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Topics - Jah Gol

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31
General Discussion / PM: Govt strong despite Opposition using race card
« on: February 04, 2012, 12:21:54 PM »
Originally printed at http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/PM__Govt_strong_despite_Opposition_using_race_card-138690639.html

By
February 3, 2012
The People's Partnership Government remains strong despite the tactic of the Opposition to incite divisiveness in the country by using the race card, says Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Persad-Bissessar held a three-hour meeting at the Diplomatic Centre on Thursday with leaders of the coalition—Prakash Ramadhar, political leader of the Congress of the People (COP); Ashworth Jack, leader of the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP); David Abdulah, leader of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ); and Makandal Daaga, head of the National Joint Action Committee (NJAC).

Yesterday, the leaders held a joint news conference at Tower D at the Waterfront Centre, Port of Spain, where they all reiterated their commitment to the coalition and the people of this nation.

Persad-Bissessar said the leaders will meet as often as possible to further discuss a number of items, which they listed.

She said race relations and the strategy by the Opposition to mislead and divide was discussed at length.

"It is very clear from the Partnership there has never ever been a Government that is so representative of the population of Trinidad and Tobago," said Persad-Bissessar.

"The attempts by the Opposition to use the race card... it is something the Partnership intends to look into greater depth to explore how we relate to that particular strategy from the Opposition," she said.

Persad-Bissessar said research was completed on initiatives such as the right to recall a Member of Parliament, set fixed dates for the general election, and Cabinet, last Thursday, agreed that the research will be sent to the Attorney General's office for drafting can begin.

With respect to the larger issue of constitutional reform, she said, consultations will continue before a draft policy paper is completed.

32
General Discussion / A Million for Peter Joseph
« on: January 23, 2012, 10:55:42 PM »
$1m MISTAKE
Originally printed at http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/_1m_MISTAKE-137934593.html

By Ria Taitt Political Editor
January 23, 2012
The Government has paid sacked director of the Special Anti Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT) Brig Peter Joseph $1 million for his wrongful dismissal, sources told the Express yesterday.

The matter was raised by Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley at his bi-monthly press conference at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Charles Street, Port of Spain, who stated the Prime Minister's unfounded claims of spying laid against Joseph had cost taxpayers "over $1 million".

Sources told the Express that Joseph, who had sued the State in January last year, has already received his cheque from the State. Joseph who is out of the country could not be reached for comment.

Rowley said yesterday: "It was the Prime Minister herself who in a fit of pique and righteous indignation told the country that SAUTT was spying on her and in retaliation she summarily dismissed Brigadier Peter Joseph as head of the Special Anti Crime Unit.

"Subsequent to that Brigadier Joseph who was embarrassed because he is a highly professional officer, who came to SAUTT with a distinguished career from the Defence Force, and having a Prime Minister so portray him was very hurtful to him, his family and all those who knew him. He has taken issue with the Prime Minister's position, the Prime Minister has been unable to defend her position.

"She could provide no evidence that this was going on. And in the end the Government had to pay well over a million dollars to Brigadier Joseph for wrongful dismissal where his entire contract had to be paid for.

"And the Government is attempting to swear him to secrecy—that he mustn't tell the country what happened. But since it is public money, we would file a question and ask the Government which is not sworn to secrecy, what was the final payment it made to Brigadier Joseph for his wrongful dismissal so that people in Trinidad and Tobago could see the effect of the reckless action of the Prime Minister of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago."

Joseph, a highly distinguished and decorated officer, was sacked publicly when Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bisssessar announced his termination on September 20, 2010, moments before she departed Piarco Airport to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The Prime Minister stated then that Joseph was fired in order to facilitate SAUTT's restructuring and reorganisation.

But the action came amidst reports the Government had believed that SAUTT had spied on the Prime Minister and others while she was in Opposition, a charge which Joseph felt constrained to deny.

In fact, Joseph had stated he had written to Persad-Bissessar "to personally assure her and the people of Trinidad and Tobago that SAUTT never 'spied' on her or on any Member of Parliament".

"We gather criminal intelligence to support our work, but our resources are solely used to target criminals. We do not, and have never, used our resources to 'spy' on any Member of Parliament or any other law abiding citizen," Joseph stated on September 21, 2010 in a press release.

But on the same day Cabinet took the decision to dismiss him.

One month later—in October 2010—the Prime Minister disclosed in the Parliament that it was the Security Intelligence Agency, a spy unit under the Strategic Services Agency, which had been illegally spying on citizens.

The head of that Agency, Nigel Clement, was then sacked and replaced by junior technician Reshmi Ramnarine, who subsequently resigned after it was revealed she did not have the requisite experience or qualifications.

Joseph took legal action, issuing a pre-action protocol letter in which he was seeking close to $2 million in compensation for his wrongful dismissal. The matter never went to court as the Attorney General chose to settle out of court, sources said.

The Opposition Leader said Government has been on a programme of purging in the public sector, "victimising and terrorising" persons who were employed under the People's National Movement (PNM), labelling them as "PNM operatives".

Referring to agencies such as SAUTT, SIA and Strategic Services Agency (SSA), Rowley said the people who worked in those agencies were not picked up off the streets.

"They are not telephone operators who you appoint by pole-vaulting them to senior positions. They were very carefully selected, they are highly competent professional officers and to have them so presented by the Government is just plain wrong," he said.

33
General Discussion / Dookeran: Income tax changes coming
« on: January 17, 2012, 07:46:24 AM »

By Curtis Rampersad Publications Editor

Story Created: Jan 17, 2012 at 12:45 AM ECT

Story Updated: Jan 17, 2012 at 12:45 AM ECT

New income tax measures will be a part of Government's 2012/2013 national budget later this year.

Finance Minister Winston Dookeran said yesterday the last time the State addressed the country's tax systems was in the 1980s. Around this time, Value Added Tax (VAT) was introduced on goods and services.

