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Happy Independence Day!

September 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Well actually, yesterday was our Independence Day anniversary, 31st August. After 47 years of independence we have a lot to be thankful for, but a lot more to yearn. There lacks a general sense of patriotism within the country.

Now Trinidad and Tobago did not win our independence, rather it was given to us freely, without a fight; so I believe that this is a big part of the lack of patriotism among the people. Without patriotism there is no sense of country or ownership – we do not see this as our country, just a place that we live in.

We have so much crime, corruption and selfishness all around us. Within the government party politics trumps the benefit and the good of the people. URP, CEPEP and a variety of government run institutions all keep thousands of people in a dependence and entitlement mentality. Can we really and truly call ourselves independent?

We deserve better! Time to free our minds and become truly independent!

Trinidad and Tobago Flag

Trinidad and Tobago Flag

Filed Under: Main, Rants

Signs of a recession?

January 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

When the financial crisis hit the US (and other part of the world), our Government ministers went on record to say that we are in no trouble, then later the Prime Minister went on TV to saying, “time to tighten your belts“. After that, Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira says that the crisis won’t last for ever.

Now on the heels of plant shutdowns and government cutbacks, we get breaking news – Government Bails Out Clico! It seems that CLICO Investment Bank (CIB) just does not have enough liquidity – basically no cash – unlike the other banks that have truckloads of the stuff (while I don’t). Not being liquid, especially in these turbulent times, opens the door for panic and even legal action.

I cannot understand a few things though:

  • CL Financial is a privately owned company, not under the scrutiny of the public eye or shareholders.
  • Lawrence Duprey is like a gagillionaire, and under this plan he reduces his liability (and probably loses little as well)
  • CLICO gives millions of dollars in sponsorship every year to sports, parties and fireworks shows, is it that they were being really supportive, or just didn’t know what the heck was happening.

So why are we pulling Clico out of this jam with taxpayer’s money? The CL Financial Group is the parent company of CLICO (Colonial Life
Insurance Company) and manages assets of over $38 Billion Dollars (I
assume TT), which is about a quarter of T&T’s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). That’s a really huge chunk of moola we’re talking about,
so we really cannot afford for the group to fail, but at the same time, I hope that someone is held accountable for this, as I am sure that there was signs of trouble long ago.

The question is whether the recession is here? Well, technically no, although it’s pretty close. We define a recession as two quarters of consecutive negative grown (positive shrinkage?), so what we have is really a slowdown, and depending on how it is managed, we can get through the current world economic crisis without going into a recession. It is to be seen what will come and what the goverment and people will do. Our actions alone will determine how we get out of this, so act wisely.

Filed Under: In Local News, Odds and Ends, Rants

Ready for a Recession?

February 5, 2008 By Leave a Comment

In the US there is a lot of talk and fear about a recession hitting this year. I don’t think I am in any position to debate that. From my pretty much uneducated opinion, though, I believe that one is brewing. Based on the sub-prime mortgage issue, the war on terror and the increase in consumer credit, it just looks like the US is setting themselves up for it.

We here in Trinidad and Tobago should not feel that we are immune to the effects of a recession in the US. As our main importer of our major export good – oil and natural gas – and our main country of origin of imports, we need to think again. I for one is looking carefully at developments.

The fact is that progressions and recessions are part of the economic cycle – what goes up must come down – but as countries develop the net gain should be a progression. As such we should be ready for one should one occur. I was catching up on some news and came across two blogs that discussed how to stay employed in a period of economic recession.

I invite you to take a read of these articles as they provide some pretty good advice. I have some points on my own (that are related loosely to the points in the articles.

