Things were quiet on the rock today, only one kidnapping. A Chinese national, perpetrators apparently caught, victim rescued. Possible a couple murders and various other criminal acts like car stealing, house breaking, just a normal day. This is not good when the population accepts criminal activity as a norm, an everyday occurrence. We start comparing yesterday or last month with other horrendous crime statistics and if we better that figure by one it means we are doing something right. So, is it that the kidnappings for ransom have started again, two recently. This is not good, one would think that if I stay out of certain areas I have a better chance of not being murdered. The latest kidnapping according to the police occurred at 7.30 this morning in Haynes St, St Clair not exactly hell town!
In one of the updated print media reports during the day the victim was referred to as a 'Chinese'. Chinese? Nothing about a Chinese National or a Chinese male, just Chinese. Reminds me of my school days and the not so politically correct reference to 'Chinee.'
The replacement passenger fast ferry for Tobago, the MV Ocean Flower 2, is presently churning her way to Dutch Harbor Alaska. Where she is at present I hope she does not experience any mechanical failure, as recently reported by one of the media houses, because she is in the land of no return. Anyway she is estimated to arrive in Alaska on the 14th July, tomorrow.
There are issues about the Tobago ferry service that are not drawing the attention of most people. The two replacement ferries are coming at a cost of approximately $50.0K USD per day. This equates to an annual expenditure of TT$123,000,000.00. You do know that this was totally avoidable had the right decisions been made for the right reason. The fast ferry T&T Express, is now parked up, and from all reports, will not be sailing anytime soon. The selling point for this additional ferry, the Ocean Flower 2, was to complement the two existing passenger fast ferries. This apparently is not so and no one at the PATT has even mentioned this. Noted also is that the replacement fast ferry is in fact over 21 yrs old and way past its prime.
Let's also not forget that the four helicopters involved in crime fighting are now grounded because of the high cost of their annual operation, $200.0M. Hmmmm!
It seems as though the country is running on auto pilot. I remember reading of a plane crash in the Florida Everglades many years ago. Apparently the landing gear was giving trouble and had to be mechanically lowered. The process somehow required all hands on deck and the entire cockpit crew was busy in the action. No one had noticed however that the auto pilot had been disconnected and the aircraft gradually lost altitude and crashed. I get the horrible feeling we are very much on auto pilot or worse, think we are, and that the cockpit crew knows exactly what they are doing. The situation in T&T is very scary. The uncontrollable crime, the complete lack of any vision in turning around the economy, the continued dependency on energy, and knowing full well that our current savings will carry us to the next election and then that's it. Neither side has proffered any real solutions to this country's predicament. The next election is due in 2020.
This is scary!
Something else that has me concerned is the lack of collection areas for recycling. The St Ann's Scout Headquarters location is now officially closed and other than one or two single product depositories there is nothing, nowhere to place our recyclables. Oops, I am so sorry, my mistake. Just drive to the end of the Maraval Valley and find a nice wooded area and dump your white waste, old tires, discarded shelving and whatever else you feel to throw away. Yes, I am talking about my neighborhood! Shims!
In 1977 there were no tent rental companies. If you were having a function, wedding, party whatever it would either be open air or under a tarpaulin. Nearly 40 years ago we were erecting tarpaulin for a major event which will be celebrated this weekend. No, not the 40th anniversary of Penny's win but maybe a much bigger win!
Stay tuned! Tonight listening to James Brown 'I feel good,' puts me in a place where I am supposed to be, on the rock!
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