Rural farmers continue to share indigenous knowledge and invite all in T&T, especially policy-makers and administrators, to share in the local version and vision of a better future through supporting healthy eating, education, environment and economy. The final outreach of the 30 voluntary “BE LOCAL IN 2016” programme of activities was delivered to the Laventille West constituency in partnership with MP Fitzgerald Hinds recently, being the second year that our “Eat Local Day” celebration moved from the valleys to the hills.

Although we have spent millions of dollars over the years on public relations campaigns that sought to mimic the approach of the wider world, it has arguably wasted opportunities and possibly weakened the national appreciation and understanding of the local food industry.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has spoken repeatedly about patriotism, what we can do for our country, volunteerism and leadership deficits on several national issues. The public awareness, education and engagement projects that the Tableland Pineapple Farmers Association, supported by other groups such as the National 4-H Council, T&T Field Naturalists’ Club, and the Felicity Charlieville Fishing Association, has been involved in over the years starting at the grassroots level are the epitome of that.

Our message at this time is simple—we are what we eat. We do not want our people to be fast, cheap, easy or fake—as with the recent imported chicken and “plastic” rice scare, but to be real, especially about giving voice to the voiceless on any national development agenda.

Grass-roots people need to know how international credit ratings and other prevailing macro-economic factors will impact their livelihoods, purchasing power and capacity to survive among competing interests. This is becoming increasingly important as the ECLAC 2016 report estimates that the T&T economy declined by 4.5 per cent this year following contractions of 0.6 per?cent and 0.5 per cent in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

The report indicated that the current account deficit widened as a result of reduced goods exports but I contend since the discussions on the 2016/2017 budget that T&T annual food imports approximate TT$5.5 billion and is expected to rise given the exchange rate pressure. The capacity to maintain our affinity for imported food is evaporating, critical in a developing, import-dependent nation with an economy anchored on the rents of an energy sector faced with declining returns.

We continue to miss the fact that if T&T continues to run at a deficit, we can find ourselves in the position of Venezuela and Barbados as neighbouring examples. Standard and Poor’s downgraded Barbados six notches to B-, which are junk bonds or non-investment grade bonds a few months ago. Among the reasons cited were its persistent fiscal and current account deficits.

We have been slow in addressing the need for more capital investment, improving irrigation, infrastructure and, above all, to bring policy reform—market reforms, trade reforms, factor market reform (land, labour etc), forestry sector, water, technology, R&D and extension services and have subdued the responsiveness of the agriculture sector.

This involves a focus on responsible and timely data collection and reporting that informs investment and production decisions irrespective of geographical location and technology constraints. It should also see better relations between the decentralised staff of the Ministry and farmers, for example.

We can make conscious decisions around consumption, reducing, reusing, and recycling. When we consume food that was grown locally, we make choices that promote true sustainability—while directly supporting those who are supporting us—farmers, fishers, niche market entrepreneurs, local manufacturers and those along the food value chain.

Giving respect must be seen as reciprocal in the struggle for national food security and sovereignty. Against these measures alone, looking at our consumption behaviour and the lack of appreciation of many contributions to society today, the food and agriculture sector in T&T is not sustainable.

In time of a perceived crisis, ad hoc measures often take precedence over plans, and, even more seriously, governments are not only ready to abandon their long-heralded policies of diversification, but may be willing to implement measures that directly contradict them.

We continue our call for inclusive policy-planning and action which requires that the communication channels within the sector be opened for broad and even-handed engagement of all stakeholders, including the citizenry. Our country does not have a coherent national policy framework which considers sustainable agriculture and rural development.

All countries need to assess comprehensively the impacts of such policies on food and agriculture sector performance, food security, rural welfare and international trading relations as a means for identifying appropriate offsetting measures.

We lobby for increased public education, awareness and engagement on the local food industry, not only as we celebrate 100 days of Christmas, but throughout the year. The message is as broad as what have we been feeding our babies to us as adults; to protecting the men and women who feed our country.

May God bless all of you, our villages, communities and our country as we look forward to a fruitful and cohesive 2017.

Agricultural Economist, Omardath Maharaj

There should be an equal attack on blue and white-collar criminals. The public often hear about all kinds of plans and operations for blue-collar crimes, but don’t usually hear about such for white-collar ones. Of lately, we hear about FATCA legislation and a new suite of legislation to come in 2017, as announced by the Attorney General, to deal with these “high-class” criminals.

There are a number of laws on our books to deal with financial crimes. We will deal with the Integrity in Public Life Act (No. 83 of 2000 and amended in No. 88 of 2000), one such law to catch some “big fish” here.

Who are the “big guys” according to this law? Ten categories of people in public life are identified, namely, members of the House of Representatives, members of government, parliamentary secretaries, members of the THA, members of municipalities, members of local government authorities, senators, judges and magistrates appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, members of boards of all statutory bodies and state enterprises including those bodies in which the state has a controlling interest, and permanent secretaries and chief technical officers.

Interestingly, a high court judgement (No. 1735 of 2005) ruled that members of the judiciary are not subject to the Integrity in Public Life Act of 2000 and thus not required to declare.

