And yet the world is full of songs and films in which people who have done wrong swear they have changed.

That is not to say that change is always necessary, but in many spheres of activity it is hammered home to us that the world is not like it was and if we don’t move with it, we’ll be left behind.

It’s one of those areas in which people become “consultants”, because they have identified something that others will be prepared to pay for, so they offer their services to impart a small piece of wisdom spread over an eighthour day or, if they can swing it, an entire career.

That, though, is more a case of adaptation. They are trying to persuade us to do things differently and to accept that sometimes the way we’ve always done it has outlived its usefulness. But they are not teaching us to alter fundamental elements of our personality. There are a few individuals who were marked relatively early as potential leaders, while of others it is said “he’ll never amount to anything”.

A classic example of the former is the new England cricket captain, Joe Root, who had lived with the tag FEC (future England captain) for many years. The same happened to one of his predecessors, Mike Atherton.

The ones who get the serious jobs do tend to be those who were never really young: they dressed like their Dad and were disappointingly sensible amid the harum scarum majority.

To see if this holds water we can all look at the people we grew up with and see what has happened to them.

From a personal point of view, I’m not sure it is entirely accurate, but there seems to be something in it.

Many of the people I went to school with in my small island of 60,000 souls now hold prominent positions in business and government.

But the one who currently occupies the top slot of Bailiff of Guernsey was, as a teenager, a smiling brainbox who never seemed to put himself forward for anything.

He became a lawyer, which I, in my na?ve working class way, didn’t consider for a moment.

Cooped up in an office all day unless you were in court, and with your head swimming with details and technicalities: where was the fun in that? My old man sold insurance and was thought to have done quite well for himself, coming from a long line of agricultural labourers. He never gave me any career advice. It wasn’t until I had become a journalist and was talking to an accountant (that much-derided “grey” profession) that I realized why these people took the paths they did. For the money. Ah, I see.

This guy was giving me material for a special careers supplement in the local paper, and while I was thinking about what it could be that attracted someone to a life crunching numbers, he had his pitch lined up already.

“You can make a million pounds over the course of 20 years,” he said.

Suddenly it all became clear.

That was why people became accountants and doctors and architects: because they are extremely well paid professions. And there was I thinking you should do something you enjoyed.

Only the religious have this idea of explaining it to the Almighty when we have popped our clogs and are looking for nice accommodation in the afterlife.

“And what did you do?” St Peter would ask with a pleasant world-weariness.

What reply would get me into heaven? “I was a journalist – but not one of those scurrilous troublemakers.

And I taught a bit of English as a foreign language.

Played my guitar and sang for people sometimes.” At the next desk there’s a guy going, “Arms dealer. I supplied the rebels in Sierra Leone. Never actually killed anyone myself.

And I made an absolute fortune.” Along from him there’s another hopeful, saying, “I set up and ran a food packaging factory. We made boxes for cornflakes, that sort of thing. Did quite well out of it, actually.” Meanwhile, through the window we can all see the Mother Teresa gates, through which cruises a string of astral limousines, waved through in the direction of the luxury suites.

These are full of social workers, carers from leper colonies and philanthropists who gave away not just a comfortable slice of their fortunes but enough to actually feel it. So, is it destiny or is life really what we make it? If we look at the role models such as presidents and prime ministers and chief executives in this frantic, grasping world, do they show our youngsters the way forward?

On the other hand, the late Sr Diane Jagdeo OP, replied to Dr Boodoo in a moving paper a few years later when she contended that the context, while forced, did not preclude creativity and advancement.

Women in particular were agents of possibilities as they made possible for their children a future to hope in, by their faith and courage while men capitulated to all the impacts of a wounded manhood. We need to keep both insights in healthy tension.

The roots of Carnival remind us of this history of hope and despair, fatalism and creativity. Carnival began in slavery times when the context couldn’t be more “forced” yet the slaves found time to dance and mimic their slave masters allowing them freedom, creativity and laughter, albeit small, in harsh and tragic times. It serves to remind us that in every age “a light shines in the dark; a light the darkness could not overpower”.

