Monday, June 27, 2011

TRUTH, LIES AND THE INTERNET (part 2)



In my last post (below) I exhibited an e mail that had been circulating that I said if true was absolutely awful! I have now received absolute confirmation that the story is indeed true! Serious questions now arise: Firstly, why did the mainstream media not publicise the story? no doubt there may be any number of reasons, any one of which I would be prepared to accept if it made sense, but frankly, the only reason that I can think of that makes sense is that the mainstream media are not prepared to go up against the rich and powerful. So, if this is correct, the newspapers and the radio stations (forget about the television stations) will not publicise a story that is obviously as newsworthy as it is important.

The next question that comes up is what exactly is Movie Towne going to do when it "revises" its security procedures? Clearly, there was a dreadful failure of security. But why? Was the security guard fired? Did the closed circuit television cameras work? If so, what have the tapes revealed? If they weren't working, then why weren't they working? What can the owners of Movie Towne do to ensure the safety of all of their customers? What are they doing now? Is it too much to ask for a "zero tolerance" attitude towards any kind of misbehaviour in places like Movie Towne which are privately owned but where the general public gather in large numbers?

Another question that we should be asking ourselves as a society is given that we are so apparently reluctant to criticise private enterprise for failing dreadfully to protect the citizenry from crime when citizens visit the premises of private enterprise is it fair to criticise the government for its failure to do anything about crime? In other words, if we are prepared to accept the failure of Movie Towne for its obvious lapse in security and are not prepared to demand of that private enterprise that it do something then is it fair to criticise the government for its obvious failure? I ask this question quite seriously, for it has to be a lot easier to make Move Towne a crime free zone than it would be to make the whole country crime free. And the biggest deterent to crime is the fear of getting caught. The criminals have obviously "sussed out" the security (or lack of it) in Movie Towne and have realised that they simply ain't gonna get caught!! So, they go where there are "rich pickings". Bad news for the rest of us! But are we prepared as a society to demand that private enterprises also "step up to the plate"?

Since this story went "viral" on the internet I have heard other horror stories coming out of Movie Towne that are almost as dreadful as this one. But the mainstream media are completely silent ... and for their silence I criticise and condemn them roundly and put the label "hypocrite" on them. I challenge them to show that they are not hypocrites by making this story as important as it ought to be.

One thing is certain: the internet is now such a powerful tool that we need no longer be beholden to the media and press barons as we were in the past for information. The truth can and will come out ... even when those "at the top" don't want it to. We are living at the dawn of a new age. Thank goodness for the internet and those persons brave enough and smart enough to use it. If the mainstream media wants to survive ... at least in T&T ... it will have to come to terms with this new reality and understand that its credibility (which is already in trouble) will go the way of the dodo bird if it continues to try and suppress important truths.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

TRUTH, LIES AND THE POWER OF THE INTERNET





I have received the e mail below from a variety of sources. The story (if true) is absolutely dreadful. The problem is that I am not certain that it is true. There are a few points that I would like to bring to your attention:

1) In every e mail that I have received, the name of the sender does not exist. Why? If this is a true story and it had happened to you, wouldn’t you put your name to the e mail? I would!
2) This story has not been reported in the mainstream media? Why? If it is true this is a very serious and important story? But I can’t find it anywhere? I can’t believe that the mainstream media would conspire to keep a story like this out of the news!
3) I happen to have a friend who was at Movie Towne that night and who had gone to pick up his children who had gone to see X Men and came out at 11:55pm. He was in the area and saw nothing. Admittedly, this does not prove that it didn’t happen, but it is curious that neither he nor his family saw nothing, or you don’t think so?
4) The account of the incident has a “ring” to it that creates a lot of questions. For example, how was the sister able to shout into her cell phone “they killing him” and apparently suffer no consequences? If a robber saw/heard somebody using his/her cell phone while in the middle of an attack, wouldn’t he turn on that person … especially if the person was a woman? Why would the brother-in-law put his window down?


There are other questions which lead an impartial observer to wonder about the veracity of the story. But I do readily admit that the account might be true. I also readily admit that logical answers could exist for what is clearly a poorly written account. But I am not criticising here the lack of articulation in the narrative. The problem is that there is also a distinct possibility that it may not be true. We are not well served by false information being disseminated on the Internet. On the other hand, we should all take note, because none of us can afford to take the chance and ignore this warning, especially as it could just as easily be true. You might say that it is better to err on the side of caution than complacency. I certainly will be taking extra care even though I personally have some serious doubts that the story is true. But just as 'all that glisters is not gold', all that appears on the Internet is not necessarily true!



