Newly promoted Central Sports defeated Tableland United by 10 wickets on the second day of their TTCB Premiership clash at Felicity, yesterday.

Starting the day on six without loss in their second innings, Tableland were undermined by Shazan Babwah, Stephen Shaddick and Rakesh Maharaj with two wickets apiece and bowled out for 102. After their first innings effort of 133 all out was overhauled by Central Sports 180, it meant they gave them just 56 runs to win, which they did without losing a wicket. Opener Kamil Pooran hustled the result with an unbeaten 40.

At the Oval defending champions Queen’s Park Cricket Club conceded first innings to Merryboys, falling for 237 in reply to the visitors 318. Queen’s Park eventual total of 237 represented a recovery, as they were 137/7 at one point. All rounder Tion Webster flexed his muscles in getting 67, while skipper Justin Guillen made 40 at the top of the order. The man doing the damage for Merryboys was national player Marlon Richards, who bagged 5/69. With a lead of 81 on first innings, Merryboys closed the second day in a spot of bother on 53/4, as Webster came back to take 2/14. They now lead by 134 runs, with six wickets in hand going into the final day today.

At Charlieville the clash between Alescon Comets and PowerGen was totally washed out due to the inclement weather. At Wilson Road, rain also affected the clash between Clarke Road and Victoria, as only one over was bowled. Victoria resuming on 269/7 reached 271/7 when the heavens opened.

All matches get off at 10am today.

PREMIERSHIP I SCORES

At Pierre Road: Alescon Comets 341/8 (Kirk Edwards 156, Keon Joseph 33, Andy Gobin 57) vs PowerGen.

At the Oval: Merryboys 318 all out (Mario Belcon 98, Isaiah Rajah 72, Lincoln Roberts 60no) & 53/4 (Tion Webster 2/14) vs QPCC 237 all out (Tion Webster 67, Justin Guillen 40, Marlon Richards 5/69).

At Wilson Road: Victoria 271/7 (Gary Mathurin 63no, Keddy Lesporis 41, Savion Lara 36, Kerron Kanhai 34, Yannick Ottley 2/27, Jyd Goolie 2/34).

At Felicity: Tableland 133 all out (Shazan Babwah 5/50, Stephen Shaddick 4/38) & 102 all out (Stephen Shaddick 2/16, Shazan Babwah 2/22, Rakesh Maharaj 2/12) vs Central Sports 180 all out (Jahron Alfred 52, Kissondath Magram 41, K Negus 4/52) & 56/0 (Kamil Pooran 40no). Central Sports won by 10 wickets.

This year’s Milo Games will celebrate it’s 30th Anniversary, making it the longest sponsored School Games in T&T.

The inaugural Milo Games was in 1987 and the Milo Representative were Marcelle Dolly and Lennox Toussaint. That day thirteen schools participated but on March 7th this year, a total of 22 schools will be battling for honours.

As a prelude to the Games, sponsor Milo will host a Milo Sports Quiz before the Milo Games Launch on Friday March 3rd.

The Games is expected to be the largest of all time with the theme, ‘The End of an Era.” Schools have already made arrangement through the Ministry of Education to transfer their activities to the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

The Management Committee has invited all the former Chairpersons of the Zone headed by the brilliant Yvonne Pinder. she will have with her George Delaney and Gilbert Inkim, Regis Jordan, Elsa McConnney, Elizabeth Goddard, Lorna Blackman and the man who kick-started the West into top gear, Martin Oliver.

The Minister of Education, The Honourable Anthony Garcia and Minister Lovell Francis have been invited, along with Minister of Sport, Darryl Smith.

Other specially invited guest include the Advisor To The Minister of Education, Cheryl Ann Wilkinson, Anthony Creed, Rawle Phillips, Mennen Walker-Briggs, Avril Sampson, Elma Joyeau Campbell, Ann Marie Xavier and Burey George.

Last year in front one of the largest crowds in the history of the Milo Games inaugural winners from 1987, Diamond Vale Government School, recorded their 29th success under their new Principal David Weekes.

T&T’s Under 20 Men footballers will kick off their CONCACAF Final round quest for World Cup qualification against Bermuda at the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium Costa Rica today from 1:00 pm.

The Team, under headcoach Brian Williams will be looking to qualify this country to a third Under 20 World Cup following appearances in 1991 and 2009. T&T progressed to the CONCACAF final phase but failed to advance out of the competition in Kingston, Jamaica.

Team captain Jabari Mitchell believes their dream is alive and the squad is ready to conquer their opponents. “I think right now we are fired up and ready to take on our opponents from the opening whistle.” Mitchell said. “We have a strong desire to represent the country to our best ability and the players understand what it means doing well in a tournament like this and going on to qualify for a World Cup. The main thing is for us to apply ourselves well and go out there and get the job done,” he noted.

Williams is optimistic of a good start but also mindful of the opponents as T&T lost 2-1 to the Bermudans at the CFU qualifiers last year. “We have a good understanding of the Bermudan team. We know what happened the last time these two countries met at the CFU level and I think the players will remember that going into the game. We are focused on the task at hand and we know a good performance and winning start will be a huge boost to our chances of advancing to the World Cup,” Williams said.

“We maintain our objective and we remain humble. We did a lot of mental preparations. We worked on team building during the Colombia training camp. We had a very good session yesterday. All our players are fit and available for selection on Sunday. I am pleased with the way things are at this point in time” Williams explained.

“We have our striker Nicholas Dillon back from Belgium and he is looking very fit and sharp in the sessions and that is a boost for us. He missed the last game against Bermuda and I am expecting us to have a better game than last time around,” Williams said.

Dillon joined the team in Costa Rica after completing a successful trial in Belgium where he signed Second Division club, K.Patro Maasmechelen. One of Bermuda’s key players is forward Osagi Bascome who recently signed an extension to his contract with English Championship Division club Bristol City.

The Championship opened on Friday with Honduras defeating Canada 1-0 and Mexico overcoming Antigua/Barbuda 3-0.

T&T faces hosts Costa Rica in their second game at the National Stadium on February 22nd and El Salvador at the same venue on February 25th.

The National Stadium and Estadio Ricardo Saprissa will both be used for the tournament, to be played in a new format consisting of a group stage, a classification phase, and the grand final. Under the new format, designed to increase the number of meaningful, competitive matches, the top two teams from Groups A, B, and C will advance to the Classification Stage, where the Confederation’s four tickets to the World Cup at this level will be determined in round robin play among two groups of three teams each.

The top two teams of each of the two Classification Stage groups will qualify as CONCACAF representatives to the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017.

