You cannot control your life, but you can control its breadth, depth and height. Life is like a bank. You cannot take out what you have not put in. Life is an eternal struggle to keep money coming in and teeth, hair and vital organs from coming out. Life is tragic for those who have plenty to live on and nothing to live for. Life is fragile-handle with prayer.

Medical science is adding years to our lives, but it is up to us to add life to our years. So live your life that your autograph will be wanted instead of your fingerprint. Life is a segment BD beginning from point B (birth) to point D (death)…

Taken from today’s Kaieteur News pg. 5.

Your hands on my hips pull me right back to you, I
Catch that thrust give it right back to you,
you’re
In so deep I’m breathing for you,you
Grab my braids arch my back high for
you your
Diesel engine,I’m squirting mad oil ah
Down on the floor til my speaker starts
to boil
I flip s**t
Quick slip
Hip dip
And I’m twisted
In your hands and your lips
and your tongue tricks
and you’re so thick and you’re so thick
and you’re so
Crown Royal on ice…..

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/08/12/apop081211.DTL#ixzz1VHyDX8ZV
]]> http://raptus8.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/you-eat-what-you-are/feed/ 0 raptus8 http://raptus8.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/why-our-parents-put-us-to-shame/ http://raptus8.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/why-our-parents-put-us-to-shame/#comments Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:46:20 +0000 Raptus http://raptus8.wordpress.com/?p=1165 ]]> Why Our Parents Put Us To Shame.

Taken from Generation Y;  reality is crafted at Generation Y.

This post is entitled  “Age of Majority”

Going to a movie theater to see adult films, buying a beer in some bar, or being hired as an employee, are some of the proofs that we have arrived at the age of majority. When we are fourteen or fifteen years old, every day brings us closer to that legal adulthood we await so anxiously. We approach a milestone that we flaunt in front of friends, while reminding our parents that we are no long so small, that they can no longer treat us like children. But the sensations associated with reaching sixteen are quite distinct from those that overwhelm us when our children reach the age of legal responsibility. It’s exactly then that we realize how physically and mentally immature they are to take on so much responsibility.

I am reflecting on this because my son will reach the age of majority this coming August. He will then be ready–according to the law–to buy alcoholic beverages, to be drafted into the army, or to go to prison. From that moment, nothing he does will be treated by the criminal code as if he were a minor. He could even be called to die or to kill in a war, a not ridiculous option in today’s Cuba. All the teenagers born in the difficult year of 1995 will pass through, in this 2011, the barrier between childhood and adulthood. And I say, without maternal excess, that they are too young, too fragile, to face the burden of being considered adults by a legal system that does not correspond to international norms.

Several weeks ago, the United Nations asked the Cuban authorities to raise the age of majority to 18 years. But there is little hope that such a demand will become fact. Were it to be successful, all the women between 16 and 17 who are selling their bodies to tourists would become minors trapped in child prostitution. And postponing the end of childhood would also deprive the government of a great number of voters–easier to manipulate–in local elections. And, of course, it would temporarily prolong the ascendancy of parents over their children, to the detriment of that of the State over these young citizens.

Now that I am more than twice the age required to exchange the card of a minor for the ID of an adult, I realize they robbed me of a couple of years; that an incorrect legislation placed a responsibility on my shoulders that I did not have the discernment to assume. At that time, I enjoyed it as if it were a letter of freedom, but today I see it as the loss of a legal protection that was my right.

 Quick question-Do you think that the Age of Majority and the Age of Consent should be one and the same? why?

gotta luv Amy…

Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.

Law 2Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies

Be wary of friends-they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.

Law 3 Conceal your Intentions

Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelope them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.

Law 4 Always Say Less than Necessary

When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

Law 5So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life

Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once you slip, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.

Law 6Court Attention at all Cost

Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious, than the bland and timid masses.

Law 7Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit

Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.

Law 8Make other People come to you – use Bait if Necessary

When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with fabulous gains – then attack. You hold the cards.

