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'the coiffure'








Ended the week on a bit of a sad note. A man who dedicated his life to cocoa passed away on Thursday night. He was the last surviving member of a family of thirteen children, many of whom spent their entire life in Gran Couva 'in the cocoa.' He was close to 94 years old and a history of cocoa died with him. Imagine that age and not being on any medication whatsoever.
'Cocoa people' are very different to the rest of us. Reading the weather with no weather station, the dry season and bush fires with no fire brigade, black pod and witches broom with no doctorate in agronomy, waking up at a God forsaken hour every morning without an alarm clock, living off the land and having practically all fresh food on their doorstep, no WASA, good spring and rain water. Being able to not only keep zaboca for months on end out of season but to select the perfect zaboca depending on what time we were eating Christmas Day lunch, using a 'bush umbrella' if rain was falling, sensed climate change before it became a popular phrase, seeing the seasons move a month later than usual. RIP Pablo!

The Port Authority is a secured area for Customs and in this modern era of safety and security the PATT practices a high level of safety by its employees and all persons on the facility during all ship handling services, container moves and other related activities.
How come on two of the dailies there is a front page picture of the three main persons responsible for the contracting of the replacement ferries posing on the quay side with hard hats in their hands and not on their heads? A clear breach of the safety procedures. I know, picking at straws, no, the rules are the rules and a proper example must be shown by all at all times. Maybe it's a coiffure issue!
The hell that this Administration put Tobago and Trinidad through, and not one single person has had the decency to apologize to the country for the total screw up and then after the apology, resign.
I think what irks me more is that Tobago took this nonsense and smiled. That the Trinidad users took this nonsense and smiled. More fool them! Politics and Politicians will do it every time.
The Minister of Ferries says that he is glad that the wait is over and that at last Tobago will have a suitable vessel. The Minister of We in Charge Now says that she is waiting with bated breath!
Isn't that great, they and the PMOTT, singlehandedly dismantled a perfectly good working ferry service and replaced it after months of anguish and distress, with a ferry service that is now costing the taxpayer more than three [3] times the original cost. Good job!

The going's on on the rock is nothing short of laughable, if it was not so serious. It seems that every single issue is now front page news. A former AG now being accused of conflict of interest in the CLF case. What is the deal here, the Judiciary on the rock cannot sink any lower. Judges taking the Judiciary to court, conflict of interest, cases involving lawyers and Judges are heard expeditiously while thousands of criminal cases wait for decades to be heard.
I think someone should file a matter to have the Judiciary and the TTPS shut down. Talk about a waste of time.
 I had a matter before the courts as then Minister of Transport. The Great Leader of the PSA brought a case against me, Stephen Cadiz and others, saying that I had people working under less than adequate working conditions. That's when the Licensing Office on Wrightson Rd started working half day. Now the person Stephen Cadiz never owned or operated the facility, he never constructed the facility, he never employed anyone he had zip all to do with the working environment. He, Stephen Cadiz as Minister, did in fact completely refurbish the facility within a six week period after being made aware of the situation.
It took seven court hearings, Stephen Cadiz appeared at all he was requested to appear, the plaintiff would appear saying that he walked with the wrong file, the plaintiff would not appear, the plaintiff would say that he was not briefed on the matter. A complete sham. My State appointed defense lawyer, an SC, took some time before he understood that I, Stephen Cadiz, was not the person, but if the matter was to continue it would be either the AG or the Office of the Minister. Seven hearings, wasting peoples time and the case was eventually thrown out by the then Chief Magistrate.  Can you imagine what this frivolous matter cost the taxpayer? I feel sorry for the Judiciary and then I wonder who is in charge and why is this nonsense allowed? I even appeared at one of the hearings in a formal, long sleeved linen Guayabera shirt only to be told that I could not enter the court with my shirt outside my pants. Y'all think this rock easy to live on?
Wrightson Rd is still closing half day.

Enjoy the weekend people, there is a wind blowing across the rock that will change the way we live, in a good way. I get the feeling that we as a people are finally coming to the realization that what we have grown to know as politics is finally coming to its end. A new fresh political system will emerge that will put to rest the nonsense that we have all supported. Nothing before it's time!

Good night and good luck!










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