Speaking to reporters at the handover to Dookeran of the Trinidad and Tobago 2011-2012 Investment Guide prepared by corporate and investment bank Citi at the Chaud Restaurant, Queen's Park West, Port of Spain, the minister said it was time to review the country's tax collection system.

He previously spoke of a review of the tax system on Saturday during the National Assembly of the Congress of the People at Hillview College, Tunapuna.

Dookeran is the founding leader of the COP.

He said the intention was to address "issues of inequality of income" in the country and later this year, there should be a system of tax revisions in the national budget.

A comprehensive review of the current tax system has already started.

Dookeran said he could not say if this would mean higher taxes or lower taxes but the review was about improving the current tax collection system and addressing inequality issues with regard to income taxes paid.

A tax amnesty offered last year brought in some $1.8 billion in revenue to the government, Dookeran told the House of Representatives last June.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/business/Dookeran__Income_tax_changes_coming-137459988.html

34
General Discussion / Four dead in Laventille fire
« on: December 20, 2011, 10:55:24 AM »
Four people, among them two toddlers were killed early this morning when a fire set during an act of rage razed the top floor of a Trou Macaque, Laventille apartment block.

Several tenants had to jump four storeys down as they desperately tried to escape the inferno.

Both police and residents said that an argument between two brothers around 1.30 a.m. led to one of them setting their top floor apartment on fire.

Residents said that the suspected arsonist, aged 39, remained on the run.

Among those killed were Lisa Charles, 46 and Akeem Young, 15.

Residents said that both Charles and Young jumped out their apartment located four storeys up and died when their bodies slammed into solid concrete. Charles initially survived her fall but according to an eyewitness who spoke to the Express, he held her and tried speaking to her as he awaited an ambulance but within minutes she died.

The children, Denicia Young, aged 2 and her cousin, Destiny, who is ten months old, were burnt to death. Fire officers spent at least four hours trying to find their tiny bodies amid the charred remnants of their apartment.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Four-dead-in-Laventille-fire-135924573.html

35
General Discussion / Oh Flock !
« on: November 15, 2011, 04:47:10 PM »
Prominent pastor quits after being caught in adulterous sex acts…
One of the country’s most prominent Pentecostal pastors, Peter Regis, has been forced to resign after being caught in a sexual relationship with the wife of a junior pastor of his Valencia Pentecostal Assembly.

Regis, 57, who is a well-known Gospel singer also features on Family Focus Network, one of the country’s leading radio stations catering to the born-again Christian community. He was one of the religious leaders leading the peace initiative in John John following the death of 10-year-old Tecia Henry two years ago.

Last week Regis tendered his resignation to the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies (PAWI) and the board of the Valencia Pentecostal Assembly after a junior pastor presented evidence of an intimate relationship between Regis and the junior pastor’s wife.

This is the third time that Regis has been caught up in a sex scandal with female members of his flock, Mirror was reliably informed. On the last occasion, a few years ago he was warned by PAWI and placed on probation.

On this occasion he was caught with his pants down, on tape, with a 30 year-old female member of his church performing steamy sex acts in what appears to be the bedroom of his home.

According to a church member familiar with the issue, the woman’s husband saw a flash drive in her handbag and reportedly sought the assistance of a friend with a computer to download it out of curiosity. To his surprise the flash drive contained a “blue movie,” featuring his wife and his Pastor.

The junior pastor, a maxi taxi driver, was said to be traumatized by the nature of the sex acts, which did not include the missionary position.

The cuckolded husband took photos of the acts to the executive of the Valencia Pentecostal Assembly, Regis’ church, and the pastor was called to a meeting where he admitted his guilt and immediately submitted his resignation when confronted with the evidence.

Pastor Regis also apologised at the meeting as his resignation was immediately and unanimously accepted.

When TnT Mirror contacted Pastor Regis on the matter he admitted that he had let his family and congregation down.

“I blew it,” he said, in a tormented voice.

He confirmed that he has resigned, saying that the incident was the work of the devil.

“This is male-shame,” and I am apologising to everybody and the church,” he said.
“I am devastated,” he added.

However, Pastor Regis said he did not wish to go into any further details adding that he did not know how the sex photos got into the hands of the woman’s husband.

Members of his congregation were taken by surprise when they turned up for church on Sunday to see Regis sitting in the pew and another pastor conducting the service.

He later appeared on the pulpit and apologized for what he had done to a female member of his church. Close friends of the maxi taxi driver, who has also been active in the church, say that he has been devastated given the nature of the video recording and will need time to recover.

Pastor Regis is married and is the father of four children, all adults.

While some members of the church are reportedly holding a week of prayers for him, other parishioners told TnT Mirror he should stay away from the church.

http://www.tntmirror.com/2011/11/13/oh-flock

36
General Discussion / Cuba passes law allowing private home sales
« on: November 03, 2011, 08:20:23 AM »
Cuba passes law allowing private home sales

Cuba has approved a law allowing individuals to buy and sell homes privately for the first time in 50 years, official media say.

The law, which takes effect on 10 November, applies to citizens and permanent residents only.

Correspondents say this is the most important reform so far in a series of free-market changes introduced by President Raul Castro.

A housing shortage has meant that many Cubans live in overcrowded apartments.

An article in the Communist Party daily Granma said details of the new law would be published in the government's Official Gazette.

The change follows the legalisation in October of the purchase and sale of cars, though with restrictions that still make it hard for Cubans to buy new vehicles.

The ban on property sales took effect in stages after Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba in 1959.

Since no property market was allowed, the rules have meant that for decades Cubans could only exchange property through complicated barter arrangements, or through even murkier black-market deals.

Raul Castro has said repeatedly that the system in Cuba is not working since he took over from his ailing brother Fidel in 2008, but he has vowed that Cuba will remain a socialist state.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15575632

37
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Antilles riddim
« on: October 28, 2011, 08:35:00 AM »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/40ZyuQdluUc&amp;feature=related" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/40ZyuQdluUc&amp;feature=related</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/s8EGI6_SqmU&amp;feature=related" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/s8EGI6_SqmU&amp;feature=related</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z6EU-6PnqfA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/Z6EU-6PnqfA</a>

38
General Discussion / Scientists Turn Brain Activity Into Moving Images
« on: September 28, 2011, 10:01:20 AM »

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/nsjDnYxJ0bo&amp;feature=player_embedded" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/nsjDnYxJ0bo&amp;feature=player_embedded</a>

There are lots of comparisons to be made: DVR for the brain, seeing through someone else’s eyes, or a real life version of “Minority Report.”


