Indian Arrival day|Arrival Day?

On May 30th 1845, the Fath Al Razak docked in the Port of Spain harbour in Trinidad and Tobago with 225 adult passengers on board. The passengers were immigrants from India who had come to the British colony to work in the sugarcane plantations after the abolition of African slavery. They had spent 103 days on sea during the arduous and dangerous journey that spanned 14,000 miles (36,000 km). The immigrants were contracted for five to ten years to work in the sugarcane estates in a system that ended in 1917.

via www.nriol.com

Ok that is part of our history and it should end there. Indian Arrival day... what is the purpose of this holiday? Most Trinidadians don't care much about this day or any other holiday other than it being another day to 'relax and break ah lime'. Arrival day parties the night before the holiday is a must and the party entrepeneurs capatalize on this for profit. So in terms of finance it stops work for some but creates employment and business opportunities for others like every other holiday in the country.

Now if we think about it, this holiday should simply be called Arrival Day but wait one minute now, didn't the PNM government attempt to rename the holiday Arrival Day? Gosh what is happening to me today I defended the ex Prime Minister on national radio and now I am all for changing Indian Arrival Day to simply Arrival Day that includes all races in this cosmopolitan society.

After all the Syrians, Chinese and Portuguese don't have their own day to celebrate, or do they?

I guess this holiday was long overdue but the name was and still is inappropiate. Should we expect change?  I don't think so but until then the fetes will usher in the day and it would be celebrated like any other holiday in the land of song and dance and steel pan music - time to party!

Reactions:

Pineapple Chow | Simply Trini Cooking

We Trinidadians love to make chow with all kinds of fruits we can get our hands on. Usually though, the fruits are either half ripe or green and sour like mango and pommecythere. But pineapple has been an exception to the rule. I don't know who came up with the idea but it became popular over time and now it is being sold all over the island. Just last week my sister got some to buy at Maracas Bay for $2.00 a slice and I tell you it was worth the price.

The only disagreement some trinis may have, is me calling this recipe pineapple chow so I will give you the other names this is called. It could be called soaked pineapple because of it marinating or as we say soaking or pepper pineapple also. No matter what the name you want to call it it tastes wonderful just the same. So enjoy your pineapple chow and don't forget the pepper it wouldn't taste the same without it.

via www.simplytrinicooking.com

Simly Trini cooking has come up with a "chow" that has me scratching "meh head". Now that is the only way that I could express my thoughts because in all my years of eating chow I could not think of using anything but mangoes.

I don't just like pineapple, I love eating a really ripe and sweet pineapple but for chow? Hmm, I "cyar see dat". I just don't see how adding pepper and salt could do any justice to the sweet taste of the pineapple. Mango, on the other hand, is totally different. I love using half riped mangoes for my chow not ripe mangoes.

Marinated Pineapple or Pineapple chow just does not seem right to me. This simply an experiment by some but in no way would I classify this as a "Chow". What do you think about this and have you tried it? Let us know what you think... Your comments are welcomed and appreciated.
The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago & the Caribbean

Reactions:

Serve the interests of the people|Success will be a given!

PRIME MINISTER Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday ordered her newly sworn-in Cabinet to always remember that “the people are the government” and that as Cabinet members they must be “the servants of the people.”

via www.newsday.co.tt

That is the key to the success that this new administration hopes to achieve - remember that you are there to  provide services to the people and to ensure that that there is stability for future generations. There is no room for arrogance but simply be humble and serve in the interest of the people. In the end this approach will satisfy the basic needs of the population and will also ensure that the government of this People's Partnership achieve its goals to put the country back on track.

Indeed as the new Prime Minister stated that, “The people are the government. Please take these words and frame them on every desk of each of your ministries and recommit to them every single day of each month you are privileged to be in service to the nation,' we now have a renewed hope that the people will benefit from the actions of this new administration.

If this government remembers that they are there to serve the people then our nation will see changes that will impact their daily lives in a very positive manner.

I feel good about this new government and wish them only success in their endeavors.
The Government of Trinidad & Tobago: law of the constitution: 3 ed., rev. and written, commemorating 150 years of British rule, 1797-1947

Reactions:

Victory Song|UNC Victory Cut

This song was sent to me via email. I thought that I would share it with you. It is amazing how creative our people are and I can tell you that even thought some of you listening to the song may not like the lyrics I am sure that the music will be totally enjoyed. Now play the track and raise your volume... Play clip below.

UNCVictoryFinalmp3 (1)

Reactions:

San Fernando|Trinidad

The city of San Fernando first came into recorded history in 1595 when Sir Walter Raleigh, sailing in the Gulf of Paria on his search for El Dorado, was drawn to a steep hill that seemed to rise effortlessly out of the landscape. He had seen what we call ‘San Fernando Hill’ and continued to sail so close to the shore that he soon discovered a treasure that he hadn’t bargained for – the Pitch Lake at La Brea. He reported that after leaving the Pitch Lake, they came upon a mountain foot called ‘Anaparima’ by the native Amerindians. It has come to be called ‘Naparima’, which means ‘single hill’ in one of the Amerindian dialects.
In 1687, Capuchin monks landed in the area and tried to convert the Amerindians to Christianity – they erected a mission called ‘Purissima Conception de Naparima’ in the shadow of the great hill. Again, the area remained quiet until the arrival of Governor Jose Maria Chacon and his Cedula of Population in 1784, which granted land to settlers and encouraged development. In 1792, he declared the settlement a town and christened it ‘San Fernando’ after the son of Carlos III, the Spanish King at the time. In living up to its Spanish name, the town developed much like a Spanish Colonial town – with a central square at the waterfront, and other key buildings such as a ‘Casa Real’ (government house), a jail, and of course, a church.
The population of San Fernando was second only to that of Port of Spain and in 1818, the two towns were linked by the introduction of a coastal steamer service between them. This key transportation connection, as well as the prosperity of the area’s growing sugar industry, contributed to the expansion of San Fernando.
Development proceeded at a quick pace after that, gaining advancements like a railway passenger system and improved infrastructure so that by the end of the 19th Century it was well on its way to being one of the key towns in Trinidad. It soon got other railway connections and electricity and buses as the decades went by. Development was in full throttle with road works and the like, making San Fernando more accessible and able to thrive.
San Fernando was designated a city on November 18th, 1998 and it still stands proud – made even richer by the fact that it is a key oil and energy centre for our islands. 

