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A major factor for PoS floods
Over
the past few years, it has been observed that the streets
of Port-of-Spain are flooding as never before every time there
is a downpour of rain. Areas that never flooded are now flooding.
The cause is always attributed to litter, improper drainage,
high tide, blockage of underground drains, etc.
I suggest that one obvious cause has not be so obvious to
the city corporation and other authorities.
As one goes around Port-of-Spain, one observes that due to
the lousy repaving of the streets, every property owner has
had to build some sort of mini bridge or structure in order
to drive into their property without damaging vehicles.
Some owners cast concrete slants onto the road. Some place
metal grills to span the gutters. Surely these bridges restrict
the flow of rain water and trash that goes with it. Therefore
if the water cannot flow in the drains where it should, it
will flow in the streets. Hence the flooding.
There might be other contributing factors, but it seems that
these unauthorised but necessary obstacles, caused by improper
repaving, are a major factor causing flooding.
Patrick Jay Williams
pwilliams@tstt.net.tt
Get the facts straight, please
This
is in response to the article entitled “Aids penetrates
condoms.”
It is upsetting to see that in this age there is ignorance
towards the fact that many people are having sex, even though
the concept of wait till marriage is emphasised.
It is even more disturbing to see that there is the notion
that making an informed decision involves having one choice.
It is utterly disgusting to see that public statements like
“Aids is 450 times smaller than a sperm” are being
made, because an informed speaker would know that Aids is
a condition and that someone does not get Aids. They contract
HIV, providing that there is sufficient viral load in the
transmitting fluid.
The issue of penetration of semi-permeable membranes applies
only to natural membrane or animal intestine condoms, and
has no bearing on latex condoms, which when intact cannot
be penetrated by pathogens the size of HIV.
The scientific fact can be justified by Carec, UNAids, Paho/Who
and any other research-driven, empirical, data-based institution.
There is no need at this stage of the epidemic to be attempting
to compete for the attention of a target group, since there
are needs that can be met by any part of the universal ABC
(abstinence, be faithful or condomise) education method.
Furthermore, the statement “abstinence from sex until
marriage builds one’s character and personal strength”
is whimsical. Character and personal strength are developed
through the ability to make an informed choice and having
the competence to deal with the consequence thereof.
I urge that before a public statement is made, please get
the facts straight and separate dreams from reality.
Ava Rampersad
Trinidad Youth Council
‘Tune-up’
police, Cabinet, Mr PM
May
I suggest that the next time Prime Minister Patrick Manning
decides on a pacemaker “tune-up” in Cuba he takes
along with him his Cabinet, the entire Police Service, the
staff of the Integrity Commission, and the people at the EMA.
All these entities are in dire need of a “tune-up,”
otherwise our country is definitely going to “shut down”
or end up in a drain on the road to Vision 2020.
Ashram Beachoo
ashram_b@yahoo.com
What
goes around comes around
British
Prime Minister Tony Blair has recently visited Africa, specifically
Ethiopia, this time around to raise a global coalition of
nations to help a beleaguered and dismembered continent caught
in the throes of grinding poverty.
This visit, I am sure, has gone largely unnoticed by many,
but it is significant.
Since the Ethiopian famines of the mid-eighties, Africa has
starred insofar as human misery and suffering are concerned.
Assailed by wars, famines and now the Aids epidemic, Africa
is surpassed perhaps only by Haiti for the dubious title of
the wretched of the earth.
I find Blair’s apparent altruism quite strange coming
from a man who seemingly has lost no sleep over the fact that
he is partly responsible for the destruction of Iraq.
I would hasten to add that had his venerated forefathers done
the Christian thing centuries ago, there would be no need
for Blair to undertake such a mission impossible.
When Britain and the rest of Europe set out in 1883/84 to
dismember the continent into zones of plunder; when they deliberately
converted much of the continent into a vast overseas estate
producing palm oil, rubber, cocoa, coffee, cotton and ground
nuts for European industries, when they forcibly drew Africa
into their global capitalist system, they were in fact sowing
the seeds of today’s dilemma.
