Monthly Archives: October 2016

Elections, General T&T, USA

“Yuh Nastiness”

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
October 31, 2016

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeAt the last US presidential debate when Donald Trump looked over at Hillary Clinton and said, “Such a nasty woman,” he sounded the death knell of his campaign. It was almost like looking at Hillary with disdain and saying in Trini language, “Yuh nastiness.”

This insult has had a more devastating effect on Trump’s candidacy than anything else he has said or done previously. Not even his infamous boast about grabbing women’s genitals has had such a devastating effect on his White House ambitions. “Nasty woman” has become a rallying cry among women and that, as they say in T&T, was the end of Solomon Gundi.
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General T&T, International, Media, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

French Creole Revision of History

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By Cecil Paul & Gerry Kangalee
October 28, 2016 – workersunion.org.tt

French CreolesWe refer to a letter to the editor in the Express of October 27, 2016 in which one R. De Verteuil is “sick and tired” of Laventillians complaining “about how neglected and disadvantaged they are, and how much more money the government should throw in their direction”.
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Court, General T&T, Law, Media, PNM, Politics, UNC

Imbert seeks clarity on LifeSport

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By Clint Chan Tack
October 27 2016 – newsday.co.tt

Colm ImbertFINANCE Minister Colm Imbert said on Tuesday that he will not comment at this time about the quashing of the 2014 audit report into the controversial LifeSport programme. In a ruling on Monday, Justice Mira Dean-Armorer quashed the report of the Ministry of Finance’s central audit committee into Life Sport. Imbert said he will not commenton this matter until he receives the written judgement or, “until I get clarity on excactly what the judge ordered.”
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General T&T

Making the ordinary look extraordinary

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By Raffique Shah
October 26, 2016

Raffique ShahWhen an act of kindness that should be an everyday occurrence is cause for national celebration you know the society is in moral decay.

Further, when academic achievements by pupils who come from ordinary homes in so-called depressed communities are hailed as extraordinary, Trinidad and Tobago, we have a serious problem.
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General T&T, Racism Watch, USA

Black Lives Matter: A Footnote to History

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Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
October 25, 2016

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeI delivered these remarks at the “Battle of Ideas Festival” organized by the Institute of Ideas and held at the Barbican Center, London, England. The panel, entitled, “From Black Panthers to #Black Lives Matter: Race in America” was sponsored by Newsweek, the European edition. These remarks, “A Footnote to History,” were delivered on Saturday, October 22, 2016.
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General T&T, PNM, Police, Politics

Baying for Al-Rawi’s blood

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By Raffique Shah
October 19, 2016

Raffique ShahTrinidadians, as they would themselves say, “like too much confusion”.

The latest bacchanal began when Opposition MP Roodal Moonilal displayed and tendered in Parliament two photographs that purportedly show the teenage children of Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi “gallerying” (Moonilal’s word) with what appears to be a short-barrel rifle or a sub-machine gun.
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Africa, General T&T, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Black Advocacy in T&T

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
October 18, 2016

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeI wish to take up where I left off last Sunday to examine the implication of the “Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Dissent on Its Mission to the United States” for Trinidad and Tobago since there is an assumption that these reports have no relevance to our society. Sometimes we even refuse to believe that the slave experience lies at the base of our society masking our origin under the umbrella of an illusionary multiculturalism.
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General T&T, Law, Media, PNM, Police, Politics

Police probe ordered on AG’s children gun issue

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Images which surfaced online allegedly showing a cabinet minister’s relatives with high-tech weapons
Images which surfaced online allegedly showing a cabinet minister’s relatives with high-tech weapons

By Renuka Singh
Oxctober 14, 2016 – trinidadexpress.com

Acting Police Commissioner Harold Phillip has ordered an investigation into how the children of Attorney General Faris al-Rawi came to be holding high-powered military weapons.
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General T&T, Law, Media, PNM, Politics

AG: Leave My Family Alone

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By Sean Douglas
October 12, 2016 – newsday.co.tt

PNM Senator Faris Al-RawiAMIDST Opposition claims that photos exist of persons resembling children of top Government officials holding firearms resembling those commonly used by the Defence Force, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi could not ascertain if those featured in these photos are his children, but admitted members of his family have undergone “threat assessment” training at Cumuto Army Base as part of security protocols for families of State officials deemed to be at high risk.
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General T&T, WASA

Water at $2 a day

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By Raffique Shah
October 11, 2016

Raffique ShahThe Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) came perilously close to prompting me to gather a truckload of raw sewage and dump it on the doorsteps of the executive suites of the utility’s offices.

Recently, I received a bill from WASA which warned that I owed an outstanding balance of $590.40 that was due immediately, as well as $196.80 for the current billing cycle, October-December.
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