Source : http://www.visittnt.com/
Trinidad and Tobago - "SAN FERNANDO" Mug; Caps Black " I Love San Fernando " Trinidad And Tobago City

Reactions:

PNM loses popular vote | The Trinidad Guardian

The People’s National Movement (PNM) not only lost the general election yesterday. The party also gave up the popular vote. The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) is expected to provide the final tally of votes today, but indications late last night were that the PNM would have surrendered majority support. Patrick Manning’s party polled 299,813 votes in the November 2007 election, ahead of the United National Congress-Alliance’s 194,425 and Congress of the People’s 148,041. The results yesterday for the People’s Partnership were more than the sum of its parts. The PNM won razor-thin majorities in the constituencies it secured yesterday, while the People’s Partnership led wider majorities in several of the seats in which it romped home victorious.

via guardian.co.tt

In the last general elections that the PNM won it was recorded that even though they won the majority of seats in 2007 they lost the "popular" vote. This simply meant that the majority of people who voted supported the opposition forces. However, because the opposition forces split the votes the PNM won several seats that could have resulted in a different outcome. 

That did not happen this time and not only did the PNM lose the popular vote but because of a united opposition they also lost the general elections in historic fashion with a resounding trashing of 29 seats in favor of the People's Partnership compared to 12 seats for the PNM. When people unite good things happen and with the race card being dealt the unity seen within the opposition trounced the race card thereby ushering a new era of politics in Trinidad and Tobago. 

This is the moment we all have been looking forward to and we can now proudly say that if "together we aspire" then  surely we can conclude that "together we will achieve great things".
The present culture and monasticism in Trinidad and Tobago

Reactions:

New Government|New Prime Minister in Trinidad & Tobago!

The People's Partnership has won the General Elections of 2010 in Trinidad and Tobago and will form the next government with the first female Prime Minister. The preliminary figures indicate that the final count was 29 seats going to the People's Partnership with 12 seats going to the PNM.
Congratulations and Good Luck to the new government! Congratulations to the new Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago - Good Luck!

 Photo Source: http://www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog/?p=3389

Legends of Calypso; Carnival Steel Drum Collection: Hot Hot Hot & More, Vol.1

Reactions:

Trinidad and Tobago 2010 Electoral candidates

Here are the list of candidates updated with the winners in red. The final count was People's Partnership 29 to the PNM 12 seats. 29|12

Updated 05.25.2010


Arima
PNM - Laurel Lezama Lee-Sing
COP - Roger Samuel

Arouca/Maloney
PNM - Alicia Hospedales
COP - Anna Maria Mora

Barataria/San Juan
PNM - Joseph Ross
UNC - Dr. Fuad Khan

Caroni Central
UNC - Glenn Ramadharsingh
PNM - SHeila  Madoo Kurban

Caroni East
PNM - Harold Ramoutar
UNC - Tim Gopeesingh

Chaguanas East
PNM - Mustapha Abdul-Hamid
UNC - Stephen Cadiz
NNV - Prakash Persad

Chaguanas West
PNM - Ronald Heera
UNC - Austin "Jack" Warner

Couva North
PNM - Neil Ramsingh
UNC - Ramona Ramdial

Couva South
PNM - Anthony Khan
UNC - Rudy Indarsingh

Cumuto/Manzanilla
PNM - Darryl "Japs" Mahabir
UNC - Colin Partap
NNV - Neil De Silva

D’Abadie/O’Meara
PNM - Karen Nunez-Tesheira
COP - Anil Roberts

Diego Martin Central
PNM - Amery Brown
COP - Nicole Dyer-Griffith

Diego Martin North/East
PNM - Colm P. Imbert
UNC - Garvin Nicholas
NNV - Melissa Ochoa

Diego Martin West
PNM - Dr. Keith C. Rowley
COP - Rocky Garcia
NNV - Zawadi Abu Bakr

Fyzabad
PNM - Joel Primus
UNC - Chandresh Sharma

La Brea
PNM - Fitzgerald Jeffrey
COP – Ernesto Kesar

La Horquetta/Talparo
PNM - Nadra Nathai-Gyan
UNC - Jairam Seemungal

Laventille East/Morvant
PNM - Donna Cox
MSJ – Kwasi Mutima
NNV - Umar Khan

Laventille West
PNM - NiLeung Hypolite
NJAC - Makandal Dagga

Lopinot/Bon Air West
PNM - Neil Parsanlal
COP - Dr Lincoln Douglas

Mayaro
PNM - Clifford Campbell
UNC - Winston "Gypsy" Peters


Naparima
PNM - Faiz Ramjohn
UNC - Nizam Baksh

Oropouche East
PNM - Christin Ramdial
UNC - Dr. Roodal Moonilal

Oropouche West
PNM - Heather Cedeno Walker
UNC - Stacy Roopnarine

Point Fortin
PNM - Paula Gopee-Scoon
NJAC - Nyahuma Obika

Pointe-a-Pierre
PNM - Christine Kangaloo
MSJ - Errol McLeod

Port of Spain North/St Ann’s West
PNM - Patricia McIntosh
UNC - Annabelle Davis
NNV - Fuad Abu Bakr

Port of Spain South
PNM - Marlene McDonald
COP – Giselle Russel
NNV - Travis Mulraine

Princes Town
PNM - Annwarie Ramkissoon
UNC - Nela Khan

San Fernando East
PNM - Patrick A. M. Manning
COP - Carol Cuffy-Dowlat

San Fernando West
PNM - Junior Regrello
COP - Carolyn Seepersad Bachan
NNV - Indrani Abu Bakr

Siparia
UNC - Kamla Persad-Bissessar
PNM - Vidya Deokiesingh

St Ann’s East
PNM - Joanne Thomas
UNC - Verna St Rose Greaves
NNV - Christian Dookie

St Augustine
PNM - Balchandra Sharma
COP - Prakash Ramadhar

St Joseph
PNM - Kennedy Swaratsingh
UNC - Herbet Volney

Tabaquite
PNM - Farouk Mohammed
UNC - Suruj Rambachan

Tableland/Moruga
PNM - Agustus Thomas
UNC - Clifton De Coteau

Tobago East
PNM - Gizel Thomas-Roberts
TOP - Vanella Allan Toppin

Tobago West
PNM - Terrence Williams
TOP - Dr. Delmond Baker

Toco/Sangre Grande
PNM - Eric ’Pink Panther’ Taylor
UNC - Rupert Griffith

Tunapuna
PNM - Ester Le Gendre
COP - Winston Dookeran

Reactions:

Bake and Shark|Richards at Maracas Beach

Trinidad's bake and shark sandwiches, with their rich variety of garnishes to dress these delicious sandwiches, are the talk of the town and in many places around the world. This world appeal came after Bizarre Foods did a take on the sandwich. Andrew Zimmerman considered the sandwich the best fish sandwich that he has ever eaten and one of his top ten favorite food ever!

