When I was about eight years old and growing up among bougainvillea and oil fields, I hated to sit in class all day.

I would stand at my desk and diligently do my work. 

“Please sit,” the best teacher in the world Sr Catherine Therese would plead. “Would you like another chair?’’

“No, please, Sister,” I would reply sweetly each time. “I like standing.” I was such a polite cute thing in those days, which is further proof that anyone can change if she really works at it.

Sister Catherine generally didn’t trouble trouble unless it troubled her, so I was allowed to be my contrarian self—after all, I got good grades, didn’t pull the wings off insects, and got along with my classmates. So what if I wanted to be minor rebel?

But eight year olds don’t run rebellions very well. I had no followers in the Stand Up movement. And I was soon conquered by a fire-breathing dragon as terrifying as any swarming the skies on Game of Thrones. 

My friend June (who grew up to be a chemical engineer) was seated at the desk across the aisle and she signalled to me to sit. “No,” I silently mouthed back. Then, suddenly I felt a spank on my bottom and a firm hand on my shoulder. Unheralded (I did not detect the odour of sulphur) the principal had entered the classroom and had crept up behind me, to deliver the punishment.

Now, when it is too late to save my waistline, I discover I was right all along.

Experts now say that our bottoms are killing us. 

Think of all those artery-clogging, varicose-vein-inducing, metabolic-slowing hours spent going through emails, making calls and writing proposals and eating lunch while seated at our desks. Then you drive home and sit some more in front of the TV or computer. Prolonged sitting is associated with higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, depression, muscle and joint problems—and significant frumpiness.

Some even warn that the office chair (even the $26,000 luxury vibrating kind for electrifying executives) are worse for our health than smoking. And you know the crazy, wicked thing? Even working out vigorously before or after work may not compensate for extending sitting.

The British Journal of Sports Medicine says we should begin to stand, move and take breaks for at least two out of eight hours at work. Then, we should gradually work up to spending at least half of our eight-hour work days in what researchers call “light-intensity activities.” 

The idea is to stand while talking on the phone, use the steps instead of the elevator, hold standing meetings (Queen Elizabeth II keeps people standing in some official meetings but the idea there is to ensure brevity), walk over to a colleague’s desk instead of sending an email. 

Simple stuff, the experts say. The point is to just get off your rear end.

My eight-year-old-self is proof positive that the Stand Up movement has merit. Back then, I was the first to be picked for the “rounders” team on Fridays and I beat the boys in races. I hung upside down on the jungle gym. I turned cartwheels. I was fearless when it came to running, jumping and trying new things. 

After I had that spanked out of me, what happened? By puberty, I had turned into a shy overeating (but still fabulous) drone, persecuted by her bathroom scale and unable to catch or throw a ball. 

Had I kept standing, I could have been as famous and clever as Winston Churchill, who used a standing desk. 

Today, convertible, adjustable standing desks are catching on. English exercise scientist Dr John Buckley programmed his sit/stand desk to notify him on his computer to change his posture every 30 minutes. 

Scandinavian workers use treadmill desks so they can walk, and possibly whistle, while they work. 

James Levine, an obesity expert at the Mayo Clinic, says the reason some people seem to eat a lot, never work out, yet never put on weight, is because they’re standing, walking and moving more throughout the day, rather than sitting for hours on end. 

Now, that’s just being cruel, James. If it were that simple, I would be elbowing Lupita Nyong’o off the red carpet by now. 

But there is a lot to be said for getting off our rear ends to improve our ends. Ernest Hemingway wrote in a letter in 1950: “Writing and travel broaden your ass if not your mind and I like to write standing up.”

Another reason to emulate Papa Hemingway. Also, I have a fear of losing bone mass and becoming the Amazing Shrinking Woman. So a stroll in the sunshine during work breaks can only help me hang on to the five feet five inches allotted unto me.

Now, when you hear “Bottoms up,” you will know what I really mean—and you, me and my inner eight-year-old child will have some stand-up fun in the sun. 

• Show me your motion at wrenchelsa@hotmail.com

Everton Blender of Jamaica and Awa Sangho the Grammy nominee from Mali are among the international stars who will light up the 2015 Emancipation stage. They will be joined by a number of top local and regional artistes, including Queen Ifrica and Duane Stephenson during this year’s commemoration of the 177th anniversary of Emancipation. 

This was one of the exciting announcements made as the committee publicly launched its program of events for 2015, a release said. Executive member of the committee Hazel Simonette-Herndon using video and graphics presented the upcoming events indicating a range of activities from June 13, the Day of the Yoruba Drum Festival to August 2 when the Emancipation Village comes to a close. 

The ever popular Emancipation Day street procession, the Kambule takes place on Emancipation day on August 1, as usual. 

The calendar of events for this year’s observances includes the Labour Day launch of the Kwame Ture Memorial Lecture Series. Featured speaker is Wale Idris Ajibade, founder and executive director of African Views Organisation. He is the convener and facilitator of a global African Leadership tele-forum. 

