Archive for June, 2007
Thursday, June 28th, 2007
I thought it was a brilliant move on the part of the United National Congress to swear in Cindy Gibbs as a temporary senator. After all, it is Ms Gibbs and the union of which she is a part that will be affected by the Government’s decision to put an end to the local gaming industry. So what better idea is it than for her to come before senate and speak?
In light of so many Trinbagonians complaining that they don’t have a voice in the nation’s matters, I like that the UNC gave Ms Gibbs an opportunity to speak even though it did not change the voting. Maybe more opposition parties will offer everyday citizens to speak in the Senate on matters that directly affect them once that person is eloquent enough to do so. It will unlikely have no effect on the Government’s voting, but it is an opportunity to face one’s “tormentors” as it were.
Personally I don’t agree with gambling, because I think that it’s one of those things that does more harm than good. I do however feel sorry for the casino workers 7,000 of which will be out of a job. To go from well-paying legal job to unemployed and broke must be devastating. So I do hope that if it is phased out, it will be done over a period of at least two years so that the workers are given time to acquire new skills.
So even though this hasn’t gone the way Ms Gibbs would have liked, how many ex-casino workers will have “former senator” listed on their résumés?
Posted in Politics, Social Issues, UNC | 4 Comments »
Thursday, June 28th, 2007
Sometimes you may be tempted to think that the term “new politics” means a departure from the old nasty, backbiting, tooth and nail fighting stuff. You’d think so, but you’d be wrong.
The reason I say that is because sometime this past weekend former UNC and current COP member Roy Augustus went to town on Kelvin Ramnath. Now I agree that Kelvin Ramnath is a almost entirely idiot, but what Roy Augustus said was distasteful and completely uncalled for.
I think the incident was largely ignored by the media, but I did hear a clip on Power 102, and for this reason I’m going to have to paraphrase most of what Mr. Augustus said.
“There is a jamette called Kelvin Ramnath. You see that Jamette called Kelvin Ramnath? The last time we were on a panel and he went after my wife.
Kelvin Ramnath and I have both been married twice and divorced twice. But the thing that I can say that Kelvin Ramnath can’t say is that all my wives are still alive. (audience cheers loudly and laughs).
Ok you and Kelvin Ramnath don’t get along, but to take a private matter between you and him and bring it onto a political stage cannot in anyway be an example of new politics. Implying that Mr. Ramnath may me responsible for his wives’ deaths makes it even worse. Roy Augustus embarrassed himself and his party. I was hoping that the party would have encouraged Mr. Augustus to issue an apology, but I haven’t heard anything about it yet.
Posted in COP, Politics, UNC | 7 Comments »
Monday, June 25th, 2007
I deleted 4 comments by mistake. I thought I was clicking “Publish”, but as it turns out I wasn’t. For some reason even though I asked for comment moderation notifications to be sent to my e-mail, they haven’t been. I’ll respond to those comments here.
To Jumbie in response to my Re: Teens think the darndest things post, who said that he was surprised that Keith Smith didn’t recognize the American flavour of the questions and referenced the four seasons question to support that, I agree with you. I think he should have been a little more alert than that.
To Anonymous who commented on my Going to see the Wiz post, I think I remember you saying something about your similar experiences. I’m sorry for deleting your message, please leave it again if you stop by again. I remember agreeing with you though.
To Crankyputz, who was commenting on my Put the blame on Me - Akon post. Yes he is a thug, lol. Too bad he doesn’t matter as much as he thinks.
To Nandini, who also commented on my Going to see the Wiz post, saying that although she had love for me she couldn’t side with me on what I was saying. She also said that I should have gone up to the first available clerk and asked him up front for what I wanted. Well Nandini, I have love for you too, but I couldn’t disagree with you more. First of all, I wanted to test my theory that the Wiz on Edward street has the worst service I’ve ever had in a private business, so that’s why I purposely did not as for service. Apparently I was right.
Secondly, when I entered there was no “free” attendant. The guy at the register was helping another customer, the guy at the door was at the phone, the guy at the computer didn’t even look up when I walked into the store. Despite that, here I am in your store with over $3,000 to spend and I have to beg for service too? Nah! If I were a white guy wearing a business suit and a Rolex, you think I would have waited that long? Unfortunately I was just a young black man in street clothes. And I am not just referring to race here, I am referring to the perception of who has money in T&T and who the sales clerk will go out of their way and serve. The young guy in the work clothes that I spoke about didn’t ask for service either, and he wasn’t even in there 5 minutes when the Reader asked him if he was getting through. And even while I was still asking the Reader about the prices, brother man sat down in a chair, relaxing and reclining no tail while he answered my questions. If you want to say that it was my fault that I did not ask for service up front, that’s one thing, but I didn’t make the Reader asked the guy in the work clothes before he asked me and I didn’t make him not have the courtesy to stand up and talk to me. Without a doubt, his actions are very indicative of the management’s respect for customer service. So not a single soul could have asked me something? I came into the store with money to spend and no cared to acknowledge me.
