There is the old adage that there are none so blind as those who refuse to see.  The horse racing industry in T&T continues to be plagued by this ailment and it is becoming increasingly clear that not even the Blind Welfare Association might be able to help them.  

The Arima Race Club (ARC) has witnessed the departure of virtually all of its major sponsors without even the slightest whimper. One is left to wonder at the role and activities of the  Marketing Committee since no sport can survive without sponsors.  

Having seemingly accepted its fate, the ARC responded earlier this month with the publication of its draft (sic?) 2016 Classic Diary.

This document which itself has been mired in some controversy in the past - for example, with respect to the conditions for this year’s Trinidad Derby – has signaled a radically different philosophy in the structure of prize money for horse racing in 2016.  

The almost across the board cut in prize money for the sport can only be applauded for its transparency as opposed to its consequences.  This transparency is in stark contrast to the haircut which was applied to the transport subsidy during the last month or so, such haircut having not been previously advised to anyone.  

The cuts however are quite dramatic and the implications extend beyond the races listed in the Classic Diary since, it stands to reason, that there will be further cuts on the prize money paid out in the non-Classic events. Racehorse owners’ love of the sport will be tested to its maximum in the coming 12 months, if not for some before then.

The Classic Diary has always boasted of six marquee events – the Triple Crown (comprising the Guineas, Midsummer Classic, Derby), the Breeders’ Classic, the Stewards Cup and the Gold Cup.  The Breeders’ Classic was a new addition following its introduction in 2014 and was designed as a stimulus to the local breeding industry.  

Historically, the Derby  Breeders’ Classic and Gold Cup commanded the top prize, $500,000 each.  The other three events carried significant less, but equally attractive prize money.  The 2016 Classic Diary signals the departure from that philosophy.

In 2016, there has been a cut in the prize money in each of the three premier races. The Derby will now be worth $400,000; the Gold Cup, $350,000 and the T&T Breeders Classic, $300,000. 

In the case of the latter, the prize money was cut by $200,000.  This is quite significant and represents a major body blow to the local breeding industry.  This reduction places the Breeders Classic below the Midsummer Classic ($350,000) and on par with the Guineas. What is also of interest is that when the race was introduced, the industry was advised that the Betting Levy Board (BLB) was specifically funding it as part of its support of local breeders.  

One is left to wonder why the BLB would have so dramatically changed its position, notwithstanding the known challenges confronting that institution. But that is if the BLB was informed of this change .

The slashing of the prize money for the Gold Cup is also a body blow since it signals a retreat in the sport to a more inward looking Caribbean centric purchasing patterns.  On average a quality imported animal will cost in the region of US$40,000 ($256,000). 

The two major races for these animals would be the Stewards Cup and the Gold Cup.  Prize money for the Stewards Cup is a relatively low $250,000 and, when coupled with the fewer opportunities in general to race imported animals of substance must translate into a reduced level of interest in acquiring horses bred outside of the West Indies. 

That being the case, the main beneficiary will be Jamaican breeders who will now view Trinidad as easy pickings for their animals.

The myopic nature of the decisions being taken sometimes seem to be at odds with the business acumen previously displayed by some of those at the helm of the industry.  One is left to conjecture as to the reasons for this seemingly nonsensical approach.  

Rather than trying to resuscitate the industry–the only way possible –and this is by improving the quality of our racing product, we seem more interested in supporting mediocrity in the sport and contesting more races of a lower level.  Fans do not come out to see 15 horses in the 0 to 25 category compete, they come out to see five horses in the 100 and over category.  

The ARC has however commenced a policy of cancelling subscription races with five or less horses while splitting West Indian bred four year old and over maiden races with 22 horses.  One wonders if when the race is cancelled, subscriptions are repaid to all horses that had been nominated from the first stage or if only those who were nominated at the final stage or maybe even only those who were entered are refunded. 

This is an interesting legal matter to be taken up by connections of the affected horses because the ARC cannot be entitled to retain all of the subscriptions which were meant to go towards the total purse for the event. The ARC need to be cautious going forward with this backward approach.

With the change in prize money, connections of the top class horses must feel incentivised to try and take advantage of the current scenario. This will therefore be the final year in which the prize money for the Gold Cup, Stewards’ Cup and Caribbean Champion Stakes will be at its current level. 

There is one horse that is entered in each and who has a realistic chance of winning all–Bigman in Town. 

The problem for the Bigman is that there is only one week between the Caribbean Champion Stakes and the Stewards’ Cup.  Will connections be brave enough to contest both races?  Quite frankly, Bigman should not have to come out of a canter to win the Caribbean Champion Stakes with his closest competitor in the event, Momentum, rated a full 36 points lower.

Every one of his rivals in that race will be racing outside of the handicap because their riders will be unable to catch the allotted weight. This could be a nice warm up race for the Stewards’ Cup one week later over 1200 metres.  

Bigman is not getting any younger and this might be his final year to sweep a triple crown of sorts that has never been tried previously, in other words write some history! Few horses attempt the Stewards/Gold Cup double, let alone succeed at it. 

To add the Caribbean Champion Stakes to that double would go some way to cementing the Bigman’s status in local racing folklore. We hope connections make the brave and bold decision in the best interest of horseracing.

Young footballers in T&T received an added boost towards their careers as Digicel, Digicel Sportsmax and the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) signed a five-year partnership worth US$1.5 million at the All Out Restaurant and Bar on Tragarete Road, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

Oliver McIntosh, CEO and president of Digicel Sportsmax, said the partnership was in the making for some time. He said: “We are very proud to be here and to sign this deal with the SSFL. It has been three years in the making.” 

