#Trinidad and Tobago newspapers

[galleryyuhself]

Galleryyuhself - Newspaper design.

[sexypinkon]

"Unfortunately, in the next five to ten years either you are able to leverage AI to make your company better or a lot of people going to be unemployed."

Alvern Porter

Advance Dynamics technical director at the AI Symposium held at Queen’s Hall recently.

[fatehbaz]

The SAWP is a temporary labour program that brings foreign workers to Canada for periods between six weeks and eight months annually [...], paving the way for the recruitment of Jamaican workers as well as workers from other Caribbean countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados [beginning] in 1968. [...] The SAWP has been a resounding success for Canadian growers because offshore indentured workers enable agribusiness to expand and secure large profits. Being indentured means that migrant farm workers are bound to specific employers by contractual agreements [...]. First, they are legally prevented from unionizing. [...] Additionally, because they are bound to specific employers, they must ensure that the employer is happy with them [...]. For instance, migrant farm workers are forced to agree to growers’ requests for long working hours, labour through the weekend, suppress complaints and avoid conflicts, if they want to stay out of “trouble” [...]. In “Canada’s Creeping Economic Apartheid”, Grace Galabuzi shows that the Canadian Government’s immigration policy is, in reality, a labour market immigration policy [...].

[Text by: Julie Ann McCausland. "Racial Capitalism, Slavery, Labour Regimes and Exploitation in the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program". Caribbean Quilt Volume 5. 2020. Paragraph contractions added by me.]

---

A big finding that came out of the oral history interviews was a much richer tapestry of worker protest than has previously been documented. Speaking with workers – including former workers back in their home countries of Jamaica and Barbados – allowed me to hear the types of stories that often don’t make it into archives or newspapers. Interviewees told me stories about wildcat strikes, about negotiating conditions with employers, and also about protesting their home governments’ role in organizing the migrant labour program. [...] [T]hings did not have to be this way; our current world was anything but inevitable. [...] [But] economic forces transformed tobacco farming (and agriculture writ large), [...] leaving mega-operations in their wake. [...] [L]arge operations could afford [...] bringing in foreign guestworkers. The attraction of foreign workers was not due to labour shortages, but instead in their much higher degree of exploitability, given the strict nature of their contracts and the economic compulsion under which they pursued overseas migrant labour. [...] Ontario’s tobacco belt (located in between Hamilton and London, on the north shore of Lake Erie), was from the 1920s to 1980s one the most profitable sectors in Canadian agriculture and the epicentre of migrant labour in the country [...]. In most years, upwards of 25,000 workers were needed to bring in the crop. [...]

[The words of Edward Dunsworth. Text is a transcript of Dunsworth's responses in an interview conducted and transcribed by Andria Caputo. 'Faculty Publication Spotlight: Ed Dunsworth's "Harvesting Labour"'. Published online at McGill Faculty of Arts. 15 December 2022. At: mcgill.ca/arts/article/faculty-publication-spotlight-ed-dunsworths-harvesting-labour. Some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

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Jamaican agricultural workers say they face conditions akin to “systematic slavery” on Canadian farms, as they call on Jamaica to address systemic problems in a decades-old, migrant labour programme in Canada. In a letter sent to Jamaica’s minister of labour and social security earlier this month [August 2022], workers [...] said they have been “treated like mules” on two farms in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province. [...] The workers [...] are employed under [...] (SAWP), which allows Canadian employers to hire temporary migrant workers from Mexico and 11 countries in the Caribbean [...]. “We work for eight months on minimum wage and can’t survive for the four months back home. The SAWP is exploitation at a seismic level. Employers treat us like we don’t have any feelings, like we’re not human beings. We are robots to them. They don’t care about us.” Between 50,000 and 60,000 foreign agricultural labourers come to Canada each year on temporary permits [...]. Canada exported more than $63.3bn ($82.2bn Canadian) in agriculture and food products in 2021 – making it the fifth-largest exporter of agri-food in the world. [...]

[Text by: Jillian Kestler-D'Amours. "Jamaican farmworkers decry ‘seismic-level exploitation’ in Canada". Al Jazeera (English). 24 August 2022.]

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In my home country, St. Lucia, we believe in a fair day’s pay [...]. In Canada, we give more than a fair day’s work, but we do not get a fair day’s pay. [...] I worked in a greenhouse in [...] Ontario, growing and harvesting tomatoes and organic sweet peppers for eight months of the year, from 2012 to 2015. [...] In the bunkhouse where I lived, there were typically eight workers per room. Newly constructed bunkhouses typically have up to fourteen people per room. [...] I also received calls from workers (especially Jamaicans) who were either forbidden – or strongly discouraged – from leaving the farm property. This outrageous overreach of employer control meant that workers had difficulty sending money home, or buying necessary items [...]. [O]n a lot of farms, [...] workers’ movement and activity is policed by their employers. The government knows about this yet fails to act.

