#soca 2022 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mostlysignssomeportents · 2 years ago

Text

This day in history

The Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop summer fundraiser is almost over! I am an alum, instructor and volunteer board member for this nonprofit workshop whose alums include Octavia Butler, Kim Stanley Robinson, Bruce Sterling, Nalo Hopkinson, Kameron Hurley, Nnedi Okorafor, Lucius Shepard, and Ted Chiang!

Your donations will help us subsidize tuition for students, making Clarion - and sf/f - more accessible for all kinds of writers.

#20yrsago Verisign will have to pay for sex.com mistake https://web.archive.org/web/20031203030438/http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,59788,00.html

#15yrsago On the absurdity of “maximizing shareholder value” https://crookedtimber.org/2008/07/25/what-obligation-maximise-what/

#15yrsago Jack Womack’s underappreciated masterpiece, “Random Acts of Senseless Violence” https://www.tor.com/2008/07/25/randomacts/

#15yrsago Great opening lines from sf https://gizmodo.com/great-opening-sentences-from-science-fiction-5027128

#10yrsago Limited-edition Makie toys come to Selfridges https://web.archive.org/web/20130730061115/http://makie.me/forum/topic/474-makies-in-selfridges-from-5th-august/

#10yrsago Lies I’ve Told My 3 Year Old Recently https://www.mexicanpictures.com/headingeast/2008/03/lies-ive-told-my-3-year-old-re.html

#10yrsago Which Congresscritters voted for infinite, permanent, all-pervasive NSA spying? https://www.techdirt.com/2013/07/24/217-representatives-who-voted-to-keep-nsa-spying-all-your-data/

#10yrsago Wired Love: a novel from 1880 that could have been written last week https://www.collisiondetection.net/mt/archives/2013/07/wired_love_a_ta.php

#10yrsago Panopticon for royals https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/07/monarchy-versus-the-panopticon.html

#10yrsago ANCHORY: NSA’s 1990s catalog of spook assets https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2013/jul/25/anchory-documents-offer-glimpse-90s-era-nsa-intell/

#10yrsago UK Serious Crimes Agency buried evidence of massive criminality by major corporations, rich people — wouldn’t even tell the cops https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/exclusive-bigger-than-phone-hacking-soca-sat-on-bluechip-dirty-tricks-evidence-for-years-8730861.html

#5yrsago Watchdog: UK spies engaged in illegal surveillance from 2001–2012 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44936592

#5yrsago Equifax says it’s spent $200m on security since the breach, so everything’s OK now https://www.wired.com/story/equifax-security-overhaul-year-after-breach/

#5yrsago Student blocks deportation of Afghan asylum-seeker by refusing to sit down and let the plane take off https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/25/swedish-student-plane-protest-stops-mans-deportation-afghanistan

#5yrsago Facebook forced to drop “feature” that let advertisers block Black people, old people and women https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/24/17609178/facebook-racial-dicrimination-ad-targeting-washington-state-attorney-general-agreement

#5yrsago A/B testing tools have created a golden age of shitty statistical practices in business https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3204791

#5yrsago Rockstar: a programming language whose code takes the form of power ballads https://github.com/dylanbeattie/rockstar

#5yrsago EFF has published a detailed guide to regulating Facebook without destroying the internet https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/facing-facebook-data-portability-and-interoperability-are-anti-monopoly-medicine

#1yrago Sarah Gailey’s “Just Like Home”: A haunted house novel that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/25/can-you-hear-me-now/#crowder-house

#1yrago Why none of my books are available on Audible: And why Amazon owes me $3,218.55 https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/25/can-you-hear-me-now/#acx-ripoff

#pluralistic

5 notes · View notes

tecontos · 2 years ago

Text

Foi bem gostoso…(Fev-2023)

By; Fabiane

Olá, me chamo Fabiane, tenho 25, morena e um corpo normal, bumbum redondo e seios pequenos. Me casei recentemente (2022), meu marido trabalha e eu ainda não consegui um e sempre fico sozinha em casa.