I have featured this video and decided to repeat it here again for this post - just because it takes you to "the spot". Now there is something that I have heard recently that needs to be debunked or simply stated as the truth. It has been rumored that shark is in short supply and that the fish used today is "King Fish". If you are a Trinidadian based in the homeland and know more about this then please leave a comment. Enjoy the video once again!

"The best fish (shark) sandwich ever!" 
Andrew Zimmerman.

Reactions:

Swiss Family Robinson

Did you know? 

The film "Swiss Family Robinson was shot on location here - twenty-two weeks to shoot at a cost of $4.5 million. Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and the Galapagos islands were looked at before Tobago was discovered. It was ideal for filming purposes, with one hitch: there were no animals to be found. Thus, a menagerie was assembled - colourful tropical birds, gulls, ostriches, snakes, tigers, zebras, baby elephants, monkeys - and flown to the island, along with the appropriate trainers.

The director Ken Annakin recalls: There were fourteen trainers in all, and about 4:00 each day, they would come to me and say, "Mr. Annakin, can you tell me what attitude you want from my animal tomorrow," and then they would discuss it and put in last-minute work each night trying to get the desired results. One afternoon at 3:30 our flamingos took off from Tobago and headed south to British Guiana! We couldn't do anything about this, but fortunately the animal handler was right, and they returned the next day at feeding time!

It took five months to build the necessary sets and incidental objects on the island, including the wreckage, which was built on scaffolding at sea, with divers participating. “It was absolutely real shooting,” says Annakin, “something which appealed to me very much because of my documentary beginnings. I liked shooting exteriors. I think it gives much more satisfaction to the audience in the end, and in this case I wanted to keep very much away from the original version that was made by RKO (in 1940), which we ran at Disney. It was a good picture, but you could feel the restriction of them having to work in a tank.” But Annakin and the crew had to pay the price for realism; it took ten days to shoot the sequence of floating the animals and supplies ashore. “The lines were always getting crossed. You’d find a pig or a cow was tied with a barrel underneath, he’d suddenly turn upside down, and the continuity girl on the camera raft would suddenly shriek, and someone would have to dive in to put the animal right so it wasn’t hurt.”

Every move, every shot was calculated in advance; Annakin, Bill Anderson, Disney, a sketch artist named John Jensen,and stuntman-turned-second-unit-director Yakima Canutt worked together on storyboards, first deciding what they would like to do and then deciding if it could be done. Disney was concerned that there should be something happening every minute, particularly in the climactic pirate attack. He would examine the storyboards and comment: “That works, that works, yeah, that works, although there is a little hole here; we need a bit of action here. Devise some action here.” And they would.

Source: http://www.mytobago.org/tobago/info_htm/tobago_fun.htm

Reactions:

Trinidad and Tobago Football History

TWENTY MEN in blue blazers, grey flannel trousers and red ties—all members of the Trinidad football team—arrived at Southampton on Sunday in the banana ship Golfito. Afterwards they travelled to Weymouth, where on Wednesday, they will play the first of a 14-game series against West of England and London teams. Their first opponents will be the Dorset county FA team whom they will meet on the Weymouth ground.

This is the first time since the Trinidad Football Association was formed in 1908 that a team has been sent to England.

The players are all amateurs, who have been given three months' leave of absence from work at full pay by their employers.

The Trinidad footballers are accustomed to playing only 30 minute each way and they have been taking special training at home to prepare for the 90 minutes of the British game.

A special calypso has been composed for the arrival in England and when the players were welcomed in the ship's lounge by Sir Stanley Rous, Secretary of the Football Association and other officials, they played and sang it. The first words were: "Fire brigade water the road because Trinidad is coming down"

Baby of the team is Colin Agostini, a 20-year old undergraduate.

Oldest member is Allan Fitzgerald Josephs, 36.

via www.ttfootballhistory.com

This is a very interesting web page that actually provides information about the formation of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (started in 1908) with a national team actually touring England in 1953.

Singin' In The Rain!: Four of the Trinidad Soccer tourists sing a calypso under an umbrella when the weather gave them a wet welcome on arrival at Southampton. Left to right: SYL DOPSON, MATTHEW NUNES, HORACE LOVELACE and ALAN JOSEPH.

Date Published: 1953-08-25; Source: Jamaica Gleaner

Soca Gold 2010 (Bonus Dvd)

Reactions:

Trinidad All Stars play Bob Marley's "WAR" - WST Video

Trinidad All Stars performs in New York as part of the Salute To The Caribbean Concert. Trinidad All Stars is one of the Worlds finest Steel Pan orchestras and a pleasure to listen.

Trinidad All Stars History
via www.trinidadallstars.org
The rich and colourful history of the steelband movement in Trinidad and Tobago is interwoven with the Neal & Massy Trinidad All Stars. Developed between the First & Second World Wars, the steelband was born of an innate and explosive creativity.

The band’s roots go deep and its turbulent early beginnings and explosive creativity is the hallmark of steelband music today.

“Hell Yard Boys” was the name they gave themselves back in 1935. Hell Yard was a poor area on the banks of the East Dry River in Port of Spain. The movement away from “tamboo-bamboo” to pan had only just begun. This name changed several times – to “Second Fiddle”, then to “Cross of Lorraine”, and finally “All Stars”, chosen because of the perceived superior ability of the players. Soon after the war, “Trinidad” was added.

In 1982 the contributions of Trinidad All Stars to the steelband movement were recognised by the Government of Trinidad & Tobago with the presentation of a national award – the Humming Bird Medal (Gold). Four years later, the band was again honoured with an award from the Port of Spain City Council.

One of the many achievements of the band was its pioneering of classical music on the road, played to the rhythm of calypso. This highlighted the capacity of the steelpan to go beyond the previously self-imposed musical bounds of calypso or boleros. Trinidad All Stars was the first band to play the pan with two sticks. For the first time, both the melody and the harmony could be heard played together. The band made the first “Quatro Pans” later called the grundig and the guitar pans. A former captain of Trinidad All Stars, Neville Jules, also had the privilege of making the first bass pan.