Law 9Win through your Actions, Never through Argument

Any momentary triumph you think gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

Law 10 Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky

You can die from someone else’s misery – emotional states are as infectious as disease. You may feel you are helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves; they will also draw it on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.

Law 11Learn to Keep People Dependent on You

To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.

Law 12Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim

One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift – a Trojan horse – will serve the same purpose.

Law 13When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest, Never to their Mercy or Gratitude

If you need to turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will respond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself.

Law 14Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy

Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable information that will keep you a step ahead. Better still: Play the spy yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to probe. Ask indirect questions to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion that is not an opportunity for artful spying.

Law 15Crush your Enemy Totally

All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely. (Sometimes they have learned this the hard way.) If one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not only in body but in spirit.

Law 16Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor

Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. If you are already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create value through scarcity.

Law 17Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability

Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people’s actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control. Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this strategy can intimidate and terrorize.

Law 18 Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous

The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere – everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from – it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.

Law 19 Know Who You’re Dealing with – Do Not Offend the Wrong Person

There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way. Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lambs’ clothing. Choose your victims and opponents carefully, then – never offend or deceive the wrong person.

Law 20 Do Not Commit to Anyone

It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others – playing people against one another, making them pursue you.

Law 21 Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker – Seem Dumber than your Mark

No one likes feeling stupider than the next persons. The trick, is to make your victims feel smart – and not just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.

Law 22 Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power

When you are weaker, never fight for honor’s sake; choose surrender instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and irritate your conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him the satisfaction of fighting and defeating you – surrender first. By turning the other check you infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of power.

Law 23 Concentrate Your Forces

Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to another – intensity defeats extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to elevate you, find the one key patron, the fat cow who will give you milk for a long time to come.

Law 24 Play the Perfect Courtier

The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves around power and political dexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection; he flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts power over others in the mot oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws of courtiership and there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.
Law 25 Re-Create Yourself

Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define if for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions – your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life.

Law 26 Keep Your Hands Clean

You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat’s-paws to disguise your involvement.

Law 27 Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following

People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm over rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold power.

Law 28 Enter Action with Boldness

If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.

Law 29 Plan All the Way to the End

The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.

Law 30 Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless

Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work – it only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.

Law 31 Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal

The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose. Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are gored wherever they turn.

Law 32 Play to People’s Fantasies

The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes for disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert: Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.

Law 33 Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew
Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usual y an insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.

Law 34 Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one

The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated; In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a king respects himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a crown.

Law 35 Master the Art of Timing

Never seem to be in a hurry – hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. Become a detective of the right moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to power. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.

Law 36 Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge

By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a small mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it. It is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want but cannot have, show contempt for it. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.

Law 37 Create Compelling Spectacles

Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power – everyone responds to them. Stage spectacles for those around you, then full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.

Law 38 Think as you like but Behave like others

If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.
Law 39 Stir up Waters to Catch Fish

Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective. But if you can make your enemies angry while staying calm yourself, you gain a decided advantage. Put your enemies off-balance: Find the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle them and you hold the strings.

Law 40 Despise the Free Lunch

What is offered for free is dangerous – it usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price – there is no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.

Law 41 Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes

What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after. If you succeed a great man or have a famous parent, you will have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your own making: Establish your own name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.

Law 42 Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter

Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individual – the stirrer, the arrogant underling, the poisoned of goodwill. If you allow such people room to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with them – they are irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them. Strike at the source of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.

Law 43 Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others

Coercion creates a reaction that will eventually work against you. You must seduce others into wanting to move in your direction. A person you have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. And the way to seduce others is to operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Soften up the resistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and what they fear. Ignore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to hate you.
Law 44 Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect

The mirror reflects reality, but it is also the perfect tool for deception: When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot figure out your strategy. The Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates them, making them overreact. By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce them with the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to their actions, you teach them a lesson. Few can resist the power of Mirror Effect.

