"Bacchanalist" is one of the most popular songs from the Antilles Riddim that came out of the sound factory at Precision Productions. This complimentary video was recently released and is featured here as a promotion not only of the wonderful work of Precision and the slick vocals of Kerwin but also as a tribute to everyone who produced the video and participated in this venture.
This video presented here is a glorification of the fete to come in 2012 and to the creative genius our people - Trini2DBone forever and ever!
From Youtube:
"From the Producers of the most sought out riddim for Carnival 2012, The Antilles Riddim, produced by Precision Productions.
Shot in Miami, Florida. Directed & Edited by Bla G from the Florida Film House & Rum Bum Studios. Bla G has done Music Videos for some of the most popular faces & voices today including Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, T-Pain, Flo Ridah, Pitbull & lots more."
Machel Montano performs 'One More Time' and Bob Marley's 'Waiting In Vain' @ BBC's Maida Vale studios for Trevor Nelson's Live Lounge. We have known, since Machel was a child, that he was destined for wonderful things in the music business.
For this video, he shows his versatility by singing the classic Bob Marley song 'Waiting in Vain'. The piano man is wicked on this track and (just for the record) that is Kernal Roberts (son of the late Lord Kitchener)on the trap set carrying the rhythm.
Environment Minister Anthony Ramnarine stated that the illegal trade in wildlife was third globally to drugs and arms trafficking. It was also stated that the illegal trade was given a value that exceeded US $30 billion. This is a very amazing fact and Trinidad looks like the ideal transshipment point for North American shipments.
This is not unlike the drug trade that makes use of easy access to the ports of Trinidad to get the illegal goods into the United States. This looks like there are many Trinidadians involved in the trade to make using Trinidad a viable transit point.
The Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago are doing their best to protect the local wildlife but the enforcement of the illegal trade in wildlife from South America has to be the responsibility of the government.
Already resources are stretched thinly in many areas. This will only be addressed when some international body points their fingers at the government thereby forcing them to take action.
We have to protect the wildlife and in so doing will be taking the initiative to protect ourselves and the future of the animals and birds for future generations to come.
A rare view of a suburban tram terminus [see map]. Apparently, wisely, Trinidad Electric gave up painting the route names on its cars [postcard. col. AM]:
I found this really wonderful webpage with information about the early trams and trolleys that served Trinidad from around the 1840's.
This is a wonderful site with many photos to view and interesting notes about the period. Please go to the site and read the information... it is very informative.
Now this is an interesting development... what do you think about this? Do you think that this is a good development or would it mean more hardships ahead? Give us your feedback using the comment feature on this post.
Trinidad and Tobago won first prize in the category of “spicy” in the prestigious Salut du Chocolat in Paris, France, on Friday. It was one of three cocoa samples nominated for final recognition at the International Cocoa Awards Edition 2011. This country’s cocoa beans have excelled at the Show for the third year in a row, having won first place in the categories of “sweetness” and “fruity” in 2009 and first place in “fruity” and “floral” last year. Senator Vasant Bharath, Minister of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs left yesterday to be part of the premier annual event and to receive the award on behalf of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Senator Bharath is also expected to meet with Chocolate Houses’ representatives and participate in the celebrations of the 17th Anniversary of the Paris International Salut du Chocolat in Porte de Versailles, France.
The Paris International Salon du Chocolat and the Professional Chocolat
We have always known that Trinidad Cocoa is special. It was unfortunate that the industry was neglected for so long. This should change with the new government in office (Peoples Partnership).
Many decades ago Trinidad's cocoa was used to flavor bulk supplied cocoa in the UK. Recently Trinidad's cocoa has won consecutive titles dating back to 2009. Let us hope that these awards help bring renewed interest in opening up abandoned estates.
Finally, we have some good news coming out of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago! The present administration running the country has put an end to the hunting and killing of Turtles in our beloved Trinidad and Tobago.
I am pleased that the law didn't just address the hunting of the turtles; it also prohibits the taking and eating of the eggs that turtles come ashore to lay every year. The law itself prohibits the killing, harpooning and sale of turtle meat in Trinidad and Tobago. The law is all about the "Protection of Turtle and Turtle Eggs Regulations". Animal activitists and nature lovers in general now have someting to cheer about. Trinidad's governments of the past have always made an effort to protect the nesting leatherback turtles but this new law will now give the soldiers who patrol the beaches the power to arrest anyong caught attempting to kill the turtles or steal their eggs. Bravo Trinidad and Tobago! Indeed, this is very good news!
It is estimated that every year over 6,000 thousand turtles come to the shores of Trinidad to lay their eggs. The Leatherback turtle has now been listed as an endangered species. They religiously return to Trinidad to lay theirs eggs to ensure that the species survives in a very destructive world that does not have any respect for nature's plan. Fortunately the government of Trinidad and Tobago has done the right thing... This is the correct decision, a sane decision that respects the species and sets us aside from many nations of the World. We are a caring people and this new law will surely help.
