No More Illegal Immigrants in Prison

The government is doing some good work and I want to give them kudos for it. Finally in Trinidad and Tobago we can boast of having an Immigration Detention Centre. Previously persons who violated our immigration laws were held in prison like common criminals, when it should only be the ones who also violate criminal laws that should be held in prison. The Government had been under fire for some time because this is a faux pas. Immigration offenders are not criminals. In many instances they are simply persons running away from their depressed lives in one country and looking for better opportunities in another. They only thing they are guilty of is illegally entering the country and other Immigration type offences.

Thanks to the hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of government meeting in a few weeks this much needed facility has been opened, obviously because the government does not want the bad publicity that would have come as a result of the imprisoned illegal immigrants. Especially since a number of the persons held for immigration offences are from African commonwealth countries such as Ghana.

The government has come under a lot of criticism for the hosting of the Summit of Americas and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, however with all things in life there would be good and there would be bad. The Immigration Detention Centre is a good thing and it is a legacy item that would be here to stay for some time. This would be one less thing for Trinidad and Tobago to be blacklisted for by international human rights organizations and NGOs. So I don’t care why or how we got it the important thing is that we got it and it is something to make us look good.

The Stress of being a Single Woman in Trinidad and Tobago

I had an interesting conversation with a young lady who is much younger than me. In general the conversation was about a goal she had for herself which was to get married and have children in the next two years. This is a twenty-three year old woman with her whole life ahead of her. She has a good job, she is educating herself, good looking, great bubbly personality. So why is she upset, worried or even depressed about the fact that she may not be married with children by twenty-five. The only thing I can think of is SOCIETY. Why is it that there is so much pressure on women especially to get married and squeeze out babies? This is a current reality. It is not something that existed in the past. Young women are being given subliminal messages about when they should start a family.

My advice to her was to relax and enjoy life. Live. Go out. Have fun. We do not know how long we would be here for and while it may be good to have goals, at times goals cause us to live in the future and neglect the present. Of course we should all have goals and a purpose in life. But we cannot be so caught up in achieving those goals that we end up missing out on living. I am living a good life and enjoying it. There are a lot of things that I want and don’t have and I am still living just fine. What happens and when it happens it happens. Many times we have a goal and we are so caught up that when we achieve the goal we cannot even remember why we want whatever it was.

A single person male or female should be enjoying every moment that they are single. It is a time given to you by God to prepare us for the rigors of living with a spouse and having children. Candia highlighted this exact point quite nicely in an interesting story on her blog.

I am single. I am happy. I have no children. I have no prospects to make any children with. But guess what? I am one happy bastard. So relax people. Take a breath. Live each day to the fullest because tomorrow is not ours for sure. Finally be conscious of the pressure that we put on each other to achieve and over achieve.

Can you afford to fete for Carnival 2010?

I love carnival. If it wasn’t for carnival there would be no need for me to have a regular job. I am very serious about that. So every year I go through my ritual of fetes. Starting with Soca in Moka and ending with Lara. Anything else could jump up in between. With the average cost of fetes last year being six hundred hard earned Trinidad and Tobago dollars, I am wondering if for 2010 I would just be going to the first and last with nothing in between because that is all I could afford.

Like every true carnival lover, I have a budget to work with and every year it seems as though the prices are increasing faster than I can increase my budget. I estimate that the cheapest all inclusive would be five hundred with the most expensive being God only knows. Realistically I would average seven hundred and fifty dollars per fete. That is just my estimate for budgeting. That being said, I am obviously going to the fetes naked, because that budget does not include clothes. In light of this I have come up with some interesting ways to make carnival all I want it to be and more.

The first is that there are a number of events going on for carnival. Even if all the money in the world was available we would still not be able to go to all the events. So as soon as the list is published on Boxing Day decide which events you would be attending. Also have an alternate list just in case the promoter of the event of your choice is a St. Ann’s outpatient and prices the fete so ridiculous, it leaves you wondering if it is quoted in Guyanese currency. Then most important get the tickets early. The earlier tickets are usually cheaper. Remember also that there are several types of events from tents, to children shows. Many of the children shows are considerably cheaper and the artiste put on a very good show. Just try to at least to take along a child so you would not look like a paedophile.

Secondly, choose your clothes wisely. As much as possible use clothes that you already have. This can be done by making slight alterations to clothing. Removing sleeves from a dress, or cutting a long dress short. Dye a white dress red or drastically change the accessories so that the dress looks different. This year for carnival I wore the same dress to three different events. I mixed and matched that dress to death. It is important to visualize how clothes could be mixed, matched or adjusted after the first wear, before purchasing to ensure maximum use. Don’t even think about people who may notice that you are mixing things up because people with talk regardless. At least at the end of the season you would have money in your pocket.

Finally, try to go to as many places for free. I am serious. Ask a friend if you can get tickets for their company event. The trick is to ask early to ensure that you really get it. You may not get free tickets to every single event but with my estimated average of seven hundred and fifty dollars per fete, free or discounted is the best way to go. 3Canal has a cheaper version of their show the week before it actually starts for about half the price. I think it is like a full dress rehearsal. I don’t know, I don’t question I just go. There are several others that are similar in nature.

Essentially I think the key to surviving carnival financially is planning. It is also important to network to get stuff for free or discounted and also to get first edition tickets. In all of this I have made no mention of costume, boots, or carnival Monday wear. That is a budget by itself. We have been doing this every year, do we will get through this one and many more to come.

What is your estimate for the cost of fetes for Carnival 2010? What tips do you have to help make that money stretch a little further for Carnival?

Rituals Coffee Passa Passa Style

Rituals coffee shop could have a thriving business with me alone buying from them. I usually don’t discriminate on which shop I go to because they are all supposed to be the same, even in Antigua. Anyway I have visited the shop on the western main road on two separate occasions and it was the worst service I have received in a long time from any business in the food service industry.

The first time I went in I was greeted by the sound of loud music blaring from one of our fabulous urban radio stations. My perception of rituals is a place to sip on your favourite cup of joe and relax. I guess I was wrong. If that was not bad enough there was a young lady dressed in casual street clothes behind the counter bending over and gyrating or dancing or whatever. Stupid me did not just leave immediately, instead I proceeded to go to the counter to place my order. The gyrating young lady simply steps to the side and continues her lewd movements in the corner in plain sight. The worker who is cashing and making the drinks unwillingly takes my order, all while singing the unedited version of the song playing on the radio. Remember Ms. Gyration still in the corner. So while the drinks are being prepared I take a seat. The radio station goes to commercial so Ms. Gyration comes out from behind the counter and plops herself on the couch and proceeds to have a discussion about where she is going later with the worker behind the counter. When I eventually collect my drinks I see another worker strolling from a room in the back looking like she just woke up and her pants are unzipped and her under pants showing. There were a couple of things wrong with the scenario. The first being I am yet to figure out whether or not Ms. Gyration was a worker, because she left right before me. Secondly why wasn’t Ms. Gyration wearing a hair net. Thirdly why was she dancing behind the counter, exciting as it may be Rituals Coffee Shop was not the most appropriate place for her to practice for her villa audition.