T&T Roster:

Goalkeepers:

Montel Joseph (Boreham Wood F.C./ENG)

Denzil Smith (Shiva Boys College)

Defenders:

Simeon Bailey (Barataria South Secondary)

Kori Cupid (Presentation College)

Isaiah Garcia (W-Connection FC)

Taryk Sampson (Ma Pau Stars)

Shane Sandy (Naparima College)

Midfielders:

Morgan Bruce De Rouche (QP Rangers F.C)

Micah Lansiquot (Mucurapo East Sec)

Stephon Marcano (Fatima College)

Kierron Mason (Marabella Crisis Centre)

Jabari Mitchell (W-Connection)

Noah Powder (New York Red Bulls)

Joshua Sitney (Alcons/TRI)

Forwards:

Nicholas Dillon (Central FC)

Joshua Leach (Police FC)

Taofik Lucas-Walker (DC United Academy)

Rushawn Murphy (Malick Senior Comprehensive)

Kathon St Hillaire (St Anthonys College)

Josh Toussaint (St Anns Rangers)

The Spectacular success of West Indian cricket teams in three International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments last year must not be taken for granted and can act as a pivot for the region to restore its reputation as a viable force in world sport.

This point was hammered home by president of the West Indies Cricket Board Wycliffe “Dave” Cameron when he hosted a lively town hall meeting on Thursday at the Preysal High School in the company of his vice-president Emmanuel Nanton and leading officials of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board.

Cameron, who returns unopposed as WICB president for a third consecutive term later this year highlighted several other notable achievements in 2016 which he said have placed the regional game in an enviable position.

“No cricket board in the world can boast of holding three ICC championships at any one time as West Indies do, and we must commend ourselves as last year was very big for regional cricket,” said Cameron.

He also pointed to significant progress which has been made in the relationship between the WICB and its marquee players; the improvement of the regional board’s financial position; the positive results from restructuring the regional game; and an increased emphasis on youth development.

Cameron also said that a return to the core values enunciated by his administration when he ascended the presidency of the WICB in 2013 has helped chart the way forward and is the basis for many of the gains achieved in the recent past.

Among the principles being strictly adhered to, and demanded by his administration are accountability, integrity, respect, excellence, teamwork, inclusiveness and innovation and they form the framework for all decisions reached by the board.

Cameron also disclosed that for the first time in the 90-year history of the WICB, the regional cricket organisation can boast of acquiring its own property, the former Sticky Wicket facility which is now a High Performance Centre in Coolidge in Antigua and Barbuda, co-jointly owned with the islands’ government.

The Jamaican financial expert said he is also proud of the growth of the Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket initiative, a holistic development programme combining academics with basic cricket coaching, pioneered in Trinidad and Tobago for primary school children and now involves 140,000 children around the Caribbean.

Cameron told the participants in the town hall meeting, the second in a swing through the six WICB territories, that his board has also hired qualified personnel to several key positions including Chief Operations Officer, who is a female, which has strengthened its human resource capital and enhanced its ability to deliver on his vision going forward.

He admitted though that the resuscitation of West Indian fortunes in the longer formats of the game, namely Test and one-Day Internationals remains a great challenge and is a work in progress, but he remains hopeful that the groundwork is being laid for meaningful success in the near future.

“The decline started long before we came into office in 2013 and it will take some time to get to where we want to be, among to top Test playing countries in the world once again,” said Cameron.

He pointed to the current Super50 tournament’s new franchise-based restructuring which he said had achieved several major successes including the staging of more matches, bigger scores by players and teams, and the employment of cricketers full-time under retainer contracts.

“We are not yet turning the corner but we are on the right path with the focus on the players,” Cameron said.

The WICB chief said that there is an incorrect perception that the WICB has been negligent in seeking the interest of their players, but he said nothing is further from the truth as his board has been having regular interactions with its most valuable asset.

He pointed to a trip undertaken before the ill-fated tour to India to Miami, Florida by the players, management and top officials when wide ranging discussions took place and everyone had their say in an amicable atmosphere.

Following this, he said ongoing interaction with board officials and players had yielded significant results and restored trust between both parties, and this is evidenced by a de-escalation of the heated rhetoric and antagonism which formerly characterised their relationship.

Kavita Kissoon has been facing medical challenges since she was a child. Over the years, she developed several chronic illnesses and since 2009, she learnt that her skin disorder was called Hidradenitis Suppurativa, a rare and incurable disease which affects mobility (even causing temporary disabilities), and which can be extremely painful and uncomfortable and influence anxiety/depression.

As a result of this chaotic mix, she was experiencing symptoms and at risk for other complications. She was stuck in a vicious cycle as treating any of the ailments caused problems with another and then another. After surgical intervention in early 2016, Kissoon was left with two ailments—one of which is very easy to manage and the second which is Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

However, it seems at this time that the once rare incurable illness may actually be cured. Her life has changed dramatically and her ‘medical challenges’ are no more. The surgical intervention comes with new specifications and management but she has support from various professionals including a nutrition consultant, personal trainer and others who help her with her holistic approach to health management.

She is now able to commit to her fitness goals without having to “stop and reboot” for hospital surgeries or stays, and is no longer on any medication. As a result of her experiences, she has developed a passion for and would like to move into a career in hospital administration “to be on the other side for a change and to help those like me”. She is also writing a book to support others who are challenged by multiple ailments and find it psychologically overwhelming as well as those who interface with such people to help and guide them in supporting their loved ones.

Kissoon said she receives emails, calls and visits often from people wanting to learn more or get guidance and support specifically with anxiety and she is always happy to work with them.

Kissoon loves rescuing animals, spinning, running, boxing, yoga, kayaking and is an avid reader—primarily self-help, new age, philosophical and inspirational content. She enjoys motivational videos and videos by Sadhguru, Ajahn Brahm, Dr Wayne W Dyer and Mooji on youtube.

Tell us about your health challenges.

From my early days of birth, I had challenges health-wise. One thing led to another and up to mid-2016, I was juggling a number of illnesses and complications along with potential for more. Treatment of any single illness influenced problems with another which in turn influenced a third and so on, keeping me in a cycle of chaos. In late 2015, I met a team of doctors who found a surgical solution to break the cycle. In April 2016, with the help of many financial contributors, I was able to transform my life significantly. Before meeting this new team, I thought I had tried just about ‘everything’ and had met many doctors who made me feel hopeless. We needed an “aggressive approach” to break the cycle. I am now left with just two illnesses. One is very easy to manage and the second is supposed to be rare and incurable but there is a possibility that it has, in fact, been cured.

Naturally, managing so many ailments comes with anxiety and many visits by self-doubt and fear. On the other side, there is the desire and will to go beyond surviving into thriving. I’ve always been “the weird one” who from an early age would seek out self-help sources of information, would ‘meditate’ before it ‘became cool’ and it got me mocked a lot (still I am, almost daily) but I knew why I was doing it. I understood the difference I felt. It fuelled gaining a clear appreciation for my purpose and helps me to stay aligned to such whilst pursuing my defined goals.

What is your approach to well-being?