To prevent corruption by people in public life, this law stipulates that they disclose their income, assets and liabilities of themselves, their spouses and children. This law also aims to regulate the conduct of such people exercising public functions and to preserve and promote integrity of public officials and institutions.

The instrument to implement this law is the Integrity Commission. People in public life identified above are required to submit their forms. The Integrity Commission shall examine them to ensure compliance with the requirements. It may request additional information or explanation. If satisfied, a Certificate of Compliance is issued to the person.

Once there are breaches, the Integrity Commission can take the necessary action it deems appropriate by asking for further information, requesting meetings, setting up a tribunal, etc. It may even ask declarants to have their information certified by a chartered accountant. Offences can be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions and a formal report is sent to the President.

Breach this law and face a hefty fine and lengthy imprisonment! The following are some key breaches: failure without reasonable cause to furnish the Integrity Commission with the declaration, knowingly making a false declaration, failure without reasonable cause to give such information or explanation that the Integrity Commission or its tribunal may require, and failure without reasonable cause to attend any enquiry and knowingly giving false information to it.

If a person is found guilty of an offence, on summary conviction, he’s liable to a $250,000 fine and ten years imprisonment. Further, where the offence involves a deliberate non-disclosure of property that’s located in T&T, the property can be forfeited to the state. And, where the property is outside of T&T, an order may be made for the equivalent value to be paid to the state.

Additional powers of the Integrity Commission are to investigate complaints on breaches of the Act or the commission of any offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act, to examine the practices and operations of public bodies in order to facilitate the discontinuing of corrupt practices, to advise and assist heads of public bodies of changes in procedure and practices that are necessary to reduce the occurrence of corrupt practices, and to engage in public education programmes to foster understanding of standards of integrity.

To catch some “big fish,” the Integrity Commission also has the power to take on its own initiative an enquiry into breaches of the Act, or any allegation of corrupt of dishonest practices. In executing its functions, the Integrity Commission has the power to summons people as well as require various reports, documents, etc, to complete its investigations. The Integrity Commission, on paper, seems all set to prevent and deal with corruption by these public officials!

Members of the public aren’t excluded from participation! They can make reports to the Integrity Commission on allegations or complaints that a person in public life or a person exercising a public function is contravening the Act, or where there’s a conflict of interest in relation to the Register of Interest or where an offence is being committed or has been committed under the Prevention of Corruption Act. This can be done in writing to the Integrity Commission. However, a person who knowingly and mischievously makes or cause to be made a false report or misleads the Integrity Commission can be fined $500,000 and imprisoned for ten years if found guilty.

While the current law deals with these ten classes of public officials, serious consideration should be given to have similar legislation that requires other types of public officials like procurement officials, law enforcement, correction and military officers, licensing and immigration officers, etc, and once again, judicial officers to make declarations to a similar independent body.

The CISPS is a registered institution with the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT). Tel: 223-6999, 299-8635, info@caribbeansecurityinstitute.com or www.caribbeansecurityinstitute.com

Two UWI alumnae are among a group of all-female winners of a Caribbean tech entrepreneurship competition. Dispelling notions of male domination in the field, five female mobile app developers took all the top prizes at the recently concluded PitchIT Caribbean Challenge in T&T.

The winners include: Danielle Tait of The Interview JM from Jamaica, Kelly-Ann Bethel of SKED and Ayana St Louis of D Carnival Scene, who are both from T&T, Nerissa Greenway representing IndeTours from Montserrat and Monique Powell of QuickPlate from Jamaica. Powell is an alumna of The UWI Mona campus and Bethel, an alumna of both The UWI St Augustine and Cave Hill campuses.

The winning entries were selected after two rigorous days of pitching to two panels of judges and an audience of regional and global investors. Each received US$5000 in seed funding to develop their businesses. They have also been awarded spots in PitchIT Caribbean business accelerators across the region.

PitchIT Caribbean is a programme aimed at enhancing the mobile app development ecosystem across Caricom. It is designed to accelerate mobile app entrepreneurs through the start-up life cycle, which runs from ideation to pitch, from pitch to market and from market to maturity.

The programme is the central operation of the Caribbean Mobile Innovation Project (CMIP), which is part of the Entrepreneurship Programme for Innovation in the Caribbean (EPIC), an initiative funded by the Government of Canada and executed by infoDev/World Bank Group, through a three-party Caribbean consortium, led by UWI Consulting Inc, working along with The UWI’s Mona School of Business and Management, and Mona Business Support Services.

In announcing the winners, chief judge Rodney Browne from St Kitts and Nevis’ eCaribbean Ltd, said the five were the most impressive of the ten finalists. Concurring with Brown, Canadian High Commissioner to T&T Carla Hogen Rufelds said she was “impressed by the success of the project, which only serves to enrich the longstanding relationship between Canada and the Caribbean region.”

She was also pleased by the camaraderie displayed between the contestants and how well they supported each other throughout the challenge.

A total of 25 tech entrepreneurs from ten countries across the Caribbean—up from last year’s seven—participated in the competition, the aim of which is to identify and enhance the region’s top mobile app development talent. 

