Overall market activity resulted from trading in 16 securities of which four advanced, four declined and eight traded firm.

Trading activity on the First Tier Market registered a volume of 792,023 shares crossing the floor of the exchange valued at $19,891,016.97.

Sagicor Financial Corporation Ltd was the volume leader with 202,395 shares changing hands for a value of $1,578,681, followed by T&T NGL Ltd with a volume of 106,860 shares being traded for $2,980,406.50.

JMMB Group Ltd contributed 101,555 shares with a value of $182,876.75, while One Caribbean Media Ltd added 100,000 shares valued at $1,240,000.

Scotiabank T&T Limited registered the day’s largest gain, increasing $0.50 to end the day at $63.01.

Conversely, Republic Financial Holdings Ltd registered the day’s largest decline, falling $0.13 to close at $101.46.

Clico Investment Fund was the only active security on the mutual fund market, posting a volume of 41,200 shares valued at $830,180. It remained at $20.15.

In Friday’s trading session the following reflect the movement of the TTSE Indices:

• The Composite Index advanced by 0.48 points (0.04 per cent) to close at 1,230.21.
• The All T&T Index advanced by 2.77 points (0.16 per cent) to close at 1,696.97.
• The Cross Listed Index declined by 0.26 points (0.25 per cent) to close at 102.75.

It was an angry Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley who made it clear on Thursday that Trinidad and Tobago will not become a refugee camp for Venezuelan nationals seeking relief from the socio-economic circumstances in their country.

His response was in part due to the criticism from the local UN representative about Government’s recent repatriation of 82 Venezuelans and the stain that commentary has put on T&T internationally. But his intention was clear—a warning that this country was no longer prepared to allow Venezuelans who are either here illegally or who engage in illegal activity a continuing safety net here.

There are many who will castigate the PM for such a stance but he may have valid points. Venezuelans who are here illegally often face more dangers because of this, including exploitation by employers, prostitution and slavery. This is opposite to their compatriots who are here legally and enjoy free access to all of the amenities offered by the State. There are also scores of Venezuelans who enter via our legal sea ports daily to shop and return home.

If we are to follow the PM’s argument, the individuals who were deported ran afoul of the law here and this country retains a right to deport them, a practice also exercised in other countries. But there are some who will argue that the situation in Venezuela calls for a continuing humanitarian approach. If that is the case, then it would seem the PM could also temper his approach by ensuring a proper asylum/refugee status policy is implemented to facilitate those Venezuelans who are genuinely in need of such relief.

Sitting on medicinal time bomb

Healthcare experts’ warning about the influx of counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs should come as no surprise. Such activity has long been occurring in T&T. However, the problem is magnified due to the lack of a proper policing authority to deal specifically with it. Indeed, it would appear that the Food and Drug inspectors within the Ministry of Health are overwhelmed. We are not sure what is the reason for this but what we do know, however, is the problem will continue to exist until the administrative will to eradicate the problem is found.

Make us proud, LeShae

Congratulations to Miss LeShae Riley on winning this year’s Caribbean’s Next Top Model title. The franchise holders sprang a surprise on Riley by making the announcement unexpectedly during a reception on Wednesday, and her unbridled emotions came out as a result. We certainly wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

The crowd yelling outside of the Parliament yesterday wasn’t just another anti-Government protest. It was actually PNM and UNC supporters yelling at each other.

On yesterday’s occasion of an Opposition no confidence debate against Works Minister Rohan Sinanan (inside of the Parliament), PNM supporters (outside of the building) had attempted to ensure the UNC didn’t have the last word.

“Bring back d money now!” yelled a male PNMite making intimidating gestures as his colleagues faced off with UNC supporters crowding the grassy verge.

“Build Princes Town One (School) now!” retorted UNC supporters including MP Barry Padarath, amid constituents including uniformed kids with placards.

Man of contention Sinanan received boos from the UNC side on arrival, but was borne up (literally) by PNM supporters.

Another group of UNC supporters circumvented the PNMites, passing around the complex, doubling UNC’s numbers.

Some PNM supporters stood off to one side watching. But their “fighting” colleagues stuck with it, extending shooing gestures and boos to UNC’s Rodney Charles (who reciprocated with same, minus boos.)

Prime Minister Keith Rowley, missed the clash outside and debate inside; the perceived ills of his frontline minister’s performance, stealing yesterday’s spotlight from his recent London achievements.