McIntosh stated that Sportsmax always expressed interest in the SSFL and has kept in contact with president of the SSFL Anthony Creed in the past. Sportsmax has broadcasted schools football in Jamaica and when Sportsmax began 13 years ago they wanted to invest in sport throughout the Caribbean including the televising and production of sports.

McIntosh explained that Sportsmax will have state-of-the-art cameras and will carry the SSFL Intercol final live on November 30. The final will be shown on Sportsmax, Sportsmax Two, and CEEN TV, which will be seen by viewers in USA, Canada and the United Kingdom. McIntosh added that there is a lot of talent in the Caribbean. 

“The are many more Shaka Hislops, Russell Latapys, Stern Johns, Carlos Edwards and Kenwyne Jones that the world needs to see. I am proud to say that we are part of the SSFL family.” 

The SSFL players will also get the opportunity to showcase their talent in front of international scouts, as Digicel Sportsmax will host college and university coaches in T&T. The players will feature in matches and training in an effort to impress foreign coaches.

Creed welcomed the new partners saying, “For the past eight years the SSFL has had three partners and it is a pleasure as the season comes to a close we welcome two new partners - Digicel and Digicel Sportsmax.” 

Also in attendance was Digicel CEO for T&T Sacha Thompson, who was excited about the new partnership. 

“Digicel Sportsmax is really proud to announce our new partnership with the Secondary Schools Football League for the next five years. The truth is Digicel has been supporting these guys (schools football) for the past few years. With our whole acquisition and partnership with Sportsmax it all comes together beautifully.”

Thompson explained that Digicel has always shown an interest in football since the company came to T&T nine years ago. She said that Digicel has been involved at a developmental and professional level including the La Foucade Football Clinic and the annual Digicel Kickstart Clinic where Digicel partners with English premiership club Manchester City.

T&T Women Soca Warriors will be boosted by the inclusion of four overseas based players when they meet Jamaica in the feature match of a Caribbean Football Union Women’s Olympic Qualifier semifinal at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, from 7 pm tonight.

Speaking yesterday after his team held a light morning training session at the match venue, T&T assistant coach Anthony Creece, who has been given the responsibility of leading the team through the qualifiers, said midfielder Dernelle Mascall has already linked up with the squad while the trio of Karyn Forbes, her sister Kamika Forbes and utility player Khadidra Debesette were set to arrive late yesterday from their US schools.

The quartet were unavailable for T&T in their two-match Group Two series against St Lucia which ended 14–1 in the Women’s Soca Warriors favour following 6–0 and 8–1 wins at the same Couva venue on Friday and Sunday.

Asked how the late arrival of the four players would hamper the team, Creece, a former national Olympic team player, said he does not see it as being a major problem.

He said: “All the girls are coming off of just concluded seasons with their respective school teams in the USA, and tomorrow morning (today) we will have another light session so they can get into the mix of things ahead of the match.

“The positive thing for us is that the quartet are all senior members of the team and no strangers to the group, so fitting back into the team should not be a problem.”

Looking ahead to the clash with the Jamaicans, who T&T defeated 1-0 in their CFU Final meeting at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, on August 26, Creece said it will not be an easy encounter.

“We rested the trio of Janine Francois, Tasha St Louis and Jo-Marie Lewis for the second match against St Lucia and they should all be back to 100 per cent for tonight’s match as well,” said Creece.

St Louis scored as beaver-trick in the first-leg 6-0 win, while Ahkeela Mollon did the same in the second-leg triumph and both will be looked upon to produce again tonight.

The stand-in T&T coach was also hopeful of seeing a much larger crowd than he has seen for the opening two matches.

“It’s going to big match as Jamaica is our main CFU rival, and coming a day after the men’s match with USA. I see no reason why the T&T public cannot continue that show of support by coming out to our match.

“The turn out for the matches against St Lucia was disappointing and for today and Friday, its only $30, so as a team we are hoping that we get the public behind us because it gives the players that extra lift on the field,” said Creece.

Prior to the T&T/Jamaica clash, Puerto Rico and Guyana meet in the first semifinal from 5 pm.

The winners of tonight’s semifinals will meet in Friday’s final at the same venue from 7 pm, and will be preceded by the third place playoff at 5.30 pm.

At the end of tournament,  the top three teams will advance to the eight-team Concacaf final round event from February 10-21 in Houston, USA, next year.

From the Concacaf Championship, the top two will qualify to the 2016 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament.

That Prime Minister Keith Rowley recognises something ought to be done about our health service delivery should be lauded. But that commendation is not from the point of view of recognition of the inherent non-systems—we who access public service health could each write a volume—but it’s that in his capacity as PM he is undertaking reform.

I should be optimistic about the news that the RHAs are to be reviewed and that doctors who straddle both private and public care should have some kind of code of governance. Really, I should be gathering my years of notes and begin preparing for the national consultations that must come from such an exercise.

I do not profess to know much of anything about the committee leadership and members but I trust the decision-making of Dr Rowley unambiguously. 

I congratulate chairman Dr Winston Welch, on his appointment. I’m certain that T&T’s own Howard University president Dr Wayne Frederick will bring the appropriate perspective in the male-dominated team—one woman included to talk about nationally healthcare.

So why do I feel so heavy-hearted? 

First, because whenever the emphasis on health does not include mental health with parity to physical health it is always concerning. 

The WHO says: “Mental health and well-being are fundamental to our collective and individual ability as humans to think, emote, interact with each other, earn a living and enjoy life. On this basis, the promotion, protection and restoration of mental health can be regarded as a vital concern of individuals, communities and societies throughout the world.”

It could be that in the remit of the committee mental health reform is entrenched and I’m going to be accused of speaking out of turn. 

But I speak from the past experience of every other health review in this country and I suspect without seeing efforts towards gathering the required evidence/statistics, the “burden of mental disorders is likely to be underestimated because of inadequate appreciation of the connectedness between mental illness and other health conditions” and other reasons.