Components of fitness include resilience, endurance, strength, flexibility and cardio-respiratory health. Underlying all of these is self-love. I believe in a holistic approach to health. It extends from your thoughts to your food choices to your associates to your exercise programmes and back to your thoughts. It works best when your mind, body, and soul are in union.

I’m now vegan. I’m not sure if anyone is ever 110 per cent vegan...but I do make a conscious effort towards it and that, for me, is the most important thing. I remember reading about slaughter houses when I was very young—somewhere between ages seven-11. From a young age, I pursued a spiritual path. I learnt about what veganism actually is in 2016. I found myself throughout my life always questioning why I could not bear to watch an animal die, why I would feel so connected to the environment and earth, yet I was a meat eater who kept ‘trying’ vegetarianism and failing at it. I always felt guilty for eating meat and had no idea then of the dairy industry. Going fully plant-based has changed my life. I feel cleaner, leaner, stronger, faster, connected, at peace within knowing that I contribute not just to the animals but to protecting the planet, helping endangered species, taking a stand for justice, protecting the rainforest, and influencing a more peaceful world.

You seem to have a lot of fitness hobbies, which one brings you to tears?

I think running is the most emotional experience for me because I always remember the days when I would put on my bandages and walk slowly and cry because it was so painful and so uncomfortable. I just kept thinking “one foot in front of the other”. Now I can run indoors consistently for three miles and outdoors consistently for 1.5 miles. This is a huge accomplishment for me and for someone with my ‘rare incurable illness’ which pretty much keeps people away from any sort of physical exercise. When I look back, I’ve come a really long way and I have a lot of people to thank for that.

What advice do you have for others?

It is critical to be clear about who you are and what you are about. That way, no matter how much the world shakes you, you bend but never break. I am not sure where this quote comes from but it means a lot to me “When your roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.” In the movie, The Prince of Egypt, there is a song that speaks to “a single thread in a tapestry though its colours brightly shine, could never see its purpose in the pattern of the grand design”. Each one of us has a lot to offer the world—it may take time and effort to find our purpose but once you do and you are aligned, you find all the right people and things and your life starts falling into place. Of course, you break alignment sometimes, but your practice helps you to reconnect. Never give up hope: things change every day. Keep going.

Kissoon can be contacted at kavitakissoon83@gmail.com

 It is that time of the year—Carnival 2017, the greatest show on earth—it is a time to party, frolic and display that well-earned gym body in your lovely decorated costumes. Ladies, I hope you have done a proper bra-fitting before purchasing your carnival costume, as you would not like the after effects from prancing the streets come Carnival Monday and Tuesday.

As simple as it may seem, proper bra-fitting is very important with regard to breast health, it is just as important as having your breast screening done.

On a regular basis, many women tend to purchase a bra because of its sexy appearance and style rather than the comfort and fit.

Statistics have shown that more that 85 per cent of women are wearing the wrong bra size.

Women, your breasts change throughout your life from puberty to menopause and beyond, and it is recommended to visit a bra-fitting specialist at least once every six months, as bra sizes can also vary due to the type of material used, different manufacturers, and many styles and designs.

The bra size you wore last Carnival certainly would not be the same this year and with continuous poor-fitting next year, the size will change as well.

Our breasts are composed of adipose (fat) tissue, glandular epithelium, ducts, blood vessels, collagen supporting fibres, and the skin being the outermost layer which is resting upon our chest wall with muscles.

The breast, however, is soft and pliable as any tissue in the entire human body, therefore poorly fitting bras can displace this tissue pushing it under the arm.

Many women are not aware of proper breast-care techniques, hence wearing ill-fitting garments that give little to no support and redirect the breast tissue, impeding circulation and lymphatic drainage.

Ladies, if you value your beauty and health this Carnival, you should perform regular self-breast examination to investigate the presence of lumps, bumps, heat and soreness, which should be done in conjunction to wearing a correctly fitted, properly supporting bra.

If your breasts are unprotected and unsupported while parading the streets and crossing the stage, it is subjected to bumping and bruising, as well as stretch and movement to the pull of gravity with every step, jump and wave.

Some of the major features to assess when purchasing a bra are:-

•Cups

•Underwires

•Centre panels

•Bra back

•Shoulder straps

Some features of a good supportive bra are:

•All the breast tissue must be encompassed by the supportive cup.

•Support must be from beneath the breast, rather than the shoulder straps.

•There should not be any pressure to redirect the breast and restrict circulation.

•The support should be firm enough to reduce most of the motion of the breast.

•Soft fabric should be used.

•The middle of your bra should be lying flat on your chest in front.

It is not too late, there are still a few days away from the greatest show on earth. So ladies, this Carnival protect your breasts. Always wear a proper fitting bra to ensure that even after you jump, wave and misbehave, your girls are intact, not just for Carnival but beyond. Feel free to visit your specialist breast centre for more advice on proper bra-fitting and breast health advice and tips, as well as get your comprehensive breast screening done. Enjoy a fast wine as it is your time now ladies. Have an enjoyable Carnival 2017. All the breast!!

Jyoti Priya Deonarine (RR)
Mammographer Pink Hibiscus Breast Health Specialists

Filmmaker Byron Camacho’s upcoming workshop on writing and directing short films is aimed toward adults who want to study the fundamentals of screenwriting and directing but have no background in film. Camacho said he hopes the workshop will provide a jumping-off point for aspiring filmmakers in T&T.

The programme consists of a three-hour class on Saturdays for eight weeks, beginning on March 11, and ending on April 29.

Camacho, who has a bachelor’s degree in film and television production from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, has also studied at the New York Film Academy.

Camacho has himself written and directed short films, including the ten-minute horror Less of You. He interned at Andrew Lauren Productions (The Spectacular Now, The Squid and the Whale), and The Weinstein Co (Lion, Django Unchained). He said both schools placed an emphasis on learning all aspects of filmmaking. The internships allowed him to get an inside look at what goes into larger studio filmmaking.

Interning contributed to his writing proficiency, too, as he was in the development department.

“I’d read scripts and books and whatever materials they would get in to be considered for actual projects. There was no discrimination in terms of material: we literally read everything from comic books to scripts that were clearly written by people who never took a script formatting class in their lives. I really enjoyed that experience and it definitely, 100 per cent made me a better writer.”

He said his recent experience volunteering with a non-profit organisation in Los Angeles, 826LA, where he helped elementary and high school children with writing short stories daily, also prepared him for putting on the workshop.

Camacho said the workshop course would focus heavily on writing and directing. “There will be a class dedicated to talking about what goes into creating a character and their backstory and how you incorporate a character into a story. Another class will deal with writing dialogue that sounds natural but at the same time isn’t expository and filled with backstory.

“The students will write their own scripts and we’ll workshop and critique them, then at the very end of the course we’re going to do sessions dedicated to actual production, just to give them a taste of what it’s like to be on set, basic three-point lighting, where to position a camera during a scene and directing actors, etc.