Ajibade, will speak at the Central Bank auditorium, and will address his T&T audience on Global Africa: Unlocking the Future through Culture and Technology.  The KTML series closes with the Forum on Africa and its Diaspora on July 28, with an exciting mix of intellectuals, decision makers and activists examining today’s Africa. 

Making a return to the events calendar is the fashion extravaganza, titled Qurux Africa, which is scheduled for July 5 at Normandie Under the Trees, St Ann’s. 

The show will have a combination of a number of T&T’s and Africa’s top designers and upcoming designers such as Lecthris Holder, Kathleen Derrick and Aseefa Martin. 

Given the range of activities that make up the celebration, Simonnette–Herndon could only highlight a few, including the Blessing of the Ground on July 26 before the July 29 grand opening of the Lidj Yasu Omowale Emancipation Village. 

The Village promises to entice patrons with its ever popular international market place. During the period between the opening of the Village and its close there will be the awe-some Youth Day followed by the Pan Night on July 30 and the Pan African Spectacular concert on the night of July 31. This will be preceded as usual by the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Symposium on the same day at the Hilton. 

Early morning August 1, the reenactment of the Proclamation of Emancipation—a play titled Freedom Morning Come, written by Poet Laureate Eintou Springer will bring history to life and prepare participants for the traditional Kambule to the Village where there will be live performances.

When high achieving MBA holder Akosua Dardaine-Edwards went to take up a job in war-ravaged Uganda advising a women-led business there, she wasn’t expecting to be the one who was taught. 

But that’s what happened when she met women who made their living off the land, lived without washing machines, air-conditioners or even electricity, and didn’t know where the Caribbean was. The women nevertheless surprised her with things she didn’t know about them, Africa and herself.

Dardaine-Edwards is sharing her experience and what she learned in the book Nyabo (Madam)—Why Are You Here? The Truth about Living in Service, Love, and Personal Power, launched last month and now available at Nigel R Khan bookstores, Amazon.com and the Barnes & Noble website.

It’s Dardaine-Edwards’ second book. The first, What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self-Love, details how she overcame a rocky marriage, bitter divorce and public firing as CFO of the political hot potato Udecott.

After those experiences, Dardaine-Edwards, who travels all over the world as a specialist in promoting entrepreneurship among women in disadvantaged communities, spent a year and three months in Africa. She had to come to terms with the mistakes she was making in what she valued in life and how she viewed herself. The women she interacted with seemed to intuitively guess her emotional state.

“I thought when they invited me over there I’m going to teach them,” she said during an interview at her Flagstaff apartment. “In the rural areas there’s no TV, what we consider things of comfort, so [I thought] I would be going with a broader perspective on life.

“Then I’m just in the yard talking to them,” she continued, “and they’ll come up with ‘Madam, you trying to hide stuff and it coming out your pores.’”

Dardaine-Edwards said she’d hear such comments wherever she went in the country and even from new acquaintances. 

“They’re like, ‘So you come here and you don’t even know your own self,’” she recalled.

At first it caught her off guard and she didn’t know what to make of it.

“I’ll be, like, ‘Them is obeah people! Like what?!’ ”

She grew to accept and appreciate the uncanny perceptiveness. 

“I come from the Western society, where you learn things in books or in school. They don’t have that,” she said. But, she added, “They’re very, very wise.”

The people she met learned through the sharing of communal wisdom.

“Every Sunday everybody will come together in a little open place in the village,” she said. “They’ll sit down, the old ladies teaching the young ladies a dance: This is the dance for harvest, this is the dance for celebration, this is how you treat a man, and this is how you treat your sister.”

Much of the book chronicles conversations, personal reflections and experiences that changed Dardaine-Edwards’ thinking about herself, her relationships, her country and the purpose of life. 

Here’s an excerpt:

“Madam, did your country ever have a war?” 

“No.”

“Not even once?”

“We never had a war.”

“Madam, you are serious?”

“Yes.”

“So, you people, do you fight for anything?”

“Not really. We like to party.”

 “Madam, would you fight for anything?”

“Well, I never really thought about it, Mary.”

“So what do you think about? What occupies your mind?”

I chuckle. “Football and bake!”

“Madam, you are unconscious, you are unconscious.”

I was still a little confused, what is she talking about?

“Madam, you walk around not conscious of the things that you do, what you think. That is being unconscious. You get me? Your purpose is very important. It is the signal and it is the flare for your direction in the fog. You walk around without intent; you walk around blind. Why?”

…

I had never spoken to Mary for more than ten minutes before this conversation! I would see her in the yard and would either say good morning or wave at her from the other side of the compound! So with this in mind I thought this must be some sort of test. 

Nyabo—Why Are You Here brings to mind Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert’s travelogue about a life-changing trip to Europe and Asia. Dardaine-Edwards read the book and admits it was an influence. 

But she was most inspired by various life coaches, who she quotes throughout the book. Among them are Iyanla Vanzant, Danielle LaPorte and Byron Katie. She insists, however, her intention isn’t to preach to others.

“I’m not trying to teach nobody,” she said. “This is what I learnt. I want to put it out there, and you take from it whatever you want.” 

