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Topics - zuluwarrior

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1
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / TOBAGO JAZZ FEST
« on: April 24, 2016, 10:04:49 AM »
Any links for the Tobago Jazz Fest guys . pls would be appreciated

2
General Discussion / Black Power Anniversary
« on: April 21, 2015, 07:00:30 PM »
Know wonder people say we are a nine days wonder, today is the anniversary of the 1970 Black
 POwer revolution . This day caused changers in Trinbago  , in some other country this day would of mean something to the people .

3
General Discussion / Ramesh Ramlochan speak out
« on: April 14, 2015, 04:03:57 PM »
https://youtu.be/oaasspzLlW0         People check this out please .

5
Amputation not negligence, baby had uncommon condition...says doctor
By Susan Mohammed susan.mohammed@trinidadexpress.com
Story Created: Nov 23, 2014 at 12:02 AM ECT
Story Updated: Nov 23, 2014 at 12:02 AM ECT
THE premature baby boy whose left arm was amputated at the San Fernando General Hospital on Friday was born with an uncommon condition of having an absence of major blood vessels that supply blood to the arm.

This according to Dr Lackram Bodoe, chairman of the South-West Regional Health Authority, who also said a preliminary report did not suggest negligence on the part of doctors or nurses at the hospital.
Dr Bodoe, in an e-mail to the Sunday Express yesterday wrote: “A preliminary report from the medical team who treated this case indicated that the infant was born with an absence of the major vessels (brachial, radial and ulnar arteries) that supply blood to the arm. This is an uncommon condition which resulted in poor blood circulation in the left arm. Our team of vascular experts agreed that in the circumstances, amputation of the forearm and hand was appropriate to save the infant’s life.

The e-mail went on: “This decision was taken in conjunction with the infant’s mother and grandmother. The infant survived the surgery and anaesthetic but remains at risk due to extreme prematurity and very low birth weight. Whilst I empathise with the family on this unfortunate situation there is no evidence in this preliminary report to suggest negligence on the part of the doctors or nurses who treated the infant.”
The two-month-old baby, who is battling a fungal infection at the hospital, underwent emergency surgery on Friday to remove the left arm from the shoulder.

The procedure was necessary as the child’s vein was ruptured while being administered intravenous fluid, causing the soft tissues in his arm to die, his relatives were told.
The baby’s 16-year-old mother was not satisfied with the treatment he received at the hospital and has demanded a thorough investigation.

6
F**k It, I Quit' Anchor Explains Her Dramatic Etxi

The Huffington Post     | By Mollie Reilly

EmailPosted: 09/22/2014 1:28 pm EDT Updated: 4 hours ago


http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/f**k-it-tv-reporter-quits-on-air-to-fight-for-mariju-1637568743


+
The local news anchor who dramatically quit her job on air following a segment on marijuana, explained her exit in a YouTube video released Monday.

Charlo Greene, a reporter for Anchorage's KTVA, announced on air that she would be leaving her job at the TV station to focus on marijuana legalization in Alaska.

“Everything you've heard is why I, the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, will be dedicating all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska," she said. "And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice but, f--k it, I quit."

In the YouTube clip, Greene explained why she believes the fight for marijuana legalization in her home state is so important.

"There comes a time in each and every one of our lives where we must choose to continue to spectate or stand up for what's right," she said. "Why are Americans arrested every 37 seconds, Alaskans every 4.3 hours? Why should an aspiring someone lose their ability to earn a higher education, to become someone they were not meant to be? And why should you lose the ability to get public assistance in times of struggle and need?"

She continued: "Advocating for freedom and fairness should be everyone's duty. I'm making it my life work to uphold what America stands for truly: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, ideals that now need to be defended."

Alaskans are set to vote on Ballot Measure 2, which would legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, in November. Colorado and Washington have implemented similar legislation in the last year.

watch how the co anchor was in shock she did not know what to say .

8
My interracial marraige
...my culture ...my life

By Lorraine Waldropt-Ferguson
Story Created: Sep 5, 2014 at 11:03 PM ECT
Story Updated: Sep 5, 2014 at 11:03 PM ECT
The versatile and talented Lorraine O’Connor- the film producer’s life is like a docudrama, not a movie; it’s not fictional but as real as you would get it. With scenes in China, India and France, O’Connor’s main plot however is her beloved homeland of T&T. Interspersed with cultural mystery and a simple, yet compelling storyline of how a Trinidadian “French Creole” woman carved her name on the local and international circuit in the realms of fashion, film, music, business and the list continues.
Her risqué personality daring to peruse forbidden frontiers of race, religion and career — the mother of three is individualistic and unscripted, a unique woman — misunderstood by many but admired by a whole lot of others.

And so, we are soaking in the sunset at the Waterfront, Hyatt Regency Hotel and the charismatic O’Connor is giving me a snapshot of her life saga. Dressed in a blue, white and black African print dress and matching black shoes, the ice breaker is her simple yet trendy sense of style. “Was this your choice or did your stylist choose this?” I ask admiring the pattern on her dress.”Stylist? I don’t have a stylist darling. I chose this dress, it says a lot about my personality. Simple yet sexy, multidimensional... The patterned centre, the solid neckline, the not too short and not too long hemline... I am a woman of many worlds, my talents are contrasting but they make me who I am and believe me I have never denied who I am, I have never followed a script on life, I have and will always stay true to who I am regardless of the critics,” she opens the conversation.

I don’t know where to begin with regards to her life escapades. Shall I start with a lesson in the Chinese language? She did a Masters in Mandarin. Or her interracial marriage to videographer Selwyn Henry?
Their union continues to draw speculation and even disdain from many Trinbagonians. A white Trinidadian woman with a black Rastafarian man — I could just imagine the jeers they receive from T&T’s socially myopic audience. Perhaps I should zoom in on her trailblazing work in the cultural realm- her magical fusion of music and film through the brainchild companies of Rituals Music and Riddums Productions, her phenomenal contribution to Pamberi Steel Orchestra, her expert talent management of musical icons, 3Canal, SuperBlue and Mungal Patasar to name a few... Oh and her creations: her ground breaking documentaries Calypso Roots (her debut documentary) to her soon to be released Pan—Our Music, a t+t film festival offering where she was the line producer and her son Zion, one of the lead actors.

“Let’s begin with my childhood, shall we?” O’Connor suggests, reading my mind. Scene One — Lorraine O’Connor, a descendant from the Salvatori Family, a prominent French Creole family in a colonial coloured traditional Trinidad and Tobago. “Wait, Salvatori as in the old Salvatori Building which used to be on Frederick Street?” I ask. “Yes. My great grandfather was a Salvatori and came to Trinidad all the way from Corsica. He settled in Trinidad opening the Salvatori and Scott Cotton Company Limited at that very spot. When the store burnt down he built the famous Salvatori Building, which even in its absence today, the spot keeps its original name!”

