Category Archives: General T&T

General T&T

Tale of two rail systems

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By Raffique Shah

Two news articles from the international press agencies caught my eye last Friday. The first was a report that China was building a US$27-billion train line that will connect Beijing with the southern economic hub of Shenzen. I read it bearing in mind that our Transport Minister, Colm Imbert, recently told a post-Cabinet briefing that the proposed rail link between Arima and Port of Spain will cost “at least US$6 billion”. Last week, in an obvious bid to speed up the tendering-and, presumably, construction-process, Imbert’s ministry hosted a meeting with potential bidders at which more details of the reintroduction of rail transport in the country were discussed.
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General T&T

Not the same old story

By Terry Joseph

Information recently released by the Ministry of Social Development’s Division of Ageing indicates that, in nine years’ time persons aged between 55 and 64 will outnumber those in the 15 to 25 bracket which, for some of us, is the best news in decades.

According to division head Dr Jennifer Rouse, at present some ten per cent of the population is aged 60 or older and, by 2015, the balance will shift definitively in favour of that group, occasioned by conflicting trends in mortality and fertility, people living longer due to advances in healthcare, while education restrains youth from premature procreation.
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General T&T, International

Ground war grinds to unexpected halt

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By Raffique Shah

War is hell, says an adage that rings truer today than when it was first coined, maybe centuries ago. And in war, truth is the first casualty-another adage that has remained unchanged from the primitive period, when giant catapults were the weapons of choice, to today’s not-so-smart bombs that seem to have an uncanny honing ability in favour of unarmed civilians over combatants. Still, for all its brutality and its inhumanity, war holds a perverse fascination for those who were schooled in military history, strategy and tactics. This personal background brings me back to the deepening conflict in the Middle-East that seems poised to plunge the world into a cataclysm last experienced in World War II, which few alive today experienced or remember.
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Culture, General T&T

Emancipation 2006: Sheboka – The Gathering

Emancipation Celebrations

TriniView.com Staff Article

The opening night of the Lidj Yasu Omowale Village was held at the Jean Pierre Complex on Thursday, 24th July, 2006, and was spared the torrential showers experienced earlier that day. Although the turnout was affected by the rainy weather, many people still showed up to welcome in the auspicious occasion of Emancipation.
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Culture, General T&T

Building Bridges to Unite African People

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Emancipation Celebrations

TriniView.com

This year, for the first time, there will be a major Emancipation festival in South Trinidad. The Southern Emancipation Committee, a newly formed organisation will be hosting the festival which runs from Friday 28th July until Tuesday 1st August 2006 on the Harris Promenade, south Trinidad. The theme of this inaugural event is Building Bridges to Unite African People.
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General T&T, Politics

Courting another revolution

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By Raffique Shah

Looking around at the many idiot concerts being staged at the highest levels in this society, with some of the most senior office holders as principal actors, one wonders if these people have nothing better to do, if they fail to see the trees from the wood. How and why two matters concerning the Chief Justice can grab headlines for close to two years, and remain mired in the courts and even more so in the political arena, defies imagination and rationality.
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General T&T

Race and Politics in TnT

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By Dr. Kwame Nantambu

For some time now, certain groups and individuals have bandied about the notion, albeit accusation, that they have been the victims/targets of racial discrimination and racial victimization by the PNM government.

However, while there may or may not be any evidence to build a prima facie case of discrimination and/or victimization, any racial connotation in either scenario is a colossal non sequitur.
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General T&T, Violence

A New Type of Criminal Is Emerging

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By Linda E. Edwards

The Laventille Hills east Port of Spain area earned a reputation, deservedly or not, for high crime against persons, drug involvement, gangs, knife fights and shootings and so on, and for years, army and police units have focused on east Port of Spain in an attempt to stamp out “crime”. People are still dying there at a high rate, higher than the norm for the country. Central however, is emerging as the SEX crime capital of the country, for crimes against children.
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