Blog in the time of H1N1

H1N1 or Pig Fever is an easy to spread human influenza virus that has normal people talking in muffled voices and the good looking people looking like the ugly. Most airport workers at international airports, except in Trinidad and Tobago, are wearing face mask to reduce the risk of taking sick leave. We, in Trini, are smarter than that and need to look good regardless of the threat of:

• Cough
• Congestion
• Nasal Congestion
• Body aches
• Joint Pains
• Fevers
• Sore throat
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Decreased energy
• Death is rare

These symptoms are nothing new to Trinis and a higher than normal amount of citizens suffer from all these symptoms on Mondays and sometimes even on Fridays so there is concern but not alarm. There are drugs but not easy access to them. There are hospitals but not compassion. There are sick days so they will be taken.

Obama – New US Policy on Engineers and Scientist

“One of the changes that I would like to see — and I’m going to be talking about in this in weeks to come — is seeing our best and our brightest commit themselves to making things — engineers, scientists, innovators. For so long, we have placed at the top of our pinnacle folks who can manipulate numbers and engage in complex financial calculations. And — and that’s good. We need some of that. But you know what we can really use is some more scientists and some more engineers who are building and making things that we can export to other countries.” President Barack Obama – 14th April 2009

In Trinidad and Tobago engineers and scientist are not encouraged to build and innovate. In fact, the Government despises innovation and engineering initiative . As proof of this unwritten Government policy you only have to look at how much money the Government has budgeted to research and development in Trinidad and Tobago – almost the same amount it takes to fund one stone painting crew. I think the Government thinks this way because kick-backs from innovators have never been tested. The traditional corruption sector is now too well established to thinker with.

Government after Government made sure to promised foreign concerns they would have cheap  local engineers to operate and maintain their plants. But Trinidad and Tobago has a very small population and a very small fraction of that population have graduated with a real (UWI) engineering degree (UTT is currently a joke). Out of those graduate engineers very few have any passion for engineering and ended up in the profession because they didn’t like Spanish or blood.  So, it’s not surprising that we have not produced many commercial innovations since there was never any funding and thus the people for that.People always take the path of least effort with the quickest rewards and young people are no different.

Commercial innovations has never been part of our culture and it was always national policy to go foreign for technology since foreign was always considered better.  With the last boom it was get-rich-quick and foreign technology offered a quick way of disposing of money.  Not only were Government people, foreign contractors and local contractors who wanted to get rich quick to buy houses in Miami, but new graduates as well. Most new graduates are only concerned about money in the bank and  Zen, not innovation and their profession.  To them engineering is a “wuck” and not a profession. The so-called brightest graduates usually try for US dollars but thankfully the brightest are seldom the best and seldom return. It’s an attitude thing.

Thankfully, that bubble has burst and the sky is about to fall big time.  The good thing about the sky is that in Trinidad and Tobago, to fall down the Cabinet has to approve it first. But two words that will soon be on the lipservice of every government Minister are innovation and diversification. By Our Stones You will Know Us.

Wordtryst – Liane Spicer – Book Giveaway

Wordtryst – Liane Spicer is doing a book giveaway on her blog. To enter is easy and the first thing you have to do is click this link. She is giving away one book a week over the next seven weeks. The idea is to help clear bookshelves and keep them from bending even more. Liane Spicer is the author of the popular and scenic novel, Café Au Lait and the amazing blog, Wordtryst.

Earth Day – Going Green

Today is Earth Day and I posted a picture of the Planet for those who are reading this blog but may not be from here.

Going-green is not only a way to appear trendy but it can extend the life of Planet Earth. Going-green means saving the Planet or extending its life so that others may use it without dying from environmental diseases. Saving the Planet means less unintentional glowing in the dark and more quality bedtime. The need to consume excessively to bring happiness and joy to our lives is sick and not without a cost to the environment.  The more aluminum and steel the world needs the greater the chance we have of living next to a mutant neighbor if you aren’t already doing so.

