THE EDITOR: An open letter to the Honourable Minister of Public Utilities.
Sir, I have written to your ministry, not to you personally, on several occasions, but to no avail. This is in reference to speeding vehicles in Chaguaramas to the detriment of the elderly who patronise Williams Bay and the public in general! Please let me explain as I have been doing in my previous letters on the same subject. The bay or beach is patronised by senior citizens or old age pensioners, even some homeless citizens too, “let’s not forget that they are human beings too”. There is no convenience, not even a single tap with running water, change of clothing, and here is the worst of them all, when nature calls, they have to cross the above-mentioned “death-trap” to use the bush as a toilet. I do hope that this is my last reminder to you on this death trap.
E THOMAS
Barataria
THE EDITOR: The article in a local newspaper about a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago being shackled, handcuffed and deported for allegedly overstaying his visa limit 19 years ago, whether credible or even not so credible together with the new US government requirement that our visitor/citizens are to be photographed and fingerprinted adds to the accumulated evidence that the United States together with Israel are the foremost fascist states in the world today.
Of course, the information obtained from the fingerprinting and photographing of our citizens will be entered into the American NCIC (Criminal Record Database), the Canadian CPIC (the Canadian equivalent) and eventually Interpol’s mega database. Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago will be now in the same class as common or garden criminals out of the US ghettos etc and on the same level as the growing number of blacks and non-whites (10 percent and growing) which the US State and Federal Governments ensure are fingerprinted and photographed and their records entered into the above mentioned databases. The target in America is of course to ensure that 100 percent of all blacks and non-white in that country befall that fate. The method used is to charge blacks and non-whites with minor offences to ensure that the police obtain their records. This practice has been going on for years.
15 plus years of living in North America permitted me to obtain quite a lot of information including violations of the rights of blacks and non-white and I continue to upgrade this information. Big Brother is very much alive and growing by monstrous proportion in the USA. What does the above tell us? Add America’s unlawful and indecent invasion of Iraq (a blatant war crime and an example of the quintessence of hypocrisy and deceit) together with the continuous acts of Israeli genocide against the Palestinians and add the further ingredient of Jewish control of the Bush Regime and voila — even Hitler’s Germany and Gereralissimo Franco’s Spain could not in 50 or more years do better. In fact these two countries (USA and Israel) are the super fascist states of the 21st century. Both in Ame-rica and Trinidad and Tobago when one listens to the comments of many of those supposedly intelligent persons they are proud to be called “Good Germans” either because of admiration for the Bush Regime or because of the family ties in the US. It sounds so much like an “I am all right Jack so to hell with everybody else” or the old union song “This Trini land can kiss my a…, I’ve got a fascist green card at last”. For me I need no visa, I need no green card to visit that country but I have told both my friends and family that as long as America remains a fascist state I will not set foot in that country. I will take my chance with SARS in Canada which country I can also enter without let or hindrance.
M HOTIN
St James
THE EDITOR: Newsday’s headlines of May 29, 03 were shocking, frightening and bizarre.
A 14-year-old Form 2 student of the Tranquillity Government Secondary School was stabbed to death by a prostitute in the Woodbrook area. Now according to the news story, what occurred was a heated exchange of words over a sum of money (the amount alleged is $80.00), and then the woman took an icepick out of her purse and stabbed the boy. How sad! Also the news story has contradictory reports from his mother, as to what actually happened that night were different as to what was reported. The story also reported the woman fled the scene after the incident, eyewitnesses made a report to the police, also the boy knew the woman who stabbed him. Why was this young man allowed to be out of his home at that hour of the night? The boy lost his life tragically, could it have been prevented?
The area of Woodbrook where the incident occurred is a well-known area for its nighttime activity where prostitutes and notorious characters ply their trade. The area is lonely and quiet at nighttime and these “ladies (men included) of the night” can be seen standing on the street corners at “ungodly” hours of the morning in the hope of attracting clients/customers. A very dangerous practice, residents are in their homes at that hour of the night, and yet loud screams and shouting can be heard coming from the streets, how disturbing for the residents and their night sleep. Will the relevant authorities step up their patrol within that area? Yes we must be careful and cautious, crime is always nearby, but we have to be aware of criminal activity and crime which surrounds us daily.