The recent floating of a $1 billion six year bond to finance recurrent expenditure signals that Government does not have a clear and well thought out debt management strategy, or even a broader strategy to engage in a healthy mix of financing options, economist Valmiki Arjoon told the T&T Guardian yesterday.

He is also concerned that the country has not been told how the new debt will be used. While in a broad sense the country has been told the bond receipts will be used for recurrent expenditure there is no clarification on what it will be used for or the anticipated financial returns.

Arjoon said the big question Minister of Finance Colm Imbert must answer is how the expected debt burden will stimulate industrial growth and economic transformation.

The bond issue was more than three times oversubscribed, which Arjoon said indicates that investors are “yearning for avenues that offer higher and more competitive returns.” However, he believes that “excess liquidity averaging at $4 billion in the financial system also accounted for this oversubscription.”

“Additional debt is being raised impulsively,” he said, adding that this may signal that the economy is under-performing and that Government has serious doubts they will be able to raise the budgeted revenue of $47 billion for this year.

“So they are seizing the opportunity to raise new financing via added debt,” he said.

The bond issue started at $500 million and was upsized to $1 billion. Arjoon said it is apparent from the upsize that debt can be raised from the local capital market with little difficulty. But he said such easy money can foster the infamous adverse selection and moral hazard issue, where there is less care with how finances are spent and the riskiness of some project. In the event of losses caused by risky decisions, he warned, Government “may be inclined to believe they can easily attain more money by raising additional debt to cover their losses.”

Arjoon speculated that Government might be taking advantage of the over subscription and raising more debt locally.

He said: “It is likely to be more expensive to borrow from the US in the coming year, given the recent hike and the upcoming additional hikes in the US interest rates.” For that reason, he said, the state might be “less eager to borrow from the US and could possibly be substituting some planned debt financing from the US market with additional local debt.”

The economist said Government needs to be mindful of “increasing the debt burden which will crowd-out future investments and savings, especially if the funds raised aren’t put to profitable use” and especially in a situation where the “debt burden is in excess of 60 per cent of GDP, and very little is being done to stimulate GDP growth.”

“If poor financial planning such as this continues, especially when monies raised are not used to stimulate productive activities and export diversification, growth will be sluggish and we will find ourselves in chronic financial turmoil,” he said.

Arjoon said raising debt in such a spontaneous manner will continue to damage the country’s financial reputation and erode investor confidence in the economy, taking T&T steps closer to another downgrade by credit ratings agencies.

Since the economy has declined by 4.5 per cent, Arjoon suggested less conventional financing approaches. He said Government has already signalled that it intends to raise finds through divestments of state assets such its 20 per cent shareholding in First Citizens Bank and the National Gas Company’s residual 51 per cent shareholding in T&T NGL Limited.

“It would be more prudent to engage in these methods and similar methods of equity financing, as they successfully raise money without increasing the debt burden,” he said.

Arjoon further advised that a small part of the sale be open to foreign investors to earn foreign exchange in the process.

The TCL board has recommended that shareholders of the Claxton Bay-headquartered regional cement producer should reject the $4.50 takeover bid by Mexican cement giant Cemex.

In a directors' circular issued today, the TCL board said the offer price does not reflect the "full commercial value of TCL." 

The TCL board determined that the shares of the company have a greater value than the offer price of $4.50, which it said was "not fair, from a financial point of view, to the shareholders."

The directors' circular did not say what a fair price would be.

In coming to the decision to reject the Cemex offer, the TCL board said it relied heavily on the Fairness Opinion conducted by EY.

Full details in tomorrow's Guardian.

Police are investigating a murder which took place in East Port-of-Spain around 10 am today.

According to reports, an unidentified man was driving west along Queen Street, between George and Charlotte Street when he was shot and killed.

Early reports are that the man was driving in his vehicle along Queen Street when he was approached by a group of men, who attempted to rob him.

The man was said to have struggled with the men and was able to drive away.

However, while in traffic further along Queen Street, he was again approached and this time one of the men shot him, before robbing him.

Police have received several recent reports of citizens being robbed while in traffic in the capital city.

Beachgoers are being advised to pay special attention to rough seas and strong rip currents over this holiday weekend.

In a press release today, the Ministry of National Security Lifeguard Services Unit gave the advice for beaches located in the North Coast, specifically Las Cuevas and Maracas.

The unit advised beachgoers to bathe only in areas designated by the Lifeguards on duty.

For the second time this week, arsonists have firebombed a San Fernando business, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

Police believe the arsonists wanted to loot the popular Stackhouse Company Ltd along Pointe-a-Pierre Road, which sells liquor, meats and other items wholesale and retail. Investigators said it was the fifth business in the country to be firebombed in recent weeks.

A report stated that the owner, Truman Lochan Dass, 52, secured the business around 11 pm Thursday, leaving behind a MOPS security officer.

The officer reported that around 2 am, he heard a noise at the front of the building and on checking, saw that the showroom on fire and two masked men in dark clothing running away.

San Fernado police and firefighters from the Southern Division Headquarters responded and the blaze was extinguished before it spread to other parts of the building.

However, the entire showroom, which had various kinds of alcoholic beverages, was destroyed. Fire prevention officers collected samples of channa at the base of the door, which was believed to have been used in a channa bomb.