I learn that the woman with the historical roots grew up with a single mother and strong lineage of powerful independent women- “My grandmothers and mother worked very hard to give their families a good life. Education always came first with my mom. She gave us free choice- I actually chose to study the Chinese language, which she was baffled at but encouraged me to do my best nonetheless. We left Trinidad when I was 11 years old for France. Growing up in France I became fascinated with the fashion business and a French entrepreneur who I married, having my first child, Sebastian. We had a thriving fashion business producing garments in India and retailing them in France,” informs the Fyzabad-born O’Connor whose father was an oilfield worker.
 
“How did you get into the film and culture arena?” I ask, amazed at her occupational debut. The short-haired woman smiles at my question, her engaging eyes light up as she reveals what she terms, “the best part of her story.” Her account takes me from France back to Trinidad courtesy an explorative visit with her French husband and eager circle of French film buddies who wanted to learn more about pan and Trini culture.
 
“When I came back to T&T my friends wanted to film a documentary on pan and T&T culture and we worked with the Pamberi Steelband side to do this. We even organised a European tour for the pan group after the documentary Calypso Roots, spreading the word on pan in Europe. Imagine my contacts to do the film came from an African social activist from France. And that’s the thing, I never knew Trini culture until I did the film. I got introduced to people like Brother Resistance through my African friend. It’s as if I wasn’t really a Trini until I did Calypso Roots!” The cultural entrepreneur becomes pensive as she recalls her choice to return to T&T with her family to start a new life, her pioneering work with her company Riddums Productions, the breeding ground for hot new, soca/calypso/pan compilations and her management stints with many artistes, “We had a store in the airport, The Music Store, it was very popular and successful. I enjoyed my new career path but most importantly I fell in love for the first time with T&T!”

As we sit and chat about later life scenes of her divorce from her French husband and her developmental work with Pamberi panside and pan in general, O’Connor’s tale takes an unexpected twist. It illustrates a whole new picture — a Trinidadian white woman with a thirst for adventure and discovery, her creative space is a pan yard in a back road in Port of Spain, certainly not a place for a woman of her “colour” and lineage. The people in the panyard are fascinated with her sincere love for music and culture and they are grateful for her input which places them on the map. The people in the streets, however are critical, especially when she makes the cardinal mistake of falling in love and “in life” with the equally talented six pan player and videographer, Selwyn Henry.

Her family can’t understand her interest in this black rasta man and the prying public can’t understand his interest in a “tourist whitey lookalike”. “We were teased so much, Selwyn and I, that we opted to stay home a lot and not go out into the public eye. ‘Rasta where you pick up this whitey, yuh reach!’- were the rants, and many more. I remember a man walking out of church one Sunday in west Trinidad and when he saw us he hurled some of the most degrading insults. I was amazed. I couldn’t understand how a country known for its rich diversity and integration harboured so many racist skeletons. I didn’t grow up in T&T so this racial divide between white, red and black was unknown to me. In those days I didn’t fit in anywhere but in my artsy, cultural space of the panyard. To me I wasn’t a ‘white Trinidadian woman,” I was a Trinidadian woman while everyone else drew the lines of differentiation!”
O’Connor gesticulates as she exudes that one should seek joy in everything they do and live life in the now, cherishing each moment, good or bad. An optimist, she never let the stares of scrutiny stop her beautiful relationship with her soul mate nor did she allow the contrasting colours of their skin and differing textures of their hair to become obstacles in their union which gave rise to a son and daughter who also embrace their mixed ethnicity.

The mood now of the interview is filled with reflective love as the yoga instructor and owner of Bliss Yoga Studio blushes as she reminisces on her wedding day. “We have been together for 20 years now. Selwyn and I balance each other; we are complementary opposites with a mutual passion for culture. We got married under Hindu rites; the Swami from the yoga institute where I trained did the ceremony. We rode off on a buffalo to the sweet rhythms of 3Canal, serenaded by a young boy playing a cuatro. What was so weird to others was so magical to us!” Hindu Rites? Hmmmm...O’Connor explains that she was raised a Catholic but believed that spirituality can be packaged in many forms.

“I actually baptised my first child in the Orisha faith. With the help of calypso songstress, Ella Andall, I made my way to Matura and did the ritual,” she inserts laughing at my wide-eyed astonishment. An Orisha baptism? A Chinese native tongue? And then the woman of diversity tells me that she forgot to mention yet another side to her kaleidoscopic personality- her nurturing side. Indeed, the resourceful Lorraine O’Connor is also a doula, a skill she embraced after living and learning from her grandmothers as a child. A doula with the Mamatoto Resource and Birth Centre, she expresses her desire to build a community of mindful, conscious women who love and embrace their body and their identity.
This chat is so strange, I cannot categorise my subject but then again why should I; with some of us beauty lies in the enigma of the puzzle of many pieces.
 
And, now it’s time for my last questions. “Do you get icy stares and abusive comments from Afro-Trinidadian women?” I ask this in light of the retort of many Afro-Trinidadian women that black men are “stolen away” by white women, a perceived ill in the romantic rules of race.
Responding very calmly O’Connor states that this attitude is a manifestation of hidden insecurities and she argues that women of all races should rise and feel comfortable in their skin.
 
“Trinidad and Tobago has a serious race issue which erupts from time to time. We need a roundtable for women to address their real issues which retard their development and prosperity in life,” declares the resilient woman, comfortable in her own skin.
As for her future plans in the cultural realm, in addition to her many hats, she has assumed her recent role as special projects manager, European Development to legendary soca ambassador Machel Montano, a journey which she is enjoying immensely and yet another one of films, ART CONNECT will soon be released at the t+t film festival.
 
“When will you film your own life story?” I close, impressed by the modern day empress. “Not very soon my darling, but it will be released!” she assures looking reflectively into the sunset. Uncut, real, a versatile fusion on film... a box office blockbuster...the bizarre but beautiful life of Lorraine O’Connor, stay tuned for further details.


After reading this I ask myself if  the people was racist or just jealous .

9
General Discussion / I Paid a Bribe
« on: September 07, 2014, 06:52:51 AM »
http://www.ipaidabribe.com/reports/all?page=8#gsc.tab=0


I was listening to Afra Raymond, he said this is a site people should checkout, just in case you pay a bribe you can call them out . 
 

10
General Discussion / PM, Ramadhar no show at signing of election code
« on: September 06, 2014, 07:41:59 AM »
PM, Ramadhar no show at signing of election code
 

 
Renuka Singh
Published:
Friday, September 5, 2014

Archbishop Joseph Harris is greeted by founder of ILP Jack Warner and chairman of COP Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan after the signing of a code of conduct of political parties yesterday at the archbishop’s residence, Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain. Looking on, from left, are co-ordinator of the Network of NGOs of T&T for the Advancement of Women Hazel Brown, CWU president Joseph Remy, acting chairman of the UNC Kadisha Ameen, Anglican Archbishop Claude Berkley, PNM leader Dr Keith Rowley, deputy chairman of COP Nicole Dyer Griffith and PNM chairman Franklin Khan. PHOTO: ABRAHAM DIAZ
Leader of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) David Abdulah yesterday challenged his political colleagues to verbally agree to ratify party financing in order to stop political favours to financial supporters. Abdulah’s call came after yesterday’s signing of a Code of Ethical Political Conduct by all the major political parties and civil groups. The code is the result of a union of church, state and civil groups and is expected to be used as guidelines for politicians. “We came up with a voluntary agreement before the 2015 election to address party financing, if not in general at least in campaign financing, voluntarily. It can become law sometime thereafter. It is a challenge that I am throwing out,” he said.

