Caribbean

I've been back in Trinidad and Tobago for a few months now, pondering what to write here on KnowTnT.com as I take in the myriad experiences that have brought me here - from the assessment of an old business being made new to rumors and innuendo of a highway running through some land I own to the multiple insults to one's intelligence by media and politicians - insults which in larger countries are easier to ignore.

It drives me nuts. When I was abroad, I got used to being able to go to a bank during normal business hours. It doesn't seem like too much of a stretch for me to think that banks around the world would do something similar - but in Guyana I encountered the same thing. Clearly I lack the intellectual capital to comprehend that a business that holds my money and uses it for its profit would be available for me during regular business hours.

Clearly.

Forgive me WASA, Forgive me people,  but I cannot find a shorter way  to say  this.. 

"The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy; Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.  -   John W. Gardner"

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with Ms. Marsha, an Attorney here in San Fernando that deals with conveyances. She's originally from Barbados; at 75 years young I imagine that she has many stories to share (we discussed that as well).

When Edmund Gall first wrote about the de facto monopolization of Carnival broadcast rights in Trinidad and Tobago (read it!), he mentioned friend Mark Lyndersay's point that it was more about control than optimization. When I wrote about the issue last night, I took the same tack.

I would just like to point out that I'm supporting Gayelle here in Trinidad, that someone suing for coverage of what is labeled a cultural event is reprehensible.

It wasn't too long ago that I was waxing poetic about innovation. Even my last post about the need for an emergency SMS system for nations is a good lead in to the Caribbean Innovators Challenge:

I didn't write anything about the Haitian earthquake. Global Voices has a great roundup of posts discussing the Haitian Earthquake (and even more here), and I have no new facts to add to the mix. It's horrendous. It's devastating. It's sad.

I apologize in advance for what is a very long post, but I found it necessary in writing it and could  not find a reasonable way to break it into smaller pieces. Hopefully it isn't too burdensome to read.

While bankers say that the [Caribbean] region needs investment, I believe it is important to point out that there should be worthwhile things to invest in. And when I write 'worthwhile', I do not mean only  to investors; thinking otherwise brings us things such as aluminium smelters. And aluminium smelters are at best a high risk to the environment - especially on an island.