Archive for August, 2007
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007
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| Cheryl Sankar wearing the forbidden Camouflage |
Isn’t camouflage still illegal in Trinidad and Tobago? Consider this Newsday pic of T&T’s Taekwondo champ about the town wearing a camouflage top. I would think that if you did own camouflage the very last thing you would want is to be photographed wearing it.
Of course I think that that camouflage law in Trinidad can be a little silly at times – unless of course the Trinidad and Tobago regiment begins issuing spaghetti-strap tops and rubber slippers. Now that would make it relevant (and a little scary I might add).
Posted in Miscellaneous | 8 Comments »
Sunday, August 26th, 2007
The evening news is pissing me off again. First it was CNC3 who ran a story about the ANSA McAl book and neglected to mention that CNC3 was owned by ANSA McAL, now it’s the C evening news.
Saturday night I’m watching the C evening news and the news presenter Nicola Barriteau is reading a story about a Friday night UNC meeting in San Juan. She introduces the story by mentioning that the UNC Alliance has a new member who made her first speech on the San Juan platform blah, blah blah. Then Ms Barriteau reads that the new member took to task former Prime Ministers A.N.R. Robinson and Patrick Manning who she said let down the country. Then Ms. Barriteau read “it’s interesting to note that she did not name Basdeo Panday as one of the Prime Ministers who let down the country”. Where dat come from?
The last time I remember being this disappointed was back in 1994 when then TV6 anchor Francesca Hawkins was reading a story concerning the O.J. Simpson verdict. A news reporter had done a man-in-the-street type story asking people for their reactions to the verdict. Of course some people were disappointed with it while some were esctatic. The last woman the reporter interviewed was standing by the People’s Mall and when the reporter told her that O.J. had been found not guilty she proceeded to dance, strut and shout with joy at the news. When the story is over and the camera is back on Francesca she wraps it up by saying sarcastically “sympathetic reactions there from the people in Port of Spain today” (or something to that exact effect). Here am I thinking what is wrong with this woman? We get it. You think O.J. is guilty, but spare us your insight. Most rational people believe that O.J. was guilty and if that woman by the People’s Mall wants to also believe that then hooray for her. But Francesca’s views had nothing to do with the newscast. Why did people have to be sympathetic? Now every time I see her face I remember that one incident.
While the Francesca remark was bad because she allowed herself to get caught up in the moment, this incident on the C evening News was a hundred times worse because it was scripted. Some idiot wrote it, another idiot vetted it and then Ms. Barriteau read it.
The fact that Basdeo Panday’s name was not called is irrelevant. The only news worth reporting is that the speaker named A.N.R. Robinson and Patrick Manning were named as Prime Ministers who had let down Trinidad and Tobago. If the speaker didn’t name Bas, then let the listeners discover and debate the exclusion for themselves. We don’t need the evening news to take on the role of bacchanalist on our behalf. Someone at C is writing the evening news as if it were an opinion column. What kind of crappy reporting is that?
Is it any wonder now that CNMG used to be called PNMG?
What has happened to my 7pm news? It used to be so pure (or at least I was too young to know what impure news was) and now it is tainted by both large corporations and now crappy reporting.
Posted in Media, UNC | 3 Comments »
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
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| Larry Achong not cussing people at the meeting |
It seems as if everyone’s favourite non-drunken, non-cusserman Larry Achong is being given the boot by the PNM hierarchy.A story in today’s Guardian states that although Point Fortin MP Larry Achong submitted his nomination papers on June 15th and he is supported by 19 out of the 20 party groups, the Point Fortin Executive has been directed by the party elite to find other nominees to be screened. What a slap in the face!
Surely I can only assume that the alleged measures being taken by the People’s National Movement are being taken in spite of the court’s dismissal of the charges against Achong. Which also leads me to believe that the PNM hierarchy doesn’t think too highly of his antics at the ill-fated town meeting. After all, if 19 out of 20 party groups still want you as their MP, and the PNM hierarchy says “no”, there has got to be something wrong with you – or the party groups for that matter.
Speaking about the party groups, where is the pride that people are supposed to have for themselves today? These are the same people who want us to have pride in ourselves and to instill pride in our children. And yet they are the same hypocrites who would turn right around and support Barabbas. Is it that it does not matter how people behave in public office they get a pass because of a party card?