Secondly, Gerry Kangalee, writing for the National Workers Union, listed some of my health sector burnout and others from before my time, all of which I’m sure is/was necessary so that someday, sometime, hopefully in my lifetime, we’d get it right.

I was around for The Toby Commission Report of 1982, and the Gafoor Commission of 2006 of which Kangalee made mention. The decentralisation of public health system in the 1990s as “a condition of the health sector loan (US$192 million) (which) the government accessed from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB),” was in my time too (http://www.workersunion.org.tt/).

The latter saw the birth of the regional health authorities, a concept that never evolved into better healthcare and one which totally tossed mental health as the responsibility of no one in particular in T&T.

For my 50-odd years here, there’s really been no positive difference in the delivery of care for all kinds of reasons and under all kinds of administrations and that accounts for my committee burnout.

More than that, is an underlying grievance for the lack of prominence of public mental healthcare in all of the permutations, an error we may well repeat in 2015 given the main focus enunciated for this health review committee.

I need to be optimistic but I may be having a mood swing to the “south pole” of my emotions with the pressures I feel from my own life circumstances.

T&T has never once bothered with mental healthcare and if we think the pint-size efforts here and there by those who do not hold the power of a Rowley, Deyalsingh, and Khan et al, before them would get us to a better place, we may end up disappointed.

Mental healthcare would have done well to feature as a separate issue of equal prominence when the Welsh committee was presented with its RHA reform and doctors’ private/public care headlines.

It may well be in the committee’s remit, but I daresay, if it’s there, it should been a headliner in 2015. Then we would know that we are being governed by people with an understanding of the clear and present danger of sweeping mental healthcare under the rug. Or simply walking over and talking over it hoping somehow it would get some attention.

I wish I did not feel as humdrum as I do but I constantly carry the anxiety that I will have to live here without the enshrined rights and freedom that my constitution promises; that in a country of equal place I’ll remain less equal and people would continue to take opportunity to let me know either by commission or by omission.

In this country of put-downs, this contemplation may also just be put down to a “mad man rant.” 

Again, I may be heading off the discourse but I take that risk to say that there is no health without mental health and therefore there is no health reform without proper mental health reform. Not tokenism. Reform.

I wait with bated breath.

This weekend in Chickland, ceramic artist Bunty O’Connor is showing the art she has created over the past three months. Finished pieces of pottery line the shelves in her living room, are mounted on the walls around the kitchen and spill out into the garden.

Trees and grass drip with recent rain. The smell of guava is in the air, and round every bend, some fresh flower, deliciously dew-dipped, shows its head. 

It’s hard to separate Bunty’s art from the pink house in Chickland or the garden with the secret door and ever-changing view of the Northern Range. 

Bunty—as everyone calls her—has been making pottery for 30 years or so. Largely self-taught, her work was a lifelong education through the process of making, glazing, firing clay and a venture into enterprise, as much as it was an exploration into the soils and history of pot-making in Trinidad. 

With sensitivity and skill, her hands seem to have evolved a language of their own that perfectly expresses Bunty’s love for her island home, its creatures and plant life in all forms. A quirky sense of humour emerges—always tempered by compassion and grace.

In the Open House at Ajoupa Gardens in Chickland, taking place over the weekend on November 21 and 22, you’re invited to take home your own piece of Bunty.

Of course, there’s a story behind every piece. The calabash is a starting point for many of Bunty’s bowls and you will find new versions of calabash pots. She is always experimenting with glazes and pigments, so the calabash you may have bought a couple years ago may now have a companion piece from the 2016 collection—only the shape is constant. Choose a leaf plate. Make a Christmas cornucopia with a boat-shaped platter inspired by the bracts of coconut trees foraged from a beach in Tobago. 

Mosaics have long been part of Bunty’s repertoire. Impressive wall pieces or tables feature trees of life, swimming fish or a Mayaro beach. Garden pieces feature Mother Earth in her many manifestations: reclining nymph or rainbow lady. Look for her in the voluptuous big-bottomed woman with the sweet smile; the woman with birds.

Six people dying in road accidents in the past three days has prompted the T&T Police Service to issue a media release imploring drivers and pedestrians to be cautious on the roads.

“Whereas the TTPS will continue our efforts to enforce and educate, we continue to plead with all road users, be they drivers, passengers, bicyclists, motor cyclists or pedestrians to use the road with care by practicing road safety courtesy, common sense and consideration at all times,” the release stated.

The latest data from the Records and Statistics Section, Traffic and Highway Patrol Branch, of the TTPS, show a road death toll of 129 so far for 2015. This figure comprises of 40 drivers, 33 passengers, 44 pedestrians, 11 motor cyclists and one cyclist.

The release stated: “Although this figure represents an 11 per cent decrease for the same period last year — 145, the continued lack of regard for human life and limb displayed by motorists is a serious cause for concern.”

Aside for the road fatalities, the TTPS has issued more than 43,000 traffic tickets to motorists for various driving offences with an estimated value in excess of TT$43 million.

This figure excludes driving under the influence (DUI) and other traffic offences for which drivers are summarily brought before the courts. 

More than 2,300 motorists were arrested and charged for DUI offences yet drivers continue to drink and drive in spite of many cases of alcohol related road fatalities highlighted in the media.

On November 15, the TTPS participated in the global recognition for the United Nations World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims with the walk and ride event hosted by local road safety NGO Arrive Alive to highlight the serious consequences of unsafe road use.

At that event the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Operations, Deodat Dulalchan, expressed sincere condolences on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, to the families of those who lost loved ones to road traffic collisions. 

ACP Dulalchan appealed to all road users to commit to engaging in safer and more responsible road use as the consequence of selfish, thoughtless and reckless driving often results in death or serious injury. 

