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Messages - Die_Hard

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31
General Discussion / Re: Attorney General Anand Ramlogan Thread
« on: March 03, 2011, 12:27:50 PM »
Anand was recently asking his Facebook "friends'" if they were aware of any articles that showed a link ot the death penalty and decreased crime.

Some AG that is!

32
'Tractor beam' is possible with lasers, say scientists
The idea hinges on the use of a laser whose beam is of a specific shape Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
'Tractor beam' technology advances
A laser can act as a "tractor beam", drawing small objects back toward the laser's source, scientists have said.

It is known that light can provide a "push", for example in solar sails that propel spacecraft on a "wind of light".

Now, in a paper on the Arxiv server, researchers from Hong Kong and China have calculated the conditions required to create a laser-based "pull".

Rather than a science fiction-style weapon, however, the approach would only work over small distances.

The effect is different from that employed in "optical tweezers" approaches, in which tiny objects can be trapped in the focus of a laser beam and moved around; this new force, the authors propose, would be one continuous pull toward the source.

And it relies on directly impinging on an object, making it distinct from an approach demonstrated in 2010 by Australian researchers whose trapping worked by heating air around a trapped particle.

The trick is not to use a standard laser beam, but rather one known as a Bessel beam, that has a precise pattern of peaks and troughs in its intensity.

Seen straight-on, a Bessel beam would look like the ripples surrounding a pebble dropped in a pond.

If such a Bessel beam were to encounter an object not head-on but at a glancing angle, the backward force can be stimulated.

As the atoms or molecules of the target absorb and re-radiate the incoming light, the fraction re-radiated forward along the beam direction can interfere and give the object a "push" back toward the source.

'Radical idea'
 
"Light can indeed pull a particle," the authors wrote, "...and this may open up new avenues for optical micromanipulation, of which typical examples include transporting a particle backward over a long distance and particle sorting."

Ortwin Hess at Imperial College London called the work - which has not yet been peer-reviewed - as "fascinating", saying that it "takes a radical idea forward".

"It's a bit like a boat moving through water," Professor Hess told BBC News. "In the eddies you generate as part of that forward movement, there are areas that literally seem to be pulling back.

"The ship has a shape, and you get these backward eddies at the side; in a similar way if you have a Bessel beam you have certain areas that do the same thing."

However, he remarked that the effect is only predicted to occur over a short distance - and that the effect first of all needs to be demonstrated in practice.

"It's a very good start," he said. "As always with theory, if one doesn't obtain a theoretical argument that things are impossible for some reason, then it can happen."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12620560

Science & Environment

33
General Discussion / Spitting into the Sea... (Anand's folly take two)
« on: March 02, 2011, 08:39:40 AM »
Spitting into the Sea... (Anand's folly take two)
.by Phillip Edward Alexander on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at 10:31pm.

How do we begin to discuss the fiasco that was the proposed Hanging Bill and it's wounded failure when presented in the Parliament?

 

Most Trinidadians have not even taken the time to read this (most important) bit of legislation, mostly because they did not need to; regardless of which side they were on they received their opinions fully formed and they accepted their part in the piece, that of rabble and noise, and proceeded to play their part to the hilt.

 

Some are still playing.

 

The Government seems to have had no real intention of bringing anything like a constructive Bil to the Parliament and hardly took the time to draft anything of any substantial value; with all the nips and tucks and emergency surgery being performed on it, one wonders what exactly were they left with in the end, and what purpose did it serve.

 

Is it  that it just had to look the part and was never meant to 'really' become law?

 

Put another way, it appeared to be the Parliamentary equivalent of a push before a fight, and the idea all along seems to have been to 'call out' the Opposition and to incite the nation against them should they fail to respond as required.

 

If that was in any way the intention it is fair to say that they failed on many fronts, the least of which being instead of making the Opposition appear obstructionist, they may have inadvertently painted them as 'overseers' of the Government's legislative agenda.

 

Me in their (the Opposition's) shoes, I would have voted with the Government just to call their bluff and put the burden of crime reduction right back where it belongs, on their side of the aisle.

 

I understand their reasons for not wanting to take that chance as the document proposes to tinker with the Constitution, but still....

 

It would seem that since winning the election and realizing that promises need to become reality, the UNC Government has been trying to shift the blame for their every failing or misstep onto every one else.

 

This Bill appears to be that same misdirection policy, revamped and pumped up on steroids.

 

The Opposition for their part absorbed all the vitriol the Government threw at them and then some, not even bothering to duck from the promised fire and brimstone because they, like everyone else in the Western Hemisphere, saw this bluff from a mile away.

 

Nice try Anand.

 

Reminiscent of the Queen in Alice in Wonderland's statement "verdict first, trial after," the Attorney General seems to have made up his mind and went public with it before gathering all the facts.

 

Maybe if he was not caught appealing to his 'friends' on facebook to back him up with quotes and statistics it would not have been so funny, and to quote Clarence Rambharat's column in yesterday's newspaper - 

 

"Most bizarre about these card tricks is a Facebook appeal from the AG two days after he told the Parliament the situation (ostensibly brought on by the absence of hanging) was bordering on emergency, blood was flowing like water and people were being killed like stray dog and cat. Two days after a bold charge towards giving the hangman a steady job, the AG asked of his 4,741 Facebook friends: do you know of any papers/good quotes/stats in support of the death penalty?"

 

As it were, on what can be considered one of the most divisive of national issues, no one bothered to talk to the people. Believing bravado and gangster styled strong arming would be enough, the Government was caught attempting to raise sea levels by spitting into the sea.

 

If this is going to be how the Government pursues its legislative agenda from now on, I strongly suggest moving the AG's office closer to the waterfront.



.

34
Football / Re: Darrly roberts scored today.
« on: February 21, 2011, 02:12:03 PM »
Listen up Die_Hard,yuh ever hear the word "PARABOLE",roughly speaking it means "a manner of speaking",although I used the word secret it doesn't actually mean a secret.Now yuh know. :)

huh?  Now I am no great student of English, maybe you meant hyperbole, but parabole?

nah!

35
General Discussion / Backers making another run at pardon for boxer
« on: February 21, 2011, 09:53:13 AM »
Backers making another run at pardon for boxer
            Buzz up!6 votes Share
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EmailPrint.. AP – FILE - This May 18, 1931, file photo shows boxer Jack Johnson, the first black world heavyweight champion, … .By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press – Mon Feb 21, 7:18 am ET
WASHINGTON – Lawmakers are going another round in their fight to get a posthumous presidential pardon for the world's first black heavyweight champion, who was imprisoned nearly a century ago because of his romantic ties with a white woman.

New York Rep. Peter King and Arizona Sen. John McCain, both Republicans, plan to reintroduce a congressional resolution urging a pardon for boxer Jack Johnson. Another supporter, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said he will talk to President Barack Obama's new chief of staff, William Daley, and Attorney General Eric Holder about the cause.