  1. Update your skills. Just being continuously employed is not enough if you are not also ensuring that your skills are up to date – get those certifications or do those short courses that you have been putting off. Note that skills not only refers to the technical ones but also the softer ones. Organisations are progressively looking for the kind of skills that you can’t get from a class (although they do try don’t they).
  2. Improve your education. You would find that you not go very far in your own organisation, far less others, if you are not improving your education. If you don’t already have your degree then get going; if you already have your degree, then get an advanced degree or even an MBA.
  3. Have a plan B. Sometimes we will set our careers around only one path that should that industry collapse or become over-subscribed with employable candidates you become unemployable. Ensure that you have something else to go to if your chosen career goes bust, even if then change in career means a reduction on salary.
  4. Create your human network. Cisco has it right, the human network is one of the most important weapons in any one’s arsenal. Make contact by joining and being actively involved in professional institutions, non-governmental organisations or even sports clubs. You know what they say – it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

One article (Are Gen Y-ers Greedy or Just Different?) though sees any recession being a wake up call for those Generation Y’s out there. It’s something you see with young school leavers and recent university graduates, especially in the IT industry. You have candidates calling for large salaries and nothing to show for it.

I know that if a recession hits it would be terrible for some, but a part of me wants it to happen to wake up the citizens of the country. With government spending out of control and prices of housing through the roof, we need something to get us back on track.

Filed Under: In Local News, In World News, Odds and Ends, Rants

Security Heads Retreat!

January 6, 2008 By Leave a Comment

So it seems that the Minister of Backpedaling, umm, I mean National Security, has taken the heads of all the security agencies and others to a nice weekend at the Salybia Beach Resort. While they are calling it a retreat, I think it is to breaks from the licks they are getting after Joseph admitted that the Government failed with it’s anti-crime initiatives.

Later Joseph recanted his statement after the PM said that they did not fail.

Now, I take the ole talk sometimes, but now is not the time; we need action and no amount of ole talk can create that. A source revealed that some of the new anti-crime initiatives were:

  • the return of round the clock bike patrols in residential communities
  • a gun amnesty
  • increased rewards for information leading to arrests
  • a return of the community police
  • a restructured Rapid Response Police

Now, does any of these “new” anti-crime initiatives look new? All these were suggestions made so long ago, by everyone, including the current government. Again, ole talk!

Are they going to address the public’s non-trust of the police service? Are they discussing the social issues regarding crime? Are they discussing the apparent non-intelligence of the police force? We don’t know what they are discussing.

The Opposition also only wants to politicise the issue when we need to come together to resolve this mess.

We need to have action now, and stop the blame game. The police service needs to get their act together and start enforcing the laws. We need to get the criminal elements out of the police service, and we know that they are there. And we as a people need to start holding the government of Trinidad and Tobago accountable for our security. Every month we pay for them to provide protection for us, we must ensure that we get our money’s worth!

Filed Under: In Local News, Rants

New Year, Same Shit…

January 2, 2008 By Leave a Comment

The new year has come, but besides trying to remember to now write 2008 instead of 2007, nothing has changed.

The murder rate has started with a nice even figure of four for the year, so we are have started on the way of setting a new record. The assistant commissioner of police is trying to dispute the murder figure of 396 by saying the newspapers have it wrong and that if we take away the manslaughter figures you end up with 384. Phew! What a big difference that makes; that figure makes everything okay now. Oh for fuck’s sake, accept that you didn’t do your fucking job and do something about it. This trying to smooth everything to make it sound better may fool some of he people, but believe me, people are getting real fed up of the shit.

So this year what would I like to see:

  • Better police enforcement from to smallest crime up. So charge the PH drivers, the CD and DVD pirates and the litterers. Working to ensure the lawlessness stops will help.
  • A more efficient judicial system. This thing about waiting years for the trial to start have to end. By the time trial starts you can’t find the witnesses or people memories get fuzzy; heck my mind gets fuzzy after a week far worse for two or three years.
  • The enforcement of the death penalty. Contrary to what many people are saying, there can be no return of the death penalty because it never went anywhere. It is still the highest form of capital punishment and it is required by law that a person convicted of first degree murder be sentenced to death; it just has not been enforced.
  • A stronger agricultural sector. For a small country like ours, with many families starting out with farming and agriculture, should not have to paying through our nose for produce far less having to import food. Come on people, we will not be able to eat bricks and drink oil to survive.
  • Government spending our money wisely. While I will quicker see Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny playing poker at the Tooth Fairy’s house than see the government of Trinidad and Tobago manage the country’s finances effectively and efficiently, I will still wish it.
  • People having a better understanding and appreciation of the environment. Once they do, they would understand why we need to do all we can to protect it.
  • People learning to respect all life and not see other animals as “dumb”
    or “lower”. I’m pretty sure that if aliens were to come down here and
    treat us like how we treat other animals, we won’t like it.
  • People just being more courteous to each other. I think this will solve a lot of our problems.