However, the showroom had an assortment of beans stocked on shelves and investigators were yet to determine what accelerant was used to set the fire. Despite T&TEC cutting power to the building, shoppers were busily purchasing their liquor and meats for the holidays.

Lochan Dass said he was not deterred by the attack and will continue to carry on his business. He said police already have video footage of the attack. He does not believe it was a robbery attempt, instead it was "one man's envy." Cpl Moses of the San Fernando CID is continuing investigations.

Around 1.30 am, Monday Dave Sookhoo, 58, the owner of the Sookhoo’s Ltd supermarket and liquor store, was asleep with his family when they were awoken by an explosion outside their Union Road, Marabella home and business.

On checking, they found their BMW X4 valued at $450,000, a nine-seater Hyundai H1 valued $100,000 and a Mazda 3 sedan also valued $100,000 on fire. It was suspected that the arsonists broke the glasses on the vehicles and set them ablaze. The front of the business was aldo damaged.

The Haitians led the way among the region’s nations in the final FIFA World Rankings for the year, holding their position at the summit they obtained two months ago, following a successful spell in the qualification for next year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.

They finished ahead of Curaçao that created waves in the sport this year with their meteoric rise. The tiny Dutch nation secured several positive results in the Gold Cup qualifiers to rise an extraordinary 76 places in the World rankings, making the top 10 in the Movers-of-the-Year list.

With very few matches since the release of the last rankings, there have been few significant changes with no movement inside the top five which is completed by the traditional powers of Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, along with St. Kitts & Nevis.

There has been a shake up in the rest of the top-10 however, with Cuba plunging 26 places in the World rankings, the worst of any nation, putting them out of the CFU top bracket and into 11th place.

Antigua & Barbuda, although tumbling 11 places, the second worst behind the Cubans; along with the Dominican Republic, Guyana and Puerto Rico maintain their place in the CFU top-10, but Suriname has been the beneficiary rising to the 10th spot.

The Guyanese and 16th place St. Lucia were the best movers in the region over the last month, both advancing three places in the World rankings.

The next rankings will be published on January 12.

1. Haiti (73, down 4)

2. Curacao (75, unchanged)

3. Jamaica (77, down 1)

4. Trinidad & Tobago (78, unchanged)

5. St. Kitts & Nevis (80, unchanged)

6. Antigua & Barbuda (93, down 11)

7. Dominican Republic (128, down 2)

8. Guyana (132, up 3)

9. Puerto Rico (144, up 1)

10. Suriname (150, up 1)

11. Cuba (151, down 26)

12. Barbados (155, unchanged)

13. Grenada (158, down 1)

14. Aruba (160, down 1)

15. Dominica (174, down 1)

16. St. Lucia (177, up 3)

17. St. Vincent & the Grenadines (179, down 2)

18. Bermuda (187, unchanged)

19. United States Virgin Islands (195, unchanged)

20. Montserrat (199, unchanged)

21. Cayman Islands (200, unchanged)

22. Turks & Caicos Islands (201, unchanged)

23. British Virgin Islands (204, unchanged)

24. Anguilla (205, unchanged)

24. Bahamas (205, unchanged)

(CMC)

T&T’s Sheldon Lawrence stopped Estarkin Peralta in the third round of an eight-round fight in Caracas, Venezuela on Wednesday night.

Peralta was gamed in defeat as he came out swinging and throwing wild hoping for that big lucky punch in which a few found the target of the big visitor, who slipped and counter-punched skilfully.

The fight pattern continued in the second round before Lawrence displayed great timing when he caught his aggressive opponent and dropped him to his knees for a eight count in front of his fans.

From then on, it was downhill for Peralta as Lawrence connected with some combinations of his own to end the second round and at the beginning of the the third. Lawrence swamped him with some vicious body shots and sharp right hooks to the head and body. In quick response, his corner realising their fighter was in deep trouble called an immediate stop to the one-sided contest by throwing in the towel in the third.

The fight was registered as a third round TKO for Lawrence.

After the victory the local fighter said, “I was not at my best as I picked up a virus the day before the fight and had to conserve energy. I am not going to celebrate Christmas as I am about to prepare further for the FECARBOX and Commonwealth title challenges in January. I’m very excited for this fight to represent my country at the highest level.”

It is almost magical! Two weeks ago, Tom Saintfiet was just another name, certainly unfamiliar to the people on this side of the world. Ten days later, the chants of support from the selected players are overwhelming and high in praise of the man’s ability to do his job.

We must respect these comments because they are now expected to show that the work which has been done under the eyes of the Belgian, must prove to be a marked improvement on what they experienced before.

Apart from a few seconds on the TV screen during Sports News, Icannot make an assessment of any kind.

However, the selection process continues to be much of a jigsaw puzzle where many of the key players are unavailable because of their commitment to their clubs. I am surprised at the decision coming from the European clubs, seeing that they are closed for Christmas, which should have allowed the lads to drop by and join the charge against Nicaragua twice.

Be that as it may, the opportunity arose for the locally based players, many of whom were asked to join the squad to show their worth in the absence of the more recognised players.