"It's an injustice that shouldn't fall through the cracks, and it looks like that's exactly what happened here," Rangel said.

Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion a century before Obama was elected the nation's first black president. The boxer's flamboyant lifestyle and his relationships with white women inflamed white sensibilities. Racial resentment boiled over after he defeated a white boxer in the "Fight of the Century" 100 years ago last summer. Three years later, Johnson was convicted of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for immoral purposes.

One of Johnson's great-great nieces, Linda Haywood of Chicago, is writing to Obama about the case.

"I think having a letter from a family member will help put a face on our plea," Haywood said. "Many people didn't realize he had nieces and nephews. For years, the rest of my family was so ashamed, no one ever spoke of him because of the stigma attached to him being in prison."

King said he was surprised that Obama didn't act during the last session of Congress, when the House and Senate passed the resolution. But the congressman said he's still optimistic.

"With last year's elections, there seems to be a clear intent by the president to try to be more bipartisan," King said. "Everything is there to correct an historic wrong and also, in a small way but significant way, help to bring the country together now."

The White House declined to discuss the request for Johnson, citing a policy of not commenting on how pardon candidates are chosen. Obama, a former constitutional law professor who once taught a class on racism and the law, has not spoken publicly of the Johnson effort, but the Justice Department has come out against it.

In a letter to King and McCain at the end of 2009, the Justice Department attorney who advises on pardons argued that resources for such requests are best used for those still alive "who can truly benefit" from them. That notwithstanding, he noted, Obama certainly could pardon whomever he wishes.

Rapper Chuck D, a member of the pardon committee organized by documentary film maker Ken Burns, said he feels a presidential pardon is still possible, but unlikely any time soon. "I think President Obama's pardon for something a hundred years ago will be at the tail end of his presidential run," said Chuck D, whose real name is Carlton Ridenhour.

Last year, Obama pardoned nine people convicted of crimes including possessing drugs, counterfeiting and even mutilating coins. None was well-known.

The fact that Johnson wouldn't personally benefit from the pardon is beside the point, argued another one of Johnson's great-great nieces, Constance Hines of Chicago.

"This is about righting a wrong," she said.

But P.S. Ruckman, Jr., a political science professor at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Ill., who writes a blog on pardons, said he agreed with the Justice Department's position. "There are plenty of living persons with real problems who are deserving of clemency," he said.

In their efforts to prosecute Johnson, authorities first targeted Johnson's relationship with Lucille Cameron, who later became his wife, but she refused to cooperate. They then found another white witness, Belle Schreiber, to testify against him. Johnson fled the country after his conviction, but agreed years later to return and serve a 10-month jail sentence.

In his 2005 documentary, "Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson," filmmaker Burns explored the case against Johnson and the sentencing judge's admitted desire to "send a message" to black men about relationships with white women. Burns helped to form the Committee to Pardon Jack Johnson, which filed a petition with the Justice Department in 2004. The committee included celebrities such as Samuel L. Jackson and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, as well as lawmakers like Rangel and McCain.

The effort went nowhere during the Bush administration. Burns, McCain and King revived it in 2009, confident that Obama would act on the request — especially after the resolution passed both houses of Congress for the first time.

The resolution urged that a pardon be issued "to expunge a racially motivated abuse of the prosecutorial authority of the federal government from the annals of criminal justice in the United States; and in recognition of the athletic and cultural contributions of Jack Johnson to society."

King and McCain also plan to send letters to the Obama administration and name a separate boxing reform bill for Johnson.

"John McCain and I do feel seriously about it," said King, who like McCain has sparred in the ring. "We want to keep the issue alive, and it also may give more momentum to the boxing reform bill."

Johnson won the world championship on Dec. 26, 1908. Police in Australia stopped Johnson's fight against the severely battered Canadian world champion, Tommy Burns, in the 14th-round, leading to a search for a "Great White Hope" who could beat Johnson.

Two years later, Jim Jeffries, the American world titleholder Johnson had tried to fight for years, came out of retirement to challenge Johnson for the championship in a 45-round "Fight of the Century." They squared off on a scorching Independence Day in Reno, Nev., at a stadium that had been quickly constructed for the match. Johnson won, but deadly race riots ensued, as angry whites took out their frustrations on blacks, especially those who had celebrated Johnson's victory.

A July 6, 1910, Los Angeles Times editorial, published two days after the fight, counseled blacks: "Do not point your nose too high. Do not swell your chest too much. Do not boast too loudly. Do not be puffed up ... Remember you have done nothing at all. You are just the same member of society today you were last week."

Geoffrey C. Ward, who wrote the screenplay for the documentary as well as the biography by the same title, said he's still hopeful Obama will grant the pardon.

"In recent years, we've been very good about admitting past wrongs," said Ward. "I don't see what harm it does to do this."


36
Football / Re: Darrly roberts scored today.
« on: February 21, 2011, 09:03:42 AM »
KJ could learn a lot from this fella. best forward and attacking mid we have IMO.  it's ah shame he didn't play one single game in the last hex, that's how good ah coach latas was.  :(
That is so dam true but it was all down to Latapy's secret plan to bring TTs football to an all time low,not only did he refuse to consider Roberts but many others.The selection of some of his teams was always  surprising in a bad way.Why was he allowed a second chance after the rubbish he did when he took over from Mats was even a bigger surprise.

A secret plan to bring down T&T's football?  Yet you know of it?

Some secret.

37
General Discussion / Re: Trinis need to take care of their children...
« on: February 20, 2011, 11:44:44 PM »
Anevidence that the child suffered any violence?  Did he wander off on his own and get into the river?

38
General Discussion / Both Sides Now...
« on: February 20, 2011, 10:50:00 PM »
Both Sides Now...
.by Phillip Edward Alexander on Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 12:05am.

There's an article in the paper this week about a mother describing her dead son, her picture showing an acceptance of death only poverty could understand as she sits among her remaining children and grand children in the squalor of her existence.

 

She speaks to no one in particular,  her tone resigned, her expression empty; how her son was never a bandit, was always a good boy and she seems genuinely at a loss as to explain how this could have happened. One can almost feel the pain that each bit of bad news brings, her son a bandit too much to bear by itself, her bandit son dead at the scene of the crime another horror all on its own and begging for motherly understanding and a distraught apology for his behavior even as her heart grieves the loss of her boy child.

 

The sadness of that situation is one side of a tragic coin, counterbalanced by the news of an intrusion by two thugs armed with cutlasses sharing chop after chop to the awake and the sleeping alike, creating a river of blood in their wake in search of loot.

