety that we seek
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
We are to be blamed for our problems not the demagogues
Saturday, February 15, 2003
The United States Of America Has Gone Mad
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
No "Weapons of Mass Destruction" found in T&T
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Template for Iraq Pretext-Operations Cuba--1962, Iraq--2003
Tuesday, February 11, 2003
Another call for African Programs via the State Media
Monday, February 10, 2003
UNC to embark on civil disobedience
Sunday, February 9, 2003
U.S. 'Wag the Dog' Terror Alerts
Saturday, February 8, 2003
U.S. Weapons of Mass Distraction
Friday, February 7, 2003
No Televised Panorama Semi And Finals
Friday, February 7, 2003
Wade Mark playing 'Politricks'
Thursday, February 6, 2003
Happy birthday, Bertie
Thursday, February 6, 2003
Terror Lab Found
Tuesday, February 4, 2003
Walk the talk on unity, Mr Panday
Tuesday, February 4, 2003
Terrorist threat was about planting the story
Sunday, February 2, 2003
Trinidad and Tobago's Terrorist Threat
Friday, January 31, 2003
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Is T&T Above World Economic Crisis?
Posted: Tuesday, September 16, 2008
EDITOR: I sometimes wonder if my information sources of media, internet etc. are defective. My information suggests that most of the developed economies in the world are in deep crisis, major US corporations e.g. Bears and Sterns, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Lehman Bros. etc had to be bailed out by the Federal Authorities. (They are baulking at bailing out Lehman Bros.). The housing market is at its lowest point in decades and unemployment is at its highest in many years. The UK and Canada are awaiting statistical confirmation that their economies are in recession but their populations know full well. Indeed in the UK the prediction is that thousands will have to choose between food and heat in their upcoming winter. India's stock market plunged some forty (40%) percent within recent months, Japan has had its economic output decline in its latest review. From what I gather, most of the strong economies from the developed world and the robust new emerging ones are either in crisis or have drastically cut back their growth projections and have taken decisive measures that they hope will deal with this new reality that is sweeping this globalised world.
Somehow in Trinidad and Tobago it is business as usual as the authorities seem to have unflinching faith in our tiny, open, mono-crop economy, notwithstanding the fact that our cash crop has declined by over twenty-five percent (25%) within recent weeks. Our Prime Minister persists with his penchant for private jet travel, whizzing around the Caribbean delivering mail to unwilling integration coalition "partners"; his palatial residence and diplomatic centre have racked up $175 million and counting; he is actively seeking workers from El Salvador to supplement the shortage in the country.
He is focused on the success of the two international conferences scheduled for next year and hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent building and renovating hotels for our foreign guests. Meanwhile UTT, Udecott and Eteck seem to be runaway horses engaging in a feeding frenzy reminiscent of the one at the airport. The construction of the Brian Lara stadium bears no resemblance to the efficiency with which batsman performed; the Scarborough Hospital will probably cost three times its original estimate by the time of its completion. We are talking about billions for the Rapid Rail Project and how many ever desalination plants, all premised upon the fallacy of never-ending Government surpluses. Additionally, the Government is increasing its borrowing limits, mortgaging our future generations once again so that this madness can continue.
Nowhere within officialdom does it seem that anyone is taking notice of the fact that the country should be under hurricane warning of an economic storm with gale force winds of category five intensity. How do we expect that T&T can escape unscathed in a global meltdown? Is our economic outlook also predicated on the local myth that God is a Trinbagonian? Are we going to raid the little pittance which has been belatedly set aside for the unborn owners of this God-given wealth? This will be particularly immoral given the hugely disproportionate piece of the pie this generation has consumed.
Do we dare hope that this situation is seriously addressed in the upcoming budget and the Government takes the leadership role and immediately stops this wild spending spree? That serious "when will" analyses (not "what if") be done on drastic reductions in Government's revenue and implement whatever pre-emptive measures that can be taken now, even at this late stage. I also hope that there is no capitulation to the strike waged by the upstream producers of oil and gas. All of the major transnational oil companies have recorded super profits from the high oil prices within recent years, yet they are insisting on tax concessions before they invest in their own business. Whatever happened to risk and re-investment of profits? There should be a windfall tax imposed instead of a tax break.