It has been very much to the benefit of the W Connection squad whose six players have caught the eyes of the new coach. Add to those names, some relative newcomers seem to have impressed such as Akeem Roach of a Super League, Club Sando, maybe the first from the league to gain selection.

There may well have been more if the clubs were exposed to the gleaming eyes of the Belgian.

The omission of Kenwyne Jones may well have been based upon information from the local coaching staff, as the new coach could not have made a judgement without having a look.

The inclusion of Carlos Edwards has been making a positive impact with the Ma Pau squad and there is justification in the short term for the former EPL (English Premier League) defender.

Tyrone Charles and Nathan Lewis, both of Jabloteh, have been given a chance to prove that they are ready for the big occasion and we wish them luck.

And now, what of the players from the Central FC? Why have they not been included in the squad?

Don’t tell me to ask Brent Sancho, the boss of the Club. Like many of you, I have heard the reasons why these players are not among the selectees in our national team.

I am at a loss to know how the owners of Central FC have the right to stop their players from representing their country.

Maybe the powers that be have forgotten that it is tax payers’ money which is handed out to the players of the Pro League clubs.

Should they not have some form of allegiance to the national flag? In past years, the current T&T Football Association president David John Williams may have also indulged in that practice.

Today, he has to wear the hat of the president TTFA and demand that all players should be allowed to participate in the national team’s activity.

Is it not simple to ask the technical director of the Pro League to reschedule the dates of matches in order to clear the period when the International friendlies are played and allow the players to fight for national honours?

Could anyone explain the omission of Jan-Michael Williams? And finally, did the new coach have a look at the Defence Force striker Devon Jorsling within the last few matches? Goals galore and we know that he has been potent at the national level in the past.

As to the recall of Cornell Glen, is it that the coach had seen him play in Asia of elsewhere? Or is he guided by local knowledge for some of these decisions?

Nevertheless, the gentleman has notified us all that he will win the first two matches in the World Cup Qualifiers in March, but never mentioned Haiti and Suriname. That gives him time to get his feet wet.

My fondest wishes to our national team during their Christmas jaunt, may they find the time to appreciate the birthday of Jesus Christ and score two victories. To my friends and readers, my wish for each and everyone to join your families during the Yuletide season and let us all pray that we can create an improved way of life for the New Year.

Former Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Sir Dwight Venner passed away in St Lucia on Thursday night.

He served as Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, from December 1989 to November 2015. Prior to that he served in the position of Director of Finance and Planning in the St Lucian Government between November 1981 and November 1989.

Sir Dwight was an economist by training and was educated at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica where he obtained both a Bachelor of Science (BSc) and a Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Economics. He served as a junior research fellow at the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of the West Indies and then as a lecturer in Economics from 1974 to 1981.

He is survived by his wife Lynda Arnolde Winville Venner nee St Rose and their seven children.

Overall market activity resulted from trading in seven securities of which none advanced, two declined and five traded firm.

Trading activity on the First Tier Market registered a volume of 414,785 shares crossing the floor of the Exchange valued at $1,433,698.96. JMMB Group Limited was the volume leader with 353,350 shares changing hands for a value of $304,611.53, followed by Angostura Holdings Limited with a volume of 36,443 shares being traded for $546,651.89. Massy Holdings Limited contributed 9,199 shares with a value of $478,348, while National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited added 8,474 shares valued at $24,320.38.

Angostura Holdings Limited suffered the day’s greatest loss, falling $0.50 to close at $15.

The Mutual Fund Market did not record any activity.

As the scent of black cake and ham wafts from ovens this Christmas Eve, the somewhat sour economic reality of 2016 will be temporarily pushed from our minds. But 2017 is coming and while hope prevails, there is no guarantee of an increase in T&T’s fortunes. Our people, however, are resourceful and this time of year holds both opportunity and good offerings.

You may have noticed an increase in the number of people “making a hustle” on the streets, from homes and even offices. Economists refer to the man hawking limes at the intersection, or the woman selling home-made pastelles from her kitchen as members of the informal or grey economy.

The person moonlighting outside of their day job selling ponche a crème to co-workers or chive from the back yard and the friend selling home-made cakes and cookies, are part of it too. Using their wits, they have pursued micro-enterprise to keep body, mind and spirit together, seeking out opportunities in an unstable economic environment.

Getting accustomed to fluctuating earnings demands fortitude and creativity. It is perhaps a truism that during a recession, as unemployment creeps up, the informal economy expands. Within this space there is both opportunity and risk.

The T&T Guardian recently published the story of a former construction worker killed while using his car as a PH taxi. However, the greater hazards are usually much less dramatic, like the vegetable vendor’s children finding their cupboards without Christmas treats this year because their mother has been sick.

For the state, the informal economy presents a dilemma. Income tax revenue is almost never guaranteed, but it also takes some of the burden off the State’s social safety nets. If a citizen can find a way to turn their knowledge of gardening or pottery into an income generating micro business rather than applying to Cepep for employment, the demand on state coffers is reduced.

The question is how we as a people can be sensitive to the grey economy. Is the need for regulation and taxation weighted the same as entrepreneurial endeavour? How can a government support the vulnerable workers of the grey economy without explicitly endorsing its existence? The long-running battle between mayors and street vendors is a prime example. Chase them, regulate them, or tax them? With each mayor comes a different strategy.

