Wednesday, October 25, 2006
www.NoSmelterTNT.com
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT...This affects all of us.....it will only take a few minutes to cut and paste this release to forward it to a newspaper in your area. (Yes, I mean you guy who do not live in Trinidad) Be part of the solution.
This is the press release from www.nosmelterTNT.com
Press Release One - August 2006
Press Release For Immediate Release
Alcoa facing growing concerns over proposed Trinidad Smelter
US Aluminum Giant Alcoa is facing massive criticism over a proposed 340,000 metric ton smelter plant in Cap De Ville in the Southwestern part of the Caribbean Island of Trinidad. The country of Trinidad is one of the most densely populated places on earth with 593 persons per sq. mile and the Island already suffers from very high in pollution levels due to ongoing industrialization.
The 2005 Yale/Columbia Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) showed Trinidad and Tobago as having the worst percentage of negative land impacts of 146 countries, yet Trinidad's government is continuing on a path toward massive industrialization of the Southwestern part of this Caribbean Island. Southwest Trinidad has so far been spared from heavy industrialization and is the part of the Island that has the longest and widest stretches of beaches on the Island.
The Cedros peninsula, now earmarked for the 1.5 billion dollar Alcoa smelter project also features pristine rainforests and wetlands and is one of the larger sources of drinking water on the Island. Actually, the site of the proposed Alcoa smelter is right on top of a major aquifer.
The proposed smelter plant, one of the largest in the world is scheduled to be located within a mile or less of the towns of Cap-de-Ville and Point Fortin, home to over 15,000 residents. The residents of the until now sleepy and peaceful peninsula are uniting and organizing protests on a regional and international level.
The Trinidad government seems determined to let Alcoa go ahead with their project at all cost and the hastily put together Environmental Clearance Applications and Environmental Impact Assessments for the project have sparked massive opposition from the local residents. The map of the proposed Alcoa site shows that the properties of over 200 residents may be taken over by the State for this venture displacing residents that are very unwilling to move.
The Alcoa smelter project has been shrouded in secrecy and while signings of major business agreements are usually publicized in the local newspapers complete with photo opportunities, the signing of the agreement for the 1.5 billion dollar Alcoa smelter, publicised by Alcoa worldwide, was done quietly and the local press was not even invited.
The citizens group Cedros Peninsula United managed to obtain a copy of Alcoa's application of Environmental Clearance which was jointly signed by Alcoa and the government's Energy Corporation which Alcoa also tried to keep secret and found it full of omissions, inaccuracies and outright false statements. A new application has just recently been filed by Alcoa which contains similar omissions, inaccuracies and misleading information.
"We are very worried about a company that promises us an 'environmentally friendly' smelter, yet is already lying about things like waste and pollution before the smelter is even built. How can we trust them," warns the citizens group. The local press totally ignored the findings in Alcoa's environmental clearance application but had no problem accepting three page ads by Alcoa promoting their smelter project.
The residents of Trinidad's Southwestern Peninsula have called for a public debate on the Alcoa smelter project but their calls have been completely ignored. As mentioned in a recent Sun-Sentinel article, there are serious concerns over the availability of Natural Gas reserves for this mega project. Even members of Trinidad's Parliament were left in the dark when inquiring about the state of gas reserves in the country. To this date, Alcoa has also not answered any questions regarding the disposal of the tons of hazardous waste the facility will produce. On an Island that small, environmental impact is a major concern.
Alcoa's record in Trinidad is already spotty. Alcoa operates a trans-shipment facility in the northern part of the Island in Carenage and have been under fire from citizens there for many years. A 1989 air-monitoring report by Cariri, commissioned by a Carenage citizens group, showed Alcoa exceeded US emissions standards for residential areas at three monitoring sites in Carenage on each of the five days of monitoring.
To make matters worse, the Trinidad government has also recently signed an agreement for a second aluminum smelter, not more than 8 miles away from the planned Alcoa smelter. The land for this 2,000 acre estate has already been cleared and hundreds of residents have been or will be displaced by this project. Two aluminum smelters in one of the smallest countries in the World. It's a recipe for disaster and the citizens of Trinidad are fighting a serious battle, not just with Alcoa but their own government that supports and sponsors Alcoas plans, modeled on Iceland's energy master plan which has also sparked major controversy, protests and law suits. The citizens of the Trinidad's Cedros Peninsula are hoping that once the facts of this project are made known to the world community, Alcoa may be swayed to look elsewhere to build their smelter.