 

Having taken what little their victims had to offer and making their way to wherever escape was supposed to lead, they find themselves confronted by family members and friends with vengeance on their minds, blood hot from the gore at the scene of the crime delivering swift judgement, one dead, one very badly wounded.

 

To the police this is a crime on top of  a crime and the vigilante response is rewarded with three days at the State's most uncomfortable pleasure while those with the authority to make more of the matter decide if it was really worth it to punish a man others were already calling hero; so tired of the carnage, the assault, the blood and the death were they that talk making more talk than necessary, after all, one dead and one very badly wounded.

 

Mammy come bury your dead son, no good words can be said at this point, his last hours in this world were spent distressing others with pain and violence.

 

Mammy look to your other children now, see who could be saved because this was no way to go after all that work to grow; if you didn't know then you didn't know, but now you know, so you have to check the rest, because young children shouldn't be wasted like this, not in a heap on the side of the road or covered in other people blood.

 

The people talking because people will talk, never mind that; they need to find a way to understand. Some say that the devil walking around in broad daylight now, looking for hands to put mischief in, to send trouble for people, and he find four hands willing to take it and deliver it.

 

Others saying that madness find its way there for no good reason, and it leave same way it come.

 

What a sad situation, to look at this story from both sides; pain and grief and heartache right around.

 

No good words to say about nobody today, people crying on both sides now...



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39
General Discussion / A Surrender to Greatness...
« on: February 20, 2011, 10:47:37 PM »
A Surrender to Greatness...
.by Phillip Edward Alexander on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 9:36pm.

"Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking..."

— Leo Tolstoy

 

How is it possible that things could turn to rot so completely and so quickly?

 

We are choking on mediocrity, led by men with no vision; the people live in fear, many are starving, and death and disease stalks the land. The acrid smoke of despair fills our nostrils and hangs low and darkens all around us.

 

Hope lies a distant memory, leftover like a plaything discarded from childhood.

 

Now survival is all that matters to those who still have choice, and all skill and all knowledge is geared to this one pursuit, this last remaining endeavor.

 

Of this I am absolutely sure, at some point it must dawn on the silly and the inane, possibly just before their life expires, that they might have squandered it all in vain, glorifying the absence of substance, while leaving the actual substance behind.

 

Our country is in a mess on many levels, and it is a very hard place to live and to raise a family in.

 

But it did not get so on its own, it required the consent and acquiescence of us all.

 

So does change.

 

The exploits of the selfish and the self obsessed creates the very space that robs them of the life they mimic and pursue. By their actions they carve a space and open the door to death and destruction that follows them close behind.

 

One opportunity, one unguarded moment is all it takes for life to change forever, and in that moment, if understanding comes, it will bring with it the shame of knowing that at every step along the way we could have made better choices.

 

Where the beauty of life mirrors the cycles of night and day is that the sun always rises, and with it the opportunity for a new beginning, for a turning away from the path of destruction and an engaging of the process of redemption.

 

We are indeed our brother's keeper, the good samaritan and that village that they say it takes to raise a child.

 

Maybe, just maybe in our senseless pursuit of unending pleasure we have learnt that once it remains then pleasure never stays a pleasure, and like Merlin's advice to the young King, the entire banquet is only in the first mouthful.

 

Life is not meant to be a circus nor a parade, but seasons of learning and growing and giving and taking and most of all of sharing and loving.

 

"We give but little when we give of our possessions, it is when we give of ourselves that we truly give, so give now, while the season of giving is yours, and not your inheritors."

- Kahlil Gibran

 

We have stumbled about like drunken fools for too long. laughing on cue to help life imitate the plastic art provided to enslave us as grist for the mill.

 

Let that be our childhood, and let it be said that that time has passed.

 

Now is the time for enlightened men to read the signs and lead the way, for the people to agree to live as a means to each others success and not function as obstacles to progress.

 

We have within us the seeds of greatness and the promise of a family of man.

 

We have the knowledge of truth and life, the passed on skill for the shovel and the hoe, and it is time for planting....



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40
Forty Years in the Desert... (Nowhere Near the Promised Land)
.by Phillip Edward Alexander on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 9:46pm.

Empty-hollow-overkill, rhetoric, unsubstantiated innuendo, mischief, misdirection, deflection, shock and awe.

 

These words effectively define the art of communication UNC style, post May 24th 2010.

 

Unlike the flowery courtship lyrics used on the hustings to flirt with and 'sweet talk' the voters, the language of this Administration has soured over the last nine months as one by one the members lose their composure and reveal themselves to the populace as arrogant, incompetent, contemptuous opportunists.

 

With little or no successes to buoy them through the rough patches, this unimpressive Administration's almost legendary failings are dragging them below the acceptable popularity index and is causing many diehard supporters to hide their heads in shame.

 

Is this what replaced the Lion of East Indian politics Basdeo Panday?

 

Even when hobbled and bleeding, his euphemisms lifted the listener and sent most scurrying for their dictionaries; to this day most people don't know what a 'neemakaram' is, but everyone knows that Ramnath and Ramesh were 'neemakerams' at different times during their love/hate relationship with their leader.

 

The lack of class displayed by the current Minister of Health is an indelible embarrassment on the national memory, as is the thuggish antics of Anil Roberts in the House, the comic incendiary explosiveness of the Minister of Justice and the forever 'off the handle' churlish attitude of the Attorney General.

 

Suruj Rambachan's handling of Fazeer Mohammed on air for everyone to see was a display of grandiose perceived power that has never been effectively dealt with and has scarred the CNMG group (and the Government's position on the media by extension) possibly for life.

 

The appointments of under-qualified juveniles to State Boards only underscores the lack of professionalism in the hiring practices of this Government and goes to the heart of its incompetence.

 

That it eventually erupted in the Reshimi fiasco and the soon to erupt Susan Francois fiasco seems to be lost on Kamla and crew, and the proliferation of members of Chandresh Sharma's progeny, offspring and relatives on the national payroll is a worrying sign to the population as these people no longer even try to disguise their real reason for seeking power.

 

It was never about Trinidad & Tobago.

 

It was packaged and sold to us as that, with a list of reasons that demonized the last Administration out of Office, but only so that the current group could enjoy the spoils.

 

For all of his arrogant hubris and dictatorial tendencies, one cannot fault the last Prime Minister's policies, which had the effect of carrying the country safely from harbor to harbor despite a global recession and his need to glorify himself.

 

Had he the sense to understand that the people wanted a leader and not a pruning banana-republic, high-flying, entertaining, church-building, project-managing buffoon, he would have remained in Office; and even though many in his Administration were looting the treasury in one way or another, many in this Administration is busy doing the same thing, albeit with a lack of policies or clue as to what it takes to effectively govern Trinidad & Tobago.

 

Like many of my friends who still support the Congress of the People, we are only in the Party with one toe left, waiting for the last straw or for a better offer, because what we got into bed with on the night of May 24th is not who we woke up with on May 25th.