As usual, we are woefully short of national statistics on the numbers “employed” in this sector because it is notoriously hard to quantify. It is time we make an effort to change this. An idea of the sector’s size and the income generated is urgently needed to put into context the real state of the economy.

Very often, references are made to SMEs and their growing importance to the country’s economic well-being and the issue is becoming more significant with the current thrust toward economic diversification. The reality is that this type of information is what decision makers across various sectors should be going after.

This is the type of data that should inform policy towards the woman selling black cake and pastelles to neighbours. She, like a growing number of our fellow citizens, deserves the attention, respect and support, for the spirit which keeps this country afloat.

I’m too old to be giddy about Christmas, but young enough that warm memories of seasons past are still vivid. I haven’t any children (at least none willing to come forward) to help buoy the Christmas spirit. My Christmas tree remains boxed beneath a staircase because it’s a hassle to assemble, and a blinking reminder that at some point it will have to be wrestled down to its constituent parts and stowed away.

Like any other dibby dibby yute, Christmas was special to me. Sure, there was the pee-in-your pants anticipation of opening gifts on Christmas day. There was also, though, a general lightness of being in people around me.

My father, who was typically smouldering ill-humour and sternness for most of the year, was noticeably less so at Christmas time. He seemed to revel in the trappings and kitsch of the season. Perhaps the only thing he took more seriously than making sorrel or defending the ham, was his Christmas music collection.

I distinctly remember the musical stylings of Mitch Miller and the sultry vocals of Andy Williams. Every year my father would break out these records. Perhaps “break out” isn’t the proper characterisation. He would handle that vinyl like it was explosives, carefully withdrawing each record from a pristine sleeve. Ever so gently he would nestle it on the turntable and gingerly put the needle in the groove.

In the kitchen, the mule work of preparing Christmas was already in full swing. The enormous turkey, (which was either a giant, hormone-filled fleshy pinata or a murdered ostrich) was lovingly massaged with copious butter to infuse the meat with moisture and cholesterol. A mountain of glorious stuffing was crammed into the turkey until it was fit to burst.

At Christmas time there always seemed to be so many irresistible food options. The pastelles of yesteryear were out of this world. By comparison, many contemporary renditions of this Christmas staple are unpalatable packets of seasoned sawdust entombed in a diaphanous sheath of cornmeal.

I recently swallowed a pastelle which had me guessing for more than a few minutes at what was missing. Then it hit me… everything! This thing has no raisins, no capers, no nothing; just regret. Mind you, as a youngster, I hated capers like the homework. Raisins, as far as I was concerned, were purposely ruined grapes. These additions, however, gave texture as well as a balance of salt and sweet which delivered a nuanced flavour.

As a child, I hung off the kitchen counter by my nose and fingertips staring down the pastelles slowly defrosting and cooking in the double boiler on the stove.

These were the pre-microwave oven days and my impatience was too much to contain. I would harass my mother until she relented, extracting one from the steam cloud and plopping it on a plate. You want to hear bad mind? I would wolf that pastelle down, knowing it was still frozen in the centre. “How is it?” she would ask. “Good...” I would say, even as I tried to muffle the crunch of the meatsicle at the heart of this moreish morsel.

My older sisters usually took charge of the heavy cooking. My mother’s specialty was black cake. Our fruits, processed in a hand grinder that could give you arms like Popeye, were soaked for months in alcohol, just like priest at the church next door. When the cake mixture went in the oven, it detonated an intoxicating aroma bomb.

The Christmas of my youth wasn’t just about eating, although that was an inescapable part of it. Good food is nothing, though, if there isn’t anyone with whom to share it. Eating alone is just a biological requirement of survival.

Similarly, gifts meant more to me as gestures of familial affection. Of course, I wouldn’t have said that then because I would have been up to my neck in socks and soap-on-a-rope. I remember a much loved aunt once gave me a bottle of Playboy cologne. It was the gift I always never wanted. At any rate, I was a teenager and nothing close to the playboy I should have been.

Even though I had little use for the accoutrements of a gentlemen dandy, I wore it every day until the supply was exhausted. I loved my aunt dearly, and her gift of this cologne was a reminder that I was in her thoughts. This is cornier than a Christmas corn pie, but there is no value which can be affixed to having a place in another’s heart or mind.

Christmas for me will never hold the same affection, the attrition of life has made sure of that. I am grateful, though, to have a deep vault of priceless memories that still give the season special meaning.

It is this special meaning I wish for you all as you celebrate the season. Christmas is a time of renewal. Seize these moments and drink of them so deeply that no matter what may come, the fire of love and hope kindled in your heart will light the way in 2017.

You’re totally crushing Christmas this year!

Everything’s ready.

Yes, people, plenty red. Was on sale.

Curtains up (check). Floor polished (check). Larder stocked (checkered tablecloth).

Presents (purchased via cheque). Pocket (don’t even bother to check).

Church tonight? (raincheck).

That’s how we roll. And we will, despite comrade Ancel Roget’s grrr-rumbling and OWTU headquarters’ new sign: “Coming soon to an Industrial Court near you.”