If Rowley’s projections are correct on the list of energy positives he returned with, outcomes could assist in steadying T&T’s financial/economic footing—towards 2020 general elections.

(Minus the estimated US$100m VAT he said T&T has to pay BP.)

Elsewhere among “returns”, Rowley has India’s invitation to visit, to add to his other “invite” to visit China, expected this spring—but yet to materialise. Nor has any visit emerged regarding his conversation last year with US President Donald Trump.

Government’s international image is however now at particular focus following his vow on Thursday to complain to the United Nations about criticism from UN resident co-ordinator Richard Blewitt regarding T&T’s recent repatriation of 82 Venezuelans.

Like the US’s deportation policy—which that state strictly adheres to, T&T has similar laws. The 82 repatriated is a minuscule percentage of Venezuelans in T&T. Those hundreds—possibly thousands by now—aren’t repatriated unless laws are broken.

As a small island state battling economic and other issues like other countries, enacting refugee laws may have to come second to legislation to ensure T&T holds together on economic, security, social and other bases in order to be a location which can continue to sustain citizens if it wants to (later) accommodate refugees. As T&T’s learned over decades—and with neighbouring Venezuela as less than glowing example that “oil money” doesn’t always mean progress, the country’s plate—always generously shared with others, is full—but including with challenges.

The UN which spearheaded a June 2017 Caricom counter terrorism workshop—and other initiatives, is adequately acquainted with T&T’s landscape including security and social issues with which T&T is grappling.

Rowley correctly cited challenges which the simplistic solution of an open door “amnesty” policy could trigger in T&T’s current circumstances. So many systems need more than mere tweaking that the allure of tax potential from any flood of asylum seekers can hardly balance the economic equation faced with that challenge. For one, the business sector on Thursday estimated the underground economy of the non-tax compliant stands at about 25 per cent of the economy.

Rowley’s further statements—confirming other international pressures T&T’s subjected to on Venezuela—signalled his administration continues to toe a long established and adhered-to line of balance on that country by various T&T governments: the Nearest Neighbour policy.

With Thursday’s announcements, Rowley continues to be his Government’s lead spokesman on international matters. Public Administration/Communications Minister Marlene McDonald showcased her talent on the latter portfolio via yesterday’s meeting with PoS vendors.

Her predecessor Maxie Cuffie, expected to extend medical leave, was to have received funds last Saturday collected from PNMites across the party, PNM officials confirmed. Consequently, he was awaiting word yesterday on his required medical procedure, expected soon.

Sex scandal, abuse of power, misconduct in public office, threats to freedom of the press, mismanagement of ministries, failure to properly account, depressing economic measures, total breakdown of independent institutions, incompetent, enhancers of crime and corruption are just some of the labels and/or descriptions which can be easily ascribed to the present Government.

Its members must be aware of their shortcomings else they are certainly too arrogant. It is obvious that the Government’s strategy of survival and potential return to office following the next general election is to torture the population as much as it can, bringing it close to its tensile endurance, and just as it is about to snap, to warmly embrace everyone in an attempt to put things right.

In layman’s language, the Government is quite prepared to do absolutely nothing at this time to deliver good governance, but will start to pave roads and provide handouts after the next budget and beyond. Why will they run that risk with an intelligent population, you ask? Because they can, under our system of governance and with a mainstream media on its side, they will suddenly paint a picture that T&T is a paradise once again.

There will be a sudden decrease in the increase in crime. Statements like “we found the Treasury empty,” “we had to stabilise the economy first after the mess created by the last government” and “we are now in a good position because of prudent fiscal management over the past three years” will be preached to us, Finance Minister Colm Imbert with an even wider smirk on his face will most likely be chief spokesperson.

Statements such as: “We raise gas prices twice and nobody riot yet” or “a woman is like a pasture which has to be groomed” could be proposed by our Minister of Education as metaphors to be included in primary school’s creative writing syllabus and textbooks. The minister seems to have garnered sufficient empirical data to suggest that a new school Course of “Fishing out sewage” is necessary. In recent times, he surmised that there was sabotage of sewage systems.

AG Al-Rawi and Minister Stuart Young might even join Garcia in contending that the Opposition had a hand to play in school children flushing their underwear down the toilets!