But whatever you call it, what researchers at UC Berkeley have done could have major implications for getting inside someone’s head.

Authors of a new study published in Current Biology were able to reconstruct YouTube videos from a subject’s brain activity with the help of magnetic resonance imaging. In other words, study subjects watched videos while their brains were monitored, and scientists were later able to reconstruct approximate images of those videos from the brain imaging data.

“This is a major leap toward reconstructing internal imagery,” coauthor and psychology professor Jack Gallant told ABC News. “We are opening a window into the movies in our minds.”

Subjects watched a variety of images — clips of an airplane, elephants walking, text on a screen and Steve Martin in “Inspector Clouseau” (really guys? You couldn’t have asked for a suggestion from the film department on that one?).

Scientists recreated images by mapping tiny changes in blood flow to parts of the brain which decode visual images, all while subjects were viewing. The results are haunting, ghostly pictures — but they’re also pretty unfocused. In other words, it’s going to be a long time before you get brainwave movies in full HD.

Worried it won’t be long before the future crimes you’ve visualized — or those weird dreams about your 9th grade social studies teacher — will go public?  Fear not. As far as reconstructing memories for court, the coauthor points out on the study's website: "After all, an accurate read-out of a faulty memory only provides misleading information."


Gallant also says visual modules exist all over the brain, and that researchers will have to build accurate models and mapping capabilities before getting further. “We need really big computers,” he told ABC. For those who wake up wanting to get back to that awesome dream where they were flying through a world made of cotton candy and inabited by beautiful people, that may seem like bad news. For others, it's probably cause for a sigh of relief.


Here's a video showing some of the original images on the left, and the composites created from brain activity on the right:

http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/09/24/scientists_turn_brain_activity_into_moving_images.html

39
General Discussion / PM George Papandreou cancels US visit
« on: September 17, 2011, 06:51:16 PM »
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has cancelled a visit to the US amid mounting concern over the country's debt crisis.

His office said he had decided to return as "next week is particularly crucial" in efforts to secure the country's next bailout loan.

Greek media said he took the decision after consultations with Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos.

Mr Papandreou had planned to attend UN General Assembly and IMF meetings.

The decision comes a day after eurozone ministers delayed a decision on releasing more money to Greece.

Eurozone leaders will now decide in October whether to release the next 8bn euros ($11bn; £7bn).

The BBC's Chris Morris says there are different views within the zone about whether Greece has done enough to deserve further loans.

'Fiscal measures'
Mr Papandreou was on his way back to Greece from London after cancelling his onward trip to New York, media reports said.

"The prime minister had decided to postpone his planned visit to the United States because next week is particularly crucial for addressing the decisions taken on 21 July in the eurozone and for the initiatives that Greece must take," a statement from his office said.

Eurozone leaders decided on a second bailout of 109bn euros for Greece at a Brussels meeting in July. It is still receiving the initial 110bn-euro bailout, agreed in May last year, in tranches.

An official said Mr Papandreou cancelled the visit to focus on fiscal measures which were key to securing the loans.

"The prime minister judged that he should not be away. He wants to ensure that all of Greece's commitments [to its EU partners] are fulfilled," government spokesman Ilias Mossialos told Reuters news agency.

October's loan decision will be based on assessments by the three lenders, the European Commission, the IMF and the European Central Bank.

There are concerns they may rule that Greece has fallen behind on its spending cuts targets - the government was forced to introduce a property tax amid fears prompted by the recession that it would miss its target of capping its budget to 7.6% of GDP.

Mr Venizelos is expected to hold a teleconference with the three lenders on Monday.

Demands that Greece accelerate its austerity plans, and divisions among governments and policymakers over support for indebted eurozone members, have sparked turmoil in the financial markets.

But the head of the Eurogroup of ministers, Jean-Claude Juncker, said Greece was making "significant progress" and welcomed Athens' commitment to the austerity programme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14960216

40
General Discussion / PM BLAMES PNM
« on: August 13, 2011, 09:26:13 AM »
Originally printed at http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/PM_BLAMES_PNM-127646003.html

By Joel Julien joel.julien@trinidadexpress.com
August 13, 2011
ELEMENTS within the Opposition People's National Movement (PNM) are fuelling the recent uprisings in the country, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said yesterday.

Persad-Bissessar made that statement following a walkabout on Frederick Street in Port of Spain.

The walkabout, from Queen Street to the Brian Lara Promenade, at the bottom of Frederick Street, lasted some 20 minutes.

"I do believe there is a political element in some of the action that is being taken. It is not simply an issue of industrial unrest or protest action in Point Fortin," Persad-Bissessar said.

On Thursday, protesters, who claimed neglect by the People's Partnership Government, set up burning barricades along every road leading to Point Fortin, shutting down access to the borough.

Questioned about the situation in Point Fortin, Persad-Bissessar said Works and Infrastructure Minister Jack Warner visited the area yesterday, and she was awaiting a report from him.

However, Persad-Bissessar said because the Opposition PNM has been in control of the area for a considerable period of time, she believed there may be some "political element" fuelling the protest action.

Paula Gopee-Scoon, the Member of Parliament for the area, is currently in Grenada.

"As you know, Point Fortin was under the watch of the last administration for the past umpteen years, also, likewise, in Tamana, so I am being advised again there are elements within the Opposition who are sparking that particular line of protest there, and even within the movement, with respect to the wage negotiations, there is a political element that is creeping in," she said.

"Indeed, I do believe one opposition MP went on radio and was encouraging that there be a national strike, so there is that political element that we need to be aware of," Persad-Bissessar said.

