Changes

Today was Punks first day at her new secondary school. She enjoyed it.

We bought the tie at the school when we got there. (^_^)

Sniff…. my baby is growing up. (;_;)

Hedgehog

Yesterday, just outside, there was a little baby hedgehog lost. He was on the path, so Punks took some photos, and then fed him/her.

That’s dry cat food it was eating, which it seems to love.

To settle the argument

Dennis the Menace, debuted in March 12, 1951 in the US. Conceived and drawn by Hank Ketchum.

 

The second Dennis (the Menace) debuted in the UK on March 15, 1951 (3 days later). It was drawn by David Law.

So you see Dennis, I was right when I said Rocky looks like Dennis the Menace, my version. (^_^)

Placebo!

Well I admit it – I’m becoming something of a junkie for alternative rock. And I just discovered Placebo – there piece ‘Special Needs’ caught my attention.. and man, I can’t get this tune out of my head!!

There’s something about the arrangement of the music and the scenes that has me hypnotised. You know there is a story in there somewhere.. but it may not be clearly defined..and it is left for  each of us to find their own story.

So I went looking and found much more of their stuff. This one Bitter End is just amazing!! Graphic etc. simply brill, I thought – and again there is a story in there somewhere.

Putting your money where your mouth… isn’t

Several things came to my attention this morning, the tie-in to all being the fact that money is spent wantonly and wastefully by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, also commonly known to those in the know as Patrick Manning.

None of it is really shocking. None of it even raises eyebrows any more. Think of it this way:

You start a job, do your duties. Eventually you get asked to do a favour. You get asked again… and again… and again. The favour eventually becomes part of your job role. You protest one day, maybe. It is pointed out that you accepted the responsibility so now you are stuck with it because you did not protest.

In much the same way, the money being so wantonly and carelessly spent has never been brought to censure except by a few lone voices. Now, it has become accepted as the ‘norm’ and we who protest are merely farting in the breeze.

So getting back to where money is spent and the mouth of the gov’t isn’t…

A certain stadium/sporting academy for a ‘hero’, (personally, if I was associated with this debacle, I’d do a deed poll, change my name, and hide out in some other country, still hanging my head in shame). $700 M spent and the end is nowhere near 50% completed much less 100%. The Sports minister, rightfully renamed to ‘Isaac’, is hunting for excuses, but apparently has now given up and simply stated in Parliament he is ignorant of anything to do with this Hart-felt project. He is quite correct of his ignorance.

I must point out – and deserving of its own paragraph – that Isaac requested 172 free football tickets (see below on football scams), for Parliamentarians numbering just over 40 odd. The others apparently went missing in rain and floods, but… I suspect will never be found when the flood waters subside.

A Commission of Enquiry is determined to be illegal, since it was not ‘gazetted’ before starting. Lack of printing a notice to the public has scuttled an affair that was keen to look at misdemeanours (and more severe criminal acts) in the construction sector, a roundabout way of saying ‘Get Rowley!’ They ‘shook’ the dog on him but forgot to untie the chain from the kennel. In the meantime, a reported $3M was spent on what I assume to be ‘admin’ fees since the lawyers will collect separately. Oddly enough, this has come a time when the Commissioners have been provided with what appears to be irrefutable proof that the head honcho is in cahoots with a major contractor; indeed he might even be part of the family, by law as well as money.

I am ashamed to mention that Patrick Manning aka the Gov’t is also buying 4 helicopters, at a cost of $2B, for the ‘armed’ forces, even if most of those arms are hidden in the ceilings of various police stations and probably barracks around the country. The last time the armed forces used a helicopter to my knowledge, it was to deliver the head of the police duncey service, right on top of a crime scene thus blowing away all the evidence. Perhaps when he alighted the wind blew up his arse, because shortly thereafter it was revealed by Patrick Manning, aka the Gov’t that they had an idea who ‘Mr Big’ was. Since then both the CoP and the Gov’t appear to have farted out that hot air since not even a ‘squeef’ came out after about Mr Big.