 

Worse, it wasn't just a one night stand, and we have to look at that line up day in and day out for at least four more years barring some sort of miracle.

 

As it stands, the CLICO investors are fuming, the Public Sector workers are demonstrating, the Private Sector is hurting, the poor are suffering and even the protective services are striking, and all we're still hearing is Manning, Manning, Manning.

 

Seriously?

 

This Government does not appear to have any answers to the problems that plague our country and no one seems to be taking the Prime Minister's explanations and platitudes seriously anymore.

 

Someone asked me in council if given the opportunity to advise the Prime Minister on a way forward what would I suggest, and for the first time I found myself completely stumped; I mean, what do you do, what do you say, when you realize that your Government's best interest and your country's best interest are  mutually exclusive properties?

 

Regardless of the talk, spin, rewrite, attack, defend, whatever, the unadulterated, cold-water-in-your-face, unvarnished truth is that this Government is perilously close to having failed in Office and even their own supporters have no idea how to defend them now.

 

It seems that they have found themselves completely up a river without a paddle and their major weapon has run out of steam.

 

This is not about Manning anymore...



.

41
Football / Interesting.
« on: February 17, 2011, 12:04:49 AM »
http://www.worldfootballinsider.com/Story.aspx?id=34164

Again???

Jack Warner Faces FIFA Ethics Committee Ticketing Probe

42
General Discussion / Troubling Times....
« on: February 14, 2011, 11:25:49 PM »
Troubling Times....
.by Phillip Edward Alexander on Monday, February 14, 2011 at 11:42pm.

"Stop breds stop!"

Two men in the road, blood dripping from waving cutlasses, hot from the scene of the crime, looking for a getaway car, never expecting death on four wheels and the licks of a lifetime.

Police reach, man tied to van bloody and in critical condition, take him to hospital and take the driver of the van to jail.

Three days later, after making no point and offering no charge, released driver from his detention, worn out, sick and to many, a national hero.

 The people have decided to police themselves, and now blood is going to be met with blood which could very well lead to

 Troubling times....

"Police on Strike."

 
"Police can't strike."

 
"Well tell that to all the police who didn't show up for work today."

 

"Where?"

 

"Everywhere, even the Prime Minister nearly had to guard she self."

 

Until the Government can find a way to close the gap between their highly paid Commissioner and the ranks below him, we may be in for

 

Troubling times....

 

A senior Government Official - a Senator - is to be questioned by police in a fraud conspiracy after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar forwarded a letter to Commissioner of Police (CoP) Dwayne Gibbs.

Sunday Guardian has learnt that the hand-written letter forms a vital piece of evidence in the police matter as it allegedly links the top government official to willfully conspiring to set up two former government ministers. That this matter is causing many Attorneys at Law to polish up their resumes in case there is a general call is no understatement, and many are saying that this matter could lead to

 

Troubling times....

 

Deciding there was at least one State Official outside of his direct control that he had not yet angered, the Attorney General used strong language in the Parliament to vent his frustration with the pace of prosecution of his nemesis - Calder Hart. That Hart's prosecution would register as a success to a failing Administration and justify his appointment in the first place, the AG went after the DPP with all guns firing, making claims that the case was indeed ready to prosecute and leaving some weighted questions unanswered.

 

Noting the AG's penchant for off the cuff and intemperate remarks under the protection of Parliament, the level headed and sober Director of Public Prosecutions had to caution the Attorney General against his 'incautious' statements, lest they lead to

 

Troubling times...

 

The Culture Minister, worried about the absence of 'real' police in the Carnival even as promoters blame their losses on a public afraid to party without security, has decried the police's action at a time when the Minister has only one shot to look good.

 

In a very sedate and sombre interview, the Gypsy of the Party promised Draconian measures for Draconian times.

 

Obviously unwilling to be put off of the chugging head of steam that his Ministerial appointment has caused him, he promised to call in the United States Army if necessary to protect the Carnival, so the country does not end up with

 

Troubling times..

 

Rumors of multi million dollar US handlers and Public Relations firms being contracted and brought to our shores to 're-invent' the Government nine months in, as their failings and failures are mounting to the point where people are starting to question which part of the dog does the wagging. Mix ups, cock ups and grand demonstrations of incompetence rain down from Ministry after Ministry, and the begging question lies not with their press, but their content.

 

The Government is already a coalition of everyone else but the PNM, which means that, should they fail and collapse on the job, the concept of any thing like an East Indian Government anytime in the foreseeable future would require significantly

 

Troubling times...

 

In my article written on Friday July 20th 2010 entitled 'Democracy in Crisis', I had cause to note the following:

 

"Regardless of the nature or temperament of the Office holders around him, he (the Commissioner) needs a cool head and a calm demeanor to keep the security of the ship of state intact.

Mr. Ramlogan showed his personal and political immaturity when he attacked the Commissioner baselessly on National TV, and I sincerely doubt Mr. Ramlogan will survive the fallout of his actions.

 As the lawyers say, he ought to have known better."

 

This was always going to cause a war with the very police officers that the (much touted) anti crime Government was going to need to keep their campaign promises, and it was utter foolishness on the part of the then neophyte Attorney General to begin a war everyone knew he couldn't win.

 

Straight out of electoral victory, this Administration was beset on all sides with goodwill and advice which it spurned in favor of the very nepotism and cronyism it decried when in Opposition and on the hustings, and one just has to look at what constitutes many of the State Boards to know that meritocracy, qualifications and experience do not matter to this thinly veiled UNC Government.

 

The composition of the UDECOTT Board is a glaring example of the contempt this Government has for the people.

 

That the Prime Minister and her Party's popularity has slipped significantly based on their combined and arrogant display of incompetence in gaffe after gaffe after gaffe is plain to see now for all who have eyes to see, and whether the Government, the Ministers or the Party acknowledges it, from the disenchanted workers, striking unions, stalled economy and frustrated supporters, their turn at power has caused this country nothing but

 

Troubling times...



.

43
General Discussion / Re: Attorney General Anand Ramlogan Thread
« on: February 09, 2011, 10:40:41 PM »
Time for ANand Ramlogan to be FIRED!  What more must this clown articulte to be fired?

Now the DPP has in effect told him to SHUT UP!

44
Football / Re: U-17s go under to Barbados
« on: February 08, 2011, 12:19:05 PM »
Disappointed by some statements here.   If we do NOT know the coaches approach to the game, then why make negative comments?

Why put so much empahasis ona practice game with so many players who had limited playing time in a match situation?

Be calm, not making excuses, but we had teams winning practice games only to lose when the real Mc Coy started.

Because they are once again failing to balance the training of these youngsters with progressive peer group competition. After a hot and heavy start in Colombia they revert to feeding them T&TEC the like. And as usual a decent coach ends up looking like a pure shitong.