Great thing about T&T is, you can laugh at those unlucky S.O.B.s shovelling snow, when the coldest thing around you is Trincity Mall air-conditioning and a Carib (or your wife—take your pick).

Who needs snow?

America’s incoming Leader of the Free World, is set to “freeze” the rest of the world out. US first. USSR bro-mance, second. He’s happy as his comb-over when hairspray hits it.

You meanwhile, have to pay taxis in quarters which they diss. They’ll realise coins are money when Colm Imbert hikes the gas price—and you start walking to work. And not because OWTU strike.

There’s no Christmas lights because keeping TTEC in the “black” makes you see red every two months.

“Bill” isn’t a popular name again. There’s so many of them. None, tall, good looking—or able to figure out benevolence has nothing to do with bene balls.?

Lotsa things—like your hair—have to be cut next year.

Rethink that pricey copy of Rowley’s autobiography. Bread and sardine more important than getting from Mason Hall to Whitehall. Food first. Fantasy later.

Focus: it’s Christmas!

Splurge on Flavourite’s 2016 hit, ponch de creme ice cream! Hangovers never felt so good!

Rest and relax. Stop worrying about the in-house inspiration for “Horrible Bosses” (1&2). Your industrial agreement doesn’t define R&R as recession & retrenchment.

Strike roti off tomorrow’s menu. After Keith and Kamla played up in it recently, it’s not... politically correct for Christmas.

Kick the dog outside before he chows down on the precious side of beef in front you. The one on the table, not your partner’s gyul.

Good dog that Max Fury is, it’s unfortunate he answers more to, “Do-Not-Take-A-Dump-On-The-Road!”

That four-foot tall mastiff’s Purina bag is taller than you. Pimping him out to Amalgamated K9 is booked if the economy continues tanking.

Luckily, it hasn’t flamed out. Consider how many barbecues could be held on the back of that baby.

Enterprising Trinis’ latest endeavour: helpfully relieving burnt-out grocery owners of clean-up duty. They toting away lightly-toasted loot.

Not recommended: hands-on “assistance” to ignite the exercise.

So, fire a rounds and try to forget the crime rate’s higher than your nephew on weed.

Shelve the urge to capitalise by expanding your Habanero patch. Pepper spray is not a cottage industry. Agriculture—and the judge—won’t buy dat.

You’ll survive. No worries about weight-gain Christmas weekend.

Before you say FATca—a dirtier word for the Opposition than for Marlene McDonald—stuff that chicken like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Rejoice, both birds have drumsticks. Nearsighted relatives can’t tell the difference.

Since you saved on turkey—the real kind, not the place where nine Trinis are stuck—hope that’ll stop your piggy bank from looking as lean and mean as Imbert’s 2018 Budget.

Raise a glass to Colm who at least allowed everybody to “wine” tomorrow. Curse the fact he hasn’t released your backpay. Consider police assistance to deal with “hostage” situation.

Recall that police, suffering similar backpay dilemma, may be reluctant to protect, serve or move a muscle. (Nobody said “normal.”)

Ever see a fat, fully outfitted G&EB cop run real fast?

More Facebook potential than the huge pink porker seen ambling westwards along the Beetham shoulder at 7.15 am. Chewing leisurely. Blithely unaware he was ham on the hoof on the highway.

WTF?! Escapee? Or Wild Thing?

Pine over the unaffordable $350 Louis Vuitton bag, being sold by the white van on Frederick Street.

Reject recent global attempts by the brothers in the caliphate to kill Christmas joy.

They’re likely steamed because they’re “eating” bullets 24/7 and may be missing home and mom. Leave it at that.

Remind wannabes the grass isn’t greener on that side of the fence. Is desert, people.

Also, frontline life is like recessionary business. Risky. Messy. Plenty gun.

If you must shoot something, ask Santa for paint ball gear. Then roll around laughing as he explains to?Customs: “Yes, it’s a gun.” “No, it doesn’t kill anybody.” “Yes, it fires paint.” “No, I?don’t think yuh chupid, sir.”

While you await his release, hope Santa also doesn’t mind the “millionaire’s tax,” Imbert dropped on him. If he does, somebody mightn’t get gifts tomorrow.

Won’t be you—your 79 per cent dark chocolate bar and 10 pastelles are under lock and key.

KEVIN BALDEOSINGH

“We are not here to lie to the children,” I heard the owner of my daughter’s pre-school telling her staff as I walked in to collect Jinaki.

“What the aunties lying to you about, sweetie?” I asked as Jinaki came out.

It turned out that the school’s head tells the children that there is no Santa Claus. She lets them know that it’s their parents who buy the presents and put them under the Christmas tree.

Now I have no problem with this—indeed, if the pre-school wasn’t already doing so, my child might have been the one to “burst the children’s bubble,” as one of the aunties put it. Because my principle is to answer any question my children might ask honestly, insofar as they can understand my answer. So although there was a Santa handing out presents at the pre-school’s Xmas party, Jinaki described him as “somebody dressed up like Santa Claus.”