On the other hand, we have a certain Opposition MP who opposes both the Gov’t and his colleagues. He wisely spends money of a personal nature in a generous manner helping the poor and downtrodden, who appear to be everyone at this point except ministers and senators. The generous spending makes him appear to be as wise as Job, as thrifty as Moses, and as rich as Joseph (no, not Martin). The public is so damn grateful, they forget that the money being spent on them is really theirs, garnered under questionable circumstances from ticket sales for football matches in Germany through a questionable transaction with a travel agency owned by the same MP. He also had a son who got the sole concession to sell concessions at local football events which actually brought in more moolah. Funny thing is that he raked in Millions, but give back thousands.

Hey, and don’t forget, despite a court order prohibiting construction at Alutrint because of failure to obtain legally required authorisation, the work is still going on. Why? The reasoning is as crooked as some cops and politicians. “We have invested so many millions that it will all go to waste if we don’t continue.” So, they continue, forgetting the commonsense approach that even more will be lost if the court shuts them down, permanently.

I have to say, I am speechless.

Sins of the fathers

When I was a little younger, I bought my first car. I was a little older than most drivers on the road, but I relished the freedom I had… speed and the lure of the open road were hard to resist. Now, in those days, there were not so many cars on the roads – sometimes on a weekend I’d be the only driver for miles on the highway.

The temptation to speed was increased when my cousin started being my mechanic. My car was a Mazda 323, and we’d change the carburettor to fit a bigger one, and also a bigger engine. The low speed bore in my carburettor was 120 (in a normal carburettor it’s supposed to be 80 for the low speed and 180 for the high speed jets). My high speed became 320.

My car guzzled some gas, but boy, did it move!

I still recall with horror (now) at some of my antics. I once took 11 minutes from in front of Penal Police Station to Metro Cinema by Library corner in San Fernando. In the night. In a light rain. I have 2 witnesses.

It used to take me 23 minutes from Port of Spain Hospital (over the Lady Yong Road) to reach San Fernando technical Institute in Tarouba. I have witnesses.

It took me 13 minutes from Fyzabad by Butler statue to Débé. Next morning I was afraid to drive the car because I had completed ‘finished’ the new tyres I’d bought. The steel belts were all ‘sprang’ out and totally cut through. I was taking corners at well over 140 kmph. No witnesses to this one, but thank God and the Holy Aloe… if a tyre had gone… ey, keep in mind those days didn’t have traffic on the road like now, eh.

Why am I revealing my wilder self? This lasted an embarrassing 2 years, until I curbed the need for speed willingly. That was when Punks mom became pregnant.

It’s amazing how careful I was in driving then, how I did not want to injure that little life that was part of me. Even now, when I go to Trinidad, and use a car, any friends I have with me accuse me of driving ‘like somebody’s old grandmother’. I don’t care. Driving in England had made that attitude revere road safety all the more.

With a baby Punks in the car, I was even more careful. First order, a car seat. Sure, it was a little expensive, but we had one, even if it was second-hand.

Next, baby in back seat. No questions asked. Mommy in back seat too with baby. She used to get pretty annoyed if a PYT sat next to me in the front seat if we were bringing or taking up friends to POS or any where, but that was the rule. Back seat!

Where am I going with all this rambling?

Well, I was thinking this morning of Sheila Ramjit and her daughter, 1 year old Vionna who died when her husband’s car hit an electricity post. Some people have done a roundabout defence of the situation under the guise of writing about something else. Well, not so much  a defence as an excuse.

Maybe some people think that the man driving, Shelia’s husband and Vionna’s father has been punished enough, as he has lost a wife and daughter at the same time. Some say he will be haunted by this accident for the rest of his life.

I can understand the man’s pain. I can understand him blaming himself. I can understand people blaming him. I can understand a whole lot of things except… where the hell was his head when it came to a few simple cautions about his baby?

To be continued…?

‘Love of computers’ causes death!

Look, I was jes goin’ and res’ meh head. Who tell meh to go click on The TT Guardian Website.

Well when ah see dis dohtishness I couldn’ res’!! Well I tell you – stupidity knows no boundaries dong on Donkey Island. See the Guardian 2009-09-04.

Basically a 15 year old computer wiz kid was stabbed to death by some thug who was after his Blackberry.

