Greetings! The Blog Treats are here! What’s happening in the world and blogosphere (greater than the world!)? Lots of politics, art (mostly arts because that’s my scene), and people talking about themselves (including me talking about myself). Some of it good, some of it bad, so I posted just the ones that I liked or thought worthy of your time. Enjoy!
Some beautiful tracks and songs have come from these artists. I really hope to be there in the show. Will you?
Well, now that the cops are looking into things, no one seems to be satisfied and no one is finding anything. I guess can't please everyone. I just hope all these behind-closed-doors conversations are going to benefit TT more than the police...
Also, how is the new lady---John? going to do her job with all those files in boxes, rotting at the police station?
More UDECOTT news...There seems to be a lot on the police department's plate. more behind-doors conversations. Gotta wonder when transparency will be part of anyone's process...if you can understand all t hat is going on, please let me know.
And yet more UDECOTT goodness. The infamous UFF report will be submitted on Monday. Wonder if the pages are blank? That would add to all the silly drama, wouldn't it? Maybe we should turn the whole thing into a musical?
Metallica is amazing. They put on an amazing show. Congrats to this lucky B******, and I hope I have such luck sometime soon. Yes, yes, I love the pan, but some bands are just worth the worship :)
Well, here is some progress on NAPA and plans to figure out what to do about it. I hope to see some positive proposals in the next few days. Hope the artists make it onto the next tour.
Another NAPA story. Again, bringing the artists on board will be an important part of the rebirth of NAPA, if they keep their advice and recommendations objective.
And yet another NAPA story, Chutney soca at NAPA?
The case of the disappearing execs? Wonder why this story is getting less coverage than UDECOTT?
I'm a little confused by the Express' new layout, but I thought this article was interesting. I went to an all-boys school...and didn't really like it, but maybe it will provide more organizing and discipline?
Wow! A hawk surgeon! An article on the environment and a beautiful trained hawk named Star. I want a trained hawk to fly to my hand like that!
This is an older story that somehow escaped my gaze. The Sweet Sounds of Steel. Teaching our kids about our culture!
Sometimes better than words! Some neat pictures from around the world
"WELL CROSS DE ROAD LIKE YUH HAVE SOME LIFE NAH LADY!!!"...Indeed, many amongst us have serious manners issue, along with zero understanding, or say total disregard for the law :(
Neat! New technologies to turn yourself into your own...iPad?
An insightful look from a veteran blogger at blogging and social media, along with some interesting questions to mull about the future of blogging.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
An Opportunity to Build
I’m a big fan of Rachel Price. This young lady has passion and sincerity in her voice. She stands out among other media figures for her dedication and thoughtfulness.
Her recent show about the National Academy for the Performing Arts was sentimental, sad, and really touching.
I agree with Rachel that the government has yet to sell its vision to the people and this void has created a great gulf between the dreams and ambitions of the government and what the people see, or how the people perceive what they see.
It is said that a successful leader makes his followers live his vision—this is not the case in T&T. the people here are victims of a political struggle between a government defending its performance and a hungry opposition hunting for the slightest hint of a flaw in that performance. A lot of facts are lost in between and the struggle diverts national debate away from actual work and construction to focus on the office.
In spite of this confusion, I still have not lost hope and still believe that tangible progress is being made, although overshadowed by political fighting.
Here is where I disagree with Rachel who appears to have lost all hope in the future of T&T. The chance to fix things still exists if we seize the historic opportunity in NAPA as the Artists Coalition of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT) report suggested.
The report says that the great artists in T&T have been waiting for four decades to see their dreams about art academies and centers come true. The report says clearly that the creation was missing something, it didn’t say that nothing was created. In fact a lot of opportunity and success has been created, but the distance between politicians and the people and their indulgence in political fights indulge made them miss details that could have made the work more than perfect.
The artists did not say that 560 million was lost but said NAPA needed another 80 to make it better. NAPA is like a beautiful model who only needs a few accessories. In fact, some of the suggested alterations are not only unnecessary but also would do more harm than good. With all due respect for the people who wrote the report, they’re wrong on a couple points! For instance most of that 80 million dollar worth of alterations is for changing the sound and light controls from analogue to digital. People seem to have forgotten that this facility’s primary purpose is training students, and similar facilities in most parts of the world use analogue, not digital for this purpose. I think the engineers took that into consideration when they planned the work.