The charter, officiated by Archbishop Joseph Harris and co-chaired by T&T Transparency Institute head, Deryck Murray, was signed by representatives of all the major political parties at the residence of the Archbishop, Queen’s Park West yesterday. PNM leader Dr Keith Rowley, who has just returned from London, attended and signed the charter on behalf of his party as did Independent Liberal Party (ILP) leader Lyndira Oudit. Oudit, during her short contribution, criticised the absence of the leaders of the Government’s major coalition partners, the United National Congress (UNC) and the Congress of the People (COP).

Though both parties were represented, Oudit said while Rowley and Abdulah attended the important meeting, UNC leader Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and COP leader Prakash Ramadhar were noticeably absent. “What this signifies is that we are taking ownership of the governance procedure and the process of governance. We are no longer leaving it in the hands of few electives every five years,” Oudit said. She described the code as “significant.” She added: “I find it very instructive that two political leaders, while the representatives are here, I think it is instructive that at this time the significance of the political leader signing at this time would have signaled a synchronisation of genuine effort going forward.”

The five-part charter outlines a prohibited code of conduct that includes:
• No use of State resources for political campaigning.
• Not offering any inducement or reward to anyone joining a political party.
• Not use language to provoke violence or make false or defamatory allegations.

Section Three refers to the media and all parties agreed to refrain from using State advertising to induce media support and also to ensure that all parties participated in at least two live, televised public debates. Each of the represented parties will nominate one member which will form a council. Those nominees are expected to be named by September 26 when Archbishop Harris returns to T&T. The council is expected to oversee and enforce the code.

News

11
General Discussion / Blind Welfare workers ‘hijack’ CEO’s SUV
« on: September 03, 2014, 08:09:28 PM »

Wednesday, September 03, 2014
Trinidad & Tobago Guardian Online

 


Blind Welfare workers ‘hijack’ CEO’s SUV
 

 
Rhondor Dowlat
Published:
Wednesday, September 3, 2014

T&T Blind Welfare Association member Darryl Joseph sits on the SUV used by CEO Kenneth Surat as he and other workers continued their protest yesterday over unpaid wages at the association’s Duke Street, Port-of-Spain, headquarters. PHOTO: RISHI RAGOONATH

Police were called to the T&T Blind Welfare Association’s Port-of-Spain headquarters yesterday, after protesting workers refused to allow chief executive access to his Xtrail SUV. More than a dozen blind workers held the vehicle to ransom on the compound in protest of chief executive officer Kenneth Surat’s failure to organise their two forthnightly salaries, which had been due since August 8.

The SUV belongs to the association but is being used by Surat. As such, he could not access it when he was ready to leave. The salaries range from $1,250 to $1,700 a worker and there are more than 55 workers at the TTBWA. The workers, who have been camping out at the building since Thursday, reiterated that they were taking the sit-in action because they had no money to go to their respective homes, take care of their families or even buy water to drink.

Members of the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers Trade Union, which represents them, were present overseeing the protest. Speaking with reporters, ATSGWTU president general Nirvan Maharaj said he asked Surat for leniency to the workers and to understand their plight. Instead, Maharaj said Surat went to the Central Police Station shortly after 5 pm and made a report against the workers.

The police arrived at the compound shortly afterwards but took no action. Instead, they stood close by and looked on as the blind workers sang as they formed a human barricade around the vehicle. Branch security representative Joseph Vautor-La Placeliere (Lingo), a former national extempo champion, vowed to go down fighting for the rights of his co-workers and himself.


The blind peolpe have more belly that Trini who can see.

12
General Discussion / FREEZE ON PENSION HIKE
« on: June 26, 2014, 04:11:58 AM »
FREEZE ON PENSION HIKE
By ANDRE BAGOO Wednesday, June 25 2014



« prev photo next photo »
A FREEZE on plans to hike MPs and judges pensions was yesterday proposed by Government.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, in a statement, said Government is willing to hold back legislation on MPs and judges pension reforms until scrutiny by a Parliament Committee in light of objections being raised. But she said it would be for the Senate to decide if this course of action is taken.

In a statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister at 2.25 pm, while the Senate was in session, the Prime Minister stated this position was being taken consistent with a policy of allowing all views to be aired before taking a position.

The Senate was geared for a vote on the Retiring Allowances (Legislative) Amendment Bill 2013 and the Judges Salaries and Pensions (Amendment) Bill, 2013, when the Prime Minister issued a statement.

“There have been strong objections in some quarters to the Bills,” the Prime Minister said. “Consistent with my policy of always allowing views to be ventilated and decisions arrived at after such due consideration the government’s current position would be not to proceed with approving the Bills until all perspectives and opinions are ventilated.”

She observed that, “The Senate debate on the said Bills which commences today (yesterday) will allow for some of these perspectives and opinions to be ventilated.” Persad-Bissessar said the Government is willing to refer the matter to a Parliament Committee should the Senate so resolve.

“Yet further the government expresses its willingness to accept and adhere to recommendations made by the Senate Select Committee,” she said. The Prime Minister said the State must act in the interest of all.

“At the end of the day, the national interest is what must be served,” she said adding however, that both bills were passed unanimously in the House of Representatives. “It is rare that Government and the Opposition ever agree on anything,” Persad-Bissessar said. “The Judges Salaries and Pensions (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and the Retiring Allowances (Legislative) Amendment Bill 2013 were passed in the House with the full support of the Opposition.”





She further noted the Retired Judges Association had also come out in full support of the said Bill which impacts their representative group.

The Prime Minister did not specify which concerns had prompted the Government’s row-back.

The MPs pension bill increases retirement allowances for MPs — in some cases tripling it; widens the scheme to include the unelected Senators; makes it easier to qualify for an allowance and introduces, for the first time, a “termination benefit” for MPs voted out of office after a general election.

The judges pension legislation increases the proportion of base pay used to calculate the pension benefit but it also widens the allowances that must be included in the base for the purpose of the calculation.

The effect is almost a doubling of the pension which, for example, would see the Chief Justice’s pension move from $50,350 to $93,223.

The bill also provides that when a sitting Judge, retired Judge, a sitting Chief Justice or retired Chief Justice dies and leaves behind a widow, the widow is paid the annual sum of 85 percent of his pensionable emoluments (rather than one-quarter) or a monthly pension of $3,000, whichever is greater.

