Skip to main content

normal bandits



Today was no different. We had the whole gang here for lunch, as usual, we are extremely fortunate to have children and grandchildren nearly every Sunday. The kitchen goes crazy, the cousins flying low, ole talk and picong, probably about three minutes of serious conversation, the best! The entire meal was grown and produced right here on the Rock. OK, the vino was imported, can't get used to Pomerac wine as yet!

The Rock continues to amaze! Spy versus Spy! Planes, ships, men in trench coats, ladies smoking cigarettes through a slender tube made of silver or jade, code names like 'Cuffie' being used. What the hell is going on? Reports of a terrorist plot, people detained, the wrong house being searched by the police, nothing, absolutely nothing found to suggest a terror plot, yet the Rock is under a terror watch.  Reports of a foreign spy plane flying around Chaguanas, probably searching for the best doubles man. A foreign spy ship docking at Port of Spain and restocking supplies for its next voyage, not once but twice in a couple months. All of a sudden the Rock is the place to be. The Diplomatic Corps making statements and issuing Travel Advisories telling their nationals to stay away from EDR and other places. We who live here stay away from those same places for obvious reasons like drugs, guns and normal bandits.
What is really the truth behind all this 'spy versus spy'? Why is our Government being drawn into the international arena where we supposedly do not have evidence on the guy running the Beetham mafia, nor the Enterprise section but we are now holders of 'credible information' on a major terrorist plot to destabilise the country? I say this is total BS! This is yet another ruse to distract the population from the every day issues of murder and mayhem where the current Government refuses to accept responsibility, blaming the previous Government for their complete lack of vision or fortitude in dealing with crime. Of course it could also be the powers that be really spying on our neighbours, Venezuela. Quien sabe!

The 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea closed today. I looked at some of the activities and must say that the visuals are far better than the Summer Olympics. The snow, the colours of the athletes uniforms competing, the back drop of the events all made a very spectacular sight. That is of course if you were not looking at the sport of 'curling'. The sport is likened to 'shuffleboard'. It is without a doubt the most boring sport I have ever witnessed. The Winter Olympics Committee should seriously reconsider the sport of 'curling'. Having a Jamaica or Ghana bobsled team is the best. 'Curling' holds no interest for me. There are 'curling shoes' and 'curling brooms' manufactured for the sport.
The politics that played out in the Winter Olympics I thought was quite something. The North Koreans making the play to have the Peninsula go as one and the issue of the Russians not being able to compete as a nation because of a previous doping scandal says a lot. The Games are political and whether you accept that or not it says that it can in fact be manipulated to suit a number of interests. Maybe athletes should be allowed to compete as individuals.

Back home we see all kinds of bacchanal as usual. The St Agustine Nurseries is one of the issues. Why you may ask? Well, it is one of the only 'germ plasm' fruit tree nurseries on the island. The fact that it has not been given the prominence it justly deserves is no excuse to have it bulldozed to be replaced with public housing. The PMOTT has made the most ludicrous statements regarding the site. If he for one minute understood the critical importance of the facility then he would not be authorising the destruction of the decades old 'germ plasm'. We are a signatory to a UN Convention to protect such facilities. The PMOTT is constantly claiming that he is a licensed farmer, so why would you willingly destroy something as critical as a 'germ plasm' facility? I guess the same way you single handedly destroyed the 'sea bridge' would answer that.

In discussions with ordinary folk the talk is things on the Rock are not good. The economy has actually stalled, there are no new business opportunities and what is left is not able to support current levels of operations. I really hope the PMOTT understands what is happening and that it is real. This is not something fabricated by the last Administration, he needs to take ownership. Years ago Guyanese 'businessmen' would arrive in Trinidad with bags of money in hard currency to trade. Is this where we are heading?

What is going on this week? Music Festival at Queens Hall showcasing the real talent of the Rock. Good stuff!

Good night and good luck people!












Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

R&R

We had two of the four grands spend the weekend with us whilst the parents went off to the North Coast for some rest and relaxation. From all reports, the sojourn was well spent with both singing the praises of our North Coast, no beach, just R&R. We are ten minutes from the coast and I hate to admit it but it is rare that we venture north. One of the selling points of coming to live in the wilds of Maraval in 1983 was the fact that Maracas Bay was a mere 30 mins away. Maracas could have been next door it did not matter, we just do not do it. Having grandchildren I think puts you in a very different place. When our kids were growing up we were struggling with building a business from scratch, living off of a teachers salary, impossible then as it is now, and generally ketching. But as it is with all things in life we survived. Looking back at those years it was difficult, kids, dogs, mortgage and other loans, but you knew why you were putting yourself through all this hard...
Post a Comment
Read more

the Grand Pooba! The Constitution 101 [6[

The distance the Tobago ferries have to travel between the islands is approximately 80 miles. For safety reasons the First Bocas cannot be used so the ferries sail through the Second Bocas which adds time on to the sailing schedule. The water or wave pattern is different on the sailing to Tobago as the wave comes at an angle to the sailing direction of the ferry that does not provide the passengers with the most comfortable ride. At certain times of the year, November to March in particular, the seas can get extremely rough. There have been cancellations of the service because of adverse sea conditions. The current design of the passenger ferries being used, the Incat hull, have proven to be the best to date. They are fast, in excess of 35 knots, which should give a sailing time of just over two [2] hrs. Being a catamaran type design, with a wave piercing capability, it is probably one of the best vessels for the service. There are newer designs of the same basic hull that can take...
Post a Comment
Read more

'goose or Ghana'

One of the biggest news stories tonight is of course the Anand Ramlogan issue. A former Attorney General - the only other member of the PPG Cabinet [ all other members are invited], Senior Council, Senator and well known Constitutional lawyer. I am not going to pronounce on Attorney Ramlogan's issue with the police and the DPP. What I am concerned about is the third world handling of the entire affair to date. A barrage of police, reportedly ten vehicles of armed officers, six o'clock in the morning, off to TTPS Headquarters, 36 hrs of questioning. What absolute BS is this? Until the TTPS start using their brains and not there obvious brawn then maybe we can start becoming a civilized people and not the law of the jungle. So what, you want to embarrass the former AG? Embarrass his wife and family, for what? To show that you are that brilliant that it takes 36 hrs of questioning to determine 2 charges? What exactly did you say that convinced someone to issue a warrant th...
Post a Comment
Read more