“I’m going to be having guest lecturers, other local filmmakers come in and help out with that.”

Camacho said the creative scene in T&T inspires him because he sees young people creating films and music videos despite a lack of resources.

“I’ve been living in places like LA and New York where there is an overabundance of resources, and so the thought of finding a way to actually create more opportunities for filmmakers here came to me.

“We would have an amazing industry, I see the potential for it, because people have the drive, the interest and the passion and once we are able to just create more opportunities for people to actually do what they want to do, I think it could lead to something huge. It’s definitely there, it’s just not being nurtured.”

Camacho said that based on the success of this workshop he would continue to offer others on different areas of film production.

He may, for example, hold workshops for teens in July/August which would be more production-oriented, as well as others in production design and editing.

“Ultimately I just really wanted to create something that was fun and challenging that would excite people about film and empower them to continue pursuing it as a creative means of expression. I would really like to get people inspired and get people motivated. I hope it can lead to bigger, more exciting things in the future.”

More info: Find: Paradise Film Workshops on Facebook.

Contemporary artist Rodell Warner’s work is far from ordinary and uses different media to express multiple ideas, which makes it hard for him to explain his art and intentions.

“Absolutely anything everywhere,” Warner said in a 2014 interview when asked what serves as a starting point for his work.

“I don’t really have a process per se,” he continued. “And all the things that I do are so different from each other that it’s kinda hard to draw a line from one to the other to say where it came about.”

Three years later, Warner still isn’t explaining his work. It has to be experienced, he said. Asked about his new exhibition, The Most Corrupting Notion Ever Captured in a Dream, which runs until Tuesday at Alice Yard in Woodbrook, Warner said: “I can’t describe it. It’s something you need to see.”

In a post on their blog, Alice Yard describes the work this way: “In recent months, artist Rodell Warner has been making a collection of painted objects exploring relationships between black and white, ‘as between off and on, living and nonliving, figure and ground, the way 1 and 0 signal off and on in transistors/computer language.’’

The post is illustrated with a photo of what looks like a large seashell painted in black and white stripes.

Warner started his creative career designing T-shirts, then he worked at an ad agency. He began taking photographs, then he began digitally manipulating photographs. His last solo exhibition at Alice Yard, 2013’s Year of the Snake Eating Itself, featured gifs, images (often popular on social media) that are a cross between photography and video and convey memes or ideas. The exhibition also included zines—handmade magazines—filled with images reflecting life in T&T.

“I just got into this whole world of making things in all the different ways you can make things,” he said in 2014.

Warner’s work is often interactive and meant to explore different aspects of human experience.

His project, Photobooth, part of 2009’s Erotic Art Week, invited the audience to take pictures of themselves in sensual poses with partners.

As part of a 2014 residency in New Local Space in Kingston, Warner used photos he took in nature to produce patterns that he printed on fabric. He then invited other artists and designers to create different things with his patterns.

For his project Closer, conducted in 2009 and 2011 in Port-of-Spain and Johannesburg, respectively, he asked strangers to make eye contact and captured the moment on camera.

“That literally came about because I’m walking around Port-of-Spain afraid of making eye contact with people and wondering if other people have the same issue...or how they deal with it,” he said in 2014.

“I’m thinking about my own life…and what I’m concerned with at the moment,” he continued. “And an idea will come up of how to engage it or learn more about it or think about it or share it with other people, and then I make a project and share it. And that’s how it goes.”

In the interview, conducted by the NLS while Warner was on his residency there, he was reluctant to pinpoint a single driving force behind his work.

“It changes all the time,” he said. “As I live and go through my life…I learn things and I put it into the work. I feel if I give an answer it wouldn’t be true. I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m doing many things is what it truly feels like.”

More info: Go to: aliceyard.blogspot.com

Devion Seals first appeared on stage in the calypso area in 1988 at the age of 11 at the National Junior Calypso Competition and the Junior Roving Calypso Tent.

Musically versatile, he plays the violin, piano and pan. He was a classical singer and also lead singer in the Melville Memorial Trinity Boys’ Choir. Seale acquired his musical skills from Mrs Esther Batson, he said.

In 1991, he had the distinction of leading his school steelband—Arima Government Secondary—in the School Steelband Music Festival.

As a junior calypsonian, he was in almost every semi-final and final competition sponsored by the National Carnival Commission and the National Action Cultural Committee. In 1994, he won the Star of Tomorrow title.

He was groomed by school teacher and composer George Martin, who was also instrumental in the development of Natasha Wilson and Singing Sonia at the junior level, and he was mentored by the late Lancelot Heath, founder and former manager of Junior Roving Tent.

In 1994 and 1995, he went to London with two other junior calypsonians to fulfil singing engagements with the London Calypso Tent, an organisation managed by the Association of British Calypsonians. These tours were personal successes for him, as he wooed British audiences with his mature and professional performances.

In 1997, he made his first appearance in the senior calypso arena as an unattached singer. This unattached status in no way inhibited his passion, his drive, enthusiasm or the quality of his performances, and he eventually made it to the semi-finals of the National Calypso Monarch Competition where he gave a most spirited and creditable performance. In 1998, he remained unattached and also made it to the national semi-finals.

For the 1999 season, he was selected to perform with Kitchener’s Revue, where he had the opportunity of performing two of GB’s compositions, “Lio” and “Rope ah Dope.”

His consistency in performance was very evident by the quality of his renditions which earned him nightly ovations.

His performances earned him a place in the National Calypso Monarch finals Dimanche Gras for the first time.

Today, Seale still performs with the Calypso Revue Tent and has made it to the Calypso Monarch Finals on numerous occasions. During this time, he has given us calypsoes such as “Lament for Shorty;” “Category my Donkey,” “Lio;” “Donut Country;” “Mr Pan;” “Ivan the Terrible;” “Little Eyes Big Vision;” and “Education Through the Eyes of the Calypsonian” (which both gave him the title of Best Social Commentary in 2000 and 2005 respectively); “One Song,” “Spirit of Calypso,” and in 2010, “De Sharer Strikes” and “A Wind of Change.”

For 2016, Devon captured the coveted title of National Calypso Monarch, with his two renditions “Respect God’s Voice” and “Spirit of Carnival.”

Tell us about your early years (including where you were born and grew up).

I was born in 1977 in Tunapuna and grew up in Bon Air Gardens, Arouca.

Which schools did you attend—primary, secondary, other?

Tunapuna Anglican, Arima Government Secondary (O’Level), El Dorado East Secondary (A’ Levels) and finally, I spent four years in Brazil pursuing a BSC at Universidade Catolica de Pernambuco (UNICAP). MBA from the Arthur Lok Jack GSB with specialisation in International Finance (Distinction). I am fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish.

What was your first paying job?

As a cashier/clerical officer at TSTT.

What are the plans for Carnival 2017?