The Bill also provides that whenever judge’s salaries or pensionable allowances increase, widows are also entitled to have their pensions recalculated as though the judge was still in that office or retired from that office. The judges pension legislation, as well as the MPs pension legislation, heads to the Senate.

Prior to the statement, the Government Whip in the Senate Ganga Singh, yesterday stated the Senate was due to sit “late” into the night to debate both matters, which had been handled in the House of Representatives concurrently late at night on Black Friday.

Concerns were later raised by some lawyers over whether raising pensions through amending existing judges pensions infringed the role of the Salaries Review Commission and the separation of powers. There were reports that the SRC met and sought an audience with President Anthony Carmona on the issue.

Others — such as former SRC member Kenneth Lalla – have also stated the move to raise MP retirement allowances and introduce a termination benefit is “self-serving.”

In a letter to the editor published in yesterday’s edition of Newsday, former civil servant Reginald Dumas and senior counsel Martin Daly both called for “interim” measures to be implemented to deal with retired judges and criticised the self-serving nature of the MP pensions hike.

“What possible impact on our institutions, our economy and our democracy might there be as a result of this decision by persons whom we elected to serve us and who are now seen as serving themselves at our expense, and, moreover, to be doing so to the exclusion of persons similarly circumstanced?” both asked in the joint letter.

They further stated, “Given the constitutional position of the Salaries Review Commission, we strongly urge that the legislature should limit its intervention to the extent that interim provisions designed to take care of the needs of the directly affected persons - former judges, magistrates, parliamentarians, public officers, etc. and their surviving spouses or co-habitants - on clearly defined bases such as length of service, the effect of cost of living over a defined period and compassionate need arising out of illness.”

The letter was copied to all members of the Senate.

Daly yesterday stated, “It is important that both sides are prepared to pause”. He said the move showed how serious the issues raised were. President of the Retired Judges Association Justice Zainool Hosein yesterday said the association would hold a meeting on Thursday afternoon at 2pm at the Hall of Justice.

“We shall issue a statement thereafter if necessary,” he said. The senate was still in session up until last evening dealing with the committee stage of unrelated planning legislation.




13
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Kes the Bnd
« on: June 11, 2014, 06:13:30 PM »
Sat 08/02
6:00 PM
Kes the Band, KIT Prospect Park Bandshell (Celebrate Brooklyn)
All Ages
FREEmore info »

14
General Discussion / Foreign exchange woes ‘a timing issue’
« on: June 09, 2014, 05:18:06 PM »
Foreign exchange woes ‘a timing issue’
By Carla Bridglal
Story Created: Jun 4, 2014 at 1:14 AM ECT
Story Updated: Jun 4, 2014 at 1:14 AM ECT
As business groups continue to call for a resolution to the tightness in the foreign exchange market, Bankers’ Association president Larry Nath is advising customers to keep checking in with their banks.
In a telephone interview with the Express yesterday, Nath said the difficulty some customers were having getting cash at commercial banks was a “timing issue”.
 
He advised customers to check back ever so often with their banks, especially since foreign exchange sourced from conversions by energy companies especially was beginning to come into the system, as these companies prepare to pay taxes (June 30 is a tax end).
Nath noted their exchange of foreign currency into local currency will start to flood the market.
“If you go to the bank and can’t get (foreign exchange) that day, stay in contact with the bank because the supply is coming in,” he said.
 
He acknowledged there had been rumours of foreign-exchange hoarding, and said while that may have initially been the case, with the Central Bank’s intervention (US$610 million for the first five months of the year), the situation had improved with a better balance of demand and supply.
Nevertheless, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce and the Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce are asking for a statement from the Central Bank, commercial banks and the Ministry of Finance explaining the difficulty their members face attemp­ting to acquire foreign exchange.

“We certainly believe that these injections have resulted in some reduction in the current queue for US dollar demand; however, even today we have continued to hear from our members and the wider business community on how the continued shortage of foreign exchange has affected business opera­tions in Trinidad and Tobago,” the chamber said in a statement on Monday night.

“The T&T Chamber wants to continue to encourage discussions and dialogue to find solutions to the foreign exchange issue. We want to ensure that any system put in place will alleviate what is a growing challenge for our private sector, and, by extension, the wider community,” said chamber chief executive Catherine Kumar.

The Chaguanas Chamber also said in a release yesterday that despite assurances from Minister of Finance Larry Howai and Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran that there is no shortage of foreign currency, its members continue to be frustrated as they are unable to obtain US dollar funding in both uncollateralised and collateralised markets.

“Given that for many businessmen, lost time equates to money lost, it is disappointing that after queuing in line for more than an hour, businessmen are told that the transaction cannot be concluded due to the unavailability of foreign currency.

“Most businessmen have to opt for much lower sums than requested, invariably affecting their credit rating with suppliers in the US and as far as China,” the Chaguanas Chamber said.
The quantity of foreign exchange in the commercial banking system (from customer deposits) is about US$4 billion. The overall demand is about US$6 billion—a difference of US$2 billion that is usually picked up by the Central Bank.


Why everything this UNC government touch turn to gold.

15
General Discussion / Grieving mom wants answers
« on: June 03, 2014, 04:39:39 AM »
Grieving mom wants answers
Girl, 5, drowns in pool after swim class
Published:
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Jensen La Vende
 
Text Size: 

Jemilia Forde, mother of five-year-old Jemimah Agard (inset), is comforted by Alisha Richardson, left and Porsha Lewis, right, at her home after learning of the child’s death yesterday. Agard, a pupil of Sharon’s Nursery School, Woodbrook, drowned in the YMCA pool in Port-of-Spain after a swimming class. PHOTO:ABRAHAM DIAZ
Two children are now dead after they both drowned in separate instances between yesterday and Sunday. One of the two children, Jemimah Agard, five, drowned moments after a swimming lesson at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) pool at Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain. Her mother, Jemilia Forde, and family are now seeking answers form those responsible for supervising the child during the activity. According to police reports, Agard, of Rose Hill, Laventille, a pupil of Sharon’s Nursery School, Woodbrook, was part of a class which went to the YMCA for swimming lessons between 9 am and 10 am. After the class ended and the children went to change, little Jemimah reportedly asked to use the toilet and was allowed to do so. After some time the teachers noticed the child missing and began searching for her.
 
She was found at the bottom of the pool in the deep end and was fished out and given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before being rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where she died. In a brief interview with CNC3 yesterday, a relative of the child, Psyche Baptiste, said doctors tried to everything they could for over 20 minutes to revive her but were unsuccessful.
She said a teacher told her the children were out of the pool and Jemimah went to use the washroom. She said no one was sure if the child entered the pool before she went to the bathroom as she had defecated in the pool. Baptiste added: “Nobody thought to look in the pool and when they did look in the pool they found her at the bottom of the pool.“She turned five on May 2. That could have been anyone’s child, even mine. She was her mother’s only daughter, right now her mother thinks she has nothing to live for.”
 