Law 45 Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once

Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but on the day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much innovation is traumatic, and will lead to revolt. If you are new to a position of power, or an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of respecting the old way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past.

Law 46 Never appear too Perfect

Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable. Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.
Law 47 Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop

The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat of victory, arrogance and overconfidence can push you past the goal you had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no substitute for strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.

Law 48 Assume Formlessness
By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.

 Although it is in its nascent stage, I am hopeful to pull through but for now I’m trying every known home remedy I can find for this continual queasiness I’m faced with.

Life seeds I sow.

As we celebrate the Phagwah holidays with our hindus sisters and brothers in Guyana and around the world, I would also like to take this opportunity to wish our Bahai sisters and brothers a Happy Naw-Ruz.

Today is Naw-Ruz, the new year of the Bahai community around the world. The Bahai community is an integral part of our country and we are enriched by the faith and practices of our Bahai sisters and brothers. As we join them in celebrating their New year, we must take time and reflect on the fact that the Bahais are not guaranteed the same freedom they do in Guyana to celebrate their faith in other parts of the world. On their New Year we hope that the day will soon come when they have freedom to celebrate wherever they live in the world.

As they celebrate their New Year after a period of fasting to promote spiritual growth, it is a good time for all Guyanese and the world to recommit to the spirit and values and peace and goodwill that Naw-Ruz signifies.

At a time when disaster is affecting our sisters and brothers in many parts of the world, when peace seem to be elduing so many people in different parts of the world, we wish that the peace and goodwill of phagwah and Naw-Ruz will reach everyone wherever they live.

Dr. Leslie Ramsammy

March 20^th 2011

Celebrating "Good over evil" and wishing that that theme will triumph for Guyana.

The story of Prahlad is interesting …a great read.

New York’s Caribbean Institute says “New Guyana government must pass law to seize and auction off multi-million dollar properties owned by current ruling PPP government officials

 President Jagdeo’s second house under construction

The tax payers of Guyana are being raped. Guyana’s ruling PPP government officials are building lavish, hundred million dollar homes, which they cannot afford on their normal salaries and with finances for which they cannot account.

There is Pradoville (I) and Pradoville (II); two of many housing developments where PPP government officials have constructed or are constructing sprawling, multi-million dollar homes, allegedly with drug money as well as monies allegedly stolen from Guyanese taxpayers.

President Bharrat Jagdeo Information Liaison, Kwame McCoy, is allegedly also constructing a 100 million dollar home on a regular public servant’s salary. Many more crooks of Jagdeo’s criminal regime, have built or are in the process of constructing such mansions with monies for which they cannot account. Tax and anti-narcotics laws of Guyana provide for the forfeiture of property in cases where crimes were committed in contravention of these statutes.

I wish to go on record as calling for an immediate investigation in to the acquisition of monies by PPP government officials to finance their multi-million dollar homes, including President Bharrat Jagdeo who is now building the second of such homes, on the East Cost Demerara.

President Jagdeo’s 120 million dollar house in Paradoville

General elections in Guyana are constitutionally due in 2011. It is heavily anticipated that the election will be in August 2011. PPP officials, it would appear, are in a mad rush to embezzle from the treasury, as well as wrest from drug dealers, billions of dollars in order to finish constructing their extravagant mansions.

If the elections result in a new government, it would be imperative for the new administration to immediately take action to, or enact legislation to, seize and forfeit the properties in question and dispose of same via auction, and revert those monies that were either stolen from the tax payers, for

President Bharrat Jagdeo Information Liaison Kwame McCoy’s 100 million dollar house

Written by: Rickford Burke, President-Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID).

History has a lot to teach us. People were shot so that we could have the 8-hour work  day; Homes with families in them were burnt to the ground so that we could have Saturday as part of the weekend; Eight year old victims of industrial accidents marched in the streets protesting working conditions and child labor and were beaten down by the police and company thugs.  