There are always 10 ways to do everything, from Looking Younger to making her shout your name in bed. 10 is the magic number. So, naturally, there are 10 ways to go-green. Here are the 10:

(1) Save Energy

The more energy you save the less need there would be for anything. Once people stop consuming energy factories and power stations will stop polluting. Some factories may even shut down bringing with it placards and burning effigies of the CEOs and PMs. Switch off all lights at home and on the street. Play football in the dark and even a World Cup Cricket match. Use those energy efficient bulbs (CF) which can cost ten times as much as the regular energy-guzzler. Energy, like good sex, is a human right and saving energy can save the planet but not jobs.

(2) Save Water

Most people are like the Opposition Leader and can’t remember the last time they had a cold shower before prison. Heating water is not only a luxury but it consumes energy which can trigger more pollution than required. Even the pumping of water consumes energy and the less water we use the better. WASA was one of the first organizations to go green in Trinidad and Tobago with its no-pumping-of-water-under-any-circumstances policy.

(3) Walk, Then Run

Walking or bicycling instead of traveling by car is useful to the environment. The more people walk the healthier they will become and this would also lessen the need for gasoline and NP pump attendants. Job loss will always be the fallout from saving the Planet but the good of the Planet will always outweigh the right to pay a mortgage. The level of crime should not deter people from walking because as more and more people take to the streets the less likely someone will become a victim of crime. There would be so many others for bandits to choose from.

(4) Eat Wisely

Eat low on the food chain. The higher an animal is on the food chain the more energy the animal would consume to become a packaged product in supermarket freezers. Eat beans instead of cow. Eat lettuce instead of cow. Stop eating animals and animal farmers will have to turn to beans and cabbage. KFC will have to fry more fries and steak houses will convert to bean houses.  Except for making babies and gunshot wounds, vegetarians are hardly ever admitted to hospitals. Going-green is healthier.

(5) Avoid Bottled Water

WASA’s water may look brown and black at times but looks can be deceiving. Sitting next to bottles of Dasani, WASA officials have told us WASA’s water is safe to drink straight from the tap. Producing bottled water consumes energy and the bottled water craze was adopted by people in Trinidad and Tobago who thought all American customs and practices should be mindlessly adopted. Help the environment by shutting down bottled water plants and help the traffic situation by keeping those big blue trucks off the road. Let the bottled water factory employees work for WASA instead.

(6) Buy Less of Everything

If you consume less and recycle you would reduce the need for factories and jobs. Buying less is the same as using less energy and using less energy is the same as shutting down employment houses. Unemployment is not as bad as it sounds since unemployed people consume little and therefore give the Planet little trouble. The Unemployed  are inherently Green. Going green is all about the Planet since without a Planet there would be no people or Discovery Channel. Recycling is the key to going Green. To recycle, go through your garbage with a fine-tooth comb and pull all the items that can be recycled like aluminum foil, and cell phones. If getting new thing makes you happy then you have a problem. Seek the assistance of you nearest mental health professional and help save the planet.

(7) Borrow (or Steal)

Don’t buy anything you can borrow such as books, DVDs, software, condoms and even sugar. Wear clothes, especially bikinis, till they unravel. Buy things that would last forever like Corollas and concrete plant pots. Avoid no-name brand shoes and cars. Spend on items that will outlast even a robust politician and help save the Planet.

(8) Don’t Pollute

Avoid throwing computer monitors, computers, motherboards, video cards, and 20 inch (50.8 cm) or larger TVs into small rivers and ravines. Electronic waste can be very toxic to the Planet and its owners, corporate America. Lobby your MP to start an e-waste disposal system and if that fails post a video on YouTube of people throwing computers and big screen TVs into a local river. Better yet, throw a summit.

