Travellin' Time

Travellin' Time is a segment of Take Yuh Time, An' Do Fast! that deals with issues and stories people face when taking public transport in Trinidad and Tobago.




SITUATION: LIKE SARDINE IN A PAN


A PTSC bus is loading up one evening during peek hours at the Arima bus stand. The bus is filled and the driver starts taking more passengers, standing room only. Many passengers walk in and gather at the front of the bus. The driver urges them to walk down further into the bus but few of them move.


"Oh gosh, if it was alyuh standing up out dey alyuh would'a want ah squeeze to go home, move down nah man," a male passenger standing in the bus shouts.


The passengers move down a bit more allowing more people to come in, until finally another standing passenger shouts, "look, drive, drive, it cyah hol nobody else in here yuh know?"


"What yuh mean it have no more room?" the first passenger asks, "look at how much space it have inside the back ah the bus."


"Well, you go down in the back, dey nah!" the second passenger tells him.


"People doh like to go quite down in the back," an elderly lady adds, "when yuh press the bell the driver doesn't always want to open the back door and next thing yuh taking too long to come out through all them people and he drive off, I ain' able wid that!"


Other passengers nod and say that has happened many times when the bus marshal is not present.


"And is because it have so much people in the bus and the driver does cyah see the back good that that does happen," the second passenger continues, "yuh cyah be fulling up the bus ram cram so!"


"If it was you outside I sure you would'a want the driver to make a lil' space for you! You know how long a next bus does take to come?" the first passenger persists.


"Me? Stand up outside what bus? I would'a just go and take a car."


"Well, I wish you would'a stay outside and take yuh car, and give yuh space to somebody who cyah afford to take a car, yes," the first passenger says.


The two passengers are joined by others and they continue to go back and forth up the road, until finally they stop and the bus gets quiet again.


Well, fellow Trinbagonians? What do you think? Should the driver try to take as many people as possible given the length of time the next bus will roll in or should he take into consideration the comfort and even the safety of the people already in the bus?

Leh meh hear yuh nah?!

Trinbagonian Baby

Real Issues, Real Trinidad and Tobago, In Real-time.

Drugged Up and Down

8th February 2012


Situation: The former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago goes for his regular heart and overall check-up to Cuba where his doctors reside and returns with a clean bill of health. Mere days after he surfers a stroke and is admitted to hospital. How can this be? His family decides to do their own investigation and soon his sister Dr. Petronella Manning-Alleyne discovers that the value of the dosage in the drug he was taking to prevent the said stroke is low compared to other countries where the health standard is higher and that the T&T government seems to be sourcing cheap drugs from countries with low health standards. Minister of Health Fuad Khan rebuts by saying that Dr. Manning-Alleyne is wrong to make such a blanket statement without prior thorough research of all the drugs used in the T&T market.



Okay, first let me say this. I read both articles. I also read the comments attached to each and it seems only PPP's supporters read the Guardian. Whoy! Anyway, I must, must, MUST state that not once did Mrs. Petronella-Alleyne say that ALL of T&T's drugs were substandard as the minister and others are making it out to be. If she did I do agree with Dr. Fuad Khan that she would have been clearly out-of-line. However, hers was a clear case of if one can be so, so can the others, especially if they all come from the same place, check the others to make sure.


Whether or not the former PNM government got drugs from the same suppliers, I don't know, and frankly given the drastic change of suppliers since the PPP's take over, I highly doubt that they still have the same suppliers for public medication. So for some who make the claim that this is a reflection of the shortcomings of Mr. Manning's former administration and why it is that she didn't say something then, until we get proof that the PNM were also procuring drugs from the same people, hold it down.


Maybe she didn't know about the drugs, maybe she did, (frankly I think she did, steups, the man on the street know that) but it doesn't matter. What matters is that if any drug is found to be below the standard, that is being distributed within the public health system, even one, and I believe she confirmed that the particular dose that Mr. Manning was taking was low compared to what it was supposed to be, it should be investigated, even if it is just to prove that the other drugs are fine.