The father of the deceased put some importance to his son stopping at an Internet cafe and having a Blackberry.

The Guardian however, construed the death as due to ‘love of computers’  - well what a load o’ utter twaddle! Buh yuh know it have chupid people who go believe t’ing like dat in dee Guardian.

Look, everybody is entitled to have a Blackberry and to walk without fear, from an internet cafe, at any time of the day or night. This very sad homicide was not due to a Blackberry or love of computers as the Guardian might have you think.

No - this crime was due to a failure of a government to get a proper grip on crime! No more, no less.

The Kevin Awards

Reprinted with the permission of Kevin Baldeosingh.

The Fixed Order of T&T

In failing to disclose that she broke a fixed deposit with Clico, then claiming she didn't know it was fixed since it had rolled over, Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira has proved beyond reasonable doubt that she never had a pet dog. Despite this lack of training or experience, however, she has quickly learned to act like a PNM poodle. The award is conferred on that basis. Nunez-Tesheira also failed to mention that she had shares in CL Financial even as she oversaw the corporation's bailout, and proved that every skin-teeth is not a smile when she told Parliament there was no conflict of interest since the bailout was a Cabinet decision. If Nunez-Tesheira can avoid giggling when she presents the Budget next Monday, she'll also receive a year's supply of Pepsodent white-strips.

The Dumbing Herd Medal

Dr Tim Gopeesingh has been awarded this award for his allegation that ethnic cleansing was taking place in the Port of Spain General Hospital, even though the doctors cleansed didn't know what he was talking about. What made Dr Gopeesingh a shoo-in for this medal was his stout defence of the term ethnic cleansing as "the expulsion of an 'undesirable' population from a given territory due to religious or ethnic discrimination, political, strategic or ideological considerations, or a combination of these." In order to prove that he was right, Dr Gopeesingh is bringing a motion to Parliament so the POSGH can get its own currency, flag, and native frogs.

The Draconian Medal

Awarded to former Independent Senator Gail Merhair, who is still a Senator, for refusing to thwart the Government, read the Constitution, or do anything that would make Patrick pout.

The Macconia Medal

No other Government Minister has displayed such a penchant for gallerying as Sport Minister Gary Hunt, who claims he needed 172 tickets to a football match for Government officials, then insisted that Opposition MPs and Independent Senators are not part of Government. On realising he couldn't apply this same logic to disfavoured MP Keith Rowley, Mr Hunt blamed the weather, traffic, and Rowley failing to call Hunt to ask for a free ticket. Now, not only are ordinary citizens maccoing the Sport Minister, but they are doing so cut-eye. This does not faze Mr Hunt, who is embarrassed only by bushy eyebrows.

The Public Disservice Medal

Awarded to attorney Israel Khan for either losing his cool, or pretending to lose his cool, over Calder Hart. Having been appointed to the Uff Commission of Inquiry despite being a declared PNM supporter, Khan insisted that he could still be objective and unbiased, if not combed. Accused of racism by UDecott's attorneys, Khan responded with a ten-page letter denying any such tendencies and pointing out that he had children in Canada where they run the risk of dying from boredom.

The Short Order of T&T

Despite floods all over the country, three collapsed bridges within a year, and $400,000 to open an incomplete overpass, all calls for responsibility fly over Works Minister Colm Imbert's head, as do most things. Also, writing so many letters to the editor about anti-PNM critics keeps Mr Imbert too busy to replace his political paranoia with basic competence. This award has been given for his ability to instantly blame any disasters on private contractors, stationary clouds, and people who don't grin fatuously. Colm has made it clear that the buck doesn't stop at his desk, though he never says a word about the several billion of them which vanish at Udecott's.

The Protection Order of T&T

Awarded mainly to the minority of police officers who hide cocaine and guns in ceilings and homes, who steal cash when arresting bandits who have stolen cash, but also to the majority of officers who see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil, except when shooting poor people who are acting suspiciously.

