By Raffique Shah
December 31, 2017
A few weeks ago, my granddaughter, who is all of seven years old, said to me with a look of triumph on her face, “Granddad, I finished reading my new book,” adding with emphasis, “…eleven chapters in four days!” “Very good,” I commended her as she proffered a copy of the children’s version of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice through the Looking Glass”.
Continue reading Reading for pleasure and knowledge
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
December 31, 2017
A democracy was always meant to be a big boisterous place where all citizens come together to share their ideas about what constitutes the ideal state. In recent time radio talk shows and social media are serving that role-the exchange of ideas-but such avenues are not necessarily the most efficacious ways of soliciting/eliciting citizens’ views.
How we behave in society and the courtesies we extend to others are also important for building social cohesion. A country expects its leaders to lead exemplary lives and conduct themselves in ways that are worthy of emulation. In our society, things have been slipping for a while. We need to see where we have gone wrong.
Continue reading Big Dawgs and Ass-Kicking Time
Newsday
December 26, 2017 – newsday.co.tt
Former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC supports the Law Association’s probe of misconduct allegations against Chief Justice Ivor Archie, adding his voice to calls from lawyers and former judges who believe there is a case for Archie to answer.
Continue reading Ramesh backs probe on CJ
Trinidad & Tobago Guardian
December 26, 2017 – guardian.co.tt
KINGSTON—The University of the West Indies (UWI) is backing Caribbean Community (Caricom) governments in protesting the European Union’s (EU) recent blacklisting of regional countries it considers tax haven.
In a statement issued, Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles said the UWI “stands with the governments of the Caribbean in protesting the recent actions by the EU and calling for a more transparent and equitable regulatory system and joins the call for the EU to enter into a process to resolve the issue.”
Continue reading UWI backs protests against EU blacklist
PNM women slam ‘Rowley mother’ song
By Seeta Persad
December 23, 2017 – newsday.co.tt
Chutney Singer Nirmal “Massive” Gosine’s latest song Rowley Mother Count has triggered a heated online debate on what should pass for composition at the national level.
Yesterday, Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis joined the chorus of opposition to the play of words, describing it as distasteful and loathsome.
Continue reading PNM women slam ‘Rowley mother’ song
Contesting Caribbean Subservience in the Age of Trump
By Tyehimba
December 24, 2017
There was an overwhelming vote within the United Nations general assembly against the United States’ unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. 128 members of the general assembly voted against motion, 9 nations voted for, while 35 nations including Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Antigua, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Panama, Mexico and Canada, abstained. The non-binding vote came days after the United States used its veto power to overturn a UN security council resolution that called for a withdrawal of the recognition by Donald Trump of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley had threatened that the United States would be taking names of all the countries who supported the resolution, while President Trump threatened to cut foreign aid to those countries.
Continue reading Between Big Stick Policy and Dollar Diplomacy
By Gail Alexander
December 23, 2017 – guardian.co.tt
This country’s policy has always been to support steadfast recognition of the State of Israel with secure territorial borders as well as establishment of a Palestinian State, the Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses said yesterday.
He gave this explanation when asked about T&T’s abstention from Thursday’s vote in the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the status of Jerusalem.
Continue reading Moses explains T&T’s stance on Israel
By Raffique Shah
December 20, 2017
It must have been at the funeral for a military colleague that Brigadier Joseph Theodore, then a minister in the Basdeo Panday administration, pulled me aside for private conversation, which he initiated by brusquely whispering in my ear: “Raf, you couldn’t £$&*g warn me about getting involved in politics?” I laughed, but Joe continued his mini-tirade about the underworld of politics in which one “had to tolerate so much s%$t” in contrast to the military, where order, discipline, rules and regulations reigned supreme, and where, generally, soldiers lived by codes of honour that implied implicit trust in one’s comrades.
Continue reading Peace unto all—at least for the Christmas
Santa, Jesus, and the Symbolism of Racial Supremacy
By Tim Wise
December 20, 2000 – trinicenter.com
Well it’s that time of year again. Time for all good Americans to focus on what really matters. Not family, community, or world peace, but that national sacrament of late-stage capitalism known as Holiday shopping. Whether you do it online, or drag yourself to the mall amidst the sea of humanity scrapping and fighting for the latest must-have gizmo, rest assured that your actions are vital to the national interest. In fact, the annual consumer bonanza unleashed in the last fiscal quarter is so central to defining life in the U.S. that the economy’s strength in the beginning of the following year is literally tied to how much stuff we buy. So get out there and do your duty: Buy American. Be American. Shop till you drop, and remember, this is what it means to be a patriot!
Continue reading Dreaming of a Non-White Christmas
Feel free to add to this list.
Charged with sister-in-law’s murder
Tarran Nanan, 60, a gardener, of Plum Road Extension, Manzanilla, was charged with the murder of Savitri Narine, as well as three counts of wounding with intent against her daughter, Nirmalla Narine, and bar patrons; Lucien Brown and Matthew Cuffy.
Continue reading This Week in Crime 18/12/2017