We must understand that our current condition cannot be taken for granted – people fought for the rights and dignities we enjoy today, and there is still a lot more to fight for. The sacrifices of so many people cannot be forgotten or we’ll end up fighting for those same gains all over again. This is why we celebrate May Day.

On May 1, 2011 the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) will be hosting the annual “May-Day” march. All are invited; join the GPSU to celebrate “our day”.

Delivered 1851 at the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio

Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that ‘twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what’s this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That’s it, honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negroes’ rights? If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ’cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain’t got nothing more to say.

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Valentine’s: My lover is probably compiling a report based on the samples he collected today or snoozing in his temporary air conditioned room situated on a hill somewhere in Region 7 while I’m pressing these miniature buttons.

Birthday: no resolutions, no new plans, no promises. This year is merely a continuation of the last; as for now this feeling I’m experiencing must be investigated.

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It is against this backdrop, that the laptop scandal has emerged. Its genesis is in Minister Webster’s disclosure to the Parliament on February 1, 2011, that each Laptop, for the PPP’s “One Laptop Per Family Program” (OLPF) will cost G$295,000.00 – the equivalent of US$1.500.00. Webster said that the government would procure 27,000 laptops for distribution in 2011 and had budgeted 1.8 billion dollars – US 9 million dollars for the project in 2011 (a general election year). She forecasted that ultimately 90,000 computers would be purchased for distribution countrywide at a cost at approximately 5 billion dollars.

The following day Kaieteur Newspaper in a front page article captioned “Each cost $295,000 = US$1,500,” reported that “The cost for one of the laptops under OLPF Project would cost $295,000 even with the absence of any public bidding process thus far.” The ridiculous cost of US$1,500.00 per Laptop, infuriated the public and ignited a firestorm. On February 2, Minister Webster rushed back to Parliament with what she called a clarification. She told the Parliament “I now wish to clarify that the budget assumes a unit cost of US$295 per laptop and not $295,000 as previously stated inadvertently.”

On February 3, the Kaieteur Newspaper in another article captioned “Laptop Flip-Flop” reported that Minister Webster corrected her figures to “US$295, or about US$60,000” for each laptop. Government owned Guyana Chronicle newspaper on February 3, in an article titled “Consideration of estimates opens with questions on government spending,” quoted Webster as saying “some of the money would be coming from the Chinese Government.”

On February 3, Webster, attempting to quell growing criticism of the astronomical cost of the Laptop and the secrecy of the project, confounded the issue and stymied the nation by revealing at a press conference that the government is still to tender for the computers for the OLPF project – The Kaieteur Newspaper on February 4, in an article captioned “US$295 is an estimated cost – Minister Webster,” stated that “Webster said that the price quoted, US$295, is an estimate. The unit cost could be less. The government is still to decide on the specifications and it is this that is holding up the tender process.”

These are the facts on the public record, which were reported with commonality and consistency across the board in the media. At no time did Minister Webster or any other representative of the government impugn the veracity or accuracy of these facts. Consequently, they seem to be Minister Webster’s own words, and are indubitable.

I therefore put it to Minister Jennifer, that if the “tender process” has not yet commenced and bids have not yet been invited, submitted or awarded, as prescribed by law for projects of this nature, how did she or the government arrive at a “Unit cost of US$295.00? How did the government determine that it will procure 27,000 laptops in 2011 at a cost of US$9 million? How did they determine that 90,000 Laptops would be procured by the end of the project, costing over 4 billion dollars, if the “tender process” has not yet commenced? And, who authorized expenditures of significant sums of monies under this supposed project?

The Chronicle in an article titled “President launches Government’s laptop project,” published on January 22, 2011, reported that President Jagdeo launched this project on January 21, 2011. The article also reported that “During the opening, students of four pilot communities received a number of computers. These are Abrams Zuil Secondary School on the Essequibo Coast, the Volunteer Youth Corps of Durban Backlands, St. Francis Community Developers of Berbice and the Hinterland Scholarship Students of the Amerindian Hostel.”