Stupid me again went back to the place. Yes I enjoy punishment. I walked in to the sound of a male worker shouting at a female worker (the same cashier from the last time) to come and do her job. He then proceeds to quarrel complaining that she is lazy and have him doing all the work. While this may have been a valid complaint I just was not interested in hearing it. He of course was not speaking to me, but he was annoying me all the same. Mind you Miss Lady’s response was that she is looking for an apartment and she has no time with that. After I paid for my drinks he tells me that she will fix me up and proceeds to sit and relax just like her. So I wait and she gets up at her leisure to prepare my drinks.
Of all the experiences I have had in Rituals that one was the worst. I am contemplating saving some money and reducing calories and not going there at all. But I love it so much. I know for sure I would not be going back to the one in St. James ever again. I think I have been scarred for life.

The Trinidad and Tobago Flag

Today’s Express Online has an article outlining the cost for the flag and pole at the Stadium. The first amusing part of the story is that the Honourable Gary Hunt finds support for the flag on Facebook. I have a problem right there, as I cannot tell you the last time I went on Facebook because I have been so busy of late. Therefore as Minster of Sport and Youth Affairs he should have no time to be on Facebook.

The cost of the flag and pole was approximately two million dollars. This is no problem to the Minister because he obviously has a stock pile of money somewhere so that is small money to him. My concern is the maintenance cost for the flag. I am probably very cheap but if it cost two million in the initial stage then I think it should not need anything for the next three years. It should just stand there tall and erect billowing in the wind. However the flag would need to be replaced approximately every six months at a cost of 18,112.15. Thankfully they bought three replacement flags (not included in the two million) so for the next two years no more money should be spent on this flag. I just thought though that if they bought four flags they could have gotten a discount or something. Then there is consideration that this flag being replaced every six months would cost approximately 724,486.00 over the next twenty years. I am not sure whether I agree it is worth it.

The next thing is that I am confused as to the significance of hoisting the flag at this time. These days I really don’t have time to follow these people. So I am not sure if it was revealed previously. I would have thought Independence Day would have been a better time.

As far as I am concerned the real scamp in this thing is Fire One. When Fire One erected their flag in Macoya I wondered why a private company would want to do something like that. I wanted to know what profit they would get from doing something like that. Now I realize it was a ploy to chain up the government to do the same thing and possibly produce returns on their original investment. So I understand now. But why didn’t Fire One as great corporate citizens offer to erect the flag in the stadim in the first place.

Finally I remember growing up I always saw security officers lowering the flag at 6:00 p.m. I realize now that when we have big flag it does not come down. Flag Etiquette: Rules and Regulations Governing the National Flag of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago states: The National Flag should not be flown after sunset, except inside a building. However, on important ceremonial occasions the Flag may be displayed in the open after sunset when it should be floodlit if possible.

What do you think about this flag issue?

The Machine Readable Passport

For some time now Trinbagonians have been making a mad dash to get the new machine readable passport. This was obviously based on an overzealous statement made in the Parliament by the Minister of National Security Senator Martin Joseph which announced that all citizens would be afforded the opportunity to obtain the new passport by December 2010. Now I think that a long standing man in the arena of politics should know his people better by now. We like new thing. So people hear that there is a new passport available and by 2010 everybody will have one. We Trinibagonians change that to you must have the passport by 2010. The information was not communicated to the public clearly by the officials. Once a passport has not reached its expiration date it is a valid travel document. It is that simple.

Currently there are more than Twenty six thousand (26,000) uncollected passports. Why we so? Obviously there are 26,000 people walking around comfortable with the fact that they clogged the system and applied for a national document that they had no use for. Mind you I am sure that there were other people who needed to travel urgently and could not be accommodated because the system could only process a certain amount of applications at a time. My passport has expired since November 2007 and exactly two years later I have made no serious attempt to obtain a new one. The main reason being, I have no money to go a damn place. Trinbagonians get on as though when they get a passport they automatically get a ticket to go somewhere. What many of us fail to realize here, is that there is a cost attached to storing those uncollected passports. Not to mention the obvious security risks involved. The next thing that is going to happen is that some innovative Trini working in the Immigration Division would realize that money could be made through some racket involving those passports. So please make an attempt to collect your passport as soon as possible.


What has been your experience with this change to the use of machine readable passports?

Criminal Deportees wreaking havoc in Trinidad and Tobago?

Criminal deportees have been a problem in the Caribbean for some time now. When the great US of A realized that a number of the persons committing crimes were non-US citizens they started to get rid of the persons by sending them right back from whence they came. Some of them would be sent back immediately, while other would be sent back after serving time in jail. The government of Trinidad and Tobago has in the past blamed the upsurge in crime on the influx of criminal deportees. I agree and disagree with this to some extent.

I agree with the theory that criminal deportees who are returned to Trinidad and Tobago do indeed contribute to the levels of crime and violence in the country. But I really think that a lot of times they are doing the only thing they know to survive. Many deportees left Trinidad and Tobago as young children with their parents. They have very little if not no memory of Trinidad and Tobago. While living in the United States they for whatever reason turn to a life of crime. Subsequent to which they get caught and are returned “home” a place they barely know. On reaching Trinidad they would be left in the airport with nothing. And when I say nothing I mean nothing. Not even toilet paper or identification. Imagine being sent to a country to live that you don’t even know, not knowing anyone and not even knowing the cardinal points to be able to move around. Obviously these people would do what they have learned and know best and that is to do whatever it takes to survive whether it be legal or illegal. I spoke to a deportee who told me that he felt like a child in a candy shop when he came back to Trinidad because things he used to do years ago as a teenager for fun Trinbagonian criminals were now doing to make serious money. Essentially he became a master and started a particular trend in T&T (So the man say eh). The government is not to be blamed solely for this because the deportees would be sent back without local law enforcement being notified so the persons could be monitored. In order for the notification to be made there needs to be a memorandum of understanding between the two countries. The sad thing is that we cannot do that. You feel if we had a US citizen in jail in Trinidad we could put him on a plane and send him back with no identification. The person would not even be able to clear immigration and customs.

On the other hand I do not think that the local criminals need influence from deportees to make “advances in criminal technology”. Essentially our law enforcement agencies are too caught up in bureaucracies that cause them to be slow to react to the ever changing environment. Plus these days the internet can be used for both good and bad. So while we law abiding citizens using Google to find school work or to impress our boss they using it to find ways to outsmart the police. Let us face it criminals are not stupid. Well most of them at least. They are just using their creative energy in the wrong way.

Recently the government, through the Ministry of Social Development introduced a procedure to meet deportees on arrival. The standard operating procedure is that a social worker from the Social Displacement Unit of the Ministry of Social Development would be at the airport to meet deportees. Upon which a social history assessment and a needs assessment would be conducted to determine the level of assistance required in order to reintegrate the deportee into society. Provision of initial accommodation is not usually a problem, as well as transportation to the accommodation site. However until the assessments are completed it cannot be said what would be provided to the deportees.

I am in no way trying to make excuses for deportees because some of them left Trinidad and Tobago as adults to go and make confusion in the people country and then get sent home and bring their nasty ways back with them. I applaud the effort of the government to implement something to deal with the deportees who return with nothing and no family to turn to. If this initiative prevents one deportee from resorting to crime to survive then for me it is a success. Do you really think that deportees have contributed significantly to crime in Trinidad and Tobago?