The day after Friday the 13th was unseasonably warm in Paris, so was the day that followed. 

At the statue in Place de Republique it was sunny enough that fruit flies hovered above the thousands of floral tributes and hand-drawn messages. 

In the early hours of Tuesday, it began to rain. I opened the window and thought about the flowers and pieces of paper getting wet and the candles snuffed out by raindrops. I thought about how it might all look the next day, soggy and streaked, and how more Parisians would come to lay more tributes on top.

I thought about the Bataclan. Just before dusk we had walked along Boulevard Voltaire and looked up at the theatre’s tall, strangely coloured façade and the gorgeous six-storey Parisian apartment block right next to it, just ten feet away across the narrow passage that was the scene of unimaginable horror. 

The Bataclan, behind police tape, was much larger than I had imagined. I’ve been to over 200 rock concerts in my life so when a venue is described as 1,500 capacity I picture a medium-sized hall. Evidently, the rooms to the top of the building extend its height. I don’t know what they are used for but from the harrowing account of Sebastian, the poor, brave man who the Isis gunmen designated as their “guide” for over two hours during the siege (and who later rescued a pregnant woman dangling from the window ledge), it sounds like a labyrinth of narrow corridors and doors. 

I thought about myself inside the theatre, which has stood on that spot since 1864. The Eagles of Death Metal tour bus was still parked outside; part of the crime scene being investigated by police in white boiler suits. I thought about a girl I know who is friends with the band and gets backstage tickets whenever they play live. I thought about when I saw the band supporting Arctic Monkeys at Wembley Stadium in 2009. I thought about an old school friend paralysed for life in the Mumbai attacks. I thought about how much I love rock and roll, football and eating out at restaurants; like all those who died. I tried to comprehend what a gunman must feel, standing in the doorway firing into a crowd of fun-loving people at a music concert, but it’s beyond my comprehension. I tried to feel fear, but there was no fear in me. 

There was something indescribable in the air outside the Bataclan. Yes, it was sorrow but it was also something charged, almost mystical. It was the sound of hundreds of people mourning in the modern way. Camera shutters, the flick of lighters, gentle murmurs, polite surges as reporters recognised someone in the public eye, the sound of sticky tape being ripped off to attach handwritten messages of condolence, love and peace.

At Republique, I heard only French voices. The tourists have deserted, replaced by the world’s media. Dozens of news vans surround the square with small marquees. CNN’s Anderson Cooper with his unmistakeable silver hair. Channel 4’s Jon Snow, with his unmistakeable silver hair. Their cameramen wandered into the crowds where something very Parisian was happening. Muslims, non-Muslims, Arabs, Jews, black people, white people, Asian people—all of them French—were having impassioned debates about Islam, religion, politics, peace and Frenchness. It was something you’d never see in reserved London, but would definitely see in boisterous Trinidad.

On Monday lunchtime the schoolchildren were playing as noisily as ever in the school playground on my street. Life away from the “war” zones of the 10eme and 11eme has carried on largely as normal, though there is a noticeable tension on the Metro and young Arab men are on edge: in their body language and eye contact they are saying “please don’t be afraid of me.”

So what next? Nobody knows—which ought to cause fear. As humans, we tend to want to know there is a predictable, safe and happy future. 

One little boy, asked by a reporter if he understood what happened, said the bad guys with guns are really mean and that his family may have to move house. His father reassured him that they don’t, and that “France is our home.” When the boy said again that they have guns and could shoot us, the father told him, “It’s okay, they have guns but we have flowers to fight against guns.”

That’s all we ordinary folk have: our courage and our love. There are those like Francois Hollande with the power to drop bombs and there are few people who will criticise his immediate reaction of carpet bombing Isis strongholds in Syria. While we have seen a rare glimpse of gritty Paris’ softer compassionate side in the aftermath of the attacks, Hollande is furious; with the look of a man whose own children have been attacked. 

Whether it is possible to wipe out Isis entirely, only time will tell. But our children’s futures will be much happier if we, Europe and the Middle East united, can rid the world of this modern plague.

If anyone thought the Internet comedian Collin Nigel McPherson (Majah Hype) could only perform in front of his webcam, he certainly proved them wrong. 

Hype put on a grand performance at the comedy show Stitches held recently in Port-of-Spain; his fans weren’t disappointed.

Known for his comical and entertaining pieces depicting different people (both male and female) mainly from the Caribbean, Hype has mastered the art of each nation’s lexicon and accent. Under his comedic belt, he has created over 15 characters such as Di Rass and Grandpa James. 

Hype’s resume extends further than comedian. He’s a former DJ and artist, and can play several musical instruments. His fan base—over 4000+ Twitter followers, 300,000+ Instagram and over 100,000 Facebook followers—is extensive and keeps growing daily. 

The Stitches show, scheduled to start at 9 pm sharp at the Zen night club, began after 10 pm to a packed house. Comedians (or as Majah Hype dubbed them—“forward-medians”) made up for the lateness with stellar performances. 

Representing T&T in his red and white, Majah Hype, the main performance of the night, thoroughly satisfied the audience. Even though the burning question of his true nationality was on the tip of one audience member’s tongue, he was silenced by Hype’s quick response of “Mind yuh *^%& business!” which sent the crowd into a laughing frenzy.

Audience members hung on to his every word. With each punchline delivered, the crowd showed their approval with outrageous laughter and movements. He brought along his friends “Di Rass”—a foul-mouth and very crass rastaman with his usual cry of “Fire fi dat”—and Grandpa James, an old man with his “Trini” accent who cleverly looked around the audience to choose his topic and showed his versatility. 

He engaged the crowd, asking the members, “Whey yuh from?” and as each gave a country, he quickly flipped into the country’s accent with one punchline after another.

