Pushing them back- My column for 30 August 2011

The public State of Emergency is just a start. It is the country's back-to-school purge, a flush-out of its two-legged toxins. Pockets in every community cater beds and breakfast for criminals, shielding them and suffering themselves. Some communities were just not like that, but criminal migration restyled good places, imploding them with bling, bang and boom boxes. Criminals pushed the country to the edge. Let us push them back.
We are the chief celebrants of the purge. Every one of us trapped within the fence-line, life contained by burglar proof and barbed wire. There will be some relief, temporary, uncertain but relieving. Every life vicariously affected by gangs, crime and criminals celebrates the purge. Listen, everybody have their limit so let the bandits buy legal advice and fight for their human rights. Let me enjoy mine, for once. As the numbers ramp up there will be more streams of relief, because even a sliver of action is better than a slice of hope. Let us celebrate.

36 hours in Portland, Oregon-NY Times

WITH its celebrated bike culture and obsession with all things independent and artisan, Portland is a small-scale metropolis with an outsize cultural footprint. Spread across the twin banks of the Willamette River, this provincial hub of the Pacific Northwest has more than its share of natural beauty and an earnest, outdoorsy reputation. But in recent years, the city has emerged as the capital of West Coast urban cool, earning it a television series, IFC’s “Portlandia,” devoted to satirizing its aesthetic and progressive social bent. Indeed, Portland — whose nicknames include Beervana and Soccer City, USA — is easy to poke fun at. It’s also hard to resist.

Crime and the untouchables- Who letting the cocaine pass?-23 August 2011

Spending on national security has been a billion-dollar hole in the floor; an expedition involving hardware and software but no credible strategy. A billion-dollar cocaine trade remains untouched and bank accounts remain piled high with drug money, shrouded in the politeness of a small tight society. In a culture of look-away, we believe some people have a divine right to anonymity. Cartel-funded profits and hush money course through all-inclusive fetes; real estate; mas and soca bands and exclusive shops in expensive malls. And through the automotive trade, jewellery shops, sport bars and developments stacked on the hills. Genuine commercial activity and drug facades are intricately woven, all befitting their space at the various chambers of business and commerce. On the streets people are not reluctant to make little comments, but no one goes beyond the small talk we grew up with. You can’t fight gangsters with rum talk so none of us has seen a major local drug prosecution in our lifetime.

I do- My column 16 August 2011

Kitty and Geoffrey Inglefield enjoyed 64 years of marriage, both living into their eighties. How many of us will post those numbers? In fact are we even expected to post those numbers; are common-law relationships replacing marriages and for those who get married, will it be a few times in a lifetime? There are lies, lies and statistics so continue through this column with as much scepticism as you need.I knew the advertising agency which Kitty Inglefield founded but I did not know the couple personally. What caught me was the news of their passing within hours of each other and the 64 years of marriage. What a remarkable measure of love and stability and what an increasing rarity. Consider that it is getting more difficult to live to 64 much less be married for that length of time and to the same person. How difficult? Well let's face a few things. Latest UN figures show that life expectancy at birth for a Trini male is 68.5 and 74.3 for a female. Based on that alone, the average Trini male would have to tie the knot as a toddler if Kitty and Geoffrey are to be matched.

I don't know- My column for 9 August 2011

The column is really about things I don't know. About three things I don't know. Like I don't know whether the trade unions are negotiating based on what their members are valued in the labour market or against handshakes made prior to the May 2010 election. I don't know whether the Government understands that it cannot continue to hand out flat percentage increases in every negotiating cycle without distinguishing between its employees' individual performance and skills and value.
And while I know that some sectors have agreed to five per cent for everybody, I don't know whether the Government is any closer to recognising that some skills should attract better compensation to keep the skills loyal to country and the public sector in particular. Which leaves me only to wonder just how much thought is going into these negotiations and settlements and whether this is not a replay of the same old cycle of negotiations. Flat increases across the board could be the work of lazy unionists and employers: but I don't know.

Awaiting CAL's report on runway mishap- My column for 2 August 2011

There is usually a smattering of applause when a Caribbean Airlines (CAL) flight touches a runway anywhere in the world. BW 523's runway mishap in Guyana will now increase the volume on CAL's flights, part gratitude part relief. Aviation incidents are usually related to human or mechanical issues or physical conditions: sometimes all three. This one will be figured out and ascribed a cause or series of causes. Even before that we learn a few things. CAL is not infallible and has a first major accident. Much can happen even after an aircraft safely touches down, so when you do applaud, stay buckled-in and keep in mind the job is not finished. We also know that Guyana is a lucrative market for CAL and not all airports are created equal. CAL needs some assurances in Guyana. It has to take stock of consistency in passenger and aircraft safety and emergency response. The initial sounds out of Guyana point to matters for concern and that is where the Prime Minister and Guyana's President will take the lead.