The Highway Car Park

For several hours per day highways in Trinidad become a car park, thousands of cars barely moving. I remember there was a time that I hated traffic. Not anymore. I have come to embrace traffic for one simple reason. On average my daily commute is FOUR hours. So I thought what can I do to stop alleviate the traffic. Not much. So I decided to just relax, because if I continued hating the traffic then I would be angry for at least four hours per day. That not making no sense. So woo saa. Although I may have come to terms with the fact that traffic has become a part of life I think that it may have debilitating effects on us as citizens that we may not immediately consider or take note of.

Traffic is physically unhealthy. Sitting in a vehicle for several hours per day could never be good for our health. I am no doctor but I know my body and I feel it, when I get out of the car all I want to do is spread out, get a good stretch. Additionally many of us leave home in the morning too early to have breakfast and then barely make it to work on time and rush to eat whatever we find and that may not be the best for our bodies. essentially don’t have a proper breakfast which is the most important meal of the day. Then there is the afternoon commute as many people are on the road until six or seven at night and would have eaten lunch sometime around midday, so we hungry so we have to indulge in the Highway Market.

Traffic could drive you to drink. How many times you get a call from a friend, “aye ah hear the traffic real bad let we go an lime nuh”. Several afternoons per week instead of going home we are in our favourite watering hole knocking back a few drinks. This may seem to be a fun going past time but it can quickly develop into a problem especially for those of us who have a history of alcoholism in our family. Not to mention the obvious fact which is the drinking is being done to kill time to drive home. Therefore drinking and driving, a deadly combination.

Traffic is not economical. Traffic encourages us to spend money that we did not intend to spend. How many people budget for their nuts, and drinks purchased on the highway on the day home. If this is a daily habit at a cost of ten dollars for the day for nuts and a beverage with an average of twenty working days for the month that is two hundred dollars. It may not seem like much until we look at the annual figure of two thousand four hundred dollars. Add to that the afternoons when we would go drinking and thanks to the budget that bill is even higher now. Then there are the phone calls that we make while driving. Many of us get on the phone to talk to friends and family as a distraction from the traffic. then at the end of the month your friendly mobile service provider buss your throat

Traffic has a negative impact on our social lives. Personally I am single partly because I spend four hours a day in traffic. Even if a see a cute guy driving alongside me I can’t flag him down because he probably vex he in traffic. Then when I reach home I too tired to go back out. On a more serious note though it limits the amount of time that families have to spend to spend together when they get home. When we get home it is a mad rush to do home work with children, feed pets, cook, put a load of clothes to wash, prepare for the next day. By the time we are finished doing that it is time to go to sleep. When are we supposed to relax? Probably while we are in the traffic!

While I think it is the responsibility of the government to provide proper infrastructure that would accommodate the amount of cars that they authorize to be on the roadway it is up to us as citizens both corporate and individuals to do our part to reduce the traffic. Look around at the cars in traffic new cars, old cars, luxury cars, economy cars, bling cars, vans trucks, big rims small rims and hub caps and most of them have ONE person in it. Today I did my part and carpooled with a friend. We Trinis too big for that because people will think you are a scrub if they see you in your friend’s car. More importantly how people will see the rims you pay twenty thousand dollars for if you leave you car at home.

Then there are the irresponsible corporate citizens who contribute to the traffic. Why should I be jostling a truck hauling a forty foot container on the road when I not wearing a costume and it not playing no music. Check how may of them are on the road in the morning or in the afternoon on the way home. Why don’t they haul those things in the night. Then the same container is going to stop on Frederick, Charlotte or Henry Streets to off load goods to create more traffic. Oh gosh better than that man. Then most companies in the Port of Spain area I am sure, and I could put my big head on a block for this, don’t need all their employees to be at their desk at eight o’clock. Flextime could be introduced so that all of us don’t have to make that mad rush to work for the same time then to all have to leave at the same time. There could also be decentralization of services both in the public service and in the private sector. How many companies really need to have an office in Port of Spain? Look through the telephone directory, how many companies are not providing a service that requires them to be in Port of Spain. I am no Real Estate agent but I am sure that companies could save a lot of money by moving out of the city.

I want to reiterate that traffic is our problem, created in part by us. Like many other things in society if we wait on the Government to fix it nothing will happen. I must credit the government though because attempts to fix the traffic problem have been made, widening the highways the over pass/interchange to south. However it just seems as though the number of cars on the road is increasing faster than the road expansion project. Hence the reason it is up to us to make the difference.

What have been the effects of traffic on your life? What are the ways in which you as an individual can help to reduce the traffic one step at a time? What has your employer done to deal with the traffic woes of employees?

Highway Market

Over the past few years I have noticed an upsurge in the number of highway vendors. I am referring here to the vendors who ply their trade on the highway walking between the lanes of traffic. I have also noticed a proliferation of the range of products being sold. The products available in the highway market include but are not limited to newspapers, some mosquito tennis rack thing, hats, steering wheel covers, chow, chive, pineapple, a variety of drinks, kites, seasonal items for Christmas, mother’s day and father’s day and finally the ever popular nuts.

I respect and admire these entrepreneurs because Lord knows they could have opted to be criminals instead of the hard working individuals that they are. However I think this industry has gone too far. First off it is dangerous both for the vendors and drivers. I say this because you know how we Trinis love to change lanes randomly. Add to that the occasional motorcycle or scooter and it is an accident waiting to happen. Secondly, it is annoying, Trinis want to stop on the highway to browse the wide array of selections, negotiate a discount all while the traffic flowing ahead of them. I don't even want to talk about the drivers who want to pay for a pack of nuts with a hundred dollar bill and expect to get change.

While I applaud the efforts of these individuals in their attempt to make an honest living, I really think this needs to be stopped. But as long as it continues to take people two hours to get home the market for drinks and nuts and other items would remain vibrant, because people just plain hungry. Until we solve the bigger problem of traffic this booming business would continue to expand. Do you shop at the Highway Market? If yes, What items do you purchase? If no, why not?

Miss Intelligent Trinidad and Tobago Crowned

Ashanna Arthur would be representing Trinidad and Tobago in the Miss World Pageant which is to be held in South Africa in December. Frankly I am not impressed. While I admit that it takes a certain amount of bravery to run in a competition such as this, I am not impressed. She is not going for the Miss Intelligent competition it is a beauty pageant. The theme of the pageant is Beauty with a Purpose, not Intelligence with a Purpose. Take a look for yourself at the other contestants from around the world determine whether or not she is in the running. Mexico, Namibia, India, Aruba, South Africa all have some stunners. Then look at pictures of Ashanna in the Express, Guardian and on Global Beauties. Maybe the new pageant franchise holder Michael Raghunanan has too much money and Giselle La Ronde West has too much time on her hands. But what do I know about beauty pageants? The franchise holder probably knows more about being a beautiful woman than I do. The fact is that we all know very intelligent people who are not so good looking and we all know very good looking people who are not so intelligent. The tricky part is to have the combination of beauty and brains. We will just have to give Miss Ashanna Arthur our full support and hope for the best.

No more Cane equals more Crime

I did not realise that people from Laventille and Beetham were former cane cutters. According to the Express online our Prime Minister told the United Nations General assembly that the rising crime in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean was as a result of the loss of preferential markets for the export of banana and sugar. Although this may have been a general statement to include all the Caricom countries, I don’t like it. This statement implies that the former farmers of the now defunct Caroni (1975) Limited are responsible for the upsurge in crime in Trinidad and Tobago. We all know that is utter nonsense. Unless the cane workers formed some kind of gang that we don’t know about and are currently wreaking havoc on the nation. I know of one farmer who was a known criminal and that was Dole Chadee and who knows if he was really a farmer, that story could have been urban legend. This is probably why the crime is also getting out of control because law enforcement raiding Beetham and locking down Laventille all the time and they leaving the former cane workers to run amok.