She said the family had been offered counselling but she said they hoped there were closed circuit cameras to capture what happened so the family could at least have closure. She described the child in one word, “loving”, adding that the family’s life would no longer be the same. “We want answers. What happened? Why was she left alone to go to the washroom unsupervised? No answer could suffice, at least we should get closure,” she said. In the second death, 23-month-old Kriston Obadele Gonzales died after he wandered into a man-made pond in the family’s yard on Sunday. (See other story)
 
Speaking at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday, relatives of the child, who wished not to be identified, told the media the boy ran out the house when a door was left open and went into the pond. The relatives said around 1.45 pm no one had noticed the child had wandered outside. They added that none of the children at the Alexis Street, Mayaro, home was allowed in the pond. “He was a very nice child, the most loving thing you would ever meet, very intelligent. His parents couldn’t come today. They couldn’t handle it. He was the first and only boy with five sisters,” the relatives added.



What the fack is going on in this country every thing is going the round way .
 

16
Rumours of war, weapons of war
By Raffique Shah
Story Created: May 17, 2014 at 7:56 PM ECT
Story Updated: May 17, 2014 at 7:56 PM ECT
 
 Maybe he does not realise it, but by his untimely utterances and seemingly panicked posturing, National Security Minister Gary Griffith is fuelling fear among the populace.
Last Friday, according to news reports, rumours of an imminent coup triggered a virtual self-evacuation of Port of Spain, leading to the early closure of some businesses and traffic jams on roads leading out of the capital city.

Now, the minister had nothing to do with the prank call or Internet posting that prompted the panic. However, two weeks ago, in the wake of the murder of Dana Seetahal, Griffith announced that the country was on “orange alert”. Before that, no one, maybe not even the security forces, knew that there existed a colour-coded system of threats to national security.

Even if the National Security Council instituted such codes, why alert the public to them? And what in Dana’s murder posed a threat to national security? As far as we know, the killers did not follow up their clinical hit with threats or attempts on the lives of other judicial or state officials.
Such alarmist language served only to make people jittery.

Even as he assures the nation that “another 1990 (attempted coup) will not happen under my watch”, Griffith is undermining the very confidence among the population that he seeks to instil.
Again, according to recent reports, the minister is quoted as confirming that Cabinet has purchased 20 armoured SUVs and 15 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) for the security forces. What madness is this? Who advised Cabinet to spend US $50 million (my estimate) on war-zone equipment that we do not need?
Is Cabinet convinced that the crime situation in Trinidad has reached the levels of violence that are commonplace in Kabul, Baghdad or Belfast?

APCs are fearsome-looking military vehicles. They resemble tanks, only they do not carry guns as huge as the 120 mm pack howitzer. They are usually armed with 360-degrees, swivel-mounted medium machine guns that pack immense firepower. They carry eight to ten troops, who are protected by armour from rifle and machine gun fire.

One APC, operating with full fire and force in a crime “hot spot” like John John or Bagatelle, can literally level a cluster of maybe 100 houses, killing or maiming hundreds of people, in, say, fifteen minutes. Is that what we want to see in this country?

I know there are many who would respond with a resounding, “Yes!” With crime being endemic, and violence rising to almost epidemic proportions, the majority of people want an end to it—by any means necessary.
But trust me, as someone who trained with APCs, tanks, helicopter gunships and such powerful armaments, you don’t want to go there. There is no turning back, no return to normality once you militarise a country with such firepower.

Look, I am fed up with the crime and criminals and I want to see some semblance of sanity in my country. Our problem in fighting crime is not a lack of firepower—Minister Griffith knows that. Our weakness is in gathering and utilising intelligence, in tracking and trapping the perpetrators, and in bringing them to justice swiftly.

Allow me to do a mini-balance sheet of current firepower. The criminals are armed mostly with semi-automatic pistols that they use indiscriminately. They don’t shoot a victim with two or three rounds: they fire 20 to 30...they empty their magazines. This suggests not only are they poor shots (invariably, they shoot from point blank range), but they must have vast supplies of ammunition.

The police have found a few rifles (mainly AK-47s and AR-15s), and a few sub-machine guns (Uzis, Tech-9s). There is no evidence that these weapons have been used routinely by criminals.
In contrast, the police are armed with the best pistols, sub-machine guns and rifles, which they are trained to use. The armed forces have all of the above plus light and medium machine guns, anti-tank weapons, grenades, mortars and explosives.
In other words, our law-enforcement and other agencies far out-man and out-gun the criminals. They do not need armoured vehicles or APCs as additional firepower. What they need is accurate intelligence that will enable them to identify the culprits and go after them with their current firepower—either bringing them in or taking them out.

Clearly, the weak link in fighting crime is, and has always been, poor gathering of intelligence and the reluctance of agencies so commissioned to share information. I had thought that with the advent of the National Operations Centre, equipped as it is with the most advanced technology, the criminals’ long runwould come to an end.

Two weeks after Dana’s death, I feel less confident. Worse, with Minister Griffith’s alarmist actions, I wonder if we might be entering a new phase of the war, this time with camouflage-coloured APCs rumbling through our streets, with heavy, indiscriminate fire pouring from real weapons of war.

Little wonder there is disquiet among the populace, and there are rumours of war. As a presumably competent Sandhurst-trained officer, Captain Griffith must take the tactical high ground from where he can strike effectively and decisively against the enemy...end of story.
 
Mods if there is a Raffique Shah thread please link this with it .
 

17
Medical records at St Ann’s hospital damaged by fire
Thursday, May 15 2014

An early morning fire at St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital has damaged medical records of patients and other records pertaining to the business of the institution.

“We have to find out what went on,” Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan told reporters yesterday morning when asked about its origins.

He spoke to the media at yesterday’s commissioning of a ramp at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.

The fire occurred about one month after requests for records of the purchase of all medical equipment over the past four years were made, a source at the hospital told Newsday yesterday.

The fire, which reportedly started in the medical records department affected patients in Ward 5.

“Thankfully no one was hurt,” Khan said. Patients in Ward 5, who are supposed to be mobile, have been moved to other sections of the facility. “I understand that three patients have left,” he said.

A staffer at the hospital told Newsday that the fire which started at about 12.45 am affected mainly the medical stores records.

“The records were burnt. It was not an electrical fire. Electricity was restored to the building early in the morning and the fire service are still investigating,” he said.

The fire occurred, he said, after the legal department of the North West Regional Health Authority sent a letter to the hospital requesting copies of all transactions of medical equipment that were ordered over the past four years, the quantity that were ordered and the present location and status of the equipment.

“That is what is strange about that fire,” he said.

Of interest, he said, was that the hospital’s electroencephalogram (EEG) machine, which was used to evaluate the electrical activity in the brain, was not functioning and its parts had been cannibalised.

The fire took place on the floor below Ward 8 which is currently under renovation, and where no patient was being accommodated. Ward 5, which suffered mainly from being water logged due to the efforts of the TT Fire Service to contain the blaze from spreading to other parts of the facility, is located opposite the area where the medical records were stored.   