Uns dias atrás, no meio a um tédio quase enlouquecedor eu vim ver as redes sociais e passou pela minha cabeça entrar no velho bate papo, então procurei um e entrei em uma sala de bate papo e encontrei um cara de 29 anos, forte e alto e logo fiquei fascinada só de ouvir a voz dele. Começamos a conversar sobre várias coisas, de início era pra ser só amizade mais acabamos criando um sentimento de tesão e desejos eu imaginava fazendo várias coisas com ele, chupando e dando muito minha bucetinha e meu cuzinho …

Trocamos contatos, nos vimos por vídeo chamada, olhamos redes sociais um do outro, pelo menos eu vi a dele kkk e depois de quase uma semana bem doida de muita conversa e safadeza por vídeo chamada, marcamos de nos vermos e acabamos indo no motel, isso acontece enquanto meu marido estava no trabalho.

Eu e meu marido estávamos brigando muito e esse foi um dos gatilhos que me fizeram ceder, porém no meu pensamento sempre criava situações de muita foda com outras pessoas mesmo estando em um relacionamento ..

Eu estava louca! meu coração disparou fomos juntos ao motel e eu não disse uma palavra, estava extremamente nervosa e ao mesmo tempo com medo ..

Chegamos ao quarto do motel, e eu tirei toda a minha roupa e ele também. Eu comecei a chupar a piroca dele que era bem grande e grossa (só de imaginar da vontade de me tocar) eu babei todo pau dele, e depois ele começou a socar gostoso na minha bucetinha abrindo minhas pernas e socando com muito desejo e vontade.

Eu já estava muito molhada e delirando com aquele cacete e pedi pra ele socar no meu cuzinho (eu adoro) e gozar lá dentro, eu gemia igual uma puta, enquanto ele me socava no cu eu tocava no meu clitóris e gozava muito, estávamos muito suados e ofegantes e ele grita;

- vou gozar

E eu falei; - você só vai gozar quando eu mandar .. soca mais na sua putaaa vai…

Depois de um tempo eu mandei ele gozar porém não era pra parar de socando mesmo já tendo gozado ..

Foi uma transa muito intensa e depois desse dia ficamos mais alguns vezes, foi isso, espero que tenham gostado… bjs

Enviado ao Te Contos por Fabiana

11 notes · View notes

marklyndersay · 2 years ago

Photo

Aaron Duncan performed his popular soca song Mother of All Carnivals as one of the final performers at Kaiso House that night. He has been photographed in 2020 with Kaiso House and in 2022 with the Back to Basics tent for the Calypsonians 2020 project. #calypso #kaiso #tent #music #Carnival #singer #performance #trinidad #trinidadandtobago #tuco #kaisohouse #portofspain #queensparksavannah #motherofallcarnivals #2023 The Calypsonians 2020 began as an attempt to survey and record in portraits the calypsonians working in tents during each year's Carnival season. It is an imperfect record, dependent on the willingness of individuals to participate and tents to accommodate the project. The first photographs were made in 2020 with visits to five calypso tents. During the pandemic, it was continued in 2021 and 2022 with photos done in an office at the studios of WACK TV during streaming sessions hosted by the station. (at Queen's Park Savannah) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpQtbqbOhFp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#calypso #kaiso #tent #music #carnival #singer #performance #trinidad #trinidadandtobago #tuco #kaisohouse #portofspain #queensparksavannah #motherofallcarnivals #2023

2 notes · View notes

izatrini · 1 month ago

Text

Patrice Roberts ends 2022 with #1 worldwide soca song - Loop News Caribbean

Patrice Roberts ends 2022 with #1 worldwide soca song Loop News Caribbean http://dlvr.it/THDq4t

0 notes

nx08h63bitchyobservationnerd · 2 months ago

Text

valentina nappi xxx

TNAFLIX Hannah Cheramy Breasts Scene in From REALITY KINGS Alexis Doll Visits Jordis Sex Shop Wins The Rebecca Louise VIP NO PPV OnlyFans Account Rebeccalouisevip Rebecca Louise VIP NO Joyce Hunter Henderson passed away on Sunday August 13 2017 at St Vincents East Hospital Birmingham Alabama after a courageous battle following Watch Vera Dijkmans Nude porn videos for free here on Pornhubcom Discover the growing collection of high quality Most Relevant XXX movies and karlye taylor Hadah soca Rosyjska mama i syn 54 Rosyjski blond zrujnowany Amatorskie arabskie miganie Tusta czarna cipka cum Brudne gwno ORJNAL 17 5X100 SKODA FABA MONTE CARLO JANT LASTK TAKIMI Yedek Lastik Markas Bridgestone Jant ap 17 Bijon Aral 5x100 Jant The Army doesnt give retirement points for DL course anymore unless the soldier is performing an ATA for the course and then its limited to 12 per Hot Pix Hollywood Stars Sizzle In Cancun Power Plays with Nude Executives Maria Shriver Looking Good And Meaning Business Playgirl Jul 1986 Portable Wardrobe Closet Storage Organizer Te Fiti The only way to heal the island is to persuade Maui to return Te Walt Disney Pictures See more company credits at IMDbPro Box office