In response to the PM's assertion, PNM general secretary Ashton Ford said yesterday the PNM categorically denies any involvement in the organisation of protest action at Point Fortin and Tamana, "though we support residents taking peaceful and legitimate action for the equitable distribution of resources for development of their communities".

Ford said the Prime Minister must not blame the PNM for her Government's incompetence and for her Government's bias in the distribution of country's resources.

"She must also remember that it was the UNC (United National Congress) in Opposition which called for civil disobedience," he said. He also pointed out that it was the Prime Minister herself who said that protest action at the community level would be a thing of the past and would become unnecessary because the Ministry of the People would address such concerns before they reached to the boiling point.

"The PNM would also act responsibly in and out of Government," he said.

Ford said 15 months after being voted into office, the Government was still in election mode and was blaming the PNM for whatever goes wrong. "Nothing has changed," he said, adding the People's Partnership Government did not have a plan to deal with the country's problems.

41
Football / 2011 U 20 World Cup
« on: July 29, 2011, 08:24:41 PM »
http://copa-america2011-vivo.blogspot.com/

Brazil leading Egypt 1-0. Very nice game.

43
Football / Jack Horner is
« on: July 28, 2011, 10:27:46 AM »
           

44
Football / T&T v USA 1994
« on: July 23, 2011, 08:19:59 PM »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/ugKhF40y7ig" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/ugKhF40y7ig</a>

I don't know if we have this clip already but just found it on youtube.

45
General Discussion / South Sudan
« on: July 08, 2011, 09:00:41 AM »


Two very interesting articles on the Independence of South Sudan.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14014083
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14077511

46
General Discussion / Thai PM-elect Yingluck Shinawatra
« on: July 05, 2011, 11:48:56 AM »
Thai PM-elect Yingluck Shinawatra 'to form coalition'


Yingluck Shinawatra: ''I hope Thai people will give me a chance to prove myself''

The surprise runaway winner of Thailand's election, the Pheu Thai party, says it has agreed to form a coalition with four smaller parties.

The party - led by by Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra - won a clear majority with an estimated 265 seats.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has announced his resignation as leader of the Democrats, which won 160 seats.

The outgoing defence minister said the powerful army would accept the result.

Final results from Sunday's poll are due on Tuesday.

Ms Yingluck, who has no previous political experience, said Pheu Thai and four other parties had "agreed to work together to run the country and solve people's problems".

"The first urgent issue is how to achieve reconciliation," she said.

Thailand has been plagued by internal division since Mr Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006.

This election comes a year after protests against the current government left more than 90 people dead. Many of the demonstrators were supporters of Mr Thaksin.

'In good hands'
 
Critics of Ms Yingluck say she is too inexperienced and is simply a proxy for her brother.

Continue reading the main story Analysis Rachel Harvey BBC News, Bangkok
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yingluck Shinawatra has been criticised for being merely a puppet of her older brother. She is now going to have to prove she can stand on her own two feet, to move out of her brother's shadow and show what kind of a leader she is going to be.
The one thing that really counts in her favour is the decisive margin of her party's victory. People were really worried - in the country, in the region around the world - about the political instability if the result was not clear-cut.
But the result is clear-cut. That will give comfort to some people that at least there will not now be a protracted period of horse trading. It is now a question of what Ms Yingluck will do with that power.
Many challenges ahead for YingluckQ&A: What next for Thailand?
But speaking from Dubai, where he lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption, Mr Thaksin said Ms Yingluck's lack of experience could be an advantage, saying a "clean slate" was useful at times in politics.

Mr Thaksin told reporters he did not want to return to Thai politics as he had been with his party too long.

"I really want to retire," he said.

Mr Thaksin said he was proud of his sister and would give Pheu Thai "whatever advice they may need", but that the Thai people were "in good hands".

With nearly all votes counted, Ms Yingluck's Pheu Thai has a clear majority with 265 seats, while outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's Democrats have 159.

The coalition will together have an estimated 299 seats, effectively controlling about 60% of parliament.

The election results pave the way for Ms Yingluck, a 44-year-old business executive, to become Thailand's first female prime minister and the fifth person to hold the post since her brother.

As the results emerged on Sunday night, she said it was "a victory of the people" and that her party was "ready to deliver on all of the policies that we have announced".

Thailand's markets rose on Monday morning, but business leaders have expressed concern over whether the country can afford the populist reforms which have been promised by Pheu Thai.

The party pledged to raise the minimum wage, provide development funds to rural villages, create a high-speed rail network and give every school child in the country a tablet computer.

AdvertisementBangkok residents expressed mixed views about Pheu Thai's victory

The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Bangkok says the coalition announcement is being seen as a clever move in Thailand, as it will make it easier for Ms Yingluck to push through reforms promised during her election campaign and create a sense of stability.

However, there are fears of further turbulence ahead for Thailand, our correspondent says, and concerns of how the influential military might react.

The outgoing Defence Minister, Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, said he had spoken to army leaders who said they would accept the result and had "never entertained any idea of doing anything that will damage the country".

The army chief has dismissed speculation of a military coup but, says our correspondent, Thailand's generals have made such promises before, and much depends on whether Mr Thaksin does decide to stay away.

To his supporters, he is a champion of the disadvantaged who was unconstitutionally forced from power by powerful elites, backed by the military.

To his critics, Mr Thaksin was a corrupt and authoritarian leader who manipulated gullible voters.


47
General Discussion / Jack stripped of transport
« on: June 26, 2011, 03:19:38 PM »
Jack Warner stripped of transport.
Anika Gumbs-Sandiford and Brent Zephyrine
T&T Guardian.


Jack Warner resigned from the world’s football governing body—FIFA—to serve the people of T&T he has been reportedly stripped of the transport portfolio.

Top Government sources told Sunday Guardian that a decision was taken to split Warner’s ministry, assigning transport duties to Public Transport Services Commission chairman Devant Maharaj.

Sunday Guardian understands that the shift in the ministry came as a surprise to many, given that Warner continues to be rated as the best performing minister even before he opted to relinquish his FIFA duties.