The thing is that there are scores of businesses in T&T that deal in computers and because of that the Wiz has to realize is that they are not doing me a favour, it’s the other way around. And I will not sit up and beg for attention. The Wiz is a business that depends on its customers, they don’t have the comfort of deciding who and who they will serve. But I as a consumer do have that choice. If you have some time, read the article Sanjiva gave, it speaks about how American businesses were able to compete against Japanese business by focusing on customer service. If you come to Trinidad anytime I want you to call b-Mobile or Digicel customer service and see how beautifully the CR reps speak to you. And it’s not because they are all pleasant creatures. It’s because they know they’re not the only kids in town. They know that they have to treat their customers like royalty for fear of losing them. You live in foreign right? And you know how it is in most American stores, they say hi to you when you walk into the store, they ask you if you need any help, they actually help you and then when you’re being cashed out, they ask you if you found everything ok. I’m not asking the clerks at the Wiz to shine my shoes, or bring me coffee or even tell me hi when I walk into dey bleddy store, but damn it, just ask me what I need so I can go along my merry way.
Also I have an update for this story. I was telling my cousin about this and the exact same thing happened to him at the Wiz. He is an IT teacher at a denominational school and last year he walked in there with the intention of buying 15 computers (yes, 15 computers) on his school’s behalf and he just stood there and waited and waited and when he realized that no one was taking him one he walked out. That to me is the consumer realizing their own power. I don’t know whose fault it was that day, but regardless of whose it was, The Wiz lost a ton of money that day. I’m sorry but I refuse to accept any blame for that whatsoever.
Posted in Corporate, Miscellaneous | 13 Comments »
Monday, June 25th, 2007
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| Sullivan Walker at right |
Trinidadian film star Sullivan Walker has been, for the past month, looking for a few aspiring actors from Trinidad and Tobago. On Saturday night C aired a segment about him, but I only caught the tail end of it. So I was happy when the Sunday Guardian did a short piece on him.
Mr. Walker is back in Trinidad and Tobago to screen actors for a number of stage productions he is working on. The productions (four in all) are (1) A Season in Tobago - which will highlight life in Tobago (2)How to Make it in Hollywood with a Trinidadian accent - which will mirror his own voyage from New York to Hollywood, (3) Boy Days, which focuses on growing up in T&T and (4) a play about Caribbean women.
He has stated in the article that he is trying to give back and recognizes that although we have problems here in Trinidad, he hopes he can “inspire people enough to work out these problems.
Mr. Walker who has acted in TV series such as The Cosby Show, Law and Order SVU as well as movies such as The Firm and Get Rich or Die Tryin’, will be here for at least 2 more weeks searching for actors. However, the Guardian article does not say where those auditions will be held. The only venue given was for a place called “Mangoes” on Independence Square, but the time for that audition came and went this past Saturday. Mr. Walker does say that auditions will take place around the country, so I guess we’ll have to keep our ears open.
Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
Monday, June 25th, 2007
I was reading this column by Keith Smith in Wednesday’s paper. The beginning of the column states:
Boy, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. A former teacher of mine (whom until recently I kept calling “sir”) until he pointed out that almost 50 years had gone by since we were teacher and student, both of us having entered life’s departure lounge, at around the same time sent me this seta howlers with the preamble that:
“The following questions and answers were collected from last year’s junior exam results… These are genuine responses, from some Caribbean 16-year-olds, that were read on a local morning show!
The answers might seem funny but the reality behind it is scary… let’s do our best to help our country’s future
Mr. Smith then proceeds to give a list of responses to questions that that were fielded to Caribbean students in some exam. From the time I started reading these I thought it was a little familiar and therefore a little suspicious. In fact it sounded like a bunch of lame jokes. Here are a few:
Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.
Q: What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on?
A: If you are buying a house, they will insist you are well endowed.
Q: In a democratic society, how important is elections?
A: Very important. Sex can only happen when a male gets an election.
Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.