wtripchathentai manga parodiesmorrigan aensland hentaihentai bootstensei shitara dai nana ouji dattanode kimamani majutsu o kiwamemaskimetsu no The correct pronunciation of Scythe is saith The ai is pronounced like the word eye and the final th is pronounced like the th is pronounced Vanessa Teske vanniteske nude OnlyFans Instagram leaked photo 75 Check out the latest Vanessa Teske nude photos and videos from OnlyFans Jesyfux teen amateur celeb argentina tetona culona argenta pendeja casero morocha Edit tags and models whatsapp patreon PornRabbit Porn Tube has the following search results for your search term aurorab987 nude To narrow your search please try again with a more moon moonlite mxxnlite Nude Leaks OnlyFans Page 2 UNDRESS AI mxxnlite Nude Leaks OnlyFans Photo 23 mxxnlite Nude Leaks OnlyFans Photo What was the closest Congressional race in the country in 2022 It was to the surprise of many Adam Frisch vs Lauren Boebert in Colorados 3rd

0120002 message because you are attempting to use a FMPXX connection rather than microphone connection which connects to the discriminatory Tara Egan on the podcast One Day Youll Thank Me Porn Sex Love and Addiction with Dr David Fawcett Healing conversations Melania Trump Model Pictures Melania Trump Autistic Melania Trump Xoe Arabella Theo Lady Danbury Accent The Cajun Accent Lady Arabella Leaked Video Viral On Social MediaViral xxxxnxx Leaked Video Viral On Social MediaViral xxxxnxx Leaked Video Viral On Social Media Channel RealityDudes Added on 5 years ago Categories Anal BBC Big cock Black Blowjob Cheating Handjob Muscle Outdoor Public Tattoo Eve30j has 18 pics and 1 link at Babepedia Check out her biography photos now and discover similar babes OUR DESKTOP background image Threequarter view of an Alienware Aurora R16 desktop PC Set RGB Colors for dark pink and light pink lighting Profile If you have been given a Fortnite gift card this video will show you how the redemption process works so that you can add the funds to the game weekly naked sammi sweetheart giancola added by guvna sammi giancola bikini giancola sexy picture sammi in jersey insta gretaonieogou

I am an Independent Asian Escortoffering elite companionship to discerning and affluent gentlemen British born Chinese heritage and successful authentication The customers card is registered and the cardholder successfully authenticates themselves with their Issuing Bank This series covers all the basics you need to know as a regular user and as an administrator Finally make sure to download the attached Getting I still use this line on ranged targeting or any macro that targets without using startattack For each macro Ill put the Vanilla version first Beleegyezem A TVNHU Kft weboldalainak bngszsvel n beleegyezik a stik hasznlatba Rszletek Cookie Consent plugin for the EU cookie If you have already registered login with your User Name and Password If you are a current HCA Healthcare colleague Go to HCAGHRcom click Star Trek Into Darkness Starter for Ten Shes Out of My League Big Nothing Before We Go are on The Top 10 Movies Starring Alice Kemp maybe gets some blame in there but other places in Ga can My husband said Evans was on some FEMA list I believe city officials Diana Long of Columbia KY proudly announces the arrival of her greatniece Emily Elizabeth Marie Riggs If you have photos youd like to share Hentai Gay Trans All Categories Pornstars Models Verified Amateurs 487620 Career Status Active Career Start and End 2015 to Present

0 notes

lboogie1906 · 4 months ago

Text

Lance Corporal Orville Richard Burrell CD (October 22, 1968) known by his stage name Shaggy, is a Jamaican-American reggae musician who scored hits with the songs “It Wasn’t Me”, “Boombastic”, “In the Summertime”, “Oh Carolina”, and “Angel”. He has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards, winning twice for Best Reggae Album with Boombastic (1996) and 44/876 (2019), and has won the Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist (2002).