The Procurement Act of 2003 Section 30 (1) mandates that “A procuring entity shall solicit tenders by causing an invitation to tender to be published in newspapers of wide circulation and posted in public places.” There has been no publication of an invitation to tender or a RFP. So again I put it to Minister Webster, in the absence of full compliance with the law, why was this project launched and the distribution of Laptops commenced?

If this OLPF program has not yet been subjected to the “tender process” why was President Jagdeo complicit with this material breach of the law? From whence did President Jagdeo “procure” the Laptops which he distributed at the launch? Who appointed Mr. Sesh Sukhdeo to the position Senior Project Manager of this project and approved expenditures prior to the tender process or even Parliament approving the requisite funds? What is Mr. Sukhdeo managing, if the Tender Board has not even awarded a contract for procurement of computers, as Minister Webster would have us believe?

I submit that Minister Webster’s hollow attestations about the cost being an estimate, strains credulity and insults the nation’s collective intelligence. Whether or not the “tender process” has commenced, the facts in evidence establish that implementation of the OLPF project has commenced and is current and may be unlawful. If the latter is true, then officials of the Government of Guyana have apparently committed multiple, criminal violations of the law, namely the “PROCUREMENT ACT 2003.”

Moreover, Minister Webster’s statements that (I) the cost of US$295.00 is an estimate and that the actual cost could be less, and (ii) a determination of the specifications is delaying the “tender process,” are farcical. Clearly the government knows the cost and specifications of the laptops it purchased for President Jagdeo to distribute at the launch. Minister Webster is trying, albeit clumsily, to cover up for the Jagdeo regime’s contempt for and violation of the law.

Her problem however, is that she is not being properly advised on the law nor is she coherent in her attempts to whitewash the actions of the government. She seems to have had an amnesic shock, and fails to realize that she has already provided a cost for an item to be procured even before, as she claims, the invitation, acceptance and award of a tender, and without contemplation of the fact that computers have already been procured and distributed. Suffice it to say that in spite of all this, she wants us to believe that specifications of the laptops to be acquired are yet to be determined. Hogwash!

Inherent in her comments about the stated cost being an estimate is an intimation that the government may be shopping around for a perfect deal. If this is so, this is also a violation of the law. The intent of some provisions of the Procurement Act is to eschew wheeling and dealing. Section 27 (4) of the Act states that: “Each supplier or contractor is permitted to give only one price quotation and is not permitted to change its quotation.” Furthermore, both Sections 27 and 41 expressly prohibit negotiations between the government and the supplier or the government and the bidder, as this could lead to corruption. The mandate of the tender board is to evaluate the bids based on the requirements of the invitation to tender, and award the contract to a qualified bidder with the lowest bid who is in compliance with the established standards and prerequisites of the tender.

The requirements set out in the law are clear. Minister Webster’s comments as well as the facts established in the public record, when juxtaposed with those requirements, reveal the government’s continued disregard for the rule of law. The government seems determined to squander the resources of the State in corrupt deals and to deceive the nation about corrupt enterprises. This became manifest when the office of the President deliberately lied about the cost and quantity of computers it has procured, and only corrected it’s mendacious deeds when Kaieteur news exposed it by publishing copies of the contract of sale. Confronted with the facts, it had no choice but to come clean. Yet there has been no accountability for this grave breach of the public trust.

This brings us back full circle to the insidious culture of corruption that shrouds the PPP government; its complicity with alleged serious criminals and/or unlawful acts, with impunity and its patent disregard for law. I reiterate, that amidst this public debauchery of fleecing, no one in the PPP government is being held to account. They act as though their are all above the law. Hence I question, are there no sentinels at the exchequer; no enforcers of the law or tmerchants of justice? I wait to see who will bell this cat. Would it be the Police Commissioner, the Auditor General or the DPP or all of the above?