Our accomplished musicians have maintained a standard of excellence through their innovative mastery of the instruments. They have secured first place victories in the biennial Music Festival on six occasions, have won the National Panorama five times, the Bomb Competition on countless occasions and successfully held nine Classical Jewels concerts.

The members of Neal & Massy Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra have carried the vibrant culture of Trinidad & Tobago around the world: Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, China, France, Ghana, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Scotland, St. Maarten, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Source: http://www.trinidadallstars.org/triniallstars_history.htm
Video Source: http://www.viddler.com/explore/WhenSteelTalks/videos/52/

Reactions:

We Are Next

http://www.viddler.com/explore/erennie/videos/3/

Reactions:

Decision Time Has Arrived|Voting has begun in Trinidad and Tobago!

Special elector voters will cast their ballots at the offices of the returning officers at each of the 41 electoral districts. “All systems are go for the May 24 Election,” Cayenne said yesterday. Last week, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) forwarded polling cards to TTPost to be mailed to general electors, and this process began last week. “Poll cards started going out late last week. The process has been smooth thus far,” Devon Phillip, marketing manager at TTPost, said yesterday. Poll cards are to be delivered throughout this week and persons who do not receive theirs in the mail collect them at TTPost offices in their communities. The EBC has advised that persons can also check on their registration status at the EBC’s website, www.ebctt.com. “The revised list is also out and available for public viewing at the EBC’s offices,” said Cayenne. The revised list contains the names of electors who are eligible to vote. The list is divided into specific polling stations located at the 41 constituencies. The electoral list was updated during a registration period which ran from April 12 to 20. At last count the revised voters list recorded 1,036,939 eligible voters. This number exceeded that of the 2007 electoral list, which stood at 990,467, of which 653,882 people voted in the election that year. The EBC is spending an estimated $23 million to conduct the election.

via www.newsday.co.tt

Today is the day; today we begin the process to elect a new government into office - we need to put aside our petty differences and do the right thing for our country. 

Today is the day that special voters head to the polls to cast their votes before the general public do the same on May 24, 2010 - the process has begun, the end is near. 

The Elections and Boundaries Commission seem to have the process working smoothly and by the midnight on May 24, 2010 the nation will breath a sigh of relief of groan because of the decisions of the majority of voters. 

Whatever you do please go out and vote - every vote counts. Don't be intimidated and vote for whom you think is best suited to run the country. It is your democratic right - make your vote count!

Reactions:

Caribseek Trinidad and Tobago News | 'False hope' for more T&T oil - Daily Nation

PORT-OF-SPAIN - The oil and gas that Prime Minister Patrick Manning is staking Trinidad's economic future on has not yet been found, and his campaign assurances of further industrialisation is giving citizens false hope, economist Dr Patrick Watson said on Monday.

Watson said Manning's certainty about finding more hydrocarbon appeared to be "through some divine intervention". Manning told supporters at a campaign meeting in Point Fortin last Friday that talk of the country's oil and gas soon diminishing was not true.

In fact, said Manning, "Neither the oil nor the gas is about to run out in Trinidad and Tobago and since we understand that, we select oil and natural gas as the basis of our industrialisation for the future."

Watson is director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies. Congress of the People political leader Winston Dookeran recently appointed Watson chairman of an economic monitoring unit to determine the state of the Trinidad and Tobago's economy.

The unit has been mandated to examine the issues of public finance, debt, the foreign reserves position and competitiveness.

According to Watson, Manning was giving the country false hope for several reasons. "We are dealing with a person who has a personal belief that, through some divine intervention, oil and gas will be found and I am hoping that he is right because we all stand to benefit from it, but the fact is we should not count on it." (Trinidad Express)

via news.caribseek.com

The article is headlined "False hope" for more T&T oil and appears as one of many articles on a website named Caribseek Caribbean News. 

This is a very interesting website since it covers news articles from the Caribbean region. The list starts at A for Aruba and end at T for Trinidad and Tobago. 

If you enjoy keeping up to date with news from the entire Caribbean region then this site will provide the information that you need all in one place. 

Just keep in mind that once you come to the website you may not leave for a while because news articles are just a part of the entire list of goodies available on the home page. The link above take you to the news headlines but the link beneath will take you to the home page that is just filled with information about anything that you seek to know about the region and each island of your choosing. So go ahead and immerse yourself in a host of available services as provided by Caribseek.

Source and URL links:

Homepage: http://www.caribseek.com/

News link: http://news.caribseek.com/Trinidad_and_Tobago.shtml

Reactions:

Take a break and smile

I will be featuring a few comedy clips from the Trinidad and Tobago diaspora. I will start with this one but please note that the audio has some issues. However, the guy is funny and we need to take a break and smile with the seriousness of general elections razing through the social fabric of race relations in the homeland. Take a break and smile...

Reactions:

Soca Fm .co.uk|Soca on the Web 24/7

Soca fm The worlds Number 1 online radio for Soca Music Broadcasting outta London UK  24/7 by Firstbeat Music withDj Mr Vybes, Dj Soca Devil, and Dj Fats Fronting this OnlineRadio Station, we have lots of other Djs in the background who comes to the fore from time to time to name a few like QT2Hype,Soca Police Force (Canada), Dj  AdriX, DJ Spice(New York's award winning Soca Dj), Dj Matthew, Dj Tony Magik and others.

via www.socafm.co.uk

We can't simply promote our Trinidad online soca radio stations when we have people living in England who visit this website regularly. Here is one that plays Soca 24/7 and states that it is "The home of Soca on the web" broadcasting from England.

Link to the website from the link above or below this post and start the audio stream. Please note that there is a delay before the music starts. This station does a lot of small island soca promotions. Enjoy the feed.