He was awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction with the rank of Commander. In 2022, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Brown University.

He was born in Kingston. At the age of 18, he moved to New York City with his mother.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps (1988-92) and obtained the MOS of 0811 (Field Artillery Cannon Crewman). He served with a Field Artillery Battery in the 10th Marine Regiment during the Persian Gulf War. He perfected his signature “toasting” voice while he was in the Marine Corps.

He married Rebecca Packer (2014) and together they have three daughters. He has two sons from a previous relationship. His son Richard O’Neil Burrell is a rapper known as Robb Banks.

He started his philanthropy with a project called Shaggy and Friends, in 2016, donating more than $1 million, to the Bustamante Children’s Hospital in Jamaica. He has donated hospital equipment and machinery. He did his first collaboration in the Caribbean called “Can’t Let My Love Go”, which he performed with the “Queen of Soca” Alison Hinds of Barbados. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

1 note · View note

worlmag · 1 year ago

Text

Soca Odyssey: Family life, building a brand and 2022 Soca with Terrah Dan

youtube

View On WordPress

#INTERVIEW #music #Soca #SOCA ODYSSEY #Terrah Dan #Youtube

0 notes

atletasudando · 1 year ago

Text

Santiago Catrofe y su sensacional récord sudamericano de 3.000

Este domingo 10 de septiembre en el meeting de Zagreb (Croacia), el mediofondista uruguayo Santiago Catrofe hizo historia al batir el récord sudamericano de los 3.000 metros llanos que -veintiun años atrás- había fijado el brasileño Hudson Santos de Souza en Lausana. Catrofe, quien reside y entrena en España, consiguió una marca de 7:37.15, dejando atrás los 7:39.70 de Hudson. Y une así su nombre a los de ilustres del atletismo sudamericano -como los medallistas olímpicos Manuel Plaza y Juan Carlos Zabala- además de Osvaldo Suárez, Raúl Ibarra y otros grandes que ostentaron este récord. Catrofe nació el 13 de febrero de 1999 y venía de un gran debut en pista sobre 10.000 metros llanos en el Mundial de Budapest, donde ocupó el 17° puesto con récord nacional. El récord sudamericano de Catrofe es el primero que logra un atleta de Uruguay desde que Déborah Gyursek fijara el de salto con garrocha (3.85m) en 1997, en Mar del Plata. Y en hombres el último uruguayo que había conseguido un récord sudamericano fue Fernando Ruocco, también en garrocha, en 1980, cuando se convirtió en el primer atleta de la región en pasar los 5 metros. Catrofe se coloca así al tope del excelente momento uruguayo en pruebas de medias y largas distancias, en la que hay que considerar el reciente título del joven Valentín Soca en los 5.000 metros del Sudamericano de Sao Paulo, la clasificación de tres hombres al Mundial de maratón y el récord de esta distancia que se viene moviendo. Catrofe es el recordman uruguayo en todas las pruebas de media y larga distancia en pista: 1.000 metros: 2:23.01 el 21-7-20 en Olot. 1.500 metros: 3:35.82 el 12-6-21 en Niza 2.000 metros: 5:08.49 el 29-7-20 en Olot 3.000 metros: 7:37.15 el 10-9-23 en Zagreb (RSA) 5.000 metros: 13:26.78 el 22-5-22 en Grosseto 10.000 metros: 28:28.49 el 20-8-23 en Budapest También posee las marcas de pista cubierta: 1.500 metros: 3:42.94 el 19-2-20 en Sabadell 3.000 metros: 7:50.36 el 20.2-22 en Sabadell Esta es la evolución de su campaña internacional: 2019 Campeonato Sudamericano en Lima: 4° en 1.500 (3:55.21) Juegos Panamericanos en Lma: 4° en 1.500 (3:43.17) 2020 Sudamericano Indoor en Cochabamba: 