Your response is NOT what the other posters have been implying...not even close.

45
Football / Re: U-17s go under to Barbados
« on: February 08, 2011, 08:31:17 AM »
Disappointed by some statements here.   If we do NOT know the coaches approach to the game, then why make negative comments?

Why put so much empahasis ona practice game with so many players who had limited playing time in a match situation?

Be calm, not making excuses, but we had teams winning practice games only to lose when the real Mc Coy started.

46
General Discussion / Re: SIA Shocker
« on: February 08, 2011, 06:43:50 AM »
Quote
It should be noted that a university degree is not a perquisite for this office. Indeed the previous Director was not a university graduate.


Misleading at best...

1.  Nigel Clement has much traing in security and intelligence gathering.  Studied same in Canada as well as the UK.
2.  Has years of experience as advisor/coordinator with State Enterprises.
3.  Has been advising PM's in certainf Ministry as wellas the National Secuirty Council.
4.  Most of the SIA, Sautt and SSA made up of militay and police personnel.  He commanded their respect.
5.  He may not have been better suited than some other Officers, but was infinitely more qualified than Reshmi and Julie combined.

47
Football / Re: Sigma FC Duo on Trinidad and Tobago U-20 experience
« on: February 08, 2011, 06:05:21 AM »
From the tape, he is not very impressive...from the tape I said eh.

48
General Discussion / What do you guys think?
« on: February 07, 2011, 11:00:53 PM »
.France sees first 'saviour sibling'
           EmailPrint.. AFP/File – French doctor Rene Frydman poses in 2010 in his office at Antoine Beclere hospital in Clamart, a Paris … .– Mon Feb 7, 4:57 pm ET

PARIS (AFP) – Doctors in France on Monday announced the country's first birth of a "saviour sibling," selected at the embryonic stage to be a close genetic match to save a brother or sister suffering from a fatal inherited disorder.

The baby was born at the Antoine Beclere Hospital in Clamart, in the suburbs of Paris, said doctors Rene Frydman and Arnold Munnich.

The child, born to parents of Turkish origin and named Umut-Talha (Turkish for "our hope"), was conceived through in-vitro fertilisation and was born on January 26 with a weight of 3.65 kilos (8.03 pounds), they said.

"He is in good health," Frydman told AFP.

The child's embryo was genetically selected to ensure he did not carry the gene for beta thalassemia, from which his siblings suffer, but was also a close enough match to provide treatment cells from umbilical cord blood, a rich source of stem cells.

Beta thalassemia produces an abnormal form of haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells which carries oxygen around the body. It causes destruction of red blood cells, which in turn leads to anaemia.

The world's first "saviour sibling" was Adam Nash, born in the United States in 2000.

The issue has been hedged with moral concerns about so-called designer babies and the morality of conceiving life to help a child with a genetic disorder.



49
General Discussion / Re: Suggestion
« on: February 07, 2011, 12:50:45 PM »
I have been right here in T&T all the time.

But excuse me, this is supposed to be an amalgamation that was planning to carry T&T forward into a new era.

Where have you been?

50
General Discussion / Re: Bill for Sex Act
« on: February 05, 2011, 09:01:41 PM »
lol

51
General Discussion / Re: Parental Advice...
« on: February 05, 2011, 08:59:27 PM »
again...sarcasm.  Sorry you missed it, if you looked at my advice, it was all about our politicans

52
General Discussion / Re: Suggestion
« on: February 05, 2011, 08:54:34 PM »
s, I was being a bit sacarstic.  The tone and mood is T&T is a bit strianed with racial tensions.  The Government is doing nothing to salve the wounds and promote healing. The rhetoric is ramping up, and it is obvious to all but the blind that, things need to change and change rapidly.

Racist politics is now the order of the day and any pretense as to policy is over.

The level of under qualification and expected incompetence of State appointed candidates are an embarrassment to the entire country, and it would seem that anything is fair game for anyone willing to contribute to the Party's coffers or the egos of its p...ower brokers.

It is time for right and decent people to stand up and say enough.
I have the feeling that they chose this time to make their appointments because it is fete time.


This concept of expediency and rationalization takes us quickly over the edge and down the slope to excusing wrongdoing.

What we know to be... correct and what we do in the end are negotiated away so quickly.

How is it so easy to let go of the moral center?

53
General Discussion / Suggestion
« on: February 05, 2011, 08:28:28 AM »
How about a line straight down the country above Chaguanas?

GIve the Indians half and the Africans half like Haiti And Dominican Republic.

You will need a visa to play a mas and eat a roti but everyone will be happier otherwise.
...
Oh and let Tobago secede.

Seeing that most of the oil and gas is in their maritime zone that will be one wealthy little country.

54
General Discussion / Parental Advice...
« on: February 05, 2011, 08:22:00 AM »
.by Phillip Edward Alexander on Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 12:47am.

If you want your children to survive and succeed in this world, you need to be careful what you teach them.

Be honest with them so that they are prepared for the dramas of life without being constrained by ethical dilemmas or foolhardy notions of nice guys winning and heroism earning the highest reward.

Avoid the issues of morality and fair play for as long as you can, for while they will most likely encounter these concepts in fairytales and childhood movies, explain to them that the real world doesn't function that way and the good guy usually finishes last.

Show them how to justify for the big picture, and how to rationalize choices against other options; show them the crowd view and contrast it to the silly concept of right and wrong that usually has no real place in real world situations.

Teach them the golden rule - that the end justifies the means, that what people mean and what they say are usually two completely different things, and what they do may be another thing again altogether.

If you love your children you need to be honest with them about religion, love and politics, the rules of friendship and the expectations of citizens.

Teach them the power of the mob.

Explain the concept of right through might and strength in numbers.

Instill in them a sense of survival at all costs, even at another's expense.

Teach them to cover their head in a fall, their face in a fight and their ass in any negotiation.

To do unto others before they do unto you, and if that fails call a lawyer.

Let them know that in the real world you only look out for numero uno and who dares wins.

That nothing matters other than personal enrichment and there are no wrong paths on that journey.

Let them know that there is nothing or no-one that money cannot bu

If you teach your children these values properly they will grow up to be successful Businessmen, Bankers, Lawyers, Judges and Politicians.

 
If you do not teach your children these things they will grow up to be dysfunctional adults expecting everyone to play fair and for the world to make sense.

They will believe that promises made will be kept and that another's word can be as strong as a bond.

They will show compassion and give ground, bend over backwards and take the high road.

They will give up their seat to strangers, their time and advice at no cost and their service at great personal expense.

They will do these things without question as to benefit to self, will most likely never have enough to be considered rich and will probably be taken advantage of and disappointed by the unscrupulous every step of the way.