[Text are the words of Gabriel Allahdua. Text from a transcript of an interview conducted by Edward Dunworth. '“Canada’s Dirty Secret”: An Interview with Gabriel Allahdua about migrant farm workers’ pandemic experience'. Published by Syndemic Magazine, Issue 2: Labour in a Treacherous Time. 8 March 2022. Some paragraph contractions added by me.]

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The CSAWP is structured in such a way as to exclude racialized working class others from citizen-track entry into the country while demarcating them to a non-immigrant status as temporary, foreign and unfree labourers. The CSAWP is [...] a relic of Canada’s racist and colonial past, one that continues unimpeded in the present age [...]. [T]he Canadian state has offered a concession to the agricultural economic sector in the way of an ambiguous legal entity through which foreign agricultural workers are legally disenfranchised and legally denied citizenship rights.

[Text by: Adam Perry. "Barely legal: Racism and migrant farm labour in the context of Canadian multiculturalism". Citizenship Studies, 16:2, 189-201. 2012.]

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Other publications:

Smith. 'Troubling “project Canada”: the Caribbean and the making of “unfree migrant labour”’. Canadian Journal of Latin American Studies Volume 40, number 2. 2015.

Choudry and Thomas. "Labour struggles for workplace justice: migrant and immigrant worker organizing in Canada". Journal of Industrial Relations Volume 55, number 2. 2013.

Harsha Walia. "Transient servitude: migrant labour in Canada and the apartheid of citizenship". Race & Class 52, number 1. 2010.

Beckford. "The experiences of Caribbean migrant farmworkers in Ontario, Canada". Social and Economic Studies Volume 65, number 1. 2016.

Edward Dunsworth. Harvesting Labour: Tobacco and the Global Making of Canada’s Agricultural Workforce (2022).

Edward Dunsworth. “‘Me a free man’: resistance and racialisation in the Canada-Caribbean Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program,” Oral History Volume 49, number 1. Spring 2021.

[forgedfromlove]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The National Archives of T&T (@nationalarchivestt)

From @nationalarchivestt on Instagram:

“This week from October 12th-18th, communities such as the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community and The Warao Community of San Fernando are celebrating First Peoples Heritage Week here in Trinidad and Tobago! 

Every year on October 14th, First Peoples Day is observed as part of this annual celebration which commemorates the history, culture and legacy of the First Peoples in Trinidad and Tobago. 

On October 13th 2017, these communities were acknowledged with an official public holiday in recognition of the First Peoples. This one-time holiday came after years of activism on the part of Indigenous groups seeking a permanent holiday in recognition of their communities and their ancestors. 

Photo 1 shows the current Carib Queen Nona Aquan during the 2022 Day of Recognition ceremonies, courtesy of Edison Boodoosingh of the Trinidad Guardian Newspaper, October 21st 2022.

Photo 2 shows the late Carib Queen and cultural activist Jennifer Cassar walking alongside Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley during the First Peoples parade on October 13th 2017. They are seen on the front page of the Guardian newspaper published on October 14th 2017, courtesy the Trinidad Guardian. 

Photo 3 shows members of the First Peoples Community and UWI campus principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, centre-front row, during the Regional First People Conference “Reparations: Righting The Wrongs”, at the UWI St. Augustine campus, courtesy of the Trinidad Guardian Newspaper, October 10th 2022.”

References: 

Lindo, Paula. “Santa Rosa First Peoples Celebrate Recognition Day.” Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, 11 Oct. 2021, https://newsday.co.tt/2021/10/11/santa-rosa-first-peoples-celebrate-recognition-day/

[izatrini]

Calypso and soca: shared roots but distinct genres - Trinidad & Tobago Express Newspapers

Calypso and soca: shared roots but distinct genres  Trinidad & Tobago Express Newspapers http://dlvr.it/T59v79

[galleryyuhself]

Galleryyuhself - We on it!

Long running children’s television show Sesame Street earlier this week highlighted a muppet family with ‘trini’ roots as part of its cast, stirring pride within its local audience.

The Show’s Facebook page on Wednesday shared newcomers Wes and Elijah, a father and son duo who were officially introduced to the Sesame Street cast in 2021 as part of its “Coming Together” outreach initiative regarding racism.

“Meet Wes and Elijah! They live on Sesame Street with Wes’ mom and their beloved dog, Bubba. Wes loves using his imagination, playing with friends, and going to kindergarten. His dad, Elijah, is a meteorologist who loves to be outdoors, preferably on a nature walk with Wes. They both love to cook – especially food from Trinidad, like roti!” the post read.

Elijah, a muppet weatherman has been part of sketches with his son discussing difficult topics including prejudice. In one sketch he is heard discussing his son’s Trinidadian links and the steel drum (steelpan).

