So, de carnival 'officially' start wid grand motorcade an' boat ride an' ting, but is who was soooo bright dat dey feel dat not only dey should have it on a Friday, but it should endup in Chaguaramus on said Friday evening, guaranteeing dat de one road dat goin' into Chag bong to mus' get jam up....SIGH.

But is why we should be worryin' bout dat, dis is de Winin' Season an' is par-dee fuh so from now on...if yuh could manage widout eatin' an' clothes an' a roof over yuh head dat is. Allyuh ent checkout how de price of tickets to dem all-inclusive fete get 'multiplexed'? If yuh want to go to ONE big name all-inclusive each weekend fuh de nex six weeks (includin' carnival weekend) it go only cost yuh bout $2400 per person!
An' dat doh include no visit to de Tent, no small fete dat yuh buyin' drinks in, no show in de Savannah or wherever...throw dem in an' yuh lookin' hell hard at $3000 from de wrong side, AND yuh ent even pay downpayment fuh yuh costume!

Is now $400+ to go in any popular all-inclusive, an' if yuh feel yuh bad an' money ent no problem wid you, yuh could cough up a nex couple hundred to lime in de champagne bar dat is de rigueur dese days. An' of course in all dis yuh has to have plenty dan-dan, because yuh cyant commit de ultimate sin an' wear de same outfit twice.
But when all said an' done, is what yuh really gettin' fuh yuh money? Is how much alcohol yuh feel yuh could drink to say yuh get $400 worth? If yuh calculate jes how much does endup on de ground an' leave back in cup all over de fete yuh go unnerstan'  exactly where yuh
money went!

Now, yuh know yuh Tants ent have no problem wid de school an' dem raisin' funds wid a fete, but is how much of de ticket price does actually endup in de school coffers? Is a fixed percentage of de gross or whatever leave over after 'expenses'?
Every year de exact same formulae does get apply when de organisers arrangin' de ting...yuh really mean to say dat de cost of livin' gone up so high in trute? If dat is de case, Crapaud seriously Smoke we Pipe...but if is not quite dat bad, an' is really jes a case of somebody makin' money off we head (AND de schools dat really need said funds), is high time de organisers come up wid a better way of generaatin' funds fuh de schools while makin' sure dat we de patrons have 'funs' of we own.

 
 

BACKCHAT: Issue 01

Wishing you all that's good - such a small, but powerful word - for 2007!

Yuh drop yuh likkle 2 cents 'bout de Carnival - enough tuh ruffle meh feathers - an' yuh gorn. Why is it dat de biggest event in T&T is not a monumental profit-maker, tuh de extent dat it could fund de t'ing annually?
If dis is de people Carnival, why is it dat we lettin' a bunch of civil servants - no disrespect to civil servants, I was one for most of my professional life - on a power trip dismantle WE T'ING?

Tants, as long as de interest groups feel dat dey have tuh get de hand out from de Ministry of Culture, den dey would be forever beholden to dis backward entity. But is not all de interest groups, yuh know. If de goodly Madame Minister wakes up tomorrow and says she has nothing to do with de bands on de road (NCBA), dey will survive an' still make sure Carnival Monday & Tuesday is enjoyed by all. On de other hand, if she makes the same pronouncement re de steelband, unless dem pan men decide tuh play mas' on de road, dere will be NO PANORAMA!

Why is dat? Because de pan fraternity has been conditioned to beg, showing no inclination to become self sufficient. I bet you if give Panorama (the show) to an Island People, or an Ian Wiltshire or de girls who put on Bishops High School Carnival Fete or Randy Glasgow to run, dey would turn a profit AND provide an enjoyable customer experience in year 1.

Anyway, QRC fete is next week and dat is where all "bluebloods" will be on Jan. 13. See you there!
Royal Trini
//Trinidad


Here's wishing you the very best of everything for a wonderful New Year 2007. We are experiencing some warm January weather (unusual). (NO SNOW).
I still miss Trini a lot after many many years. I look forward to your nformative news, it keeps me well informed as none other. Thanks again and keep the good works coming.
//TRINI IN TORONTO