While I don’t expect these things to happen, I can always hold on to the belief that it can. And maybe I can also convince myself and a few others than they can help cause these things to happen. Whoa, what a wonderful thing that will be.

Filed Under: Main, Odds and Ends, Rants

The spree has begun

November 16, 2007 By Leave a Comment

So the new ministers are out on a week-long retreat to the Salybia Beach Resort and Spa before they take up their official duties so that they can “hit the ground running”. Not only did they book the entire resort for the week, but also the two other residences at the sides. You can be sure that this is not petty money being spent for this “retreat”. The TnT Mirror has that the cost is about $800,000 TT – I’m pretty sure that it is more than than. I certainly don’t think they are eating cheese and bread up there, more like steak and lobster.

So who is the biggest earner in this, none other than the PNM’s Roger Boynes, part owner of the the Salybia Beach Resort (his the brother Ronald is also an owner). Well the PNM needs to repay their financiers somehow.

The Prime Minister says that the ‘Retreat first of many‘. You can bet not only that, but spending our money as well. They have many other financiers to repay, and with the many other “projects” that they have planned, I expect some serious bobol to take place.

Filed Under: Rants

The new cabinet

November 10, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Prime Minister Patrick Manning has installed his new cabinet this week – “Woman Power” one newspaper article calls it. Now I don’t mind women in cabinet, once they actually have the skills to perform the duties that are required. Let’s look at two of them – Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira and Attorney-General Brigid Annisette-George.

Nunez-Tesheira is an Attorney-at-law and admits she has little or no experience in the field of finance, “save the work she did in the handling funds as vice-principal of the Hugh Wooding Law School.” She says that she is ready for the challenge, as she puts it:

“It’s challenging. I love a challenge and I look forward to doing my best. It’s a new territory for me but I look forward to learning and more learning.”

Further she says:

“I was glad it was not law, I did want to move away from that…I feel honoured”

Good to know that running the country’s finances is going to be a learning process for you Nunez-Tesheira, as well as a good start for that job change you were looking for. I strongly believe that on-the-job training is an important part in everyone’s education, BUT NOT WHEN RUNNING THE COUNTRY! Oh geez and ages! What is wrong with these fucking people. And what was Manning’s comment:

“Well, when I became Minister of Finance, I had no experience.”

Way to instill confidence in the people dey Patos. As for the Attorney-General, well she told reporters that she had had a private practice specialising in civil and matrimonial law, conveyancing and probate. “She admitted that it would be challenging, but she was prepared to do her best.“

It is good that we have new cabinet members who are looking for a “challenge”. Let’s hope that they are up for it.

As for the other members; well there are some old faces but most notably, two of the most fucked up choices -  Colm Imbert, Minister of Works and Transport and Martin Joseph, Minister of National Security. These are two of the worst Ministers ever to come into the country and they put them back. They move Rowley from the Housing ministry (who I did like as Housing Minister), but they kept these two cunts! Lord help us. Now we know that the traffic will get only worse and that crime will rule supreme. I would like to have seen Rowley as Minister of Security. That would have shaken up some things there.

People say that the PNM has no vision, to which I disagree. The PNM has some vision, just not enough. Plus they have some visions that are just wrong (anybody say aluminum smelter and water taxis?). They have the Vision 2020, but has anyone bought into that. They talk about developed country status by 2020, but being a developed country is a journey, not a destination. It is an evolutionary development that you will reach eventually after setting policies and building the society. There is nothing wrong with being Third World, and the truth is that we are not that badly off from a lot of the other third world countries.

I believe that the people of our country really needs to start educating themselves (and I don’t mean just going to school, I mean really making an effort!). It is only when we build ourselves as a nation, then we can truly start to develop.

