8 posts tagged “caribbean”
I don’t usually pay attention to the utterances of Mr. Basdeo Panday but today I have to agree with his assessment of the Prime Minister’s desire to member states of the Caribbean and also with his desire to form a political union with those willing to grab petro crumbs. It looks like Mr. Manning wants to one up Dr. Eric Eustace Williams and ‘give birth’ to the already tried and failed West Indies Federation that died on May 31, 1962. I have to agree with Mr. Panday and endorse his views (and yes I still believe that Bas should depart from the leadership of his party- for unity of the opposition). The following quote was taken from the Trinidad Newsday newspaper written By Andre Bagoo Thursday, June 25 2009 “But Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday yesterday criticized Manning for getting his priorities wrong. http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,102649.html
“The duty of the Government is to look after its own citizens first,” Panday told reporters hours after Manning made his announcement in Parliament. “Right now I do not think we can afford (this). We can’t afford it because our people still do not have water. Our roads, our hospitals are in a bad way. No, at this point in time the first and most important consideration is our own people.
“I agree that prosperity in the other Caribbean countries is important because it means they can buy goods and services from us,” Panday admitted, but he saw the matter more for the private sector as opposed to public sector intervention. “To be prosperous they (the other Caribbean islands) must invite the private sector because this is a free economy.”
June 11, 2K9 WACKY EVENT Corpus Christi Holiday rolled around in Trinidad & Tobago once again and, as is the norm, it is time to Lime! I guess come and Lime with Damion was appropriate even though he was not at the station but out on the field of play – that is the motto of the show right… come and lime with ‘Damion and Friends’. Well Pardna, the WACK crew decided to participate in an event that was carded to be a cake walk – easy pickings as Trini like to put it. However, not even the Body of Christ could have prevented the Cut Ass that was forthcoming. Hello, not even the Took-ah-Looks man could have anticipated the flogging meted out on this momentous day and nothing in his arsenal could have cured the cataract that blind-sided the WACK cricket team. This Lime went South and soured the event for the radio guys and gals – it was sour stomach on this day and one that would live in infamy for a long, long-time. So what really happened? Well from all accounts the following was picked up off the air: The WACK All-star Cricketers led by the venerable Kenny Phillips were pummeled today by blind cricketers. Indeed the sighted ones could not see their way even when, through pity, they were allowed to take off their “darkers” to see the ball and more importantly to save face. However, even this did not help as the WACK team humiliated themselves against a group of legally blind cricketers. The Fireman David Matthews was laughing his ass off in the studio because he knew that defeat was near for the proud ones who always boast, on air, about their triumphs on the sporting field. A valiant effort by Damion Melville was not enough to save the WACK cricket allstars from the severe trashing at the hands of the ‘blind merry men’. Kenny Phillips took the most wickets for the WACK team but then again the blind cricketers scored over two hundred runs. Do you think that you could you put a value to that award and would you step on the podium to receive it? Yikes, but I believe that Kenny was bold and brave enough to accept that award. WACK could not even come close to scoring 100 runs – talk about an embarrassing episode - good bowling Kenny ): Oh how the mighty ones have fallen from Glory. Kent was boasting on air today but probably was very happy to end his shift before the final score and sorrowful results were announced on air. At the time of this writing I did not hear anyone from the Titanic WACK Cricket Allstars rise to the occasion and speak on air to accept defeat -good cut-arse have ah way of putting a damper on things; in others words 'dem boi shame fuh so' and ran from being interviewed. But wait, what are we hearing now? REMATCH! Gosh this cut ass was enough … no more please. Addendum: June 12, 2K9 OK folks today Damion addressed the game and after listening to both Kenny and Damion I must give them credit for being fantastic ambassadors of goodwill and champions of great sportsmanship. No excuses were made and Damion admitted that they took the sport and this cricket team for granted. Indeed the game proved difficult and yuh could talk and laugh all yuh want but until you are in their shoes and facing the music you will understand that you could talk the talk but you must practice to walk the walk. Never take anyone or anything for granted folks... Oh and yes, Congratulations to the National Blind Cricketers on a splendid display of talent and sportsmanship/Wack will always have your back!
Pirates of the Caribbean may have been a movie but the word pirate and pirated are synonymous with illegal reproduction and sale of copyrighted material. Let's take into consideration pirated copyrighted music of artistes who seem to only stand a chance of earning a few dollars during the carnival season. However, what about the rest of the year and what about other sources of income? We all know that the police in conjunction with COTT are attempting to protect the 'blood sweat and tears' that the artistes put into their music. The pirates are very brazen and as soon as they are busted they are like Dracula rising out of the ashes to do their dirty deeds once again. Will it ever end? Do you really think that the pirates are the only guilty parties that suck the life-blood from the artistes? You will be surprised that they are not and one of our favorite sources of hearing the music is just as guilty. Ok now I want to turn my attention to the ones whom I consider to be the true pirates of the Caribbean. This applies from the top to the bottom of the chain of islands. To be honest, I am not privy to the law as it applies in any of these territories but in Trinidad they are finally getting the message. All the work done by the previous presidents of COTT in Trinidad is finally beginning to pay dividends in that the government is finally beginning to act. The police are beginning to do their part. However, there are those that the police cannot touch and are left to be monitored by COTT. I said ‘the true Pirates of the Caribbean’ and that applies to every radio station that is taking advantage of the Royalty free fiasco by hiding behind the claim of promoting the music of the artist – what a farce! Sneaky and conniving should be added to the mix. How many of you out there believe that radio stations are paying the artistes for the songs played or are they playing it off as a promotion of the artiste and his/her music and, as a result, are giving the artistes a so called break/exposure worth not having to pay the royalties – what a joke! Now this does not apply to the stations that are paying the royalties for the playing of copyrighted material. Those stations are the real heroes of the singers, song writers and record producers. Where are we in Trinidad today? I don’t know if COTT has set up any rules for radio stations profiting from copyrighted music. In the US, “a copyright appeals board set a rate of seven-hundredths of a cent per song, per listener. For many stations, run by music fans for music fans, that works out to thousands of dollars more than they make. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2002-07-21-radio_x.htm. The result of this act led to the closure of many online stations but the reputable ones survived – over the air transmissions with the internet feed. Now that was a long time ago and since Trinidad and Tobago is heading for first World status it is only right that we all do the right thing – fair is fair. I don't know if the calculation of payment is a flat fee or if it pertains to 'sessions or hits to a website and general over the air airplay' that reflects the volume of listeners to a particular station. Whatever the formula is or should be requires that both the artiste and the station can survive. Stations that complain should instead focus of obtaining more advertisers to cover the cost of paying for the music and ensuring that there is a profit that ensures the survival and profitability of the station. As it pertains to the Calypso and Soca artistes in the Caribbean Region, they need and deserve every penny they can get for their hard work. Sometimes, I wonder when I hear radio jocks encouraging the listening public to only buy original copies of the compact discs if their station is paying the royalties due to the artistes for the music played on air or streamed over the internet to the international community – remember the music gives the station its identity! After all is said and done one is left to wonder who are the true Pirates of the Caribbean?