The quality of life they lead will come down to the choices they make based on the values you instill in them.


Special shout out to my old COP friends for making me realize these lessons.

.

55
General Discussion / The Love Boat, PNM Style...
« on: February 04, 2011, 08:14:45 AM »
Plain Talk - Phillip Edward Alexander

 
On the heels of all the smoochiness and hug ups that took place in San Fernando East yesterday prior to the Political Leader Dr. Keith Rowley's and the member for the constituency and former Prime Minister Patrick Manning's walk about, the cynic in me wants to know one thing; what's changed?


Why all this love on the dance floor now, when mere short months ago the same Dr. Rowley was barely allowed to be screened to run as a candidate?


As is usual in these smoke and mirror events, the right people were asked the right questions to which they had the right answers, and now it's rainbow and magic mountain time, PNM style, and just like magic these two former (and some say still) political adversaries have unlocked horns for the second time for political expediency.


I for one am having none of it.


First to begin, this same man Patrick Manning has many questions to answer, both within the Party and to the country and at some point, quite possibly the Authorities; instead of being expelled in disgrace he is being welcomed with open arms for one reason and one reason only; because it's the expedient thing to do.


For all his promised court-martialing and dry docking Dr. Rowley has delivered nothing, and besides a few bright flare ups in the Parliament to entertain the masses, his term as Leader of the Opposition and of the PNM have left the discussion as to 'who's your leader' a continuous conversation.


No amount of tomfoolery is going to fool the growing political center who, having demonstrated their power during election and more recently during the Reshmi fiasco is not going to accept this made up making up, no way no how.


For all his bright plans (and to be honest he had some brilliant plans), Patrick Manning proved himself to be an arrogant character prone to delusions of grandeur (to put it mildly), and the people need to reject him with the same cold calculation with which he rejected the much loved Penelope Beckles, setting her political career back years out of nothing but spite.


I for one refuse to be fooled by trickery and instead I demand of Dr. Rowley to deliver on his promises to reshape the PNM into a viable Party of the center with one vote for every member, or vacate the position and allow others with vision to chart a new direction for the Party.


For the few PNM diehards left over from the recent Manning era, yesterday was Christmas all over again.


To everyone else, this is nothing but another political Party hoping to fool the people, fool the people, fool the people.


Both sides believe they can get away with this because the people are bereft of choice, but should that situation change for some reason, both the UNC and PNM will go the way of the dinosaurs because the modern electorate, informed, educated and politically involved, are not standing for foolishness anymore.


Something to think about as you walkabout...




56
The Abuse of Culture... (Who Say Advantage?)

.by Phillip Edward Alexander on Friday, January 28, 2011 at 1:07pm.

Earlier today I received the 'leaked' version of Machel Montano's bid for the road march 'Advantage,' and please allow me to be the first to say that it is aptly and succinctly entitled.


Not even bothering to change the basic driving bass beat of his last five or so years of contributions, this song is at best a blended remix of much mediocrity that hopes to appeal to the revelers' joy at returning to the savannah stage.

 
Similar to the effects of any other leaked pornography I have had the pleasure of viewing in the past, i felt guilty after listening to it as if i somehow contributed to its existence by my audience.

 
Now, this is in no way meant to blame the man, as I along with many countless others understands that he does indeed have talent, but knowing the business he is in and the compromises he must make to the fete and radio station owners, if its drivel they want to a hook and a killer beat, by all means give them.
 

Especially when you count each Carnival in the millions of dollars, then 'go thru hard sah,' grind them out.

 Where he is complicit in our destruction and that of our culture though, is that his very existence now is becoming detrimental to the art form and murderous to the culture; like something both tragic and obscene, carnival is slowly becoming nothing but a two day drunken orgy to music where a celebration of a people used to be.
 

Where we had 'four verse and chorous' before (to quote the Mighty Stalin), we now have the word 'huuur' punctuated by a rapid fire series of barely understandable commands.

 

It would appear that David Rudder may have been our peak, and the few bright sparks since have flared briefly and dissipated long before the big brooms come out to sweep away the mess that Carnival leaves behind.


We are dumbing down our nation with each passing opportunity to find something like art among our contributions, and nothing like a greatest hits can be compiled that anyone would want to own much less listen to years down the road.

 

For those needing the release to jump and prance around I understand your desire, but is it too much to ask that after all is said and done we leave something that looks and sounds like something we can be proud of years from now?

Somewhere along the way this mimickry and wholesale importation of all things foreign will leave us only with an accent and a self destructive attitude to tell us apart from anyone else, and all the talk of history and mamaguy will count for nothing then.

 

Say what.


Huuur...



.

57
General Discussion / The Jack Awards... January 2011
« on: January 26, 2011, 08:25:48 PM »
The Jack Awards... January 2011

.by Phillip Edward Alexander on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 11:38am.

Well what a difference a month makes.

 

We at the Organization for Semi Worthwhile & Distracting Events (OSWDE) would like to thank all of those who went out of their way to make this edition of the Jack Awards a bumper celebration.

 

It seems our biggest problem this month was figuring out where to begin, so let's jump right in and see where we go from here.

 

(Please note that like GOPIO's Best Indian Around Town Awards, the nominees are listed in no particular order)

 

Nominations for this month's Jack Award are:

 

 

Prakash Ramadhar

 

Nominated in the 'Wheel and Come Again' Category,  Prakash demonstrated an uncanny ability to recoil the glowing verbiage with which he used to describe another one of our nominees Ms Reshmi Ramnarine in the House of Representatives, in his defense of her qualifications and suitability to run the nation's highest Intel Office. The 180 degree turn he took in such quick time when he found out that she was not as qualified as she portrayed herself to be also qualifies him for a second glass of warm juice.

 

John Sandy

 

Minister of National Security John Sandy is nominated multiple times in the 'What You Talkin' 'Bout Willis' Category for his trademark quizzical expression in the face of media questions. Also nominated for the 'Clueless in Seattle' Award alongside Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar.

 

Minister Sandy is the current holder of the 'Where Did I Leave My Keys?' Award.

 

Devant Maharaj

 

Ahhh Devant, bus driver to the stars, what would this show be without your cute shenanigans?

 

In answer to his Minister's call (no, not George Nicholas, the other Minister of Works and Transport), Devant defied the devious deviants that dared to disrupt this Award Show's namesake's plans to reduce crime by legalizing it once and for all, starting with making it 'A OK' for PH drivers to break the law as long as it's done with an impish grin. The Maxi Taxi hoodlums who withheld their service for a day in protest were judged to be prejudiced against the legally challenged PH drivers, so Devant made sure there were buses aplenty available to take everyone to work and back.

 

Well everyone except those living in Central and South, but as they don't matter he didn't care.

 

Devant is nominated in the 'Betty Go Go' Category.

