TriniSoca.com Reporters
September 12, 2007
Creator of such Calypso gems as “Progress”, “In Time to Come”, “Somebody”, “Steelband Woman”, “Saltfish”, “This World Don’t Like Nothing Black”, “Phillip My Dear”, “Take Me Back Africa”, “Too Young to Soca” “In Time to Come”, “Save our Domestics”, Winsford ‘Joker’ Devine is undoubtedly one of the greatest songwriters of our time. His compositions range from the bacchanal and sexual topics of the Soca genre to the serious social commentaries that analyse and enrich our social space. Over the past 40 years, his compositions have been sung by many singers including ‘Crazy’, ‘Sparrow’, Machel Montano, ‘Singing Francine’, ‘Mighty Trini’, Charlene Boodram, ‘Sugar Aloes’, Marcia Miranda, Karen Asche, ‘Poser’, ‘Baron’, ‘Explainer’, ‘Blakie’ and ‘King Austin’. Many of these songs have become classics of the Calypso artform, but in an arena where most of the public recognition goes to the singer, many persons are unaware of Joker’s involvement. In this extensive interview with TriniSoca.com, this prolific Soca/Calypso composer talks frankly and vividly about his compositions, the state of the Calypso artform and his general life experiences.
Continue to: ‘Winsford ‘Joker’ Devine Speaks’
PNM leader Patrick Manning must be over-confident about his party’s chances in the general elections that should be held no later than early December. Why else would he trigger tremors in the ruling party at this critical point, virtually on the eve of elections?
Having been controversially appointed via the political patronage route to the Board of the Central Bank (CB), nondescript Dr. Selwyn Cudjoe has to earn his political keep by splitting hairs between economics, monetarism and politics and labouring in vain with annoying trivialities to demonstrate his lack of true professionalism. 
I had mapped out in my mind what I would write for this Monday of the week of Independence Day Celebrations when lo and behold I come across Prof Vijay Naraynsingh’s address at the Fourth Mahant Ramdass Award Celebrations. I say to myself, “there goes again any hope of our living up to the promises of Independence and of a Republic.”
Prime Minister Patrick Manning and his critics seem to be missing the main issue in the heated debate over the Ryder Scott report on our gas reserves. It’s not about how much gas there is, or how much more is waiting to be “discovered”. If some global energy experts are right, Trinidad and Tobago is sitting on possible reserves of 90 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas. And if, over the next ten years, we succeed in adding 25 per cent of that volume to our proved reserves, then Mr Manning’s industrialisation programme will be adequately serviced with its principal feedstock, relatively cheap gas. If they are wrong, if gas runs out in ten years, then we’d be left with a mass of abandoned, rundown plants, much the way Texaco left us holding a skeletal refinery that was on the brink of collapse.
AUGUSTIN NOEL, head of the Chaguaramas Land Owners’ committee was yesterday arrested after he was caught defacing a concrete pillar in front of the Aluminium Company of America’s facility in Chaguaramas.