Finally, Section 16 (1) of the Procurement Act invests the Minister of Finance with statutory jurisdiction of the National Tender Borad. This matter is consequently within purview of the office of Minister of Finance. Although Minister Webster is a Minister within the Ministry of Finance, she is not the Minister of Finance. Ashni Kumar Singh is. Minister Singh has a fiduciary duty under the law to account to the nation for his stewardship of the national Treasury. I therefore put the above questions to Minister Singh.

Taken from here..

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

When you click the option it says that YOU like it.

CNN and BBC are on my friend’s list on Facebook and so the daily headlines or highlights from around the world are usually updated and visible for almost everyone connected to it. Whether the news posted on the page are negative or positive the “Like” button goes on fire for most of them, people use that thing so loosely it’s becoming appalling.

30 persons died in Pakistan due to a blast……124 persons “Like”.

Woman raped and throat slashed…in lets say Norway…again the “Like” button is on fire again.

Today on Facebook, after the explosion this morning at Stabroek a picture was published on Facebook and someone clicked the “like” button. I immediately left a comment about the obvious and to my surprise comments were given to prove such action obviously hinting to me that I did misinterpret the “like” button in this instance.

I am not sure if  many of you are aware of this but sometimes agreements are not always the best thing to do. They might lead to significant social impact or wrong messages being sent to the community.

Simply "dislike" if you've made a mistake.

I will close by asking you to please express/communicate why do you use the “Like” button? Maybe it needs to be revised.

‘Hail up’…Pere, I’d love to hear your views.

“Chen Wei-yih has posed for a set of photos in a flowing white dress, enlisted a wedding planner and rented a banquet hall for a marriage celebration with 30 friends.

But there is no groom. Chen will marry herself.”

Yep, i'm alive! and somewhat embryonic.

I love this track…

Yesterday the Office Assistants were in a heated verbal battle; they promised each other the most violent things which obviously led to a major segregation; the subject, Jamaica’s controversial idioms “Gaza” and “Gully” and now this morning I have three angry officers,two of which is having great difficulty in trying to keep their personal grievances to themselves to deal with and end of year reports due for submission by tomorrow.

Here is an excerpt

Women of other ethnicity’s, their hair falls by nature. It drops, and drapes, and hangs loosely. But a Black woman’s hair rises by nature. It blossoms against the current of life. At its best, it swirls and spins like the earth, or the sun – a supernova of sublimity and strength. And like any other heavenly body, a Black woman’s natural hair demands nothing less than orbit: total praise from every physical thing within her influence, all revolving around her omnipotence – instinctively, humbly, and altogether. Whether dynamically drifting, or stationary and rooted, every living thing that finds itself before a Black woman’s natural hair is designed to stare and wonder.

I’m not hating on a nice relaxer, some woven extensions or wigs, but there is some freedom, sunshine and spirituality in naps. In the waves and the curls. In the nature of our true selves. And to become confident in those things about ourselves that grow without our instruction, move without our control, and progress despite our individual will – to investigate, wrestle with, and master those things about us that just are us – is to reach the pinnacle of sexiness, because who wants to fall in love with a lie? Read more here.

Yes! I did practice the above restrictions in the past; not only on my blog but on others [my apologies]  but that certainly isn’t a reason not to stop that trend. Is it?

Lets keep the comments clean please.

Last Saturday night I was bored and idle so I decided to visit all of the sites I could think of that I’m not allowed to view at work. So I started  with youtube. I looked at a few new funny videos then onto a few purveyors of soul namely Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, India Arie, Floetry, Musiq, Lauryn Hill and D’ Angelo.  