The other problem I have with the statement is that it sounds like we are blaming our former colonial rulers for the rate of crime in our country. When as a people we would learn to start accepting responsibility of our own action or inaction as the case may be. We have been independent for forty-seven years, it is time that we move away from trying to be dependent on our former masters for anything. It also seems like we are trying to guilt them into give us back some sort of preferential markets again. Why we so? Why do we need preferential markets? Preferential markets don’t provide incentives to develop competitive production, it limits diversification, and it promotes a focus on primary products as opposed to refined or processed products. So essentially what we in the Caribbean should have done was instead of stopping the production of banana and sugar we should have continued and found something to do with the produce, maybe candied bananas. That way we could have told those people to hull their skin with their preferential markets. While there were obvious benefits to preferential markets, if it is no longer available to us then don’t cry over spilt milk. Make something else work for us. We should be looking forward not backwards. I expected more from Prime Minister Manning.

Why is Martin Joseph still Minister of National Security?

November 2009 would make it six years that Martin Joseph has been Minister of National Security. Why? Isn’t there someone else in the PNM administration that could take up this portfolio? Upon closer inspection the options are limited. The job of Minister of National Security is a difficult one. The Ministry of National Security includes Police, Fire, Regiment, Coast Guard, Air Guard, Immigration, ODPM, National Drug Council, Citizen’s Security Programme, Forensic Science Centre, Prison, Cadets, SAUTT and a few other intelligence agencies. So the Minister has to oversee all these agencies, divisions and departments. The Ministry of National Security currently has a Minister of State, Donna Cox. She is responsible for the Fire Service, Prison Service, ODPM, and Youth programmes. While this may be noble, if anything goes wrong with any of the units under her purview the media and citizens still hold Martin Joseph accountable for the mishap, therefore ultimately he is responsible.

In terms of the options for Minister of National Security within the PNM administration I think there are two. Colm Imbert and Conrad Enil. My rationale is simple, the other Ministers are just too new to the PNM. The portfolio of Minister of National Security is a powerful one that requires a certain amount of political maturity. The Minister would also be privy to pertinent information that could make or break the PNM. Of the two available options Conrad Enil is my pick simply because I personally don’t like Colm. Not to mention Enil is a member of the National Security Council and a handover to him would be smooth as he would have been aware of a number of the issues being faced by the Ministry.

That being said, I am predicting, praying, hoping and wishing for a Cabinet reshuffle after the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November. I think this would be an appropriate time because of the ongoing security arrangements for the event should not be disrupted by a ministerial change. I do not expect this change to lead to a significant reduction in crime and violence in the country. But just to give somebody else in the PNM administration some pressure. Let’s give uncle Martin a rest, because it is not easy to wake up every morning knowing you doing your best and ignorant Trinis talking a pile.

In the lineup of Government Ministers, who is your pick for the next Minister of National Security?

Hard working Police Officers Raid Beetham Gardens

This morning the traffic was moving slower than usual approaching the Beetham on the highway. As I got closer I realized the cause of the traffic. Apparently police and other law enforcement agencies were conducting a raid on the Beetham. But oh gosh boy. Trinis fas!! Because people slowing down to watch the scene. Because there were a lot of police vehicles both marked and unmarked more than fifteen including one of those twenty-five seater busses. Being the true Trini that I am I was also slowing down to watch, of course only because the cars in front of me were slowing down.

This is what I like to see police in large numbers working to fight crime. I also saw quite a few of the police officers that I like the big gunta ones that look like they breast feed on dasheen. I don’t like nashy police at all, the hungry looking ones. I find they should put the hungry looking ones to protect the President, Prime Minister, Attorney General and the like.

We must admit however that police work is hard work that many of us are not willing to do ourselves or even allow our children to do. How many of us are willing to go into the Beetham to look for criminals. I don’t even like driving past the Beetham. I commend the hard working officers who this morning left their families early or maybe were not even with their families for the Republic day holiday to show up knocking on doors before the crack of dawn. Hopefully some significant arrests were made. The sad thing though is that after the officers work hard in this raid some Magistrate would give these bastards bail to go back on the street. But at least the gremlins would be off the street for the weekend. I will definitely be on the lookout for stories of this raid in the news.

Police and their hidden Guns

Sometime ago a story broke in the local media that a cache with arms, ammunition and narcotics was found the ceiling of the St. Joseph Station. Like most people I was appalled at this find and wondered what the officers were thinking. I also wondered what they were going to do with the items. Why were the items being stored, and of all places in the station. Following the daily updates on this interesting story I remembered that there had been a raid in Bangladesh (which is the settlement between Curepe Secondary and WASA on the Priority Bus Route) a few months ago. It was reported in the news that a raid was carried out in Bangladesh and it was apparent to law enforcement officials that the residents and targets of the raid were aware that the raid was going to take place. Upon investigation it was found that a call was placed from the St. Joseph Police Station to someone in the area and it was believed to be the tip off.

If an investigation was conducted and it determined that the tip off call came from the St. Joseph Police Station it means that somebody watching and monitoring the Station. Therefore it would only be a matter of time before there was a raid on the station. If I had things hidden in a cache in the ceiling I would get rid of it and go on leave, get swine flu or something to absent myself from that whole scenario. But I guess common sense not so common and thank God for that. Now it could have been that the officers thought that someone would have afforded them the same courtesy and give them a tip off. Or they just thought that nothing would be done to investigate the station further.

As to what the items were being stored for I am not sure but there are several options. The civilian view is that the police officers stored the items with the intention of passing it on to criminal elements in society. This is frightening to say the least. Imagine that they taking away guns from one set of criminals and passing it out to a different set of criminals. The second set being their friends so even more invincible than the first set. Frightening to say the least.

The Police perspective is different. There are some who believe that the Police when seizing arms, ammunition and narcotics do not report the full amount seized. This is because many times the person found with the items is not the actual owner but simply a petty transporter. However when searches are carried out on the known “big men in the business” nothing is ever found. The Police officers frustrated by this have to find crafty ways to hold the known perpetrators. So they use the unreported guns, ammunitions and narcotics found in previous raids to pin on “known” criminals to charge them. This would explain why they did not remove the items when they realized that the station was being monitored. While noble, this sort of vigilante justice is scary, because we have all heard the story of somebody son who was held with a small amount of weed, probably for personal use and when he get charge the amount mysteriously increased. So, where does the vigilante just stop? While I admire the fact that the police try their best to work with the system that they have but this leave the window open for abuse of power. Additionally it is hard for a police officer to charge a criminal and then to go before a magistrate to be released shortly thereafter.

The police service gossip behind the items found in the station was that a member of the Criminal Investigation Department which was the unit in the St. Joseph police station that was raided sold out the unit to the Anti Corruption Bureau. So it makes me wonder if that man had not gotten bad feeling about his co-workers this thing would not have been investigated because it seems to be the norm. Who knows if this gossip is true? But it does offer an alternative theory.