 

Reshmi Ramnarine

 

It is very rare that a private citizen comes from obscurity at such speed that she collides with destiny, but it would seem that Reshmi had her eyes set on a Jack Award all along.

 

Believing that Intelligence people weren't all that intelligent, Reshmi made up credentials to fit a position and was promptly promoted beyond it by a Government known to support outcomes over substance.

 

Reshmi is nominated in the 'Friends of Sasha' Category.

 

Deosaran Bisnath & GOPIO

 

Nominated once again for being Indian enough in Indian time, the head of GOPIO deserves an award every month just because he and his organization are the inspiration for 'nothing' award shows everywhere.

 

Now that Kams has celebrated a year as Leader of the UNC, it cant be too long now before we have part two to his Best Indian Award Show created to get her to notice him not that long ago.

 

Deo is nominated in the 'How Low Can You Go' Category.

 

Selwyn Cudjoe & NAEAP

 

Like his former 'Best Boy Pal' Deosaran (above) and reminiscent of a character out of Sesame Street, one minute Selwyn is everywhere screaming in your face and the next minute he's gone.

 

No one is really sure what he does or what his organization stands for anymore, and while there have been speculation from African Leader to CEPEP Contractor, some have suggested that he is really a paid spokesmodel for Dashiki shirts.

 

Selwyn is nominated once again for the 'Hiding in Plain Sight' Award

 

Kamla Persad Bissessar

 

Celebrating one year since she took over as Captain of the good ship TT UNC, Kamla has had an industrious year busily doing whatever she could do to sink it. Realizing that she would need help to 'do so', she has amassed a crew of sailors that some say if anybody could sink a ship it would be this crew.

 

Having presided over much calamity on her watch (much too much as some would say, most by her own doing others say), Kamla still took time to make a patriotic carnivalesque fashion statement in celebration of Sir Ellis Clarke's final send off.

 

Spending time between wipeouts and continuous campaign stops, Kamla has promised her supporters at least three good reasons to wear those yellow shirts each year.

 

The current holder of the 'Clueless in Seattle' Award, Kams is nominated in the 'Man Overboard', 'Meerkat Manor' and the 'Quick! Everybody Hide' Categories.

 

Herbert Volney

 

Deciding that no month should go by without him getting a Jack Award, Huggable Herb has decided that if he couldnt cancel Carnival at least he would make it difficult for revelers to make noise.

 

Taking on the established and well attended WASA fete to start, Vooping Volney made a big swing and a miss and ended up on his back at Mount Hope Hospital, where some say the Ministry of Justice should be relocated to anyway.

 

Almost single handedly responsible for dry taps nationwide, Volney is nominated for the 'Like Yuh Eh See Mih Or Wha' Award.

 

Dwayne Gibbs

 

By telling everyone that the case involving head of the Police Service Commission and spokesman for the Hair Club for Men Nizam Mohammed's brush with the law is now decided and closed despite the public's cry for something like justice, Gibbsie took another step closer to becoming a full fledged Trini.

 

Nothing says 'I iz a Trini' better than abuse of Public Office, and many a Canadian Ex-Pat are envious at the speed with which Dapper Dwayne is making the transition.

 

Nominated for the 'Bareback & Drunk' Award, we at OSWDE expect big things from the lovable Commish in the future.

 

Rupert Griffith

 

Just when you thought that his crossing the floor was the high point of his dynamic and news worthy career, Rupee went one step closer to having his name remembered by winning the Jack Award for the biggest waste of money we have ever seen bar none.

 

Deciding that if he was going to promote Tourism, Minister of Tourism Griffith decided that the place to do it was India as they have never seen floods and poverty first hand.

 

To make his point that this is the place every Indian wants to be, he decided that the best demonstration of Trini culture would be the 'Orange Sky High in Bangalore Tour', first class, courtesy of the people of Trinidad & Tobago.

 

Rupert is nominated in the 'Sugar Daddy' and 'Dan Dadda' Categories.

 

Jack Warner

 

For bringing us one step closer to anarchy, Minister of Works & (sometimes) Transport - Jack Warner has challenged decency and ethics at every turn and won.

 

Not comfortable being told what to do, Warner has decided that no law should remain carved in stone if removing it could earn him votes or money or both.

 

Because he is the namesake of these Awards, Austin Jack Warner gets an Award every month for simply being Jack.

 

Jack is nominated in the 'Yes Anil is MY Friend' Category.

 

 

Anand Ramlogan

 

No stranger to the Jack Awards, Anand has won in the 'Mother Therersa' Category before for his magnaminous role in keeping Ish & Steve from the clutches of Uncle Sam, some say perpetually.

 

Nothing could have prepared us for the slew of nominations Anand received for this edition of the show, and it would be no stretch to say that he is a shoe in for the Miss Congeniality Award.

 

From missing Pianos to under achieving appointees, the AG may find himself with more Awards than anyone else in history.

 

He is nominated for the prestigious 'Martin Luther King Jr I Had  a Dream' Award among others.

 

 

Other nominees for Awards are:

 

Watson Duke & Peter Permell in the 'Winston, Steups - Nigga Pleaz' Category

 

The organizers of the funeral of former President Sir Ellis Clarke in the 'It Could Do So' Category

 

For his comments during 'Piano-Gate', Patrick Manning is nominated for the 'Minshall School of Style' Award.

 

 

There have been some other notable changes to the show, including the use of Mabel's Mauby instead of warm juice in certain categories.

 

Also in the line up of changes is the Ramma Damma Ding Dong Prize for most endearing media pose, named for the holder of the trademark facebook smile Glen Ramadhar Singh; the winner of this prize gets a bag of hops and a voucher as well as the ubiquitous Jack Award, and an autographed copy of the Roodal Moonilal's  'Sweating to the Chutneys' Workout Video.

 

Not everyone who were nominated this month could have gotten an Award, but many qualify for a glass of juice and a slice of cake courtesy Courts Furniture Store.

 

Credits:

 

The Jack Award is made in India using hemp and other natural ingredients.

 

The Jack Awards is ninety nine per cent fat free and contains no trans fats; low in calories and high in fiber, the Jack Awards can be part of a balanced breakfast.

 

The Jack Awards are brought to you by Lawrence Duprey & Andre Monteil from an undisclosed sunny location.

 

This show is not affiliated to any other award show both living and dead, and is written on recycled paper.

 

All participants and Nominees have been booked through the SIA's 'getting to know you' outreach program.

 

All winners will receive their full slice of cake and glass of juice at the Offices of OSWDE in Puerto RIco.

 

Closing:

 

We at OSWDE have been acused of suffering from delusions of grandeur and we ask our detractors - 'Who's suffering?'

 

While we do not yet have our own live show, one day we will and that day will change the world forever and maybe, just maybe, make people who are in the Public's Employ take their responsibility a little more seriously.