Now I think that this is the rightful course. Mr. Achong should not and cannot be allowed to represent the people he despises. What I am wondering where was the condemnation of Larry Achong when the matter was a hot news story. John Donaldson blabbed a few answer to a couple questions on the matter, but there was no public denouncement. Now the PNM seems to have taken a roundabout method to getting rid of Achong.
Good riddance to Achong, but at the same time a bit too late and a bit too muted.
Posted in PNM, Politics | 5 Comments »
Monday, August 13th, 2007
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| TT Laws CD ROm Advertisement |
Icame across this ad while reading the Sunday Guardian. Holy crap! $5,000 for a CD ROM? First of all who is going to drop $5,000 on a CD ROM? Secondly, who was in charge of pricing? Thirdly, isn’t extortion against the law too?
The ad also says that you can purchase 10 CDs for $5,500 or 25 CDs for $6,500, but it stipulates that that is for server use only – whatever that means. The thing is you can find the revised laws already displayed on the Ministry of Legal Affairs website, so why charge $5,000?
Meanwhile, you can get the entire Encyclopedia Britannica Deluxe 2007 DVD-Rom for under $20 on Amazon.
I don’t care if I were the Chief Justice himself, here meh nah, I would burn a copy. Don’t be surprised if this is the next hottest item from the sidewalk DVD vendors.
Posted in Justice, Miscellaneous | 15 Comments »
Friday, August 10th, 2007
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| Did I find the answer? |
Is this good enough? I dare someone to actually write this. Thanks ttfootball for giving me the idea.
Posted in Miscellaneous | 4 Comments »
Thursday, August 9th, 2007
The Government has been advertising for people to come apply for ther new computer-generated birth certificates. So I decide why not. I only have one copy and sooner or later it’s bound to start ripping apart at the creases.
Now I think I’m someone of at least average intelligence, but for the life of me I can’t figure out how to answer this question (the one with the red asterisk).
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| Application form for a T&T Birth Certificate |
Why does anyone need a birth certificate?
Posted in Miscellaneous | 11 Comments »
Wednesday, August 8th, 2007
In all my years of existence, I cannot for the life of me remember TSTT – the evil empire – ever adjusting their landline rates. I’ll be the first to admit, however, that I could be wrong. So someone who has some time on their hands please visit your granny and dig up a TSTT Directory from about circa 1992, open it and check the rates. Then open the current directory and compare rates. I am pretty sure they will be about the same. This makes me wonder why after all this time has TSTT decided to introduce a flat rate for all customers instead of the “complex rate structure” we all now enjoy. TSTT rates ranges from 23¢ for an unlimited amount of time (for a call made within the same exchange) to about 69¢ per minute. Let me just state categorically that I’ve never believed that TSTT ever charged anyone 23¢ for an unlimited call. I’ve seen how my phone bill was affected by calls made within my own exchange and I think that’s a load of crap. But anyway, why now?
A study done my the Telecomunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago has determined that only people calling outside of their exchanges stand to benefit from the rate change as those who previously called within their own exchanges will see a 300% increase in the price of a 3-minute call. So whether or not the move by TSTT is motivated by their desire to saddle us with a bigger phone bill is unknown.
However, could it be that the reason for the rate change is that cable operator Flow is planning to roll out a new landline service soon? Is it that TSTT is shaking in its boots since they stand to lose the customers they’ve monopolized for donkey years now (I might add – the same way evils spawn bmobile dropped their rates before Digicel entered the scene)? Now that makes a lot of sense.
P.S. has anyone else realized that TSTT’s logo shares the same colours as TT $100 and $20 bills?
Posted in Corporate | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
I saw this story in the Express today and thought it was so funny – A flea invasion at Whitehall. That’s a gift from the comedy gods. I’m not going to attempt any jokes my self hough. But I’ll repeat what RMISI from Houston, Texas stated on the Express website which was:
Oh god, this a a sweet ball, you must hit this for six. Only Manning could work comfortably with flees invading the place. Just imagine, Manning scratching his head and he is thinking is for ideas.
Nice.
Posted in PNM, Politics | 4 Comments »
Monday, August 6th, 2007
Here is what Devant Maharaj said at a recent meeting of the Congress of the People:
‘You are hearing this morning in the paper that Prime Minister Manning wants to buy out Laventille. Our taxpayers’ money would be paying that…footing that bill. And where these people would be coming? I am sure they will be your neighbours, next door in Central. But you have heard about the Prime Minister in his walkabouts in the Central communities talking about mixed communities, up to now he hasn’t defined what that means. But that is the bleak future of doom and gloom that lays before us if the PNM is allowed to come into power .’