Is your belly Carnival 2010 ready?

I realized today that carnival 2010 is four months and twenty one days away. Then I looked at my belly and wondered if I was four months and twenty one days pregnant. Now people love to say that there must be someone in the band who is fatter. My response to that is this, if a man tief one million dollars and you tief ten thousand does that make you less of a tief. So whether there is someone in the band fatter than me I would still be fat. So like a true Trini I am about to embark on a last minute healthy eating/exercise regime that would hopefully help to minimize the waistline in time for Carnival 2K10. I love Carnival, which is why I go to work, to have money to spend for carnival. So the excitement starts from today and Shurwayne Winchester’s new song Murder is not helping with my excitement at all.

www.trinidadlover.com

I try a thing and registered www.trinidadlover.com so I big in the dance now. I just have to work out what to post on this blog every day. so that I nor my readers would get bored. I also have to figure out how to pretty up the page a bit so bear with me. Feel free to provide tips or suggestions for the enhancement of the blog by posting a comment or sending an email to trinidadloverblog@gmail.com

Should the Government “tap” the phones of Citizens?

This is being raised in light of what was said by the Minister of National Security, Martin Joseph in his budget speech in the Senate on Tuesday. He indicated that this initiative was based on the recommendations made by Major General Cameron Ross, which included the Omnibus Security Bill that encompasses a few pieces of legislation that are anticipated to be a major boost in the fight against crime. The bill of concern to me is the one that would allow for the “lawful” intercept of communication, the Interception of Communications Bill. Now something about this announcement tells me that they have been listening to our conversations for some time now but they are now making an attempt to do so legally. Small thing, I could live with that because I can tell you this, the intercept of communication is not concerned with whether you horning your woman, or whether you telling your best friend how often you go to the toilet. This is an attempt by law enforcement to use a tool that they may or may not have been using in the past to gather information that could be used legally in court against criminals. There are two problems with this that I foresee.

The first problem is the stupid criminal who was previously unaware that Trinidad and Tobago law enforcement held this capability is now aware. So what these criminals are going to do is evolve and find some other means of communication or develop some code to communicate. That is what criminals do, they always try to stay one step ahead of the law. But that is nothing I have faith in T&T law enforcement that they would handle this situation well.

The second problem is the alleged use of this tool by the Government to “spy” on their political enemies. This in the wrong hands could make or break an election. It could be used by the ruling party to gain inside information in order to gain an advantage in an election. If this indeed happens and we may never know if it does, it raises the question of how democratic is the election process.

Overall I think this is a good move on the part of the Government and somewhat of a feather in the worn and tattered hat of the Minister of National Security. Because something has to be done to combat this minority of people that are wreaking havoc on the rest of the nation. So they could tap my phone any day anytime whatever it takes to deal with this crime. What do you think about the proposed “lawful” intercept of communication?

Who is you pick for the Miss World Trinidad and Tobago Pageant?

I had previously expressed my views of the Miss World T&T hopefuls. But apparently I have to eat my words. The young ladies were put through some sort of pageant boot camp and they came out looking good. Now of course some of them just cannot be helped but for the most part there was some general improvement in their appearance. Now I must comment on the look of Michael Raghunanan, the Miss World Trinidad and Tobago Franchise Holder, because with those nicely shaped eyebrows he could be in the running too. Check out the Newsday article with a picture.

So my picks in no particular order are Sunita Dairam, Chinaka Nelson, Meagan Monsegue and Arveyann Thomas. Arveyann was the chick that modeled the Island People’s 2008 Zebra costume which I loved. Meagan was my previous pick, my concern however is that she looks a bit short but that is nothing some heels can't fix. Anyone of my picks if chosen would make me proud to be a Trini. I just hope the franchise holders are teaching the ladies to speak the Queen’s English properly. So what do you think of the ladies vying for the title of Miss World Trinidad and Tobago?

More Money More Problems

Yesterday the Newsday carried a story of a boat crashing off Monos Island. This is quite tragic as one person died in the accident. I did not even realize that a boat accident could be so fatal. But I guess when not securely fastened to a seat the body could be pitched whichever way on impact causing injury.


This is why when you see people living a certain type of life or with certain possessions don’t be jealous. Just think about it as one less way for you to die. The more money you have is the more things you acquire and the greater chance of something going wrong, whether it is a flat tire, or your fancy automatic gate malfunctioning. So I am taking this opportunity to thank God for what he has given me because he knows why he has not given me more than what I have.

Trinidad Lover Blog to be or not to be?

I have been missing in action for some time now. This is because after the T&T Budget was read I had to be heavily sedated by my psychologist. I was also advised to stay away from all Members of Parliament just in case I had some sort of break which would have resulted in me bitch slapping one of those Government Ministers. So I took some time to relax gather my thoughts on what is going on in Trinidad and Tobago. Also to figure out what I want to do with this blog of mine. I will admit though that when I started this blog I just thought of it as something to do in my spare time but I quickly came to realize that it is quite time consuming. But it is exciting all the same. Because if forces me to read, think formulate ideas, and it also gives me an opportunity to discuss things with people. For instance I found myself discussing with every police officer that I came into contact with the issues surrounding the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. So here I go again with this blog thing. Feel free to let me know what you think.

What's up with the Miss World T&T Pageant Auditions?

I saw a picture of some of the young ladies vying for the Miss World T&T Pageant. If these ladies are the best, we are in a hot mess and can no longer pride ourselves as having some of the most beautiful women in the Caribbean. Or it could just be that these women are a bit too ambitious and over confident. The thing is that if I can see your weave in a photograph then things really bad. Then three of them in the photograph their bra strap is showing. How can they represent this country with their underwear showing? There could be a cleanup exercise on one of these ladies and she could be transformed which has been done in the past. I am sure even megatron's creator would find this task to be difficult. But there was one young lady who caught my attention Meagan Monsegue. She stood out nicely her smile, pose, posture all lovely, not to mention she actually looks good because it is a beauty contest after all. I would be looking out for her in the future.

What do you think about the ladies vying to represent Trinidad and Tobago in the Miss World Pageant to be held in December 2009?

The 2010 Budget

The Minister of Finance announced that September 7, 2009 would be budget day in Trinidad and Tobago. First things first as far as I remember she and her family got out their money before all the drama in Clico so she has no reason to look like she seeing the world of trouble in the Trinidad Express online article. Secondly I have zero confidence in that woman as a Minister of Finance. After the Clico debacle she should have been removed from government or made Minister of Tourism or Minister of Sewage removal because that is exactly what she is full of. Finally I anxiously await this budget to see what it is doing for me. Forgive my selfish ways. But I want to know what me the man in the middle getting, the group of people who are making too much money to qualify for a government house but not enough to purchase one on our own. Time will tell.