That the darkness is sometimes overpowering can be gleaned from a popular soca hit that seems destined for Road March victory: Full Extreme, more popularly known as We Jammin Still.

MX Prime has his fingers on the right buttons.

He is sensing something – the budding despair of our present society as we capitulate to fatalism: the rising tide of violence, not only gendered violence, but violence towards children; the failure of our institutions – “the city could burn down”; the collapse of the economy – “the treasury could burn down’, the implosion of family life – “promote a fete and you go see”. The indifference and chaos reaches its climax – “we doh business”.

Beneath MX Prime’s lyrics lies the question: how do we generate a new hope for our people? One way is for people to keep doing the good they are doing in the hope that persistence will bear fruit – those organising small, unreported carnivals in rural areas; green groups working to preserve the environment; persons constructing special liturgies for children with disabilities; businessmen rehabilitating ex-prisoners and migrants; groups working to re-educate school drop-outs etc. This requires a single-mindedness as implied in today’s Gospel: “No one can be the slave of two masters” (Mt 6:24). It demands conviction and martyrdom, a willingness to die for one’s conviction.

This cultural renewal is also an interreligious adventure.

It will not be the work of any one religion, though one may lead the way. It requires the slaughter of the ego and self-interest, the seed of our insatiable desire for money and power and, by extension, corruption. It invites us to walk in the desert of the present times in the hope that the desert will bloom.

While that is true there has been a reversal.

His solution to increase membership is to build a university and a hospital in central Trinidad. These are failed policies.

We have had more than our fill of hospitals, schools and universities which have actually driven people away from God. Just look at our society.

Not once did he seek guidance from the scriptures for a solution, nor did he mention the name of Jesus. The Book of Acts show us very clearly how to build church membership, that “repentance and remission of sin be preached.” The answer lies in obedience to the Great Commission given by Jesus “to go into all the world” to win souls, including our own neighbourhood.

That the message of salvation be preached. In Acts we read that “3,000 repented, 5,000 repented, and God added to the church daily as such that might be saved.” The problem could lie in the fact that over the years the church’s theological seminary did not train the clergy to bring in those lost in sin: “Repent and be converted that thy sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). The underlying tenet of salvation is that regardless of one’s nationality, ethnicity or religion the scriptures declare “all have sinned and come short…” (Romans 3:23), that mankind is in a lost condition headed to an eternal hell (Matthew 25:41) and that salvation is found only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7).

Only those who come into repentance through the blood would be saved. Everybody else would go to hell, including “Christians” who are not in covenant. This is where Teelucksingh and a section of the clergy engage in compromise and sell-out. They lack the fortitude to declare that salvation is found only in Jesus (Acts 4:16).

For the Presbyterian Church there is some good news. Over the last few years there has been a surge in attendance. A decade ago it had fallen to 20,000. At last count it was 42,000. This is more than the combined strength of the three other major evangelical churches, Open Bible Standard, PAWI, and New Testament.

Three factors are responsible for this resurgence: 1. The advent of Christian television such as TBN and Daystar have had a positive effect on church attendance and have overpowered the influence of the establishment.

2. The great inspirational hymns of the church have carried the services.

3. The work of individuals and groups to bring in the lost sheep. Many of the churches now carry out full water baptism by immersion, revival services, house meetings and outreach missions by youth groups. Within five years Presbyterian membership could cross 80,000. With more than 100 churches located among key demographics, the church is poised for the last-day harvest.

Winston Ramdhani Couva

Shadow is the spiritual ancestor of the song, if truth be told. His music is now turning up in several songs and singers are taking it to the extreme, smiling their way to the bank.

Third Bass’ Tush In The Bush last year was another example; only the lyrics belonged to the composer. Mr Famous of Play More Local fame is now becoming famous for imitating Shadow’s style.

My hope is that soca singers who are using the man’s musical genius pay tribute to him with an envelope filled with blue smackers, and not a thank you card.

Keith Anderson via e-mail

Remember, this is TT where political face-saving is an essential ingredient in order to move the country forward.