Soca FM:  http://www.socafm.co.uk/#

Reactions:

Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music - SHADOW, Mighty

(b Winston Bailey, 4 Oct., late '30s, Les Coteaux, Tobago) Unique calypsonian and soca artist, usually referred to as Shadow. Grew up on grandfather's farm, began composing at age nine; joined group Fire Sticks that provided backing vocals at Mighty Sparrow's tent, appeared solo there '70 but forgot his lines. Joined Victory tent '71 led by Lord Blakie (Carlton Joseph), recorded 'The Threat' that year (directed at Sparrow and Lord Kitchener); moved '73 to Kitchener's tent for three seasons. Infl. by style of Mighty Spoiler (Theophilus Phillip: 1926--60), the great exponent of humorous and imaginative calypso. He has a propensity for the eccentric with a touch of eeriness; often wears dark clothing with broad-brimmed hat and regal cape; some of his calypsos tell of bizarre, sometimes violent events in an unmistakable raspy voice, interspersed with tremulous humming; from early on his work also had a strand of insightfulness and sensitivity, qualities which have become more developed and prominent in his later output. Two of his calypsos, 'Obeah Ma Man' and 'Run Du- Du', were incl. in album Calypso In Rage '73 on Straker's. He won first and second places in the Road March contest '74 (see Calypso) with 'Bass Man' and 'Ah Come Out To Play', breaking the stranglehold on the title held for eleven years by Kitchener and Sparrow (both incl. in LP Bass Man '74 on Straker's, as well as autobiographical 'Winston'). He reached Calypso Monarch final '74, but despite having the crowd eating out of his hand with 'Bass Man', was pipped by Sparrow. 'King From Hell' and 'Rap To Me' from King From Hell '75 got him into Calypso Monarch final; moved to Sparrow's tent '76 and released Constant Jammin': title track and 'Shift Yuh Carcass' got him into Monarch final again; LP also incl. 'Pressure'. During the off-season (i.e., after Carnival) he released The Flipside Of Shadow; in '77 Dreadness, incl. 'Jump, Judges, Jump' an attack on the judges of the Calypso Monarch contest, concluding that they had 'degrees in stupidity'. In '77 off-season came 12]im[ single 'Shadow Thing' on Charlie's. He moved to the Kingdom of the Wizards calypso tent '78; De Zessman incl. Road March contender 'Sugar Plum'.

via www.donaldclarkemusicbox.com

If you always wanted to read about Winston Bailey aka the Mighty Shadow but could not find the link to the relevant information you wanted then take a look at this biography as presented in Donald's Music Box. 

In this article you will read this clip about Soca that was quoted from the TNT Mirror on February 10,1989 (we can discuss this in future installments):

Shadow said that soca: '...is just a new name for modern calypso', and that his claim to fame is for 'moving the bottom of the music, and introducing the changes in the bass lines ... My music is characterized by a lot of energy, because of my emphasis on the foot drums and bass ... What everybody's doing now is considered to be soca. But that is because the word spread so big after Shorty did his mixture. But I have never copied from them. If what they're doing is soca, and what I have done is soca, the truth lies within there, because I have always remained original.'

The truth is that no one has imitated or come close to imitating Shadow's style and his music is very infectious indeed. Maybe there is some truth to his statements because today everything is being labeled "Soca" and if you listen to the music it is not the music that we grew up knowing as soca.  My friend Kenny Phillips (one of the best record producers in TNT) of KMP music studios (and owner of WACK Radio901fm/TNT Pan Radio) has given me his opinion about Shadows statement - very interesting indeed...
Calypso Music History: One Hand Don't Clap

Reactions:

"Donkey Days" - Mighty Shadow

Trinizagada likes to step back to pause and reflect on "dem ole time days" - it is always a feel good time. Today we look back at a track sung by the one and only Mighty Shadow; this track was produced by Carl "Beaver' Henderson and comes to you via YouTube.

via http://www.youtube.com/

Reactions:

There is value in Trinidad's Cocoa

The challenge thrown out by UTT Professor, Denyse Thompson, that if more people could be encouraged to move up the value chain “we could take charge of the Caribbean brand of cocoa”, should not be taken lightly.

via www.newsday.co.tt

Trinidad was once a major producer of cocoa; our cocoa was used to sweeten cocoa produced in other areas of the World - it appears that this has not changed. However, it remains a fact that we don't produce as much cocoa as we used to but the demand for Trinidad produced cocoa has not decreased.

To think that Caribbean cocoa was purchased by UK importers at US$3.00 per kilogram that was then refined into chocolate and then resold to the Caribbean at $1,500.00 per kilogram sounds outrageous but then again that is the way the market operates.

It appears that if we can produce quality downstream products from our very flavor-full cocoa then we may be able to really reap the reward or our very special cocoa produced at home. There was a time when Trinidad was the third largest producer of cocoa behind Venezuela and Ecuador. This was before Ghana began large scale cocoa production.  We have the ability but do we have the will to produce more?

There is hope for this industry and apparently the demand for Trinidad's tasty cocoa will be the driving force that could encourage farmers to invest more and continually improve in this area of agricultural production. The UWI continues to do research that will provide better harvests and quality cocoa. According to the quoted article above: "UWI’s Cocoa Research Unit moved, years ago, to establish a cocoa gene bank to make available to leading producers of cocoa in Africa, Central and South America, Asia and the Pacific more productive strains of cocoa."

This is good news and shows that with some effort and innovation that we can provide other sources of income for continued prosperity in Trinidad and Tobago and not simply rely on oil and gas revenues - every foreign dollar earned counts.

In the end the country benefits from these sales and the farmers could benefit if the price for our cocoa could be renegotiated based on the quality of the product rather than based on the prices set by demand and supply economics. The rebirth of this cocoa industry is good news for everyone concerned - way to go!

Information source: 

http://www.newsday.co.tt/businessday/0,120689.html#

http://sta.uwi.edu/cru/fb-hocp-ncnp.pdf

Photo Source:

http://thebookman.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/coco.jpg

Reactions:

.:: Welcome to Rum Distillers ::.

via www.trinidadrum.com

Well I guess if you don't have sugar being produced then you don't have the base ingredient to produce rum. Rum Distillers of Trinidad and Tobago limited is out of business as far as Rum production is concerned but it appears that they have aged stock to sell. 

For those who like rum this could be a collectors item or an aged product ideal for those who enjoyed drinking products from this brand. The closure of Caroni Limited has impacted many lives and industries especially down stream industries. If you love rum get some of this brand because soon it will just be talked about as being one of Trinidad's finest the was - the link for the site is provided below for your convenience.

Source and URL link:http://www.trinidadrum.com/index.html#

Carnival Music in Trinidad: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture (Global Music Series) W/CD

Reactions:

House of Angostura

HOME TO TRINIDAD

"Venezuela was not as politically stable as Simon Bolivar had promised. There was internal strife and dictator followed dictator. After Dr. Siegert died in 1870, Carlos and Alfredo decided to leave and chose the nearby island of Trinidad as their country of adoption. In Trinidad, Carlos and Alfredo were joined by their youngest brother, Luis, and together they set up business once again. Angostura® aromatic bitters made the brothers remarkably prosperous."

via http://www.angostura.com/History/HometoTrinidad/tabid/71/Default.aspx

In 1903 Carlos Siegert died followed in two years by Luis, making Alfredo the sole owner of the secret formula for Angostura® aromatic bitters.