According to Khan some medical records were damaged and they have to be replaced by asking patients about their medical history.

He has been speaking, he said with the Policy Department in the Ministry of Health about creating duplicate records which will allow patients to have one set to take home.

At present, too, he said that the ministry was in the process of seeking to establish an electronic health records system.

A team from the ministry leaves for London today to look at the electronic system in place for health information management, he said.

18
General Discussion / MERS makes first U.S. appearance, in Indiana
« on: May 14, 2014, 02:29:37 PM »
MERS makes first U.S. appearance, in Indiana
By Elizabeth Landau, CNN
updated 11:01 AM EDT, Mon May 5, 2014
Watch this video
First U.S. case of MERS confirmed
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The patient is a health careprovider who traveled to Saudi Arabia
MERS coronavirus was first reported in 2012 in the Middle East
Saudi officials have noted a recent spike in cases
 
(CNN) -- The first U.S. case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus has been reported in Indiana, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

The patient is a health-care provider who recently traveled to Saudi Arabia to provide health care, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general with the U.S. Public Health Service and director for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

The person, an American male, traveled on April 24 from Riyadh to London, then to Chicago, and took a bus to Indiana, officials said. He began experiencing shortness of breath, coughing, and fever on April 27, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.

The patient was admitted to Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana, on April 28, the same day he visited the emergency department there, the health department said. He has been isolated and is in stable condition. He is receiving oxygen support, but does not require a ventilator, Schuchat said.
 Saudi officials see spike in MERS virus Health workers infected with coronavirus Gupta: MERS outbreak linked to camels Killer coronavirus in the Middle East
MERS: 5 things to know
The virus poses a "very low risk to the broader general public," Schuchat said, as it has not been shown to spread easily from person to person.

The CDC and the Indiana State Department of Health are conducting a joint investigation into the case, according to a CDC statement. The CDC confirmed Indiana test results on Friday.
"The CDC, IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health) and CDPH (Chicago Department of Public Health) do not consider passengers on the flight or bus to be close contacts of the patient and therefore are not at high risk," said Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck, director of the IDPH.

Passengers on the same plane and bus as the patient will be contacted by the CDC as a precautionary measure, starting Saturday, the Illinois statement said. If the CDC identifies ill individuals with possible MERS-CoV, it will notify health officials in Chicago and Indiana.
"There is no reason to suspect any current risk to travelers or employees at O'Hare Airport at this time," said CDPH commissioner Bechara Choucair.
The coronavirus, known as MERS-CoV, was first reported in the Middle East -- specifically, the Arabian Peninsula -- in 2012.
Laboratory testing has confirmed 262 cases of the coronavirus in 12 countries, including the Indiana case, Schuchat said. Ninety-three people have died.

So far, all MERS cases have been linked to six countries on or near the Arabian Peninsula, Schuchat said.
The Saudi Ministry of Health has reported 339 cases, and said nearly a third of those have died. Not all of the Saudi cases have been confirmed by the World Health Organization.
"The MERS virus is of grave concern because of the virulence," Schuchat said. But, she added, "We're not yet aware of confirmed sustained community transmission."

Late last month, Saudi officials noted a spike in new cases.
The CDC has expected MERS to come to the United States, Schuchat said. "We have been preparing for this."
However, "The introduction of MERS-CoV is another reminder that diseases are just a plane ride away," she said.

Opinion: Why MERS virus is so scary
MERS-CoV comes from the same group of viruses as the common cold and attacks the respiratory system, according to the CDC. Symptoms, which include fever, cough and shortness of breath, can lead to pneumonia and kidney failure.

The CDC has issued general precautions such as frequent hand-washing, avoiding close contact with infected people, avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, and disinfecting surfaces that are frequently touched.
Pediatricians should ask about where young patients with high fever and respiratory symptoms have traveled, Schuchat said.

"Young children often have fever and respiratory symptoms, but the key here is: Was there a history of travel within the past 14 days to the Arabian Peninsula, or contact with someone? ... They should alert their clinician about that travel or contact," Schuchat said.
Currently, the CDC does not recommend changing travel plans because of the virus, Schuchat said.
No one knows exactly how this virus originated, but evidence is emerging implicating camels. In a recently published study in mBio, researchers said they isolated live MERS virus from two single-humped camels, known as dromedaries. They found multiple substrains in the camel viruses, including one that perfectly matches a substrain isolated from a human patient.

The same group of researchers reported in February that nearly three-quarters of camels in Saudi Arabia tested positive for past exposure to the MERS coronavirus.
MERS mystery: Virus found in camels
Although many of the cases have occurred on the Arabian Peninsula, people have died of the infection elsewhere, including in European countries and Tunisia in North Africa. Egypt reported its first case on April 26, according to the WHO.

Limited human-to-human transmission of the disease has also occurred in other countries -- meaning some people who traveled to the Middle East gave the virus to others.
Officials are not aware of any other confirmed U.S. cases, Schuchat said, adding it's too early to assume no one else is ill. An active investigation is underway.
CNN's Miriam Falco, Caleb Hellerman and Ashley Hayes contributed to this report.


This virus is now in 18 Countries  I wonder if the Health ministe rof Trinbago is aware of this.

19
General Discussion / Disciples of Satan at the gates of justice
« on: May 13, 2014, 01:40:09 PM »
Disciples of Satan at the gates of justice
Published:
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Helen Drayton
 
Text Size: 
In Paradise Lost, John Milton opened his epic poem with Satan and a band of fallen angels chained in hell to a lake of fire. The dissident angels, led by Beelzebub, free themselves and they plan to fly to a land of abundant mineral resources.
 
 
Their quest is to wage war against God, so Beelzebub suggests to his boss–Satan—they must corrupt God’s most novel creation—mankind. Satan decides he’ll lead the way, and off he goes. At the gates of hell he meets his two children, Sin and Death, who decide to accompany their father and build a bridge between Hell and Earth. But first, they must get through the sun, so Satan disguises as a cherub to mislead the archangel guarding the sun, then he and his gang begin to travel through Night and Chaos.
 
It is at this point Milton’s poem is paraphrased into a local tale because his devils are masters of disguise and similar to the local folklore character Anansi Krokoko. So in disguise, the evil gang found a place that could be paradise, except that tragedy upstages controversy after controversy.
 
There they have set up headquarters called Mayhem–akin to Milton’s Pandemonium–from where they design plans to remove any citizen who stands in their path. They are among protectors, defenders, gang and drug lords, ammunition dealers and money launderers. They are within prison walls.


I was thinking to add this to the PM OR AG thread.

20

Hundreds Of Young Girls Kidnapped In Nigeria And Forced To Marry Extremists
nigeriakidnappedgirlsextremists

Scores of girls and young women kidnapped from a school in Nigeria are being forced to marry their Islamic extremist abductors, a civil society group reported Wednesday.