The experts are saying let NAPA be a lesson we learn from, and let’s not turn it to ruins we mourn. I would like to see UDeCOTT’s new leadership put together clear mechanisms for accepting constructive criticism and using objective consulting from experts in T&T.
I am a proponent of the idea of constructive opposition and I don’t like those who criticize just to look different and who always look back instead of forward. I wish that the efforts and the publicity that were used to criticize NAPA were instead used in a campaign to raise funds to add something useful to NAPA. Now that would’ve been a great initiative that shows that these journalists and opposition politicians actually care about building things right, but unfortunately I doubt this is the case. All we saw this far is a lot of yelling and tons of wasted ink and paper.
Let’s not pick our axes to tear down NAPA…let’s think about how we can be a part of something to make it better.
Her recent show about the National Academy for the Performing Arts was sentimental, sad, and really touching.
I agree with Rachel that the government has yet to sell its vision to the people and this void has created a great gulf between the dreams and ambitions of the government and what the people see, or how the people perceive what they see.
It is said that a successful leader makes his followers live his vision—this is not the case in T&T. the people here are victims of a political struggle between a government defending its performance and a hungry opposition hunting for the slightest hint of a flaw in that performance. A lot of facts are lost in between and the struggle diverts national debate away from actual work and construction to focus on the office.
In spite of this confusion, I still have not lost hope and still believe that tangible progress is being made, although overshadowed by political fighting.
Here is where I disagree with Rachel who appears to have lost all hope in the future of T&T. The chance to fix things still exists if we seize the historic opportunity in NAPA as the Artists Coalition of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT) report suggested.
The report says that the great artists in T&T have been waiting for four decades to see their dreams about art academies and centers come true. The report says clearly that the creation was missing something, it didn’t say that nothing was created. In fact a lot of opportunity and success has been created, but the distance between politicians and the people and their indulgence in political fights indulge made them miss details that could have made the work more than perfect.
The artists did not say that 560 million was lost but said NAPA needed another 80 to make it better. NAPA is like a beautiful model who only needs a few accessories. In fact, some of the suggested alterations are not only unnecessary but also would do more harm than good. With all due respect for the people who wrote the report, they’re wrong on a couple points! For instance most of that 80 million dollar worth of alterations is for changing the sound and light controls from analogue to digital. People seem to have forgotten that this facility’s primary purpose is training students, and similar facilities in most parts of the world use analogue, not digital for this purpose. I think the engineers took that into consideration when they planned the work.
The experts are saying let NAPA be a lesson we learn from, and let’s not turn it to ruins we mourn. I would like to see UDeCOTT’s new leadership put together clear mechanisms for accepting constructive criticism and using objective consulting from experts in T&T.
I am a proponent of the idea of constructive opposition and I don’t like those who criticize just to look different and who always look back instead of forward. I wish that the efforts and the publicity that were used to criticize NAPA were instead used in a campaign to raise funds to add something useful to NAPA. Now that would’ve been a great initiative that shows that these journalists and opposition politicians actually care about building things right, but unfortunately I doubt this is the case. All we saw this far is a lot of yelling and tons of wasted ink and paper.
Let’s not pick our axes to tear down NAPA…let’s think about how we can be a part of something to make it better.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The prettiest building in T&T
Perhaps no building is more controversial in T&T than the national academy for the performing arts. From a government that takes pride in the project, to an opposition that consider it wasteful spending, to artists who find it the prettiest and most spectacular structure in the country, but also one that needs modifications to meet their practical needs.
In the midst of this controversy the ordinary people must be confused. Nevertheless we see them pose for photographs in front of that building, including newly wedded couples who like to have NAPA in the background of their special days.
The recent report in which the Artists Coalition of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT) Critique the project seemed motivated by the sincere desire to serve the public, which really touched me.
We often have negative attitudes. When we see something wrong we either say it’s not our business, or at best, criticize without offering solutions, so I found this particular report different in an encouraging way.
The report acknowledges that NAPA is the prettiest and most significant in T&T, which is something we all agree with. I think the report was right in pointing out that the beauty and unique characteristics of the building could make it a source of national income. The opera house in Australia is a good example of a building that failed to serve its original purpose-as an opera house-yet that failure was turned to huge success in the form of billions of dollars in revenue from tourism activities that specifically target that building. At the end of the day the failed opera house became an Australian icon.