In 1904, Alfredo was appointed purveyor of Angostura® aromatic bitters to the King of Prussia and in 1907 to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. He went public with the company and named it Angostura Bitters (Dr. J.G.B. Siegert & Sons) Limited. Three years later the Company was appointed purveyor of Angostura® aromatic bitters to King George V.

Alfredo speculated in several business projects and lost, great sums of money, and the House of Angostura passed into the hands of its creditors.

Angostura Orange Bitters

Angostura Aromatic Bitters, a skillfully blended aromatic preparation of gentian flowers in combination with a variety of vegetable colouring matter....

For those who appreciate nothing but the best! Angostura 1824 Limited Reserve is a blend of the finest mature rums, hand-picked by the master blender...

1919 Described by the House of Angostura as: "a marvellous anejo blend selected from light and heavy Rums.." A marvelous anejo made from a blend...

Black Label Rum
The moment you taste it, you know that this is a   rum of expert proportions. It is made to be savoured, unhurriedly.   This is the rum of decision...

Old Oak Rum White
Old Oak White (or White Oak, as it is better known) is a leading rum brand in Trinidad & Tobago and the wider Caribbean. It is a light delicately...

Forres Park Puncheon Rum
Trinidads favourtie over-proof rum. Extra stongm with a punch! Pne sip straigh can warm up the coldest of nights, or mix it to make exotic drinks and...

10 Cane Rum
10 Cane Rum is crafted by the experts at Moet Hennessy, the world's premier luxury spirits producer. It's a bright rum, clear with the slightest...
"After distillation, the fresh spirit is trucked from the distillery to the Angostura warehouses where it is aged in French oak casks for about 6 months. Blending to the correct bottle strength and bottling is also done at the Angostura facility. All 10 Cane rum is bottled in Trinidad and then shipped around the world."
http://www.ministryofrum.com/producerdetails.php?t=118

Carib Lager Beer
One cold Carib, just wont do!   Carib Lager is the authentic, original, unique and defining icon of being young, modern and fashionable in Trinidad...

Angostura 3 yr White Rum
Angostura 3 year old white rum is supple and luxurious, having been aged in charred American oak bourbon barrels for a minimum of three years. After...

Angostura 5 yr Gold Rum
Angostura 5 year old rum is a blend of light and heavy, molasses-based, continuous distilled rums that are aged in charred American oak bourbon.

Angostura 7 yr Dark Rum
7 Year old Butterfly A blend of light and heavy rums distilled in Angostura's five-column continuous still. The rum is aged in American oak...

Reactions:

Hops bread and zaboca with ah pinch ah salt!

I have never met anyone who simply goes' yuk' when zaboca is mentioned. In the US zaboca (avocado) is mainly used to make guacamole or in Trini terms zaboca choka.  If you are a traditionalist like I am then the zaboca is best eaten with hops bread. This is one of the simplest treats to have. All you need to do is peel the zaboca, cut the flesh and put it inside the bread. Next simply add a pinch of salt (to taste) then eat your sandwich and experience a taste that makes your salivary glands work overtime.

The zaboca that I prefer to use for this delicious treat is the small round one with the very light green skin. It is yellow inside and has a smooth buttery feel and taste. The larger pear shaped variety is not as tasty as these small almost round fruit.

Zaboca and hops bread is really delicious but if you don't know what hops bread is or it is unavailable then whole wheat bread will do just fine. If your like eating zaboca sandwiched in bread with a pinch of salt please leave a comment.  Hey even if you think it is gross then don't hesitate to say so... Thank you.

Reactions:

Trinidad Vacations, Amazing Caribbean Island Adventures

Trinidad vacations provide the most authentic, fun-filled Caribbean island experience available. This is the real Caribbean. If you seek adventure and excitement in addition to romance and relaxation then look no further.Come escape with us...
via www.amazing-trinidad-vacations.com

Amazing Trinidad Vacations is the name of the website that provides a variety of listed areas to peruse. Your can start with the blog then move on to the following: Photo Gallery, Quick Facts, Beaches, Villas, Rentals, Hotels etc. There are 22 subcategories to explore. This site is in place to lure travellers to Trinidad so please understand it is designed with the American or European tourist in mind. Go ahead, take a look and explore. 

My favorite category here is the Trinidad Dictionary that lists Trinidad Creole English in alphabetical order. Here is the link, enjoy - Trinidad Dictionary.

Article Source: http://www.amazing-trinidad-vacations.com/index.html

Reactions:

Media Pages For Your Convenience

I have taken a hint from the blog Santiwah and added two stand alone pages to this blog. If you look at the menu above you will notice the link TV/Radio. Now you don't need to look elsewhere for your media feeds because now we feature CTNTWORLD television and Streaming Radio feeds and the Wack radio shout box for chatting and teasing your friends!

Now you can follow events as they are reported at home or simply tune in and listen to the music feeds. The shout box community is a fun community - go ahead and say hello to this international community. Oh and by the way please note that the shout box is very addictive!

If there is a radio link that you would like me to add please leave a comment and I will make every effort to add the link to the list.

Finally, pass the word around and let your friends link to Trinizagada - "Your Home Away From Home"!

Reactions:

Mango!

I was revising a story I wrote recently about a childhood mango episode and was looking for a photo of  the very popular 'hog mango'. You can link to and read  the story here: Cutarse for hog mango. Now hog mango is a type of Rose mango but with a lot of spots (we like to refer to the spots as bobo). These were the type of mangoes that we fed to the pigs - they loved it when the mangoes were placed in water and allowed to 'spoil'. Well I came across the post below where I found a photo of a pretty Rose mango (or it could be one of those Haitian mangoes).
In any case any information about mango should be shared especially when the author quotes some of the varieties found in 'good ole' Trinidad and Tobago. I decided to share that post with you. It is from the webpage with the following URL: http://www.search.co.tt/trinidad/food/mango.html

Mango: "Mango

Genus Speices : Mangifera indica

The Mango is a favorite fruit in Trinidad and Tobago. Many, many years ago, it was brought from India, and now grows commonly all over countryside and in the backyards of town and city houses.

The Mango tree is a big evergreen tree. It makes comfortable shade for people and animals, and cozy sleeping places for birds.

It flowers around Christmas time, and the fruits begin to ripe at around Easter time in the dry season. The 'Mango Season' continues for many months later.