KEN SMITH
Woodbrook
THE EDITOR: I want to commend Ms Jacqueline Allamani for the comprehensive way she presented her facts about sex education in schools. She showed how risky it is due to the fact that the most perverted people are chosen to mould the minds of infants and adolescents in that area!
Now I want to add to her arguments. Although animals live by instinct, they seem to make a better effort to protect their young. This is in light of some revelation that human parents, though not all, are grooming their girl children into promiscuity with mothers being more guilty! Female calypsonian Denyse Plummer touched on this sore point when she related a conversation between a mother and daughter concerning a maxi taxi operator part, of which the mother asked “How much money he give yuh?” This is against the truth that women do not understand why men who are in their twilight go after not only adolescents but also little girls! The answer may lie in the stage of experiencing second childhood and that is a regressive mental step indeed!
Little boys are not immune and the perpetrators are now facing a worldwide backlash with the latest casualty being the Governor-General of Australia. Thankfully, there are laws against carnal knowledge and abortion and any attempts to repeal them on grounds of being outdated will only serve to make the present situation worse. May I repeat the definition and purpose of morality as stated by psychologist Anna Maria Mora? Morality does not only deal with right and wrong. It is the means by which order is maintained so that children would not become misfits in society.
GEFFREY M JOSEPH
Fyzabad
West Indies may have only just finished a gruelling Test and one-day cricket series against Australia but they are now welcoming Sri Lanka for a five-week tour. And Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is relishing the prospect of renewing a personal duel with Brian Lara.
The West Indies captain dominated the last Test series between the two sides in 2001, plundering 688 runs at 114.66, the second highest aggregate ever in a three-Test series. But Muralitharan proved the match-winner with 24 wickets at 22.33 as Sri Lanka completed a 3-0 whitewash, although he dismissed Lara only twice. “He is a great player and this time I want to win the battle against him,” said Muralitharan. “It’s always a challenge to bowl to him as he reads the wrist better than anyone else and he is willing to play all round the wicket. “Without Shivnarine Chanderpaul [fractured finger], dismissing Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan will be the key to winning the series.” Sri Lanka play three One-Day Internationals in Barbados and St Vincent before two Tests in St Lucia and Jamaica. They start their tour with a warm-up match against Shell Academy in Grenada today.
Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the final of a home tri-series earlier in the month, won by New Zealand, but one-day skipper Marvan Atapattu is backing his top order to emerge from a prolonged slump in their batting form. He has urged his players to trust their natural instincts and play with the natural flair that helped them win the 1996 World Cup. “After our recent loss we have got to stand on our feet and play our natural game, which was the key to our earlier success,” said Atapattu. “With expectations so high and things not going so well the players have tended to change their games in desperation but if there is any fear of failure then you won’t perform at your best.” The team have undergone an intensive week of training including leadership seminars with a corporate motivational expert. “The players have realised their weaknesses and I have not seen the boys work as hard for seven years,” said Atapattu.
Sri Lanka one-day squad: Marvan Atapattu (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Naveed Nawaz, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Dharshana Gamage, Prabath Nissanka, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Kumar Dharmasena, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dinusha Fernando.
Three West Indians — Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle and Brian Lara — are now rated among the world’s top 12 ODI batsmen, according to the latest PricewaterhouseCoopers rating.
In the batting, Sarwan jumped five places to be at joint world number two with Australia’s captain, Ricky Ponting, who dropped one place. India’s Sachin Tendulkar has replaced Ponting for the number one spot. Gayle has jumped three places to number six, Lara has moved up eight places to number 11 and Wavell Hinds has catapulted a whopping 32 places to be ranked at number 25. The improvement in the rankings of the West Indians followed their impressive showing in the last three matches of the just-ended seven-match C&W one day series against Australia. After going down 4-0, Brian Lara’s men won the last three matches including a thumping nine-wicket victory in the final encounter. Hinds, who played just five matches after being left out of the first two of the series, scored two centuries and topped the batting for either side to take the “Man-of-the-Series” award.