Why is the Health Minister taking the defensive? That is my question. If it is that you think Dr. Manning-Alleyne is wrong then PROVE IT! Show that the drugs being provided to the public by your ministry is anything but sub-standard and that the public is safe in depending on it. Bring your facts and tell the doctor-lady to move from here with she ONE out-a-timing dose!


The very fact that he is acting so defensive says something. I don't know what but if some of the comments on the Express article is true then his response would make all the sense in the world. According to my favourite commenter watch_womantt55, 'what is more important to you the lives of citizens or your clan?' I'm not hinting to know what 'clan' she's talking about but she made good sense. It is common knowledge that drugs from the public system are not always good. That is why people go for private prescriptions all the time. It's not a secret. Most of the people I know who take CDAP only take it when they are absolutely scruntin' and can't afford 'proper' drugs because it is known that these government subsidised drugs don't always work and many times leave people with unwanted side affects.


I applaud Mr. Manning for being brave enough to trust his health to the drugs in the public health system especially with such a serious illness as heart problems and ESPECIALLY when he is one of the few that can afford not to depend on the subsidised drugs. He really is a true lover of his country's systems to support it in all aspects.


I've put links to both articles below for your perusal and as usual feel free to hit 'Take Yuh Time, An Do' Fast!' on facebook or comment below.


Is Mr. Khan right in his stance on the issue or should we dare him to show us the medication in his home cabinet and see if he depends on ministry supplied drugs and start a long awaited investigation into the matter?
And is Dr. Manning-Alleyne right in bringing the issue to light or should she stop up her hypocritical pipe and answer as to why she's only waiting until now when the issue hits home to say something?

Leh meh hear yuh nah?!

Trinbagonian Baby

Dealing with real, everyday issues in Trinidad and Tobago today.

Links:

Manning’s sister questions quality of heart drugs

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2012-02-06/manning%E2%80%99s-sister-questions-quality-heart-drugs

Don't question quality of drugs without proper probe

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Don_t_question_quality_of_drugs_without_proper_probe-138903874.html

Travellin' Time

Travellin' Time is a segment of Take Yuh Time, An' Do Fast! that deals with issues and stories people face when taking public transport in Trinidad and Tobago.


So, due to certain copyright issues I've changed the name of the 'Taxi Talk' segment to 'Travellin' Time'. Fits better anyway for the Trinbago vernacular.


SITUATION: WHO REALLY NEED THE SLAP?

A woman jumps into a taxi with a man to the back and a lady to the front. The car is evidently waiting to pick up a last passenger when an old frail man crosses the road and begins to advance towards the car to enter. As the man slowly reaches for the door the driver says to him.
"Nah, pappy, I ain' going up."
"What?" the old man asks through the window.
"I say I ain' taking you!" the driver repeats.
"Look, f**k you, yes!" the old man says to him and limps off to another car. As the old man walks to the next taxi, he is turned down by each of them in turn until finally he gets into one.
The male passenger to the back of the first car finally asks the driver.
"Buh, wha' goin on drive? How alyuh treatin' daddy so?"
"Nah," the driver answers, "if it only had man in the car I woulda take a chance but he like to feel up woman and thing."
(Say what?)
"That old man?" the woman to the front asks.
"Yeah, he sit down in the back dey ah time, pinching up a school girl breast and she start to cry easy, easy. I ain' even know until the girl stop out. And I wondering why she come out before she school entrance. Is one ah the passengers in the back make him out. I say not me picking up he again."
As the conversation continues, the passengers get to realise that on the taxi stand he is a known molester of women in taxis and it has happened more than once with several drivers.
The two ladies and the driver seem to agree but the man to the back thinks they are being a bit harsh.
"Look how old the man is. He could barely walk good, I fine alyuh shouldn't leave him standing up on the stand so long," the male passenger adds.
"I doh care who vex," the driver says, "I ain' hitting him, I ain' hurting him but I not encouraging them thing in my car."
"The driver trying to look out for the young ladies an them, sir," the older lady says to the man at the back, "if it was your daughter travellin' with a man like that, yuh would want somebody to seek her interest for you!"



