A CERTAIN HIGH PROFILE individual almost gave a well known public servant a major heart attack recently.Word reaching Cou Cou is that the individual was hired as a consultant to do some work at a certain institution over a relatively short period of time.After the job was completed he sent in a bill for specific services, and it was so exorbitant that the public servant was forced to remark that a loan would have to be obtained from the International Monetary Fund to pay the bill.Some have queried why the individual was given the consultancy in the first place. He has a not-too-flattering history of charging dubious fees for services rendered, and some not even rendered.Many years ago he sent in a bill for over $200 000 for the use of his property to do certain activities when it was not necessary for his property to be used in the first place.Frequent flyerYEARS ago a trip to any Caribbean island meant that a former operative had to first make her way to Miami to shop.Now a certain operative’s attempt to mimic her flying habits might have cost him a pick in a certain office, although similar to the proverbial cat, he has landed on his feet.Word reaching Cou Cou is that irrespective of where the operative was sent, he somehow always ended up in England to look for his son.Send him to St Lucia, he would be spotted in London. Send him to St Vincent, he found a way to pass through Gatwick Airport. Hopefully he has learnt from his transfer and the rest will just be water under the bridge.In hot water againAN elderly couple want back their money from a certain legal eagle after he failed to do his best in completing a transaction for which they had entrusted their money to him.That undertaken was to have occurred a few years ago.But now if the elderly couple decide to follow through on certain threats the embarrassment could be spread even further than the legal eagle. That’s because he has moved up in status and has some new friends. His is a situation that has returned to haunt him.Cou Cou has certain documents that are quite damning and is waiting on specific instructions before blowing the lid on this one.Robin hoodlumQUITE a great deal can occur in a day as the close kin of a former politico has discovered.Seems that he procured a pick at a certain state institution because of his connections, and though he might not have received a new car or been assigned an executive maid, he was put in a position of some authority.Bad move.Apparently, the individual from Day 1, and on Day 2, has become the reincarnation of Robin Hood. But this hood has not been giving any of his loot to the poor.Difficult times ahead
The less-than-scrupulous activities of a certain political operative are being spilled by his estranged other half.Thus far, two agencies have been made aware of some of his deeds which have led to his enrichment at others’ expense.It might be in the interest of another group with whom he is associated, to distance themselves from him as soon as possible. But it might now be too late.Cou Cou will keep an eye on Coleridge Street to see if his actions eventually lead him to this location in a different capacity.
FLYING FISH & COU COU: Breaking the bank
SATURDAY’S CHILD: Day of the dinosaur
A dinosaur got stuck in Trinidad. Was it by choice? Did the dinosaur want to savour for as long as possible the experience of being reunited with friends and family? Even though she is only a skeleton, Dinosaur Sue made no bones about the fact that she was happy like pappy in Trinidad. Sue claims it is not her fault. According to a media report, DINOSAUR SUE, the largest Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur ever found, was stuck at the port of Port-of-Spain for the past two weeks. However, she has been cleared and a crew was expected to arrive from Chicago to begin assembling her for the grand show which will be held at the National Academy for Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port-of-Spain.I am sure Sue will find a kindred spirit at NAPA, which might not be designed for Chutney and that sort of thing but is able to accommodate dinosaurs. I won’t say that the minister of culture is a Tyrantosaurus Rex but she has been bearing the brontosaurus of the accusations.Sue seemed quite at home among the antiquated rules and procedures at the port. There at the seaside she must have found many Saltopuses and others who created problems without cause.According to the same media report, this will be the first time that a dinosaur exhibition has come to Trinidad. This is not surprising, given that bringing a dinosaur to Trinidad is like carrying coals to Newcastle, ganja to Jamaica, teaching Brian Lara how to bat, or introducing “choke-and-rob” to Georgetown.Trinidad and Tobago has its own political Jurassic Park here and even Sue will be hard-put to compare. First of all, it has its own Pandaysaurus.It is a combination of Tyrannosaurus and Corythosaurus. It growls like a lion, raves and rants at every opportunity, and when threatened reverts to its familiar, “That’s insulting! That’s insulting!”Then there is the Patrickosaurus which would like the “Rex” or King after its name. Some people prefer “wrecks” but that is because they have their own political agendas and probably have been looking at the Brian Lara Stadium.The Patrickosaurus is a cross between the Megalosaurus (maniacus) and the Torosaurus. Toro is Spanish for “bull”. There is the Panoplasurus, better known as Pan Trinbago, who keeps on making the same mistakes every Panorama.Also, the Sinosauropteryx or Ear-Nose-and Throat (ENT) specialists whose first recourse is expensive surgery. Then there are the Camarasauruses, politicians who gallery and pose instead of doing their jobs. There are some that are allowed to grow into huge beasts like Gigantosaurus Udecottosaurus and even the dreaded Jeremieraptor. There are those with tremendous appetites resembling Gorgosaurus, the 30-foot carnivore, that devour everything in their path – the famous Calderhartosaurus is an example.Still to be classified are the many Service Commissions, the presidency and the Commissioner of Police.Also defying classification is Jack Warner who continues to threaten legal action. Unfortunately, the name Sue has already been taken.
