July 21 - The “Pan Buzz” to date

[Pan Buzz]

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I.

 

THE G-PAN AND PHI...
More questions than answers
 

Panman Patrick getting orn like he eat barbed wire.

 

The controversy involving the G-Pan (Genesis Pan) and the Percussive Harmonic Instrument (PHI) reeks like a nasty fart in an elevator. Everyone is looking at everyone, and no one is saying anything, everybody is behaving dumb as the scent disturbs the nose.  Well I have news for all involved; the Pan Buzz is going to ask questions until I am blue in the face... and who vex lorse.
 

Readers of this column will know that The Buzz has been in the forefront of Pan development.  I have been crying out loud for years for Trinidad & Tobago to take the lead in Pan technology, putting our young, inventive minds to work.  From my perch, and wide and varied network, information reaches me on Pan development worldwide, even as I write.
 

I often castigated governments for not supporting Pan development, so when I heard about the developments taking place at UWI’s (University of the West Indies) engineering department under Professor Brian Copeland, I was so happy.  I started to fart like an old train engine, the one from the Last Train to San Fernando. Now, when I read all the tantana (bacchanal), it makes me sad.  I feel spat upon as this controversy festers like a sorefoot.
 

I have already explained why I think the funding for the project (TT $35 million smackers) was shrouded in secrecy.  All the while I was thinking this grand zaffire (old people word) was ketching its tail for funding.  With Pan development raging at UWI, I thought: here was a chance for the inventor of the bore pan, Denzil “Dimes” Fernandes, and the man who invented the Letterpan, to excel - but no such thing happened. They were ignored like a stale cornsoup. Now the mark buss, that the G-Pan and the PHI were the property of Copeland and company (cohorts), man start to run in lawyer office, rather than answer questions.  What makes this really bad is that the Government found out about this because a patent agent was asking for his money. 

 

Now I hearing from the greates’ non-playing panman that ever lived - Panman Patrick (Manning) - “don’t talk to me, talk to my lawyer.”  So who to talk to? Everything happened on Patrick’s watch.  But I have questions for Panman Patrick, Copeland and UWI jefes whose university has been dragged into this mud.  Both ‘Pans’ (G-Pan and PHI) have been registered in several jurisdictions.

Now there is talk that Pans are being sold for as much as TT $15,000.00. 

Now I am not so worried about the G-Pan, it is still a work in progress.

 

Talking about mud.  I am not mud-slinging, I am just asking questions.

Already one of the students who has worked on the project is voicing concern over the deceit of working on both projects as a contribution to the University and the country. It must be galling to know you are making a contribution to a group of men’s pockets.  However, here are some questions plaguing my mind, as I am going crazy:

• Who controlled the money for the projects?

• Who was responsible for the oversight of this project?

• How was the money disbursed:  through the Office of the Prime Minister, or UWI?

• Did UWI give out this money in tranches?

• Whose duty was it to check bills of expenditures?

• How much has been spent so far on the project?

• Is there an unspent balance, if so, how much?

• What payments, if any, were made to directors of the project?

• Will a national awardee hand back his award if found guilty of improprieties?

• Why are the key players hiding under lawyers, if everything is above board?

• Are there ghost banking accounts in foreign lands?  After all, these two projects cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, cost TT$35 million

• Are we playing with a stink bomb, if when fully exploded, several persons will have to run for their raincoats?

 

I intend to talk to students involved in the project, who feel deceived, and intend to mount a legal challenge for their share of the PHI pie; after all, it is their intellectual property too...
 

These are some of the many questions that need to be answered, because what my spies are telling me isn’t sounding too good... no wonder there is a mad rush for lawyers.