“My son Wes is very good, he’s taking lessons from my wife on our homemade steel drum. But the other day wes didn’t want to play his drum. He told us that another kid at school said it sounded funny. It bothered me and I could tell it really bothered wes too. I realized I needed to take a pause. I reminded him because he plays the steel drums because it connects to his ancestors. Wes has African American roots from me and Caribbean roots from his mom. His parents come from Trinidad where the steel drum is played,” Elijah said.

[galleryyuhself]

Galleryyuhself - Some responses to the Tassa Drum as national instrument.

Nixon Pierre

Listen...the agenda seekers are aware of the history of the instrument. There is no platform of discussion.

On the other hand, we could incorporate the Tassa as being an intricate part of the rhythms of TT...to the point where we believe it should be branded as one of our own.

.....................

Natalie Joseph Bishop

History. Tassa is a drum ensemble with ancient Persian origins, also known as Taash or Taasha drums. These drums disseminated to India with the Mughal migration, and from India spread worldwide with the Indian diaspora.

Sexypink - This was brought to my attention most recently.

[forgedfromlove]

From the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago:

“Happy 50th Birthday to Machel Montano!

The Trinbagonian soca artiste, calypsonian, entertainer, and record producer celebrated his 50th Birthday yesterday, November 24th 2024!

In 1985, Montano first became famous at the age of nine, with his song "Too Young to Soca" that was released while he was still in primary school. It won him the Junior Monarch crown, and began an acclaimed local and international musical career that continues today.

His infectious Carnival hits have led to six International Soca Monarch titles, ten Trinidad and Tobago Road March wins, and this year, he became the 2024 Calypso Monarch winner.

Additionally, Montano is known for his philanthropic efforts, and support towards charitable organisations and initiatives that support youth and the arts in Trinidad and Tobago, such as the Machel Montano Foundation for Greatness, and "Montanos' Chocolate Company".

Last month, he received the Entertainer's Keys to New York City in Queens, New York For his work and contributions to the cultural and social fabric of the community. Previously, he had also been awarded the Keys to the Cities of Kingston, San Fernando, and Port of Spain.

This photo is courtesy of the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian Newspaper, Feb 5th 2024. It is part of the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago Newspaper Collection.

References:

Montano, Elizabeth. King of Soca: The Ultimate Insider Reveals How Machel Montano Became One of the World's Most Popular Soca”

[izatrini]

Beloved nutsman Jumbo dies at 66 - Trinidad & Tobago Express Newspapers

Beloved nutsman Jumbo dies at 66  Trinidad & Tobago Express Newspapers http://dlvr.it/T486h6

[brookston]

Holidays 5.30

Holidays

Anguilla Day (Anguilla)

Arab Juice Day

Arbor Day (Honduras)

Biafra Remembrance Day (Nigeria)

Canary Islands Day (Spain)

Daily Newspaper Day

Fakesgiving

Fishing Day (Elder Scrolls)

Foster Care Day (Poland)

Garden Amazement Day

Give OUT Day

Harvest Festival (Malaysia)

Heirloom Seed Day

Hovercraft Day

Ice Cream Freezer Day

Indian Arrival Day (Trinidad and Tobago)

International Doubles Day

International Hug Your Cat Day

Jag’s McCartney Day (Turks and Caicos Islands)

Joan of Arc Day

Jump Rope Day

Kaamatan Harvest Festival begins (Kadazandusuns; Malaysia)

KidLitPit Pitch Day

Lod Massacre Remembrance Day (Puerto Rico)

Loomis Day

Ming-Na Day

Mother’s Day (Nicaragua)

My Bucket's Got A Hole In It Day

National Creativity Day

National E-Bike Day

National Gopher Revolution Day

National Hole in My Bucket Day

National Jennifer Day

National Multiple Sclerosis Day

National Nail Tech Day

National Recruiters Day

National Scout Day (Maldives)

National Sofia Day

National Women in Baseball Day

No Garbage Day (Japan)

Paperback Writer Day

Reconciliation Day (Australia)

Sabitri Amabasya (Odisha, India)

Strawberry Day (French Republic)

Swing Day a.k.a. Tano Day (Korea) [5th Day of 5th Lunar Month]

Take a Girl Child to Work Day (South Africa)

This Day

Water a Flower Day

World Foster Day

World Juice Day

World MS Day

World Sea Lion Day

World Vape Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

International Day of the Potato

National Mint Julep Day

National Potato Day (Peru)

National Scone Day

Okroshka Day (Russia)

Independence & Related Days

Dan Državnosti (Statehood Day; Croatia)

Eintractia (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Eleytheria (Declared; 2010) [unrecognized]

Goa Statehood Day (India)

Parliament Day (Croatia)