Dear Friends and Family,
This is what unfolded at Movie Towne P.O.S. on Saturday 18th June 2011 @ 11.55pm. My bother-in-law and sister were almost brutally MURDERED on the western side of Movie Towne car park. As the evening unfolded, I had a dinner party to attend however my son called me up and asked me to join him, my sister and my brother-in-law at Movie Towne POS to view the movie "X-men" at 9.15pm. Without hesitation I did. Excellent movie by the way.

The movie ended at 11.40pm and we all walked out towards the car park. We first walked my son to his vehicle to make sure he was safe. Then I turned to my sister and said "let me drop you to your vehicle." We were busy talking and without realising it I existed Movie Towne. My brother-in-law then said to me "don't worry we would walk back inside, the car is just over there opposite Excellent Stores on the western side," (a stone throw away from the security booth). I pulled to the side and they exited my vehicle and proceeded to theirs. I then called my sister on her cell phone while they were en route to their vehicle as I was feeling very uneasy for some reason. We chatted as they walked and as they got into their car she said "ok, we're in the car, everything is cool". I said ok, hanged up and proceeded towards the traffic lights.

In that fraction of a second as we both got off the phone and she turned towards her husband, she saw a very thin, young negro chap pointing a 38 calibre long nose at her husband's head. The criminal shouted "open your f****ing door or ah go shoot all yuh!" On her side of the vehicle were two more negro men trying to open her door and diagonally behind was a White B-13 with a driver. My brother-in-law at that instance put his glass down only to receive a gashing blow with the gun to his forehead. The bandit then pushed the gun into his chest and he (my bother-in-law) grabbed it placing one of his finger behind the trigger and holding the barrel securely. With death facing both of them in the face, the bandit continued to hit him continuously with a metal object bursting his head open in several places. While this ordeal was taking place, my sister some how managed to call me on the cell screaming hysterically "they killing him, they killing him... help...help!" I immediately spinned my vehicle around and drove straight over the median towards Movie Towne exit. As I approached the guard booth I saw my bother-in-law's vehicle approaching and as he came to a stop there was blood everywhere. Blood was gushing out of his head and my sister was still screaming hysterically and shaking. He was then hastily taken to West Shore Medical.

The security at Movie Towne was of NO HELP. One security guard said to me "these things does happen sir!" Another security guard when I asked if they were not going to ward off the area said "them fellas gone already, sir!" CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? Then when I asked about the surveillance tape(s), they said "I not sure that working nah" I could not believe my ears. Is this the kind of security that Mr. Derek Chin provides at Movie Towne, P.O.S? The safety of people that puts dollars in this man's coffers apparently seem to be insignificant to warrant proper security facilities to protect their well-being. The restaurants and shops that are so well patronized means absolutely nothing. Should the new branding be "Come To Movie Towne, P.O.S. At Your Risk !"

Is this the kind of place we're going to let our children and wives go too ? Are we going to wait until one of our family members are brutally raped and murdered to do anything about this situation ? Do you want to be brutally beaten like my brother-in-law was ? Please ask yourself these questions before venturing there !

It is obvious that the current security are either involved or not equipped or trained to ensure the safety of its patrons. Chin needs to do something NOW about this, IT IS RIDICULOUS !!! MY SISTER AND BROTHER-IN-LAW WAS ALMOST MURDERED . The police indicated to me that this is a regular thing that happens there and they try to keep it on the down low.

Then check this out, the very same night about one and a half hours later in the said car park when security should be on high alert due to what just previously happened, a young man is abducted at gun point, brutally beaten, tied up and thrown out of his vehicle in the Chaguaramas beach area for dead. His car that was stolen was taken to Cocorite, to be stripped and sold I was told.

I've been informed that a group comprising of nine young men that target the Movie Towne P.O.S. is supported by a well organised "King Pin". ALL YUH HEAR WHAT I SAYING, YOU MEAN CHIN COULD NOT GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS ! WHO NEXT ? WHO NEXT ? CHIN THIS IS YOUR "BREAD AND BUTTER", DO SOMETHING NOW !!!!!