(9) Buy Green

Buy green products like paint and Heineken. Some products are friendlier to the environment and if it says so on the label then buy it.  The days are numbered for brown products and some establishments like Pricesmart no longer give out plastic bags. Instead, they pack your groceries in brown boxes and urge customers to buy reusable Pricesmart branded bags for a high price. You can even bring a big duffel bag to pack your groceries and if the security guard at the exit gives you any lip tell them you are following the company’s Green policy.

(10) Have Fewer Children

It is easier to sustain a small population than a large one. The world is growing rapidly and soon starvation will be the normal way of life and death. To control population growth men should act responsibly and not father more children than they can support. Women should never allow some men to become fathers. Use contraceptives and stop having so much sex – get married.

Barack Obama – Behind the Scenes – Trinidad and Tobago

Pete Souza, President Obama’s Official White House Photographer, took these brilliant shots of The President’s visit to Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas (17th April to 19th April). I downloaded the photos from the White House website. Click on the shots for the captions and there is nothing funny this time.  All the shots were taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR.

Obama – Trinidad and Tobago – Second Thoughts

You look taller than on TV - Chavez

From the fictitious diary of President Obama:

April 18th 2009

Yesterday the landing was smooth  but the pilot had to abort the first attempt for reasons I don’t want to get into now but I think he saw a crack. Fortunately, the runway seemed to have held up well but I will get my people check for cracks tomorrow morning since the Mexicans and Colombians are also here.

Oooo! I love this Soca!

The drive to Port of Spain was uneventful and on leaving the airport I saw a big Bhagwansingh’s Hardware and the famous Trincity Mall . I might have even seen a car being broken into in the mall’s car park but I am not sure since the people stopped to  wave at me. There were a few cars on the road and I suppose the Government pulled everybody off to allow us Heads to make it to the Hyatt in time for pre-summit snacks. I heard people were disappointed that I didn’t come through the front entrance of the Hyatt but after Hugo caused barriers to be broken down I didn’t see any need to break them again. The Secret Service said some journalists were getting on wild and I was safer in the back. I think the Secret Service would take a bullet for me but not a journalist. I have to check.

I can see a photographer

The Hyatt looked like a hotel and with all the talk on the blogs about tall buildings I was disappointed. I mentioned this to Mr. Manning who seemed offended at first but then offered me a bowl of corn soup. I refused since I couldn’t easily identify all the floating objects and security protocol requires The President identify all food objects, especially in soup. I made up an excuse and said I ate in My Plane. PM PM seemed to go temporarily green when I mentioned My Plane and I even thought he was turning into the Hulk.

Blow hard

...and this is where Mr. Manning proposes to build the second smelter

Some of the South American leaders seemed rather strange I couldn’t help wonder if their people were poor because their leaders were strange or if their leaders were strange because of poverty. Mr. Ortega was long in his speech and I read a comment in a blog which suggested he did this to spite good looking leaders. Mr. Manning took no offense. PM PM was shaky at the start of his speech but seemed to get his stride after he offered Mr. Morales a bowl of corn soup, probably the same bowl I turned down. I am beginning to suspect he threw this summit just to serve corn soup. PM PM referred to me as “his kind” and I nearly fainted when he said it. I didn’t know if he meant black, smart, charismatic, handsome, Harvard-educated or soup-shy. Maybe he meant all. I am beginning to wonder how “his kind” ever got elected.

I hope this book is free

What is with this Hugo character? He seems like a nice guy; always smiling and chubby.  He even gave me a book about how my country robbed his country but he seems not too-right-here. These South and Central American leaders appear to strive on being weird and offensive and if it wasn’t for their women and cheap labor we might have bombed them ages ago. I am joking, obviously. We can’t afford another war right now.

I have to go dress and attend a function at the Chinese Palace in St. Ann’s where Mr. Manning will be serving corn soup and dhal puri. I will only eat some soup after Morales is on his third bowl, for security reasons, naturally.  I might have to dance with Mrs. Manning tonight out of courtesy and I only hope she wears a sleeveless something. Ha ha, I am homesick, but not that homesick.