Among the world’s one-day bowlers, West Indian pacer, Mervyn Dillon moved up two places to number 15, while Gayle, whose offspin is of increasing value to the West Indies team, moved up 19 places to 25. Australia’s Glenn McGrath has dropped two places from the top position in the bowling and has been replaced jointly at the top by Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan and South Africa’s Shaun Pollock.
NAIROBI: Trinidad and Tobago footballers team will now arrive in South Africa today after visa complications forced them to spend an extra night in Nairobi, Kenya yesterday.
Coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier and the TT contingent had already checked in for the flight to Johannesburg, when they were informed by officials of Kenyan Airlines that visa clearances to allow them into South Africa had not been completed in time. Fortunately for the TT team, FIFA vice president Jack Warner was at the airport to board a flight for London, England. Warner was paged by airline officials and was able to make the necessary arrangements which will put the players on the first flight out to Johannesburg today. Warner explained that following quick communication, officials of the South African Football Association agreed to fit all bills incurred by TT for the extra night’s stay in Nairobi as well as the booking of tickets for the next flight.
“It’s unfortunate but the South Africans have agreed to fit the costs and everything will be in place for the flight tomorrow and the tour will continue as planned,” Warner said yesterday. Warner also cancelled his flight to London in order to ensure all was secure for the TT contingent and will now leave today. TT leave South Africa for Botswana on June 8 to face their senior team on June 10 before returning for the final international against South Africa in Port Elizabeth on June 15. Captain Reynold Carrington and his team-mates did not allow the delay to dampen their spirits as they chanted calypso and reggae tunes while some played local Kenyan souvenir drums on the bus journey back to the Utalii Hotel where Warner also checked in for the night. “All is well in the camp. We have enjoyed every moment of it so far and credit must go out to all the guys here. Despite the little setback, we are still remaining focussed and looking ahead the two matches we have ahead of us,” said Carrington. Coach Fevrier says he will be using the remainder of the tour to assess the current members of the squad.
BRIDGETOWN: The West Indies selectors have recalled fast bowler Daren Powell to their squad for the first two One-Day Internationals in the three-match cricket series against Sri Lanka, beginning in Barbados on Saturday.
Powell, 25, replaces fellow Jamaican and reserve wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh in the squad that reeled off three straight victories against world champions Australia over the past eight days. The 20-year-old Baugh played the first three matches of the seven-match series against Australia when first choice gloveman Ridley Jacobs recovered from a groin strain. The 35-year-old Jacobs replaced Baugh in the 11 for the last four matches. Powell has only represented the West Indies in one one-dayer against Bangladesh in Dhaka last December. He made his Test debut against New Zealand in Barbados last June and has played four Tests. Sri Lanka arrived in Grenada on Monday evening for their month-long tour which begins in St George’s with a warm-up one-day match against a Shell Academy XI today. The visitors begin their international schedule on Saturday at the Kensington Oval in Barbados with the first of three One-Day Internationals. The Sri Lankans also play two Tests in St Lucia (June 20-24) and Jamaica (June 27-July 1).
West Indies squad: Brian Lara (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-captain), Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Marlon Samuels, Ricardo Powell, Omari Banks, Vasbert Drakes, Mervyn Dillon, Ridley Jacobs, Corey Collymore, David Bernard, Wavell Hinds, Ryan Hurley, Daren Powell.
BRIDGETOWN: The West Indies cricket team will play six Tests and 10 One-Day Internationals on tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa from October to February, officials said yesterday.
The regional team will visit Zimbabwe first for a tour that includes two Tests and five one-dayers and runs from Oct 27 to Nov 30, the West Indies Cricket Board said. The three-month tour of South Africa follows immediately with the West Indies playing four Tests before a series of five One-Day Internationals. There will also be three First-Class matches and two one-day warm-ups outside of the internationals. It will be the Second Test tours of each country for the West Indies.