The next political barbed wire fence is getting our multi-religious heads to all agree on 18 being the age for marriage. This 18-foot tall fence on the land of Satnarayan Maharaj, head of the Hindu Maha Sabha, is the most difficult one to be climbed.

We have already seen attempts to have the Attorney General practically hung, drawn and quartered regarding compliance with the Marriage Act, yet he is still standing.

In my estimation, if you are not eternally castigated by the opposing forces, you are not a good Attorney General. Undeterred by an ever widening range of insults from lesser mortals, Faris Al-Rawi remains smiling and hoping to get Maharaj to say yes.

Early evidence of Maharaj’s considerable power is the fact that certain Hindu schools did not take part in the National Carnival Schools Intellectual Chutney Soca Monarch Competition. Popular topics included the age of consent in the Hindu Marriage Act.

An epic battle of traditional Hindu religion proportions awaits us when the House resumes sitting after the Carnival.

Prepare to watch the illustrious Attorney General bow to the defender of the Hindus, the practically immovable Maharaj. To date, our young, feisty, hard working Attorney General is afraid of nobody and strides over all contenders.

The whiff of pure political bacchanal is very strong indeed.

Maharaj’s barbed wire fence is reputedly tipped in gold and has never been successfully surmounted. Others have tried.

Lynette Joseph Diego Martin

The Bill has been passed in a Carnival environment fraught with National Carnival Commission, Pan Trinbago and Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation controversies. Would it be fair to ask if the timing of Carnival 2017 will be remembered as having been divinely inspired to act as a people’s vent for the pentup frustrations brought on by the shenanigans of our politicians? For the time being, the “robber talk” in Parliament is over.

But neither the Government nor the Opposition know how much pressure they placed on the average citizen re the passage of the Bill: * A Bill designed in 2013 during the reign of what was left of the People’s Partnership government.

* A Bill that the present PNM Government initially agreed be brought to a joint select committee and subsequently reneged on this undertaking.

* A Bill that gave rise to the Opposition Leader writing to the President-elect of the US for his input re its future.

* A Bill that had the business community running scared if its passage deadlines were not met, thereby impacting negatively on the banking sector in particular.

* A Bill that, had it not been passed in a timely fashion, could have pauperised Joe Public and his family because of the negative implications of further delays.

Agnostics aside, may I suggest that divine intervention be used by believers of all faiths as a tool for getting things done? Don’t give up on our leaders, our attitude to customer service, our challenging educational system, our politicians, our Carnival etc.

But do not become addicted to religion in your attempts to control what may seem to be uncontrollable.

Let’s do everything in our individual and collective power to have a peaceful and crime-free Carnival.

John Henry Petit Valley

During this festive period when we, together with the world, glorify the thrill that comes from competition, drug use, half-naked bodies and sexual pleasure, there are some things I would like for us to be cognisant of.

Let us not totally ignore the dangers that are often associated with the thrills. Let us not become the unfortunate who recognises the deception, just a moment too late.

Let us not be the one who would self-destruct in the pursuit of having a “real” good time.

In our pursuit of having a good time as we see it, at this time, let the end result not be weeping and garnishing of teeth.

The reality is that some of us during this period would be disorderly, ably facilitated by our customs, clearly demonstrated by our behaviour.

For recreational purposes around this festive time, the casual use of mind-altering substances is undoubtedly underestimated when it comes to measuring the real impact that drug use has on the HIV pandemic.

It is a fact that drug use is a potential entry point for HIV to get into the general population, and during this “perceived” freedom, people engage in two of the highest risk behaviours for acquiring HIV — sharing drugs and having unprotected sex.

Sex acts in an intoxicated state will be a challenge to have control.

Females intoxicated by one or a combination of drugs seriously compromise their ability to negotiate safe-sex practices. Sexual partners of people who drink water out of cisterns not their own risk taking the virus home — another major link responsible for the spread of the disease.