2° en 1.500 (3:58.18) 2021 Campeonato Sudamericano en Guayaquil: 3° en 1.500 (3:38.67) Campeonato Mundial en Eugene: 7 en serie de 1.500 (3:35.86) 10 en semifinal (3:40.16) 2022 Juegos Odesur en Asunción: 2° en 5.000 (13:55.24), 3° en 1.500 (3:42.57) 2023 Mundial de Cross en Batthurst: 26° Campeonato Mundial en Budapest: 17° en 10.000 (28:28.49) Evolución del récord sudamericano de 3.000 metros llanos 9:08.8 Manuel Jesús Plaza 190302 CHI Rio de Janeiro 10.09.1922 8:54.2 Manuel Jesús Plaza 190302 CHI Santiago CHI 30.03.1924 8:51.4 Manuel Jesús Plaza 190302 CHI Montevideo 19.04.1926 8:51.0 Belisario Alarcón CHI Lima 05.05.1929 8:48.6 Juan Carlos Zabala 210911 ARG Buenos Aires 28.02.1931 8:46.8 Luis Oliva 210608 ARG Buenos Aires 01.05.1931 8:44.2 Juan Carlos Zabala 210911 ARG Montevideo 08.05.1931 8:39.8 Luis Oliva 210608 ARG Buenos Aires 01.05.1932 8:37.0 Roger Ceballos 070409 ARG Buenos Aires 24.02.1934 8:36.6 Roger Ceballos 070409 ARG Rio de Janeiro 07.03.1934 8:35.0 Miguel Castro CHI Santiago CHI 28.05.1938 8:30.4 Juan Raúl Ibarra 070514 ARG Buenos Aires 10.03.1941 8:25.4 Juan Raúl Ibarra 070514 ARG Buenos Aires 03.06.1944 8:23.2 Osvaldo Roberto Suárez 170334 ARG Nürenberg 29.06.1955 8:15.9 Walter Cándido Lemos 130330 ARG Villa Dominico 15.09.1956 8:15.4 Osvaldo Roberto Suárez 170334 ARG Viena 24.06.1959 8:12.0 Osvaldo Roberto Suárez 170334 ARG Munich 04.07.1959 8:05.2 José Romão de Andrade Silva 230448 BRA São Paulo 02.01.1973 8:03.4 Pedro Edmundo Warnke 030751 CHI Aarhus 24.06.1973 Pedro Edmundo Warnke 030751 CHI Rieti 16.09.1973 7:53.0 José Romão de Andrade Silva 230448 BRA Gateshead 02.06.1975 7:50.15 Antonio Fabián Silio 090566 ARG Jerez de la Frontera 03.09.1990 7:45.34 Clodoaldo Lopes do Carmo 270468 BRA Koblenz 26.08.1992 7:42.55 Hudson Santos de Souza 250277 BRA Niza 09.07.2001 7:39.70 Hudson Santos de Souza 250277 BRA Lausana 02.07.2002 7:37.15 Santiago Catrofe 130299 URU Zagreb 10.09.2023 Read the full article

1 note · View note

whodonthear · 2 years ago

Text

#caribbean #caribbean culture #caribbean women #caribbean men #black #beautiful #wine #dance #black women #black men #soca #carnival #jouvert #fete #mas #masqueraders #st. lucia #carnival 2022

22 notes · View notes

simply-shakera · 2 years ago

Text

Carnival Spice Turns 10

Y’all I have a 10 year old!!! Can you believe it? It’s still hard to wrap my head around the fact that a whole decade ago is when I stepped out on faith and began working towards bringing the ideas I had in my head to life. During that time I was determined to share my passion for dance, wellness and Caribbean carnival with the world.

Carnival Spice was launched in 2013 with an intention to bring movement to beautiful mas while also creating space for Black and Caribbean dance artists. The company has now become a global community that empowers artists of colour through training, mentorship and access to opportunities. Through our work, we are also able to educate the community at large about the history of the masquarade and the significance of Carnival in Caribbean culture. We have also unapologetically taken up space in front of a variety of different audiences; from the boardroom, to the classroom, from television to some of the biggest stages in Canada. Carnival Spice is known for it’s high level of energy, professionalism, and unique spin on presenting Caribbean Carnival arts.

Dine and Lime

2023 will be a year filled with a series of events and activations in celebration of this wonderful milestone for Carnival Spice. We kicked things off on Sunday, June 11th with a Caribbean styled food inclusive event called DINE & LIME.