Anyways, or youth will be empowered to fish or pluck out panties and jockey shorts from sewage lines and cesspits on board our phantom inter-island ferries and school toilet systems. It may even become necessary to fish lingerie out of sewage systems in ministries such as the Sport Ministry. The rate at which the Government is proceeding, we can expect that the intellectual depths of ideas like these will become the major talking points leading up to the next general election.

Why are officeholders who are expecting their back-pay and codification of their updated remuneration packages suddenly subject to the approval of the Chief Personnel Officer? Why are there ongoing audits in ministries and special purpose entities where there is simply no need or basis to commission such an exercise?

Why are we continuing to oppress and penalise drivers who are barely driving over the speed limit on back roads. According to the Attorney General, this is a revenue earning measure. Yet we are doing nothing about the fast paced reckless drivers who surpass 100mph on the highways, cutting in and out, subjecting lawful drivers to unnecessary risk and harm. The irony is that whilst we deploy police officers to entrap drivers, serious crimes continue unabated and unsolved.

The Government seem hell bent on doing the wrong things. The way I see it, there is a brain drain in the Government.

To compensate for this, the Government’s strategy is to torture the people of our country without apology. When the next budget is due, the Government will simply seek to open up its hands in spending “political-bribe” monies.

Party hacks will be happy but the country will not move forward and the problems we face on a day to day basis will remain. God forbid, but if the majority of the population falls for this strategy, the political brain drain in Government will intensify. In such a situation, the ruling party’s deliberate strategy would have worked for them but would result in a long-term infliction of a reign of terror on our people.

Woodford Square, Port-of-Spain, was transformed into a lively marketplace as hundreds of students attached to Junior Achievement (JA) offered a wide variety of products for sale at the organisation’s 2018 annual Trade Fair on April 13.

Representing 33 companies, the students represented secondary schools from across Trinidad who participated in Junior Achievement, T&T’s after-school JA Company Programme, the organisation’s signature youth development initiative.

“Today is the culmination of a lot of hard work and perseverance. We faced many challenges in forming our company and getting to the stage where we are offering quality products for sale,” said Delilah Mohammed-Khan, president of Big Money Productions, one of several companies sponsored by platinum sponsor, bpTT.

A student of ASJA Girls High School, Tunapuna, Mohammed-Khan said the experience has given her and her colleagues greater self-confidence and taught them the benefits of business enterprise. “Today is not Black Friday. It is Great Friday,” she added, with a wide smile.

Joel Primus, Community Sustainability and Stakeholder Relations adviser, bpTT, challenged the young entrepreneurs to use the JA experience as a driving force in determining their future.

“We are witnessing hundreds of young people engaged in productive activity this morning. Junior Achievement has done a remarkable job of preparing you for the future and I urge you to grasp it with both hands. I want you to consider a future as an entrepreneur where you are your own boss, directing and charting your own future. Instead of looking for a job, be in a position to offer a job,” Primus told the students.

Recalling that Woodford Square had witnessed many epoch-making events in the country’s history, Primus exhorted the young achievers to make their own mark on its landscape by taking the first steps to become future entrepreneurs.

JA executive director, J Errol Lewis, recounted the history of Junior Achievement in T&T, starting in 1970 with the very first trade fair.

“Who wants to get a job when you can create your own employment? Take this opportunity to consider seriously the option of becoming your own boss and creating employment for others,” he said.

The JA executive thanked bpTT for its long-standing partnership with the organisation in its youth development initiative.

He also lauded the support of the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business which facilitated training courses in business operations, and Dawn Richards and Company for giving the students insights in customer service.

Items peddled by the JA young entrepreneurs included hand-crafted products such as printed tee-shirts, wrist and hand bands, earrings, bracelets, chains and necklaces made of beads, souvenir buttons, designer bandanas, mugs and glasses, cushions, pastries and plants.

“I think Girl Be Heard says it all.

It gives voice to young women, to girls that are just starting to come into their own.”

Canadian High Commissioner Carla Hogans Rufeld made the statement at Unplugged, the midyear show of the Girl Be Heard T&T programme held on April 20 at the Little Carib Theatre.

The programme, which develops, amplifies, and celebrates the voices of young women through socially conscious theatre-making, was carried out at Bishops Centenary High School in Port-of-Spain.

Lead Teaching Artist and programme manager Deneka Thomas said the cohort of nine girls was younger than the previous year’s group, comprising mainly 1st and 2nd form students.