It is quite possible that the desire to de-stress in an environment charged by music that promotes gyrating of perfectly healthy looking bodies intoxicated by the music and perhaps some kind of drug may result in high-risk sexual behaviour as we may wish to indulge in satisfying the craving of our nature.

This could be dangerous.

Drug use is perceived to enhance the experience of this street party.

Therefore the combination of alcohol, crack cocaine and marijuana is common, just as hyper sexuality.

Whatever is your drug of choice — alcohol, crack cocaine, or marijuana — there are implications for having a higher number of casual sex partners and compulsive sexual behaviour associated with the binge pattern of drug consumption.

HIV transmission occurs sexually, through a range of practices, some more effective in transmission than others. High-risk sexual behaviour is number one, and includes engaging in unprotected sex, sex outside of a covenant union, sex while intoxicated, having multiple partners, exchanging sex for money or drugs.

Our bodies should be living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God; this is our spiritual act of worship.

This year as you prepare to knowingly “free-up” yourself and then enter the church for ashes on Ash Wednesday, know this: repentance demands a change of mind and heart that results in changed behaviour.

Anderson Figaro via email

This has had the unintended, I hope, consequence of restricting the 360-degree view normally afforded by a roundabout.

Now road users can see the traffic only on the adjacent lanes of the roundabouts and this hinders safe merging and exit.

Surely the advertisers don’t wish to be associated with a traffic hazard.

And is the Traffic Management Branch of the Ministry of Works and Transport aware of this obstruction? Please tell me it’s not a case of we “doh business.”

B De Silva Westmoorings

But within recent decades, the show and its precursor, Calypso Fiesta, have frequently been mired in controversy over claims of bias in the adjudication process.

Just days ago, former monarch Duane O’Connor and calypsonian Alana Sinette-Khan (Lady Watchman) complained openly about bias in the judging system.

Through his attorney, Criston Williams, O’Connor on Wednesday issued a pre-action protocol letter to the Trinbago Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) alleging bias in the adjudication process after he failed to advance to tonight’s finals.

Among other things, O’Connor questioned the scores given to him by two judges in particular, saying it did not correspond with the remarks attributed to his performance. He wondered if there was a plot among some judges against certain calypsonians.

Sinette-Khan also has complained about wrongdoing in the fraternity after she was excluded from last Saturday’s Calypso Fiesta semi-finals because one of her songs, No White Collar Criminals, a heavily political tune, was wrongly classified by TUCO as a social commentary.

The situation affected her entrance into Thursday night’s Calypso Monarch political commentary final and a chance in tonight’s monarch competition.

Sinette-Khan’s attorney, Kirk Hogan, said the mis-classification of her song constituted a grave injustice since they failed to apply the appropriate criteria to assess her suitability for advancement to the semi-final round.

Some calypsonians contend that the issue of alleged bias, if not addressed, could stunt the progress of the artform while others said the topic was open to interpretation.

Former monarch Eric “Pink Panther” Taylor recently spoke out about alleged unfairness in calypso competitions, following the news that only one member of the Kalypso Revue, Dr Hollis Liverpool (Chalkdust), had advanced from the Calypso Fiesta to tonight’s Calypso Monarch final at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain. Reigning monarch Devon Seale is also from the Revue.

So peeved was Taylor at the development, he told a news conference that the Revue, founded by late icon Aldwyn Roberts (Kitchener), would quit being a member of TUCO.

Saying the Revue has produced several monarchs over the years, Taylor accused TUCO of “major discrimination and victimisation against the tent.

“They are hurting calypso,” he had said of TUCO.

“It is like TUCO is running the competition and they have their own tents, they have their own interests.

“We are a private tent, so therefore we are not insulated from whatever possible victimisation that takes place at that level.

“They are running the competition, they select the judges, they pay them, so they have that position of advantage.” Taylor said the Revue will instead form a body that would provide unbiased representation to the nation’s calypsonians.

TUCO president Brother Resistance (Lutalo Masimba) has since said members of the Revue were free to pull out of the organisation.

But speaking to Sunday Newsday on Thursday, veteran calypsonian and manager of the Icons Tent Weston Rawlins (Cro Cro) said the issue of bias was, in some cases, a matter of opinion.