Dine and Lime was such a beautiful experience. There was so much love and support in the room with attendees being a mix of CS training and performance group members, friends, family and clients. It was so special meeting one our first wedding clients since the pandemic who shared the news with us that they are expecting their first child. Congrats to the Dhinganis!

The soca was pumping from the music styling of DJ Undacover and the food as expected was amazing. The Avenue is one of my favourite restaurants in the city so it meant a lot hosting the event there. We also debuted our BTS Documentary from our performance at the 2022 Blue Jays Caribbean Carnival.

Sokah On Di Road

In honour of our 10 year celebration, we will also be on the road as section leaders for Toronto Caribbean Carnival. Look for us decked out in orange, blue and pink in the section SOKAH with Suga Cayne mas. Any remaining costumes can be found here; but be sure to use code: “spicefam10” at checkout to receive a goodie bag from our team. It was wonderful having dancers Kayla and Natalie showcase the costumes through a Carnival Spice dance routine.

Dine and Lime was quite special. Everyone in attendance really brought the spice. Thank you to Anthony Berot for capturing these beautiful photos and Malynne Allya Artistry for the make up work on the dancers and myself.

And a HUGE thank you to Siobhan, Kafi, and Jena for all your help with event logistics.

The celebrations shall continue - so make sure you always have your dancing shoes ready. We still have so more in store!

Testimonial:

#dance #black owned #support small business #anniversary

0 notes

kaisokonnaisseur · 2 years ago

Text

REVIEW OF CALYPSO FIESTA: NATIONAL CALYPSO MONARCH SEMIFINALS, SKINNER PARK, SAN FERNANDO, TRINIDAD, 11 FEBRUARY 2023

By Eugene McGuinness

Nobody will read this review if I cover all 40 of the calypsonians who performed in the semifinals, but I will try to comment on a) the 9 calypsonians I included in my who’s who, b) the 11 finalists and 1 reserve selected by the judges and their songs, and c) other things that struck me as I viewed the performances.

Of the 11 finalists chosen through the semifinal, 3 have won the title of Calypso Monarch before: Karene Asche, Helon Francis, and Roderick “Chucky” Gordon. All finalists must compete against the reigning Calypso Monarch, Terri Lyons.

There were multiple themes evident in the semifinalists’ songs, but the biggest song topics were national pride, paying tribute to living and dead Calypso legends, and the COVID pandemic’s impact on life and Carnival.

Terri Lyons - appeared in last year’s Calypso final - Terri Lyons won the Calypso Crown for the 2nd year in a row in 2022, with a song entitled simply “Calypso” - the song was a deconstruction of the contemporary issues facing the genre, with a strong emphasis for people to respect the art form. At some point in the middle of the song she gave a speech (the judges love that). While I think it was a good song, a well written song, and an important song, the number of deaths of famous calypsonians later on in 2022 really changed the style and tone of the songs relevant to the topic of Calypso. In 2022, a generic song about Calypso could win, but in 2023 it was a more challenging song to write on a more specific topic; you wouldn’t win without naming multiple famous calypsonians who had died in 2022 Explainer, Black Stalin, Singing Francine etc. Terri Lyons comes from a family of calypsonians: she is the daughter of the legendary Calypso and Soca artist Super Blue, and her sister Fay-Ann Lyons is also a well-established Soca singer.

Karene Asche - appeared 3rd - I was rooting for her in the beginning because I really liked her song, but then I found out she had a songwriter for it. Her song “Oasis” was catchy and well-written, a song about longing for Carnival throughout the pandemic. My enthusiasm for her kind of died off when I saw how good the other performances were. She advanced to the finals, but I feel like there were some better performances.

Tameika Darius - appeared 4th - Her song, “Jahaji Bash,” was a powerful protest of racism that started out with a soundbyte of something racially offensive that was said by a prominent Indian political figure. The song “Jahaji Bash” really conveys the spirit of indignance in the face of racist offence, and it is quite designed to make the listener feel a strong sense of outrage. This song will definitely have Trinis talking about the woman who made the offensive remark. She advanced to the finals and I think this was definitely a rightful pick by the judges.