Sylvan N. Wilson
St. Margaret's
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Digging Our Own Graves
Posted: Tuesday, May 6, 2008
By Michael De Gale
May 06, 2008
In this season of rejuvenation and renewal, my friend celebrated yet another birthday. She may have passed the dreaded half way mark by now but since time has been a friend to her, that mark is not immediately apparent. Free of the sags, wrinkles and tiredness that is commonly associated with aging, she remains gracious, vivacious and fashionably appropriate. Perhaps out of mischief or maybe a temporary lapse in judgment, I did the unthinkable and inquired about her age. Needless to say, her response was quick, predictable and coy. "You don't ask a woman her age", she chimed; evidently cognizant of the negative connotations associated with extended longevity.
Recently, another friend experienced the loss of her father. The love and devotion he showered on his family in the living years was reciprocal and visibly evident with his passing. Out of concern and compassion someone asked how old he was. On learning that he recently celebrated his 80th birthday, she expressed surprise that he had died so soon, given that he was "still such a young man". As society embarks on a never-ending quest to uncover the secret of eternal youth, there is an increasing intolerance for those no longer considered young in the traditional sense. This dichotomy befuddles me.
In our increasingly superficial and materialistic society, there is much to be said for the fleeting illusions of youth and beauty. Undoubtedly, youth is a time-sensitive window of limitless opportunities which, when closed, can never be fully reopened. In attempting to hold back the hands of time, anti-aging creams, extreme makeovers, Viagra, Hair in a Can and radical surgeries are all weapons in an ever expanding arsenal. The fact that some procedures have left many permanently scared and caused the untimely death of others, does not present a deterrent, even as the finished product is essentially superficial.
History is replete with examples of people being made to feel inferior or inadequate because of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation and a litany of artificial constructs. Age is no exception. By refusing to embrace our longevity, we inadvertently contribute to and perpetuate our own marginalization.
It is increasingly common for people over forty to complain about age discrimination. In fact, a major communications company recently offered to "buy out" all its employees over the age of thirty and replace them with younger people. In essence, "old people" are becoming younger in more ways than one, none of which ingratiates us. Instead, the inherent value of maturity is greatly diminished, making room for the stigmatization and alienation of an increasingly large population. To stem the tide of our marginalization, we must vociferously resist the temptation to deny our age. It is not that we should abandon efforts to look young and healthy, but we must embrace the fact that we've lived as long as we have. By refusing to proudly claim the time we have spent on this earth even as we successfully resists the forces of gravity and time, we are essentially digging our own graves. Consequently, when we say, "You don't ask a woman her age", we are essentially saying, "pass me the shovel".
mdegale@hotmail.com
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Public Outrage Did Not Break Jet Deal
Posted: Thursday, March 20, 2008
by Heru
March 20, 2008
The spokesmen for the government on the Bombardier jet deal have been trying to convince us that the deal was aborted because of government's insistence on a strict anti-corruption clause, and not because of widespread public outrage.
Guess what? I am prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt on this. It certainly shows them in a worse light. Instead of being guided by the concerns of the population, they have stubbornly taken the position that they are not.
They have stated that they will pursue another jet deal, as the previous deal was a sound investment, in spite of not presenting evidence to substantiate this.
Since they were not deterred by widespread public concern, then this is simply another uncaring government lead by Patrick Manning that is maintaining an arrogant and paternalistic approach towards the population. Manning and his government feel that they alone know what is best for this nation and they do not need to be transparent and accountable to their infantile population. They would not be fazed by protests.
Patrick Manning has refused to comment on this issue so far and, through his spokesmen, has demonstrated all that is wrong with politics in Trinidad and Tobago. Once they are elected they behave like monarchs who own the resources of the state.
Those of us who are not prepared to simply trust a government to do what is in our best interest (and buying that jet was not), but want the government to be transparent and accountable, are in for a rough ride. The old PNM regimes operated without transparency, the NAR and UNC did the same and this Patrick Manning regime is bent on maintaining that status quo.
The bigger problem is that there are many people in the country who simply vote at election time and are quite contented, to a large extent, to leave the government to do as they wish. They only show concern with their party in power when food prices go up or when they are not getting some basic goods and services. They will join their party in condemning other political parties by regurgitating the views of their party leaders. This accounts for most of the political banter in the country. They refuse to examine how government operates, including their lack of transparency and accountability, and how that directly affects the increasing costs and the poor quality of goods and services. They view calls for transparency and accountability as mere attempts from the Opposition to frustrate the government instead of trying to promote good governance. This sycophantic segment of the population encourages government to infantilize them.
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