Raw was the word of the night, as comedians such as Kareem Jones, Aaron Fingal, Keevo, Jarrod Best Mitchell, Sunny Bling and Allan the Entertainer touched on every aspect of life. Topics ranged from religion to politics, and even Ms Ho and her recent court matter. 

Even though promoter Kwesi “Hypa Hoppa” Hopkinson tried to bridge the gap between accomplished and contemporary comedians by inviting Darryl Mendoza (the Saint) to the stage, for some strange reason he could not connect with the crowd. There was a vast difference in audience response between Sunny Bling (who got standing ovations) and the Saint (who was barely cheered when he left halfway through his “drunken act”). 

Present were Fay Ann Lyons and her husband Bunji Garlin, and the American rapper Doug E Fresh who was asked to give an impromptu performance. 

The crowd went wild and called for more as Hoppa then asked for Doug E’s interpretation of soca beat in beat boxing. Even though it sounded more like chutney, the crowd stood and applauded.

The show, over three hours long, ended with Majah inviting the local artistes back to the stage, commenting on their talent and praising them. Majah said everyone, once on stage, should be shown love, while mentioning the Saint. 

As the show ended, people were already talking about the next instalment of Stitches.

One thing’s for sure: stand-up comedy in T&T is definitely alive and in good hands.

The music of the steelband is alive and well in the American state of Virginia with the energetic youth orchestra, Mosaic Steelband, led by Dr Anthony Hailey. Mosaic, one of the bands that competed in the International Panorama in August in Port-of-Spain, is a non-profit organisation that offers after-school youth development steelpan programmes in Norfolk, Virginia and several surrounding communities. 

The organisation is based in the Crispus Attucks Cultural Center, a historic black theatre where the stage side is based. They also have a junior group for primary students, an adult group and a senior group. 

At the competition in August, they brought smiles to many at the Queen’s Park Savannah with their enthusiasm and their distinctive racks festooned with United States flags. They performed the classic winning arrangement of De Fosto’s Pan in a Rage that Jit Samaroo originally arranged for Renegades in 1996. 

While Hailey was in Trinidad, he gave a talk at the International Pan Conference (ICP) on the positive aspects of pan in youth development. Mosaic has a number of ongoing programmes, set to expand in the new year, with a focus on underserved communities in their region. 

As Hailey noted in his talk at the ICP, when you teach pan to teenagers who are often going through stressful times in their lives—especially those in disadvantaged communities—there’s a proven positive effect. They learn to focus, to break down a complex task into constituent parts, to build their memory, to work together and to feel a strong sense of accomplishment and self-worth, often reflected in better classroom performance. 

Hailey, originally from North Carolina, is also a professor of music at Tidewater Community College and will be starting a steelpan ensemble there in the spring in addition to his work with Mosaic. Hailey first heard pan at college at East Carolina University where he joined the university steelband, where his fascination with pan blossomed. He went on to graduate school at West Virginia University, where he met pan pioneer Ellie Mannette. 

Hailey got his doctorate in world percussion in 2005 and since then, he has been teaching pan and percussion with a special interest in African percussion. He has researched the topic in both Ghana and Nigeria and has used Ewe drums from Ghana in the steelband performance. 

Taking Mosaic to T&T was a dream come true for Hailey. He went to Trinidad for Carnival several years ago and played for Skiffle, Starlift and Renegades. When he first heard about the International Conference on Pan and the International Panorama, he wanted to attend. 

“I had been (to Trinidad) and wanted my students to experience it. I wanted to take my ensemble,” he said. 

Hailey obtained initial support from the US Embassy in Trinidad for the band to make the trip. He noted that this Embassy support was key, as it gave the band’s members the impetus to start serious local fund-raising—holding events, seeking grants and finding donors. 

In addition to the approximately 20 members of the Mosaic stage side, Hailey got another batch of his former students, who loved pan, to join the band. Mosaic also hooked up US Virgin Islands youth steelband Rising Stars, whose director Henry Potter also wanted to take students to the International Panorama. For the competition, members of their host steelband, Sangre Grande Cordettes, filled out the ranks. 

Leading up to the competition, all three groups were practising at their home locations. The arrangement came together when the three groups finally met at Cordettes panyard in the week before the competition. 

The Mosaic musical director picked Pan in a Rage as their tune of choice because “I love Jit. I love his arrangements.” 

Hailey had a written score of the arrangement and over the years, he would pull it out and think his students were not quite up for the challenges it presented. Late last year, after seeing the growth and evolution of the Mosaic stage side, he finally felt they could do it. The process was long and hard. 

“Initially, they really struggled with it and hated it, but once they got it, then they loved it.” 

Hailey said everyone who visited Trinidad and participated in the competition had a great time and he can really see a difference in his stage side. 

“They are energised, they are really friends now, and at rehearsals you can tell,” Hailey said. 

“Mosaic Steel Orchestra member Precious Jernigan summarised our experience best when she said: “Trinidad has taught me a lot about having confidence, commitment, dedication, courage, pride, happiness, and hard work in everything I do. This sentiment was felt throughout the band.”

You might have heard his voice when he released his 2013 parang song Countryside Christmas. That was Ravi Jagroop’s first official recording. His second takes on a different tone—it is his first Hindi song, called Jai Devi Maa. 

The 26-year-old’s song was released just a few days ago on local radio. With its popular, modern melody which aims to attract both young and old, Jai Devi Maa expresses love and praises to the divine mother by making offerings through song. It also asks the mother for protection and gives her thanks. 

The song was recorded at Wizz Studio, located in Chickland Village, Upper Carapichaima. The dholak was played by Akash Daniel while the tassa was played by Dylan Manohar. Jagroop hopes to release more devotional songs with the release of his new album. 