Parents say the girls are being sold into marriage to Boko Haram militants for 2,000 naira ($12), Halite Aliyu of the Borno-Yobe People’s Forum told The Associated Press. She said the parents’ information is coming from villagers in the Sambisa Forest, on Nigeria’s border with Cameroon, where Boko Haram is known to have hideouts.

“The latest reports are that they have been taken across the borders, some to Cameroon and Chad,” Aliyu said. It was not possible to immediately verify the reports.

The Nigerian government needs to get international help to rescue the more than 200 missing girls kidnapped in the northeast by the Boko Haram terrorist network two weeks ago, said a federal senator for the area in northeastern Nigeria. The government must do “whatever it takes, even seeking external support to make sure these girls are released,” Sen. Ali Ndume said. “The longer it takes the dimmer the chances of finding them, the longer it takes the more traumatized the family and the abducted girls are.”

About 50 of the kidnapped girls managed to escape from the captors in the first days after their abduction, but some 220 remain missing, according to the principal of the Chibok Girls Secondary School, Asabe Kwambura. They are between 16 and 18 years old and had been recalled to the school to write a physics exam.

The mass kidnapping came hours after a massive explosion in Abuja, the capital in the center of the country, killed at least 75 people and wounded 141.

The failure to rescue the girls is a massive embarrassment to Nigeria’s government and the military,  already confronted by mounting criticism over its apparent inability to curb the 5-year-old Islamic uprising despite having draconian powers through an 11-month state of emergency in three northeastern states covering one-sixth of the country.

The military trumpets a success in its “onslaught on terrorists” but then the extremists step up the tempo and deadliness of their attacks. More than 1,500 people have been killed in the insurgency so far this year, compared to an estimated 3,600 between 2010 and 2013.

Jonathan, who is from the predominantly Christian south of Nigeria, has been accused of insensitivity to the plight of people in the north, who are mainly Muslims.

The military’s failure to rescue the girls also highlights that large parts of northeastern Nigeria remain beyond the control of the government. Until the kidnappings, the air force had been mounting near-daily bombing raids since mid-January on the Sambisa Forest and mountain caves bordering Chad.

Aliyu said that in northeastern Nigeria “life has become nasty, short and brutish. We are living in a state of anarchy.”

She said she will be among women marching in Abuja on Wednesday to protest the failure to rescue the kidnapped girls



Ihope the US will send a couple drones to blow the extremists to hell where they belong.

21
General Discussion / The Trinbagonian Mentality: We Like It So
« on: May 06, 2014, 07:15:03 AM »
Written by Bhiha Amarsingh




In 1981, the Mighty Sparrow launched a song called “We like it so (Steal Beam)”. He sang about all the


abominations we Trinbagonians have contended with from dawn to dusk, and his lyrics included a few things, which you’ll agree, we’ve become accustomed to, but still find annoying. He sang:




“Yuh pipe eh have no water… yuh pay too much for butter

Agriculture is in a state… planning is inadequate

Hospitals have no linen… is brown paper they using

Bribery and corruption… controlling every decision

We grieving with frustration… through mal-administration

Take yuh steal beam and go.”

The punchline chiming in at the end of each verse was: “We know… we like it so… we free.”


Hmmm… not very promising. In fact, this doesn’t sound much different from the complaints we’ve been hearing over the past few years or even today for that matter. Why are we still grappling with the same issues? Here’s a thought – OUR MENTALITY! Yep, I said it, and guess what? It’s time to hold ourselves accountable.

Somehow, for the past 50 years, we’ve managed to propagate, from one generation to the next, the kind of mentality that has enabled the never-ending saga of the problems our country faces. Yes, I agree we’ve progressed commercially, but not as a people – not in the way a nation stands together when it wants to affect change. Why is that?

In the days of Dr. Eric Williams’ leadership, it was reported that the former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, during a visit to Trinidad, said that T&T could not progress because of our “Carnival mentality”, a term now coined often enough to describe Trinbagonians and our ways. This statement was hard to ignore, and you could well imagine my indignation after reading it. Moments later, though, I found myself contemplating the truth of his words.

In fact, Kuan Yew wasn’t the only one to dub Trinbagonians as having a Carnival culture. The University of the West Indies did a study, “Recognition of Cultural Behaviours in Trinidad and Tobago”, in 2004, which listed ‘Carnival mentality’, as one of the characteristics of cultural behaviours in T&T.

It stated that the “Carnival mentality was seen as having two dimensions: during Carnival season and outside the carnival period”. Outside of the Carnival season, this mentality manifested into a “non-stop, party mentality” that was practised throughout the year, where every event or occasion was treated as an excuse “to lime or party”. It was also seen as having filtered into the workplace (surprise, surprise) “where individuals have a very slack, laid back or ‘don’t give a damn’ attitude towards work”.

So, have we been enablers of our problems in T&T because of a “Carnival mentality”? Let’s look at how things work.

Here, everyting is ah small ting – rules included. The general mentality dictates that everything miserable in Trinidad and Tobago has become an accepted way of existence – everything from days without water in certain parts of the country to the dilapidated state of our roads, the corruption in our system, wanton littering and disregard for the environment, poor customer service, and, let’s not forget, our high crime rate. What was Sparrow’s take on it again? “We know, but we like it so. We free.”

As a Trini, I cannot deny the truth in this ‘Carnival mentality’ debate; but having said that, I also have to acknowledge the fact that there are many intelligent Trinbagonians who are hard working and more than dedicated to their jobs. Still, dis eh no Disneyland, and my name is not Mickey Mouse. So, I decided to get some more insight.

Where does this aspect of our mentality or behaviour come from? A friend told me that the problem was not our mentality; the problem was our culture. According to him, “Today, it’s a very selfish, inconsiderate and take what you can get culture, compounded by the fact that we just don’t like to follow rules”. This, by the way, is behaviour our leaders have gotten away with… for how many decades now?

As much as I may agree with this outlook, I wondered about other possible explanations, so I dug deeper, all the way into our colonial days. It was here I discovered a new term used to describe our Trinbagonian ways – ‘colonial mentality’, which refers to the deep-rooted results of forced submission, and the effect it has had on the psyche of its victims.

I suppose anything would be better than forced submission, and breaking social and legal rules, thus opposing our colonial masters, brought us closer to freedom. Those acts of defiance at the time were not only seen as okay, but necessary for survival.

Unfortunately, though, we’ve ignored the greater lesson, which is that breaking rules during our colonial days served its purpose then, for survival, and ultimately freedom. Decades later, this mentality is outdated; yet, we’ve continued to successfully pass it on from one generation to the next. Instead of breaking the rules, we should have broken the submission that would have enabled us to push for change and adherence to rules, thus bringing about progress in T&T.

And so here we stand today at the pit of the cesspit of all places, having to contend with the mess that we’ve created because of our continued submission, ‘is ah small ting’ attitude, total defiance of rules and our Carnival/colonial mentality, paralleled with decades of leadership that could only be dreamt up in some cartoon chronicle.