Warner received the news during a marathon closed door meeting with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and other government ministers at Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s yesterday. Sources said Warner was upset over the move. The mood at Diplomatic Centre yesterday was one of mixed emotions.

While some ministers were clearly in upbeat mood, others shied away from the media. Confirming the reshuffle, Agriculture Minister Vasant Bharath said only: “There has been some restructuring and the Prime Minister will announce.”

But disappointment was etched on the face of Health Minister Therese Baptiste-Cornelis who later put on a brave smile for the media. The normally plain talking Health Minister only waved as she existed the PM’s residence.

Minister in the Ministry of Labour Rudy Indarsingh confirmed that he will continue to function where he was placed. Sporting the broadest smile among all the Ministers was Minister in the Ministry of Tourism Dr Delmon Baker who said: “Everything went excellent, excellent,” before exiting the compound.

Sports Minister Anil Roberts gave the thumbs up sign as he made his way out. He was heading for Tobago to participate in last night’s Congress of the People debate. But it was not all smiles for Minister of Tourism Dr Rupert Griffith. Asked if his portfolio had been taken away, the Minister replied: “An old battle-axe like me would wait and see.”

48
General Discussion / WHO VEX LORSE
« on: June 13, 2011, 08:35:03 AM »
WHO VEX LORSE
Originally printed at http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/WHO_VEX_LORSE-123727229.html

By Joel Julien           joel.julien@trinidadexpress.com
June 12, 2011

THE BATTLE LINES have been drawn for what is expected to be a heated war for control of Tobago between the Orville London led-Tobago House of Assembly (THA) and the Kamla Persad-Bissessar led-People's Partnership Government, with Persad-Bissessar announcing plans to "fully operationalise" the Office of the Prime Minister on the sister isle.


Persad-Bissessar's announcement came on the heels of claims by London that the Central Government has shown "disrespect" with its continuous attempts to encroach on the THA's jurisdiction and undermine its authority.


On Friday, London signalled his intention to take the Central Government to court for its decision to open a CEPEP office in Tobago without the approval of the THA.


Persad-Bissessar came out in battle-mode on Saturday night during a political meeting held at Tamarind Square, Scarborough, to celebrate the People's Partnership coalition government's first year in office.


In relation to London's proposed legal action against the Government for the establishment of the CEPEP office in Tobago, a tough-talking Persad-Bissessar said:


"He says he wants to take us to court. Well a courthouse is a place of justice. And, guess what, I have plenty court clothes so I don't fraid no courthouse."


Persad-Bissessar described London's actions as "self-serving tunnel vision" and said this type of mentality "is what has hindered the development of Tobago for so long".


"This is not about turf; this is not about fighting for turf. This is about service to the people of Tobago," Persad-Bissessar said to loud applause on Saturday night.


Persad-Bissessar said she would not "bow" to London's pressure describing him as a "stumbling block" to Tobago's progress.


"I am not here to bend or bow to the Chief Secretary or his Deputy. I am not here to pander to their insecurities. I am here to serve you, the people of Tobago and Trinidad. And you know the saying 'who vex lorse', but have no fear keep the finger ready, keep it clean because I know you will ensure that London bridge is coming down," Persad-Bissessar said.


"This is a government of the people, by the people and for the people of Tobago and Trinidad. So let me tell you something I am going to fully operationalise the Office of the Prime Minister right here in Tobago and let them object to that. It will not be a dummy office," Persad-Bissessar said.


Persad-Bissessar said London's rumblings were only caused as a result of the loosening grip of the People's National Movement (PNM) in Tobago.


In the 2010 general election, the Tobago Organisation of the People wrestled the two Tobago seats from the PNM. The THA elections are carded for 2013.


"That is their problem. London bridge is falling down, the writing is on the wall and surely as day follows night Ashworth Jack will become the majority leader of the THA," Persad-Bissessar said.


Jack, the political leader of the TOP, which is the Tobago arm of the five-party People's Partnership coalition, is currently the Minority Leader in the THA.


"Change is not coming to Tobago, change is already here in Tobago," Persad-Bissessar said.


Persad-Bissessar also waded into the London's grouse that the THA has no say in the appointment of State boards in Tobago.


She listed the appointment of George Stanley Beard as chairman of the Tourism Development Corporation as one example of the equitable treatment of Tobagonians in the selection for State boards. Beard is also the chairman of the TOP.


"On every State board let me tell you we have a representative of Tobago on the board," Persad-Bissessar said.


"I bet you when I come to open the long-awaited Scarborough Hospital they will object to that too. But I am putting them on warning I will come to Tobago to open the Scarborough Hospital," Persad-Bissessar said. The hospital is scheduled to be opened on November 1.


"I just want to tell you for way too long the PNM tolerated you but we want to let you know you are an integral component in the partnership," she said.


Persad-Bissesser said her frequent visits to Tobago and the fact that the two Tobago Members of Parliament (MPs) are in her Cabinet are testament to her love for Tobago.


She said of the 16 items listed in the People's Partnership 2010 general election manifesto, 11 have already been completed after only one year in office.


49
Who's responsible for procedural breaches, Mr AG?
Originally printed at http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Who_s_responsible_for_procedural_breaches__Mr_AG_-123172718.html

June 4, 2011
After his flip-flop on the National Petroleum Company (NP) contract issue at two consecutive post-Cabinet media briefings, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan is still to tell the country who or what was responsible for the long list of procedural breaches in the evaluation process leading to the award of a $40 million tractor trailer contract to Gopaul and Co Ltd.

He is also still to say whether what happened was a case of mismanagement on the part of the State-owned National Petroleum company or corruption.

The Attorney General, in a 16-page legal opinion, delivered during Thursday's live TV post-Cabinet news briefing, faulted the five-member Management Evaluation Committee (MEC) for continuing the bid process in the face of a critically flawed ITB (Invitation to Tender) document and the failure of 13 of the 14 bidders to comply with the ITB requirement for audited financial statements, among other things.