Google grabs personal info off of Wi-Fi networks
By MICHAEL LIEDTKEAP Technology WriterSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google Inc. has been vacuuming up fragments of people’s online activities broadcast over public Wi-Fi networks for the past four years, a breach of Web etiquette likely to raise more privacy worries about the Internet search leader.Even Google was troubled by its behavior, and issued a public apology Friday. The company said it only recently discovered the problem in response to an inquiry from German regulators.“Maintaining people’s trust is crucial to everything we do, and in this case we fell short,” Alan Eustace, Google’s top engineering executive, wrote in a blog post.Google characterized its collection of snippets from e-mails and Web surfing done on public Wi-Fi networks as a mistake, and said it has taken steps to avoid a recurrence. About 600 gigabytes of data was taken off of the Wi-Fi networks in more than 30 countries, including the U.S. Google plans to delete it all as soon as it gains clearance from government authorities.None of the information has appeared in Google’s search engine or other services, according to Eustace.Nevertheless, Google’s decision to hold on to the Wi-Fi data until it hears back from regulators shows the company realizes it could face legal repercussions. At the very least, company officials concede that snooping on Wi-Fi networks, however inadvertent, crossed an ethical line.“We are acutely aware that we failed badly here,” Eustace wrote.Google’s contrition may not be enough to allay growing concerns about whether the company can be trusted with the vast storehouse of personal information that it has gathered through its search engine, e-mail and other services.Fears that Google is morphing into a real-life version of “Big Brother” has spurred previous privacy complaints, as well as pleas for more stringent regulation of the company.Consumer Watchdog, a group that has become one of Google’s most outspoken critics, renewed its call for a regulatory crackdown Friday.“Once again, Google has demonstrated a lack of concern for privacy,” said Consumer Watchdog’s John Simpson. “Its computer engineers run amok, push the envelope and gather whatever data they can until their fingers are caught in the cookie jar.”The Wi-Fi data was sucked up while Google expanded a mapping feature called “Street View” that also has pressed privacy hot buttons. Street View provides photographs of neighborhoods taken by Google cameras that have sometimes captured people doing things they didn’t want to be seen doing, or in places where they didn’t want to be seen.As it set out to photograph neighborhoods around the world, Google equipped its vehicles with antenna as well as cameras so it could create a database with the names of Wi-Fi networks and the coding of Wi-Fi routers.What Google didn’t know, Eustace said, is that some experimental software was being used in the Street View project, and that programming picked up the Web surfing on publicly accessible Wi-Fi networks if the company’s vehicles were within range of the signal.Google only gathered small bits of information because its vehicles were on the move and its tracking equipment switched channels five times a second.The incident has prompted Google to abandon its effort to collect Wi-Fi network data. In an apparent show of its commitment to privacy, Google also said it will introduce a new option next week that will allow its users to encrypt searches on its Web site as an added protection against unauthorized snooping.
SECRETS CORNER: Life after a ‘horn’
CAN A COUPLE ever regain that trust after one of the partners has cheated? That was the question we asked readers last week.
Well, to be precise, we asked: Can a relationship ever be fixed once an affair has taken place; and if so how? Well the reactions were mixed and some were along gender lines.
But what do the experts say?
Commit to a solution
First of all, don’t expect a quick fix. Infidelity impacts on the basic fundamentals of your commitment to one another, your sense of trust, safety and familiarity. We encourage couples to commit to therapy every week for a while. There is also the consideration of the couple making an adultery contract that states the adulterer’s promise not to cheat again and to cut off all contact with the affair.
One successful technique is for the adulterer to regularly assure the betrayed partner that there has been no contact with the affair and if the affair tries to contact him or her, they must announce it and report that they did not accept the call or call back.
This helps to increase the trust in the relationship. Another key part of rebuilding that trust involves letting their partner know what their schedule is and avoiding having long periods of unaccounted-for time.