As the reigning monarch, I intend to defend strong. This year also marks my 19th anniversary at the Kalypso Revue and as the monarch, I’m launching my compilation SealeD in Calypso.

What is your favourite thing about Carnival?

I just love being a part of Calypso Fiesta. As a practicing calypsonian, I look forward yearly to perform at Skinner Park. However, this year as the defending monarch, I’ll enjoy the show as a spectator.

Who is your favourite entertainer/calypsonian?

Favourite calypsonian is the Black Stalin.

What is your greatest accomplishment in Carnival other than winning the 2016 title?

I would say in 1999 when I made it to the Dimanche Gras for the first time and competed with Chalkdust, Duke, Stalin, Gypsy, Aloes, and Singing Sandra. It was also my debut year at the Kalypso Revue, which at that time was managed by the Lord Kitchener and Jazzy Pantin.

Who composed your 2016 winning calypsoes?

Christophe Grant.

Who/what has influenced/inspired you the most with regard to your calypso singing?

I would have to give credit to my aunt Singing Sonia for encouraging me to get involved in the junior competitions, Mr George Martin as a composer in the junior years, Mrs Esther Batson who was responsible for my vocal training, and both Gregory Ballantyne and Christophe Grant for providing the material over the past 20 years.

What is your recipe for success and what inspires you?

Early preparation and having an excellent support team. My inspiration comes from the reception from my fans. The fact that they enjoyed my performance keep me going.

Of all your accolades, accomplishments, prizes and awards, which do you rate as extremely special other than winning the 2016 Calypso Monarch?

An award for performing at the 4th International Calypso Festival in Cahuita, Costa Rica.

What is an interesting facet of Devon Seale’s personality that most people do not know about?

I’m a behind-the-scene guy who is always willing to take risk.

If you had to interview someone from T&T who you did not know and had to ask just one question, who would it be and what would be the one question?

Brian Lara. How has he handled his life after his retirement from cricket.

What is/are the most important lesson/s you’ve learned in life?

Nothing happens before its time. Living example (took me 20 years of competing in the senior calypso competition before winning the calypso monarch).

What advice would you give to the young people of T&T?

They should try to get involved in becoming young entrepreneurs and they should commit themselves to the journey.

If you could dine with anyone in history who would it be and why? What dinner conversation would you have with that person?

Janelle Penny Commissiong. To discuss with her how she dealt with her victory as the first Black Miss Universe.

How would you describe yourself?

Very down-to-earth person who has a good sense of humour. I’m focused and professionally committed about my craft and all other things I’m involved in.

What would you say you do to bring your performance to life on stage?

I bring a high level of professionalism on stage and I always try to transform into character.

Which of your calypsoes of the past would you like a first-time audience to listen to/see you perform?

“Lio”—this calypso is very historical and it tells the story of Lionel Belasco, a pioneer composer, pianist, and band leader who was instrumental in the recording of calypso music that gained international exposure.

What is the best advice you have ever received?

To believe in yourself.

What is the most difficult decision you have ever made?

Going to Brazil, not being able to speak the language to pursue my first degree.

What would you say is your greatest virtue?

Loyalty.

What daily motto do you live by?

“Do the best you can until you know better, then when you know better, do better.”—Maya Angelou.

Describe yourself in two words—one beginning with D, the other with S, your initials.

Determined and Simple.

A vendor was fined $9,000 last week after he admitted he mistook a bag containing a loaded gun for a bag of marijuana.

Brandon Dalzell, 24, of Belmont, appeared before Senior Magistrate Nannette Forde-John and pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and 17 rounds of ammunition.

As he begged for leniency, he told Forde-John that he was going to sell the marijuana to purchase more goods to sell. He was charged alongside Moruga PH taxi driver Ricky Ayres, 59, who pleaded not guilty.

Ayres told Forde-John that he was just working taxi and picked up passengers. Ayres had no previous conviction or pending matters and was granted $85,000 bail or a $12,000 cash alternative. His matter was adjourned to March 17.

Forde-John read the charge that last Wednesday, while on High Street, San Fernando, the men were found in a possession of a firearm and 17 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Prosecutor Sgt Cleyon Seedan said around 11.45 pm, police were on mobile patrol along Lower High Street when they observed the vehicle parked on the roadside. Ayres was in the driver’s seat, Dalzell in the front passenger’s seat and other occupants were in the rear seats. In the centre console, the officers found a firearm and a magazine containing the ammunition. All occupants were taken to the San Fernando CID where they were questioned. Ayres and Dalzell were then charged.

Agreeing with the prosecution’s charges, Dalzell told Forde-John that he does not trouble anyone and only had one other case for trespassing.

“I promise today that you if you give me a chance, you will never see my face in this court again,” Dalzell said.

“I sell ground foods and eddoes. I found it (gun) in a bag and I thought it was marijuana. I wanted to take it to sell so I could buy more goods.”

He was fined $7,000 for possession of the gun and $2,000 for possession of the ammunition and was ordered to pay within 30 days or faced 33 months with hard labour.

President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Dr Warren Smith says the Caribbean region must act aggressively in order to stem the tide of economic decline that had been inflicted upon it since the onset of the global financial crisis and the fallout in global commodity prices.

Delivering the feature address at the bank’s annual news conference at its headquarters in Barbados on Friday, Smith noted that though the region registered some growth in 2016, the recovery was fragile and uneven.

“The big challenge for each and every one of us, then, is to reverse this pattern and place the BMC’s (borrowing member countries) firmly on to a path of sustained and inclusive income growth with discernible improvements in living standards,” Smith said.

Smith noted that in order for regional territories to achieve this result, greater attention must be paid to engaging in activities that allow for the generation of foreign exchange.

He said: “In order to realise this goal, all of our BMC’s must be earning sufficient foreign exchange to pay for the goods we import for consumption and for production.”

The CDB president pointed out that there were two main policy imperatives that the Caribbean needed to get right in order to unlock the vast potential of the region.

“First, our governments must offer services that promote efficiency and cost-competitiveness whilst fostering inclusive growth and protecting vulnerable groups in our society. The second imperative is that government activity must be financed by revenue systems that meet the sufficiency criterion while promoting equity and economic efficiency,” he said.

According to Smith however, regional fiscal performance was caught in a “vicious cycle”.

He said: “Because economic growth rates are so low, many governments are unable to generate the primary balances needed to correct adverse debt dynamics, so public debt remains unsustainably high.”

Smith noted that as a result of the inefficacy of fiscal policy across the Caribbean, tremendous wastage of resources in the state sector of the region occurred, hampering the future prospects of the territories.

“Government services are not being delivered cost-effectively, social safety nets are still not being adequately targeted, institutional and regulatory reforms for improved private sector competitiveness are lagging behind the rest of the world, and state-owned enterprises are not adhering to universally-accepted financial management policies,” the CDB president said.

