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'H'






History will be remembered tomorrow, in 1935 in Grand Roy, Grenada. A baby boy, Francisco, was born to Rupert and Clarissa Slinger. He would become famous as the 'Mighty Sparrow' who put calypso music on the world map. Other than a statue that looks more like Calypso Rose a visitor to Trinidad would not be able to easily find anything about 'Sparrow' in his adopted country.  
Happy Birthday Sparrow!
 Of course today was 'Sparrow' day in Maraval. Listening to the Emory Cook collection of Sparrow's music I heard songs that I had never heard before. 'Harry in the Piggery' and 'Carlton peeping at me.' 
 One of Cook's best recordings was of a steel band coming down Frederick St. He actually hung a microphone over the street and one can hear the band approaching, the shuffling, passing under the mic and then leaving. People shouting, laughing and of course the music. 
Where is all of this history stored, in the Smithsonian of course! We have oil and gas!

Stoopid English language! If you wanted me to pronounce the River Thames without the 'H' then why the hell did you put the 'H' in? So what do you expect the oldest print media house on the rock to do when trying their best with a headline to spell 'thread' when making the point that the PMOTT had to 'tread' lightly! Shims! Stoopid!

CARICOM just concluded the annual conference on Caribbean business. It's not exactly the G20 but it gives the leaders of the english speaking islands a chance to come together and talk shop. A number of issues are still on the annual agenda after the official launch of CARICOM in 1973. Whilst in government, 2010-2012, as the Minister of Trade I represented T&T at various meetings. For the life of me I could not understand why age old issues were still on the agenda with no resolution. I see that CSME is back on the front burner. The UK will exit the EU and we will still be talking CSME. Unless the English speaking Caribbean understands economies of scale where a Caribbean community of 35 million is somehow better than the current 5 million permanent members. 
I understand fully that island states with a population of 100,000 are at a great disadvantage in any economic grouping but there must be middle ground.
Tourism is the biggest economy in the Caribbean so the issue of crime must be high on the agenda. Why is this not so, what is it with Caribbean leaders that they cannot deal with crime, especially drug and gun crime? The Caribbean has one of the highest crime rates in the world tourism industry. For many countries this is the only industry and yet still the drug business is allowed to flourish.
Beats me!

'Zaboca' season has arrived early, must be climate change! I thought that avocado season was more in October. Mango season is in May, breadfruit in August, 'zaboca' in October, sorrel in December, Carnival in February. Anyway I am not paying $25 for a Fruit of the Gods, I will wait until the neighbors tree starts to bear.

Plenty bacchanal on the rock, but say what we need content for Skinner Park next year!

Watch your spelling, 'H' is not always 'H' watch your contents!  





  

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