My Shorts
Woeful Windies
Well the autopsy result on this ICC Champions Trophy defeat would read “Death by Batting Collapse”. It’s actually the leading cause of death among West Indies teams. Now I have to go eat the words I gloated so willingly to my Aussie friends after we beat Australia in the group stage of the competition. I hate eating my own words. The night before the game I dreamt I was walking through my old neighbourhood and asked a guy I knew what the score was and he told me 449/1, which was completely bizarre because I would never really talk to the man under any circumstance.
I ended up getting up too late for the game and I ran down stairs as soon as I got myself together. I put on the TV and I though I was watching a between-overs commercial break. However the third commercial in a row told me that it wasn’t between overs, but innings. One of the sides were routed cheaply….hmmm I wonder who. Turns out it was the Windies – 138 all out. Needless to say, we couldn’t restrict Australia to under three runs an over. So we lost and handed the Aussies their first ICC Champions Trophy victory ever.
Breathalyser Law
Well the breathalyser bill was finally laid in Parliament donkey years after citizens and lawmakers alike started calling for it. Alcohol has had an unrestrained hold on Trinidad for a long while. It’s against the law to drive drunk, but there are no means by which to detect drunk drivers who aren’t falling over themselves. The introduction of the breathalyser into Trinidadian law is a welcome addition. The law itself will allow a .08 alcohol limit. The express reports that limit translates to 80 milligrams of alcohol out of 100 milligrams of blood. Let me tell you something, if 80% of your blood is comprised of alcohol, driving is not your biggest problem.
I’ve mentioned before how I feel about seeing people popping open beers at 7am, which seems like nothing in Trinidad. I even saw a policeman one day driving a dump truck downing the last of a Carib while behind the wheel. Can you believe that? I report he so fast eh, but I doubt his friends did anything more than talk to him.
But sometimes you really have to wonder about the lawmakers themselves. When asked by Opposition Caroni East MP Ganga Singh how many alcohol drinks this .08 alcohol level translated to, Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert said:
“That is between two and three beers, about three beers. When I return I will give you in terms of puncheon rum, in terms of whisky, so people will know. After three beers you will be over the limit that we have prescribed in this legislation.”
Hasn’t he done enough research to know that alcohol tolerance differs from person to person and hinges on factors such as body weight, gender, body fat percentage and even genetics? Of course not.
Parang Death
On Saturday night Kenneth Subero was shot and killed by a man as he limed at a Parang fete in Tabaquite. And yes, the crime spree continues. You used to think that if you didn’t cause trouble, drink a lot, smoke weed, hang around with bad friends or anything our parents told us not to do, you wouldn’t die a gruesome death. Well it hasn’t been that way for a long time now. And honestly you really can’t be shocked that this man died because he was at a Parang fete. You don’t have to do anything bad to die these days. Whether it’s getting into a taxi, helping out a friend or sleeping in your own bed at your own house, murder in Trinidad has no modus operandi.
16 Responses to “My Shorts”
By boysieringo on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
The fact that it didn’t shock me made me upset later on. I had to backtrack into a “Wait nuh is a parang lime he dead at?” They said the fight he parted happened 3 weeks ago. Bad mind is a helluva thing oui.
By Hottie Hottie on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
I think your Maths is wrong Mani. Plus, I would love to see the person who could open a “bear” at 7 a.m. or otherwise. And yes, badmind is one helluva thing.
By Mani on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
Boysie, and the thing is the man wasn’t fighting…he part the fight. And for dat ah man come back three weeks later to shoot him. Well yes…
Hottie, lol, yeah I fixed my spelling error…what maths is wrong though? Do you mean the 80 out of 100 milligram thing?nuutysq
By ed on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
It’s 80 mg of every 100 millilitres of blood, not milligrams. Otherwise you’d be very very dead.
I don’t think it’s totally unreasonable for Colm (my MP — so proud!) to try to give estimates as to how much alcohol will put you over the limit. They do the same thing up here. Naturally it’s going to vary from person to person, but it’s meant as guidance. I just like that he assured everyone that he would be back to let you know how much puncheon rum you could still drink!
BTW – real answer to drunk driving: good public transportation and safe taxis.
By Hottie Hottie on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
Yes Mani. If 80% of your body fluid is alcohol, technically speaking, would you still be human?! They should stick a puncheon label on yuh belly and sent yuh on yuh way.
By Mani on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
Ed, well that would make more sense…..I just completely misread the units.
I guess you’re right….since we’re starting from zero here, it would be good to give some guidance.
Hottie, well that is what I was thinking….but as I told Ed, I just completely misread the units. Lol, gyul I know some people living round here who they could already do that too.