Noting that some greenshoots were being seen across the region, Smith stated that territories that had begun the process of adjustment needed to stay the course.

He said: “Regional governments which have begun to take corrective measures and implement adjustment programmes are to be applauded for their efforts. But, there is still a lot of work to be done, and the risk of policy reversal or abandonment is very high. Now more than ever, regional governments cannot become distracted and relax in their resolve to stay what might appear to be a painful course.”

CDB lending

Smith announced that the CDB approved US$306 million in loans and grants to Caribbean countries last year, the highest approval total for the past five years.

He told reporters that Belize, St Lucia and Suriname were the three largest beneficiaries of loans and that in addition to the grants approved in 2016, the bank began implementing the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UK CIF).

UK CIF is a £300 million (US$375 million) grant programme for transformational infrastructure projects in eight Caribbean countries and one British overseas territory, which CDB administers. The bank said £16.4 million in grants was approved for projects and technical assistance in Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica and Grenada.

“We reached noteworthy milestones in deepening our strategic partnerships and successfully mobilising financial resources that our BMCs (borrowing member countries) can use to craft appropriate responses to their development challenges,” said Smith, noting that UK CIF was among the Bank’s partnership highlights in 2016.

Last year, the bank also signed a Credit Facility Agreement with Agence Française de Développement. It included a US$33 million loan to support sustainable infrastructure projects and a three million Euro (One Euro=US$1.29 cents) grant to fund feasibility studies for projects eligible for financing under the credit facility.

The CDB said that in 2016, it entered an arrangement with the Government of Canada for the establishment and administration of a five million Canadian dollar (One Canada dollar=US$0.76 cents) fund to build capacity in the energy sector, The Canadian Support to the Energy Sector in the Caribbean Fund.

Smith said these recent partnerships are part of the bank’s drive to raise appropriately-priced resources mainly for financing projects with a strong focus on climate adaptation, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Smith also announced that the CDB became an accredited partner institution of both the Adaptation Fund and the Green Climate Fund in 2016.

“The Adaptation Fund and the Green Climate Fund have opened new gateways to much-needed grant and or low-cost financing to address climate change vulnerabilities in all of our BMCs,” Smith told the media.

The president also confirmed that, in 2016, CDB completed negotiations for the replenishment of the Special Development Fund (SDF), the bank’s largest pool of concessionary funds.

Contributors agreed to an overall programme of US$355 million for the period 2017-2020, and lowered the SDF interest rate from a range of two to 2.5 per cent to one per cent.

The programme approved includes US$45 million for Haiti and USD40 million for the Basic Needs Trust Fund. This marked the ninth replenishment of the SDF, which helps meet the Caribbean region’s high-priority development needs.

In his statement, Smith also reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to drive sustained and inclusive income growth, complemented by improvements in living standards in its BMCs. This, he said, was critical, as economic growth across the Region remains uneven, with fragile recovery expected to continue into 2017.

ANDRE WORRELL

GEORGETOWN—Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders have agreed to employ the services of a lobbyist to help the region deal with the issue of de-risking in the banking sector, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has said.

Correspondent banks, which are mainly large, international banks domiciled in the United States of America, Europe and Canada, provide Caribbean states with vital access to the international financial system, by offering services to smaller, domestic banks and financial institutions to complete international payments and settlements.

However, many banks, which provide correspondent banking services have been seeking to manage their risks by severing ties with institutions in the region.

The issue of corresponding banking was a major item at the annual summit of Caricom leaders in Guyana in July and the meeting is here is as a result of such deliberation

Browne, who is leading the region’s response to the issue, said that the regional leaders, who ended their two-day inter-sessional summit here on Friday had taken the position on the first day of their deliberations.

“We agreed that we will employ the services of a lobbyist to help us lobby this issue and to make sure that we continue to manage this existential threat that is facing the region,” said Browne, who is also the Chairman of the Committee on Correspondent Banking.

He told reporters that “informally” there has been a stay in banks de-risking.

“There is no formal agreement to that effect, but in terms of the action…we have not seen or heard any such notice for further de-risking,” Browne noted.

Most of the banks that have been de-risked are primarily local banks and Browne warned “if this process continues, then we may end up with a cartel of foreign banks literally operating within the region and you know the consequences of that: they will continue to gouge us”.

The Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minster noted that 80 per cent of most Caricom states consume imports, particularly from the United States. Additionally, 16 per cent of receipts and payments are done in United States dollars.

Caricom, through the Committee on Correspondent Banking, had mounted active advocacy on the issue. Browne said that there has been success in raising the issue with international institutions.

“Even within the US, the Office of the Controller would have issued certain guidelines for correspondent banks to deal with the issue of correspondent banking, and to avert the type of willy nilly de-risking that we have seen in the past,” Browne said.

Meanwhile, Browne, has been commended by his colleagues for his handling of the de-risking issue.

“We congratulate you on your stewardship and advocacy of the Caribbean cause regarding the importance of correspondence banking,” Chairman of Conference, President David Granger of Guyana said.

His sentiment was also echoed by several other colleague heads of government.

Sources close to the meeting said PM Browne described the corresponding bank relations or de-risking issue as “one of the most significant threats facing the region at this time”,

Browne told the leaders that the Caricom countries had adopted a unified approach to tackling the issue and they implemented a number of initiatives to confront the threat.

In his report, PM Browne also recommended that the region pool its resources as it seeks ‘push-back’ on the de-risking issue. He also announced that the region has received the commitment from the European Union (EU) to provide resources to help strengthen CARICOM’s ‘technical capacity’ on this matter. (CMC)

It has been frequently noted that a mere 30 minutes of heavy rainfall brings the capital city to a standstill. And last Friday, commuters discovered that an even more trivial incident—a broken water main—was also sufficient to create miles of highway traffic extending east to St Augustine and as far as Chaguanas.

It turned out that a ruptured Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) underground pipeline had caused a huge water-filled depression near the Port-of-Spain lighthouse, resulting in almost gridlock traffic for several hours. The leak reportedly started on Thursday night and, despite a WASA crew getting on the job within hours, the problem had worsened by Friday morning. From as early as 5 am, traffic started building up as commuters headed into Port-of-Spain. By 11 am, traffic on the Uriah Butler Highway had also slowed to snail’s pace as drivers tried to take the alternative Eastern Main Road, to no avail.

Could this have been avoided? Theoretically, perhaps. If the WASA crew had more expertise, the problem could have been resolved on Thursday night. And commuters themselves probably did their bit to create the traffic gridlock since, if this started as early as 5 am, it was probably due in large part to drivers slowing down to “maco” the puddle – after all, miles-long maco traffic is now a common phenomenon on the nation’s highways, often caused by nothing more amazing than a truck shut down on the shoulder.