Cuba and Democracy – Who is Afraid of Hugo Chavez?

Part of a full page ad that appeared in the Trinidad Express today, April 18 2009

So the issue is not whether democracy is good for the economy but whether it’s good for the people.  Exclusion didn’t bring democracy and freedom to the people so maybe inclusion will. But should Cuba be included if it fails to move towards democracy? What do the Summit leaders say? What does Chavez really want?  What does China think?  Why did Ortega take so long to say nothing? If only the region was run by a few good leaders…forever.

Who is afraid of a little dictatorship? Some leaders are not.

Global Signature Campaign in Support of Democracy Movement in Cuba

Is Chavez as good as he looks? - Another full-page ad in the Trinidad Express today, 18th April 2009

Air Force One – Over Trinidad

Air Force One - First Attempt at Landing Aborted

Air Force One makes its approach to land at Piarco International Airport, Trinidad and Tobago. The first attempt at landing was aborted by Air Force One.

The Blimp also stared at this photographer for a few seconds but the high-tech air bag was unable to determine if the photographer was a security threat or even good looking.

Obama – Trinidad and Tobago – First Thoughts

From the fictitious diary of President Obama:

April 17th 2009

The trip to Mexico was eventful. We promised to use less illicit drugs and Mexico promised to export less gardeners. I am now on my way to sunny Trinidad and Tobago and can’t wait to see the Hyatt.

I am flying over Trinidad in Air Force One and the place looks a bit hazy. There are pockets of smoke coming from various parts of the country but my Secret Service agents tell me it’s nothing to worry about and the smoke is either due to bush fires or bad roads. Apparently Trinidad and Tobago hasn’t discovered how to tell if a road is bad without smoke signals or how to remove dry bush after CEPEP cuts it. They seem to be an innovative people and plan to export bush cutting know-how to supplement their economy. I wish them luck.

The People of Trinidad and even Tobago want to see me, which is quite understandable considering their dull politicians. I can overrule the Secret Service but I read about Mr. Big and the exploding dustbins, and how he managed to escape even the very clever PM PM and his Mighty Blimp. I am a bit concerned for my safety because this wild man is still on the loose. That is why I told Michelle maybe she should sit this one out.

I can see a few tall buildings, the Great Beetham Wall and Hugo waving a red flag. Port of Spain looks good from this angle but there are wires hanging everywhere.  I wonder if they managed to round up the homeless and hide them from the international press. This was so Third World, the cleaning up for the Summit but denying it wasn’t so. Only a Banana Government would act this foolish. I wonder if there is going to be any protest but I don’t think a semi-dictatorial leader would allow something as democratic as protests to take place during an international event. It would make them look even worse.

I have to buckle up as the flight attendant is now getting quite pushy and insist I switch off all electronic devices and put my tray table up. I am a bit concerned about the runway and I hope the stereo in The Beast wasn’t interfered with. I know I shouldn’t worry  but as one Blogger said, in Trinidad and Tobago anything is possible.

Trinidad and Tobago – From Green to Brown

I once wrote a blog-post which said “crapo smoke we pipe” if we did not let the Mighty know how we feel.  Unfortunately, there is a petition  to Save Our Mangrove in Trinidad and Tobago and there are not many signatures attached. As I pointed out before, in Trinidad and Tobago “We just want to get home on evenings without traffic lights and peeling off tints“.  Ignorance is bliss in Trinidad and Tobago and bliss is not only in style but a big part of our identity.  But people may not be signing because they either don’t know about the petition or don’t care.

Is Essar and mangrove destruction the best way forward and is melting steel the best way for a small country to develop with only a few years of gas left ? Trinidad and Tobago was listed fifth in the world in per capita carbon dioxide emissions and that was before Alutrint and Essar.  This means we are burning gas like we are burning money in Toruba but still can’t find parking in Port of Spain or a stadium in South.  And the only way we can change a spare on the shoulder of the Beetham is at gunpoint.  Added to all this is the country’s Corruption Perception index has gotten worse and we are now perceived as being 35% more corrupt today than we were in 2002. We seem to be good banana material.