There are certainly good things about the report. I completely agree that the artists of the country should have a say in planning art-related projects. I disagree with the authors of the report on the idea of addressing technical issues. The report for example says the main theater should hold 5,000 instead of 1,500 viewers. I think this kind of criticism shows that there are some serious misunderstandings regarding the purpose and scope of the project by the authors of the report. NAPA is only one piece in a larger picture that will involve a number of art centers and institutes that complete one another—NAPA is not a place for everything!
Anyway, I still agree with the report on the idea that there’s a chance to turn the building to a great cultural and financial opportunity for the country. Giving more architects and artists the chance to contribute their thoughts to the project will not only make the outcome better but also foster the sense that such projects belong to the whole society.
What was frustrating to read in the report was how the press ignored the letters artists had sent when NAPA was still under construction. The press evidently started paying attention to the subject only after work was completed. If the press really cared about getting the project done right they should have paid attention to the artists’ letters long time ago. Unfortunately the press seems more interested in writing about what’s politically controversial. The damage cynicism can do to NAPA, and any of the other ambitious works in T&T, can indeed be greater than that done by engineering mistakes. The second could break a stone, the first breaks spirits.
Now what do you think?
In the midst of this controversy the ordinary people must be confused. Nevertheless we see them pose for photographs in front of that building, including newly wedded couples who like to have NAPA in the background of their special days.
The recent report in which the Artists Coalition of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT) Critique the project seemed motivated by the sincere desire to serve the public, which really touched me.
We often have negative attitudes. When we see something wrong we either say it’s not our business, or at best, criticize without offering solutions, so I found this particular report different in an encouraging way.
The report acknowledges that NAPA is the prettiest and most significant in T&T, which is something we all agree with. I think the report was right in pointing out that the beauty and unique characteristics of the building could make it a source of national income. The opera house in Australia is a good example of a building that failed to serve its original purpose-as an opera house-yet that failure was turned to huge success in the form of billions of dollars in revenue from tourism activities that specifically target that building. At the end of the day the failed opera house became an Australian icon.
There are certainly good things about the report. I completely agree that the artists of the country should have a say in planning art-related projects. I disagree with the authors of the report on the idea of addressing technical issues. The report for example says the main theater should hold 5,000 instead of 1,500 viewers. I think this kind of criticism shows that there are some serious misunderstandings regarding the purpose and scope of the project by the authors of the report. NAPA is only one piece in a larger picture that will involve a number of art centers and institutes that complete one another—NAPA is not a place for everything!
Anyway, I still agree with the report on the idea that there’s a chance to turn the building to a great cultural and financial opportunity for the country. Giving more architects and artists the chance to contribute their thoughts to the project will not only make the outcome better but also foster the sense that such projects belong to the whole society.
What was frustrating to read in the report was how the press ignored the letters artists had sent when NAPA was still under construction. The press evidently started paying attention to the subject only after work was completed. If the press really cared about getting the project done right they should have paid attention to the artists’ letters long time ago. Unfortunately the press seems more interested in writing about what’s politically controversial. The damage cynicism can do to NAPA, and any of the other ambitious works in T&T, can indeed be greater than that done by engineering mistakes. The second could break a stone, the first breaks spirits.
Now what do you think?
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Weekend Blog Treats!
Greetings! The Blog Treats are here! What’s happening in the world and blogosphere (greater than the world!)? Lots of politics, art (mostly arts because that’s my scene), and people talking about themselves (including me talking about myself). Some of it good, some of it bad, so I posted just the ones that I liked or thought worthy of your time. Enjoy!
Congratulations to the winners of the Music Festivals' first set. Some amazing shows! Hope you made it! If you did, let me know what you thought.
It’s really amazing how people sometimes manage to do so much using so little…check out this gifted street drummer (hat tip: Dr. Dave)
For the meat lovers, more mouth-watering recipes from the Pot. This time we have a rich-looking pig tail soup and fry-dry sardines!
Lots of animal blogging recently and not all of it ends well for the animals in questions. We have on one hand the good great iguana catch but on the other the green monkey road kill and the mysterious feathery murder!
Oh, yeah and we also have a story about “hounding” which is a political reference though. I think I disagree with this idea. Ad hoc witch-hunt measures are not the right kind of protection for democracy. A stable, functional and enduring democracy needs better institutional processes and more faith in these institutional processes by the people…the latter actually is what we need to nourish in T&T.