The Disorder Order of T&T

Awarded to President George Maxwell Richards so he can give this medal to George Maxwell Richards, thus making his regard for self official. Unable to detect integrity if it was presented to him in a non-plagiarised essay about chemical bonds and why they're better than pink handcuffs, Max however sees ethical merit in pate de foie gras. On this basis, he claims that it is now difficult to find persons willing to serve on the Integrity Commission because they either fear public scrutiny, blush easily, or chew with their mouths open. It has not crossed Max's mind that anyone who accepts an appointment to the IC from this President thereby proves they're unfit for the post or, if it has, he probably thinks such ethical considerations are "fuelled by lack of deep consideration of all the issues pertinent to resignation".

kbaldeosingh@hotmail.com

Nobody cares

Years ago at school when we were doing our Advanced Level studies, our vice principal asked if we knew what was the national motto of Trinidad and Tobago. Eager hands went up and one person said " Together we aspire, Together we achieve". Our vice principal said no. We were confused. Some decided to quote various mottos and even parts of the National Anthem. To all these attempts he still said no. Then he said to us that the Motto of Trinidad and Tobago is "Nobody Cares".

Nobody cares that our health care professionals still operate in dilapidated facilities with equipment from the 70s. No wonder there is a drain of doctors and nursing personnel. No wonder those left behind are disgruntled and the health care system is poor.

Nobody cares that our Licensing staff continue to do their work from the same small offices throughout the country. Population and demand have grown but all systems remain the same.

Nobody cares that roads beyond the East-West Corridor remain in bad state despite our having home-grown pitch. We only need the drive from airport to Port of Spain in good condition, for obvious reasons.

Nobody cares if your car gets damaged with these bad road conditions or if you lose control of your car due to poor roads. No, nobody cares.

Nobody cares that one day oil will run out.

Nobody cares about the high cost of living.

Nobody cares that the Opposition party can offer no hope and is destined to remain in opposition.

Nobody cares that crime is living next to you, following you around and taking your young.

Nobody cares that big business is getting away with destroying our land and agriculture does not get the respect it deserves.

Nobody cares that there continues to be poor customer service at our Government offices and public institutions.

Nobody cares that King Sugar is dead.

Nobody cares that Uncle Kamal should rightfully get a national award for his contribution to our country.

Nobody cares that this present dictator is spending our monies building castles in the sky while town floods.

Nobody cares that our utility rates are rising, rising, rising.

After all these years our vice principal was correct.

It is time to change this motto.

Nelini M Ramdeen-Boodoo

El Dorado

Yet another panoramic photo

This one is composed of 8 photographs taken in Shrewsbury.

Duncey Day

Trust dunceys to make my day. Check this out.

A police inspector working with a special unit in the service is now under investigation, after reporting that he was attacked by thieves while driving home and robbed of court documents and his service revolver.

The internal investigation was launched after the "stolen" gun was taken to police headquarters by a Marabella businessman who said he found it at a bar.

Well, well, well. The Inspector has, no doubt formulated over the years, the popular pastime of stopping at a bar before, during or after work. More likely during.

He forgets his briefcase, no doubt because he was drunk (and driving) or because he had long eye on some PYT.

Then, to cover his arse, he reports it stolen. And has the other dunceys chasing 2 fictitious men. Now, the question here is, what if they did arrest someone? Would that person(s) be charged and sentenced based upon an Inspector’s lies and gollywhoppers?

The second story is about the absence of dunceys to attend court. I know, we had one duncey who failed to attend court a record 32 times, but Coroner Nalini Singh ent taking that shit.

She ordered that the two dunceys be arrested without bail, immediately, and set the continuation of the inquest to Sept 9th. think the dunceys will spend time in jail? Nope, they’ll be ‘arrested’ and released, or ‘arrested’ just before the next hearing under the excuse that they couldn’t be found.

Now ah have ah funny story for allyuh. yeah, is about ah duncey, probably one ah dem who was ketching de manicou ah did tell allyuh bout.

Anyway, dis happen to meh brother-in-law. And right by the Débé police post too. You know how dey dunceys does move only when yuh light a fire under dey arse.

Well, dey was holding road blocks in Débé after the big accident on the creek (the duncey solution to everything). Meh BIL (brother-in-law, people) coming down de road and get ketch up in de jam.

He get pull over, for having a set ah fancy lights on his car, all legally fitted into holes dey design de car with, eh. And dey not connected up, so dey ent wukking.

