Travel expert blasts Manning’s jet purchase

By Vernon Khelawan
Saturday 9th March, 2008
www.guardian.co.tt

Manning And The JetAn air travel expert, involved in the Caribbean air transport business for many years, has questioned the absence of a feasibility study preceding the decision to enter the jet leasing industry.

To date the question remains unanswered, although Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert in a post-Cabinet briefing tried in vain to deflect the question.

The minister had spoken two days before about a feasibility study relative to the inauguration of a fast ferry service in the southern Caribbean.
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Gingerbread Houses

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
March 06, 2008

Gingerbread HouseIn 1980 when Peter Minshall was about to bring out Danse Macabre, David Picou, a good friend of Ken Morris, took Morris a sketch from Minshall and asked him to see what he could do with it. That suggestion led to the production a section in Minshall’s band that reflected Morris’s artistry as a copper worker. These sections which never exceeded sixteen pieces became a significant part of Minshall’s carnival productions during the 1980s including Danse Macabre (1980), Jungle Fever (1981); River (1983); River Gods (1984) and Golden Calalbash (1985).
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Royal Visit to UWI Highlights Lingering Colonialism

By Leslie
March 06, 2008

The Prince of Wales, Charles Philip Arthur George and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of CornwallThe Prince of Wales, Charles Philip Arthur George and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, paid a visit to the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus, on Wednesday 5th March, 2008, as part of their tour of Trinidad and Tobago to promote environmentalism and to reinforce British ties with former colonies. The couple made their way to the JFK Quadrangle to view the UWI 60th Anniversary Exhibition, to look at and to play the G Pan and to observe a skit put on by the Centre for Creative and Festival Arts.
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Manning And The Jet

By Heru
March 04, 2008

Manning And The JetUnder different conditions I could have supported the idea of the Prime Minister having a private jet at his disposal but not in this climate of increase crime, widespread traffic jams, double digit inflation and increases in the cost of essential services.

Patrick Manning denied that his government was interested in purchasing a private jet from Bombardier in 2006 after he and several of his ministers went for a test ride in one to Antigua. I am of the view that Patrick Manning only put his desire for a private jet on hold because the move was unpopular so close to an election, especially after the story broke that Bombardier was also bidding for the $20 billion rapid rail project. The conflict of interest together with the general unpopularity of using taxpayers’ funds to purchase a private jet for his use could have cost him dearly. Now that he has secured another five years in office, he intends to pursue his desire for a private jet to accompany the new Prime Minister’s mansion.
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One Caribbean, one love

By Raffique Shah
March 02, 2008

PeopleONE week spent in Jamaica is far too little time to assess the state of the country or to enjoy its many scenic and special attractions. Most of the latter are way up the mountains or beyond, on its tourist-oriented north coast. Kingston itself is a city of stark contrasts. Like most of its sister cities in the region, it has enclaves that exude wealth-colonial bungalows set on over-sized, manicured plots, with newer, impressive mansions perched on hillsides surrounding the city.
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Racist video sparks outrage in South Africa

South Africa stunned by echoes of apartheid past after video emerges of white students humiliating black cleaners

By IAN EVANS
February 28, 2008

ViolenceSouth Africa has come face to face with its apartheid past when a “shocking” video emerged of white university students force-feeding and racially humiliating five poor black cleaners.

The four students are heard referring to the old “Boer” college way of life during the footage, which saw the elderly workers being made to drink bottles of beer, run races, play rugby and then kneel and eat meat which had been urinated upon.
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Food price rises will kill millions

February 26, 2008
socialistworker.co.uk

The MarketEsme Choonara looks at protests and riots as market madness threatens world’s poor

Millions around the world are facing a future of insecurity, starvation and malnutrition as the price of basic food soars. The price of maize, wheat, soya beans and rice – staples for the majority of the world’s population – have more than doubled in the last few years.
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Why Are We Giving Away Trinidad & Tobago?

Natural GasEDITOR: It has long been known, that our greatest resources have been given to big business or prominent men from all over the world, especially the United States. However, this didn’t hit home until I was looking up Oil Fields to see who own them. And, under the United States I found Tobago listed as “In Development.” It is amazing to see and hear of corrupt people at home, but I am disgusted by these people and can’t hold back any longer. Our natural resources belong to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, and not to outsiders. Why should the people of Trinidad & Tobago get the smaller percentage?
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A Goon attacks a Vine

By Raffique Shah
February 24th 2008

Lakshmi MittalABOUT two weeks ago, a downright dangerous incident occurred offshore Claxton Bay, not far from where I live. Peter Vine, a UWI lecturer and environmental activist, was among a group of fishermen and nearby residents, protesting preliminary works being conducted by agents of the NEC in preparation for the reclamation of some 255 hectares of coastal land for the establishment of an industrial port.
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A Culture of Life

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
February 21, 2008

LaventilleThere is a frightening scene at the end of Emmanuel Appadocca, the first novel written by a Trinidadian in 1854 in which Emmanuel Appadocca, the major protagonist and son James Willmington, an English sugar planter, breaks into his father’s home in St Ann’s, seizes him and condemns him to death for abandoning him while he was a child. In this novel, author Maxwell Philip, examines the implications of the lex talionis–or the law of just revenge–and seeks to understand how it should be applied in the particular circumstance.
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