The newly amended law that also protects the eggs (stated above) falls under Section 4 Chapter 67:51 of the new act approved by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. This is particularly good news for the giant leather back turtles that religiously return to Trinidad year after year to lay their eggs.
The Act sates the following:
“No person shall, at any time, kill, harpoon, catch or otherwise take possession of any turtle, or purchase, sell, offer or expose for sale or cause to be sold or offered for sale any turtle or turtle meat”. He further explained: “As you may be aware, Trinidad and Tobago holds the unique position of having nesting populations of five of the seven species of marine turtles occurring worldwide and has one of the largest nesting populations of Leatherback turtles in the world, second only to Africa.” Bharath said that all turtles were regarded as critically endangered worldwide according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) to which T&T was a party. “What this therefore means, members of the fishing community, is that no longer can turtles be considered a “by-catch”. It is our goal to foster the sustainable use and conservation of fisheries resources, and we urge you to join us.”
This is extremely good news... Didn't you know that the present administration running the country has put an end to the hunting and killing of Turtles in our beloved Trinidad and Tobago? The new law also prohibits the taking and eating of the eggs that turtles come ashore to lay every year. The law itself prohibits the killing, harpooning and sale of turtle meat in Trinidad and Tobago. The law is all about the "Protection of Turtle and Turtle Eggs Regulations".
If you see the instrument one would think that it was formed from the design of the traditional steelpan of Trinidad and Tobago. Indeed, the idea was born out of a study of the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. The World has taken note of the national instrument and have come up with another creation but this time it was not done by Trinidadians but creative people who saw the potential of the steelpan and took it to a different level of musical creativity. My first impression after listening to the instrument was that it sounded like someone tuning a traditional steelpan. However, if you go to YouTube you can find some really interesting 'playjng or drumming' with this relatively new instrument (hand-drum).
The Hang (pronounced "hung") has been called 'The Musical Flying Saucer' comes from Bern, Switzerland and is the creation of Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer of PANArt limited. Now everyone knows that the word 'pan' is used to reference the steelpan in Trinidad and 'back in the day' they used the term 'beat pan' when referring to playing the pan. The company name used for the Hang references the word Pan (PANArt) and the sound from the instrument is obtained by 'beating' the tonal area with the bare hand.
The Swiss innovators studied the steelpan and other instruments from around the world including the Gong, Gamelan, Ghatam, drums, Bells and Singing Saw before innovating and coming up with this unique saucer 'pan design'. The word 'HANG' is Burmese for hand and not surprisingly the instrument is played using your hands.
The instrument looks like a pan turned upside down and reminds me of watching Boogsie playing the steelpan upside down. However, 'The Hang' consists of two hemispheres of steel fused together is a unique fashion and is played using bare hands instead of 'pan sticks'. One side (top) is called the 'DING Side' while the bottom area (vented in the middle) is called the 'GU Side'. It is used like a drum and is played similarly. The DING side has eight notes tuned to scale while the GU side is designed without notes (one side is played). The sound is similar to the steelpan but different (listen to the sound from the YouTube video provided below).
Here is a clip from the the Wikipedia article "The Hang":
"The Hang uses some of the same physical principles as a steelpan but with a nitrided surface and structural change of having two clamped shells with a small opening so that the instrument is a Helmholtz resonator.The creation of the Hang was the result of many years of research on the steelpan as well as the study of a diverse collection of instruments from around the world such as gongs, gamelan, ghatam, drums and bells.Metallurgical and acoustic research by the makers has led to significant changes and refinement in structure, design, and process over the years since the first Hang was offered."
Here is another reference to the steelpan from the same article but this time about 'Playing the Hang':
"The Hang is typically played resting on the player's lap. The Hang is generally played with the hands and fingers instead of mallets. This lighter playing tends to produce a complex overtone-rich sound that could be considered 'softer' and 'warmer' than the 'bright' sound of a mallet based traditional steelpan."
Here is an example of how 'The Hang' is played and the sound that emanates from the instrument. There are many videos on YouTube regarding 'The Hang'. Go ahead and view some - it is a very interesting instrument.
Tobago's hilly landscape and idyllic beaches have always been an attraction to visitors. From 1580 to 1814 the island changed hands 33 times between Courland, Spain, France, Dutch, Sweden and England. In 1889 Tobago became united with Trinidad and the economy of the island at the time depended on the agriculture of sugar-cane and cocoa, which led to the construction of many forest trails around the island. Some of these forest trails still exist giving rise to the increasing significance of eco-tourism.There are over 230 species of birds some 25 of which are indigenous only to the island making it one of the best places to view birds in the Caribbean.
On Saturday there will be a hike to Twin Rivers waterfall at 7 a.m. The Twin Rivers waterfall is located in Goldsborough with its source coming from the Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve. It is a tributary of The Great River and the name Twin Rivers came about because at the base of the falls the river joins another large tributary. Hiking time upstream along the stony river bed will take 40 minutes to reach the falls where there is a large pool for swimming. Getting to the top of the falls is challenging but a variety of cascading waterfalls and pools can be discovered in this seemingly unexplored land..
