Already, the murder count stands at 24 for 2006 in Trinidad and Tobago. Whilst Digicel and TSTT battle for the cellular phone market and Island Events and Randy Glasgow battle for the dollars of Trinidad's yuppie generation, murderers are doing what they do best.
The blimp or airship remains a means of folly for Trinidadians upset with the rising crime situation but many are yet to have seen it....well I was relaxing recently as the blimp flew by and too a picture.



Click on the Blimp for an ultra large resolution photo

Labels: THE Blimp

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has updated its travel advisory to British citizens and residents visiting Tobago.

The advisory warns Britons that "serious robberies against tourists...accompanied by violence, including rape" have increased in 2004 and 2005. Specifically targeting the popular Englishman's Bay, the Foreign Office begs that "extreme caution is exercised when visiting remote beach areas without organised tour groups" as there have been armed robberies in Englishman's Bay, the latest occurence in Decemeber 2005.

In the past these advisories were cause for concern in Trinidad and Tobago with accusations of hypocrisy towards Great Britain whose nation is far from safe given the increase in hate crime and terrorism. However, the advisories are now largely ignored as they appear to have little or no effect on the number of European visitors to Tobago.

Tourism Minister Howard Chin-Lee recently announced record levels of visitors for 2004-2005 and expects even greater totals for the next five years.

I just checked my Google mail account and realised I have one hundred G-MAIL invites!
If there is anyone from Trinidad and Tobago or any other nation who wants a G-mail invite please let me know by posting a comment.

I know I promised my opinion on the Jack Warner media briefing but I am not yet half-complete. Suffice to say I do not agree with the Power 102 FM defamation of Lasana Liburd or their interpretation of the conference as a masterpiece.

Roberts says not one point Liburd made survived the news conference well I can list many; among them Warner confirmed his buying of the television rights for the princely and miserly sum of $1. It might be a TT dollar, Jesus Christ!

I ought to end here.
Laterz.
Oh, the Kanye West pictures will be uploaded soon enough. I suppose Triniscene has already posted theirs but you know mine are higher resolution and rawer, so bookmark me and return.

Labels: Google mail

Tobago police are investigating the rape and buggery of an 80 yr old British woman at Carnbee. The incident occured just six hours after three British Golfers and a night watchman were beaten and robbed at a Pinehurst villa.

The woman gave a statement that she was confronted by a bandit at approximately 3:30 am after hearing noises downstairs. The man robbed her of $200, ordered her to strip then raped and buggered her.

The incident is yet another attack on foreign nationals that have cast a cloud of shame over the twin island republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Four men appeared before Scarborough magistrate Mc Kenzie charged with grevious bodily assault against three aged British Nationals.
The British citizens, Mike Jones 69, a golf course builder of Sussex; Chris Stokes 67, a dentist and world authority on root canal of Hampshire; and Stuart Anderson 70, retired secretary of the Kent County Cricket Club of Kent were participants in the Tobago Pro-Am Golf tournament at Mt. Irvine Golf Course.

The group came to the rescue of the night-watchman at their villa on Pinehurst drive who was attacked by bandits, but were themselves beaten.

Digicel, the Irish owned tele-communications giant continues to shoot itself in the foot. The latest faux pas being Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Brewer's false declaration of successfully negotiating sponsorship of a number of Carnival events.

Already burdened by the negative publicity of their sponsorship of the West Indies cricket team and the fallout therefrom, Digicel's marketing strategy continues to baffle. Their local advertisement campaign has been nauseous and foppish, comparing unfavourably to that of TSTT (Telecommunication Services of Trinidad and Tobago).

Chairman of NCC, Kenny de Silva immediately denied the CEO's quoted pronouncement clarifying as "premature" any statement that Digicel has secured exclusive rights for Calypso Fiesta (the national calypso semi-final) or the Road March competition. "The statement attributed to Mr Brewer came as quite a surprise to the NCC (National Carnival Commission)," de Silva said.

Mr de Silva revealed the Carnival body has "held talks with a number of potential sponsors and Digicel was among those bidding for particular contracts."
Mobile technology rival TSTT is already a sponsor of the International Soca Monarch and Groovy Soca Monarch competitions and is supplying telecommunication solutions to the NCC for Carnival. The latter is not surprising as Digicel, through no fault of theirs are not able to begin communications services until April this year -two months after Carnival.

To date Digicel's sole success is a promotional contract with leading soca singer Destra Garcia. but her ability to move mobile phones off the shelves is still to be tested.

Magistrate Lee-Kim upped bail to TT$600000 today with regard to seven charges of corruption against Energy Minister Eric Williams.
This weekend Justice of the Peace Ackbar Khan had revealed to the news media that bail was set at TT$350000.

Minister Williams has continued to deny all charges and says he will seek solace in God, but activist Gary Aboud of FFOS (Fishermen and Friends of the Sea) says the charges against the Minister are an embarrassment to the Nation.
Speaking on Power102 FM this afternoon on its drive-by show, Aboud said it was scandalous and embarrassing that the Minister involved in negotiating lucrative international contracts for the country's most important sector should be charged for corruption.

Jack Warner says he considered and declined legal action in his flamboyant and theatrical press conference today but as someone very familiar with legal action, if you threaten it you have no case.
For all his semantics and linguistic gymnastics the bottomline still shakes unsteady under his feet.

Eventually I'll get to the news conference and the accusations and allegations but what concerns me this evening is Anil Roberts' role in this journalistic fiasco.
There he was, at the media conference giving aid and comfort to the FIFA Vice President. I am not aware of his role but I assume it was as a part-time journalist.
If so, what the hell was he doing?

Roberts threw statements at Warner to complete, asked leading questions to prompt the Vice President, and engaged, or rather conferred ridicule on a practicing journalist.

Not content with that he hastened to the Power102 FM studios to add more contempt and scorn to the Express writer, but, with the willing participation of Sprangalang and the increasingly foolish, Chris.

Why I ask myself?
Is a trip to Germany the prize for Roberts?
I doubt it, this is a chap who can afford the month long trek and even if he could not, is so well connected sponsors would queue to send him there. Not only that he is well traveled as a coach so a trip to Germany is no feather in his cap.

No readers, it appears Roberts behave this way because Roberts loves the spotlight. No fault in that, but is really necessary to cast a shadow on others to hog the limelight?
Laterz. Tomorrow I will examine Warner's performance.