Detailed Information on Alcoa's Trinidad Smelter project can be found on the world wide web at www.nosmeltertnt.com
Friday, October 13, 2006
Homemade Cigarettes
After posting the information on homemade rum this was the next logical step.
Ingredients.
Newspaper (Section on Politics)
Toilet Paper
Spinach
Dried Mint
Dried Oregano
Tea Bags
Lighter or Matches
Step One: Prepare Your "Tobacco."
Cigarettes, or at least the idea of smoking crap out of a rolled up bit of paper or leaves, have been around for thousands of years. Unlike other inmate-inspired projects, like making pruno, rolling homemade cigarettes is uncomplicated, provided you understand the basic steps, which are the same whether you're rolling a Spinach Cig or a Menthol Knock-Off.
Start with the most basic, tried-and-true homemade smoke -- the spinach cigarette. But before you can stop, drop, and roll that salad up, the spinach needs to be dried out.
1. Buy one pound of spinach and a newspaper you've never read before, preferably something with a lot of names, numbers and places in it.
2. Cover an article you can't comprehend with some leafy green spinach and
3. feel good about combining two things that you don't enjoy -- spinach and reading the business page -- in one activity designed to mimic something you do enjoy, which is smoking.
4. Wait three days for your spinach to learn all about how Trinidad's push for a smelter will be the best thing for our coutry, so that you can learn it too, when you smoke the spinach.
By the time your spinach understands the economics of currency revaluation, it should be completely dry. This will take your spinach about four days. Once dried, it is completely possible to scrunch the spinach between your fingertips, but those of you with a penant for using kitchen tools should note the following directions.
1. Take the dried spinach, which will look exactly like weed and
2. throw it into that cute little blender/chop chop combo that is in your kitchen and you hardely ever use.
3. You will now have utterly useless, ground up, dried spinach. Wee. Dried mint , Dried Oregano or tea from tea bags can be added at this point to add a different taste.
ROLL Your Paper
Many prefer to use toilet paper, which is easy to obtain, easy to roll and extremely quick burning. Try to find a nice double- or triple-ply, if you can, and avoid using quilted or ribbed papers, which may be harder for newcomers to roll. While using toilet paper is the simplest method, the end result is also the least desirable, looking like some cigarillo/tampon hybrid that's hard to take a big pull off of. So if you can afford bamboo paper then that can be used.
1. Start by putting a small-to-medium sized amount of dried spinach on the toilet paper, then carefully
2. fold the left side of the paper over,
3. followed by the right side of the paper. Next,
4. fold up the bottom, creating a little "pouch" for the dried spinach, which
5. you can then roll up -- taking care not to rip the paper like a useless clod -- into
6. a finished toilet paper-based smoke.
Ingredients.
Newspaper (Section on Politics)
Toilet Paper
Spinach
Dried Mint
Dried Oregano
Tea Bags
Lighter or Matches
Step One: Prepare Your "Tobacco."
Cigarettes, or at least the idea of smoking crap out of a rolled up bit of paper or leaves, have been around for thousands of years. Unlike other inmate-inspired projects, like making pruno, rolling homemade cigarettes is uncomplicated, provided you understand the basic steps, which are the same whether you're rolling a Spinach Cig or a Menthol Knock-Off.
Start with the most basic, tried-and-true homemade smoke -- the spinach cigarette. But before you can stop, drop, and roll that salad up, the spinach needs to be dried out.
1. Buy one pound of spinach and a newspaper you've never read before, preferably something with a lot of names, numbers and places in it.
2. Cover an article you can't comprehend with some leafy green spinach and
3. feel good about combining two things that you don't enjoy -- spinach and reading the business page -- in one activity designed to mimic something you do enjoy, which is smoking.
4. Wait three days for your spinach to learn all about how Trinidad's push for a smelter will be the best thing for our coutry, so that you can learn it too, when you smoke the spinach.