But this event only highlighted, once again, the absence of any effective emergency plan for the capital city. It is now more than ten years since Finance Minister Colm Imbert, then holding the portfolio of Works Minister, outlined an evacuation plan for Port-of-Spain that has never become more than an outline. And it was five years ago that the Office of Disaster Preparedness (ODPM) assured that, even if a tsunami was ever on its way to the capital, there was a plan to get people safely out.

Now it is remotely possible that, in the case of emergencies, such plans might actually work. On the other hand, if the authorities find it impossible to deal with even minor disruptions, what are the chances they can deal effectively with major ones, especially when the panic factor is added in?

The core fact of this ongoing issue is that there are thousands of people continuously coming into Port-of-Spain on any given weekday to work or conduct other business. Therefore, any plan to regulate traffic in and out of the city has to start with decentralisation. Indeed, this has been on the agenda for over 30 years now. Yet, after the People’s National Movement administration got into office in 2001, then prime minister Patrick Manning threw this concept to the winds when the energy boom brought in the revenues needed for his vision of a Port-of-Spain skyline transformed by the Waterfront project. That was indeed achieved, but at the cost of more flooding problems and regress in the decentralisation project.

Given present communications technology and the 21st century economy, there is no reason why employees in many sectors cannot be equally or more productive outside of office spaces and even outside of standard working hours. If the daily traffic grind that stresses people who work in and near Port-of-Spain is to be mitigated, it must begin with a reduction of the daily numbers of vehicles coming to the city.

Only then will it be possible to implement effective traffic solutions.

Twenty five years ago the Bahamas banned longliner fishing vessels—a prime cause of the unintentional by-catch of sharks—and took stewardship over its fisheries. In 2011 a shark sanctuary was declared when commercial shark fishing and all trade in shark meat and products prohibited. The reward is that after a quarter century of conservation and management, the Bahamas now has the largest shark dive industry in the world.

A new study in the journal Biological Conservation “The contemporary economic value of elasmobranchs in The Bahamas: Reaping the rewards of 25 years of stewardship and conservation” found that sharks and rays contribute US$114 million per year to the Bahamian economy through recreational shark diving.

Trinidad & Tobago chose a different path. Around the time that the Bahamas banned longlining in the 1990s, T&T sold the bankrupt National Fisheries Company to Taiwanese interests. The National Fisheries wharf in Sea Lots became a free zone for a fleet of Asian owned longliners which would eventually make Trinidad & Tobago the world’s sixth largest transshipment hub for shark fin to Hong Kong.

Industrial trawlers received subsidies that encouraged the destruction of the seabeds. Eventually T&T was prohibited from exporting shrimp to the United States because of the trawler owners’ refusal to use turtle-saving Turtle Exclusion Devices (TEDs). Artisanal fishers subsidised with cheap fuel and tax-free outboard engines, were left to fend for themselves in a largely unregulated fishing industry, epitomised by the tragedy of the commons.

In T&T tourists and locals don’t do much shark diving, but sharks are a mainstay of a faltering tourism product in the form of bake & shark. The sharks are no longer from T&T’s depleted fishery. The island’s largest seafood distributor, Trinidad Seafood Limited, can no longer supply demand from local fisheries so nearly everything it sells is imported, including the shark it supplies to the vendors at Maracas. Trinidad’s national seafood dish isn’t locally sourced, nor has it been for a long time. Each bite of a bake and shark means that the country loses the foreign exchange that is needed to import the shark from as far away as Fiji or South Africa.

Trinidad & Tobago can be the ecotourism destination of the Caribbean. Nowhere else in the Caribbean is so much biodiversity concentrated in such a small area. We also speak English, which gives us an advantage over Spanish speaking competitors such as Costa Rica. But we never pointed our nose towards conservation or tourism, so that is not the direction we took. Today we are one of the filthiest and most violent countries on earth. Tourism arrivals mirror all that is wrong and are the lowest they have been in a decade. It’s a result of the choices we made.

The great thing about choices, is that we can make new choices when the old ones no longer work. Sticking with marine conservation, Trinidad and Tobago boasts of great success with turtle conservation. Community based turtle protection NGOs in Grande Riviere, Matura, Fishing Pond and Las Cuevas have turned the tide on turtle extinction. From hunting turtles, communities now make a living protecting them. Nature Seekers in Matura attracts at least 14,000 visitors a year. Most of them are local.

How can we now take this type of conservation success and make it into a tourism dollar earner? We must brand T&T an ecotourism destination.

A brand is about commitment. It has to be convincing. Like the Bahamas decided a quarter of a century ago that it would protect its marine ecosystem and then made it real by becoming a shark sanctuary, that’s an effort tourists can believe in. Make T&T the greenest, guilt-free destination in the world. Guilt-free because nobody should have to worry about participating in tourism that damages nature or communities. No more endangered species on the menu. Make all new hotels, guesthouses and tourist facilities carbon neutral and plastic free —no disposable plastic bottles or bags allowed. Naturally they must all recycle. Legislate that all new taxis and buses be electric, and rental cars too—zero tailpipe emissions. Visitors are willing to pay for destinations that offer responsible tourism. Let’s offer green and guilt-free as our brand, but realise it will only work if we commit, and that means that we will must be the greenest, most guilt-free country on earth. You choice starts now.

I promised myself to get through Valentine’s Day whole. I’d call another single friend, and we’d take each other out. I couldn’t think who. But I’d be fine. I’d hold my breath, and my head down, and not feel lonely. My social media feed was kind. The ex and I patched something up, surprisingly, just before, so instead of haunting me, we were having remarkable exchanges about our friendship.

Then this thing happened. I chatted with a more recent heartthrob. A man who teaches young Black boys.

His carelessness with my past attachment had disappointed me deeply. We’ve seen each other since twice; both times I’d winced. Realising we were planning to attend the same event, I shared that the tabanca lingers, and it would be difficult.

“Colin…gimme ah damn chance this hour de #@* night. ROFL.”

And I couldn’t help wondering what he says to little boys he is teaching, for many of whom he is the closest grown man in their life, when they feel pain. “Give it a laugh; it’s just in your head?”

Because it’s men toting like me, but who have been taught to not be acknowledged when they are hurt, who burn down their houses with their children inside, or show up where the women who’ve left them work, and kill them spectacularly. Men my friend genuinely thinks he’s teaching, as boys, the tools to cope with pain. Men who will hear in their lover’s dismissive laugh at their outrageous masculinity, the derision of their teacher or their mother that time they cried.

And I heard myself say to him: “Doh try and teach me dat unless you want to dead.” It wasn’t a joke like his. In his voice boiling in the blood in my ears was every man who’d ever told me carelessly that the pain he was causing me was my imagination.

So, if I’ve been in therapy over and over, over 45 years, and still don’t know how to be hurt or made fun of, what expectations can we have for men our society has offered no useful lessons at all in self-reflection, emotional intelligence, or coping?