So what inspired Jagroop to write this song during Nav Raatri 2014? He explained, “Devi was my connection to God from birth and I see her as an approachable, gentle and compassionate mother and a fierce warrior when it is necessary. She provides moksha or liberation to her children. Devi Maa has been there for me throughout my life. I owe everything to her.” 

While he was stuck in traffic on the Creek one evening on his way to a Devi yag (devotional session), the Classical Indian singer decided to write Jai Devi Maa. Although he had no formal training in Hindi, Jagroop taught himself to read and write the language. This, along with his daily interactions with the language through song, has helped his comprehension and vocabulary. He got Ramlal (Raj) Samaroo to proofread his song. Then he began singing it with pure devotion. 

While this is his first Hindi song, Jagroop is no stranger to the genre. His parents recall him singing as soon as he could speak, having listened to the radio programme Geetanjali and old Indian Classical singers. From the age of six he started going to the temple with his parents where he listened to verses of the Ramayan and other Hindu scriptures. These events, he said, helped to shape him. 

Regarding Jai Devi Maa, the versatile singer said, “It was only this year that I decided to record the song and share it with others. It is my way of sharing and showing my devotion to the divine mother.” 

He is grateful for the support of, “God, parents, family, friends and supporters.” 

Jagroop is the grandson of Vidoor (Gangadhar Jagroop), a blind Indian Classical Singer and drummer. Ravi Jagroop has represented T&T in several other countries. He has also won himself several titles including NCIC’s Coca Cola Teen Talent three times in a row. In 1999, he was a semi-finalist on Children of Mastana, and in 2006 a finalist in the Mastana Bahar competition. In 2010, Jagroop took second place in the Mastana Bahar grand finals.

In true Christmas spirit, The Massy Foundation recently donated funds to The Cotton Tree Foundation, The T&T Association for the Hearing Impaired (Dretchi) and the St Dominic’s Children’s Home.

Gregory Sloane-Seale, director of The Massy Foundation, donated cheques at a ceremony held recently at the Massy Group, Park Street, Port-of-Spain.

He congratulated the organisations for their excellent work, noting they “provide to our most vulnerable citizens a lifeline which gives them hope for a better future.” 

Josephine Emmanuel, general manager of the Cotton Tree Foundation, which helps residents in St Ann’s, thanked the Massy Foundation.

Their donation will help provide educational opportunities for over 100 children between the ages of 3-13 years. Every year, the foundation also provides training for about 40 parents in parenting skills and Internet safety.

Dretchi was also grateful. The group, located on Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, provides hearing evaluations and hearing aids free to children and adults. 

The donation for the St Dominic’s Children’s Home will help care for many children there.

An off-duty policeman yesterday foiled a robbery attempt in La Horquetta when he shot dead one of the bandits.

Around 10.20 pm last night, three men stormed a private residence where a game of roulette was taking place. 

As a robbery was announced, the officer drew his licensed firearm and shot at one of the bandits. The other two robbers ran, leaving their wounded accomplice behind.

The deceased was identified as Kayode Edwards, 19, of Phase 7, La Horquetta. He died at the scene. A shotgun was found in his possession.

The police officer is attached to the Maraval Police Station. 
 

Investigations continue

In an unrelated incident, the bullet riddled body of Scott Sammy was found in a drain in Longdenville this morning. This brings the murder toll to 374 now. 

All citizens of T&T must have their electronic passport by November 24 or they will not be allowed to travel abroad.

This information came via a press release from the Ministry of National Security’s Immigration Division. 

The release advised that all citizens must be in possession of a machine readable passport when travelling to a foreign country.

“This is in keeping with the timeline and standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for international travel,” the release stated.

The release stated citizens who are desirous of travelling abroad and have not yet applied for a machine readable passport are strongly advised to do so, given that the old format passport will not be accepted for travel from November 24.

Ricardo Jerome, the 36-year-old man accused of assaulting a 26-year-old woman seen in a viral video, has been released from the Arouca Golden Grove Remand Yard after he was able to access bail.

Jerome, of First Avenue, Oropune Gardens, Piarco, accused of assaulting a woman by kicking her repeatedly and striking her with a metal object, was charged with three criminal offences.

He surrendered to police on November 6 after a video began circulating on Facebook showing the assault of the woman, identified in court as his common-law wife, at Nella’s Sports Bar, Arima Old Road. The alleged incident took place on November 5. 

Jerome is charged with disorderly conduct, assault by beating and possession of a weapon. He pleaded not guilty to the offences as well as being in possession of a weapon, which police said was used in the alleged attack. 

His lawyer, Fareed Ali, said his client was “overjoyed” to be out of the Remand Yard after almost two weeks in police custody. 

Little orphan Arti Ramkhalawan marked her third birthday today with a cake and a visit from her maternal grandmother, Sharda Bhim, to her bedside at the San Fernando General Hospital. 

Arti remains warded at hospital, and is being treated for cuts to the hands, neck and face which she suffered at the hands of her father, Premnath Ramkhalawan. Her mother Aarika Bhim was stabbed to death on Sunday night. The father then hanged himself.

Arti’s aunt, Chandra Sonny, said Sharda planned to stay overnight with the child. 

“She left early this morning because she said today is the child’s birthday, and she wants to stay with her,” Sonny said.

Nurses on Ward 5 of the San Fernando Teaching Hospital sang happy birthday to little Arti. The Medical Director at the hospital Dr Anand Chatoorgoon said the nurses also planned to get the toddler a birthday cake. Chatoorgoon said he spoke with the nurses who assured him that they were showering the youngster with love on her special day.

ANSA McAL is appealing a decision by Barbados High Court judge Justice Sir Marston Gibson to lift an injunction that blocked the sale of Barbados’ largest beverage company, Banks Holdings Ltd (BHL).