By the time your spinach understands the economics of currency revaluation, it should be completely dry. This will take your spinach about four days. Once dried, it is completely possible to scrunch the spinach between your fingertips, but those of you with a penant for using kitchen tools should note the following directions.
1. Take the dried spinach, which will look exactly like weed and
2. throw it into that cute little blender/chop chop combo that is in your kitchen and you hardely ever use.
3. You will now have utterly useless, ground up, dried spinach. Wee. Dried mint , Dried Oregano or tea from tea bags can be added at this point to add a different taste.
ROLL Your Paper
Many prefer to use toilet paper, which is easy to obtain, easy to roll and extremely quick burning. Try to find a nice double- or triple-ply, if you can, and avoid using quilted or ribbed papers, which may be harder for newcomers to roll. While using toilet paper is the simplest method, the end result is also the least desirable, looking like some cigarillo/tampon hybrid that's hard to take a big pull off of. So if you can afford bamboo paper then that can be used.
1. Start by putting a small-to-medium sized amount of dried spinach on the toilet paper, then carefully
2. fold the left side of the paper over,
3. followed by the right side of the paper. Next,
4. fold up the bottom, creating a little "pouch" for the dried spinach, which
5. you can then roll up -- taking care not to rip the paper like a useless clod -- into
6. a finished toilet paper-based smoke.
Know how to make babash?
Yeast, (brown) sugar, molasses and water are mixed in a large 45 gallon oil drum and allowed to ferment. This may take between 5 to 15 days, according to the amount of sugar. During fermentation, the process is monitored by both the smell and the taste of the bubbles given off by the fermentation process. As the process nears completion, the mixture begins to clear and a sediment forms towards the bottom. The clear liquid is then decanted into another drum.
This second drum is the one to which heat is applied, and out of which comes the bent 'goose neck' pipe which leads to the 'running pipe', which in turn leads to a coil immersed in a third drum filled with cold, stream water. It is in the coil that the vapour from the boiling water (the product of the fermentation) cools, and drips out into a container.
Three distinct 'grades' of rum will drip into this container. The purest is that which is taken out first, and as such the strongest. It is always mixed with the weaker rums. The next strongest rum after which follows the weakest.
The surest way of gauging the strength of the final product is a version of the original meaning of 'proof' - by throwing a small amount of the rum into the fire. If it burns, its OK; if it 'outs' the fire, it's not rum.
The three grades of rum will be mixed and bottled. This is the finished product.
PLEASE NOTE THIS INFORMATION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. I do not support or promote breaking the law!!!!
This second drum is the one to which heat is applied, and out of which comes the bent 'goose neck' pipe which leads to the 'running pipe', which in turn leads to a coil immersed in a third drum filled with cold, stream water. It is in the coil that the vapour from the boiling water (the product of the fermentation) cools, and drips out into a container.
Three distinct 'grades' of rum will drip into this container. The purest is that which is taken out first, and as such the strongest. It is always mixed with the weaker rums. The next strongest rum after which follows the weakest.
The surest way of gauging the strength of the final product is a version of the original meaning of 'proof' - by throwing a small amount of the rum into the fire. If it burns, its OK; if it 'outs' the fire, it's not rum.
The three grades of rum will be mixed and bottled. This is the finished product.
PLEASE NOTE THIS INFORMATION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. I do not support or promote breaking the law!!!!
Email about the budget
----Original Message Follows----
Has anyone seen the budget?
The ANTI VICE BUDGET (Insert angelic voices clip and the face of Patrick Manning here)
Well anyone who likes to have any fun what so ever better take a look. Good ole' Uncle Patrick has raised the price of imported beer and alcohol by 30%, local grog and smokes by 15%.
Oh and no more lotto cause that is just destroying families, and no more Play Whe either cause that is devil ting.
So, all you Absolute, Dewars and Johnny Black drinkers and More Vino regulars, damn I'm in all those groups, time to switch to Puncheon or weed.
In fact I may have to start selling drugs to afford my liming and drinking habit.