There are a number of websites and blogs dedicated to saving the Claxton Bay mangrove and the environment in Trinidad and Tobago:

Environmentally Friendly

Save our Mangrove Petition

The Mangrove Project

The Claxton Bay Mangrove Project

Pictures of the Claxton Bay Mangrove

Please visit and have your say.

Victoria’s Secret – Models Exposed

Queen Victoria - Keeping Her Secret

The lingerie company Victoria’s Secret was named after British Queen Victoria but this fact was thankfully kept from the public for years. The company was named after the Queen since she was not prone to showing off her underwear in public and was normally secretive about its color or even if she wore any – she always had the press guessing.  Women’s  underwear was not for the general public in the old days but this has since changed because men have not.

Women’s underwear has come a long way since Queen

Adriana Lima

Victoria’s time and it’s no longer taboo for men to ask women about their underwear and for men to see other women wearing them; or not. Some men have developed a keen interest in the women underwear industry and have subscribed to the Victoria’s Secret catalog and website in show of support. The first Victoria’s Secret stores were opened in 1977 to encourage men to show their wives and girlfriends what sexy mannequins and sales clerks in underwear looked like. The need never disappeared.

Victoria’s Secret now has annual sales figures of over US$5 billion and though women’s underwear has been shrinking in size their sales have not. Victoria’s Secret now employs top models to parade  in front of depraved men and a few women to keep interest alive. Victoria’s Secret catalogs and models are responsible for at least 80% of the happiness found in men. Beer, fried chicken, and sports are responsible for the rest.

Heidi Klum

Alessandra Ambrosio

Doutzen Kroes

Marisa Miller

Miranda Kerr

Obama Calls Manning

April 9^th, 2009

President O: Hello?

PM PM: Hello.

President O: Is this PM PM?

PM PM: Yes, this is PM PM.

President O: God man, this in President O. I have been trying to reach you for a while but couldn’t get you.

PM PM: Yuh sure? President O! Yuh sounding funny.

President O: This is no trick, Sir. This is President O.

PM PM: Gosh, sorry yuh couldn’t geh mih before.  Ah think ah was out? Oh gawdd!

President O: The phone only rang and rang but no one answered.

PM PM: Dem blasted Secetree and dem. Ah tell dem wen ah not around to stay by de dam phone. Shucks Man! Ah tell dem somebody important would ah call one day but dey a believe mih! Stueeps!

President O: Pardon?

PM PM: Sorry President O, I was just mumbling to myself.

President O: Anyway, I am calling about the Summit.

PM PM: Yuh want to change de agenda again? No probs. Some ah dem leaders real soft and de rest is only mouth. Dey feel because dey have a few oil dollars  dey big. Stupees!

President O: No, I didn’t really call about that. I am actually calling about my plane and the accommodation for it.

PM PM: We bill a new hanger and thing. Doe worry bout nothing. We taking care of it.

President O: Nice, PM PM. Glad to hear that.

PM PM: So yuh bringing de Beast?

President O: Huh? Yes, Hillary will be arriving ahead of the Summit.

PM PM: No, no! I mean yuh bulletproof car.

President O: Oh, that Beast. My people will talk to your people about that.

PM PM: As you wish, Sir.

President O: There is another matter; about the runway cracks…

PM PM: …yes, we are looking into that seriously this time. Don’t worry about ah ting. Dem dam blog an dem!

President O: Great! And I also wanted you to know that Cuba is not a democracy…

PM PM: …and neither is China.

President O: Touché! You are clever as they said. I would also like to talk at the Summit about going Green.

PM PM: Gosh man, every time I see Air Force One I goe green.