Speaking of that,poor Mr. Hart! Seems like the hounds have scented blood and can't hold back. Maybe he just got tired of all the BS. Either way, I think he did some good things for TT, esp in my field of music, by building NAPA.
Seems like the UNC and the opposition has no shame---saying nasty things to widows, then denying it, even though there are witnesses. I say that the UNC needs to find better things to do with its time than harass the bereaved.
Mr. London is keeping it real with an upcoming calypso album. He wrote 52 songs for 52 weeks! Wow!
In more light hearted news...taichi and salsa will keep you from aging...I've got the salsa part...not sure if I've centered my Chi yet...
So, Kamla is pretty cocky...selecting her Cabinet. This lady can't wait to get her handson power! Slow down, lady, you're gonna hurt someone...
I really hope this turns out to be just a bad joke. The NAPA building looks so perfect and the design looks so complicated that it seems very unlikely for the designers to mess up things the way this report suggests. I hope they’re wrong about it!
This is just awesome. All around. Awesome.
Performance art! The infighting! MUCH more interesting than TT infighting, really.
Another neat video, much closer to home.
Congratulations to the winners of the Music Festivals' first set. Some amazing shows! Hope you made it! If you did, let me know what you thought.
It’s really amazing how people sometimes manage to do so much using so little…check out this gifted street drummer (hat tip: Dr. Dave)
For the meat lovers, more mouth-watering recipes from the Pot. This time we have a rich-looking pig tail soup and fry-dry sardines!
Lots of animal blogging recently and not all of it ends well for the animals in questions. We have on one hand the good great iguana catch but on the other the green monkey road kill and the mysterious feathery murder!
Oh, yeah and we also have a story about “hounding” which is a political reference though. I think I disagree with this idea. Ad hoc witch-hunt measures are not the right kind of protection for democracy. A stable, functional and enduring democracy needs better institutional processes and more faith in these institutional processes by the people…the latter actually is what we need to nourish in T&T.
Speaking of that,poor Mr. Hart! Seems like the hounds have scented blood and can't hold back. Maybe he just got tired of all the BS. Either way, I think he did some good things for TT, esp in my field of music, by building NAPA.
Seems like the UNC and the opposition has no shame---saying nasty things to widows, then denying it, even though there are witnesses. I say that the UNC needs to find better things to do with its time than harass the bereaved.
Mr. London is keeping it real with an upcoming calypso album. He wrote 52 songs for 52 weeks! Wow!
In more light hearted news...taichi and salsa will keep you from aging...I've got the salsa part...not sure if I've centered my Chi yet...
So, Kamla is pretty cocky...selecting her Cabinet. This lady can't wait to get her handson power! Slow down, lady, you're gonna hurt someone...
I really hope this turns out to be just a bad joke. The NAPA building looks so perfect and the design looks so complicated that it seems very unlikely for the designers to mess up things the way this report suggests. I hope they’re wrong about it!
This is just awesome. All around. Awesome.
Performance art! The infighting! MUCH more interesting than TT infighting, really.
Another neat video, much closer to home.
Friday, March 5, 2010
A not-so-constructive type of opposition
Time has proven that I was right when I wrote that I was not excited about the UNC election or the results. Actually when I went back to read that piece again I realized it spoke of the worst scenario I thought of.
The opposition, instead of working to build something new, is bordering on trying to bring down what we had built in the past! I'm talking about the ridiculous debate about the Legal Affairs tower project.
The opposition has pulled this country to a mess that has nothing to do with the interest of the people. They strayed away from thinking and working on the main problems facing the country, and chose to distract the public by a campaign of anti-government propaganda. Even worse, this propaganda campaign focused its attack on the positive things the government had done, instead of trying to fix actual problems.
Where is the change Kamla sold us? Does criticizing a project that was completed and has been in service for years qualify as change?
The legal Affairs Tower was built years ago. It doesn’t belong to Hart or Manning. It belongs to the people and will be used by the people and by governments long after Hart and Manning are gone.
Despite all the clamor and whistle blowing, no one has explained at all what damage or harm—if any—was caused by UDeCOTT or the project. Was the project over-budget? Were there defects in the engineering or execution of the project? If the answer is YES, and I doubt it, then I want to hear about that. If the answer is NO, which I think is the case, then what’s the problem!? The opposition should spare us the headaches and try to make themselves useful!