 

The producers of the show would like to extend their condolences to the families of Decency and Integrity who, while missing for some time, are feared dead.

 

 

The Jack Awards is an equal opportunity offender, and if your name call it call; If you dont want it to call, walk tall.

 

The Government of the people is supposed to work for the people, in the service of the people, and while firing them takes a little time, we can expose them for who and what they really are.

 

If you're a blind Party supporter, a racist, a biased Journalist, a corrupt public Official or a 'doh care' public servant, for reducing the quality of life in our nation, there is a Jack Award for you.

 

If you take yourself too seriously be careful, you can never tell if one day you bend a corner and see us smiling with a Jack Award just for you.



.

58
General Discussion / What they said last week about the matter:
« on: January 26, 2011, 12:33:51 AM »
What they said last week about the matter:
Story Created: Jan 25, 2011 at 11:56 PM ECT

(Story Updated: Jan 25, 2011 at 11:56 PM ECT )

"What is really the objection to the appointment of this director (to) the SSA (Strategic Services Agency)? Is it because she is 31-years-old? Is it because she is an academically qualified woman with nearly a decade of experience within what was then the SIA?

"It is absurd that Dr Keith Rowley, who now leads the very political organisation that was in government when the SIA illegally and immorally tapped into the private conversations of politicians, judges, journalists, private citizens, even the President, can have the temerity today to ask whether this appointment was designed to perpetuate the very practices carried out under the very PNM administration of which he was a part.

"She was recommended by the deputy director of the SSA. The council of ministers of the National Security Council received that recommendation and considered it. I had no personal friendship or relationship with the director."

—Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar (Radio interview outside NAPA on Saturday).


"The Minister of National Security is a member of the National Security Council. The council deliberated on the matter and decided to accept the recommendation as presented. The incumbent has nine years experience in the organisation and is a graduate of the University of the West Indies. The appointed director was done so as to act for a period of six months in the Office of Director of the SSA. The appointed director was not done so as to help the SIA as claimed in the article. That appointment was to assist in the rationalisation, streamlining and amalgamation of the SIA into the SSA. The merger has been ongoing for some time now. The decision of the National Security Council was subsequently approved by the Cabinet."

—Minister of National Security

John Sandy (in Parliament last Friday)


"I do not know the young lady who has been chosen, but I understand she is qualified. She has a degree in IT and is completing a degree in psychology.

"Why are we afraid of the young? Why are we afraid of the creativity of the mind of the young? Certainly the Member for San Fernando East used the young in the opposite way, by creating a robotic troop that will mouth and parrot things that have no relevance to reality or to the truth. We are here, as I repeat almost every time I take my legs, to deal with the responsibility that has been given to this Government, this Administration, to fix things that have gone so wrong, for so long."

—Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar (in Parliament last Friday)

"Mr Deputy Speaker, they talked here today about the person who has been appointed as director of the SIA. It is very unfortunate that discussion took place here in this House. It is very unfortunate.

"For one thing, I just want to reiterate for the benefit of the national population that is just not anybody that has been chosen. We must not have anything against young people. We must not equate youth with intelligence. We must say necessary that the youth are not mature.

"There are far more youth sometimes more mature than people who are well above their age in this country. We must talk about ability and competence.

"Mr Deputy Speaker, the person they speak about has a BSc in Information Technology; is completing a BA in psychology; has international experience—has been there nine years.

"What they have failed to recognise is that the fight against crime is driven by intelligence and by information, and this person has the ability to deal with information but, more than that, not only collect information, but translate information into a manner in which it can be used to develop action plans in order to deal with criminals in this country."

—Foreign Affairs Minister Suruj Rambachan (in Parliament last Friday)


59
General Discussion / Re: SIA Shocker
« on: January 25, 2011, 11:07:24 PM »
Laughable?  Not at all.  It shows a level of colusion and deception.  Prepared statements, lies, more lies and denials.

This is Sandygate.

60
General Discussion / Kamla's Flying Circus....
« on: January 25, 2011, 06:53:07 PM »
Kamla's Flying Circus....
.by Phillip Edward Alexander on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 7:36pm.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, please direct your attention to the center ring where you are about to see the magic art of illusion like you have never seen before....Lies will be told and retold as if they were the truth...Grand Pianos will disappear and reappear before your very eyes....People will be employed by nobody to head the highest security job in the land with magical qualifications from out of this world...Ministers will be shuffled around WITHOUT an actual reshuffle....and much, much more...

 

It seems like the entire country is now one big top tent with high flying trapeze performers twirling overhead while magicians mystify on every street corner; we the people have become the audience, have jettisoned our collective reason and are left watching the unfolding spectacle wide eyed in awe with a collective suspension of disbelief.

 

Did Empress Kamla really look into the cameras and tell the nation 'now that Reshmi has resigned move on?'

 

Has she gone mad?

 

The questions that are being asked HAVE to be answered and answered to the complete satisfaction of the people who pay her salary, chief among these being:

 

Who recommended Miss Ramnarine to the SIA in the first place?

 

Who hired her without checking the veracity of her credentials?

 

Who recommended that she be promoted over many senior and seasoned operatives despite her lack of experience and necessary qualifications?

 

Did she commit a crime by submitting fraudulent credentials?

 

Who told Cabinet Ministers to lie?

 

And who is going to be fired for this fiasco?

 

Because like it or not, someone has to be fired over a catastrophe of this magnitude.

 

The Government that camapaigned on the promise of having ALL of the answers for everything ailing the country now appear in the bright light of day to have none.

 

Not one, and the list of accomplishments that are read out over and over by them and their supporters could have been done over the summer holidays by a temp; if the Government appeared inept and off balanced during the embarrassing missing piano fiasco, they are now looking downright foolish and comical.

 

So who is to blame?

 

The one common thread throughout all of this appear to be none other than legal luminary to the stars and sati- draped caped-crusader - (taaa daaa) Attorney General Anand Ramlogan (flourish and a bow), which makes me ask (because someone has to), why does this man still have a job?

 

You Anand, despite being surrounded in Cabinet by some mystical creatures (who possess amazing powers of zaniness in their own right), you Sir are Kamla's Flying Circus' Main Attraction.

 

You have become the spectacle we are all waiting to see, and your oftentimes comical inability to function in the position you were appointed to is becoming obvious to even blind Party supporters.

 

The list of failures on your watch are too long for eight short months and they really shouldn't and ought not to be excused any further.

 

The proper and decent thing to do when you realize that you are in over your head my friend, is to come clean  to yourself and to others.

 

Admitting the problem is the first step.

 

Anand, for what remains of your integrity, for the national psyche and for the good of our beloved country, follow Reshmi's glowing example and do the right thing and resign.

 

Before you bring the whole damned Big Top Circus right down with you...



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