This is Gerald Yetming’s response on behalf of the COP:
After discussion with Mr Maharaj, the COP has accepted his clarification that the statement referred on the one hand to a Prime Minister intent on driving wedges into national race relations with his expressed, but unexplained, desire to create ‘mixed communities’, and on the other hand, the clear indication of the PNM’s moves to create vote banks in certain constituencies to secure political victory.
He goes on:
We are assured by Mr Maharaj that his statements referred to a Prime Minister attempting to create racial distrust in order to preserve the life of his political party. We are also assured by Mr Maharaj that his statement referred to the creation of vote-banks to ensure that the PNM can capture seats and maintain State power at any cost.The COP is a national political party with an equal place for every single citizen. This was a founding principle on 10 September 2006 and remains one of our guiding principles today. No form of discrimination will be tolerated by the COP and indeed, Mr Maharaj shares and values that founding principle.
He also includes in the response condemnation of the actions of the PNM towards the people of Lavantille etc – all well and good.
Now I listened to Devant Maharaj’s entire speech on Power 102. Nowhere in that speech. I repeat, nowhere either before or after the comment about “your neighbours in Central” did Mr. Devant Maharaj mention anything about house padding. But hold on, let me back up a bit because I’m sure a lot of you are still stuck on the fact that Devant Maharaj was speaking on a COP platform.
Why in the world is Devant Marahj speaking on a political platform, let alone a platform of the Congress of the People? Of course Devant Maharaj has a right to belong to or associate with any political party or group that he desires. That’s his right as a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, but who in their right mind would put Devant Maharaj on a political platform to speak.
Mr. Maharaj has won countless lawsuits against the Government and rightfully so, but he has a tendency to see everything as having racial overtones. In my opinion he should never be allowed to see the top of a podium, let alone given a mike. But here it is Devant Maharaj is speaking on a platform for the Congress of the People – a party that swears to do differently.
And not only did he speak and utter this racial diatribe about people from Lavantille moving into Central Trinidad, people from the COP appear to be not too bothered by it. How else am I to interpret Gerald Yetming saying that “the COP has accepted his clarification that the statement referred on the one hand to a Prime Minister intent on driving wedges into national race relations…?” That seems to me like a little bit of the same old party policy – which is “we don’t criticize or condemn our own” – most recently seen in the PNM’s absolute refusal to do anything whatsoever about the Larry Achong matter and the Camille “I’m a lawyer, but I can’t understand a credit card contract” Robinson-Regis matter.
So to Gerry Yetming, don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining. If you want to look like a fool, that’s your prerogative, but don’t expect me to follow.
I don’t want Devant Maharaj to be thrown out the party, but I would settle for him not ever speaking on a Congress of the People platform again.
Posted in COP, Politics, Race | 10 Comments »
Friday, August 3rd, 2007
Have you ever read a column by a newspaper columnist that is so illogical and so phony that you have to sit back and wonder how is it that this person has a job? Case in point: Wesley George. Even if I tried to ignore the fact that he is a PNM party hack, the boy can’t string an argument together to save his life. But I guess this is what happens when you try to defend the indefensible.
To this day, despite all the talk of Emancipation and freeing ourselves from mental slavery, we still have house negroes running around. These house negroes will defend anything that their party does and say anything their party tells them to say. Whether it’s good or bad, it’s good. If it was done by the People’s National Movement and you’re a PNM supporter, it’s good. If the other guy did it it’s bad. Where in the world is the freedom there?
From Malcolm X:
To understand [the fear of revolution], you have to go back to what [the] young brother here referred to as the house Negro and the field Negro — back during slavery. There was two kinds of slaves. There was the house Negro and the field Negro. The house Negroes – they lived in the house with master, they dressed pretty good, they ate good ’cause they ate his food — what he left. They lived in the attic or the basement, but still they lived near the master; and they loved their master more than the master loved himself. They would give their life to save the master’s house quicker than the master would. The house Negro, if the master said, “We got a good house here,” the house Negro would say, “Yeah, we got a good house here.” Whenever the master said “we,” he said “we.” That’s how you can tell a house Negro.
If the master’s house caught on fire, the house Negro would fight harder to put the blaze out than the master would. If the master got sick, the house Negro would say, “What’s the matter, boss, we sick?” We sick! He identified himself with his master more than his master identified with himself. And if you came to the house Negro and said, “Let’s run away, let’s escape, let’s separate,” the house Negro would look at you and say, “Man, you crazy. What you mean, separate? Where is there a better house than this? Where can I wear better clothes than this? Where can I eat better food than this?” That was that house Negro. In those days he was called a “house nigger.” And that’s what we call him today, because we’ve still got some house niggers running around here.