After reading this I’m thinking this can’t be for real. So I Google one of the jokes. As it turns out, these exact same jokes are word for word all over the internet. For example here, here and here. Is something wrong with this picture? I reread Keith Smith’s column just to make sure I wasn’t missing out on something, but the only conclusion I can come to is that Keith Smith meant what he said literally i.e. an old teacher friend gave him this list of answers from some Caribbean exam or the other. So how is it that a list of over-circulated Q&A jokes becomes a selection from “last year’s junior exam results…genuine responses, from some Caribbean 16-year-olds”? I can’t tell you. My best guess was that it somehow became an e-mail forward and a West Indian put his or her stamp on it. But regardless of it happened, someone along the line someone got duped.
Posted in Media | 15 Comments »
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007
The last time I ventured into The Wiz computers on Edward Street I was summarily ignored. All I wanted was 40′ of crossover cable and to go along my merry way, except the store attendants had no way of knowing that since none of them ever asked me what I needed. You would think that the sight of a lone man standing awkwardly in their store would have convinced a store clerk to ask me if i was being helped - maybe it would have encouraged him to let me know that he was going to be right with me. You might even be so adventurous to think that the two store clerks playing Doom on the PCs would have paused the game in favour of making a sale. However, I have to admit that from the time I walked in there, the clerks took a keen interest in ignoring me. I was dodged, sidestepped and my eye contact unsolicited.
Twenty minutes into the whole thing I began deliberately standing in the way. The way I saw it, a regular man has a maximum of one superpower. Either he was invisible or immaterial, but not both. I made my wager and stood in the way, and I was partially right.
No one asked me to get out of the way and no one asked me to step aside, but people did bump into me. I was glad for the discovery, but I still badly needed my crossover cable. Plus, after 35 minutes of standing in one spot, I was beginning to get restless. In addition to this, finding another store that sold crossover cable cut to my specifications meant walking over to Frederick street and hunting for one.
I resorted to flagging down a dreadlocked clerk, but he was busy helping a woman who came just 2 minutes ago so I had to wait 10 minutes. Eventually he came, said “Yeah meh boy?” and I was able to ask for my cable. Surprisingly in the world of The Wiz, measuring, cutting and crimping 40′ of cable takes almost half an hour. Being the Trini I was, I happily took the cable and left the store - feeling as I left that I had worked harder than the clerk to get. After an experience like that it’s hard not to feel demoralized as a consumer as well as a little ashamed of oneself for spending money at a store that ignores you till you sit up and beg.
You may think that I was a glutton for punishment if I told you that I went back to the Wiz yesterday for the first time since that last cable-hunting episode, and you’d be partially right. This time I was in the market for a printer - and not just any old printer, but a good colour laser printer. Anyone knows that a laser printer can leave a dent in your wallet, but I had done my research and I was prepared for it. Sometimes there is a little bit of insanity in Trinidad when it comes to pricing. Of course, looking around is the hard and fast rule when it comes to saving, but sometimes I’m not ready for what that brings. One place had the printer for $3000, another place in Trincity had it for $3,500 and an ad in the Sunday Guardian had the printer for $3,999. I don’t know about you, but I am human, and I wasn’t going to spend more money than I had to because of pride. And besides, denial about my previous experience was already starting to set in and somehow I remembered the store being busier, and the dreadlocked clerk a little more harried than I gave him credit for. In any case I wanted to test my theory that it was a one-off experience and I shouldn’t try to typify the store on the basis of that one experience - that would be stereotyping and stereotyping’s wrong. So off to see the Wiz.
I walk into the store and there is one middle-aged guy standing at the register while one clerk tries to ring him up. There is another clerk seated by a desk by the door talking on a phone. There is a third behind the counter looking hard at work on a computer, he is the only one who doesn’t look up when I come through the door. Best of all, the computers that were on display are no longer there so at least those can’t be used against me. So I stand and I wait and I wait. I decide that I’m going to give them ample time to redeem themselves, so while I I won’t try to flag anyone down, I was going to try to make eye contact with one of the clerks. So I wait and I wait. I’m standing close to the guy getting rung up because I figure that he’ll be soon on his way and I’ll be next in line. Not so. For some reason the retard at the register can’t seem to ring the man up. Soon after I come in, he (the customer) tells the man that he has someone waiting on him in the car, so I assume he’s been there for a while. But that doesn’t seem to help because I believe he’s still there standing at the counter with his items by the time I leave.
Next a couple comes in looking at the digital cameras, the guy who was on the computer actually attends to them and goes into the back to get a few printouts of camera specifications. Now that his concentration is broken, does he attend to me? Wrong again. He goes back to his computer. Another clerk comes out of the back room and glances at me, but decides to pick up a copy of the Express instead and sits behind the counter to catch up on his reading. So I stand there looking at the man, not because I ‘m trying to make eye contact, but because I’m in disbelief. Tow other guys emerge from the back room and announce to the clerk wrangling with the cash register that they were going for lunch. At this point I’ve been standing there for over a half hour and I wonder if this is some joke being played on me.