“I had a good time and sometimes is not the judges. Is games and corruption. So, I just stay quiet and cool myself,” said the four-time monarch.

“I know there are times when I win and they say I didn’t win.

What I go do. I alone can’t fight that.” Rawlins, a finalist in tonight’s competition, said the disenchanted members of the Revue needed to “lick their wounds and come again next year.” “As far as I heard, the Revue programme not chucking (inspiring audiences). Panther (Eric Taylor) ain’t chucking.

Aloes (Michael Osuna) ain’t chucking. If the head not chucking, what do expect to happen to the tail and the body?” Rawlins asked.

“When it had Young Brigades, Sparrow (Slinger Francisco) always was chucking. Kitchener was chucking. I trying to keep the thing alive and I chucking.

If you check me every year, I chucking up to now. If they not chucking, what they expect.

They feel is a bazaar. Is a free for all something. Yuh not chucking, yuh not chucking.” Rawlins said several calypsonians were deserving of a place in tonight’s finals.

“Chalkie get pick so he was good. In fairness, he went good but who else again,” he said.

But even other people, like Sean Daniel, Brigo (Samuel Abraham) and Yellow (Andrew Ferreire) should have been selected because of their strong offerings.

Saying that Osuna, manager if the Revue, needed to “send his troops to work,” Rawlins claimed there was too much cliquism in some tents.

“The thing come like a friend thing and nobody scouts for calypsonians again. They have a clique in the tent so that they feel everybody has to sing but that does not always come to scratch. You did not shop around for anybody because you have to have this core.” Another former monarch, Karene Asche said calypsonians must be open-minded about the situation. “It is a competition and you have to be open-minded about things,” she told Sunday Newsday. “You have to understand that it is not every year you could be in a finals, I am sorry to say. There were years that I did not make the finals, took my losses and came back the other year fighting.” Asche argued that calypsonians also had to take some responsibility for the development.

“To be honest, calypsonians voted for that. They voted for more people in a finals (17).

“They have that and they complaining now. They voted for one song (per calypsonian) and they complaining. I wanted meh two songs.” Asche said the previous judging system, a specialist model, was, in her opinion, very effective.

“I honestly preferred the other judging criteria which would have been the specialist system where each person, one would judge music, one would judge lyrics, one would judge melody.

But as of this year, they have everybody judging everything,” she said.

“We had the specialist system from 2010 and there was a lot less conflict. To me, it was nicer at that time, less people in the finals and better quality, two songs, eight people in a finals. Now they have more people. But if someone did not get into the finals, it is just a case of it not being their year. All they have to do is come again next year.” Longtime calypso adjudicator Canuth Spencer said concerns about bias have always existed in calypso competitions.

“I have always heard, especially from those who lose, that they have been misjudged. But you judge calypsoes not calypsonians,” he said.

“There has always been controversy in judging because everybody feels they have the best calypso in the world. That is my view on it.” Spencer, who has judged the National Calypso Monarch finals, Calypso Fiesta and other shows, said artistes are assessed in the categories of lyrics, subject matter, arrangement and performance.

“Each has separate marks with performance carrying the lowest.

Lyrics and musical arrangement are very important and how they relate to their subject matter,” he said.

Spencer said he began adjudicating in calypso competitions in 1966 but stopped for several years when he was made a senator.

“At that time I did not serve to avoid bias but I came back in 1977. So, I have had a good long run and heard all of the views and criticisms expressed,” he said.

“Everybody is an expert in Trinidad, especially, calypso, steelpan and cricket. They don’t have a clue but they are experts.

There is always contention with the judging but people must know the criteria used before they can start criticising.” Taylor believes there must be transparency in the judging process.

“The only thing could improve the quality of judging is that there must be transparency and accountability,” he said.