Two fired Clico executives are being used as scapegoats, a former Finance Minister has said.

Mariano Browne, former Minister in the Ministry of Finance, said former Clico chairman Gerald Yetming and managing director Carolyn John were used as scapegoats in the controversial payment of more than $36 million to directors of the company.

Yetming and John were fired following disclosure of the payments. Wendy Ho Sing was appointed executive chairman with immediate effect.

But in an interview on CNC3 Morning Brew on June 8, Browne said the two were fired because of mounting public pressure on the issue.

Browne said Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran, Minister in the Ministry of Finance Vasant Bharath and Finance and the Economy Minister Larry Howai had all said clearly that the payments were to be made.

"It is clear that they knew what was in the offing," he said.

"It was only after, when the information (about the payment) was leaked on Friday as to the quantum of payments and who was paid that they conveniently found two scapegoats."

The probe was initially called for by the Clico Policyholders Group when news of the payments were made public.

Yetming is insisting there was no need for any forensic probe into the payment issue, adding that to have such an investigation was to conclude that something illegal was done.

He insisted, however, that "nothing illegal, nothing dishonest and nothing fraudulent has taken place."

The Central Bank  however indicated last week that the two were fired after Clico failed to follow the March 26 instructions given by the bank on the procedure for all disbursements to policyholders and creditors under the Clico Resolution Plan.

Yetming told CNC3, "They never told us stop making payments to these directors. They never asked why have you not come to us  for approval to pay these things, which is what they are now hiding behind."

He said if Rambarran had a problem with the manner in which the payments were issued he should look at his own staff at the Central Bank for answers.

Yetming said, "If they failed in their duty to him to have done what they were required to do or what he expected them to do to stop the payments to these people, then he should address them."

He said he was a non-executive chairman at Clico, and John should not have two answer any questions about the issue.

He added that he and John were successful in their attempts to return confidence to the company which collapsed in 2009.

More than $36.1 million has already been paid out to former Clico directors. According to reports, those payments were processed between April 30 and June 2. The payments represent half of the entitlement of the former Clico directors.

US-based English comedian John Oliver will air a five-minute special on T&T television tomorrow night.

The special, called John Oliver: The mittens of disapproval are on, comes in direct response to a seven-minute special aired by disgraced former National Security Minister and Fifa Vice President Jack Warner last week.

Warner's special was titled Jack Warner: The gloves are off. In it, he said he had compiled a series of documents, including checks and corroborated statements, and placed them in "unexpected hands,” putting all his alleged Fifa co-conspirators on watch.

Oliver is host of the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which airs Sunday nights on HBO. He is also co-host of weekly podcast The Bugle, alongside comedian Andy Zaltzman. And he's used both platforms to tear into Fifa and its president Sepp Blatter. This entire Last Week Tonight segment was devoted the topic.

​

And the latest Bugle podcast is a compilation of the duo's material about Fifa. (Both contain explicit language.)
 

On last night's programme, Oliver didn't give too much away but encouraged fans to tune in on Tuesday, saying, “We had more to say to Jack Warner than we had room for here."

The special airs Tuesday at 9:01 pm on CCN TV6.

We have all read about the omission of Shiv Chanderpaul from the West Indies team to play against Australia in the Test matches to be held in Dominica and Jamaica. 

This iconic cricketer, who has done so much for West Indies cricket during the past two decades, has been told that he does not fit in with present arrangements. 

He was also subjected to ill-considered comments by a former West Indian player to the effect that he is not good enough to secure a place in the current West Indies team. 

Such is the assessment of the ability of a cricketer who, during the past decade or more, has been consistently ranked by the ICC among the top 10 batsmen in the world and who, during the same period, was the only West Indian player, apart from Brian Lara, to compile an average of over 50 in test cricket. 

Clearly, the assessment of Chanderpaul's ability, quoted earlier, is misleading, but this is the flawed logic and misguided thinking that are used to justify his exclusion from the team, like an old pair of boots that is no longer needed. 

No one likes to be told, even privately, that his or her services are no longer required, but it is much worse to hear it said publicly and on the basis of questionable evidence.

In excluding Chanderpaul from the team, the selectors have argued that sentiment should not be allowed to get in the way. 

But sentiment is very important. Life is not merely a matter of winning a Test match or evening a series. More importantly, it is about human dignity and respect for others. 

The selectors seem unmindful of the public humiliation they have heaped upon a truly great cricketer and are also insensitive to the outrage they have caused in many quarters about the way the whole matter was handled. I understand that, despite the intervention of the president and other members of the WICB, the selectors held firm to their decision to omit Chanderpaul. If this is indeed the case, the question arises, ‘Who is ultimately responsible for West Indies cricket?’ Is it the board, which seems to understand the wider implications of Chanderpaul’s exclusion, or the selectors, who have acted so recklessly and unceremoniously in putting an end to Chanderpaul’s career? 

If this is the example we wish to set as a society, by prematurely discarding people coming to the end of their career, then it is highly unbecoming of us. 