There was a wealth of talent on display as the girls (Destiny Collins, Taria Augustine, Gabrielle Forde, D’Nerra Huggins, Jamilya Bunting, Merelyn Alexander, Arielle Bernard and Jada-Marie Ramdass) performed spoken word poetry on topics that included safety, human trafficking, fear, beauty, rape, femininity, trust, bullying, body issues and a need for external validation. The pieces included Safe Is, Woman, Imaginary Place, Human Trafficking, Can I Trust You?, My Body and the Way It Should Be.

There were also guest performances from alumnus Debra Daniel, who performed Being a Girl is Risky Business, teaching artists Arielle John with Ceremonies of Naming and Deneka Thomas with Say Yes and guest performer Deja Lewis who performed In Case of An Emergency and Born to Bend This Way.

The girls said that being in the programme is a life-changing experience for them. Some said they gained confidence in being able to talk to large crowds, while others said they were able to share their secrets with the group in a space where they felt accepted and loved. A unanimous sentiment was that the group became a second family for the participants, where the girls felt they were needed and appreciated.

Girl Be Heard US cofounder Jessica Greer Morris congratulated the girls and reminded them they were all loved by everyone who worked with them. “You’re the reason we come to work.”

She also said she was grateful to be able to collaborate with NGO partner the Two Cents Movement to work together with the girls, instead of fighting for resources as so many NGOs do.

Two Cents Movement managing director Jean-Claude Cournand said the programme touched everyone it came in contact with and led him to make major changes in his organisation in terms of gender equity and participation.

Hogan Rufeld said the programme gives the girls a voice, inspiration, confidence and helps to build community and maturity.

“It’s exactly what the doctor ordered these days. It gives them a voice, space to say what they want to say and a way to say it. Being able to do that and bring out what’s deep inside isn’t easy, so the spoken word genre is a way that releases those unspoken words.”

Many of the former participants of the programme were also in attendance, including Tishauna Jones and Kimelly Fiddler, who gave a fine comedic turn as they emceed the proceedings.

Alumnus Hannah Parris, whom Greer Morris credits with the decision for GBH US to come to Bishops Centenary, said she keeps coming back because it’s like a home away from home.

“When I was lost and I had no one to speak to because my family was busy, I found myself this programme. I saw it as an opportunity for me to just let my voice be heard by someone who wants it to be heard, because when I was not being heard at home, they actually wanted to hear my problems and my issues.

“I am just proud that it has more girls coming in and they are experiencing what I experienced as well with Girl Be Heard.”

More info

For information on how to sponsor
a girl or programme, contact
344-2036, 301-9033 and find Girl
Be Heard Trinidad and Tobago on
Facebook.

How do we relate to the objects around us? Why do we keep some as precious and throw others away? Artist Shane Mohammed explores some of these ideas in the art he will be exhibiting in Block and Blue, his exhibition at the gallery The Frame Shop, A Space Inna Space from April 28 to May 12.

Mohammed uses everyday objects embedded in concrete blocks to reflect on the environment around him. “The objects I collect range from the everyday plastic bottle to the inner workings of an antique clock and everything in between. We all collect and value these objects, whether as heirlooms or the everyday meals we have. It’s a lifetime of collecting objects, using them, displacing them, storing them, putting them on the top shelf or below the sink and just sometimes disposing of them. That to me was quite interesting that we would take this sort of colour and form and texture and dispersed it within the environment, contributing to pollution, etc.”

Saying that he began looking at these objects as substitutes for paints while studying at the UWI, St Augustine, Mohammed said: “I wanted to tackle the ideas of painting itself, what painting meant to the Caribbean and to Trinidad. In a bold move, I just decided to take that object and paint with it and use it as a paint and work with it from there.”

He said he did not initially begin working with concrete, but with a series of different adhesives. “It went from being pigment to being adhered together, first with resin then glass and grout. When testing concrete, it seemed to have this idea that whenever it’s locked into that concrete block you can’t really tell what could be inside and what could be outside.

“I wanted to develop that and build that. The outside of the blocks would have certain things that I allowed to show and certain things on the inside would have this aspect of, the deeper you look into it you still wouldn’t be able to figure out what was really inside. It’s the idea of the unknown, what is really seen and what is unseen and what is not seen.”