5th & Last Thursday in May

Red Nose Day (US) [Last Thursday]

Throwback Thursday [Every Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning May 30 (Last Week)

Great American Brass Band Week (thru 6.1)

Festivals Beginning May 30, 2024

Beaumont Cherry Festival (Beaumont, California) [thru 6.2]

Buffalo Days (Luverne, Minnesota) [thru 6.2]

Electromagnetic Field (Eastnor, UK) [thru 6.2]

Farm Fest & Delta Smoke BBQ (Wynne, Arkansas) [thru 6.8]

Harvest Festival (Malaysia)

Helen to the Atlantic Balloon Race (Helen, Georgia) [thru 6.1]

Kaamatan Harvest Festival begins (Kadazandusuns; Malaysia)

Kyiv Book Arsenal (Kyiv, Ukraine) [thru 6.2]

Lebanon Strawberry Festival (Lebanon, Oregon) [thru 6.2]

Mentone Egg Festival (Mentone, Indiana) [thru 6.1]

Narzissenfest (Aussee, Austria) [thru 6.2]

Newport News Greek Festival (Newport News, Virginia) [thru 6.2]

Poke Sallet Festival (Harlan, Kentucky) [thru 6.1]

Veganmania (Vienna, Austria) [thru 6.2]

Vermont Dairy Festival (Enosburg Falls, Vermont) [thru 6.2]

West Coast Produce Expo (Palm Desert, California) [thru 6.1]

Zabaikalsky International Film Festival (Chita, Russia) [thru 6.2]

Zlín Film Festival (Zlín, Czech Republic) [thru 6.5]

Feast Days

St. Chrysostom (Positivist; Saint)

Einherjar (Asatru; memorial to war dead in Valhalla)

Eleutherius, pope (Christian; Saint)

Exsuperantius (Christian; Saint)

Feast of the Queen of Heaven (Pagan)

Felix, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Ferdinand III of Castile, King of Castile and Leon (Christian; Saint)

Fernando Amorsolo (Artology)

Frigg's Day (Norse Queen of Heaven)

Goibhniu (Celtic Book of Days)

Harvest Festival (Malaysia)

Isaac of Dalmatia (Christian; Saint)

Joan of Arc (Christian; Saint)

Joan of Arc Day (Everyday Wicca)

John Gilroy (Artology)

Joseph Marello (Christian; Saint)

Madelgislus (Christian; Saint)

Maguil, Recluse in Picardy (Christian; Saint)

Meinherjar (Feast of Valhalla; Pagan)

Pro Hart (Artology)

Random Acts of Kindness Day (Pastafarian)

Robert Ryman (Artology)

Spook (Muppetism)

This Day (Shamanism)

Walston of Bawburgh (Christian; Saint) [Agricultural Works, Farmers, Farm Workers, Field Hands]

Winnie Ruth Judd Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Christian Liturgical Holidays

Corpus Christi [Thursday after Trinity Sunday; 60 days after Easter] a.k.a. ... 

Corpo de Deus (Portugal)

Corpus Christi Day (Most Christian Countries)

Corpus Domini (San Marino)

Dancing Devils of Corpus Christi (Venezuela)

Day of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ the Lord

El Colacho (Baby Jumping; Castrillo de Murica, Spain)

Feast of Corpus Christi

Feast of the Body of God (East Timor)

Fête Dieu (Monaco, Seychelles)

Fronleichnam (Switzerland)

Leonard P. Howell Day (Rastafari)

Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikhism)

Mystery Plays (Ancient Europe)

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Thanksgiving for Holy Communion (Anglican Church)

Tijelovo (Croatia)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [29 of 57]

Premieres

Bartered Bride, by Bedřich Smetana (Comic Opera; 1866)

Bingo Crosbyana (WB MM Cartoon; 1936)

Bulloney (MGM Cartoon; 1933)

The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum (Novel; 1980)

Dark Town Strutters Ball, recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (1917)

The Death of Virgil, by Hermann Broch (Novel; 1945)

Dick Whittington’s Cat (ComiColor Cartoon; 1936)

Dumb Patrol (WB LT Cartoon; 1931)

Elric of Melniboné Michael Moorcock (Novel; 1972) [Elric Saga #1]

Finding Nemo (Animated Disney Film; 2003)

Girls Like You, by Maroon 5 (Song; 2018)

Heir Bear, featuring Barney Bear (MGM Cartoon; 1953)

How to Stuff a Woodpecker (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1960)

The Italian Job (Film; 2003)

A Journey Round My Skull, by Frigyes Karinthy (Novel; 1936)

Le Bowser Bagger (The Inspector Cartoon; 1967)

Living in the Material World, by George Harrison (Album; 1973)

The Lyin’ Lion (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1949)

Maleficent (Film; 2014)

The Marshall Mathers LP, by Eminem (Album; 2000)