*Exhale and tilts head to the right* You know no woman can ever overlook  D’Angelo; I had to visit a song ….that same song I once subconsciously ignored all the lyrics  when I was nothing but a hormonal adolescent that was being  sidetracked with D’Angelo’s  fascinating eyes, succulent caramel lips, abs of steel and my urgent need to see below them. Anyone that’s been paying close attention to D’Angelo’s career knows that the “Untitled (How Does it Feel)” video was exceptional and so provocative and magnetic that no one could recover from it, least of all him. As I sat there in the darkness, once again I was overshadowed by his nakedness; he had definitely cast a spell on me because onto this day I’m still feenin his once black male mannequin body.

Curly Nikki

Since I made the big chop and decided to go natural I have been following curly Nikki’s blog. It is very informative she has many chic natural hair styles, hair tips, hair tricks and testimonials of the different hair care products [most of which I have no access to in Guyana but I used substitutes]. When you read her blog you will see that  kinky-curly hair is easy, fun and very economical to wear instead of a burden. So for all of my natural readers I hereby endorse my once secret hair blog CurlyNikki.

I adjure thee by thy might,  O my God! Let no harm beset me in times of  tests, and in moments of heedlessness guide my steps aright through thine inspiration. Thou art God, potent art thou to do what thou desirest. No one can withstand thy will or twart thy purpose.

The Bab.

wat-a-ting.

My Sundays are usually boring and quiet with no motivation or interesting places to go so I have decided to change that trend. 

I did my first hash run / walk. It was certainly what I yearned for…….. Adventurous! We hashed in Mon Repos’s back dam and Cane Filed then washed down with food and drinks (water for me) and the guys played cricket at the National park.

About to enter the cane field. Thank God I didn't get lost.

 Of course as a novice I went into false trails and can be deemed a straggler. Sly joined me and he too went on false trails but certainly wasn’t a straggler however, he was punished for being a sinner..lol.

So I got out of bed early this morning [mom wanted to call my sister from my phone because my sis wasn’t answering her number], took a shower, had a fulfilling and calorific breakfast [fried half ripe plantains with grated cheese on top and two poached eggs] just the way my momma knows I like it [I kinda like it when my big sis-see gives her trouble], brushed my 24, clad myself; felt no need for cosmetics on my face  because I was glowing and in a free-spirited mood so  I told myself that ill surely be rocking my black ballerina shoe that has a neat silver buckle on the front.

*Someone knocks on the front door*

Me: who is it?

Person: Raptus is me, Daniel. [He keeps the yard clean and tries to tidy and unify mommy’s garden but never succeeds because she is too stubborn and doubtful]

Mom: Raptus, please give Daniel this money.

Raptus:  * Holy shit! I need money to get to work* oh-ok mom, um I need money to get to work.

Mom: ok here..

Raptus: * hmm you are in a good mood, I wonder how serious your beef with my sis-see is ….Puts money in my skirt pocket* .  Here you go Daniel….and don’t come back. How many times do I have to tell you to beg dat woman in the afternoons and not in the mornings? You see, she only bless you with $2000.

 Daniel: *collects his money* I gon tackle she this afternoon.

Continued fixing my hair, put on the shoes, change my skirt because it was not compatible with the shoes; while doing so mom gave me my phone and bid me farewell then I rushed to get out of the house. While I was en route to the Vreed-en hoop Stelling I discovered the obvious, got a bit nervous so I swiftly maneuvered to call mom to rescue me because my debit card is in my other bag but I was out of credit…

Now it is in a deplorable and disgracefully depressing state. I hate to see it this way, we should be unified not trying to belittle, compete and indict each other. I was guilty of being naïve and of denigrating another fellow blogger until I recognized my shortcomings and was ashamed of my attitude so I mended swiftly. We are responsible for our actions and must control ourselves .

Even though we are different and dynamic we are one unit and we are intelligent enough to be familiar with our confederate’s attitudes and conduct hence we should respect one another.

Why do we desire such conflict?  Why do we feed it? Why do we abase ourselves like this?Why do we thrive on disunity? Is it worth it? 

Rip  ….Providence