One Nation

Today was a 'chores day' doing things, paying bills, getting coffee maker fixed, and a heavy dose of public service. You know I am a reader of signage in government offices which for many years has intrigued me. I have always wondered who determines that a sign is required because the only reason for signs in an office would be for safety or to indicate the terms under which you are allowed in the particular office, directional, like washrooms or the particular station you are at. So today I head off to conduct serious business at a Ministry in the capital city, very proud that I was not only able to use my home printer but to also make copies of a document that required an expert layout.  I park in what I always consider the best park in town and walk down to the Ministry. Everybody is more than busy so I figure out that I could not be that dumb and I start following the signs. The office that I need to go to is on the second floor. The directions given by official look

The past week has been hectic, in Tobago with family, stuff happening and a fried brain. Tobago as usual was delightful even though the poor island is being treated like a bastard child by an administration that is not only usually favoured by the Tobago electorate but where the PMOTT is a son of the soil. The guy even wrote a book 'From Mason Hall to Whitehall' although he had not yet actually completed 24 months of his term as PMOTT and worse, 'Whitehall' has been in a state of disrepair and abandoned by successive Administrations. I guess this is a sign of not so good things to come. Before I get vex I just want to deal with something that really bothers me. Hot water or a lack of it. We came home from the sister isle to a non functioning water heater. In my early days in Arima I grew up with what I have termed 'overnight water'. In Arima the old man would store water in a galvanise storage tank, zero insulation, and the water would reflect the temperatur

Finally, the dry season has arrived, more or less on cue.  The yellow poui, one of four trees we planted 30 yrs ago, is starting its first flowering. Not sure if it flowers thrice before the start of the rainy season, we shall soon see! Nature is alive and well in the Moka valley, saw our first large crapaud in a long time. I remember our friends from Chickland lamenting the fact that fires and human development had destroyed the habitat for these strange creatures so much so that she saw frogs climbing the wooden utility poles, I guess assuming that these were trees. These nights on my slug patrol I am seeing all kinds of nocturnal beings hiding amongst the leaves of various plants and shrubs. Very healthy! What is not very healthy is the state of the State. Can you imagine for one moment the embarrassment that the CJ debacle has caused?  We now have an outgoing President in direct, open conflict with the Executive. I thought there was a regular meeting between these guys to discu

Last evening we headed out to the wilds of Maracas, St Joseph to be with the Astronomical Society for an educational evening. Well if you earthlings think you are the only crazy people here well you are probably right. If you earthlings think that you are the only crazy people in the whole scheme of things then you are wrong wrong wrong. From what I learned on Saturday not only are we not alone but we are like the 'Cat in Bag' band on Carlos St with 'Tribe' passing on Ariapita Ave. We are one of a grillion galaxies, a speck in a world of stuff that my Arima brain cannot even start to comprehend. I have heard of 'black holes', OK, but then you want to add 'white holes' and then throw me into a spiral with 'worm holes'! I marvel at Aristotle, Galileo, Einstien, Hubble, and Hawking. We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special. Stephe

A very important decision was taken by me today. Since demitting public office in September of 2015 I had taken a couple of lifestyle decisions. One was to never wear a jacket and tie ever in life again, never have to set an alarm for work, of course Jouvert and other fun stuff would be the exception. Other things would be to have jeans as my everyday wear and not drive in traffic. Growing my beard was another priority, sending me back to my afro days and the 60's-70's. I can't regrow an afro because my hair, even though thankfully still there, is not in 'fro mode'. So the big decision is to go from a full beard to one of a lesser girth. The things semi-retired people do. I think that the people of the Rock should be up in arms over the debacle surrounding the Chief Justice. Reading some of the 'man in the street' polls it would seem that the majority of people do not fully understand the seriousness of the current situation or they are simply not bother

This weekend we celebrated the festival of Holi. It is a beautiful celebration of colour, joy and happiness. The pictures in the media are normally of children spraying each other with different colours, having a fun time. It is one of the times on the Rock where you do not have to be a Hindu to celebrate. Like Christmas, Divali or Eid you do not have to be of the faith to participate. This is probably why I think the Rock is the place to be, we are a nation of peoples, of tribes, of religions, of the world.  As much as the politics divide us deep down we are one nation, one Republic. We really do not take on the stupidness that is fed to us by stupid people, unless of course the election bell rings and all zandolie back in their hole. Why is this? What is it in the minds of Trini's that we feel we would rather starve under one tribe than the other? We prefer to catch our bums under one tribe rather than suffer under another? If one tribe gives the other tribe something it is n

Time is an illusion!. Albert Einstein, and he should know. Today is already the 1st of March and it seems that we are hurtling through our galaxy at warp speed heading somewhere. The first Carnival Band launch will be in five months, parang music in eight,   and then the whole cycle begins again. This weekend is Pagwa  or the festival of Holi aka the festival of colours. Thousands of Hindus and citizens alike on the Rock will participate in this wonderful, happy ritual of spraying 'abeer' on each other in true friendship. Like many religious festivals it always has something to do with good over evil. Maybe we should declare this entire year the year of Holi and allow the good to take over and remove the evil.            I cannot fathom what is happening on the Rock with the PMOTT appointing a twice sworn -in and twice subsequently removed Minister. This time it came as a thief in the night, even though they really surface that way again as any time is a good time, an