Mighty Mouse Meets Deadeye Dick (Mighty Mouse Cartoon; 1947)

Movie Phoney news (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1938)

One Hundred Years of Solitude (Novel; 1967)

Parasite (Film; 2019)

Passenger to Frankfurt, by Agatha Christie (Novel; 1971)

The Pups’ Picnic (Happy Harmonies Cartoon; 1936)

Puss n’ Toots (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1942)

Sex and the City (Film; 2008)

Six Days of the Condor, by James Grady (Novel; 1974)

Unsung Hero (Hector Heathcote Cartoon; 1961)

Violin Concerto No. 1, by Béla Bartók (Concerto; 1958)

What Happens At Night (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1941)

Zero the Hound (Animated Antics Cartoon; 1941)

Today’s Name Days

Ferdinand, Johanna, Otto (Austria)

Emiliya (Bulgaria)

Ferdinand, Ivana (Croatia)

Ferdinand (Czech Republic)

Vigand (Denmark)

Argo, Arro (Estonia)

Pasi (Finland)

Ferdinand, Jeanne, Lorraine (France)

Felix, Ferdinand, Johanna (Germany)

Emmeleia (Greece)

Janka, Zsanett (Hungary)

Felice, Ferdinando, Giovanni (Italy)

Kredo, Lola, Lolita, Vitolds (Latvia)

Ferdinandas, Joana, Jomilė, Vyliaudas, Žana (Lithuania)

Gard, Geir (Norway)

Andonik, Feliks, Ferdynand, Joanna, Sulimir (Poland)

Isaachie (România)

Ferdinand (Slovakia)

Estela, Estrella, Fernando, Juana (Spain)

Fritjof, Vera, Veronika (Sweden)

Joan, Joani, Joann, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Fawn, Fern, Fernanda, Fernando, Ferdinand, Ferdinanda, Ferdinando (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 151 of 2024; 215 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 22 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 19 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ji-Si), Day 23 (Jia-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 22 Iyar 5784

Islamic: 22 Dhu al-Qada 1445

J Cal: 1 Blue; Oneday [1 of 30]

Julian: 17 May 2024

Moon: 50%: Last Quarter

Positivist: 10 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Chrysostom]

Runic Half Month: Odal (Home, Possession) [Day 6 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 73 of 92)

Week: Last Week of May

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 10 of 31)

Calendar Changes

Blue (J Calendar) [Month 6 of 12]

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 150 of 2023; 215 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of week 22 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 16 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ding-Si), Day 12 (Wu-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 10 Sivan 5783

Islamic: 10 Dhu al-Qada 1444

J Cal: 30 Bīja; Ninthday [30 of 30]

Julian: 17 May 2023

Moon: 78%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 10 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Chrysostom]

Runic Half Month: Odal (Home, Possession) [Day 5 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 71 of 90)

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 9 of 32)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 5.30

Holidays

Anguilla Day (Anguilla)

Arab Juice Day

Arbor Day (Honduras)

Biafra Remembrance Day (Nigeria)

Canary Islands Day (Spain)

Daily Newspaper Day

Fakesgiving

Fishing Day (Elder Scrolls)

Foster Care Day (Poland)

Garden Amazement Day

Give OUT Day

Harvest Festival (Malaysia)

Heirloom Seed Day

Hovercraft Day

Ice Cream Freezer Day

Indian Arrival Day (Trinidad and Tobago)

International Doubles Day

International Hug Your Cat Day

Jag’s McCartney Day (Turks and Caicos Islands)

Joan of Arc Day

Jump Rope Day

Kaamatan Harvest Festival begins (Kadazandusuns; Malaysia)

KidLitPit Pitch Day

Lod Massacre Remembrance Day (Puerto Rico)

Loomis Day

Ming-Na Day

Mother’s Day (Nicaragua)

My Bucket's Got A Hole In It Day

National Creativity Day

National E-Bike Day

National Gopher Revolution Day

National Hole in My Bucket Day

National Jennifer Day

National Multiple Sclerosis Day

National Nail Tech Day

National Recruiters Day

National Scout Day (Maldives)

National Sofia Day

National Women in Baseball Day

No Garbage Day (Japan)

Paperback Writer Day

Reconciliation Day (Australia)

Sabitri Amabasya (Odisha, India)

Strawberry Day (French Republic)

Swing Day a.k.a. Tano Day (Korea) [5th Day of 5th Lunar Month]

Take a Girl Child to Work Day (South Africa)

This Day

Water a Flower Day

World Foster Day

World Juice Day

World MS Day

World Sea Lion Day

World Vape Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

International Day of the Potato

National Mint Julep Day

National Potato Day (Peru)

National Scone Day

Okroshka Day (Russia)

Independence & Related Days

Dan Državnosti (Statehood Day; Croatia)