And once again I pose this question to the opposition; what is your alternative plan? What solutions do you offer if you think everything being done now or done in the past was wasteful expenditure?
These are the questions for which Kamla and colleagues don’t have answers. And this is what makes me think that this propaganda is all about undermining the government for pure political purposes.
An opposition that doesn’t care about the real problems of the people now, is not to be trusted, nor expected to bring about change when in power.
The opposition, instead of working to build something new, is bordering on trying to bring down what we had built in the past! I'm talking about the ridiculous debate about the Legal Affairs tower project.
The opposition has pulled this country to a mess that has nothing to do with the interest of the people. They strayed away from thinking and working on the main problems facing the country, and chose to distract the public by a campaign of anti-government propaganda. Even worse, this propaganda campaign focused its attack on the positive things the government had done, instead of trying to fix actual problems.
Where is the change Kamla sold us? Does criticizing a project that was completed and has been in service for years qualify as change?
The legal Affairs Tower was built years ago. It doesn’t belong to Hart or Manning. It belongs to the people and will be used by the people and by governments long after Hart and Manning are gone.
Despite all the clamor and whistle blowing, no one has explained at all what damage or harm—if any—was caused by UDeCOTT or the project. Was the project over-budget? Were there defects in the engineering or execution of the project? If the answer is YES, and I doubt it, then I want to hear about that. If the answer is NO, which I think is the case, then what’s the problem!? The opposition should spare us the headaches and try to make themselves useful!
And once again I pose this question to the opposition; what is your alternative plan? What solutions do you offer if you think everything being done now or done in the past was wasteful expenditure?
These are the questions for which Kamla and colleagues don’t have answers. And this is what makes me think that this propaganda is all about undermining the government for pure political purposes.
An opposition that doesn’t care about the real problems of the people now, is not to be trusted, nor expected to bring about change when in power.
Monday, March 1, 2010
MPs, or News Stringers?
The press is the fourth authority and it plays an influential role in shaping the public opinion. However, it must not take over the roles of the other authorities, which is what’s happening in our country these days. The Heights of Guanapo church case is plagued by an overlap in the roles of authorities that I believe is not in the interest of the country.
I always say that we lack constructive opposition. The existing opposition poses many allegations that are rarely backed by evidence, and this is probably why the opposition chose to fight the government on the pages of newspapers instead of the halls of justice.
Healthy opposition in advanced countries use many different tools to scrutinize governments and monitor their conduct. The media there is only one of the tools, but in T&T it is becoming the only tool. There are many more practical and legal frameworks for accountability, and on top of which are the constitution and the judiciary.
The church case is nothing but a press war. Even though virtually every single person in T&T has heard about the controversy, we don’t see the opposition seek due process to fix what went wrong, if any…why?
Another important question that the opposition should address is that if this case started five years ago, why did they choose to raise it now? Where were they five years ago?
It all makes me think that the goal behind this fuss is totally political and has nothing to do with protecting public interest or enforcing the law.
I wish that our press stops being a puppet in the hands of politicians, whether in the government or opposition. The press has already done more than its share in this case, and if this trend continues, maybe soon our journalists will become MPs, since they do all the work of the opposition. And maybe our MPs will become news stringers, since it looks like all they care about is feeding rumors to journalists!
I always say that we lack constructive opposition. The existing opposition poses many allegations that are rarely backed by evidence, and this is probably why the opposition chose to fight the government on the pages of newspapers instead of the halls of justice.
Healthy opposition in advanced countries use many different tools to scrutinize governments and monitor their conduct. The media there is only one of the tools, but in T&T it is becoming the only tool. There are many more practical and legal frameworks for accountability, and on top of which are the constitution and the judiciary.
The church case is nothing but a press war. Even though virtually every single person in T&T has heard about the controversy, we don’t see the opposition seek due process to fix what went wrong, if any…why?
Another important question that the opposition should address is that if this case started five years ago, why did they choose to raise it now? Where were they five years ago?
It all makes me think that the goal behind this fuss is totally political and has nothing to do with protecting public interest or enforcing the law.
I wish that our press stops being a puppet in the hands of politicians, whether in the government or opposition. The press has already done more than its share in this case, and if this trend continues, maybe soon our journalists will become MPs, since they do all the work of the opposition. And maybe our MPs will become news stringers, since it looks like all they care about is feeding rumors to journalists!
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