Carlos James - appeared 8th - His song, “The New Normal” had to do with the COVID pandemic. There was a strong religious theme with some biblical phrasing, not uncommon through the competition but I am a little more biased toward Calypso with secular themes. I don't think this song was exceptional enough to be in the final, it is a little duller than the others, but he said "God is a Trini" and the judges really really liked that I guess.

Ezekiel Yorke - appeared 10th - His song, “Being Human,” was a thoughtful observation of human behavior and morality and what makes us who we are. Also starts with a religious theme reminding us that God created us in his own likeness and image. He advanced to the finals, and it’s a great song, but you know, for me, I like a funny, angry, or dirty song, and these poignant moral ones bore me a little bit. Can I say the man doesn’t deserve to sing at the final on Dimanche Gras? Maybe no. Good song, strong message that we all need to be more human, but that kind of stuff isn’t very entertaining for me.

Maria Bhola - Appeared 11th - Her song, “People Man,” conveyed a strong message and had a lot of humour to it. Basically, the song demands that the side chicks and the mistresses show some more respect for the wives, and come help with the chores and minutia of running a household, and if they can’t do that, then maybe they should find men of their own, and find a next home to wreck. She then goes on to point out that the married women in the audience are going to be the ones who really want to cheer her on the most. It was bold, funny, and feminist. Maria Bhola represents the all-women Divas International Cabaret calypso tent. She advanced to the finals, and I would say the judges were also super-right here. I must also add, that calypsonians struggle to advance to the finals with humourous songs.

Mark Eastman - Appeared 12th - His submission “Pride,” was a another stirring national pride song. I had seen him perform this multiple times on Youtube tent videos. He really brought his A-game, and had a good dance arrangement. His stage presence was solid, his singing was excellent, and the lyrics of the song were really strong. I say he definitely deserves to go to finals and he may even win the whole damn thing, to be honest. (I would only say this about two other performances).

Kerine Williams-Figaro - Appeared 18th - Her performance, “To You With Love” was a song of appreciation for the great Calypso pioneers who have passed on and the ones who are still with us today. She sang a really solid song and multiple songs came in with this theme. Did she wow me? Not hugely, but she was very good. Was it the best of the tribute songs, I don’t know, maybe not. It’s ironic that she sang of her appreciation for fellow calypsonian Mighty Chalkdust, and she advanced to the finals with this song, whereas Chalkie didn’t make it.

Caston Cupid - Appeared 19th - His song “The Saga of Truth” was just a jab at the judges, and I don’t know what he sang to make them choose him for this. He ended up on stage with actors portraying the judges holding up big placards with ‘0’s on them as he sang “some judges can’t judge, plenty of them can’t judge!” - attacking or criticizing or otherwise expressing frustration with the judges is somehow a notable thing in Calypso, but yeah, he didn’t make it.

Aaron Duncan - Appeared 20th - His song “The Mother of All Carnivals” was another celebration of a return to Carnival after COVID, and he had one of the most vibrant and involved dance performances, including stilt walkers. Aaron Duncan is a decorated junior calypsonian who is now 19 years old. He got the reserve spot in the finals, and I think if the judges wanted to say he’s good enough for that, they should just give him a spot in finals and let one of the other eleven sit in reserve. This song was catchier, and the dances were impressive, but the lyrics didn’t stir me as much as the others.

Lester Salandy - Appeared 21st - His song “Tribute to the Icons” was a very solid submission, paying homage to the legacies of Calypso legends who had passed on. It was full of references to famous calypsonians and their songs and themes. I don’t know if it was better than Kerine, who advanced, but this is a close alternative, comparably leading the pack among the tribute songs; but he did not advance.

Kurt Allen - Appeared 22nd - “We Are One” was a song celebrating the Chinese community and Chinatown in Trinidad and Tobago, with a strong theme of racial tolerance, national unity, and apparently a tribute to someone named Chinee Patrick. Kurt Allen was Calypso Monarch in 2011, and I thought this song was a contender for the finals, the theme was a little bit unique, but he also did not advance.

Helon Francis - Appeared 23rd - “Mighty” was the song about national pride that I liked the most after Mark Eastman’s “Pride.” And, in reality, this song may have the better lyrics. The two songs are extremely similar, they even both mention Trinidadian Marxist historian C.L.R. James. Helon’s song is also really inspiring, if you are Trinidadian it makes you reflect on all the greatness that’s come out of Trinidad, and it has a strong message for young scholars, musicians, even influencers to rise and take their place in the world. This song advanced to the finals, and I would also say Helon Francis, one of the competing former Monarchs, is one of the top three contenders for the Calypso Crown this year as well.