He kept his fire trained on the bid evaluation management team declaring that:

"The process adopted by the MEC was unfair and fundamentally flawed" but was silent on the role of the Neil Gosine board of directors which not only presided over the bid process but was also instrumental in overturning the decision by the previous board of directors to pursue the more cost effective buy/maintain option.

It was the Gosine Board Tenders Committee which took the decision to split the contract unevenly in favour of Gopaul and Co Attorney General Ramlogan who flip-flopped on his earlier undertaking to appoint a second probe team, opting instead to take on the role of chief investigator himself over the long Indian Arrival weekend, opined that he had "grave concerns" about NP's decision to alter the terms of the lease agreement.

He was sharply critical of the high marks given to CDS on two of the four criteria (Experience and Resource capacity) used by the MEC to assess the eligibility of the bids and cited the remarks made in the Evaluation Summary Report about the age and reliability of the existing CDS fleet as "confusing and inconsistent" when placed against the high scorecards given to CDS.

He said: "The board was entitled to take into account relevant considerations (past performance of CDS, age of fleet and maintenance issues raised) by the MEC that was not factored into the evaluation done by the MEC. The attempt by the board, however, to correct this omission in insufficient to cure the procedural flaws in the process that led to the negotiations with the two companies in question."

The Attorney General, who put up a strong defence of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's stay at the Tunapuna home of her long-time pals, Ralph and Maureen Gopaul, made no finding on the role of the Gosine board or the decision of the Gosine-chaired Board Tenders Committee to give Gopaul and Co the lion's share of the NP contract given all of procedural breaches found, including NP's failure to conduct on-site inspections of the operations of both CDS and Gopaul and Co, which operates several businesses.

Gosine has been silent on the controversial contract, his only response, a paid press advertisement.

In it, he attempts to take the Sunday Express to task for a report published in last week's edition, saying that "as chairman of the Board of NP, I have never made any unilateral decision with respect to any conclusion regarding the tender of contracts for haulage. All decisions were taken unanimously by the board of directors."

He also refuted a statement made by former NP chief executive officer Richard Callender, making clear that he has never used "his office" to influence the registration process of Gopaul and Co or anybody else. Callender, in an email response from Los Angeles had told the Sunday Express about a conversation he had had with the NP chairman.

His recollection then was at a January meeting. Callender, who returned home last week, placed the meeting to last November.

Documents obtained by the Sunday Express show Ryan Gopaul, director of Gopaul and Co, writing to NP on November 10, 2010 in a bid to get his company on NP's register of listed contractors.

Gosine, in his paid advertisement said: "At present Gopaul and Co has not been registered as a contractor for services with NP. Furthermore, checks have revealed that for the period October 2010 to date, no approval has been granted with respect to any company that has applied to NP to be a registered contractor, as all applications must go through the company's registration process."

Company sources report that the applications are all pending.

Gosine, attempting to make a connection between the Sunday Express report of Gopaul and Co making a knock on NP's door for registration as a contractor and the NP tractor contract, which was reported as two separate things, said in his paid advertisement: "It should be noted that the registration status of Gopaul and Co or any other prospective supplier has absolutely no significance on the recent tender for the lease of tractors as the tender was issued publicly. I am confident that these facts would serve to inform the public as well as any further writers on the issue."

Chairman Gosine, in a draft response to CDS's attorney Martin George which was never sent out, refuted the claims of bias and made clear: "We refute all the allegations made in your letter of May 12, 2011 and stand by our submission that the process in the tender for the 20 tractors was at all times a fair one and in total accordance with our Tenders Procedure Guide as approved by our line minister."

The draft Gosine response, dated May 13, 2011 insisted that: "A thorough and proper evaluation of the tenders received was done according to NP's Tender Procedure Guide and by virtue of due process, a company was chosen to provide NP with the requisite number of tractors."

The draft response noted: "Your client did not have the lowest bid price as you allege in your letter. We regret your information."

The Management Evaluation Report, however, ranked CDS in first place and also as the lowest bidder.

50
General Discussion / 80 % more efficient solar technology
« on: May 01, 2011, 07:55:31 AM »

WASHINGTON: The creation of a 3-D nanocone-based solar cell platform has allowed a team of scientists to boost the light-to-power conversion efficiency of photovoltaics by nearly 80 percent.

The team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Jun Xu discovered the technology substantially overcomes the problem of poor transport of charges generated by solar photons.

These charges, negative electrons and positive holes, typically become trapped by defects in bulk materials and their interfaces and degrade performance.

"To solve the entrapment problems that reduce solar cell efficiency, we created a nanocone-based solar cell, invented methods to synthesize these cells and demonstrated improved charge collection efficiency," Xu, a member of ORNL's Chemical Sciences Division , said.

The new solar structure consists of n-type nanocones surrounded by a p-type semiconductor. The n-type nanoncones are made of zinc oxide and serve as the junction framework and the electron conductor.

The p-type matrix is made of polycrystalline cadmium telluride and serves as the primary photon absorber medium and hole conductor.

With this approach at the laboratory scale, Xu and colleagues were able to obtain a light-to-power conversion efficiency of 3.2 percent compared to 1.8 percent efficiency of conventional planar structure of the same materials.

"We designed the three-dimensional structure to provide an intrinsic electric field distribution that promotes efficient charge transport and high efficiency in converting energy from sunlight into electricity," Xu said.

Key features of the solar material include its unique electric field distribution that achieves efficient charge transport; the synthesis of nanocones using inexpensive proprietary methods; and the minimization of defects and voids in semiconductors.

The latter provides enhanced electric and optical properties for conversion of solar photons to electricity.

Because of efficient charge transport, the new solar cell can tolerate defective materials and reduce cost in fabricating next-generation solar cells.

"The important concept behind our invention is that the nanocone shape generates a high electric field in the vicinity of the tip junction, effectively separating, injecting and collecting minority carriers, resulting in a higher efficiency than that of a conventional planar cell made with the same materials," Xu explained.