This modern house Negro loves his master. He wants to live near him. He’ll pay three times as much as the house is worth just to live near his master, and then brag about “I’m the only Negro out here.” “I’m the only one on my job.” “I’m the only one in this school.” You’re nothing but a house Negro. And if someone comes to you right now and says, “Let’s separate,” you say the same thing that the house Negro said on the plantation. “What you mean, separate? From America? This good white man? Where you going to get a better job than you get here?” I mean, this is what you say. “I ain’t left nothing in Africa,” that’s what you say. Why, you left your mind in Africa.
Things are in the toilet right now. Let’s vote for another party and see if things can get better.
Vote for another party? Why would we want to do that? We eatin’ good, we dressin’ good. We got it good here. Where is we going to find another Government like this?
Like Harriet Tubman said, “I would have been able to free a thousand more slaves if I could only have convinced them that they were slaves.”
People like that have minds that are contracted by their parties. They think what they are required to think, no more no less. And don’t believe for a second that this is characteristic only of the PNM, but it’s a staple of the UNC. But getting back to Wesley George. Here’s by boy’s argument.
“You see, policies are what drive a country forward, not slogans and mere nice ideas. Can anyone soberly relate to me the aims and objectives of the COP? I ask this because I’ve heard several. I suppose they change depending on who its officials are addressing.
They however are really turning out to be a real disappointment. After all the talk about new politics and new ideas, all they have come up with is the same old strategy of criticising the Government so that they will look good. I’ve followed the COP from inception and to this day all I can glean from their utterings are slogans, not one innovate idea.”
He’s confused because they have more than one aim? So, (1) A party cannot have more than one aim and/or objective? That’s what he’s saying right? And (2) He says he hasn’t heard “one innovative idea” coming from the Congress of the People only slogans. Why do people lie like this? Obviously he hasn’t been listening anywhere as intently as he professes to or he would have heard about the COP’s crime plan – just to name one long list of innovative ideas. (3) Don’t give us the impression that you are objective by saying that you are disappointed. Disaapointment begins with rationality. Let’s not fool ourselves Wesley, not even in Disneyland – the land of make-believe, is there a scenario imaginable in which you would ever admit to being impressed by something that another party says or does.
He goes on,
” For example, I heard Valini Pundit [a member of the COP] criticising the Government’s industrialisation policy. She said instead of smelters we could invest in agriculture; for example planting paw paw fields and then getting into downstream pharmaceutical industries.
Immediately I said to myself: there it is, two universities filled with potential farmers, as if any UWI grad has any intention of planting anything. In 2007, that is a policy of a party wishing to get into power, talking about catering for the youth?”
Honestly, what is he trying to say here? I can’t make heads or tails of this.
Mr. George, if your Government is doing such a great job and its policies have driven us forward for so many years, why are we in such a shithole? And what a shithole it is.
Crime is rampant and unmanageable with no end in sight. Port of Spain floods every time someone so much as spills a drink. The homeless/vagrants in Port of Spain alone are enough to establish a new constituency. The hospitals – lets not discuss the hospitals. Food prices – let’s not discuss food prices either. The absolute mad construction and overspending that is taking place. What exactly are the policies that are driving these? You know what Mr. George, I think you may be onto something. Maybe it’s not the policies but the past PNM slogans that have us in trouble today. “We Care” – that must be about the homeless on the streets and the hospitals; “Let’s go down the road together…”, this must be the one driving the crime/road carnage situation; “World Class” – this is most likely the slogan addressing the castles on the sand aka the waterfront project. So I guess Wesley George was right. It’s the slogans that get us into trouble.
While Mr. George is liming with the PNM elite, back-slapping with his comrades, thinking that the world just couldn’t be finer, saying yes Mr. Saith, no, Mr. Julien, I wonder if he ever feels like a house negro?
I shouldn’t pound Wesley George too much because he really wasn’t talking to me – I was maccoing a conversation that was not intended for me and could never have been intended for me. He was talking to the thousands of people like him who have no power over their own thought processes i.e. to the yes men and the house negroes. Wesley George wouldn’t dare talk to me or anyone who is honest for that matter.
That’s my view. Who vex loss.
Posted in COP, PNM, Politics, UNC | 10 Comments »
