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'vive les miserables'

Happy Bastille Day! Today the French celebrate the most important day in the year except they refer to it as ' la Fete national'. Sounds like something we would do. It is to commemorate the storming of the Bastille on this day in 1789. The Bastille was a fortress-prison which was attacked by the people who obviously had a real beef with the then king, Louis XVI. It's a great story of a people defying the authorities and in this case the monarchy. France has never been the same again. As a result of what happened in 1789 in France, I happen to be born and living in T&T. Still not sure if I would buy a French made car!

I know the story of the Tobago ferries will just not go away. It's like the Russian involvement in the US general elections, new things keep coming to light. The good news is that the MV Ocean Flower 2  is traveling at 18.6 knots and will be docking at Dutch Harbor on the island of Unalaska, AK tonight at sometime.
When asked about the replacement ferry and if there was a local agent for the ferry, the Chairman could not say whether there was one or not. Why this vague statement? Did the PATT ask the ship's agents, Bridgeman Services, Canada, if there was a local agent or not? Surely one would want to know. In 2014 the public knew what the deal with the Superfast Galicia was, there was full disclosure. How could you not be definitive in your answer to a straightforward question?
I hope that unlike the Russia/USA election investigation all of a sudden we find not one but two additional people attended the famous meeting and that somehow the other parties who attended forgot.
Openness and transparency is the only way you are going to get support. The first day the vessel does not sail we all of a sudden find out that there is a local agent then the bacchanal starts. Who tief, who get bribe, you know only too well how it goes.

The Government has established a Wildlife Conservation Committee. Not whether hunting should be banned but to deal with current issues including agriculture, the environment and the management of hunting. The Minister of Agriculture says the committee should be paying attention "to the economic value of wildlife hunting in T&T." What BS is this?
The only issue with hunting on this rock is to BAN HUNTING! What part of BAN do they not understand. The committee is stacked with hunters whether it is actual reps from hunting organizations, the Amateur Hunters of T&T or the 'Caged Bird Fanciers.' What is wrong with these people? The landmass of T&T is too small, the wildlife has been depleted to such an extent that in Tobago there is virtually nothing left. There is zero protection by the forestry authorities of the wildlife and management of hunting licenses. Shut it down, BAN HUNTING!

Oh well life continues apace, meetings with the PMOTT and the LOTO coming up. The Clico monster is still out there, I wish someone would sit us, the plebs, down and explain exactly what the real story is without the usual political who did what. This, like Petrotrin, is a $20 billion problem, so it just might be of interest to all of us. C'mon Minister of Finance try us, have like a Conversation with the Plebs and explain how much of a mess we are really in. We are big girls and boys!

Enjoy the weekend people we have another great week ahead of us, another week to create change and to make the rock a better rock!

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom
- Maya Angelou

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