On the bright side though, he did raise pensioners allowance by $100TT. Wow, $100 TT They must be shitting in their Depends with excitement now they can afford to by an extra pack of tomatoes a month. But don't let me get started on the price of tomatoes; we'll leave that for another day.
Let's hope none of these old people don't drink or smoke cause then they would be fucked like the rest of us.
To alleviate the traffic gridlock the Gov't have come up with a brilliant plan: Watertaxis.
No I did not stutter. I said Watertaxis. Where are we Venice?
The proposed route; Point Fortin to Carenage, with stops along the way.
Where are these stops? Caroni swamp? Movietowne? Fyzabad? What I want to know is, what colour will the stripe on the side of the boat be? Don't get me wrong though, I'm glad for both of those people that work in Carenage and live in Point Fortin, they have the right to public transport just like the rest of us.
But by far the best one is the consideration of Flexi-Time for Public Sector Workers. WHAT?!?!
I thought all they had was flexi-time. 'Cause whenever I go into a G'ovt office there ain't a soul in the place. So they must be off flexing somewhere.
Let's recap shall we:
*Drinkers - Fucked
*Smokers - Fucked
*Lotto, Play Whe players - Fucked
*Casino and Lotto operators - you guessed it, Fucked *Old People - A little less fucked *Old people who drink and smoke - Proper Fucked *Water taxi company getting the contract - Laughing *Government official who proposed the watertaxi plan and is getting a fat kick back so he can still smoke and drink - Laughing at us *Manning - Happy that he has done his part to curb the moral degradation rampant in this country; but fucked cause when he wakes up he's still Patrick Manning.
*Red blooded fun loving Trini's - we don't really care anymore because we've been getting fucked for a while now.
This email would have been so funny if it weren't so true. Lucky thing we have all that petroleum here.
Has anyone seen the budget?
The ANTI VICE BUDGET (Insert angelic voices clip and the face of Patrick Manning here)
Well anyone who likes to have any fun what so ever better take a look. Good ole' Uncle Patrick has raised the price of imported beer and alcohol by 30%, local grog and smokes by 15%.
Oh and no more lotto cause that is just destroying families, and no more Play Whe either cause that is devil ting.
So, all you Absolute, Dewars and Johnny Black drinkers and More Vino regulars, damn I'm in all those groups, time to switch to Puncheon or weed.
In fact I may have to start selling drugs to afford my liming and drinking habit.
On the bright side though, he did raise pensioners allowance by $100TT. Wow, $100 TT They must be shitting in their Depends with excitement now they can afford to by an extra pack of tomatoes a month. But don't let me get started on the price of tomatoes; we'll leave that for another day.
Let's hope none of these old people don't drink or smoke cause then they would be fucked like the rest of us.
To alleviate the traffic gridlock the Gov't have come up with a brilliant plan: Watertaxis.
No I did not stutter. I said Watertaxis. Where are we Venice?
The proposed route; Point Fortin to Carenage, with stops along the way.
Where are these stops? Caroni swamp? Movietowne? Fyzabad? What I want to know is, what colour will the stripe on the side of the boat be? Don't get me wrong though, I'm glad for both of those people that work in Carenage and live in Point Fortin, they have the right to public transport just like the rest of us.
But by far the best one is the consideration of Flexi-Time for Public Sector Workers. WHAT?!?!
I thought all they had was flexi-time. 'Cause whenever I go into a G'ovt office there ain't a soul in the place. So they must be off flexing somewhere.
Let's recap shall we:
*Drinkers - Fucked
*Smokers - Fucked
*Lotto, Play Whe players - Fucked
*Casino and Lotto operators - you guessed it, Fucked *Old People - A little less fucked *Old people who drink and smoke - Proper Fucked *Water taxi company getting the contract - Laughing *Government official who proposed the watertaxi plan and is getting a fat kick back so he can still smoke and drink - Laughing at us *Manning - Happy that he has done his part to curb the moral degradation rampant in this country; but fucked cause when he wakes up he's still Patrick Manning.
*Red blooded fun loving Trini's - we don't really care anymore because we've been getting fucked for a while now.
This email would have been so funny if it weren't so true. Lucky thing we have all that petroleum here.