Check your anger
The victim of the affair is often plagued with thoughts of the betrayal. He or she will think about times their spouse may have lied, will visualise the details of the adulterous sexual encounters and may obsess about many lies they have been told.
Feelings of depression, lack of self-worth and extreme anger at the adulterer are also common. It is important to allow the victim to vent his or her anger, but in a controlled, time-limited way. While there may be sufficient remorse over his or her behaviour, it nevertheless becomes very difficult for the adulterer to feel invested in the marriage, and its healing, if they are being constantly bashed for their past behaviour.
I often advise couples to allow ten minutes a day for venting. The victim can yell, scream, throw emotional darts, but only for a short period of time and then must stop. The betrayed spouse should be able to ask questions in order to move on, and the adulterer must answer them, but it’s important to avoid giving the gory sexual details, no matter how much the victimised spouse asks. It will not help with sexual healing later on.
Address the root of the problem
When we see couples after an affair, it almost always becomes evident that the infidelity was about much more than seeking sex. It is also common for the spouse having the affair to feel unremorseful, and for the victimised spouse to feel that it wasn’t his or her fault either.
Neither partner wants to take responsibility. But in order for healing to begin, each partner must explore the personal issues that may have inspired the infidelity. Sometimes it’s inspired by low self-esteem, or is a symptom of a larger midlife crisis where the adulterer is questioning everything in his or her life, including work, marriage and their place in the community.
Other times there is a family history of infidelity, where having an affair was actually a “learned behaviour” and was condoned or encouraged. Once there is some clarity about what issues each partner has brought to the table, you can start working on yourselves and the relationship.
Now here are some of the responses from online readers:
• This can be achieved with a lot of prayer and trust .The latter does not come easy. It is for the individual who committed the infidelity (in the case of married persons) to show that they are committed to the relationship and is working on change. We forgive but we cannot forget. Therefore the slightest notion that the person is “up to no good “again could make you press the warning button.
The person “wronged” should also try to making the relationship stronger. Remember it is two of you in it together .Therefore as soon as something happen it is not wise to remind the person all the time of what they did before.
I believe that the person who “stepped out” should sever ALL Ties with that person with whom they went. At least this shows you are serious . It is unfair and unreasonable to think that your partner will ever feel confident knowing you still hold them as your friend . You must remember it was your affair with them that caused the break up.
So if a relationship is to be truly fixed how can your girlfriend or wife feel good and want to really work on it if they look in Face Book per say and see the said woman that you were involved with as one of your good friends . We both must want it and work towards it for the relationship to go get better .we must be as transparent as possible in our doings .Gabrielle
• After an affair a relationship can never be fixed because it always in the back of their minds. Bajan Baltimore, MD
• President Obama said: “Yes we can”. Why the hell not? A little pain wouldn’t hurt! Optimistic
• Relationships can be mended after an affair only if the two people really still love each other. The only thing I don’t like is when they don’t truly forgive each other and they keep throwing the mistake in one another face all the time. SNLHIf
• I have an affair as I usually do, and got found out I expect to be forgiven because I am a man, if the woman have an affair she should not be forgiven because women should only have one man at a time. A relationship would never survive if my woman cheat because I simply will never accept any other man eating out my plate. Student A
•Some relationships can be fixed after an affair but it will not be easy, only if the parties involved are determined to fix it, one must take into consideration the content of the affair. It may be difficult living with the knowledge knowing what happen and can still lead to problems. The best solution would be to go separate ways. MC
I CONFESS: Women share similar tales
The following are edited responses to the May 1 confession, Molested By My Mum’s Man:
I KNOW THE feeling you are going through as the same thing happened to me. I was molested. I told my grandmother about it, and she did not believe it because it was my aunt’s husband who did it.
It has been over 25 years, and to this day I remember it as if it just happened. My aunt and her husband are still married. After I became an adult I learned to forgive him, because holding the hate in my heart for him did not feel good.
I figured anyone who could do this to a child had to be a sick person who needs help. I prayed that some day someone would believe me. As the saying goes, put your troubles to God and leave it and He will handle them for you.
About three years ago, I went to my aunt’s house for a visit. I was standing on her porch, and her husband told me that he was sorry for what he did to me, and asked for forgiveness. I told him I had forgiven him a long time ago. Take your problems to God and he will see you through.
So to sit and have so much hate for your mother is not going to make it any better. I am sure your life is much better now, so it is time to forgive her and move on. I wish you the best.