In their greed, selfishness and bigotry they failed to foresee
that one day the world would become an interdependent community
of nations. That my neighbour’s problem left unattended
would inevitable become my problem. That no man is an island,
however powerful he may be.
So the famines, unrest and poverty in large parts of Africa
have sent thousands fleeing into Europe. It has also created
the ideal incubator for global deviant behaviour commonly
referred to as terrorism.
Had that unholy trinity of yesterday—businessmen/explorers,
military men, and those phony Christian missionaries—lived
in accordance with true Christian principles—do unto
others as you would have others do unto you—this global
mess would have been largely averted.
Europe had a golden opportunity in its age of discovery to
reflect the light of true Christianity to the rest of the
world.
Had they done so Africa, notwithstanding its many problems,
would have developed at its own pace, along African lines
and today I’m sure would have been a quite different
place.
Instead of a world compartmentalised into a First and Third
World, there would be basically one world. But selfishness
and greed ensured that this was not to be; today we all continue
to reap the bitter consequences.
What goes around comes around. This is not something we like
to discuss. We like to consign it to the oblivion of the past.
CJ Lewis
Trincity
Remove fish, meat vendors
It
is very gratifying for those of us involved in healthcare
to witness the vigour with which health inspectors are enforcing
compliance with sanitary conditions in our nation’s eating
establishments and food outlets. Hats off to them.
May I also point out the potential health hazard that roadside
meat and fish vendors present; a problem that our erstwhile
health inspectors seem to largely ignore.
Surely meat and fish on display in roadside shacks, and exposed
to the heat of the day with no refrigeration, running water,
protection from flies, dust and vehicle exhaust fumes are
unfit for sale to the public.
Furthermore, the vendors have no toilet facilities and I daresay
very few of them possess food badges. Yet they attract large
crowds of buyers, including owners of very reputable eating
establishments whose restaurants I am sure have passed inspection.
I call on the relevant city/regional corporations to ensure
that these vendors are removed with the same enthusiasm as
the shutting down of unsanitary food outlets.
Austin Trinidade (Dr)
Phillipine
San Fernando
austintrinidade@hotmail.com
Sinking feeling with Bush return
One
can only imagine the sinking feeling experienced by so many
world leaders when George Bush was declared winner of the
US presidential election.
Yasser Arafat couldn’t take another four years.
Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez are both waiting to hear the
dates of the invasions of their countries by the US.
The Presidents of Brazil and Argentina know they are in for
a torrid time in trade negotiations with a government that
preaches free trade but practises protectionism.
Roy Austin will remain US Ambassador to T&T (welcome back,
Dr Austin).
Ariel Sharon and the right-wingers of Israel are in their
glee. With Bush back in the White House their genocide against
Palestinians can continue unchecked.
Putin of Russia will have renewed vigour in his assault on
Chechnya, and any other Russian satellites that are foolish
enough to want self-determination (no taxation without representation?).
But all good things must come to an end (time longer than
twine) and the next US President, hopefully a sober Democrat,
will have the Herculean exercise of cleaning the Augean stables
that Bush would leave behind.
We can only hope that whoever succeeds him (Hillary Clinton?)
will be up to the task.
Karan Mahabirsingh
Carapichaima
Noisy
party at Government division
We
are a group of elderly people who have lived in the De Lima
Flats, St Ann’s, for over 30 years.
We value our peace because of our location, which is in close
proximity to the Prime Minister’s residence.
On October 16 our peace was disrupted by the loud noise emanating
from a private party at the Community Development Division,
sanctioned by the ministry for a member of staff.
The loud music continued into the morning until 4 o’clock.
Most of the residents are in the winter of their years and
are not accustomed to that level of noise pollution.
We have written the permanent secretary but to date the ministry
has not found it fit to apologise to us with the assurance
that it would not be repeated.
Doesn’t somebody care?
Theresa Crosby
St Ann’s
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