“The company will be joined by several other BHL shareholders who intend to bring a class action suit against BHL with a view to getting the ‘10 Put Option’ clause removed from the BHL/SLU agreement,” president and chief executive officer of ANSA McAL (Barbados) Nicholas Mouttet said in a statement. 

ANSA and disgruntled BHL shareholders argue that the controversial exit clause gives SLU, which is owned by Brazilian conglomerate Ambev, an unfair advantage in to take over through its St Lucia subsidiary, SLU Beverages Ltd.

ANSA McAl has also made a bid to for BHL and had sought an injunction on the BHL/Ambev deal. 

In advertisements in Barbados newspapers, a group of concerned BHL shareholders, who say they are “watching and waiting” said they are skeptical about the Ambev offer.

“We remain committed to selling our shares for the best price possible—but we will not be hoodwinked to sell without examining all the pros and cons of the buyers,” the shareholders said.

Given the significant role T&T played in adding prominence to the annual observances of International Men’s Day, it was unfortunate that the event passed off yesterday with barely a mention locally. Apart from an event at the Magdalena Grand in Tobago organised by the Single Fathers Association of T&T, there was little to acknowledge an event that deserves a place of significance on the national agenda.

While the concept for International Men’s Day was first introduced by men’s rights advocate Professor Thomas Oaster in 1992, it was right here in T&T that the celebrations began to gain more prominence and popularity. For that full credit goes to university lecturer Dr Jerome Teelucksingh who got things going with an event at the headquarters of Families In Action in Newtown, Port-of-Spain, on November 19, 1999.

As his rationale for organising the celebration, Dr Teelucksingh said he realised there was no day for men. He felt there was a need to celebrate good male models and in tribute to his father, who had been an excellent role model, Dr Teelucksingh chose his father’s birthday for the inaugural event. 

Since then, the annual observances have grown in significance globally. International Men’s Day is now celebrated in more than 70 countries with the longest running observances taking place in Malta since 1994.

Recent events have brought into sharp and painful focus the many challenges related to males and masculinity in T&T. The high incidence of domestic violence, abuse, dysfunctional families and gender imbalances, the frequency with which violent crimes are recorded, are all problems which seem to have their genesis with the large number neglected and hurting men and boys in this country.

Solutions to many of these deeply embedded social problems remain elusive. That is why it is so important that an observance that puts the focus on men’s and boys’ health, gender relations, gender equality, and positive male role models needs to be given significant space on the national calendar. 

Considering all that’s frequently very wrong in this country, an opportunity to appreciate and celebrate the men of T&T and the contribution they make to the greater good of this society should never be squandered. The exemplars need to be celebrated, their efforts acknowledged in ways that inspire others.

It could be that International Men’s Day is not high among national celebrations because it is yet not an official UN observance. However, there is a petition in circulation calling for the UN to make it an official international observance in the interest of equality. By contrast, International Women’s Day, which has been around in one form or another for more than 100 years, is celebrated here, with activities and demonstrations taking place over several days.

This year’s theme for International Men’s Day, Working To Expand Reproductive Options for Men, puts the spotlight on the reproductive issues that affect men and boys, including family planning, men’s limited reproductive choices, sexual health and safe sexual practices. It could have served as an important platform for discussions about the cultural, legal, technological and educational issues that men confront as they progress to and through relationships and parenthood.

Sadly, little or nothing of that nature took place in T&T. November 19 came and went like another ordinary day and an important platform for highlighting issues of males and masculinity at a critical time in this country’s development was lost.

There is great power in words—consider “nigger”—but even greater power in what we choose to name things. Call Trinidad Carnival the ostentation of a bunch of vulgarians too drunk to discern their own vainglorious superficiality and you understand why poor people sneer at their wee-wee trucks; but call it “culture” and the state throws $300m at it.

There is great power, too, in isolating people. As a child, I was told about an African tribe that did not physically punish serious wrongdoers, but simply ostracised them. 

No one “saw” them. The wrongdoers, I was told, driven to distraction, would either leave voluntarily or throw themselves off cliffs; and this is where a Beatle murdered in Manhattan a generation ago comes into the story of Paris last Friday.

Since his death on December 8, 1980, Paul McCartney has referred to John Lennon’s killer as, “the man whose name we must never say.” 

To pronounce his name would give him recognition he has neither earned nor deserves; I refuse to even give him a capital M as the man whose name I will never type.

And this is where the so-called Islamic State comes in.

And brings in our power to treat it the way it should be.

President Hollande is correct: France is under attack because of its policy of laïcité, or state-guaranteed secularism. 

France was the first country in the modern world to properly separate religion from citizenship. No church, temple, mosque or rumshop can conduct a legal French wedding: only the Republic itself has the power of formalising marriage. 

No display of religious affiliation, whether crucifix or Star of David or niquab, is allowed in French public spaces (even if a religion showing a willingness to burn embassies at the drop of a cartoon can get away with relative murder, and gain relative advantages). 

Muslims claim religious intolerance today for the same reason Catholics did in 1789: the privilege of their group was threatened, not their belief or their god; and they saw, in laïcité, the loss of their advantage.

When you have a multitude of Gods and their followers jammed together in one space, you can take one of three approaches: 1—the Muslim approach: declare anyone refusing to accept your faith’s paramountcy an infidel and require he accepts his subjugation, on pain of death or enslavement; 2—the “make-as-eef” Trini approach: simultaneously treat every God as the One True God and eat his food greedily on his public holiday, but don’t take any of his troublesome doctrines, like jihad or bans against artificial birth control, too seriously; or 3—the French one: allow everyone to believe everything in private but display none of it in public.