I FEEL YOUR PAIN, and I understand why you are still hurting as some years ago I also felt the same way. I, too, was molested by an uncle. I was eight years old and those memories are as fresh as yesterday, even though I am now 46.
There are some memories that always stay with a person, despite whatever else you do or achieve in life.What I am thankful for is that even though I had such a bad experience, I was able to get married and raise two beautiful daughters.
When I separated and divorced, my girls were eight and ten years old, respectively. I always told them not to be afraid of letting me know anything, and that includes telling me if any male member of my relatives ever attempted touching them.
For that reason, too, I never took a male friend in my life. I just wanted to protect them until they were old enough to look out for themselves. If you do happen to have children, you will protectively hover over them the same way, knowing what you went through.
The only catch, though, is that after locking myself off for my kids all those years, I find it very difficult now to even think about getting a mate, even though the girls encourage me to find someone to settle down with. Don’t allow that to happen to you.
Move on, but be alert and protective of your own kids. Above all, do not ignore any such allegations they may make.
Mum’s the word
A COMBINATION of fabulous local talent and respect paid to Barbados’ mothers, made the 10th annual Mum, This One’s For You concert a memorable occasion at the Plantation Garden Theatre on Sunday.The brainchild of Desmond Weekes of Draytons Two fame, the show has grown in stature over the years and the packed, animated Plantation crowd was testimony to the prestige with which it is held.Tribute was paid to eleven mothers representing each parish, and in a special touch to the proceedings, mothers who have had to care for differently able children were also recognised.Those honoured were Shirley Cadogan (St Lucy); Mildred Norville (St George); Violet Griffith (St Michael); Daphne Mahon (St Andrew); Vivian Cumberbatch (St Joseph); Cora Callender (Christ Church); Mavis Lynch (St Thomas); Grace Mullins (St John); Levrette Jackman (St Peter); Aletha Marshall (St James); and Marcelle Rudder-Clarke (St Philip). Mothers recognised for parenting differently able children were Clara Straker, Janice Broome, Avril Wilkinson and Ometa Marshall.Other accolades for the evening went to educator Sybil Leacock and Senate president Branford Taitt who copped the Loyal Daughter and Loyal Son awards respectively. Perhaps the most apt comment came from Leacock about the importance and timeliness of the show, and giving recognition where it is due, when she said: “I appreciate you giving me my roses while I can smell them.”Patrons were treated to excellent musical fare during the evening, ranging from the precocious talent of six-year-old drummer Simeon Maynard to the timeless quality of Lord Radio.Maynard, a member of the Israel Lovell Foundation, endeared himself to the crowd with his energetic drumming and a charming stage presence.Radio, who, with his Bimshire Boys contributed immeasurably to the promotion of Barbados over five decades, was in fine voice during the rendition of his classic, Yours Sincerely.Alexandra School’s Kareem Agard is a special talent with a big voice in a small frame. His renditions of Shattered and The Greatest Love Of All were two of the highlights of the night.Dance was a significant part of the evening’s entertainment with Keisha Cordieu and Kamar Beckles of the Jahbulani Dance Club, the Act Now Generation, Ace Dance Centre and a troupe from the Israel Lovell Foundation displaying their prowess to African and Latin American rhythms.One sour note for the night was the uncouth chattering and derisive cheering directed toward Mike Sealy’s performance by a section of idiots with an obvious dislike for jazz stylings. But, Sealy handled it like a true professional.Among the others performing on the night were Cherish Breedy, John King, Fudd Straker, Mac Fingal, Dwayne Husbands, Corey Hunte, Cassius Clay, Mike Thompson, The Draytons Two, Anderson Lynch and Cassandra Crawford.Emcee for the occasion was the inimitable Carl Alf Padmore.