On that day there will be another hike from Speyside to Pirates Bay. This is a one-way hike from Speyside Lookout to Tobago's highest point Pigeon Peak (550 metres or 1,804 feet) then a steep descend to Flag Staff Hill and Pirates Bay. Estimated hiking time to Pirates Bay is two and a half hours. There is also a shorter hike from Flagstaff Hill to Pirates Bay for those preferring an easier route. This hiking time is 35 minutes downhill .
I was reading the Trinidad Express newspaper this morning (Internet Edition) and saw an interesting article that I decided to Reblog. Why? Well, I was unaware that Tobago had over 230 species of birds. I was aware of the special nature of Tobago's rain forests but this caught me by surprise. I always thought about birds with respect to the Asa Wright Nature Center located of the Blanchieusse Road just a short drive from the town of Arima.
The article was worth the Reblog because it also provides some historical information about Island... Not many islands in the Caribbean changed hands (sovereign ownership) over 33 times! The Express article also provides information about the Georgraphical make up of the Island (Twin rivers and Twin river water fall located in Goldsborough). Go ahead and ink to the article and if you should have any additional information please use the comment option to leave a message.
I love ginger so much that I will drink or eat anything that has ginger in it. Ginger drinks are a special delight and should be enjoyed by everyone.Now not all ginger drinks are created equal and one must be careful not to confuse them. I am not talking about ginger ale but good ole traditional West Indian Ginger beer!
In the islands of the caribbean we make a an aromatic ginger drink that we like to call ginger beer. No, it is not beer in the traditional sense of the word but when in the islands don't ask for it by any other name but ginger beer. This really good drinks are spicy and burn like fire on the way down your palette. That is the very traditional ginger beer found in Trinidad - a really fermented brew that not only burns on the way down but also lights up your stomach briefly.
Ah, now that was refreshing, spicy yes and a drink that can really hit the spot is made right. One has to be careful because not everyone can make this drink that that would want to coming back for more. Ginger beer on the rocks is so good when sweetened just right and is even better when brewed correctly with that ginger smack at the back of your throat. One has to be careful with the ingredients because if you add too much clove the drink can end up with a sour taste instead of the wanted gingery flavor. Another item that can ruin a good ginger beer is the container used to ferment the ginger beer. Using plastic is a bad idea. The ideal container is one made of glass.
Ginger beer is the traditional drink of Christmas in Trinidad along with red and even sweeter Sorrell drink. However, my favorite is Ginger beer simply because of the burn that accompanys it. I remember the manufactures of Solo beverages used to bottle a ginger soda that came close to the local brew but it was not really the same but very good on a very hot day. There is a bottled drink that is made in Jamaica that I have purchased and tasted in the United States that comes close to the local brew. However, there is nothing better than the home brewed ginger drink known as ginger beer.
So what are the ingredients used to make a traditional Ginger beer drink? Well the first and obvious ingredient is the ginger root. However, one must get this first step right because the right ginger makes the most potent drink! It is best to get the ginger as fresh as possible. It must be firm and smooth and have a light shine to it. If you notice that the ginger root looks dull in color or is cracked then don't select these - they are not as potent as fresh ginger root. The rest of the ingredients include some lime or lemon juice or another citrus, try grapefruit. Some people prefer to put the lime or lemon peel instead of the juce in their brew. It is good to experiment you may come up with something that is different and delicious. Of course add sugar to taste, cloves (be careful not to add too much since this will spoil the drink and make it sour to the taste) and a cinamon stick. Others have added vanilla bean and mint. Of course over a period of time you would come up with your very own special recipe. This is my Tip of the day: Just add a dash of Angostura Aromatic Bitters!
The fermentation process is special. Some people put the ingredients in a glass jar and put it out in Sunlight for a period of time. Others put everything in the jar and place it in the refrigerator while some like to put it in a cool corner in the kitchen. The fermentation process is does not take long from a few hours to a few days. You will determine what is best after a few tries. After the fermentation process is done the contents are then strained to removed the solid particles. The contents are then refrigerated and served cold or with ice in a glass. West Indians love ice in their cold drinks. The straining process also has its do's and don'ts. However, it does not matter how you do it as long as you are satisfied with the finished product. Some people use a strainer with some solids left behind; others use paper towel in a sieve to get out most of the solid particles while other use a piece of white cotton cloth to get the clearest drink.
Ginger beer is really a Christmas drink in Trinidad but some of the food bars selling Roti and other traditional local cuisine may have ginger beer year round. This is a mouth watering drink and a must try if you are visiting the islands for the first time. If you live in North America or Europe or wheresoever then you need to give the recipe a try. If you do please remember to come back here and tell us what you did that made your drink so special and yes... Delicious!
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