A few minutes later the clerk puts down his paper and picks up his cell phone and starts text-messaging. When he’s done with that, he gets up and starts wandering around the store. Yes. All the while yuh boy still stand up there. He reaches a stool by the door and sits there. Then another young would-be customer in work clothes comes into the store and starts looking around. Would you believe Mr. Reader asks him if he “getting through”? They proceed to have a mini conversation and then the guy leaves. Clerk resumes his spot on the stool. It’s been well over 45 minutes now and middle aged guy at the cash register is steupsing now as his items are still unbagged and spread out on the counter. Actually he has begun to look outside as if he’s thinking about leaving. I start thinking how nice it would be if I were a bandit who could rob this store on principle - but that would be wrong. Plus it would me silly to rob an establishment where the register hasn’t been functioning.
It’s been well over 45 minutes now and I have decided to leave. But hark! Mr. Reader makes eye contact with me and nods his head towards me (he doesn’t even have the courtesy to speak or even apologise for my wait). I think, “you know what, I’ll just go ahead and ask my questions”. But alas, Mr. Reader doesn’t know jack. Everything I ask him, he relays to Faizal (which turns out to be the name of the register-wrangler).
Me: You all have any all-in-one laser printers?
Him: Nah.
Me: So what about this one over here?
Him: Oh ho! Faizal, how much for this all-in-one here?
Faizal: $6,800
Me: (That’s way over my budget) What other laser printers allyuh have?
Him: Those there (points to a wall piled high with printers).
At this point, I figure if he doesn’t know the prices of the printers he’s not going to know specs. So I decide to take down model numbers and prices just in case. Every time I asked Mr. Reader the price of a printer, he called Faizal. What’s the price of this one? Faizal! And what about that one? Faizal! I began to think that Faizal was some ghost who was being summoned by Mr. Reader the clairvoyant. I wanted to to ask the clairvoyant if I could just talk to Faizal directly, but Faizal was just about to lose a sale and I didn’t want to bother him. To make things worse, Mr. Reader has the worst etiquette of any sales clerk I have ever met. He sits and reclines on a chair while I am talking to him and really doesn’t show an interest in helping me even after telling him I am in the market for a pricey laser printer.
After I take down four prices, I open the door and leave the store without saying thank you. Thanks for what? Here I am coming to spend money in your store and not a single person attends to me? No one notices me? Is it that I didn’t look like I had any money? Why is it that customer service in Trinidad has to be so poor? Needless to say, I was disgusted and disappointed with the experience and I will never again set foot in any branch of The Wiz Computers again.
P.S. - My friend Andy that he still has one up on me. He was ignored at a kiosk at Trincity Mall. How do you get ignored at a kiosk, you ask? I’m sure there are other methods, but this one is proven. Stand in line while one clerk helps the customer before you. The other clerk will sit so that she can’t see you. When the first clerk is done with the customer she will pick up her cell phone and begin talking leaving you unattended. Stand there and look blankly, but don’t make any sudden movements. Presto!
The pressure I was under previously has now subsided, so I am back full time. Those who have e-mailed me, please expect responses soon. You will notice that I was forced to enable comment moderation. Forgive me for that, I just had to do it after some recent episodes - there are some people who just don’t get it.
Posted in Corporate, Personal Story | 18 Comments »
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007
The lyrics say it all. I don’t know where this song came out from. It’s not on his Konvicted album so it looks like he went back into the studio to cut it. Anyway there’s a new Akon song out, the title of whch may be “Put the Blame on Me”, the last verse of which speaks directly to Danah Alleyne. The final verse (amended) goes:
“I’m sorry that it took so long to see,
They were dead wrong tryin’ to put it on me,
I’m sorry that it took so long to speak,
But I was on tour with Gwen Stefani,
I’m sorry for the hand that she was dealt,
For the embarrassment that she felt,
Just a little young girl tryin’ to have fun,
Her daddy shouldn’t never let her out that young,
I’m sorry for club Zen getting shut down,
I hope they manage better next time around,
How was I to know she was under age,
In a 21 and older club they say,
Why doesn’t anyone wanna take blame,
Verizon backed out disgracing my name,
I’m just a singer tryin’ to entertain,
Cuz I love my fans, I’ll take that blame
(Chorus)
Even though the blame’s on you (x3)
I’ll take that blame from you
And you can put that blame on me (x4)
Now I eh go lie, the song real bad, but still I think Akon is missing the point of the whole thing (which I won’t rehash here). The other thing is, even though the chorus of the song says “…put that blame on me” if you look at it, Akon isn’t really shouldering any of the blame. Instead, he blames the club, and her dad (all deserving of blame mind you) and in the end he says, “I’m just a singer tryin’ to entertain, Cuz I love my fans, I’ll take that blame”. Right. Poor guy. I guess that’s his point though. He’s going to take blame which in his eyes he doesn’t deserve.