It is to Brian Lara’s credit that he has been so openly critical of the selectors’ decision to omit Chanderpaul from the team and argued instead for him to be given a farewell series, even though his own record could possibly have been surpassed by Chanderpaul had he been selected to play in the two Tests against Australia. 

It does not matter whether he would have scored a hundred or zero, as Lara has pointed out. 

Considerations of human decency and respect for Chanderpaul’s achievements and his contribution to West Indies cricket should have dictated his inclusion in the West Indies team. 

But the selectors are apparently not motivated by such ideals. It is a sad day for West Indies cricket and an unforgivable insult to a great cricketer, which amounts to a public humiliation that has echoed throughout the cricketing world which holds Chanderpaul in the highest regard. 

There is some talk about the WICB arranging a suitable event some time in the future to acknowledge Chanderpaul's contribution to West Indies cricket, but what better honour that could have been accorded him than to select him for the present series against Australia and arrange an appropriate farewell at the end of the second test to be played at Sabina Park in Jamaica. 

Would this have stood in the way of the declared objective of the selectors of grooming a young team for the future? Hardly.

My advice to Chanderpaul? Hang up your test cap, but not your CPL hat, and walk off proudly into the sunset, confident in your own accomplishments which are recognised around the world. You are a legend in your time and the region may never again see the likes of you. 

Accept, with your usual humility, the honours that the Guyana Cricket Board is bound to heap upon you and be magnanimous by overlooking the action of those who so publicly dishonoured you. 

Above all, teach your son, Tagenarine, the finer points of the game. If he becomes half as good as you, he will be a shining star in a future West Indies team. 

Then, sit back and watch your fame and name continue to live far beyond those of the men who have treated you so disrespectfully.

Denis Benn

Jamaica Estates,

New York 

Mr Warner, save us from this

Having followed the news and witnessed the international interest in our little island surrounding the allegations of corruption by Mr Jack Warner, it leaves me in a state of shock and awe. Imagine Trinidad and Tobago’s name is being showcased on major international television and print media all for the wrong reasons.

What amazes me is that in the face of all the charges of wrong doing, Mr Warner does not seem to want to clear his name and save Trinidad and Tobago from this negative image. If this man truly aspires to be a prime minister, shouldn’t he put country first, and take all his “evidence” to the US and clear his name? On another note, I cannot see how a person who is charged and highlighted negatively in the international media should retain his public office. Is this the image of integrity in public life that we wish to showcase to the world? Mr Warner, if you truly care about this country and your constituents, it is best if you resign your public portfolios and clear your name before offering yourself again for public office.

Peter Thomas,

Maraval

Regaining our original ancestral names

I have noted with interest the rejoinder of Sahadeo Ragoonanan to Sat Maharaj’s “criticism of Krishna Deonarine changing of his name to Adrian Cola Rienzi.” I find the reasons suggested by Ragoonanan to be plausible and in this regard, I humbly suggest that references to the alias “Adrian Cola Rienzi” be obliterated and replaced by the man’s original name so that, for example, the name “Rienzi Complex” would henceforth be changed to “Deonarine Complex.” In like manner, (and with which Sat Maharaj would welcome, I am sure), the goodly gentleman will, in future, be referred to by his original name in our history books etc.

This has brought me to another kindred historical occurrence not only in Trinidad and Tobago but in other Caribbean countries. Needless to say, I am referring to the African slaves who were not as fortunate as the Indentured Indian labourers in that the African slave was not only given the slave-master’s name but also he was prevented, by whatever means, to “forget” his ancestral roots and names, the upshot of which is well-known. Some may consider it utopian, however, I am suggesting that the Afro-Caribbean man who is able to identify his original name seeks to revert to his original ancestral/ indigenous name.

Have those of European stock among us not retained their original names unchanged?

Errol OC Cupid,

Tacarigua

PM must tread carefully with Fifa

After Manning left, that once great political outfit has abandoned all logic and gone into what seems to be a state of perpetual convulsion. With Rowley at the helm, other than rabble-rousing, no one can say for sure where the PNM stands on anything these days; it no longer makes a positive contribution to the national discourse. 

At least, when Manning was there, PNM exhibited vision...limited as it was. However, under Rowley, it’s drifting aimlessly. It’s just a matter of time before things come to a mutinous head.

If all these allegations about Fifa under Sepp Blatter are true, every step must be taken to prevent the organisation from suffering a similar fate after the necessary cleanup is done. Considering the huge number of people globally who follow and depend on the game for a living, football is too vital an enterprise for Fifa to be allowed to go into freefall.

The USA must therefore ensure when Sepp Blatter is finally taken down, unknown entities worse than him do not emerge from the woodwork. They will commence a vicious, internecine struggle to control the leaderless turf...the collateral damage inflicted on civil societies and economies will be immense and destabilising. Lightbulb moment: to prevent such a vile outcome, perhaps Fifa ought to be placed in receivership immediately?

One love!

Richard WM Thomas,

Arouca

A white Dallas-area police officer has been suspended after a video surfaced over the weekend showing him drawing his gun on unarmed black teenagers outside a swimming pool and wrestling a 14-year-old girl in a bikini to the ground. 