The research will be published in the IEEE Proceedings. The papers are titled 'Efficient Charge Transport in Nanocone Tip-Film Solar Cells' and 'Nanojunction solar cells based on polycrystalline CdTe films grown on ZnO nanocones'.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/new-solar-cell-technology-boosts-efficiency-of-photovoltaics-by-80/articleshow/8127271.cms

51
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Mystic Prowler
« on: April 19, 2011, 07:26:46 AM »
Anybody have any mp3s from this guy?

52
General Discussion / Brazilian Robocop
« on: April 15, 2011, 04:15:33 PM »


A small camera mounted on the glasses will be capable of identifying 46,000 points on a human face.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1376569/Brazilian-police-use-Robocop-style-facial-recognition-glasses-catch-hooligans-2014-World-Cup.html#ixzz1JdHb7X8k

Similar - if less advanced - technology is already used in some digital cameras on sale to the public.

Robocop: The future of law enforcement had similar facial recognition technology built into his helmet
The camera is capable of recognising 400 facial images per second and will instantly identify any matches to known criminals.

The technology calls to mind the futuristic armoury at the disposal of Robocop in the 1987 crime-fighting sci-fi classic.

If the computer system identifies a known-criminal, a small red light will become visible on a screen connected to the glasses, and transmit advice on what action is required.

The incredible piece of equipment is able to recognise a face from as far away as as 12 miles in extreme cases, but will usually be effective from around 164 foot.

It will be used at key points such as airports and bus stations to scan crowds, cutting the time it takes for officers to stop and identify suspicious individuals.

'It's something discreet because you do not question the person or ask for documents,' Major Leandro Pavani Agostini, of Sao Paulo's Military Police, told the Daily Telegraph. 

'To the naked eye two people may appear identical but with 46,000 points compared, the data will not be beaten.'

Police in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have already been privy to demonstrations of the equipment and they are to be trialled at football matches in the country in the future, before being deployed at the World Cup.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1376569/Brazilian-police-use-Robocop-style-facial-recognition-glasses-catch-hooligans-2014-World-Cup.html?ito=feeds-newsxml#

53
General Discussion / TIM CLAMPS DOWN
« on: April 07, 2011, 06:06:49 AM »
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/TIM_CLAMPS_DOWN-119375599.html

Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh has issued a directive to all principals, "with immediate effect", to cease holding any extra-curricular activities, sporting events and corporate-sponsored events during school hours. He said the schools will have to first get the Ministry of Education's approval for such events.

Gopeesingh made the announcement while addressing the closing of the National Consultation on the Primary School Curriculum at the Cascadia Hotel in St Ann's. He told stakeholders at the event that in three months last year, there were 26 holidays for various reasons, which was taking too much time away from classes. He said in order to optimise class hours, he was directing that extra-curricular events can no longer be held during school hours.

"Now, all these CEOs (chief executive officers) and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and corporate bodies and corporate entities, and all these primary schools cricket league and secondary schools cricket league and football league and so on, I have no difficulty with that. But don't take the children out of the classroom," Gopeesingh said.

"You have your competitions and so on, (but) you could manage (them) on a weekend."

Gopeesingh also announced he was putting a stop to the events organised by corporate bodies during school hours.

"All these corporate bodies who want to have a spelling bee competition here and a debating society there, and you're taking the children with the teachers out of the school time, I think that should be a thing of the past. So I have become autocratic in this respect. I have indicated that with immediate effect, probably about three weeks or four weeks ago, I ceased all of that," the minister said.

He said corporate bodies were self-serving when they hosted these events.

"This competition and that competition and taking the teachers away and taking the students away, of what benefit (is that)? We know where we are going, we know where we are in education, we know where we want to go.

"So if a corporate body wants to do something in education, they do it for their personal gain and benefit...to say 'look, this is a corporate body, and I am doing this in education,'" the Minister stated.

Gopeesingh said he will soon meet with 200 corporate bodies and NGOs to inform them of his decision. He said any school wanting to host such events in the future must get prior approval from the ministry.

"Any principal or supervisor here today, we want to ensure that whatever comes to you for application or anything, you send them to the ministry (first)," he said.

Gopeesingh said many events must now be shifted to weekends or after school hours, including the district consultations that the ministry wants to have with teachers and students.

However, Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Roustan Job, who was also at the event, said Gopeesingh was seeking to take away the discretion of principals. He said TTUTA planned to raise the issue with the minister.

"The principals are supposed to have a certain autonomy in the schools, and the minister has to tread carefully because you are going to demoralise school principals, and you can't do that. So we may have to speak to him about that," Job said.

He warned the minister that teachers would not be willing to give up their weekends to attend programmes, and the ministry should reconsider this position.

54
Football / Check this youth
« on: April 01, 2011, 09:05:09 AM »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/6ATUs0T2jig" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/6ATUs0T2jig</a>

55
General Discussion / First Lady divorces to seek power
« on: March 25, 2011, 06:49:03 AM »



Guatemala's First Lady, Sandra Torres de Colom, has confirmed that she is divorcing president Alvaro Colom so she can stand for election to succeed him.

Ms Torres fought back tears as she told Guatemalans she was leaving a loving marriage for the sake of the nation.

"I am divorcing my husband but I am getting married to the people," she said at a news conference.

Guatemala's constitution bans close relatives of the president from standing to succeed him.

The main opposition candidate for September's presidential election - former Gen Otto Perez Molina - has called the first couple's divorce electoral fraud.

Ms Torres, 51, announced her candidacy for president for the governing party earlier this month.

Difficult decision
The news that she was seeking a divorce to overcome the constitutional block on her running for office emerged on Monday, but this is the first time she has publicly confirmed it.

She said the decision, which will force the first couple to live apart, was "very difficult".

"I am not going to be the first or the last woman who decides to get a divorce, but I am the only woman to get a divorce for her country," she said.

Ms Torres is Mr Colom's third wife and is already a divorcee. They have been married for eight years.

She has played a prominent role in Alvaro Colom's presidency, supervising the government's poverty relief programmes.