Filed Under: In Local News, Rants

The results are in!

November 6, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Well the elections are finally over and the results are in.

  • PNM – 26
  • UNC – 15
  • COP – 0

Not the results I would have hoped for, but now we have to live with it. I would have hoped for the COP to win at least one seat. Winston Dookeran in is speech last night said that:

“Clearly, from the disappointing results we have seen, the country is not ready for the change which we offered. We still believe our change will one day become a reality for our people.”

He is right. It was the belief that there are many more educated people out there, but educated does not necessarily imply intelligent.

So now we have five more years of the PNM. Five more long years of mad spending, mismanagement, inefficiency and arrogance of a party that will force something down our throats regardless of whether we want it or not (anyone for an aluminum smelter?).

One thing that I am sure of, is that I am never voting for a Panday led UNC ever! He speech last night left me disgusted. The pure hate and venom that he spat out just shows what type of person he is. He can never again be leader of this country. Fuck, I don’t even want him to be leader of the Opposition.

I don’t know when the people of this country will wake up and realise that we need good governance.

Filed Under: In Local News, Rants

No Courtesy!

September 15, 2007 By Leave a Comment

My wife always say that I am inconsiderate, that I only think of myself (I don’t believe that, but why would I think otherwise). However, I know that there are fuckers out there, who not only doesn’t give a fuck about others, but go out of the way to show you that.

Take yesterday, I am at the Morvant traffic lights waiting to turn right so I am waiting for an ease in the oncoming traffic. For those who don’t know, in Trinidad we drive on the left, so turning right means that I am facing oncoming traffic. There were a couple cars before me who went through, but as I reached, there were cars approaching, so I stopped and waited. Lo and Behold, there was this jackass behind me blowing his horn and gesticulating for me to go through, and then trying to get to the side of me to overtake (at a fucking traffic light). I am thinking, this motherfucker must be an asshole… I was to be proven right.

I got a chance before he could come to the side of me and drove off. As I waited at the other traffic light, he comes to the side of me and I can see him again gesticulating at me, so I wind down my window, and indicate that he winds down his (the idiot felt he could speak through glass). He proceeds to speak, what appeared to be the limited vocabulary he knows, saying that I can’t drive. We I repeated a few of his words as well, since I did not think that he ma understand words greater than four letters long. I had half-a-mind to come out and get the piece of iron pipe from my trunk, but I am far more rational than that… for now.

Well anyway the lights changed and I drove off to my meeting, but still pissed by it all that I forgot to get his license plate. I don’t know what I would do if I did get it, I mean, what could happen. This is not the first time that a cunt-hole driver got in my face, but the second. I don’t know what will happen on the third, but I hope I don’t snap (and that my wife is in the car).

I should not expect anything to get better. It is abundantly clear by now that the roads in Trinidad is being overtaken by Road Hogs, assholes, “PH” drivers (illegally plying private cars for hire) and all over cunt-pricks. There is a general lack of courtesy, consideration and all-round intelligent on the nation’s roadways. Is it any wonder that people overtake on shoulders, break traffic lights and major roads and speed!

We cannot become a developed nation until we get these backward people off the fucking planet (not even the country). People are trying to make the roads a better place, but until we get these “nice folks” off the roads, we are fucked.

As far as I see it, there is no courtesy… no fucking courtesy.

Filed Under: Rants

Damn TSTT

August 12, 2007 By 1 Comment

I came home on Wednesday night to find out that my land-line phone was not working. I forgot to call it in until yesterday (Saturday 11th), mainly since I really don’t use my land-line and use my cellphone instead. Also, my DSL was working, so I was not bothered much, neither was my wife (since she uses her cell as well).

Yesterday I found, however, that when the rain came down, my DSL when with it as well. I honestly thought that that was a thing of the past; “water in the line” causing a reduction in service. I mean, after all these years, TSTT (Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago) cannot obtain the technology to waterproof their circuits.

Well this is not the first time this has happened. It took them four days last time to fix it, let’s see how long they take this time.

Filed Under: Rants