Integrity Commission members resign
In the aftermath of a demoralising court defeat to former government minister Dr Keith Rowley on Tuesday, the four members of the Integrity Commission submitted their resignations to President George Maxwell Richards yesterday morning.
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Yearly Archives: 2009
From Peon to President
The Importance and Symbolism of President Barack Hussein Obama
By: Michael De Gale
January 30, 2009
In countries where people often face persecution because of race, ethnicity, religion and a myriad of social constructs intended to divide and rule, I often wonder how many brilliant minds have never come to blossom. Historians bemoan the knowledge that was lost when unenlightened foreigners invaded ancient lands burning books and reducing to ash what had already been known about the universe and about our progress as a species.
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Timing is Ripe for Talking to the Cubans
By Stephen Kangal
February 04, 2009
Contrary to the view expressed by Foreign Affairs Minister Gopee-Scoon the time is most propitious and ripe for the Inter-American System to be initiating dialogue with the regime of Raul Castro. President Barack Obama has signaled in clear, unambiguous language that US rapprochement with Cuba is on the cards especially with the closure of the Gitmo Detention Centre. He has also relaxed travel restrictions to Cuba by Cuban-Americans.
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Tourism down, Carnival dying
By Raffique Shah
February 01, 2009
POLITICIANS are wont to making the damnedest statements. This ugly trait is not confined to Trinidad and Tobago’s special breed that litters the political landscape. The recently booed-out-of-office US president George W Bush carved an unmatched record of making the stupidest remarks, maybe of all times. But among the lot that currently vie for media space in this country, we have some gems-or maybe that should be “fools’ gold”.
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Tobago’s tourism on brink of collapse
By Pierre Small
January 30, 2009
Tobago’s tourism on brink of collapse: In light of all the latest developments internationally on the economic and tourism front, coupled with bad strategic planning from Trinidad’s Ministry Of Tourism and the Tourism Development Company, it appears imminent that Tobago’s tourism sector is heading for a collapse. With Tobago’s hotel occupancy rate now at 30%, and this is the peak of their tourism season, there is cause for severe alarm. Unless the financial stability of Tobago’s hotel owners and the tourism industry is as guaranteed as death, Tobagonians are headed for very hard times that will result in an uncomfortable pattern of lifestyle changes.
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Farmers Must Defend Their Living
Food and Fuel Forum
43 Fifth St., Barataria, Trinidad and Tobago
January 23, 2003
The handing over of prime Caroni lands to selected companies certainly raises cause for concern about the government’s agricultural policy and who benefits from it.
Small farmers all over the country have been fighting for thirty, forty and even fifty years for security of tenure. It is the most crucial issue facing farmers today and is the main obstacle in farmers’ effort to produce abundant food for the nation.
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Postpone the Fifth Summit of the Americas
By Stephen Kangal
January 27, 2009
It is imperative on the Manning Administration having regard to the current global financial and economic meltdown that is ravaging all Latin American economies to appreciate that it cannot spend over $2bn to provide an April platform for the conduct of hemispheric multilateral diplomacy as if it is business as usual. Since May 2008 when the T&T Concept Paper detailing the agenda of the Fifth POS Summit of the Americas was accepted, the economic, social and trading conditions in the 34- membership of the OAS including in the USA and the Summit Host, T&T, have deteriorated radically. Latin America is not the same today.
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‘Udecott bigger than Cabinet’
January 24, 2009
HDC clears Rowley
In a written submission filed on Wednesday afternoon with the Uff Commission of Inquiry into Udecott and the construction sector, the HDC effectively cleared former planning and development minister Dr Keith Rowley of any wrongdoing in the Cleaver Heights project by attributing apparent million-dollar discrepancies, in the contract total for the project, to “{two errors” contained in a letter of award drawn up by the HDC and addressed to the project contractor, NH International Limited.
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TSTT problems with Internet
Tuesday, January 27 2009
TSTT has advised that it is currently experiencing fluctuations in the throughput of Internet traffic from one of its overseas third party suppliers.
In a statement yesterday, TSTT said it was closely monitoring traffic levels and was actively re-routing traffic as needed. However, some customers, TSTT said, may experience intermittent delays when downloading or uploading data.
TSTT said it will continue to monitor the situation to ensure systems are returned to normal operating levels within the shortest possible time frame and will advise customers as soon as more information is available.
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,94056.html
The journey to Obama’s ascendancy
By Raffique Shah
January 25, 2009
IT was an emotional moment, watching Barack Hussein Obama take the oath of office as the 44th President of the United States of America. While hundreds of millions around the world must have experienced joy on seeing the first non-white take that historic leap for “Black man”, for people of my generation and those older than us, the emotions were different. Joy, yes. But that was a miniscule part of the memories that filled our minds as we watched the swearing-in, barely able to hold back the tears welling up in our eyes.
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