J'aime Paramin

Cocoa And Paramin

Ok so I was all prepared to write about the evils of the agrarian plantation colonial economy as it related to my family and then the research did not support my hateful thesis. What’s an aspiring writer to do? Yes damit I had to reassess and reexamine everything I thought I knew, and boy was I ever surprised. To begin here I was thinking that Jah Emanuel was the name of my great grandfather and he was Spanish Creole only to discover that the evidence supports his name being Jean Emmanuel and he was French Creole. Furthermore he was never denied the opportunity of land ownership but rather he had land ownership fostered upon him. So you would think I was right about almost everything else right like slavery, as it relates to the history of Paramin, and working on the sugar plantation?  Wrong again, or should I say no, I now beg to differ. The reasons for my new and evolving thesis on everything Emmanuel and Paramin can be found Here and Here          

For Toni

 

Patois From Paramin

 

Just A Little Patois History

 

Patrick De Man Manning Port of Spain Fantasy

Ah doh know if ah should laugh or if ah should cry. But dis is wat Patrick de Man Manning was hopping to turn we city into. Is not dat it bad eh, is just dat Port of Spain should look like Port of Spain not Miami boy.An is how much billon all of dat woulda cost, an how much Hart woulda thef. Dat is part of de Port of Spain Master Plan. Alyuh could go to Environmental Associates website to see de ress.   
 
 

   

TNT Biggest Rock Band Ever

 

Land Reform Now

I have been sitting at my laptop for the last hour contemplating what to write. Will here it is. We need land and other property reform now. At present the government owns an estimated fifty two percent of all the land in Trinidad and Tobago; meanwhile there are about twenty five thousand people who have illegally built homes on state lands, and thousands more who have also constructed homes on private lands to which they do not hold legal title. I have tried time and again to obtain a map of Paramin but one does not seem to exist. If I wanted to build a home do I need a building permit? and if I do not need a building permit how does the government know to bill me for property taxes on my home? How do I find out if the land I am about to build on has been zoned for home construction. In a rural  area like Paramin how do I know I am not cutting trees that form part of the watershed that feeds the Maraval river. I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. Land reform is an urgent national issue that need to be addressed sooner rather than later.               

I Just Love Tessanne And Her Music

 

Memories

Sitting here in the early hours of a new day light years away from home or so it seems, longing to feel the cool nightly breeze of Paramin against my face. Sitting here listening to some old time calypso and the thought crosses my mind as it always does from time to time just how much I love this music, carnival, and the rich culture that surrounds it, this culture that has so shaped and informed my own self identity.  Then this song comes on, and I was almost brought to tears.

Lord when are we as a people going to finally do the right thing, and build a monument to the great ones; who have carried our culture on their backs and in their hearts like the lover it must be to them? When will we recognize the great sacrifice they have been forced to make on our behalf? How are we ever to repay the blood, sweat, and tears it must have surly taken?

 Day by day the light that was The Might Sparrow grows dimmer, and I fear that we will not even in my own  lifetime create the museum that will house the work of this giant whose career now spans six decades, Jean and Dinah was born in the fifties.  We are as yet to begin to lay the cornerstone for any building that would house or even display the memories, art, and talent of those for whom he sings of in this calypso.          

 

Telecom News about TSTT

Trinidad and Tobago

Wednesday, 8 December 2010

TSTT launches WiMAX network

Huawei and Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) have announced the launch of what they claim to be the Caribbean's largest commercial WiMAX network. The first phase of the deployment covers only selected parts of the islands, although this will be extended during 2011 to connect all of the islands making up the Trinidad &.Tobago archipeligo. George Hill, Chief Technology Officer of TSTT, said, ‘With this milestone, TSTT has taken a great leap forward towards our ultimate aim: to make high-quality, wireless broadband accessible to as many people as possible. We are very proud of this achievement.’

According to Huawei's press release, its WiMAX solution is used by over 79 commercial WiMAX networks across Europe, North America, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Middle East, and Africa. Huawei says it is currently working on WiMAX projects with Clearwire in the United States, BSNL in India, Globe in the Philippines and MTN in the Middle East and Africa.