Our existence today is similar to that of our colonial days. We’re still focused on survival. Surviving in our homes with our burglar proofing. Surviving the dilapidated roads and the insane drivers on it. Surviving for days without water in some parts of the country. Surviving the rude mentality in many of our businesses and Government agencies, and surviving in a country with one of the highest kidnapping and murder rates in the world!

What we have is a country that is more than capable of greatness, but the only thing holding us back is our approach to change and challenges. Yuh know, that thing that people say separates the “First World” from the “Third World”? For some, the change in the Government last year brought about a sense of hope, but folks change eh go happen if the people are not on board. And for the people to be on board, there needs to be a shift in our mentality – one that seeks to enhance our country and not drag us further down into an abyss of hopelessness.

Trinbagonians may want to reconsider their ideas on attitude because this current Carnival/colonial Trinbagonian mentality comes at a great price and as a people, we should be far more powerful now. I’ve seen some Trinbagonians demonstrate the kind of mentality that it takes to bring about change. Unfortunately, as with everything in life, when the numbers are low… so is the impact.

It’s time we ask ourselves some questions and provide solutions to the answers. We’ve been our own masters for the past 50 years, with the ability to set new standards and follow the rules we’ve established, but somehow we’ve remained slaves to acceptance. Bob Marley was only 35 when he echoed the words, “emancipate yourselves from mental slavery”, which are still so pertinent today.

We keep saying that change starts with ‘the people’, but when and how can we significantly improve our mentality as a nation, and translate it into real, tangible action? Or is that, when it comes to progress, it doesn’t matter how long it takes, ‘cause we like it so’?

24
General Discussion / Don’t play with Ebola Virus
« on: April 28, 2014, 01:29:56 PM »
Don’t play with Ebola
Published:
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
 
Text Size: 
The Ebola virus, first discovered in 1976, is one of the most terrifying viruses known to modern medical science. Believed to have made the jump from animals to humans it is a deadly illness with a fatality rate of 90 per cent.
 
The Ministry of Health is entirely correct to proceed with an excess of caution in raising concerns and increasing the alert status of port health officials regarding the potential threat of the Ebola virus disease. With more than 200 cases reported in West Africa and a startlingly high percentage originating in Guinea, where 168 cases include 108 that have resulted in death, improving screening at all the country’s ports of entry is simply good sense.
According to Dr Clive Tilluckdharry, the government has ordered “strict monitoring,” and clearly communicating its mission will go some distance in improving the public’s reaction to the inevitable slowdowns that result when entering Trinidad and Tobago. The Ebola virus, first discovered in 1976, is one of the most terrifying viruses known to modern medical science. Believed to have made the jump from animals to humans it is a deadly illness with a fatality rate of 90 per cent. Severely ill patients can only be placed on supportive care. There is no vaccine that works on Ebola.
 
http://www.guardian.co.tt/digital/new-members
To read the full article, please sign-in or signup for your Free Trial of the Digital Guardian.
No payment details required, for your Free Trial.
 

25
General Discussion / Vicious,Brutal,Sadistic
« on: April 23, 2014, 05:13:05 PM »
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,193733.html


Did any of you guys see this on Facebook ? I saw it ,  If this was my daughter i do not know what i might have done .

Is either we spare the rod and spoil the child or bend the tree when it is young .

27
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Smooth Jazz
« on: March 27, 2014, 06:55:01 PM »
http://www.sky.fm/play/smoothjazz247 

For the muzik lovers cool and relaxin muzik this is me here.

http://www.sky.fm/play/uptemposmoothjazz .


28
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / wackradio / Sprang ah lang
« on: February 03, 2014, 08:30:26 PM »
http://www.wackradio901fm.com/ 

Calypso from yesterday hope you guys enjoy this calypso history with Sprang ah lang

29
General Discussion / Govt has divisive PR plan
« on: February 03, 2014, 07:30:56 PM »
Govt has divisive PR plan

THE publication of the Report of the Trinidad and Tobago Constitution Reform Commission has sent an unmistakeable signal that the general election, constitutionally due in 2015, will be fought on the basis of proportional representation (PR), rather than the existing first past the post system.

Although the issue of proportional representation appears to have been innocuously introduced by the Constitution Reform Commission in chapter five of its report (Reforming the Parliament), nonetheless the chapter which follows demonstrates the commission’s preference for proportional representation.  Admittedly, chapter six —Reforming the Executive—deals with the choosing of a prime minister, but its wording, specifically in paragraphs 164-166, emphasises the commission’s decided leaning towards proportional representation.

Forget the specific question, that of choosing a prime minister, and instead examine the wording of paragraph 165:
“The system of election that should be used is one that will permit a mathematically accurate reflection of the wishes of the electorate...”  In turn, in paragraph 166, the phrasing is instructive:
“If a single party earns more than 50 per cent of the votes cast, then it will earn the proportionate number of seats and extract names from its list accordingly.”

The well publicised intent of the present People’s Partnership Government has been to do away with the traditional first past the post method and replace it with proportional representation, under which political parties contesting (usually) a general election will be apportioned seats in proportion to the votes they receive.  As of now only one Caricom country, Guyana, conducts its general election on the basis of proportional representation. 

The introduction of PR there was done in 1964 by the United Kingdom government. Guyana, then British Guiana, had been a colony of the United Kingdom and the British, urged on by the US  Central Intelligence Agency, did this to forestall the re-election of the Marxist, Dr Cheddi Jagan and his People’s Progressive Party, and have Jagan replaced by Linden Forbes Burnham, then leader of the Opposition People’s National Congress (PNC).

The advent of proportional representation in Guyana carried with it a strong appeal to ethnicity in this racially mixed society, as is Trinidad and Tobago, and Burnham’s PNC stormed home to victory after forming an alliance with the right wing United Force led by businessman, Peter D’Aguiar.  The PNC would later win the elections of 1968 and 1973 before it was ousted by Jagan’s People’s Progressive Party.  Perhaps I should state at this point that Burnham jettisoned the United Force following on his party’s victory at the 1964 polls.

What was and is unfortunate is that PR is institutionalised racism in ethnically mixed Guyana and has divided the country along ethnic lines. Should PR be implemented in T&T it can have the potential to do our twin-island state the injustice of cementing ethnic voting patterns. We cannot and must not allow this to happen. I have no doubt that the members of the Constitution Reform Commission have collectively acted in good faith.  Nonetheless, the People’s Partnership Government, judging by its several pronouncements in the past on PR, plans on introducing this sad lapse by fellow Caricom nation Guyana.

History will never forgive Forbes Burnham for exploiting PR, as in the long term interests of Guyana he could have initiated action and repealed the iniquitous legislation when Guyana became independent on February 23, 1970 and the country was declared, somewhat ironically, a co-operative republic.               

George F Alleyne
St Ann’s

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/letters/Govt-has-divisive-PR-plan-243016561.html

30
http://www.tntfinder.com/articles/0114/senior-official-dragged-kicked-me-pathologist-alexandrov.html


The people in Trinbago loosing it ,could be something in the water they drinking or the air they breathing .

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