_______________

 

Until next week, wherever you are in Pan’s Diaspora, keep loving up The Pan

[wayne walcott]

ah is ah toonie . ah toonie . ring dong toonie , ah toonie . .sung tuh de beat of Trini .  by wey de boy name again ?.  C since ah could remember ah did always have 2 nees . . an ah always wonder Y we say we is 3 nees . . ah always take it as ah joke . an ah always like tuh laff so ah went along . .even tuh 2day . . an it seem tuh go along wid everyting Trini . . like we Govament .  an we Korts . . which tuh me is still British , . . buh we say is we own . . an we kaiso . an Pan  . . kontreversy fuh so . .  . . de Sports . .athletiks an cricket . . Y still West Indies . .ah doe no . .an now de G-Pan . . we latest invenshun . .dat shoudda be de E . fuh Electric  Pan . . Tanks fuh dis joocy info . . ah din no . . bout all de dough . . an like U . . ah want tuh no . . wey de money go . . an Y it not registered fuh de People ah Trinbago . . like if Panyard Inc an Virginia University din teach we nutten bout sellin we birthrite . . We need ah nex Tony again . .or else we jes tiolin in vain . .ah have ah new name fuh meh ban . . is called Orchestra Copelan . . sweet pan oh G . . an dis time it hah money . . like rain fallin on everybody . . . commin true de Lectronic melody . . 2 nee . . 3 nee .  is all ah we . . . African . Indian . Uropean. an Chinee  . . remember dis " one ah dese days we go wake up an hear wot we go fine ". . [. Stalin .] . Nuttin . . cause de Arawak . .wey we eatin . .an de Carib . .wey we drinkin . .go rise up an take bac dey country . . ah still ah like de mauvelang . . de bacanal . . de social uproar an de carnival . . meh Brodder jes keep riting dese inciteful . thought provokin an nlitenin articles . . so ah could njoy readin . . ah really like yuh style . . peace  

[jerome ebenezer clarke]

Something to share with the viewers,during the early 70,s while involved in the making of steelpans, my first son whom  is  now 38 years years  of age at the moment, was a youth and never payed interest or attention towards the making of the steelpans,as i can vividly remember while making a guitar pan,due to a mistake i  recieved a serious cut  on my finger,this was in  the year 1979 and he was present ,,now this is the beautifull and embarassing part ,,,,He is  now in T & T for awhile and cannot even confront a steelpan,  so for those  and specificaly speaking, the youths of T&T that  may be having the  exposure  , my advice is to  cling to the opportunity, for opportunity lost sometimes may never be regained ,in ending, today is my birthday,,,,,in dutch we do say,,,,,,Ik ben  jaarig,,,,, i,m 56 years of age, still atlethic and vibrant with the blessing  of our almghtty father , the creator of our beautifull universe.

[jerome ebenezer clarke]

Quite an interesting topic,relevant to the G, pan,,let me declare myself in advance ,i,m not from T & T, nevertheless as i can possibly remember i met an Indian gentleman from T&T here in curacao by the playground here in Otrabanda, Willemstad  that works in the Inland Revenue Department in T & T, whom had informed of the new devolopment of the G pan back home, now to my astonishment , there comes another steelpan devolopment Electronic, which is the E pan,, but nothing about the G pan,ah do hope dat the owner ain,t get vex wid mie, for everyone has a right to voice their opinion,even though the inventor has done a good thing,,,but getting back to the fact of the matter ,is that as far as now  i,ve read nothing about the G pans existence,,old people seh every sore got a medicine,,,it,s not too late to rectify the problem,,if ever a glass of milk is fallen on the ground and the glass is broken,,we can quarel from now unto eternity,,deh glass dun brok aredy,you got fu buy wan new wan,,or replace it,,every problem has a solution,with unity a solution can be obtained,thus at the said time it,s important to value the contribution made by those from the UWI including the students and others/tuners/players/etc,The beautifull thing in ending my comment is that i,m 56 years old today and praise the lord that i,m still healthy,if ever anything mentioned in the aforementioned doesn,t coincide with the subject matter ,i do  ask to be excused and  corrected,

[VALENTINE YOUNG]

Manning full of s..t.......Spit!

[Earle Wong]

The letter pan was a piece of shit

Power