By Hottie Hottie on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
Mani, what does “nuutysq” mean?
By Mani on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
lol, it’s the word verification I typed in the wrong place….I didn’t realize till you asked. What, yuh thought I was calling yuh bad names?
Man, I’m having the most blog retarded day.
By Hottie Hottie on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
LOL! Well boy, see me trying to figure out what that acronym is! I saying to mehself, but girl, yuh eh know nuttin!!!!!!!!!
By boysieringo on Nov 6, 2006 | Reply
Well my MP owns a rumshop and he cyah do no math so we in real problems (valley). But seriously the label on Forest Park puncheon says approx 75% alcohol which means the chemist at Angostura has no idea what’s in that bottle. How you going to curb drunk driving in a land where wearing a seat-belt is optional?
St James at any hour:”Boss i ain’t drunk is only one flask i did have!”
Pier1:”Officer like oh my gosh it was totally a free drinks party!”
Begin with education (a pic of smashed brains across the foreshore may sober us up it surely worked for me and he was my childhood friend).
Meet me by the rumshop first rounds on me when you figure this out?
By Hottie Hottie on Nov 7, 2006 | Reply
Boysieringo, is “pahdee” not party
And sorry to hear about your friend
My friend brother spend the night in he car in a drain sleeping and didn’t know nuttin. Is only when somebody stop to investigate the lights coming from the drain that they found him. Had to wake him up and take him to the hospital. Drunk like a skunk.
By ttfootball on Nov 7, 2006 | Reply
I can never understand how people I’ve met, especially Europeans, take drunk driving so seriously, while we Trinis JUST DON’T GET IT. DUI laws really need to be enforced. In some states up here you can get arrested just for being in your car with the keys, even if you are parked and the engine off. Mani, do they still have those “arrive alive” people/campaign? I thought that was the beginning of a good awareness drive. I agree with boysie, we really need more education.
By nandi23 on Nov 8, 2006 | Reply
“I dreamt I was walking through my old neighbourhood and asked a guy I knew what the score was and he told me 449/1, which was completely bizarre because I would never really talk to the man under any circumstance.”
this part was hilarious.
now getting serious, sometimes I get kinda angry when I think about how the laws are enforced and how sometimes people can get away with all kind of madness. Ganga’s comments infuriates me, it seems as if in our cabinet we have just a bunch of bloated arrogant egos and no one whith even half a brain who can steer the country out of this miasma that it is slowly sinking into.
We need to get rid of the old decaying minds in parliment and put some fresh new educated perspective on the floor, what do think about running for prime minister manicou? I’ll vote for you:D
By Atasha on Nov 8, 2006 | Reply
Is dat true? Seatbelts optional in Trinidad? I shame to admit but my father who still living over there tell me once how he was driving with a beer in his lap. It took me a few seconds to process what he was really saying. Stupid! Because doing nonsense like that over here will get you in trouble.
~~~
Yuh so right about what yuh say about alcohol tolerance. One person I know would start acting real stupid after 1 beer. While my husband and myself could sit at home and drink whole afternoon and I don’t drink beer. It’s straight liquor for me. Beer full yuh up too fas.
Even so, I never once got the “wise” idea to grab my keys up and hop in my vehicle after drinking.
By Hottie Hottie on Nov 8, 2006 | Reply
It’s a law that you have to wear seatbelts. I think what boysie meant was that some people don’t take it seriously and think they can risk driving without it.
By Mani on Nov 8, 2006 | Reply
Boysie – So you mean Valley and all have a rum shop? I wonder how he feel about Manning raising the taxes? Sorry about your friend though.
And a lot of this alcohol problem has to do with the youth’s new obsession with it and their parents unwillingness to chastise them.
ttfootball – I’m not exactly sure if they still have the campaigns. They may still but I can’t remember seeing one in a while. They have new ads on TV though for the same purpose. But yeah Trinis largely don’t get the don’t drive drunk thing. Our drinking is a part of the culture and somehow “moderation” isn’t something that mixes well with alcohol. Hopefully the breathalyser can help, but I’m wondering now if we have the police patrols necessary to make it worthwhile.
Nandi23 – Thanks Nandi! Actually though it was Colm Imbert who made the comment. I do agree with Ed though when he said it was right to give some sort of guidance. but I agree with the rest of what you said. The old guard is useless and needs to go. Me run for PM? lol, I think not. I’m not sure I have it in me. But thanks for your vote of confidence.
Atasha – Yeah as Hottie said, it’s illegal not to wear your seatbelt, but it might as well be legal. I even see police daily driving without wearing their seatbelts. Gyul, I know people who does only have to smell alcohol to start slurring.