I simply ask my family and friends to forward this e-mail to everyone they know so that this never happens to them at Movie Towne, P.O.S.

Monday, June 6, 2011

THE HANGING OF JACK WARNER




Just about everyone in the entire world is familiar with the terrible scandal that has engulfed FIFA, the controlling body of world football and the accusations against arguably the most powerful of FIFA's vice-presidents, Jack Warner. Very briefly, the facts that are in the public domain are as follows:
1) The United States and England were extremely upset when they lost their
respective bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals in favour of Russia and
Qattar.
2) The English were so upset that the head of the English football delegation some
months after the decision that Qattar was the successful applicant for the 2022
finals accused Jack Warner of asking for a bribe.
3) This accusation was made even more explosive as Lord Triesman (the English
football head) made these accusations before a House of Commons Committee
that was looking into why the English did not get the 2022 World Cup.
4) Mr. Warner was finally completely cleared of Treisman's allegations.
5) In the meantime, the election of a President for FIFA was coming up on June 1st.
6) Mr. Mohammed Bin Hammam, from Qattar, a vice president of FIFA, had thrown
his hat in the ring and was challenging the incumbent Sepp Blatter for the
Presidency.
7) Bin Hammam was prevented from attending a Concacaf meeting in Miami in
April because he was denied a visa by USA authorities.
8) In order that he could meet with Concacaf dlegates and make his pitch to them as
to why they should vote for him instead of Mr. Blatter he asked Mr. Warner to
organise a meeting with Concacaf delegates in Trinidad in early May. Mr. Warner
obliged.
9) After the meeting Mr. Warner was quoted in the press as saying that he would
not divulge whether or not he would support Mr. Blatter.
10) At that stage all hell broke loose. The General Secreatary of Concacaf, one Chuck
Blazer, reported to Mr. Blatter that Messrs. Warner and Bin Hammam had had a
meeting with Concacaf delegates in teh Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain and
had given each of the delegates an envelope containing US$40,000 in cash. The
delegates from Puerto Rico and the Bahamas backed Blazer's accusations. But,
interestingly no other delegates did. In fact, the delegate from Grenada has been
reported as saying that if this was true he was clearly being discriminated
against as he received nothing at all.
11) The FIFA Ethics Committee summoned Messrs. Bin Hammam and Warner to a
meeting on Sunday 29th May, some 3 days before the Presidential election, and
decided, without giving either Warner or Bin Hammam a chance to defend
themselves properly, that there was a prima facie case to answer. Accordingly,
both men were summarily suspended from all FIFA duties and positions until
there could be a full hearing ... which would be (very conveniently for Blatter)
after the election. Bin Hammam withdrew from the race and Blatter was elected
unopposed.
12) Then Lyle Austin, who became the acting President for Concacaf in place of the
suspended Jack Warner, fired Chuck Blazer for hiring a big time American law
firm without the approval of the executive committee of Concacaf.
13) Then it is announced that Blazer is not fired but that Austin is now
suspended for purporting to fire Blazer without proper authority.
14) But it is noticable that the committee purporting to suspend Austin is made
up of only 4 delegates!

I apologise for the rather lengthy list above, but it is important to keep all of the above in mind when listening to all of the sound and fury that is going on. Clearly there is a lot more behind the scenes and anything that anybody says right now (including yours truly) can end up being so much hot air. But having said that, I think that it is possible to come to the tentative conclusion that the old Jack Warner simply ain't gonna get a fair hearing from the Ethics Committee whose behaviour on Sunday 29th May showed quite clearly that they weren't at all bothered by fair play and ethics, but that the most inportant thing was to get Jack and Bin Hammam out of the way at all costs.

One of the things to notice, and one of the reasons that I say this is because I find it strange to say the least how Blazer could hire a law firm without apparent authority and be backed up by Blatter for so doing. But Mr. Austin is suspended for trying to put the American in his place! There is something that simply isn't right here. That there are many who would like to see Jack hanged (not literally, of course) but to all the right thinking members of that group I would say that by all means go ahead and hang him. But make sure you do so only after he gets a fair trial. And quite frankly, while I will readily concede that I could be wrong, the truth is that I genuinely believe that Blatter is out to "kill" Jack and will do so at the earliest possible opportunity ... and truth, justice and fair play be damned!!