Well, fellow Trinbagonians? What do you think? Are the drivers right in what they are doing or do they need to show a little more compassion to a frail, albeit fresh, old man?

Leh meh hear yuh nah?!

Trinbagonian Baby

Real Issues, Real Trinidad and Tobago, In Real-time.

New Year, New Bacchanal!

Having considered all the time I didn't post anything despite the many chances to wreck havoc and feast on the tender morsels that is the general Trinbagonian scene, I resolved to write more this year and amuse you all with my anecdotes. Not just amusement of course, serious issues demand serious thought and I might just touch on a few items last year that I didn't get the chance to comment on.

Then again, why bother about water under the bridge...sigh.

This year I've also decided to introduce two segments instead bunching everything into one.

Taxi Talk will debut this Tuesday and every Tuesday after or as often as I feel
(heh, heh..)

And the segment Random Chupidness will debut on Friday and every Friday after that or as often as I wish too as well.

Given the fact that my posts tend to be about oh, so, serious topics, I think adding a few lively pieces will  keep the stress away!

Tomorow:  ,...........................................

Prevention If You Can Cure!

17^th August 2011

Situation: The Prime Minister has contracted the dengue fever. Officials tell us it is not a serious strain but the public gives a strange response. If it's not SO serious then why make a big deal about it? Is it just then a ploy by the government to soften the public's view against them? If our 'beloved' PM has it, anybody can be a victim and therefore maybe it isn't right to blame the Health Authority on their handling of the situation? Or maybe it's just time for them to literally 'clean up their act'.

1800 cases of dengue so far for the year? Less than last year they say. It does’t feel that way to us and especially since the statistics are not up to date it probably is more than 1800. That brings to mind something though. All this bush around the place which is obviously harvesting hordes of mosquitoes, last year around this time it was not so bushy.
And if you catch what I’m getting at you probably are a CEPEP maintenance worker who had a job last year and have none this year since the current ‘administration’ felt that you were expendable and cut the program.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I Agree that the CEPEP program should have been cut. It was never meant to be a permanent source of employment. It was a training program providing work for citizens while training them in a chosen vocation. People just get hook on it and wanted to make it their ‘permanent’ job which is why you voted in the current government who stupidly promised you that they would keep the program running even though they knew they wouldn't.


However, my point is, why isn’t there a general countrywide clean-up program anyway? And I’m not talking about the annual thing TIDCO (Tourism and Industrial Development Company) does do on the beach. I’m talking about an everyday all year all the time cleaning service for the country like what the city corporation does for Port-of-Spain. The current CEPEP program was not supposed to be permanent but that doesn’t mean that we can’t put something like that in place.

It's a great idea. Why? Because you can clean your yard all you want, empty stagnant water, clean out all the brick holes, and spray till you nearly dead with cough but if it have a lot of land next door that does never get clean it will always have mosquitoes! You think that they wouldn’t find you in the night when you sound asleep and underneath your net too?
Health officials cannot always blame peoples living conditions for them contracting dengue. There are a lot of empty lots all over the country that are unattended, from savannahs to football fields to vacated, old houses on properties. Who are responsible for cleaning these places that inevitably contribute to the spreading of dengue as well?


So, Mr. Fuad Khan are you going to tell Madame Prime Minister that she needs to be more vigilant about keeping her surrounding clean to prevent mosquitoes breeding like you did the poor parents whose children contracted the disease and some of them who even died? Or is the government going to do the right thing and accept some responsibility for the epidemic and be aggressive with their clean-up campaign.


I remember long time, every so often meaning twice or three times a year, the 'mosquito people' (that's what I called them) used to come around and spray the area in the villages, put the powder thing in your water tank outside to kill any mosquitoes who found their way in there and so forth. Nobody asked them to come, but they came, just like Courts to repossess your furniture, they showed up one day and did their thing.
Obviously it was some programme in the government at the time to maybe prevent water borne diseases and mosquitoes, something! Why don't they do that any more? I don't remember the last time I saw someone come around from the health authority or whichever branch of the government to do those things. Maybe the practices are no longer condoned by international health standards but something else needs to be put into place!


The government needs to get out there. Work with the councillors in the towns and villages, especially the areas that have the highest cases of dengue to find vacant lots that need to be cleaned and get a campaign together and start working on eradicating the dengue virus through prevention more than treatment cause we doctors need help, I sorry! Don't wait on citizens to call. We want to build a thousand and one building to reach a first world status but we can't beat dengue?


Take the matter into your own hands as the government and move pro-actively. That will save face in the eyes of the nation A LOT BETTER than crying how the PM sick. Sick? Go clean your yard Prime Minister, is your fault you got dengue. That's the advice we got from the Health Authority and we are giving it to you.


So, my question today, apart from all that is, do you think that the ending of the CEPEP program has now caused us more trouble as we are ultimately reaping the rewards of higher dengue cases due to lack of a clean environment?

Leh meh hear yuh nah?!

Trinbagonian Baby

Dealing with real, everyday issues in Trinidad and Tobago today.

'That's Insulting!"

15^th August 2011

Situation: The Trade Unions want more. The government 'promises' 5% increase then pulls it back. The Unions threaten to shut down the country or else. Then the government airs a commercial with a scenario of a child asking for a raise in allowance from $5 to $50, but the mother calmly explains all the reasons they can't afford it. The child insists they want it anyway and threatens to stop doing any chores if the parent doesn't comply. The ad ends asking if the a shut down of the country is really necessary.

I'm sorry but I just find it so appropriate to quote from the former political leader of the UNC Basdeo Panday, because it is so blatantly ‘insulting!’ in soooo many ways. If you haven’t seen the ad, then tune into TV6 or any channel during the news hour 7-8pm and you are bound to see it at least once. I don’t know what the government was aiming at with the ad (frankly I think the person who suggested it is a spy trying to sabotage them, they need to check that!). Well, I know what  they wanted and hoped would be the response, a thoughtful deflation by public servants, maybe? Which would lead to no striking, perhaps? Here’s what has come about from the ad instead, from my observation that is.

First of all, people have either one, understood it or two, not understood it at all. I can’t count how many times I’ve had people comment about the ‘new commercial on tv with the rude lil’ child and what that all about.’

Once they understand of course, is another story, and none of them are in favour of the government.

The very comparison of a parent and child arguing over a greater allowance is viewed as insulting.

“So, the government is we mother and we getting on bad for more money,” one woman put it, “so we, the people who is the backbone ah dis nation is just lil’ children then?”

Which brings us to another point. How can a child shut down a house? It’s ridiculous, right? I’m sure every parent who saw that chuckled inwardly as they’ve probably been through that before and well know the outcome. But what then is the government trying to tell public servants? Is that the light they see their citizens in? As spoiled, mischievous children demanding more or else, even though they really can’t do anything  about it once the parents say, ‘no!’ Which also says that if citizens try to shut down the country, the government will take steps to ‘discipline’ them, like a parent scolding a child?

“They need to remember is we put them in government,” an older man reiterated, and I concur!

Frankly, I take a stance about the ad that few have. Do you know how much a full length commercial like that costs? Anything between $30,000 to $50,000 depending on the advertising agency you go with and THEN depending on the media house you advertise with it costs anywhere between $20,000 to $30,000 dollars, for each time you air the advertisement! !! This is the same government that has no money to pay public servants properly but has money to spend to tell public servants why they can’t pay them properly! I don’t know who told them that this would work, but all it has done is incense citizens even more.

NO BODY is going to believe that you have no money! Even IF it is true. Not when the police commissioner is being paid his weight in gold. (Many people don’t understand why this is but I believe it has to do with stupid taxes you are charged for being a foreigner working in another country which the government was trying to compensate for but that is why you don’t hire foreigners’ cause you have to pay them too much!)

Nobody is going to believe you when there are people giving contracts to their families left, right and center and talks of bribes even in the governments own backyard!

Not when soca artists can jump an wave on a stage and get TWO million dollars….for THAT! I love soca but that was ridiculous. If a promoter wanted to do that, fine! They can do what they want with the money they make. But for a government that has a country and a healthy economy to maintain and tax-payers dollars to invest properly that was not responsible!

Nobody is going to believe that the country has no money when a government makes such moves and STILL our health system is in tatters, and our policemen taking bribs because they don’t get paid properly so they are turning a blind eye to crime and there are still places where there are no infrastructure so people have no proper roads or running water and I could go on an on!

No-body-believes-you. Even IF, it is true. The facts are against you Peoples Partnership and you can’t fool all the people, all the time, so try again.

So, what do you, the people think? Does the government have the money or can they make it if they just commit to honestly switching around their budget to pump more money into what really matters?

Leh meh hear yuh nah?!

Trinbagonian Baby

Dealing with real, everyday issues in Trinidad and Tobago today.

Ready or Not, Here Dengue Comes!

10^th Aug. 2011

Situation: Dengue Haemorrhagic fever is rampant again and the latest victim is an eight year old girl. The child's parents believe the hospital did not do everything they could to treat her as they sent her home 3 o' clock in the morning despite her condition and she died hours after when she became unconscious and they raced her back to the hospital.

Dengue. Yes, like flooding, corruption in the government and high food prices, we have to deal with it every year and it's always the same stupidness. Like we can’t figure it out yet. On Wednesday (10^th), in the Newsday newspaper I believe, was a picture of little Asia Archibald (correct me if the name is spelt wrong) laid to rest after dying from dengue and then the same night we had to watch the Health Minister, Dr. Fuad Khan, say on the news that all procedures were followed and the doctors were right in sending her home.

Now, is it just me or do the doctors in Trinidad and Tobago public health system seem to be not properly trained? I’m sure all procedures were followed Mr. Khan but was it the right thing to do? Aren’t doctors supposed to take care of people? Aren’t they supposed to look after the patients interest first? A doctor, especially our doctors who have to deal with dengue cases EVERY single year, are supposed to know a person’s state in all phases of the illness. What their blood pressure should be like, their heart rate, their response time, their reflexes, all the things about them that will give you an automatic red flag to know that they are in a serious state so you can make a critical decision to save someone’s life despite procedure. Clearly Asia was in the deep end and possibly in the last phase of the illness as she died only hours after.

You telling me no doctor there at the time could have seen that? Any doctor, despite procedure, who could have recognized the condition that that child was in would have known that she needed immediate treatment and needed to be constantly monitored and would have never sent her home. It don’t take test results for a GOOD, TRAINED doctor to recognize the symptoms of a possibly fatal yes, but still seemingly common illness, in Trinidad and Tobago any way, and treat it accordingly. Which leaves us to think that our doctors could not possibly be properly trained!

I’m sorry, Mr. Khan, but come better than that. They could have at least kept that child and monitored her as she obviously showed symptoms of dengue, or else why would they send to test for it, despite the fact that the official results didn’t come back yet.

So my question today, do you think our doctors are really trained and capable of handling the dengue illness as Mr. Khan assured us? And are the hospital procedures to be placed above taking every action possible to save a life?

Leh meh hear yuh nah?!

Trinbagonian Baby

Dealing with real, everyday issues in Trinidad and Tobago today.

Also see link below for story in the Trinidad Newsday.