Critics have alleged that she wields even more power over her husband behind the scenes.

It is not clear if the constitutional ban on relatives of the president standing to succeed him includes ex-spouses.

The final say on whether Ms Torres can stand will rest with Guatemala's Constitutional Court.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12857325

56

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12608083

German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has stepped down after he was found to have copied large parts of his 2006 university doctorate thesis.

Mr Guttenberg, considered until recently a possible candidate for chancellor, has already been stripped of his PhD.

He told a news conference that it was "the most painful step of my life".

Tens of thousands of German academics have written to Chancellor Angela Merkel complaining about his conduct.

The plagiarism scandal led to him being nicknamed Baron Cut-and-Paste, Zu Copyberg and Zu Googleberg by the German media.

But Ms Merkel had continued to stand by him, with her party facing three state elections later this month.

Mr Guttenberg told reporters in Berlin that he was relinquishing all his political offices and he thanked the chancellor for her support, trust and understanding The defence minister had been under intense pressure after it was revealed that half the pages in his doctoral dissertation mirrored word for word the work of others.
He said it was a mistake but there was widespread scepticism. Chancellor Angela Merkel was also being criticised for standing by him.

She had, she said, taken him on as a defence minister and not as a research assistant.
But her loyalty was tested when people not in the opposition questioned how he could stand in front of troops for whom he was responsible and lecture them on matters of honesty, particularly after the university that had awarded him the doctorate stripped him of it.
Mrs Merkel stood by him and now sees her efforts come to nothing.
According to Konrad Jarausch, a political scientist at the Free University in Berlin: "It's bad for Merkel and she stuck with him far too long."
Germany's Baron without a title
"I must agree with my enemies who say that I was not appointed minister for self-defence, but defence minister," he said.

"I was always ready to fight, but have to admit I have reached the limit of my strength."

The chancellor told reporters she was confident he would be able to clear up the problems surrounding his thesis and held out the prospect of his return to government.

"I am convinced that we will have the opportunity to work together again in the future, in whatever form that may take," she said, adding that the former minister had "a unique and extraordinary ability" to relate to people.

A 39-year-old aristocrat popular with the electorate, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of the chancellor's Christian Democrats.

He came under pressure after a Bremen University law professor began reviewing his 2006 thesis with the aid of the internet.

Reports emerged of a passage from a newspaper article that featured word for word, and then of a paragraph from the US embassy website being used without attribution.

Analysts then estimated that more than half the 475-page thesis had long sections lifted from other people's work.


Eventually the University of Bayreuth, which had awarded him a doctorate, decided that Mr Guttenberg had "violated scientific duties to a considerable extent".

He had already prompted opposition criticism in December for taking his TV presenter wife on a visit to German troops in Afghanistan complete with a large corps of press photographers.

 Angela Merkel has been accused of mistakenly standing by Mr Guttenberg
As his popularity began to wane Mr Guttenberg's political allies began to desert him. Parliamentary Speaker Norbert Lammert spoke of his actions as "a nail in the coffin for confidence in democracy".

For the opposition Social Democrats, Wolfgang Thierse, vice-president of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, said Chancellor Merkel had been wrong to assume that what her defence minister had done as a private individual had no bearing on his position as minister.

By Tuesday the newspaper Die Welt reported that the number of academics who had signed the letter objecting to his continued role in the government had climbed to 51,500.

One of the most blistering comments came from law professor Oliver Lepsius, who succeeded his doctoral supervisor at Bayreuth.

"We have been taken by a fraud. His brazenness in deceiving honourable university personnel was unique," he wrote.


57
General Discussion / Anti- Windy Pops
« on: February 28, 2011, 02:35:00 PM »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/XBSDZspPhqE&amp;feature=player_embedded" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/XBSDZspPhqE&amp;feature=player_embedded</a>

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12363852

58
Football / Under Armour
« on: February 28, 2011, 12:21:10 PM »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/BPV_BhHZcQ8&amp;feature=player_embedded" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/BPV_BhHZcQ8&amp;feature=player_embedded</a>

59
Football / Lucas
« on: February 13, 2011, 08:18:21 AM »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/01kzDMXKOXs&amp;feature=player_embedded#at=515" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/01kzDMXKOXs&amp;feature=player_embedded#at=515</a>

Check out number 10 (Lucas) on Brazil U20.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucas_Rodrigues_Moura_da_Silva

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/f5Z7fQSakOg&amp;feature=related" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/f5Z7fQSakOg&amp;feature=related</a>

60
General Discussion / Gas prices expected to be low until 2035
« on: February 09, 2011, 08:05:34 AM »
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/business/King__Gas_prices_expected__to_be_low_until_2035-114986214.html

January 31, 2010

With gas prices predicted to remain low for decades to come, emphasis must be placed on creating competitive on-shore businesses.


This was stated by Mary King, Minister of Planning, Economic and Social Restructuring and Gender Affairs, at the presentation of appointments to members of the Competitiveness and Innovation Council at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Port of Spain yesterday.


"Gas price (is) expected to be very low for some time given the glut of gas in the market. The International Energy Agency in the US suggests that the price may remain low until 2035," King said.


"The critical role of this council is immediate in that it has to seek measures to increase the productivity and more positively the competitiveness of our on-shore businesses," she said.


The other members of the council are Catherine Kumar, Karen de Montbrun, Richard Lewis and Francis Lewis. A council member from the trade union sector is still to be appointed


Newly-appointed chairman of the council, Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie, said the council's first priority is to improve this country's ranking on the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI).


"Given where we are and given where one of our other Caribbean islands is in terms of competitiveness I think it would be reasonable to set ourselves a mandate of trying to move us from where we are to much higher up on the competitiveness," Tewarie said.


"It should not be unreasonable for us to strive to be in the top 40 in the world as our first objective. We would then have to figure out what are the things that we need to do in order to make that possible."


The 2010-2011 GCI ranks Trinidad and Tobago at 84, while Barbados is ranked at 43.


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