Eintractia (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Eleytheria (Declared; 2010) [unrecognized]

Goa Statehood Day (India)

Parliament Day (Croatia)

5th & Last Thursday in May

Red Nose Day (US) [Last Thursday]

Throwback Thursday [Every Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning May 30 (Last Week)

Great American Brass Band Week (thru 6.1)

Festivals Beginning May 30, 2024

Beaumont Cherry Festival (Beaumont, California) [thru 6.2]

Buffalo Days (Luverne, Minnesota) [thru 6.2]

Electromagnetic Field (Eastnor, UK) [thru 6.2]

Farm Fest & Delta Smoke BBQ (Wynne, Arkansas) [thru 6.8]

Harvest Festival (Malaysia)

Helen to the Atlantic Balloon Race (Helen, Georgia) [thru 6.1]

Kaamatan Harvest Festival begins (Kadazandusuns; Malaysia)

Kyiv Book Arsenal (Kyiv, Ukraine) [thru 6.2]

Lebanon Strawberry Festival (Lebanon, Oregon) [thru 6.2]

Mentone Egg Festival (Mentone, Indiana) [thru 6.1]

Narzissenfest (Aussee, Austria) [thru 6.2]

Newport News Greek Festival (Newport News, Virginia) [thru 6.2]

Poke Sallet Festival (Harlan, Kentucky) [thru 6.1]

Veganmania (Vienna, Austria) [thru 6.2]

Vermont Dairy Festival (Enosburg Falls, Vermont) [thru 6.2]

West Coast Produce Expo (Palm Desert, California) [thru 6.1]

Zabaikalsky International Film Festival (Chita, Russia) [thru 6.2]

Zlín Film Festival (Zlín, Czech Republic) [thru 6.5]

Feast Days

St. Chrysostom (Positivist; Saint)

Einherjar (Asatru; memorial to war dead in Valhalla)

Eleutherius, pope (Christian; Saint)

Exsuperantius (Christian; Saint)

Feast of the Queen of Heaven (Pagan)

Felix, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Ferdinand III of Castile, King of Castile and Leon (Christian; Saint)

Fernando Amorsolo (Artology)

Frigg's Day (Norse Queen of Heaven)

Goibhniu (Celtic Book of Days)

Harvest Festival (Malaysia)

Isaac of Dalmatia (Christian; Saint)

Joan of Arc (Christian; Saint)

Joan of Arc Day (Everyday Wicca)

John Gilroy (Artology)

Joseph Marello (Christian; Saint)

Madelgislus (Christian; Saint)

Maguil, Recluse in Picardy (Christian; Saint)

Meinherjar (Feast of Valhalla; Pagan)

Pro Hart (Artology)

Random Acts of Kindness Day (Pastafarian)

Robert Ryman (Artology)

Spook (Muppetism)

This Day (Shamanism)

Walston of Bawburgh (Christian; Saint) [Agricultural Works, Farmers, Farm Workers, Field Hands]

Winnie Ruth Judd Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Christian Liturgical Holidays

Corpus Christi [Thursday after Trinity Sunday; 60 days after Easter] a.k.a. ... 

Corpo de Deus (Portugal)

Corpus Christi Day (Most Christian Countries)

Corpus Domini (San Marino)

Dancing Devils of Corpus Christi (Venezuela)

Day of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ the Lord

El Colacho (Baby Jumping; Castrillo de Murica, Spain)

Feast of Corpus Christi

Feast of the Body of God (East Timor)

Fête Dieu (Monaco, Seychelles)

Fronleichnam (Switzerland)

Leonard P. Howell Day (Rastafari)

Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikhism)

Mystery Plays (Ancient Europe)

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Thanksgiving for Holy Communion (Anglican Church)

Tijelovo (Croatia)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [29 of 57]

Premieres

Bartered Bride, by Bedřich Smetana (Comic Opera; 1866)

Bingo Crosbyana (WB MM Cartoon; 1936)

Bulloney (MGM Cartoon; 1933)

The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum (Novel; 1980)

Dark Town Strutters Ball, recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (1917)

The Death of Virgil, by Hermann Broch (Novel; 1945)

Dick Whittington’s Cat (ComiColor Cartoon; 1936)

Dumb Patrol (WB LT Cartoon; 1931)

Elric of Melniboné Michael Moorcock (Novel; 1972) [Elric Saga #1]

Finding Nemo (Animated Disney Film; 2003)

Girls Like You, by Maroon 5 (Song; 2018)

Heir Bear, featuring Barney Bear (MGM Cartoon; 1953)

How to Stuff a Woodpecker (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1960)

The Italian Job (Film; 2003)

A Journey Round My Skull, by Frigyes Karinthy (Novel; 1936)

Le Bowser Bagger (The Inspector Cartoon; 1967)