“A judge must be held to account for his findings. It must be made public. You cannot just secretly walk in a tent with a clipboard and do your thing and then nobody knows who you are and where you came from. Transparency is the key.” Asked why he felt transparency was so difficult to achieve, Taylor said: “People are very biased in their dealings. I always say that Trinidad have no independent senators. Everybody have some kind of beef.” Taylor suggested that the National Carnival Commission oversee the judging for calypso competitions.

“In all of the competitions in companies, they tell you family members are not entitled to take part. TUCO cannot be running the thing and judging the thing.

So who could correct who. That is the main thing.

“Let NCC handle all these things. You have members in the engine room in TUCO competing.

So, how is that looking?” Taylor asked, adding that he had never participated in competitions during his stint as TUCO president.

Taylor said if bias persists in calypso, there will continue to be fallout in the other disciplines.

“It will hurt the mas and pan, when we could avoid that by having an independent body handle that.” “TUCO is supposed to represent the interests of all calypsonians when we have a grievance but if the grievance officer is doing you the grievance, who do you address your complaint to?” Taylor also pointed to a broader issue.

“People have been missing the boat. This is not about somebody who ain’t get picked and somebody vexed because that will always happen, whether NCC or whoever do it, there is always fallout,” he said.

“Somebody will always feel that they should have been there. We can’t stop that. But because competition and Carnival remain the major crucible to the calypso artform then when there are developments around this time, it reflects on the weaknesses overall.

“So, this is not just about a man who did not get picked. This is just an indication that there is a greater problem affecting the fraternity.” Referring to Calypso Rose’s (McCartha Lewis) recent success in France, Taylor asked: “What role did we (TUCO) play in the materialising of that?” For instance, he said calypsonians have no pension plan or health benefits.

“I am not saying that people are not responsible for their own destiny but if we have an organisation that we call ours, then that organisation supposed to look out for us not just at Carnival. We need an organisation that looks after the interests of its membership,” he said.

“If we do that successfully, then it reduces the potential for any major fallout at Carnival because we would see our organisation as caring and as operating in our best interests and therefore, if we have a little grievance at Carnival time it will easily dissipate because of the overriding goodwill that continues throughout the year.

In a bulletin yesterday the Met Office reported a northerly long period swell event that is currently affecting northern and western coastlines of Trinidad and Tobago. The swells are being generated by a disturbance in the Northern Atlantic Ocean.

The Met Office reported that numerical weather prediction models forecast these swells with a period or wave interval of 11-13 seconds, which means that the time between successive wave crests will be between 11 and 13 seconds.

These long period swells may be low amplitude but as they approach shallow waters, the wave heights can increase sharply and as a result, may lead to battering waves especially along the Northern and Western coasts of Tobago and to a lesser degree, the Northern and Western coasts of Trinidad, the Met Office reported.

Effects particularly along affected coasts of Tobago, may include localized disruption to sea bathing and near shore coastal activity.

The models forecast the long period swell event to end by noon today or last up to midnight tonight, with conditions exacerbated during high tide.

“Fisher folk and citizens, in particular those residing along coastal areas, are asked to be on the alert for these expected sea conditions.

All necessary measures must be taken to preserve life and property,” the Met Office stressed.

In a separate release yesterday the TTCG urged people going out on fishing or recreational expeditions to carry life jackets and life rings on board each vessel and use them to maintain their safety while on the vessel.

Beach goers were are also asked to adhere to all the safety requirements and instructions of the lifeguards who are posted at each facility.

The Coast Guard also issued the following boat safety tips for people going out on fishing and sailing expeditions: 1. Wear life jackets and ensure the vessel has a life ring 2. Follow a pre-departure checklist – ensure all required items are on board the vessel 3. Be weather-wise – be aware of the weather before you sail 4. No alcohol – avoid drinking while sailing 5. Correct clothing and footwear – water proof clothing and rain jackets 6. Know your sailing area – knowledge of the area being sailed to 7. Safe speed – always sail at a safe speed to avoid accidents 8. Avoid seasickness – sail on a full stomach or carry food on board your vessel 9. Pack a first-aid kit – it is an absolute must for going out to sea 10. Follow a float plan – indicate sailing movement to the authorities and family members.