Nature also presents excellent examples of virtual reality of seeming substance that does not exist such as mirages and rainbows which have captivated man's attention for centuries.
Not to be outdone we in Trinidad seem to excel at virtual reality and I thought I should share a few examples straight out of our daily news:
Dr. Amery Browne's attempt to have us believe that in reality not only was Ken Valley delighted to have his throat cut as Member of Parliament for Diego Martin Central, he also thoroughly enjoyed being replaced by a political neophyte who he not only endorsed, he went out of his way to advise.
Where it becomes 'virtual' reality is this same Ken Valley took such umbrage at the manner with which he was dealt that he went on to label Patrick Manning a dictator and took great pains to warn us against him (Manning) right up until his death (Valley) while never publicly saying anything about his replacement either good or bad, making this claim by Browne something of a political illusion.
Another good example of reality as opposed to virtual reality, Vicky Boodram of Boodram's Tours was arrested and charged for the tendering of fraudulent documents with regards to an advertised cruise which appears to have not been properly organized in reality, a claim she vehemently denies.
Where it becomes virtual reality is the same Boodram could not be granted bail as the documents presented to secure her bail were also proven to be fraudulent, leading one to fully expect Santa Claus and the tooth fairy to show up at the Court house when the matter is finally called.
How about farmers in this country who have grown tired of waiting to be recognized as farmers and granted access to State lands for use as farms who have instead illegally 'taken' land and some have even proceeded to plant them?
Where it becomes virtual reality is the sheer quantum of land being disputed in some cases by these 'poor' farmers and the small percentage actually being used to grow food as opposed to private housing developments.
In yet another fine example, a family firm belonging to Planning Minister Mary King received a government contract from King’s own Ministry despite the fact that concern has arisen in the Government since King allegedly failed to disclose her family interest in the software engineering company.
King, a former Independent senator and head of Transparency International (which was set up to prevent these exact types of abuses) has said Prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar “had heard about it” and had been given “the whole process, all the documentation and she was very satisfied' to which the same Kamla responded “The matter was brought to my attention recently after the process had been completed and I made it clear that, on the basis of information provided me, it was highly inappropriate."
With regards to her fore knowledge Persad-Bissessar made her position clear in the issue, distancing herself completely from reported statements by King "that the PM had heard about the contract, was given documentation on it and was “very satisfied.” “Totally false and definitely untrue!” were her exact words.
These are perfect examples of refurbished truths taken from this week's headlines alone, imagine how many others one could find if one went back weeks, months or even years? How the average viewer or newspaper reader in this country tells reality from virtual reality is a mystery to me, and it would seem everything now needs to be taken with a teaspoon of salt.
A good rule of thumb is, when in doubt, question everything...
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