President O: No, I mean the effort by countries to adopt clean, renewable energy sources.

PM PM: Yes, yes. Only a few weeks ago we appointed a Renewable committee and I get them lecturers at UWI to suddenly talk Green and all dat crap.

President O: Great, Trinidad and Tobago is a true political nation. No doubt the hot topic will be the economy.

PM PM: God man, an de Stadium and de Enquiry aint even finish as yet.

President O: What?

PM PM: Sorry President O, I was only mumbling to myself again.

President O: You seem to do that a lot, don’t you?

PM PM: Pressure! Pressure ah tell yuh!

President O: I know how it is.

President O: Not to get sidetracked, another topic on the agenda is inequality and discrimination.

PM PM: That is two topics, Mr. Pres.

President O: Not if you discuss it as one.

PM PM: Oh ho.

President O: As I was saying, the Leaders attending must discuss inequality and discrimination.

PM PM: Stupees, dem people doe vote fuh me so I must discriminate. Nutten fuh dem! Wait till yuh see the “cultural” presentation we have in store fuh Summit Friday. Dey goe bawl.

President O: You know, PM PM, at all these talk shops people say good things and say they are against discrimination but the same people who say so end up discriminating.  People don’t want to be discriminated against but they want to discriminate against others. They exclude and they victimize. They are hypocritical and just don’t get it. Some leaders even  sound Holier than the Pope but are anything but.  I am beginning to wonder if these Summits are not a waste of time and money. Maybe we could all chat on Facebook on the first Wednesday of every third month instead.

PM PM: Gosh Sir, I build the Waterfront already and ah even thank de crook, ah mean man, fuh billing it. How ah goe feel nice if nobody see it?

President O: I understand this Summit is costing the country a pretty penny and people are worried about their jobs, just as in the US.

PM PM: You think I have dem to study. I is de leader, I will spend their money how I want. When yuh doe spend it dey say yuh doe do nothing. When yuh spend it bad dey say he thief.   All dem people want is hospital and school, like ah could hole a Summit in a Senior Comp. Look, I fed up yes. Stupees!

President O: I think all Good Leaders must relate to their population and talk to All The People, not just some. A Good Leader must speak with compassion and not arrogance. A good leader must not swell up like a bullfrog on stage.

PM PM: Ah hah tu tell some ah dem leaders that, yes.

President O: Well, I am also a busy man so I will talk to you some more at the Summit.

PM PM: Wait! Wait! So, wah time yuh coming?

click

PM PM: Like de call jus drop again, yes.

Trinidad and Tobago Newspaper Price Increase

The Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, Express, and Guardian newspapers are due to increase their price by an astronomical one hundred percent or to two dollars. The increase is being blamed on the increase in the cost of everything, especially newsprint and journalist. This is the first price increase for the Newsday since 1993, and for the other two, since 1999, but the public doesn’t really care too much. This newspaper price increase wasn’t sudden and it all started some weeks ago with a little article in the Guardian about the price of newsprint. This blog was also way off in its newspaper price increase prediction.

I agree that everything in Trinidad and Tobago gone up and with sources of advertising revenues disappearing except for full page ads by Government institutions defending their incompetence, and banks and insurance companies declaring their stability and intelligence, the price of newspapers will have to go up. For a short time, like two years, people will be more selective in their choice in newspapers and it will be nasty out there come April 13^th 2009. The headlines are going to have to be even more sensational, ridiculous, and misleading – the public can’t wait.

The newspaper industry was the first to realize people judge by covers and that not only applied to books, and other people, but also to newspapers. With the price increase, headlines will have to convince buyers there is substance and sensation within. Nobody wants to know what Patrick Manning drinks all day but everybody is interested in what Obama snacks on. We are captivated by Obama but upset and even nauseated by Manning. The newspapers will have to give the public what the public wants and the public doesn’t want nausea.