MILAN — An Argentine businessman who was indicted by U.S. authorities in connection to the FIFA corruption case turned himself in to Italian police on Tuesday.

Former Fifa vice president Jack Warner has been investigated by U.S. prosecutors over the disappearance of money meant for victims of the Haiti earthquake, the BBC reported.

More than eight million dollars in drugs were discovered aboard a boat intercepted by the T&T Coast Guard on Monday.

151 packets of compressed marijuana weighing 80 kg were discovered aboard a pirogue named "Mr Marlon", around 2 am on Monday, according to a release from the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard intercepted the vessel with two people on board and contacted officials from the Organised Crime Narcotics and Firearms Bureau and Customs and Excise. A search of the vessel was conducted at Staubles Bay and two large bags with plant-like substances were weighed and examined. 

The drugs had an estimated street value of $8,037,018.88, the release said.

"People don't believe I'm Japanese," says Miss Japan.

Ariana Miyamoto is the first mixed-raced woman to ever be crowned Miss Universe Japan, but she’s not getting the attention she deserves.

With a Japanese mother and African American father, Miyamoto is what’s known in Japan as a ‘hafu’. And she endured abuse after winning the crown because of her skin colour. Multi-racial children make up just two percent of those born annually in Japan, and most of those are of Caucasian or Eurasian lineage.

Miyamoto, who turns heads in Japan with her caramel skin and height of 1.73 m, admitted she has had to toughen up.

Being hafu, according to people on social media, means that Miyamoto’s unworthy of the prestigious title. Many critics complained the title should have gone to what they called a "pure" Japanese.

‘I’ve lived in Japan all my life, but if I say I’m Japanese people reply ‘no, you can’t be’. They don’t believe it,’ Miyamoto says in an interview with the BBC.

Far from being put off by the backlash, Miyamoto resolved to use her new-found fame to help fight racial prejudice.

​Motivated
"I'm stubborn," said Miyamoto, "I was prepared for the criticism. I'd be lying to say it didn't hurt at all. I'm Japanese -- I stand up and bow when I answer the phone. But that criticism did give me extra motivation," she told AFP in an interview.

Miyamoto entered the Miss Universe Japan beauty contest after a mixed-race friend committed suicide. 

"I didn't feel any added pressure because the reason I took part in the pageant was my friend's death. My goal was to raise awareness of racial discrimination," added Miyamoto, who was bullied as a schoolgirl growing up in the port town of Sasebo, near Nagasaki.

"Now I have a great platform to deliver that message as the first black Miss Universe Japan. It's always hard to be the first."

"I used to get bullied as a kid but I've got mentally stronger, to protect myself," said the model.

"When I was small I stood out and always felt I had to fit in with everyone. I'd try not to bring attention to myself, but now I say what I feel. I do things my own way.

"I want to start a revolution," Miyamoto added with a laugh. "I can't change things overnight but in 100-200 years there will be very few pure Japanese left, so we have to start changing the way we think."

BRADES—Caribbean people looking for love have a new platform to help them find that special someone.

Island XoXo, a new dating website targeting Caribbean nationals, went live on June 8. XoXo means Kisses and Hugs, according to the Urban Dictionary. 

Developer Sherylene Dyer, a national of Montserrat, said the launch represents another thrust towards realising the dream of a united and integrated Caribbean.

Unlike many dating websites, Island XoXo "is not exclusively for romantic hopefuls, but also caters to those interested in meeting and mingling with Caribbean people for either friendship or social gatherings," Dyer said.

They can interact with other Caribbean people through a variety of media to include email, instant messaging, and group chats.

The site also aims to make finding suitable romantic prospects easier. Registered members can personalise their profiles, upload photos and videos, create and join groups, seek and give relationship advice, and create and manage blogs. 

"Singles can browse all members or utilise advanced filters to narrow prospects. Other features include a Flirt Box, chatroom, a variety of privacy settings, and a Shy Tool that allows individuals to blur their faces until they are ready to reveal their facial identity," Dyer said.

The site is owned and operated by Island XOXO LLC of Houston, Texas.

 The late release of second semester grades is not linked to ongoing labour negotiations, the University of the West Indies (UWI) has said in a release.

UWI is currently negotiating terms and conditions with the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) daily rated and monthly paid workers, also called non-academic staff.

The release said that grades would now be released on June 16, as a result of a new grading scheme adopted by UWI this academic year.

"The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine has advised all students that in accordance with new regulations implemented under the University’s revised grade point average (GPA) scheme, grades will be released immediately following the scheduled Board of Examiners meeting, carded for June 16, 2015. This meeting is being held to ensure that the revised GPA scheme is being implemented without adverse consequences to students," the release said.

It added that "contrary to published reports, the release of grades is not in any way linked to ongoing negotiations with non-academic staff."

Local newspapers and radio stations reported a link between the negotiations and the withheld grades. But in an interview broadcast on 95.5 FM on June 9, UWI Student Guild President Makesi Peters said senior Campus officials had met with him and assured him that there was no such link.

