Progress or Failure: 50 years of Party Politics in Trinidad and Tobago

On Thursday 16th November the Caribbean Institute of Public Policy (CIPP) held a round table discussion on the topic " Progress or Failure: 50 Years of Party Politics in Trinidad and Tobago". The event was hosted at the Xtra Foods Conference Room in Chaguanas.

The feature speakers included: Balgobin Ramdeen a former Member of Parliament 1961-1966, author and at Attorney at Law; Clive Nunez a veteran trade unionist and columnist with the Probe Newspaper and Louis B. Homer a veteran Journalist and Historian. The presentations of the three speakers were followed by a lively discussion on the current state of Trinidad and Tobago politics and a display of photographs, books and letters.

The next planned event of the CIPP is a pannel discussion on the 70th Anniversary of the 1937 Labour Riots in Trinidad and Tobago.

New York City Imagine That!

Hey girl what's it like to be in New York?
New York City, imagine that!
Tell me, what's it like to be a skateboard punk rocker?
Leroy says, "Send a picture"
Leroy says, "Hello!" Leroy says, "Aw, keep on rocking girl" Yeah, keep on rocking.

Lyrics from the song Anchorage by Michelle Shocked. I loved this song and I still want to see Anchorage, Alaska!

The center of civilization..New York City.

Universal Studio's Hard Rock Cafe- The Largest in the World

The Beatles Room- dedicated to the greatest ever Rock Band

Ok folks, its official, the largest Hard Rock Cafe Restaurant in the world is in Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. I visited the shrine to Rock and Roll on my visit to Orlando last week ( May 15th 2006). There is a room dedicated to the Beatles and one to Elvis. A piano donated by Elton John sits at the entrance. I had been to the one in Toronto before but the Orlando Hard Rock is huge and has much more character. Great service and great staff.

We urgently need a Hard Rock Cafe in Trinidad to give TGI and Trotters a run for their money!

Maracas Bay and Richard's Bake and Shark

Maracas Bay is the premier beach in Trinidad. I had last been there in 2002. I must say that I was dissapointed that the facilities that were so well kept just 3 years earlier were now abandoned and derelict. Where is Tidco in all this eh? Where is Minister Chin Lee? Maracas is on the North Coast of Trinidad and is roughly 20 minutes from Santa Cruz which is where Brian Lara grew up. If you dont know who Brian Lara is its probably because youre American or have been living under a rock for the past 20 years.

Anyhow, I didnt go for the beach and certainly not the sun. I went for Richard's Bake and Shark. Excellent stuff! Going to Maracas for Bake and Shark sure beats having it outside club Zen.

If you live in Trinidad, I recommend that you go to Maracas once a month. It will certainly eliminate the need for Prozac, Xanax and Zoloft. If you visit as a tourist Trinidad I recommend Maracas Bay highly. Life is all about balance and sometimes even I need a break. As an MBA student with a full time job and a personal job things can get tight.

By the way, shark cartilage contains a natural product called Squalene which is one of the most powerful anti-cancer agents. My advice: eat bake and shark and for good measure drink lots of red wine.

Paul Revere and John Harvard

The legendry Paul Revere was from Boston. Dont know who he is? He was one of the men who started the American Revolution. Boston is also the home of the famous Boston Tea Party. If you want to get an idea of the man Paul Revere was I advise you read the amazing book Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Revere is what Gladwell calls a Connector and Maven.

Another notable Boston personality is John Harvard. What a last name! He was the man who financed the establishment of a University that today bears his name. Somewhere along the way they also decided that the town should be re-named Cambridge after that famous English university by the same name.

This photo was taken by Kevin Ramnarine on October 14th 2005 at Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA.

At Harvard University

Harvard University is everything they say it is and everything I thought it would be. It was a grey and rainly Autum day when I visited what is easily the most famous University in the world. The subway stop takes you directly to Harvard Square. A short walk and you reach the Information Center where you get Maps and directions for the entire University. There you meet John and company who I assume are Harvard students.

For those of you who know me, you would know that I headed directly for the world famous Harvard Business School ( the Capital of Capitalism) which is located accross the Charles River. I crossed the Charles River ( via the bridge of course) and there it was....the world's most famous business school. America is the most powerful nation in the world and Harvard its most powerful university and here was I in the middle of all this power. I was having a spiritual moment.

The Business School is a collection of regal red-brick buildings the center piece of which is the famed by the majestic Baker library. Once there we visited the office of doctoral studies ( Sherman Hall) and later had lunch in Spangler Hall. At the bottom of Spangler is the Coop which is the Harvard and MIT bookstore.

The picture is of me ( Kevin Ramnarine) checking out the Harvard grass in front of the Baker library. This picture was taken by Priya Rampersad on October 14th 2005. The name of this Blog is Trini global and I intend to live up to that name. If Trinidad and Tobago qualifies for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, I will do my very best to attend.