Independence Weekend Accident

So apparently something was going on by the Gasparillo stretch of the Solomon Hochoy Highway, because there were four separate accidents in that area on Sunday, this is according to the Trinidad and Tobago’s Newsday Online. The most disturbing of the stories is one in which a one year old baby who was being held by her mother in the front passenger seat of the vehicle died. The story even indicates that the couple has a ten year old son and prayed for this second child who was born prematurely and spent one month in an incubator in the hospital. Now, how much of a front seat “ho” do you have to be to want to sit in the front seat with your one year old? First off one year olds are active and should not be so close to the driver because they can be a distraction. These distractions could be very simple from singing to making cute baby noises to throwing a toy so they should really be in the back seat especially if the two parents are in the car together. A child sitting in the front passenger seat is something that we in Trinidad love to do quite comfortably. Some parents even say the child don’t like to sit in the back. First off the child don’t pay no damn car loan and is therefore in no position to decide where they want to sit in the car. Something is probably wrong with my parents because I did not have a choice. The back seat was mine, I could not sit in the front, and as a matter of fact I sat in the back seat until secondary school. And the thing is that I did not venture to the front seat on my own I was told that I could now begin sitting in the front seat. I don’t remember ever crying to sit in the front seat because it was just one of those things that was not negotiable like bedtime and homework before tv, my tears would have been wasted. I have to remember to thank my parents for being “bad” and making me sit in the back.

These same children who cry to sit in car seats or in the back seat take them to America and the parents would force them to sit in the car seat because it is the law. In the US they don’t even allow you to take the baby out of the hospital without of a car seat. They have an option where they loan you a car seat until you are able to obtain your own. But Trinis watless no ass and just do whatever they want. I have no sympathy for Shamila Lolita Ramjit (dead) and Ivan Ramjit (hospitalised) because they were irresponsible parents. It is amazing that their first child lived to ten. They had foresight to put the cake for the baby’s birthday on the back seat but not the baby. Now the mother and the baby could have been sitting in the back and died the same way who knows, but the right thing would have been to sit in the back with the baby. I am waiting to see how Trinis would somehow choose to blame the government by possibly saying that a law should be passed to make car seats for children mandatory. That is shit in my opinion because there are several other personal safety laws that we Trinis don’t obey for example the speed limit, seat belts, drinking and driving and several others. Trinbagonians are just lawless and like to do our own think and avoid accepting responsibility for our actions. The constitution gives people the right to have children but that doesn’t give everybody the right to be parents. Hopefully other parents would see this and learn from the example but I somehow doubt it because baby Nevi was not the first and would definitely not be the last.

Ms. Emris goes to St. Anns

Today’s Trinidad Express Online reports that Ms. Emris would be sent to St. Anns for a psychiatric evaluation. But the Trini in me want to know what is this unforgivable sin that she committed that caused her to jump off a moving vessel. Thankfully she is getting the help that she needs.

Woman Jumps off Ferry

So I reading the Trinidad Express Online again because I refuse to pay Two Trinidad and Tobago Dollars for a document that would become outdated in less than twenty four hours. There is an interesting story of a woman Emris Simon jumping off the T&T Spirit because she allegedly committed some unforgivable sin. First off the story indicates that the vessel left Tobago one hour and twenty-five minutes late. So that means Ms. Emris had that much time to pray and ask for forgiveness or at least come up with a better suicide plan, one that would not inconvenience others. For someone to seriously attempt suicide they must be in some sort of personal turmoil battling with their inner demons. But I do not care what any psychiatrist or psychologist says but I think suicide is selfish, especially when it is a failed attempt that costs other people time and money. Can you imagine feeling so bad about life that suicide is the only way out then to wake up and realise that not even that you could do properly. i know i would feel like a turd.

In this specific instance the vessel had to be stopped, members of the crew had to disembark in a life raft, possibly putting their own lives at risk to save someone who obviously did not want to be saved. The vessel which was already behind schedule was made even later and I can well imagine how pissed the Trinbagonians onboard were. Upon arrival in Trinidad there was an ambulance waiting for Ms. Emris to take her to hospital to receive treatment. So imagine somebody somewhere calling for an ambulance and not getting assistance because an ambulance park up on the port waiting on Ms. Emris. Not to mention somebody gone to the Port of Spain General Hospital to receive treatment because they value their life and want to live and has to wait or be turned away because there are no beds available because Ms. Emris resting comfortably in a satisfactory condition. I was expecting in the story that she would have been taken to St. Anns to be evaluated. This is exactly why in some countries suicide, attempted suicide or assisted suicide is treated as a criminal matter. In ancient times many societies frowned upon suicide and the person’s estate was confiscated by the state or the person was not afforded a regular burial. Obviously if a person is successful they would be beyond the boundary of the law.

This raises the issue of mental health care in Trinidad and Tobago. This is an area of health care that is surrounded by stigma and discrimination. Trinis have a thing that a person has to be crazy to see a psychiatrist or psychologist. These and other myths about mental illness make members of the public scorn persons they perceive to be suffering from a mental illness. I am also guilty of ignorance when it comes to the issue of mental illness. The Canadian Mental Health Association has some interesting easy to read information that could shed some light on this matter. Hopefully Ms. Emris would get the mental health care that she needs to help her to recover.

Police Car Tief

So I minding my own business reading the Trinidad Express Online and I was really trying not to say anything about this but the Trini in me I have to say my piece. How is it that a young seemingly sane man could pick up the government vehicle and go joy riding with it. I would really like to know what he was thinking. Did he think that he would not get caught? Well it really was that he simply did not think. Four months into a job you still green in most organizations people would still be on probation so they don’t even want to mash ants. This nut tief the vehicle and gone joy riding. He should not even be on suspension he should just be unemployed under some sort of twenty-four hour evaluation watch in St. Ann hospital because he is obviously a crazy man. i confused. I dont even know what else to say but I love my Sweet TnT.

Your contribution to crime in sweet T&T

Trinidadians love to complain about the crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago. But how many of us realize how much we ourselves contribute to the crime. There are some ads that I love in the daily news papers entitled “Fix the Me in Crime”. The little things we do on a daily basis that are against the law. Driving on the shoulder, littering, illegal parking, blocking the intersection when there is nowhere to go.

Every police officer standing on the shoulder so that we don’t use it as an additional lane is one less to treat with “serious” criminal offences. The police force and other protective services that we have are only so big and are constantly facing challenges of resource shortages. when a man or woman abuses their spouse a police officer has to get involved in some why once a report is made to the Police Station.

Then there is the other angle where Police officers are sometimes not assisted by members of the public. If you do not work with the police then they cannot do their jobs effectively. For example we are aware of certain things happening in our neighbourhoods and we as responsible citizens do not make a report in the nearest police station. Police cannot be everywhere for obvious reasons and we have to do our part to help them.

I am of the view however that a lot more can be done by local law enforcement to reduce the levels of crime and violence in this country that I love. But I have no control over the decisions taken and the policies implemented to reduce crime. So for now what I can do is take control of myself and be aware of the little things that I may be doing to make the situation worst and put a stop to it. Even with our friends and family we have to encourage them to do the right thing. Too often doing the wrong thing is glorified while doing the right thing is frowned upon.

Things to consider when looking for a Job

The Job interview is a time to determine whether or not the organization is the one of choice to be employed with. Many times we get caught up in the need for a job and are afraid to question our prospective employers. The actual call for an interview means that some basic requirements for the position were met. An interview should be considered a meeting to discuss possible employment with a company. Too often in interviews the prospective employer provides vague information and when asked questions they skirt around the answers. The thing is that a change in job is a big step. This is the place where most of our waking hours would be spent, and it is important to ensure that the environment is a comfortable one in which to operate. There are important questions that must be answered before accepting the offer for employment or even moving on to the second round of the interview process.