Peters said he had also received many emails from affected students who were concerned that the delayed release would affect their registration for the third (summer) semester. 

The release from the University said that late registration for the summer semester would be extended to June 18.
 

According to new figures from American market research company eMarketer, the number of smartphone users in the world will surpass two billion in 2016. 

Technological advances have therefore placed video cameras in the hands of men and women, who at times have captured stories that are shared by millions through social media. This wave has birthed a new crop of potential film makers. The global film industry has taken notice and so has the T&T Film Company (FilmTT). FilmTT therefore launched the second annual Smartphone Film Festival on May 27. 

A new global trend, this competition is a tremendous opportunity for smartphone users to enjoyably discover their hidden and often overlooked talents within their video captures. 

A release from FilmTT said the organisation seeks to develop this intrinsic capacity within the country, and has partnered with KnowledgeTT to engage and educate all interested participants on internationally standardised filmmaking techniques with free access to their online resources. 

Partnering with Blink bmobile and Samsung for this competition, members of the public are invited to submit five-minute short films, produced using only smartphone/mobile device technology. 

Among other prizes, the winners will also have their films submitted into the Toronto and Tokyo Smartphone Film Festivals, two of the largest smartphone festivals worldwide. The export of such local talent, in keeping with FilmTT’s mandate, opens the door to a new market for non-traditional, trendy filmmakers with the power of smartphones and the eye for capturing imagination. 

There are no audience or age restrictions, anyone with a smartphone can participate. The deadline for submission is July 2015 and the campaign begins on May 30. Information will be accessible through radio, press and social media advertising. 

Film TT is a subsidiary of CreativeTT and is focused on facilitating the economic expansion of the industry as well as the development of export potential for locally developed content, a release said.

Road safety: It’s become one of Sweden’s most successful exports—right up there with flat-pack furniture and affordable fashion. Back in 1997, the Swedish parliament adopted a policy known as Vision Zero, premised on the idea that traffic deaths and serious car accidents are unacceptable and that the state should go to great lengths to help citizens avoid them. Today, the approach has been embraced everywhere from the European Union to New York City and San Jose. Just in recent weeks, Qatar hosted a vision-zero conference and Singapore unveiled a vision-zero campaign for the workplace.

There’s a logic behind this imitation. Sweden has engineered one of the world’s lowest traffic-related fatality rates thanks to educational campaigns, new vehicle technology, surveillance systems, and infrastructural innovations, including pedestrian bridges and bike-lane barriers. Fewer than three out of every 100,000 Swedes die in road accidents each year, compared with more than 11 in the United States. As The Economist noted about Sweden last year, “Although the number of cars in circulation and the number of miles driven have both doubled since 1970, the number of road deaths has fallen by four-fifths during the same period.”

But in Sweden, Vision Zero thinking—the idea of aiming for a society free from serious accidents and for systems “designed to protect us at every turn”—has also come to permeate spheres far beyond roads and traffic. This year alone, demands for similar initiatives have come from the Swedish Life Rescuers’ Association (whose members want a Vision Zero approach to drowning accidents), the National Association of Pensioners (a Vision Zero scheme to prevent falls among the elderly), and a coalition of construction workers’ associations and unions (a Vision Zero plan to eliminate construction-site accidents). Sweden’s minister for employment recently vowed to develop a Vision Zero program to eliminate fatal accidents at Swedish workplaces because “nobody should have to die on the job.” And in February, Ebba Busch Thor, the current leader of Sweden’s Christian Democrat Party, called for a Vision Zero approach to abortion.

The healthcare sector is not immune. In 2008, Sweden’s then center-right coalition government announced a Vision Zero approach to suicide prevention. “No one should have to end up in such a vulnerable situation where the only perceived way out is suicide,” the plan stated. 

“The government’s vision is that no one should have to take their own life.” The government summarised the national campaign in a nine-point program with broad strategies like reducing “alcohol consumption in the general population and in high-risk groups” and harnessing “medical, psychological, and psychosocial measures.” These strategies have had some concrete effects. For instance, the goal of “reducing access to means and methods for committing suicide” has altered Swedish cityscapes, leading to initiatives like mounting fences along bridges to discourage people from jumping off of them.

But so far, there’s little evidence that the program has achieved measurable success in eliminating suicides or even driving down the suicide rate. Around 1,400 to 1,500 people kill themselves every year in Sweden, a country with a population of 9.6 million. The suicide rate was declining for several decades prior to the 2000s, when the rate plateaued at roughly 20 suicides per 100,000 citizens aged 15 and above. (Suicide is an especially touchy subject in Sweden; a government website debunks the perception that “Swedes are suicidal,” noting that the country “ranks outside the world’s top 40” for suicides per capita and tracing the myth to Dwight Eisenhower claiming that the Swedish welfare system had spawned “sin, nudity, drunkenness and suicide.”) Sweden witnessed its lowest suicide rate since 1980 in 2011, when 1,378 people killed themselves. But that number then rose to 1,600 in 2013. Today, suicide is the most common cause of death for Swedish men and women aged 15 to 24. In the 15-to-44 age group, suicide is the most common cause of death among men and the second-most common cause of death among women.