Risque revelations
CAPSTONE THESIS presented the audience at the Errol Barrow Centre For Creative Imagination with two striking theatrical pieces, two dance performances and one dance and film experiment. Janelle Mitchell, Cretia Lewis, Geneal St Clair, Gina Mayers and Alicia Payne presented their dissertation “performances” in their respective disciplines. This was the final presentation towards their Bachelors in Fine Arts.The two theatrical pieces presented by Mitchell and St Clair dealt a little surprisingly with similar themes. In both pieces we were asked “to touch it, smell it, taste it”, extending the theatrical context into physical theatre. The use of personal testimony in a very intimate dramatic manner was a reminder of Vagina Monologues. Mitchell explored the theme of feminist issues that brought physical and emotional pain, while St Clair focused on other aspects of fe-male sexuality, which brought another kind of pain – the agony of non-acceptance. In Metamorphosis, written, directed and acted by Mitchell, we were taken on a journey from the pangs of pain of labour to the exploiting labours of sex workers; from menstruation to the hurt of hysterectomy. St Clair urged us not to judge a person based on their sexual orientation but on their ability to contribute to society. Toni-Ann Johnson’s riveting performance would convince even the hard-nosed anti-gay activists to change their perspective. The directorial choices certainly answered the needs of the pieces. In Fe-Male the setting of the bar with images on screen reflecting the issues raised in the drama added significantly to the presentation. These two directors must be commended for their tenacity and courage in taking up the challenge of dealing with topics that are taboo in our society. The dance piece Ramajay, choreographed by Cretia Lewis, gave us an insight into the characters of Trinidad’s Carnival. We were introduced to the battling Blue Devils, the clowns, the midnight robber, the sailor men and more. The griot took us through this educational journey, filling the moments with intimate communication as we were introduced to each character. The storyteller was so endearing, one wanted to hear more of the narrative. Gina Mayers’ piece was reflective and introspective. Through dance, we were presented with a world that was preoccupied with the tensions of modern society. The use of the cellphone that stopped/prevented interaction among people was a sharp dance comment. The story was clearly expressed. The young woman is molested by a man and has a son – and the resulting pain was creatively played out in the movement and the mood. There were two worlds represented by the panes/pains of light. The shadow created a path. The collage of style and music illustrated the different generations.The music used complemented each genre of dance and the concept of preoccupation was an effective through-line for the dance.Alicia Payne gave us a docu-dance. The questions raised in the interviews about the journey of the drum were answered in the dance. We were presented with a range of cultural trials and conflicts that make up the Barbadian identity. The struggles of definition – “who are we?” – were answered in the authentic indigenous energy found in the Landship.
Shaggy-licious!
A BOOMBASTIC man rocked Pigeon Island last Sunday and most would agree it was fantastic.Headliner Shaggy took to the main stage at the 19th St Lucia Jazz Festival around 11:45 p.m. and it was a musical cruise on the beachfront venue for the next hour or so.Fresh from a tour of Portugal, Shaggy teased with his suggestive movements, sweet talk and hits from through the years, along with some covers in between.With the assistance of Rayvon, the Jamaican-born artiste showed how a party was done in New York, Jamaica and St Lucia. For the last, the band played some soca rhythms.Shaggy sang hits such as Bona Fide Girl, a snippet of Oh Carolina, Angel, Strength Of A Woman, Summertime and It Wasn’t Me, during which he offered some advice to all the players on Pigeon Island. By the time Shaggy took to the stage, fans were ready for some real action thanks to stimulating earlier performances from Dobet Gnahore of the Congo, the tremendously talented Esparanza Spalding and the “Men of Soul” in particular.Gnahore was a photographer’s delight and an engaging performer to watch. The Grammy winner for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for her song Pearl, was full of expression and passion as she tantalised her audience with rhythms that touched the very root of the soul. Singing in her native French, she captivated with her commanding presence, sexy accent and antics.A tiny, 25-year-old American singer with two bass guitars bridged the gap between Gnahore and Men of Soul. Esperanza Spalding was refreshing with her original jazz compositions and she showcased her tremendous talent on vocals and bass. She has a sweet tone and impressed with her original pieces.She was joined by singer Tracey Hamblin and they made some captivating harmonies.Phil Perry, Howard Hewitt, Freddie Jackson and Jeffrey Osbourne who call themselves the Men of Soul serenaded patrons with love songs from way back.All the soul men added their special touch to Osbourne’s “woo woo woo” but it was St Lucia’s Teddyson John that put an indelible stamp on it – with a Caribbean remix.Maxi Priest, who was in Barbados a few weeks ago for Reggae On The Hill, preceded Shaggy and delivered a similar set to what Bajan fans heard. He was again joined by his son Marvin and Beniton The Menace.British Virgin Island native Quito and The Edge did well to open the show and they were followed by Carl Gustave, who is of St Lucian descent.