In most instances when applying for a job whether on www.caribbeanjobs.com or responding to an ad in the daily newspapers such as Express there is some sort of description of the position. It is important to ask whether this description was final or whether adjustments would be made. This description as simple as it may look is essentially the future job description. It is what the employee would be required to do everyday for the next two to three years or even more.

Time on the job is a touchy issue. Some employers expect employees to work strict 8-4 hours with one hour lunch with a system to monitor time spent on the job. This is extremely ridged. For me personally, I dislike strict working hours because I will work whenever and do whatever it takes to get the job done. It is difficult to have my time monitored with no concessions allowed and then be expected to work extra for no additional compensation. To me something is definitely wrong with that.

The benefits package is muy imporatante (my form five Spanish teacher would be proud of that inclusion). This would include salary, bonuses, pension plan, health insurance, after school day care, parking, lap top, mobile phone and gratuity to name a few. Now a question that interviewers love to ask is how much money you want. At this point knowing the company and the position that is being offered an answer should be ready to just roll off the tongue. It is also critical to get fair compensation for the experience and knowledge that we employees would be bringing to the organization.

Although a job description is provided there is a need to get a practical sense of what a typical day on the job is like. This would help to give a sense of the culture of the organization and the type of working environment. If there is a significant difference between the formal job description and what actually happens in the workplace then some sort of adjustment would be needed. Attempting officially or unofficially to talk to someone working in the organization would also provide insight into the organization. It would give a true sense of how things work. Many times employers present a perfect picture of the organization and it is their job to do that because after all they are trying their best to get us to accept the job. It is just like courting, you not going to tell your future life partner that you don’t wash, clean, cook, bathe or brush your teeth because the person will go running. It is after the person falls deeply in love that the true side is shown. it is the same with employers.

Essentially when looking for a job it boils down to being a typical Trini macco while seeking our own interest because no one else would do it for us.

CXC Results

Young boys and girls around the country are receiving their CXC results today and I can only imagine the feelings of anxiety they would be experiencing. Many of them would have gone to countless hours of extra lessons and sleepless nights in an attempt to achieve the goal of the coveted one or distinction. The average age of the student writing the CXC exams is 16-18. I personally believe that this is a time in life to be happy and joyous. Parents, teachers, family and friends put an incredible amount of pressure on students to succeed. This may be fine but to what end. There are student who are afraid to collect results because of the possible outcome. CXC would be the first major exam that many of these students would have taken since SEA, which in itself is madness. Exams are tricky beasts, in that if you woke up the morning with a stomach ache or if rain fell and you were late it may affect your performance. I know for a fact that I do not do exams well. I hate them with a passion and I do not think that they are a true representation of a person’s ability, but we have to do it because our society recognizes it as acceptable form of performance measurement or assessment.

I want to explore as a parent, student or friend if a child does not get the grades desired by all there are options. The student can repeat the examination, which can be done in a number of ways. The student can go to the On-the-Job Training Programme to get a job for a one year period and repeat the exams in January or June of the following year. The student can go back to a secondary school and repeat the entire form five year. The former option allows for the individual to gain some working experience while figuring out what the next step in life could be. In the end we are all going to the same place to become responsible adults contributing to the good of society. Take for example your friends who went to the prestige schools got ones for CXC and A’s for A-levels didn’t we all end up in UWI or some University together struggling to get the same degree.

I am in no way against education at any level. However if a student does not excel at the traditional mathematics, physics, English, Biology then maybe the parents and need to review whether the child is following the right path, because everyone has a view for their child to be a doctor lawyer or an accountant. But that is not possible nor is it realistic. There are several other professions that are quite viable. For example, have you ever seen an attorney going to court with their hair in a mess? After that attorney makes their money they have to then give it to the beautician or barber. I am of the strong belief that my hairdresser makes more money than me and she is happier too because she works for her damn self and keeps her own hours.

With the results of young students you may know being announced. Keep one thing in mind that the child did their best and that is all that matters. The world is not going to come to an end. Everything will be just fine.

Sex in Commercials

The original heading for this post was Sexual Innuendos in Commercials but after meditating a bit I realized that they are not even innuendos it is just too blatant. I am noticing a disturbing trend in some radio ads that I have been hearing. I am an avid listener of the Red 96.7 morning show. Those guys are the best and are always guaranteed to put a smile on your face to start the day. Of course I am jealous that they are having so much fun and they are still getting paid to do it. But that is a different story.

The main culprit and in my opinion the most annoying is Boomers. I guess we could say that Boomers is the local Subway. I must add here that I have never eaten at Boomers. The commercial starts off with a woman in a very seductive voice asking “Have you got the balls?” The guy responds “Who me? I am not sure what you mean.” This tells me that he and all think she talking about something else. I mean how is it that they came up with that for a meatball melt sub sandwich commercial. It does not even make the sandwich seem enticing or tasty. However I am not really sure which culture the ad was supposed to be targeting because maybe somewhere in the world “balls” are considered tasty.

I think corporate citizens need to be cognizant of the subliminal messages that are being sent in their advertising. They cannot realistically expect that these things would not have an impact the youths of our society. I am big and I have sense. But can you imagine a child hearing that commercial and going to school and asking a fellow student or even a teacher very innocently but in the same seductive voice “Have you got the balls?”

The other culprit that is worthy of mention in this nonsense is Full Throttle Energy Drink, which is a product of the Coca Cola Company. But I guess the old adage sex sells is being maximized by Corporate T&T. This is where I have to remind myself that I love Trinidad and have faith and know for sure that we are better and more creative than that. Pretty soon we would have to be giving parental advisory ratings to commercials. Boomers would of course get an NC17. I would hate to see the television version of some of these ads.

Why is your Tattoo distracting me in work?

Why do people get tattoos in places where I would see when they are dressed in work attire and then get vex if I appear to be more interested in the Tattoo than whatever work related matter they talking about. I am sorry but if you want me to focus on you then don’t have a tattoo in a visible area. Secondly if you have to put it on your neck, forearm or calf make sure I could read it at a glance. That means that it should be in large block letters not tiny cursive looking like a six year old practicing in a Vere Foster.

I have no problem with tattoos in general. I myself do not have one and will not get one. But in the workplace it really could become a distraction. Because the macco Trini in me every time I see the individual I have to take a peek until I figure out what the tattoo says. But hey I guess this could add some excitement to my day.

Twelve Year Old Raped by Sixteen Year Old

So this morning on the news (red 96.7 and corroborated by a similar story on Express Online) there was a report of a 16 year old boy raping and sodomizing a 12 year old girl. I don’t even know where to start. Let me start with the ages 16 and 12. Where did this 16 year old boy get the thought in his head to rape somebody? When I was sixteen, I will admit sex was on my mind but I certainly wasn’t bold face enough to demand or take it from somebody who did not want to give it to me. What are we coming to? Now I always have to bring things back to my life as it is the one that I know best. This exact time of the year when I was sixteen I was anxiously awaiting CXC results, working my first job and begging to go out occasionally. Don’t be fooled to go out I have to answer, who, where, to do what, why, for how long, where the other children’s parents, and what their parents do for a living. Sometimes after the interrogation to leave the house I tired and just want to go and sleep.

I have to ask the obvious, where were the parents? These were obviously two unsupervised children. At twelve I went nowhere by myself unless it was to the toilet and I could not even stay long because there would be a knock on the door to ask what I doing so long. So I ask where were the parents of the 12 year old? However I put no blame on them as yet, because something about the story sketchy I believe some details are missing.