Some attribute this lack of success to the nine-point plan’s vague objectives. In a 2012 op-ed, Alfred Skogberg, president of the non-profit organisation Suicide Zero, called for practical, targeted measures like airbags on the front of trains in case someone jumps on the tracks, suicide-safe exhaust pipes for cars, tougher rules for selling painkillers to young people, and four mandatory therapy sessions for individuals who have attempted suicide. Skogberg pointed out that while five times more Swedes die from suicide than from traffic accidents, the state allocates three million Swedish krona per year (roughly US$360,000) to the National Center for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health—the authority responsible for suicide research and prevention programs—while investing between 100 and 150 million krona per year in traffic-safety research. With such insufficient investment, Skogberg said, the vision of eliminating suicide will prove elusive. (Kerstin Evelius, the Swedish government’s coordinator for psychiatric health, told me that the three million krona given to the center is just a fraction of the government’s investments in suicide-prevention efforts, which are also dispensed at the regional and local levels.)

Skogberg isn’t alone in his critique of the government’s suicide-prevention efforts. The Swedish mental-health charity Mind supports the zero-suicide vision but maintains that not enough has been done to achieve it. The organisation’s director, Carl von Essen, suggested a series of reforms in a 2014 op-ed, including formulating indicators and annual targets like halving the number of suicides in the country by 2025. Von Essen, who recently participated in a government-commissioned inquiry to improve the zero-suicide plan, takes issue with critics who say that the goal of eliminating suicides is unrealistic. “There are countries with lower suicide rates than Sweden, so it is entirely feasible to reduce suicide mortality further here, too,” he told me.

But other mental-health professionals have questioned the very premise of the Vision Zero approach, which is animated by the idea that the state has a duty to prevent individuals from harming both others and themselves. One such critic is David Eberhard, the chief physician at a psychiatric clinic in Stockholm, the Swedish capital. He told me that the country’s Vision Zero schemes are the ultimate proof of Swedes’ “addiction to safety” and of the Swedish state’s tendency to intervene in the personal lives of its citizens. (theatlantic.com)

CONTINUES TOMORROW QUOTE

Sweden witnessed its lowest suicide rate since 1980 in 2011, when 1,378 people killed themselves. But that number then rose to 1,600 in 2013. Today, suicide is the most common cause of death for Swedish men and women aged 15 to 24. In the 15-to-44 age group, suicide is the most common cause of death among men and the second-most common cause of death among women.

According to production director Deborah Jean-Baptiste-Samuel, in a statement on the programme, it proved “an exhilarating challenge to transform the properly manicured teenaged ladies of St Francois Girls College into battle-ready calypsonians of the 1930s” for their roles in Rawle Gibbons’ calypso musical Sing De Chorus.

The successful result stemming from that challenge was vividly demonstrated when the premiere of the institution’s three-night tenth anniversary production was staged at Queen’s Hall in St Ann’s last Friday evening before an audience comprising parents, peers, and well-wishers.

The storyline in Sing De Chorus chronicles the turbulent years of the calypsonians in the 1930s and 1940s, and showcases not just the many calypsoes of the era, but looks behind the scene at the lives of the men and women who were the mouthpiece of the people—the investigative reporter who tried to give the story as it really happened.

The make-up duo of C Farray and L Fouchong deserves full praise for the work done in the physical transformation of the all-female cast into believable-looking men to play the roles of calypsonians with the style and character of the era.

While the cast would have only read about artistes such as Atilla the Hun, Lord Beginner, Lord Executor, Growling Tiger, King Radio, Lady Iere, and Invader, to name a few, members were able to clothe their portrayals with the swagger history records as being a characteristic of the individuals. 

In the opening act we had glimpses of the relationships between Battler (Anna Bethel), Madame Dorothy (Candice Villafana), Saga (Destinee-Ann Robinson), and others who inhabited their barrack yard commune, and the rite-of-passage a newcomer had to go through before he could claim to be a true calypsonian.

We experienced performances in the La Cou Kaiso tent of Scandal In The Treasury from Atilla (Shania Shallow)—the best singer among the cast; Country Club Scandal from Radio (TS Davis), and other calypsoes from Executor (Arlene Williams), Timer (Kishanna Ashton) and others.

During the period related to the story, one of the challenges the calypsonians faced was the censorship of their songs. Inspector of Police (Andrea Richardson) and his lackey Corporal Santapee (Alana Atwell) brought the arrogance and bullheadedness to their roles that incensed the singers who, nevertheless, continued to find a way to expose the scandal and “bobol” among the ruling colonial class. The conflict climaxed with the passing of the Theatre and Dancehall Ordinance that crippled the calypsonians as their songs’ lyrics had to receive the stamp of approval from the law (Inspector and Santapee).

