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' I am confused, ah really am confused'



I find for two senior citizens, at least me who is over 65 and by international definition, I am a senior, we had a very busy weekend. First, we went to the Horticultural Society's Flower Show then later that afternoon headed into the city for the Bocas Lit Fest and enjoyed every minute of it. During the week we attended various 'Bocas' functions and went back to NALIS over the weekend. For those of you who missed it this time look out for it next year it really is a first class event. Next on the calendar would be the Film Festival. The Rock has talent and creativity oozing from every pore. You should be asking the question why are we not concentrating on our people instead of hoping and praying that the price of oil and gas rebounds?

Driving into the city this morning I could not help but remark how clean the place was. Down Frederick St across Queen ( Penny Commissiong) up Abercromby, all spotless. Yes, there were a couple homeless persons who, if dealt with, would have made it a perfect drive. We parked outside the Red House and to my surprise, there were people working on the building, on Sunday. The PMOTT has promised the Red House to be back up and running by 2020, it may yet happen.

One of the sessions today was 'Beyond Boundaries' discussing the issues of ethnicity and migration. Basically how mixed race people born in Britain deal with the bias and associated race profiling and then the complete opposite when a white American woman makes Trinidad her home and she suffers a similar fate. Like 'Kitch's' white Irish wife, Marge, not having the best experience in Trinidad.
The more things change the more they remain the same! I always wonder how come when a person is shot by a police officer in the US it is 'an African American or a Hispanic American'. It is never a 'Caucasian or White American'. There are many things I don't understand. Racism will always be with us because it is on all sides of the racial divide. Not simply one against many.

Standard and Poor's have issued their new credit rating for the Rock and apparently somebody screwed up. What was supplied to them was one figure for energy revenues but the actual income exceeded the budgeted figures. If this is true then I am amazed that S&P did not verify what figures were being presented, that no one signed off on the statement, that the Ministry of Finance did not concur with the Ministry of Energy that these were, in fact, the correct numbers to be presented to the rating agency. How can we as a country be receiving 'X' amount of revenue from the energy sector and no one knew this? No one knew what the actual figure was? The Minister of Finance comes after the fact and says that the Ministry of Energy's figures were wrong, the Minister of Energy is confused as to how that mistake could have been made. Referencing the Mighty Shadow 'I am confused, ah really am confused'.
The name 'Poor's' has nothing to do with one's credit rating it is actually the name of the guy who started the rating agency, Henry Varnum Poor.

The poor children of the Rock will be sitting the SEA exam this week. Poor kids, this will determine their life, at 11 years old. What a stupid, foolish way of determining a child's future. If you fail the SEA then you are 'duncey'.  If you pass for a school, not of your preference then you are also 'duncey'. If you happen to be in the top 1% ( we love that term) then you will be on the front page of the media, you will be honored with a visit to your school by the Minister of Education, you will be showered with gifts and told how all your 'cramming' paid off. You will be praised for not having a normal life like playing sports or reading non-exam material or building your social skills or basically having a normal childhood. Being ADD I am sure that I got into Holy Cross on the 20% Principals listing. I am one of those officially classed as 'duncey' by the Ministry of Education.
People of the Rock we live in the 21st century, our education system was designed in the 1800's and we are still there. Can we please stop the rot in education and start the process of really educating our children? Ban the SEA as all other assessment exams for children.

It is Sunday night, we had a full moon on Friday night, heavy drizzles during the day and we look forward to the coming week.

People of the Rock, it can only get better, the ground orchids we bought at the Flower Show will prove that.

Good night and good luck!








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