Does it make a difference whether we let our children believe in Santa until they figure it out themselves, or whether we let them know early that no such being exists? I don’t think it does. Developmental psychologist Alison Gopnik in her book The Gardener and the Carpenter writes that “even the youngest children are actually quite good at sensing the subtle cues that make history, fact and reality fundamentally different from fantasy and fiction (and) “quarantine” the pretend and fictional worlds from real-life consequences.”

I make this explicit with Jinaki. Many of the bedtime stories I tell her include monsters—standard ones like vampires and zombies (both of which she can talk like) and inside-family ones like the Greedy Monster (who steals our pasta and fish) and the Under the Bed Monster (which Jinaki will turn into if she slips off the side of the bed). But Jinaki knows that monsters don’t exist in the real world, which in conversation sometimes leads to phrases like “I’m pretending the witch is real, Daddy.”

So the reason that belief or non-belief in Santa has little or no effect on a child’s psychological development is that Santa belongs to the pretend realm. However, the pretend realm is not the same as the Other-World realm, which includes the supernatural, magical and religious. “By the time they are ten years old or so, children treat factual and scientific claims, fictional and pretend claims and magical and religious claims differently, even in highly religious communities,” writes Gopnik.

The fact that most adults believe magical and religious assertions which are contradicted by science shows that that Other-World exists in a different category in the human brain. Both children and adults come to have what Gopnik calls a “double-consciousness,” believing both factual and magical explanations for events and phenomena.

As a parent, I prefer that my children not end up in that state, which is also called “cognitive dissonance.” For one thing, maintaining coherent functioning while continuously reconciling inconsistencies takes up brain bandwidth, although it may also reduce stress by smoothing interactions with similarly dissonant peers. But for me it would be irresponsible to hamper my children’s potential by fooling them, even though my first responsibility is to help them become adults who make their own choices—including believing in things which are neither real nor true

MC LEOD, née Lyons, Audrey Albertina age 97 died athe POS General Hospital on Dec 16th, 2016. Widow of Raymond Augustus Mc Leod Mother of Gloria Williams Elsa Mc Leod, Eastlyn Brown Jean Griffith and Claudia Peters. Sister of Dorothy Hinds Gwendolyn Lyons, Pamela Leslie and James, Robert Raymond and Hilton Lyons(all deceased).

Grandmother of Michelle Sheffield, Seanand Dave Mc Leod, Brent, Duane, Keino, Keisha, QuincyJevon and Kevon Griffith, Jason Brown and Lori Peters Great grandmother of 12 Relative of the Lyons, McLeod, Hinds, Leslie and Bigford.

Funeral at 10am Wednesday 28th December2016 at Rahema Fellowship Ministries, 1 Sawmill Avenue Barataria, thence to the Tunapuna Cemetery. To send condolences please visiwww.clarkandbattoo.com. Foenquiries; call C&B: 625-1170Death

At its core, the story of the birth of Jesus Christ is about a baby born in the humble circumstances of a manger, where cows and sheep sleep, and the impact that one of his principal messages, 'Do unto others, as you would have others do unto you' has had for more than two millennia.

As the population of T&T joins others around the world in celebrating Christmas Day today, the humility of the birth of Jesus ought to trigger reflection about the many acts of kindness that indicate this country has not descended completely into a barbarous state of incivility.

One example of an act of kindness that the T&T Guardian highlighted in its lead story on Friday is the contribution of Ronald Bhola, a consultant ophthalmologist, and his team of medical practitioners, who performed cataract surgery on 25 patients on Thursday.

Cataract surgery is one medical procedure in this country for which the demand for the service far exceeds the supply of it at public hospitals. This means that there are waiting periods that can last for years to have the surgery done at a public hospital, where the procedure would be free.

As was hinted at by Dr Bhola in the story, these long queues for the surgery have meant that those who can afford to have the procedure done at private institutions do so, and those who cannot afford are made to suffer in silence.

As he told the newspaper: “I have seen, and continue to see, a number of persons struggling with everyday life, disabled to live independently because of visual impairments. Most cannot afford to pay for the surgery which they need…it is tremendously disheartening.”

Given the structure and current inadequacies of the local healthcare system, it would be appropriate for other medical professionals to consider giving back to their communities in the way that this group has done and is doing.

There is little doubt that T&T affords many medical doctors a quality of life that can be very rewarding materially. This country would be a much better place if other doctors followed the lead established by Dr Bhola and his group and sacrificed one or two days of income a year to help improve the quality of life of those who are less endowed with the means to immediately help themselves.

The same is true of other professionals, such as lawyers, accountants, engineers, even teachers and nurses.

It would be quite appropriate if some arm of the government, in collaboration with a national non-governmental organisation, were to organise willing professionals to make primary healthcare, legal and other interventions on a regular basis into some of the so-called ‘hot-spot’ communities around the country.

Such an intervention—which may be viewed initially with some level of scepticism because similar efforts in the past have been highly policitised—could be set up as one aspect of a multi-pronged approach to fight the scourge of crime in T&T.

Philanthrophy, which is the act of seeking to promote the welfare of others by the donation of time or money to good causes, is not only something that Guardian Media preaches, it is also practised by this company.

On Wednesday, the company handed over a cheque for more than $91,000 to the T&T Cancer Society, which resulted from proceeds of the sale of the T&T Guardian’s special October 26 pink edition.