Other than the surprise visit one relative paid her husband and his woman with me in tow, I’ve never been inside a domestic violence situation. I’ve generally chosen good men. Artsy ones. Bright ones. Okay, two addicts. But working men. One with a PhD. Ones who’ve shown knee-buckling charm. Ones who’ve offered incredible tenderness.

And with no recent exception, ones incapable of emotional accountability. I did think for a minute they were bad choices. But at one point I discovered—these are the men out there; these are the men we have raised.

Men we’ve deprived of the lessons in emotional discipline we teach girls from small. How to care for themselves. How to care for others. How to care about others. How to attach. How to negotiate. How to manage homework and housework and pleasure. How to acknowledge and work through pain. Lessons in balance and mindfulness. In self-denial.

Boys we’ve just let loose to go where their good feelings lead, encouraged to cover up bad feelings or risk shame, and forgiven for carelessness. And when they unreflectingly go where their groins carry them, we smile at their manhood.

In 2001, I left a five-year relationship that was my biggest success ever at love. I had hurt my lover deeply, could not bear the thought of doing it again, and refused to reconcile. I still feel responsible. In the past several affairs I’ve ended, however, each of my partners has bluntly declined to confront or account for any misdeeds. They’re sorry. But that’s that, let’s move along now.

It’s driven me to fury. Fury that makes me realise how much I am also one of those men we’ve raised. I find myself straddled across masculinity: a victim of its carelessness; a resident of its fury.

My feelings were unreasonable, improbable, poor choices, my friend kept saying. As with his boys, he said, he points out when feelings are unfounded or illegitimate.

I couldn’t convince him to step back from making fun of them. Or to share his own. I couldn’t create space where we could live in the discomfort of feelings, or where they were not something uncomfortable at all. And that’s the thing itself. Men don’t get spaces to be safely intimate with others that aren’t sexual or sexually vulnerable.

Gay men do have this uncanny way that we provide permission for our straight brothers to be vulnerably honest in ways they’d feel ashamed or unmanly to be with heterosexual men and women, which still surprises me each time it happens. But the closeness is unbearable, I want to fall in love, and inevitably say something stupid that hurts, or step away so not to.

Once again, I don’t have answers. But they’re somewhere in how we can raise boys differently. “With dolls,” my friend whose son is just off to university, said bluntly.

That first-century saint with the February 14 feast-day was tortured and martyred. But maybe we can give little boys better tools for getting through it whole.

I would like to kindly appeal to the National Carnival Commission to seriously do something about the Road March competition.

For quite some time, the competition has been narrowed down to a one-man or two-person show and it has now become extremely boring and repetitive. As a matter of fact—well it has been like that for quite a few years—at times it was easy to see that the winner was already chosen long before Carnival Monday had arrived.

To many people, the alleged “soca mafia” is still at work, running things and choosing what should or should not be played, much to the anger of other artists trying in vain to get some airplay.

To others, every year there is a simply a limited choice of songs for the road. There are some songs that are more appropriate for a party while the few high-energy songs are better suited to cross the big stage.

On one hand, it can be assumed that we cannot blame certain artists for winning the Road March every year since time, talent and energy would have gone into providing a song for the masqueraders to enjoy, but on the other hand, if the same person keeps winning, how is there any growth in the competition? Or has there been any growth in the competition? Is there any fairness in the country to make both chutney and soca artists feel included? Is the competition evolving at all? The main answer is no.

There were times in the past when the winner of the Power Soca category would be an automatic choice for the Road March, but even then there were artists who never competed and their songs were good enough for the road but sadly they never got any airplay. Steups, talk about ridiculousness in this land eh!

The International Soca Monarch has undergone changes, the Calypso Monarch has had a different winner for most of it and sometimes the person who many thought would win would have come third or fourth. Or in some cases, the person with a popular tune would not even make it in the finals. The Chutney Soca Monarch has had some changes so why hasn’t there been any changes to the Road March competition?

Why Trinbago why? I would like to also ask if the Road March is still needed and what purpose does it really serve? How long will other artists continue to be left out because of biasness?

I would like to suggest that we have a J’Ouvert competition for the best J’Ouvert song and that we should replace the Road March competition with the People’s Tune or the People’s Choice for 2017. We have been getting a lot of songs with iron and brass or with a rhythm section for J’Ouvert, so maybe that is another avenue that can be explored.

To the National Carnival Commission, it is high time that things change, it is high time that we see a difference to keep other artists interested rather than hear them constantly crying injustice and biasness. It is time to change the Road March competition; it is time to hear a wider variety of songs for Carnival Monday and Tuesday.

Kes the band has also suggested that there should be a change in the competition and it is time to start the conversation, it is time to give the power of choice back to the people of Trinidad and Tobago and not a selected group or an elite person or persons.

M T John,

Port-of-Spain

This is an open letter to the Minister of Education. Sir, can you please tell me what rationale was used to change the Creative Writing component of the SEA examination two months prior to the examination?

On Thursday, February 9, a meeting was held with primary school principals and a directive was given by the CEO of the Ministry of Education. There was no discussion with the stakeholders involved and apparently there is to be no debate either. I find this rather dictatorial.

This batch of students was being prepared for CAC and this was scrapped after the change in government. Is the ministry telling me that my child now has to face additional stress preparing for the examination.

Knowing how our society functions, I am sure some schools were privy to this information since last year and their students were preparing for this change. We know the Ministry of Education is famous for leaking information.

Doesn’t this place my child and other children at a disadvantage?

I am beginning to believe the ministry is just spouting empty rhetoric when it speaks about caring for our nation’s children.

This is an open call to all parents to protest this decision.

S Ramnarine

Penal

Dr Terrence Farrell, Chairman of the Cabinet-appointed Economic Development Advisory Board, has voiced concern that in the last two years $3 billion from our foreign reserves went into foreign currency transactions ie supporting the TT dollar.

This comes at a time of dwindling revenue from the energy sector which accounts for the majority of our foreign exchange earnings. Our appetite for foreign goods continue unabated even though we cannot afford it at the existing rate of demand.

The Government seems unwilling or unable to do anything about curbing or supplying the demand for foreign exchange. Some claim they are without a clue of what to do but are just hoping for a miracle to happen, for the oil price to go over $100 a barrel again.

Manufactures who have long since lost their competitive edge because of the high cost and difficulty of doing business in this country, are having difficulty to export their products.

A major foreign exchange earner like Accelor Mittal was allowed to close their steelmaking operation and leave without Government making an effort to assist in keeping the plant in operation. This shortsighted approach not only reduced the foreign exchange inflows but caused new demand from the many downstream steel producers who now have to import material. Manufacturers are finding difficulty to get foreign exchange to buy material and tooling for their production yet find that importers have ample stocks of imported goods to compete.

The Government would be best advised to heed the concerns of Dr Farrell and move quickly to encourage new sources of foreign exchange earnings while attempting to curb excessive demand. Failure to do both is not an option.

R Ballard,

Diego Martin