De duncey check de man license, de car insurance and then ask de man if de car pass inspection (MOT for English readers, yeah dey doing that dong on the Rock a good few years now). This despite the car having a valid sticker.

Next, the duncey ask for the certificate of inspection. So meh BIL tell him, dey does only give that out in private garage that do the MOT, but if you do the inspection in Licensing Office then dey only issue you wid de sticker.

So de duncey ask wey he get the inspection done.

Meh BIL replied, “In de office on Wrightson Road".”

De duncey ups and says, “Dey pass you wid dem lights?”

Meh BIL replied, “ Yes.”

De duncey then tried to show that he was either smart or intelligent, so he asked, “Yuh carry de car in de day or de night?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leaving dunceys aside, my playlist this morning is Josh Groban’s A Collection (2008).

Happy day

Depressing as all the news happen to be, I thought I’d go for a little positivity today.

This is a photo of the first hibiscus that opened in my ‘new’ plant. It’s the first time I am seeing this colour, even though in Trinidad, my neighbour and I had more than 80 different plants between us (we ran a little competition for a while there).

I don’t know the name of this flower, but I saw Punks out flat on her tummy trying to take this picture. She did a good job.

Today’s mix

Police dunceys again!

Let me once more point out:

If you are a police duncey, and tief money from a casino, and beat a prisoner while you are in a  holding cell, you get a bail of $150,000.

If you are a teenage student, and accused of having an advance copy of an exam paper, your bail is $1,000,000.

Once more, John Jeremie is interfering in matters that does not concern him.

One thing I noticed:

Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe has been given a national award. Nothing wrong with that, he has been in the news and in public eye long enough for us to know how much he has given to the pan movement.

I am wondering why no recommendation is made for Jit Samaroo though, a man who has won as many or more Pan trophies, and given as much or more to pan, as Boogsie.

Yes, I will as a stupid question here, only because over the years it has become fairly obvious that there is indeed some evidence it is possible:

Is it because Samaroo is an ‘Indian’? Things to make you go ‘Hmmm’.

• 15:36 Baking #

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Thought of the Day

If a thing can be done adequately by means of one, it is superfluous to do it by means of several; for we observe that nature does not employ two instruments where one suffices.

St Thomas Aquinas

Another lesson learnt

A long time ago, I wrote a post on a few lessons learnt. Today I want to add on that but I also want to give some information before I get to the point; it’s related.

A beer in England, in a can, is typically about 500 ml. That’s 2 Carib to a Trini. They vary between 4.1% alcohol to 11%.

That being said, I learnt another lesson today.

Never, ever try to use speech recognition software after drinking 2 of these. (^_~)

Collections

People collect the oddest things at times. Some are fairly ‘normal’ but some are really outlandish.

Today, I am mentioning things I know first hand that people collect, that is, I actually know someone who collects these items.

I collect fountain pens, and leather wallets. I’ve been writing with fountain pens since primary school, always with black ink (I find it looks elegant and also is easier to see); at the present time, my everyday pen is a German Lamy. I also have Cross, Parker, Schaeffer etc. I even have one of those Youth fountain pens that were so popular in my heyday in primary school. Hint: the best gift anyone can give me is a fountain pen, fine nib.

Punks collects snow globes and pet rocks. When we went to Shrewsbury, she purchased a piece of iron pyrite, aka ‘fool’s gold’, and a very nice piece of amethyst. She’s into the fountain pen thing too. (^_^)

My sister collects coffee mugs, usually from places she has travelled, so she has from several European countries. Her boyfriend collects these little decorative wall plates…

My sisters and I also started a tradition of collecting thimbles for my mom. “What?” you ask.

Most places we visit, sell souvenir thimbles. These are small, cased and printed with the names and pictures of places we have visited, or where my mom has been. Her collection is more than 20 odd strong according to my bad memory.

One of my neighbours collects picture postcards. stamp collecting and coin collecting are fairly routine. Perhaps the oddest I’ve experienced is a friend’s husband who collects… fish. That’s right – he collects tropical fish, and has quite a few thousand in massive aquariums around his home.

Find a niche and start collecting…