When mangoes are ripe, the juicy pulp becomes a bright yellow to orange in color. The juice is very sweet and delicious. Before they are ripe, they taste sour to slightly acid. At this stage. they can be made into mango chow, by adding salt and pepper to the peeled and sliced fruits.

The fruits are also curried and eaten with other foods, especially so at indian weddings. Otherwise, they can also be made into peppery appetisers that you know only too well.

There are many varieties. For example, Long mango, Rose, Hog, Calabash, Manzanilla Douxdoux, La Brea Gyul, Turpentine, Mangotine, Juile, Graham and a few others."
Article Source:  http://www.search.co.tt/trinidad/food/mango.html

Did you know that the succulent Julie mango really comes from Trinidad even though the world’s mango family was really born in India? At first blush, it sounds like the story of indentured labour, but in truth, when you think about the varieties of mango that have sprung up wherever there is warm, dry weather in the world, it is really the tale of globalization—everything is everywhere, just bearing the stamp of its immediate environment.

Although nearly half of the world’s mangos are cultivated in India, there are innumerable varieties from region to region. In the Caribbean alone several types can be found and everyone has their favourite (and their favourite way to eat them!). In Trinidad, the most popular ones are the Julie and the Starch, which now fetch high prices at the market.

But how many can recall names like Long mango, Rose, Hog, Calabash, Manzanilla Douxdoux, La Brea Gyul, Turpentine, Mangotine, Graham, Ten-pound, Bastapool, Belly-bef, Cedar, Cutlass, Peter, Vert, Zabrico; or traditional Tobago fare like Ice-cream, Mango Mossy and John Buck Mangoes in Moriah and Suppie Mango in Bon Accord, or Button Mangoes in Charlotteville?

Source article: Mango Festival

Here is a list of Mango names found in Trinidad. You can add to the list by leaving a comment with your additions.

• Long mango (two varieties one is 'stringy' and a little sour while the other is 'just right'
• Rose
• Hog 
• Calabash
• Manzanilla 
• Douxdoux
• La Brea Gyul 
• Turpentine
• Mangotine 
• Graham, 
• Ten-pound 
• Bastapool 
• Belly-bef
• Cedar 
• Cutlass 
• Peter
• Vert, 
• Zabrico
• Julie
• Sous Sous Malin
• Turpentine
• Manzanilla
• Starch
• Blackman
• Mango Mossy  &
• John Buck Mangoes in Moriah  
• Suppie Mango in Bon Accord 
• Button Mangoes in Charlotteville

Reactions:

Local Food Production

TrinidadExpress

Food security is paramount for any nation. If we continue to import our staples then we will always be as risk to the rise and fall of the World market prices as it relates to demand and supply. Not everyone is simply standing on the sideline and watching on as we simply reap the benefits of our natural resources simply to pay a hefty price for food staples imported from the rest of the World.

Indeed flour and rice are staples in Trinidad and Tobago but we can make a dent on the import bill if we really decide to put emphasis where is is most important. I was very disappointed when our government closed Caroni Limited. I was also very disappointed to learn that we have not been supporting the rice farmers to encourage them to produce more. I bet most of you don't know that we still produce rice in Trinidad. The farmers are having issues with the factory that mills the rice paddy to the deliver the rice as we know it. We need to help this industry to decrease our dependancy on imported rice. Yes we will still need to import rice but not in the quantities that we do today - every acre produced locally helps.

Flour is a staple - we love our dumplins, roti, bake, bread etc. Now why can't we create an industry that produces cassava flour for local consumption? The link to the article above from the Trinidad Express shows that some people have the right ideas but we need state assistance to make it work to the benefit of the nation. Instead of clogging Port of Spain with oil dollar high rises let us instead invest some of the money on food production. Hey and while you are at it what about local fish production? I love Tilapia and that can be produced in ponds to the benefit of the nation.

We need to learn to feed ourselves with local products and cut back on the imports. Indeed we will have to import some items but if we can produce something locally them shouldn't we make every effort to stand on our own? I hope the new government that will soon be installed (PNM or People's Partnership) will focus on food production and hopefully with this also create new markets and fields of employment that will benefit everyone. Until then we can only hope that our oil resources can sustain us until someone or something knows some agricultural sense in the heads of our politicians. 

Reactions:

CNN World Report takes a look at Trinidad's Carnival 2009

World Report takes you to the fun and festivities at Trinidad and Tobago's annual Carnival celebration.



Video from: http://www.viddler.com/
Mas Man (Festival Cut); Mas Man Redux (Director's Cut), Peter Minshall, Trinidad Carnival Artist

Reactions:

Welcome To World Indian Network Television World

Welcome To World Indian Network Television World

WinTV provides a link to the news, politics, business, entertainment, sports, health, life and spirituality concerns of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

The link above gives you access to Win radio 101.1 and Win TV. This service will fill a void for market news with Market to Market, Nightly News and also Crime Watch hosted by Ian Alleyne.

Reactions:

IRAWMA Results 2010

Queen Ifrica, Machel, Gramps among big winners at IRAWMA -Jamaica Entertainment: Fashion, Music & TV News - JamaicaObserver.com:
"The 29 annual International Reggae & World Music Awards (IRAWMA) which took place last Sunday, May 2 at the York College Performing Arts Centre in Queens, New York was another spectacular affair that attracted a near-capacity crowd and a galaxy of international reggae stars."

Follow the link provided above to get the results for the IRAWMA Reggae Awards recently held in New York City. Machel Montano, Soca Star extraordinaire won three three awards listed below.Machel was originally nominated in five categories.

"Soca star Machel Montano smiles after receiving  awards for:

• Entertainer of the Year, 
• Best Calyso/Soca Entertainer, 
• Most Outstanding Show Band.

Reactions:

Selling Soca

There has been so much talk about Soca music and how it will conquer the World. Yes we love Soca music but then again I am from the Caribbean and grew up listening to Calypso. The music has changed and has morphed into Soca thanks to the efforts of Garfield Blackman aka Lord Shorty and many others.

We must also come to terms with the fact that the rest of the World doesn't know about Soca music; and if you watch this video you will understand that most Americans don't have a clue what Soca music is... As a matter of fact they have never heard of it - amazing? Well, not really. I have lived in the United States for 20 years and apart from the West Indian communities the rest of the American public doesn't know or don't care about our music unless they are going on vacation to the islands or are on a cruise ship heading to the Caribbean sea!