Philip Murray “Blacksage” - Appeared 30th - Extempo veteran Blacksage’s song, “Aggie’s Story” was one of nostalgia, about a dead comedian that I had to look up (Ramdeen Ramjattan aka John Agitation), but this song was also full of great jokes. Blacksage is always good for a humourous song, but unfortunately he didn’t make it to the final, either.

Chuck Gordon - Appeared 31st - Chucky’s song “Maths Ain’t Mathsin’” was the first song I heard out of the 40 before competition, basically a searing indictment on the cost of living: very strong message, good lyrics. This is the song I’ve started memorizing and singing myself. Chucky can also go all the way, he’s a former Monarch, he’s now a finalist, certainly deserving of it, and the song is a catchy one.

Duane O’Connor - Appeared 32nd - His song “D Ting Fix” is another song that swipes at judges, but it also goes global, he says everything is basically fixed, rigged, and corrupted, from these Calypso semifinals, to the finals, the Panorama, and the FIFA World Cup, like he has a whole verse suspecting that was rigged “to let Messi go out on top” - so this one was a fun one, but not very practical for winning, and no, he did not advance.

Michael Osouna “Sugar Aloes” - Appeared 33rd - His song “Hands of Mercy” was contemplative, and very pious, dealing significantly with the recent crises in Trinidad and Tobago. This song was not the only incidence of religious themes in the competition, but as I've said, generally the heavily religious songs don’t do it for me. Aloes has been to the finals a record consecutive 22 times, winning Calypso Monarch twice. He didn’t make it this year, and I can’t say I blame the judges. Lots of talented up-and-coming calypsonians in the field.

Ta’zyah O’Connor - Appeared 34th - His song “Sing Hallelujah” was another song about national pride. This song was happy and uplifting, similar to the others, slight religious hinting, even if I liked two of the other national pride songs more than his I can see why he was chosen, he sang very well and had great stage presence. Good to see him advance to the final.d

Hollis Liverpool “Mighty Chalkdust” - Appeared 36th - His song “The New Trend” wasn’t very spectacular, but seeing as Chalkdust is 81, the same age as Black Stalin, who just passed away two months ago, it’s good to see him in such good health. Chalkdust, as I mentioned in the who’s who is a university professor. He’s a 9-time Calypso Monarch, so it’s a real shock likewise as with Aloes to see him not advance to the finals.

Heaven Charles - Appeared 38th - His song “What Yuh Need Again Trinbago” was the weakest of the 4 national pride songs selected for the finals, in my opinion. The judges must have really liked the part where he said the Almighty put Trinidad’s reserves deep within the ground…He pointed out the the steel pan is the only acoustic instrument invented in the last century, that was a cool tidbit. Helon Francis also mentioned the pan.

Nichole Thomas - Appeared 39th - Her song “Carnival is We” was same theme as Karene Asche’s song, and won her the Tobago Monarch crown in October last year. I liked it, even though it wasn’t my favourite in the contest. So I was sort of surprised that she didn’t make the finals. Almost like these judges wanted to send a message that what the Tobago judges think doesn’t matter. I also think performing near to dead last in a ten-hour competition is probably a disadvantage.

I gave myself at least a day before starting to write my reactions down on the performances, so I guess I’ll close this with some overarching thoughts: most of the finalists deserved to advance, and there is a lot of talent, especially from the young former junior calypsonians. I think Aaron Duncan was unfairly relegated to the reserve spot, and the judges didn’t need the fourth national pride song. I agree with the judges the most about Mark Eastman, Chuck Gordon, Helon Francis, Maria Bhola, Tameika Darius, Ta’zyah O’Connor, and Kerine Williams-Figaro. I’m iffy about Karene Asche, and not so crazy about Carlos James and Heaven Charles.

The performances on Dimanche Gras this coming Sunday are going to be truly something to behold, and as the Grand Master of Calypso, Lord Kitchener said on Dimanche Gras 1988, “the result will surprise you.”

#calypso #carnival #trinidad and tobago #dimanche gras

1 note · View note