Anil Roberts and Sprang from Power 102 said that he should add on another verse for the teenager he threw off the stage a couple weeks ago. What do you think?
Posted in Entertainment | 7 Comments »
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007
(Sing)
One of these things is not like the other.
One of these things just doesn’t belong.
Can you guess which thing is not like the other
Before I finish this song?
I in Port of Spain yesterday, my pardner Andy called me saying, “Boy, like Hugo Chavez move to Trinidad, look Panday on the midday news wearing ah red beret.”
Well of course I couldn’t see it right then and there, but when I did eventually see it, well I coulda dead. Hugo Chavez has an evil twin. Sometimes I can’t believe this man at all. Is this supposed to be some kind of statement he’s making? He’s moved from Gandhi to Chavez in the space of about a year. I guess he’s trying to say that he is militant now. Look at everyone try to ignore the idiot in the red beret:
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| Everybody, look the other way |
Here he is wearing a red Venezuelan paratrooper’s beret with a UNC logo safety pinned to the front, and I am supposed to take him seriously? Maybe it was dress up night at the UNC Monday night meeting - Basdeo Panday, by night known as Basdego Pandez or Basdeo X.
So no one tried to tell the man he looks fake? The funny thing is that I’m sure someone tried to dissuade him from wearing it, but Bas is the boss and if he wants to wear his red beret, he’s going to do it and “no damned dog bark”. You can get a better look at Colonel Panday here.
Posted in Politics, UNC | 9 Comments »
Sunday, June 3rd, 2007
Cultural Learnings of Trinidad for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of USA.
Dear America,
I know you’ve heard a lot about Trinidad and Tobago in the past three days or so, and for weeks to come you will hear a lot more about T&T accompanied by the words “terrorist”, “plot”, “blow up” and “Guyana”. The only word there I don’t mind being linked to is “Guyana”. You see, America, the Fox News Channel is up to it’s old war-baiting sensational tricks again. It’s reporting that Trinidad and Tobago is the “New Hotbed in the War on Terror”. Now hoooooooooooold on for a just a sec, America. Easy there. Put the safety back on and let’s talk for a bit. “War” is kind of a strong word isn’t it? Countries involved in the war on terror are usually bombing or being bombed, and let’s face it, we probably won’t be good at either. In fact, let’s not use the word “war” and instead let’s call it a “Squabble on Terror”.
Trinidadians and Tobagonians (or Trinis as we like to be called) are really peace-loving, party-going, people. We mean you no harm. We are in love with cricket, football (the one with the guys in shorts running after a ball) and carnival. We don’t know the first thing about terror or terrorizing. We are on peaceful terms with everyone.
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| The Urkel years |
I know it’s suspicious how cozy we look next to Venezuela, but I promise it’s not what it looks like. It’s entirely platonic. In fact, a lot of us don’t even like or trust the guy over there. We do our thing, he does his.
We don’t have leaders with crazy haircuts or resemblances to muppets, as a matter of fact, our Prime Minister at one time looked very much like an American TV icon so much so, that we found it hard to take him seriously. Actually, we still don’t take him seriously. But, enough about Urkel boy.
As Dirk already pointed out, we are a very creative people. You know the steel pan - the instrument you prefer to call the “steel drum”? That’s us, man. That’s all us. We play tassa, we play mas and we sing funny songs. Remember “Who let the dogs out?” That’s us too.What about the limbo dance? Us again. We’ve been in on your minds and in your living rooms for longer than you know.
We have nothing against JFK. Forget what was said about “killing the man twice”. We even have a JFK auditorium on our campus of the University of the West Indies. We’re down, I promise. Ain’t no thang. In fact, the only airport scandal we’ve been involved in was when a previous administration built us an airport and overcharged us for it, kind of like what Halliburton did to the US Government and just like the U.S. Government, we got our money back.
So come on America, we would rather not have any part in your war on terror. A couple arrests don’t* make us a hotbed. Can’t we all just get along? BFF, America?
The Manicou
*It took the quote in the Guardian this morning for me to realize my subject and verb didn’t agree. Thanks Boysieringo!
Posted in Please Don't Bomb Us | 34 Comments »