Emancipation Park in Jamaica was once a virtual dust bowl formerly named Liguanea Park. Had it not been for the foresight and dedication of the National Housing Trust the beautiful park would not have been conceived or built. Under the guidance of the NHT board of directors and former Prime Minister PJ Paterson the park materialized. The land itself was once the property of the Liguanea recreational and social club and was given to the people and government as a gift (7 acres of the 35 acres owned by the club). There was a debate on how best to use the land ... for a business district or for recreational purposes? In the end good sense prevailed and in 2002 the land was transferred to the NHT for $1.00 with 'a mandate' to construct a public park. “Emancipation Park materialized and proudly stands as a Kingston landmark and an excellent metaphor of the resilience and strength of the Jamaican people - http://www.emancipationpark.org.jm/about-us/history-of-emancipation-park.php.” Thank you Damion for the photos that lead to the research and installment of this post! (See Damion de Jamaican Mon!).Our Jamaican Caribbean Community brothers have created an excellent space for use by the populace in the midst of the busy city. For more information about the History of the Park, please visit http://www.emancipationpark.org.jm.
Trust Damion to be gracious enough to share his photos while in Jamaica, thank you sir. But as Kenny would say, ‘Oh gorsh man, yuh coulda write ah lil something about the photos, place and people - only photos de man send -steups!’
Damion, May God bless you and keep you safe in your travels, enjoy the stay and return home safely to your family! Just do us one favor, please get back to the microphone as early as possible - we miss you on air pardna!
The Trinidad Express Newspaper ran a story about a young woman who was caught with 1072.34 grammes of cocaine, which carries a street value of $400,000. She had the drug in the linings of her suitcase and in a laptop. Now instead of giving her jail time the Arima Magistrate decided to fine her a paltry sum of $10,000.00. What a sad decision when one considers that the stuff was worth nearly half a million dollars on the street. Clearly the message here is that crime does pay when one considers the mathematics and no jail time. Indeed, this can be considered a judicial blunder and obviously it sends the wrong message in the fight against criminal activities. The decision is clearly one that the criminals would applaud. Now you can understand why some people say the Law is an ass!
The Slave Trade was abolished 200 years ago - some would say that we are still slaves in some form. However, the act, the stroke of the pen making slavery and the slave trade a thing of the past is only an official seal that has paper value. There is a state of mind that exists today that leads one to believe that 'Black People' are still slaves in some form or fashion. The Corporate structure is rampant with people of color not having the same opportunity as those with the 'light skin complexion'. Police routinely pull over people of color (in the US) for no apparent reason (profiling). It goes on and on, but what about racism within the ranks of colored people. To get to the point - Indian and African descendants living in Trinidad and Tobago along with the 'caught in the middle bunch' known as 'Douglas' seem to revel in distrust. There is much condescending and animosity towards each other that is hidden behind false smiles (not all skin teeth is a smile). My memory goes back to the DLP (Democratic Labor Party) and the PNM (Peoples National Movement) divided by race lines. The more things change the more they remain the same - UNC, COP (same DLP) and the PNM are still fighting each other in the political arena. Indians against Africans - there is hatred and envy on both sides. So what makes us any different from the Slave Traders from the past - well we are not selling people but the seed planted by those devious people making one race (Indian indentured servants) believe that they are better than the previously freed slaves (Africans) has surely impacted negatively to this day. I am not laying the blame on the East Indians only here because both sides can be held accountable for many of the wrong things that are part of our recorded history. So now that two hundred years have gone by how long do we have to wait for true friendship and love for one another to permeate throughout the society? Let us not forget the 'Dougla' population - some people believe in true integration and have 'corked their ears' from the words and taunts of the 'doubting Thomases' and have forged ahead into the brave new world of love and harmony within the races. We can go on and on talking about this subject but I ask you, do you think that we are free from the Slavery mentality and, what can be done to free Indians and Africans from pointing fingers and assigning blame to each other for the ills of the society? Just think about this, our music is one of the sweetest sounds on God’s precious earth – Calypso, Soca and Chutney and the many musical off shoot that force people ‘to shake they behind’ (I will explain some of these Trini terms later on). Our Indian and African rhythms have fused to create something that has the rest of the World 'marveling in wonderment'. Can we learn to love and care for each other and stop the hating? Who Knows! So as my favorite 90.1 radio host (Damion Melville) would say, "Good efternoon" and keep hope alive.
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