French secularism, laïcité, represents world society’s highest achievement; no matter how wicked France was in the past or how racist it might remain today. In France, humans wrestle with human challenges without the benefit of six different Gods telling us what to do. 

The Canadians, despite their cute new prime minister, have just made a colossal mistake in permitting women making the oath of citizenship to wear niquab; if one owes a greater loyalty to one’s God than one’s nation, one should live in a nation that does not separate God and country.

In secular France, no one is deprived of their “right” to believe the biggest pile of horse manure a man in a dress shovelled into their unsuspecting and defenceless minds when they were small children; but no one is allowed to claim that his own bizarre belief is above either the criminal law or the constitutional legal guarantee of gender equality: no matter how fervently some jackass believes it, a homosexual is not an abomination, but a citizen; and, even if the Koran or any other so-called holy book actually denies it, a husband can indeed rape his wife, since her pudenda are not really his property to use at his whim. 

A woman in France refusing her husband sex has the protection of laïcité; a good Muslim—or Catholic, or Jewish, or Hindu—wife has only a divinely-sanctioned beating coming to her.

Which leads to the group of quite insane young men—judged by secular Western standards, which are far safer and far more equitable than any God’s with whom I’m familiar—posing as the Islamic State.

Read contributing editor of the Atlantic, Graeme Woods’ eye-opening piece: “What ISIS Really Wants” (March 2015, available online) and you will understand how desperate the battle between superstition and reason is, and how easily we might play into their bloody hands. 

Woods details the 7th Century mindset of the crackpots currently taking over Syria in their Toyota pickups: they really do believe that the Apocalypse will be triggered if they can just get the armies of Rome—or the US, or France—to set foot in Dabiq.

But we can outsmart them—or at least make them smart in their jihadi boots. 

For myself, like Paul McCartney on December 9, 1980, I will never again use a name that could be considered holy by anyone to refer to a gang of openly unholy men. 

From this day forward, I shall think of them as Iblis, the Shaitanic State of Dajjal, and a name we should all use, particularly Muslims disowning the literal acceptance of the Koran’s perfection. 

Roughly speaking, Iblis is the Devil and Shaitan, likewise, and Dajjal will lead the forces of what the Christians call the Anti-Christ in the Apocalypse the Shaitanic State is now desperately trying to trigger. 

Indeed, the Shaitanic State might be a God-given name for the blood-crazed pack in Syria and Iraq. In’shAllah.

n BC Pires is the messenger of Dog. Play it backwards and you’ll hear Paul is dead right.

Looking for an exciting career in a vastly growing sector for yourself, family members or friends? The security and public safety industry is set to explode and has space in a wide array of careers that many are unaware of. Global forecasts estimate a 20 per cent increase in the next 15 to 20 years for this industry. 

Many do not know that the security and public safety industry is staffed by professionals in fields such as engineering, information technology, electronics, alarms, geographical information systems, and forensic science. It also includes investigators, arms and ammunition personnel, managers, supervisors, accountants, procurement specialists, human resource managers, lawyers, counsellors, trainers and many more. 

The security and public safety industry is not just about security guards. This is just one of many skills sets required. There are careers at the senior, middle and junior levels.

There are several ways in which someone can easily join the industry. They can enter at the professional level by possessing the various qualifications and experience. They can work their way up from being security officers to supervisors, managers, heads of divisions, trainers, etc. You may be surprised to know how many people have moved up from the officer level to management and leadership levels with some even establishing their own companies. 

Many young people aim to be a police officer or soldier. These constitute the “public side” of the security and public safety industry. But, there is the lucrative “private” side as well where trained people also perform exciting tasks. For example, they also carry and use firearms and other security devices which are a big attraction to many young people. Some of the major private security companies also have alarm and monitoring units with response operations as well. Here in T&T, for example, when an alarm goes off at a client’s premise or a call comes in of a security threat at a particular location, adequately-trained response officers are dispatched. 

In T&T, there is also the practice where both public and private security and public safety professionals have been partnering. The latest is the Community Comfort Patrols—a joint programme between the Office of Law Enforcement Policy, Ministry of National Security, and private security companies that patrol many communities 24/7. Such private security officers have the opportunity to visit many parts of the country.

There are also personnel who can be employed as estate constables in some organisations. They have certain legislative powers that empower them as a police constable and can be called upon to work alongside the police when needed. These exist, for example, in TTEC, WASA, Petrotrin, sea ports, airports, etc.

There is also the dynamic area of executive protection that is a rapidly growing area of business activity. With the globalisation of business and other activities, there is the need for trained personnel to handle key regional and international visitors. Even with the growth of terrorist activities internationally, there is the requirement for trained people and systems to protect both plant and personnel. 

Corporate security is another attractive area. Many financial institutions, retail and warehousing enterprises and other sectors such as manufacturing and tourism have huge security and public safety requirements. These include a combination of both in-house and contracted security. Notable careers are available here as well that involve a mix of technology and the need for adequately trained staff. 

People can also become specialists in many of the areas in security and public safety which can be quite financially rewarding. Specialist training and experience will obviously be required. 

It is important that people ready themselves to take up the multitude of career opportunities that are available. This can only be done by knowledge-based and hands-on education and training. Proper certification should be sought. People can attain international certification in these fields in T&T without having to go abroad.

There are thousands of people (both male and female)—young, middle age and mature—who do not know what to do career-wise. We should expose them to this whole new line of careers that brings both excitement and financial benefits to their families and themselves. Not knowing what to do after secondary school should be a thing of the past. 

The Caribbean Institute for Security and Public Safety offers a wide range of courses in basic security officer training, supervision, management, corporate security, law enforcement, criminal law, first aid and CPR, and fire warden among many other areas. Contact us at 223-6999, 223-6968, 222-8347, info@caribbeansecurityinstitute.com or www.caribbeansecurityinstitute.com