The West Indies lost all five Tests on their first visit to South Africa in 1998-99 and were beaten 6-1 in a series of seven One-Day Internationals. The team was more successful on their inaugural tour of Zimbabwe in the summer of 2001, winning the two-Test series 1-0 and the triangular Coca-Cola Cup one-day tournament, which also included India. The WICB also said that the 2003 regional one-day competition — the Red Stripe Bowl — was likely to take place in early October with qualifying zones in Jamaica and Antigua. The tournament’s semi-finals and final are once again carded for Jamaica’s north coast at Kaiser Sports Club in Discovery Bay.
Tour schedules:
Zimbabwe:
Oct. 30-Nov. 1: First-Class practice match at Harare.
Nov. 4-8: First Test at Harare.
Nov. 12-16: Second Test at Bulawayo.
Nov. 19: One-day practice match at Kwe Kwe.
Nov. 22: First One-Day International at Bulawayo.
Nov. 23: Second One-Day International at Bulawayo.
Nov. 26: Third One-Day International at Harare.
Nov. 29: Fourth One-Day International at Harare.
Nov. 30: Fifth One-Day International at Harare.
South Africa:
Dec. 3: One-day practice match at Randjesfontein.
Dec. 5-8: First-Class practice match at Bloemfontein.
Dec. 12-16: First Test at Centurion.
Dec. 19-22: First-Class practice match at East London.
Dec. 26-30: Second Test at Durban.
Jan. 2-6: Third Test at Cape Town.
Jan. 9-12: First-Class practice match at Port Elizabeth.
Jan. 16-20: Fourth Test at Johannesburg.
Jan. 23: One-day practice match at Paarl.
Jan. 25: First One-Day International at Cape Town (day/night).
Jan. 28: Second One-Day International at Port Elizabeth (day/night).
Jan. 30: Third One-Day International at Durban (day/night).
Feb. 1: Fourth One-Day International at Centurion.
Feb. 4: Fifth One-Day International at Johannesburg (day/night).
HORSES stabled at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, are rumoured to be experiencing problems with a “bug”. But the virus is of no consequence and does not threaten a shutdown of racing, according to senior veterinarians Ryan Shim and Roger D’Abadie. They both treat the majority of horses in training at the centralised facility at Arima.
Dr Shim, who also holds a trainers’ licence, confirmed that a few horses have shown signs of a flu for a day or two and went off their feed. But he likened it to a nondescript virus similar in nature to what was experienced last year. “We don’t know what caused it but it has been monitored and there is no reason for concern at this point in time,” Dr Shim said. Dr d’Abadie said: “It is much ado about nothing. “Basically a few horses showed signs of this “bug” and went off their feed but within a couple of days they were fine,” he added. “It was not the common virus associated with equine influenza or Rhino Pneumonitis, the types that are likely to a halt racing,” he said. “No new cases have been seen since. If it was serious we would have reported it to the veterinary services of the Ministry of Agriculture,” Dr d’Abadie said. He claimed that the few horses he attended to are back under saddle and doing fine.
Trainer Glenn Mendez who has been sweeping the major prizes with his West Indian-bred three-year-olds this season, claimed two horses under his care showed loss of appetite last week but only for one day. “If it was a virus the strain seemed very mild and everything is back to normal,” he said. “Other trainers had the same problem but I haven’t heard of any more complaints. “Horses are out plentiful on mornings which suggests that everything is under control,” Mendez added. Racehorse Trainers Association president, Shaffique Khan said none of his horses have shown any signs of the flu. “All my horses are in good health and are eating well,” he stated. “People panic too early,” he said. “Trainers must know their horses and must be able to analyse or diagnose any problem that may arise before they call in a vet.” Khan said, horses go off their feed for many reasons including pain and exhaustion among the causes.
The trainers group boss, who has several recent acquisitionscurrently in the quarantine barn which are set to be transferred to new stables in the paddock on Sunday, said they too are in good shape. “The vets keep checking them everyday and there are no reports of any nasal discharge, neither are there any signs of infection or they experiencing any medical disturbances that may be cause for concern, ” said Khan yesterday.