Living in the Material World, by George Harrison (Album; 1973)

The Lyin’ Lion (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1949)

Maleficent (Film; 2014)

The Marshall Mathers LP, by Eminem (Album; 2000)

Mighty Mouse Meets Deadeye Dick (Mighty Mouse Cartoon; 1947)

Movie Phoney news (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1938)

One Hundred Years of Solitude (Novel; 1967)

Parasite (Film; 2019)

Passenger to Frankfurt, by Agatha Christie (Novel; 1971)

The Pups’ Picnic (Happy Harmonies Cartoon; 1936)

Puss n’ Toots (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1942)

Sex and the City (Film; 2008)

Six Days of the Condor, by James Grady (Novel; 1974)

Unsung Hero (Hector Heathcote Cartoon; 1961)

Violin Concerto No. 1, by Béla Bartók (Concerto; 1958)

What Happens At Night (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1941)

Zero the Hound (Animated Antics Cartoon; 1941)

Today’s Name Days

Ferdinand, Johanna, Otto (Austria)

Emiliya (Bulgaria)

Ferdinand, Ivana (Croatia)

Ferdinand (Czech Republic)

Vigand (Denmark)

Argo, Arro (Estonia)

Pasi (Finland)

Ferdinand, Jeanne, Lorraine (France)

Felix, Ferdinand, Johanna (Germany)

Emmeleia (Greece)

Janka, Zsanett (Hungary)

Felice, Ferdinando, Giovanni (Italy)

Kredo, Lola, Lolita, Vitolds (Latvia)

Ferdinandas, Joana, Jomilė, Vyliaudas, Žana (Lithuania)

Gard, Geir (Norway)

Andonik, Feliks, Ferdynand, Joanna, Sulimir (Poland)

Isaachie (România)

Ferdinand (Slovakia)

Estela, Estrella, Fernando, Juana (Spain)

Fritjof, Vera, Veronika (Sweden)

Joan, Joani, Joann, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Fawn, Fern, Fernanda, Fernando, Ferdinand, Ferdinanda, Ferdinando (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 151 of 2024; 215 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 22 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 19 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ji-Si), Day 23 (Jia-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 22 Iyar 5784

Islamic: 22 Dhu al-Qada 1445

J Cal: 1 Blue; Oneday [1 of 30]

Julian: 17 May 2024

Moon: 50%: Last Quarter

Positivist: 10 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Chrysostom]

Runic Half Month: Odal (Home, Possession) [Day 6 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 73 of 92)

Week: Last Week of May

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 10 of 31)

Calendar Changes

Blue (J Calendar) [Month 6 of 12]

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 150 of 2023; 215 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of week 22 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 16 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ding-Si), Day 12 (Wu-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 10 Sivan 5783

Islamic: 10 Dhu al-Qada 1444

J Cal: 30 Bīja; Ninthday [30 of 30]

Julian: 17 May 2023

Moon: 78%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 10 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Chrysostom]

Runic Half Month: Odal (Home, Possession) [Day 5 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 71 of 90)

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 9 of 32)

[streamlass]

Another funny thing I've seen, though, is people claiming something "must be AI-generated" for...no apparent reason.

One was "spelling mistakes & that website looks bad." The website was an industry site, and I didn't find any significant spelling or grammar mistakes when I read the article in question. A typo, yes. I see those in the newspaper, & published books from 1893, too.

The other was "that doesn't mention a country & if it was it should be in Spanish" for a mud volcano in Trinidad and Tobago. It was a local news site, with a ".tt" address; and the official language of that country is English.

I don't like "AI" hype. I think the overuse of it for worthless corporate bullshit is tainting the actual use of machine learning models & statistics, and all to generate garbage (which we already have marketing departments for, we don't need twice as much garbage in the world). But geez louise, it really seems that "artificial intelligence* is no match for natural stupidity."

*(citation needed)

[lboogie1906]

Anthony Bonair (March 7, 1945 - March 14, 2011) was born in Trinidad and Tobago. His mother Beryl Bonair was a seamstress and his father, Irvin Bonair, was an artisan who created handmade masks.

He attended a private school in Trinidad and grew up raising homing pigeons that he trained to fly far distances and then return home. At age 18, he received a Canon camera as a gift from a friend in the US. The camera opened a new world to him, and when he moved to New York City, the camera stayed close by his side. He took a job at a photography lab. He then enrolled at Hunter College, where he earned a BS in accounting, and later, an MA in non-profit management from the New School. He worked as an accountant for most of his life in New York until he was laid off. He took the opportunity to immerse himself in the art he was producing and become his businessman.

He produced black & white, portraits, triple exposures with images layered on top of each other as well as more recent abstract pieces. It was his unique view of the world of carnivals though, that rings clear in the mind of those who knew the artist. He brought viewers to see the ornate, entangled elements of the costumes and masks that were worn during celebrations. The images, which span as far back as the 1970s, show his close attention to detail.