Now I believe the mind of a rapist is a very sick and demented one and for a 16 year old to rape someone it says a lot about him and his environment. It tells us that he as little or no respect for women or girls. It tells us that he does not have God in him life, whether Jesus, Allah, Jehovah etc. It also tells us that he has too much idle time on his hands to become obsessed with sex or rape fantasies. It also tells us that his parents did not instill the fear of God in him that they would buss his tail if he embarrasses them or the family. It also tells us that the young man himself could have been the victim of some form of abuse himself and is just acting out what was done to him.

All we can do is pray that this young woman overcomes this turbulent time in her life and receives the required counseling that would help her to readjust to become a teenager (because she is not one yet) and later contribute positively to society. We also have to pray for the young man and hope that he could be rehabilitated. Those of us with children, make a call to find out where they are, what they are doing and who they are with because things don’t seem to be as nice as they used to be.

Nepotism in Trinidad

As a Trini we all have at some point been on the sour or the favourable end of some type of nepotism. Nepotism is so engrained in our culture that we look for a link or hook up before going through the proper channels. Now is this good or bad? And how can it be avoided in a society as small this one?

Now I think nepotism is good to a certain extent. For example I may have a friend who is qualified for a particular job and I may be in a position to ensure that my friend gets hired. But there are instances where favouritism is pushed too far and people are placed in positions that they either have no clue about or are simply not qualified for. I know for a fact that I have benefitted on several occasions and will, without a doubt give someone I know a chance over a complete stranger. But where does it stop?

There are times when nepotism is so bad that it is almost impossible to get something done unless you know someone in the department or agency. Sadly this is usually the case in many government agencies. There are numerous horror stories of persons trying to get their passport or birth paper to no avail. Now I draw the line at nepotism when it comes to the delivery of government services, especially because these services cannot be provided by an external party. Additionally some of these services that are provided by the Government are essential to conduct business in our everyday lives as law abiding, tax paying citizens in this country.

Now nepotism in private entities is a whole different issue. I will use the example of the pre-registration issue in the Carnival Mas Band Tribe. As far as I know Tribe is a private entity and is free to do whatever with their registration process. As a paying client or customer you have a choice not to partake in the provision of their service especially since there are several other options to play mas.

Nepotism in our little place called T&T is like many other things, we have to take the bitter with the sweet. When it is favourable to you take it and smile, when it is not cuss as much as you can and hopefully you will get what you want. It is part of we culture and it helps to make us lovers sometimes or haters other times of sweet T&T.

Dating in Trinidad

As a young single woman in Trinidad I have found myself many times on a date and wondering to myself while smiling sweetly at my companion how the hell I end up here with you. This one guy in particular started things off bad before the date so I have no one to blame but myself for the eventual outcome.

So normal thing meet a guy exchange numbers and we talk on the phone a bit before going out. So in conversation prior to the date he tells me that he is of the opinion that when he dates Indian women they are usually more willing to pay as compared to young black girls who usually expect a man to spend his money all the time. Now being a young black woman myself I was offended and took the opportunity to put him in his place. I told him that as far as I know dating or courting as I would like to call it is an opportunity for a man to show me that he can provide for me and any offspring that we may produce together. How in God’s name do you expect to provide for a family if you cannot provide for a date which involves a meal and some form of entertainment.

Now I want to be very clear these cheap, irresponsible locho men are the worst kind. Because I am sure if I was an Indian woman the fable would have been the opposite. Mind you this is a grown man in his late thirties seemingly intelligent, reasonably good looking but just full of tricks. It is not that I expect that a man must spend his money all the time but oh gosh try to impress me in the early part of the relationship a little bit.

Now stupid me still went out with the man because obviously I am a sucker for punishment. My date complained that the bill was $277.00TT at Fridays and did not tip the server. Needless to say first and last dates rolled into one are the best. I love my Trini Men they are so innovative and never cease to amaze me.

Employment in Trinidad and Tobago

I do not understand and I am constantly baffled by employers in Trinidad and Tobago. There is some history that I must get into before I could make my point. A few years back when in his Budget Speech the Honourable Prime Minister announced that the government would bear the full cost of tertiary education tuition I was one of the few people who were not pleased by this initiative. I must admit though that I may have been selfish in wanting the government to remain paying for only half of the tuition cost. The reason for my point of view is that I felt that this initiative cheapened the entire tertiary education system in Trinidad and Tobago. As no longer were persons committing to programmes because they really wanted to do it but more because they could now afford to do it. In my opinion it caused people to attach little value to the tertiary education experience. Institutions were then in a mad rush to enroll as many students as possible in order to cash in on the governments payment.

Now as a University student myself at the time I was really disappointed with this initiative because I was always one of the students who demanded quality in what I paid for. Now this GATE initiative brought with it the belief that school was free. But exactly what is free, there was no direct cost to the student but in the long run we as citizens would all be paying for it. Whether we pay for it by our monthly pay as you earn tax contribution or by not getting the health care system we need because money is being spent on tuition. I personally saw the difference in the performance of some lecturers, as there were no explanations given for missed classes, and extra assistance that was already minimal ceased.

Now bear with me as I tie this into my frustration with employers in Trinidad and Tobago. With the large number of degree holders persons in society I don’t know if employers feel that they now need make a degree a requirement for some existing jobs. For example how is it that it a requirement to have a degree for a job that entails photo copying and filing. Now any University of The West Indies student would be familiar with photocopying on the ground floor of the library waiting in line and the machines sticking and stealing your money. But come on, no student when sweating on fourth floor of the library (literally because the AC was not working for some time) did not envisage using their three year degree to photocopy, type and file. How are the young ambitious people of this society expected to be challenged to achieve their full potential. This is the situation I find myself in currently. Now don’t get me wrong I am nicely compensated and I am grateful to God for that great compensation but come on we can do better than this. Needless to say I am employed in the public service. So I am here feeling like I tiefing the government money in these times of a looming recession. The sad thing is that if I am sitting here with little to do how many other people are there in this same building who are also being paid well to do little or nothing at all. Now let us expand that how many people do you think there are in the entire public service sitting around doing nothing and being paid tax payer’s money. Now I have two options I could sit here and do nothing and be a tief or I could look for another job and quickly escape this torture. I choose the latter.

Introduction to Blog

I must be honest my decision to start this blog was based on the fact that I usually have a lot to say and lately I have a lot of time on my hands ( I will explain the reason for the extra time in a later post). This is just a forum for me to express my sometimes crazy thoughts on any and everything that I see happening in my country. For example: Why the Ministry of Works and Transport started working on the Bailey bridge in Macoya in the rainy season again? Which Carnival band are you playing mas in? What Section? Why Boomers feels the need to use sex to advertise a sandwich?

Now this may turn out to be a phase or it may turn out to be something longer, who knows. But I will continue to express myself for as long as I enjoy doing it. Now there are some topics that I will not discuss simply because I have no interest or clue about them, these include but are not limited to Sports, mechanics and some others. Essentially I can only talk about what I know or what I feel I know.

Now like a true Trini I intend to voice My Opinion. About whatever I feel like. I am not doing this to please anyone or to gain friends I am really doing this out of pure idleness. The rationale and content for the blog may change over time but the one thing that would always remain constant is my brutally honest opinion.