Men of Steel, Rae of rapture
REGGAE LEGENDS Steel Pulse had fans jamming until close to midnight at the 19th St Lucia Jazz Festival on Saturday night.The evergreen music had fans shouting for more as lead singer David Hinds and the rest of the band, took them down memory lane with hit after hit.Favourites such as Rally, Chant The Summer Day, Stepping Up, Rebel Red Eye Blues and Pan Africa Unite, which was sung for the people of Haiti, had people singing by rote or just soaking up the hypnotic vibes.Patrons were so caught up in the rapture, that when the band wanted to end their set around 11:35 p.m., the shouts for more quickly became a chant.Members of Steel Pulse soon responded to the call, and returned for another 15 minutes or so to do Leggo Beast and Go Barrack.As become custom, the day got underway with a line-up of local acts, which included Ronald “Boo” Hinkson. He shared the spotlight with emerging talent Tempest, which he and some others have been grooming.American singer Tracey Hamblin also appeared with Hinkson and his friends and left the females in the audience with a serious message in the song titled I Ain’t No Longer User Friendly.Corinne Bailey Rae, who made an historic debut on the British scene as a singer/songwriter in 2006, took Pigeon Island patrons through a range of emotions with her soul searching and sometimes melancholic pieces.Her hit songs Put Your Records On, Till It Happens To You and I Don’t Wonder Why were done along with covers I Only Have Eyes For You and Doris Day’s Que Sera Sera, which brought her set to a close.
MAVIS BECKLES: Breaking own rules
It is amazing how people does be making their own rules, setting up their own scenes, expecting you and me tuh live by dem, and then duh does turn around and break dem. Like the very same things they tell you not tuh do they turn around and do? I suppose it is a case of “do as I say and not as I do”.Leh we start wid the highest office and take for example what continues tuh happen in the House of Assembly week after week wid the politicians from both sides, doing a whole lot o’ foolishness.Now the way how things going, it is very sad tuh see that not one o’ dem politicians – old or young, green or stalwart – cahn tell the other one tuh come back and evah one o’ dem out tuh all like pop kites. But mind you, duh laying down rules of discipline fuh evahthing and evahbody including the PSV people, the vendors, the schoolchildren and the bus system; as I said, evah single thing, but all o’ dem doing as they very well like, when they like and how they like. Now dat is so sad.And what about the people who call demselves parents, people who God trusted with children tuh nurture and guide and help dem tuh grow and develop into good decent grounded and rounded individuals; wha’ bout these people?While they have some who take this role of parenting seriously and continue tuh lead and live their lives as examples for not only theirs but other people children tuh follow, there are the ones, pon the other hand, who doan seem tuh understand the true role of a parent.Sometimes it looks tuh me like some o’ dem doan even seem tuh understand dat these are the same children who ain’t gine stan’ small but gine grow into adults wid everything dat parents, good or bad deposit in dem.Double standards Then duh gine do the same exact thing dat we parents taught dem, and since you me and evahbody else will be old by then, they bless we or cut we tail wid it.And why not? Wha’ we adults are the ones who laying down the rules, setting the tone and pace, wid all kinds o’ double standards and expecting evahbody, especially the younger generation, tuh follow. We allowing all kinds o’ cultures like scarfs, cellphones, short skirts, elaborate hair styles, and teachers not allowed tuh discipline on the spot tuh subtly filter in tuh the schools and the system.We adopting all kinds o’ garbage covered up wid glitter and allowing it tuh take root; then when it starts tuh take off and spread like love vine, we start back tracking, trying tuh set other rules tuh cover up or undo these rules, and more often than nought, try tuh blame somebody else fuh the damage.I like dat cartoon in the Saturday paper wid the caption, How The Youth Get So? How ya mean how duh get so? We put duh so, dem ain’t born so, dem learn it from we, dem come along and see and hear it from we. How many years I was writing this column now? I know dat for as long as I have been writing it, I have been saying dat our leaders, be it B, D or N, have always allowed the horse tuh bolt outta the stable before dem playing dem running gine tuh shut a door Hello! The horse done gone long a’ready, the damage done do.How I could shut out Mavado and Vybes Kartel and doing the same thing in the house dat dem preaching? How I could tell my child not tuh get a tattoo when I got my whole body scrawl up? How I could tell you tuh go tuh school and get a good education, get a good job and become a model citizen when I sitting pon my tail day in and day out wasting time? How I could tell my girl child tuh keep she self tuh she self, take her time and wait fuh the right person who will love and respect her tuh come along but all she seeing is you dressing in the tightest latest clothes and weaves, going out fêteing every weekend and bringing in all kinds o’ undesirables including the ones who gine interfere wid her and destroy her innocence while you turn a blind eye just fuh the money?And we continue tuh make the rules and then break the rules but fuhget that these same double standards gine come back tuh cut we tail eventually; which is happening all like now so.• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans and has an opinion on everything.