His photos document the social environment and leave a new standard for street photography. He offers the viewer a visual gift that stimulates the spirit and evokes dreams.

His work has been exhibited in several galleries. He has been published in numerous magazines, newspapers, and books. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[valkyries-things]

CLAUDIA JONES // JOURNALIST

“She was a Trinidad and Tobago-born journalist and activist. As a child, she migrated with her family to the United States, where she became a Communist political activist, feminist and Black nationalist, adopting the name Jones as “self-protective disinformation”. Due to the political persecution of Communists in the US, she was deported in 1955 and subsequently lived in the United States. Upon arriving in the UK, she immediately joined the Communist Party of Great Britain and would remain a member for the rest of her life. She then founded Britain’s first major Black newspaper, the West Indian Gazette, in 1958, and played a central role in founding the Notting Hill Carnival, the second-largest annual carnival in the world.”

[galleryyuhself]

Galleryyuhself - Researched by Lee Johnson from the archive of Angelo Bissessarsingh.

............................................

This is an ad from the POS Gazette in 1870. Look at the bottom section of the ad and you’ll see a section advertising its restaurant.

It was clearly a small evolution of the Trinidad Ice Company, accustomed to selling meats, wines and other foodstuffs to evolve into a restaurant.

It’s likely that it was one of the first restaurants in the (British) Caribbean. The French were the ones who initiated the idea of the restaurant. After the defeat of Napoleon, several of the gourmet chefs who had worked for the French nobility, found it lucrative to offer their services to the broader public (One Mathurin Roze de Chantoiseau is credited as being the “author’ of the modern restaurant).

Trinidad at the time was essentially French; and the royalist, French gentry who made up the planter class (and whose purchases seemed like a shopping list from a gourmet deli, catering to lifestyles eager to ape Parisian fashion) would have been customers to this new establishment. The restaurant offered substantially different fare from the inns and taverns that were the only other places of public food consumption.

The restaurant was initially a kind of dish, made up of a variety of herbs, usually brandy and a selection of meats, slowly reduced to a bouillon consistency. This concoction was seen as a health restorative. Indeed, the word restaurant is derived from the word restaurer, the French for restore.

Just as the Parisian society would go to cafes to enjoy coffee, so too would they go to specialist places to enjoy the meal, restaurant. These specialist places effortlessly morphed into the modern restaurant where one went to enjoy the delights of specialist cuisine.

Trinidad in 1870 (or the white French creole society) was but a heartbeat behind fashionable Parisian society.

[sexypinkon]

Sexypink - A major Icon has left us richer, sadder and grateful.

............................................................................................................................

The National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago extends our condolences to the family and friends of the legendary Calypsonian, Gospel Singer, and former Calypso Monarch, Denyse Plummer.

Denyse Plummer broke barriers when she first emerged on the calypso scene during the 1980s, facing criticism onstage at Skinner Park as a “mixed”, female calypsonian in what has traditionally been seen as a male-dominated field. She never let this deter her however, and adamantly portrayed her love for her craft to the best of her ability, which earned her multiple crowns as Calypso Queen, and the 2001 Calypso Monarch Title with her popular song, “Nah Leaving”.

She began singing from an early age as a student at Holy Name Convent, and with their choir won several youth music competitions. Additionally, she participated in popular local talent competitions: "12 and Under", and "Scouting for Talent." As an adult, she regularly performed at the Chaconia Inn in Maraval during the 1970s-1980s.

Plummer released her first album in 1978. Her popular melodies eventually made their way to the ears of Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, who invited her to perform the Phase II Pan Groove steelband’s Panorama song, “Pan Rising” in 1986, although she had never sung calypso before. Her infamous debut at the Calypso Monarch semi-finals at Skinner Park saw jeering crowds throw projectiles at her on stage which she then incorporated into her performance, winning herself the respect of her audience and revealing why, “Woman is Boss”, as her 1988 song stated.

Following this, she was invited by calypsonian Superblue to perform at his Culture House calypso tent, and then at the late Aldwyn Roberts’, (Lord Kitchener’s) calypso tent The Revue, where she remained for 18 years. She enjoyed a successful calypso career and performed widely abroad as well, even winning Amateur Night at the Apollo Theatre in New York in 1989.

From 2015 until her passing Denyse Plummer had become a performer of Gospel music, but still incorporated the rhythm and music of calypso into her songs. In 2011, she was awarded the Trinidad & Tobago Hummingbird Medal Gold for her contributions to culture.

This photo is courtesy of the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, July 26, 2023, which is part of the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago Newspaper Collection.

References: Sookdeo, Bavina. “Denyse Plummer Privileged and Honoured.” Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, 8 Feb. 2013.