There is so much to get upset about but I guess by now you understand how I feel about the subject. One of the problems as I see it, is that we are not selling the right type of Soca music to the rest of the World. Power Soca is for the Caribbean however, for the US and rest of the World the emphasis has to be on Groovy Soca. I just don't understand why they continue to push the 'Power Soca brand' outside of the Caribbean region - it has not worked and will not work! That form of Soca, full of energy, will only be appreciated in the Caribbean region or by people of Caribbean origin living overseas. The rest of the World is not ready for that brand! Give them the smooth style of the Groovy side of Soca - that is a recipe for success.

The problem is that much of the music caters to the Carnival season and as we all know, that music is in fact seasonal music. A lot of energy is harnessed to capture the flavor and energy of the Carnival season. We need more music like "Smile" sung by Ataklan and Terri Lyons for the foreign markets - then lots of promotion to create an awareness of how good the music is and can be...

Until we recognize this fact we will continue to "spin top in mud". Now let's take a look at the trailer for this documentary.

Part 1

This groundbreaking documentary on the music of Trinidad and Tobago examines how the artists of this small twin Island nation plan to conquer the international market and promote their music to the world. Distributed by Tubemogul.

Part 2

Groovy Soca - Smile by Ataklan and Teri Lyons

Reactions:

Streaming Radio and Television from Trinidad and Tobago

Catch your politics on radio or television with these links. On mornings you catch CTNTWORLD early morning chat "First Up". During the day you can listen to politics, total local culture from WACK radio, listen to the voice of Tobago, Chutney music is also available or simply rock back and listen to some jazz music. The links below provide it all. I must also  mention that on the radio page there is the WACK Radio Shout-Box  where you can interact with Trinidadians all over the World. Take advantage of the links and leave a comment indicating your likes and dislikes or improvements that you would like see. 

Trinidad Radio Link with ShoutBox:
http://santiwah.typepad.com/my_weblog/radio_stations/

Trinidad Television CTNTWORLD:
http://santiwah.typepad.com/my_weblog/television/

Reactions:

Juna Regrello Sets the Record Straight on the G-Pan Favorite

Junia Regrello Sets the Record Straight on the G-Pan - Trinidad and Tobago's latest steelpan Instrument Development.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/WhenSteelTalks/videos/90/

After years of work a new Steelpan is born. The G-pan includes a tenor pan which features 37 notes instead of 29 and three full octaves rather than the two and a half octaves of the tenor.

There is also a pan which will replace all of the pans now needed in the midrange line up. The G-pan consists of three drums with 36 notes each.

With this development the bass will eliminate the need for four, six, nine and twelve bass pans in an orchestra.

The G-pan was developed by a team of engineers and musicians at the University of the West Indies' St. Augustine Campus. The G-pans are in the process of being patented.

Article source via the Trinidad Express Newspapers

Reactions:

IRAWMA Award Show

We should have the results for this show with special reference to Machel Montano who has been nominated in five categories as follows:

Bob Marley Award for Entertainer of the Year 
* Sean Paul
* Beenie Man
* Machel Montano
* Tarrus Riley
* Julian Marley

Most Outstanding Stage Personality 
* Elephant Man
* Beenie Man
* Machel Montano
* Macka Diamond
* Capleton

Songwriter of the Year 
* Gramps Morgan
* Machel Montano
* Queen Ifrika
* Vybz Kartel
* Busy Signal

Best Calypso/Soca Entertainer 
* Fay Ann Lyons
* Edwin Yearwood
* Skinny Fabolous
* Machel Montano
* Alison Hinds

Most Outstanding Show Band/Group 
* Machel Montano and HD
* L.U.S.T
* Morgan Heritage
* Inner Circle
* Third World

Calypso Music History: One Hand Don't Clap

Reactions:

Santiwah

I am inviting everyone visiting this blog to take a look at a blog that was neglected for some time but has been renewed and redesigned on the Typepad platform. Welcome back to Santiwah. Trinizagada came out of Santiwah and a lot of the articles there were moved to this blog with the intention of shutting down Santiwah. I have  had a change of heart and have decided to post to Santiwah once again. Here are some of the additions to the blog. 

Television:

So why should you visit Santiwah?  Ok well I have added CTNTWORLD so that you can watch the news in the morning and evening. A lot of the shows you will be familiar with from the American television market but you should be interested in the new especially in this election climate. 

Radio Station (Streaming Audio):

I have posted radio players for some of the stations streaming content on the Internet. My personal favorite is WACK Radio 901FM because they are total local. I am sure you will find something of interest to listen.

Shout Box:

I have included the WACK Radio Shoutbox because it already has a group of people chatting there. Just say hello and join the conversation. I could have placed a new generic box but I know most of the people chatting  in that box and they funny as hell.

Videos:

Yes videos from YouTube. We are talking about Calypso and Soca videos for your entertainment. If you see a video somewhere and think it should be posted on the site then just leave a comment and I will try and get it done. 

So go ahead and link to Santiwah. Yes some of the content will  be the same but a lot will be different. Now don't hesitate to leave a comment about anything that is of interest to you... I am very accommodating. All of these features can be accessed from the menu/navigation bar at the top of the webpage. 

Here is the URL link to Santiwah: http://santiwah.typepad.com/my_weblog/.

Sweet Hands: Island Cooking From Trinidad And Tobago (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)
The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago & the Caribbean

Reactions:

Politics not for Trinizagada

I have decided to leave all political chatter of Trinidad and Tobago's general elections out of this blog. Santimanitay will provide some commentary on the madness taking place in Trinidad and Tobago. 

Here is the URL: http://santimanitay.blogspot.com/
Calypsos From Trinidad: Politics, Intrigue and Violence in the 1930's

Reactions:

Trinidad and Tobago Drinks

Busta
Cannings (brand of soft drinks owned by Coca-Cola, available in many fruit flavors)
Chubby
Cole Cold (line of soft drinks available in many flavors from the S.M. Jaleel Company)
Cydrax
Fruta
Mauby Fizz (cola produced from mauby bark)
PearDrax
Solo Apple J
Sorell Fizz
Viva
Mauby
Ginger beer
Sorrell
Pashion fruit juice

I think that this is a good start and it is your responsibility to fulfill the promise (talk about dramatics here) to add to this list of Trini drinks... Your mission is to recall, go back in time and fill int the blanks and extend this list. Indeed let us say, "damn, how did I forget/miss that one".  If you add to the list then and only then can you say that you are Trini2DBone...

Reactions: