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| Thursday, 01 July 2010 13:16 |
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From today, Friday 2 July, Thank God It's Friday is once more appearing in a Trinidadian newspaper, to wit, the Guardian. The first TGIF I wanted to appear there, in hard copy, was written for this website about a month ago, but it is one that, I think, resonated across the board - A House for Ms Bissessar - and, as I write that, I wonder how much of the resonance came from the title itself, which, of course, was written more by VS than BC. In any event, rather than have a lag between website and paper, I'm using this column, written ten years ago, as a spacer. An Ounce of Bas THERE USED to be a character hanging around Port of Spain who went by the names of Ounce (pronounced "Ounks") or Ounces (Ounkses). As a child I was told God had always existed and, if that is indeed so, there is a good chance Ounces was God. He was always around. The very first morning I entered the gate of St Mary's College after doing the 11-Plus, he was liming on Frederick Street in a red vest and dirty jeans and, on the last day I left St Mary's five years later, after being deemed to have done O'levels, he was still there, looking the same age he had the first day I saw him -- perhaps 19, or 23, or 25 -- and wearing what seemed to be the same clothes.He certainly had the same hairstyle. He wore his lank, brown hair long, parted in the centre of his high forehead and hanging limply to his shoulders. He had a small moustache running along his upper lip and a wispy growth on his chin by way of beard. He was of a wiry build, sinewy, not skinny. If I close my eyes now, I can see him leaning against the wall of Johnny's parlour, smoking cigarettes, and sneering down his nose at younger people foolish enough to squander their youth and best drug days on education. He was, to the undiscerning adolescent who could not tell the difference between living dangerously and living stupidly, probably an attractive figure. Certainly he was more attractive than Latin but, then again, so was heart failure. He might have led some boys astray but only into petty crime -- although I am told he allegedly once rose as high up the statute books as arson. I hear he is in jail somewhere now and that is credible, even if it may not be actually true. He moved from one sort of trouble to another. He could get into fights just for the way he looked and he often did. I have seen him in several fights over the years and have never seen him beaten. I never fought him -- the only thing I've ever fought is growing up -- because I could not discern a way of beating him. There are two types of winning fighters. One of them is the Mike Tyson, knock-them-out(c)-with-one-blow type. The other type is Ounces. I'd rather take on Tyson. At least it would be over quickly. I remember one fight Ounces had in a Trinidad Yacht Club Carnival fete. A guy three times his size hit Ounces in the face. Ounces fell flat on his back. The guy turned to walk away. Ounces jumped up and cuffed him in the back of his head. The guy floored Ounces with a right-left combination and a heavy body punch. Ounces hit the deck. The guy turned away. Ounces jumped up and kicked him in his back. The guy turned back, and stared at Ounces in disbelief for a second before laying into him like he was kneading dough. Ounces took a solid beating before he hit the ground this last time. One eye was bleeding, the other swollen, his lips were smashed and his entire face was bruised before he slumped to the ground in an untidy, bleeding heap. The guy turned to walk away. Ounces sprang to his feet, picked up a beer bottle and knocked the guy out cold with a solid blow to the back of the head. That was how he won fights -- you couldn't beat him because he simply would not go down, no matter how much licks he got. Basdeo Panday reminds me a lot of Ounces. Three weeks ago he was the leader of a party of nuisance value only. Today he is the Leader of the Opposition. A month ago, the NAR was certain they would collect the votes the Un-tied National Comedians could not secure. Who, beyond the most primitive racist, would have voted for the shambles Panday and the UNC represented then? It was not possible to win. But Panday refused to go down. Did you see the size of the crowd in Aranguez on the Saturday before the election? It made Woodford Square on the same Saturday in 1986 look like a Sunday School class. How did he do it? This is the real mystery of the 1991 election. Everyone (other than the NAR) knew the PNM would win but who could have called the UNC performance? There was a media tendency to sideline what was happening in and around the Sugar Belt. Some even lumped the UNC and NJAC together as also rans. Panday, by sheer personal will, transformed the election. Sure, he owes a lot to the racial polarization of an election. But so much of it was willpower. What would he be like if all four cylinders of his heart and all his synapses were firing? And now I find myself thinking: have I ever seen Panday and Ounces in the same room at the same time? Or does Bas go out and Ounce come in? Did Ounces really go to jail, or did he go to law school? Haven't they both been around ever since? Aren't they about the same height? Ounces might be Bas. Seriously, though, I am now out of space without having considered the only truly scary statement of the entire election campaign. Former Prime Minister Robinson (Abu Bakr must be grinning in his cell), after making his gracious concession speech, was asked by a journalist if the NAR loss in Trinidad meant Tobago would secede. His reply was only this: "I am not a prophet." Also, I have no space to offer commiserations to the losers and congratulations to the winners by name. There is only enough room to tell Mr Manning: watch your step; don't let it be one step forward, two steps back, to the old PNM sidestep we know and hate.
BC Pires is a watchman at a pedestrian crossing
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  written by Dr L Neville Roachlord, July 02, 2010
I've recently read my dear friend PC Pires is retunning to write for the Trinidad Guardian a column 'Trini to d bone'. It will be interesting reading his acerbic, but controversial comments. Hastening to convey with all depth of sincerity success. Not that he needs it, but is pleasant and civilised to offer kindness at all times to those whom we care for and consider.
 written by Pat, July 09, 2010 BC, Glad you will be back here on TGIF. Not that I missed you as I get the Barbadian version but lots more people will get some relief from all that is overwhelming. How we allowed this multitude of crap to build up is unbelievable. Don't know if we could ever clean up the stables. That needs a government by itself - crappy housing on shifting lands, smart card building up debit unknown, public buildings collapsing (Sando court house roof lost a chunk yesterday plus of course the President's house fiasco), licensing offices in condemned state and the whole system in chaos, NAPA bad floor causing man to fall far, people in Santa Cruz still only getting water twice a week, unknown and new mega contracts signed in last few months, guns and gangs and killings unabated....too many outdated legislation....it is like a horror movie. Yes, we definitely need a second parallel government to clean up the mess so at least the new one will have a fighting chance at doing something right. Look forward to chuckles and tears as Gibran warns us of the different sides to events... Cheers Pat
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