Of the three daily newspapers, the Newsday, the youngest Trinidad and Tobago newspaper, is the most intelligent followed by the Express. The Guardian, the oldest newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago, is desperately trying to sound as intelligent but has to settle for color photos for now. Even at two dollars, I would buy the Newsday and possibly the Express, but I will have to think three times before buying a Guardian. As the newspaper vendor said, The Guardian is what people buy when the rest sell out.

Fast and Furious – Loose Women, Tight Jeans

The latest installment of the movie, Fast and Furious is due to open in Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday with the same name as the original; Fast and Furious. Fast and Furious has developed a cult following and has helped promote the pimp-my-ride culture all over the world except in countries where flogging is the better part of the law.

Michelle Rodriguez

Fast and Furious is based on the good guys with biceps, tight jeans, flawless faces and bosoms-to-kill getting involved in cracking a heroin ring rather than modeling or lap dancing. The movie is all about fast cars and the fast car culture but pretends to be about high morals. In Trinidad and Tobago it breeds night creatures with a lifestyle that involves lawlessness, alcohol, drugs, sex and looses women in tight jeans. Some say loose women are better than tight women but there is no scientific evidence to prove this. But I digress… The owners of these pimped rides are usually the unruly children of well to do people who pamper their offspring and fund the pimped car lifestyle. Serious minded children of serious minded parents are too busy getting a real education from a real educational institution to worry about extractors and big breast.  The serious minded children do not sleep till 4:00 pm and leave home at 8:00 pm with a pimped out ride and woman.

The ride pimping culture is not all bad and the creativity in both car and women modification is to be admired. Car and women owners envy each other and constantly work on their paint jobs, flare kits, woofer size and hem lines to continuously impress the mindless crowds.

Overall, I think the Fast and Furious culture is dangerous and though the movies might be highly entertaining in a useless sort of way, it can do teens and young adults no good.  The movie is a poor attempt to show the imaginary good side of a bad thing.

Summit of the Americas – Why Protests Matters

If the Government of Trinidad and Tobago wants to forbid protest during the Summit of The Americas in April they should think again. The Government agreed to host The Summit not to show off the made in China Prime Minister’s Mansion, or the modern but empty Waterfront Project but to highlight the real Trinidad and Tobago; or so he said. The Government must understand that only through protests will people see the real Trinidad and Tobago and not through elected empty vessels.

Journalists are normally not stupid and are never energized by talk but by protests and unruly behavior with a cause. Video clips of the Summit proceedings will have a dead look especially when our Prime Minister speaks or is shown in his daily, haughty, clueless pose. Only Obama will be of any interest and the rest of leaders will be faces in the crowd, hopefully not picking their noses on camera. The world craves substance in the form of real emotion and not a billion-dollar-waste-of-time.

People did not know or care where the G20 Summit was being held until the protesters jumped (danced) in front the cameras. The G20 protestors were unfortunately not there to highlight the wastefulness and corruption of the Trinidad and Tobago Government, UDECOTT, the childishness of our The Minister of Works or even the stupidity of our Minister of Finance. The protesters were there to protest a cause known as greed. The Summit of the Americas can give our local protesters, along with foreign protest consultants, a world stage to highlight both international and our version of greed, incompetence, and massive ego tripping. This is something all suffering countries will identify with. Maybe The Protest in Trinidad will become popular on YouTube and blogs and shame our Government into caring.  Naturally, well staged protests will make people curious about Trinidad and Tobago and soon enough people will learn the names Patrick Manning, Calder Hart, Lawrence Duprey and Golden Grove.

G20 Summit – In Pictures

We know how to protest, we are not Trinis!

Hey, would somebody move that guy in front

That's better

Should we get fries with that?

Two Big Macs, hold the fries

Have you tried high heels?

Yep, I think it's dandruff

Sorry, I don't shake

Please, not without my makeup!

I just saw the latest numbers and I refuse to cry

I think it's coming apart

See you in Trinidad, Mister