The play also explored the plight of workers that culminated in the Butler Riots in Fyzabad and the influence that “US dollars” had on the art form resulting in establishment of the Bonanza Entertainment Centre where we saw Rishanna Ashton, Dari-anne Campbell, and Destinee-Ann Robinson as the Andrew Sisters doing Lord Invader’s Rum and Coca Cola that became a huge hit for the trio in 1945.

According to Jean-Baptiste-Samuel, for the students, the exercise “was an education in calypso of the 1930s era, and an appreciation for the poetry in those calypsoes, an exploration of the cultural elements, and an explosion in musical song.”

She expressed the hope that the experience of performing in the dramatic musical will be etched in their memory, and expand their understanding of the oral art form of calypso.

The St Francois Girls College began its annual drama production in 2005 with the staging of Penelope Spencer’s In The Blink Of An Eye at the Central Bank Auditorium in Port-of-Spain.

“Let us reimagine where we want nursing and midwifery to be in T&T in ten years time and work towards that goal. We must always be able to stand up and proudly say we are nurses and this means something.” These were the words of the keynote speaker, Jill Iliffe, executive secretary of the Commonwealth Nurses Federation at the opening ceremony of the Seventh Quadrennial Health Conference, at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, which took place from June 1-6. 

The conference was themed Nursing and midwifery: Power and Best Practice in the 21st Century and provided nursing, midwifery and other healthcare professionals the opportunity to share research and experiences for improving how they serve their communities. 

During her presentation which was well-received by the attending healthcare professionals, Iliffe touched on international best practices and standards for the nursing profession and stressed the importance of ongoing research to advance knowledge in the field and the need for a code of ethics and regulations, to maintain high standards and protect the public from unsafe practitioners. Iliffe also spoke about the need to instill the deep-seated values of competence, commitment, prestige, trustworthiness and a client-focused environment of healthcare among all members of the profession, a release said. 

The Seventh Quadrennial Health Conference was hosted by the T&T Registered Nurses Association (TTRNA) and the T&T Nurses Association of America Inc (TTNAA). Over the six-day conference experts discussed a number of issues that have an impact on nursing and the delivery of healthcare including community home-based care, post-partum depression, the role of the midwife, elderly care and patient safety and quality care. 

Other speakers at the opening ceremony included Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan, TTNAA president Jacqueline La-Rose-Greene, MTEST Nursing Eduction manager Joycelyn Alvarez-Clarke, Caribbean Nurses Organisation former secretary Rosemarie Josey, and T&T Nursing Council president Karin Pierre. 

TSTT chief marketing officer, Camille Campbell said the TTRNA and TTNAA played an important role in encouraging the continuous development of the profession. 

“Blink/bmobile is proud to support this critical conference since it strives to advance the capability of nurses to have a greater positive impact on our nation’s healthcare which will benefit all citizens.” 

“This year we too are observing a significant milestone, the 25th anniversary of TSTT that has helped shape all sectors of the society and economy. We look forward to the next 25 years where advanced telecommunications technology will play an even greater role in healthcare and other areas that support the growth and development of T&T as a whole,” Campbell noted. 

Gwendolyn Loobie-Snaggs, president of the T&T Registered Nurses Association (TTRNA) in her remarks at the formal opening said, “This conference is especially significant to us this year, as it coincides with the 85th anniversary of the TTRNA as an organisation representing the interests of nurses and other supporting staff in the healthcare system. The focus of the conference is to improve the use of modern methods and practices in both nursing and midwifery in T&T.” 

Loobie-Snaggs continued, “If we are serious about developing the nursing profession, we would take aspects of this conference and put them into practice to obtain a change in attitudes, behaviors and the way we deliver service. If we see this happening, no matter how small, then we can say that this quadrennial was really successful because we would have tangible evidence that there was indeed improvement in the nursing profession.” 

Referring to Iliffe’s presentation, an exhilarated Loobie-Snaggs said, “It was very relevant, especially with regard to regulating the nursing profession. What she shared should form part of our training going forward, especially for our younger nurses and then we will really see the benefits coming out of this conference.”

MUMBAI—Bollywood royalty is set to rub shoulders with Hollywood glamour, after star actor Shah Rukh Khan bought a stake in the Red Steel, T&T’s franchise in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
 
Hollywood stars Mark Wahlberg and Gerard Butler already own CPL franchises. Wahlberg owns reigning champions Barbados Tridents, led by Kieron Pollard, while Butler owns Jamaica Tallawahs, captained by Chris Gayle.
 
Khan's company Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd—along with KKR co-owners Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta—has invested in the T&T franchise.
 
Khan is also owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). KKR, IPL champions in 2012 and 2014, are the IPL’s most valuable team, with a brand value of $86 million.
 
Khan became the first owner of an IPL team to own an overseas cricket franchise.
 
"This is in line with our vision to expand globally. We are thrilled to become part of the cricketing tradition of Trinidad & Tobago," Khan told Times of India.
 
"The passion for franchise cricket in the Caribbean is evident with the success of CPL and we hope to bring all the best practices of KKR to the T&T franchise.”
 
The next edition of the CPL is scheduled to run from June 20 to July 26.