Mohammed said the blue collection is a series of 20 pieces which he defines as “constructs based on unconventional and intuitive contemporary practices and guidelines of creating while considering traditional elements and principles of art. It is reliant on process whether it be searching for a specific colour or form, the concept of an unintentional colour, audience and self interaction and connection to the objects.”

Mohammed said he sees the project as a type of recycling in that he’s repurposing them and taking them out of the environment. “In a sense it is me living and working to obtain the objects and then using the very same objects to make a living to then use that living to buy objects or gather objects to make a living to buy more objects.”

Mohammed emphasised that this work is for private showing and not for sale, as many of the objects he uses, although they were disposed of, are examples of intellectual property. He said the work was “not intended to harm or represent any of the individual companies in a bad way but more of a reflection on the objects around me.”

Many of the objects used in the current exhibition were recycled from previous shows, as Mohammed said he was reluctant to get rid of them. “They were first created at a point in time where I had a mental block of knowing what to do with the vast collection of objects I possessed and issues regarding their importance and storage. It stemmed from a sort of mental state of not knowing what to do with the objects, and trying to represent it in a physical state while also not knowing what’s inside of the block or what the block is about. After I took all that down from the museum I didn’t want to dispose of it because I would be not only losing something valuable that I had put a lot of meaning into and that had a lot of meaning built into it, so I decided to build on that and to let the work continue into what it’s going to become next.”

Admission is free. The exhibition begins today from 4 to 7 pm and then runs during normal gallery hours until May 12.

For more info, find Shane Hanson Studios on Facebook.

Last Sunday, the Feast of La Divina Pastora was held at the Siparia RC Church. Both venerated by Catholics and Hindus alike, La Divina Pastora  (The Divine Shepherdess), Mother Mary or, for the Hindu faith, is a manifestation of the Goddess Kali, Durga, Lakshmi as Siparee/Supari Mai (Mother of Siparia).

This is the second of the two Black Madonnas in Trinidad, the other being in Tortuga, at Our Lady of Monsterrat. Many devotees, both Catholics and Hindus, attribute miracles to this statue, with many coming with their prayer requests while touching her garments.

After the mass is performed, the statue is taken out for a street procession in the vicinity of the church.

Stacy Golding has been re-appointed president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of T&T (ICATT). At the first council meeting held after ICATT’s 48th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Radisson Hotel in Port of Spain, Golding was voted in to serve a second term.

An audit partner with lead accountancy firm, KPMG in T&T, and a Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (FCCA), Golding has served on the ICATT Council since March 2014. She was elected president in 2017 after serving as first vice-president (2016 - 2017) and second vice-president for the 2015 -2016 term. She also held the position of chair of the Auditing and Accounting Standards (A&AS) Committee for three terms.

In a career that spans over 25 years’ professional experience in audits within the private and public sector, Golding has worked throughout the Caribbean region. She is responsible for corporate social responsibility and risk management at KPMG.

Denise Chinpire-O’Reilly was re-appointed vice-president. O’Reilly currently serves as an ex-officio member of the licensing committee, is alternate director for T&T at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean (ICAC) and a member of ACCA.

Immediately following the AGM, the first council meeting was held, and four newly-elected members joined the now 12-member council. Kerry Mohammed, a chartered certified accountant and CFO at Goldrock Consultancy, and chartered accountant Vijay Parabdeen, partner at Aegis & Company and client services director, Aegis Business Solutions, will now serve on the council for the first time.

Also re-elected to council were Anthony Pierre and Krishna Boodhai. Pierre, a former ICATT President and long-standing council member, is also the current president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean (ICAC). Boodhai who once served as CEO of the Institute, was first elected to council in 2015.

Other members of council continuing their term in office for the 2018 – 2019 period are Pria Narinesingh (immediate past president), Dwayne Rodriguez-Seijas, Derek Mohammed, Nicole Joseph, Dinesh Bhola and Dianne Mano.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been physically active from school to the present day playing many different sports. Becoming a father of two wonderful children did shift the responsibilities and priorities causing the level of activity to reduce. During that period a lot of personal triumph and failure occurred resulting in a total shift in my life.

In 2012 I made the decision to go back to school and pursue my Bachelor’s degree at Roytec and this prompted me to get back into some form of sporting activity that was not football, as I sustained too many injuries playing the sport I love. I was introduced to multisport and triathlon at that time, thanks to my cousin Priya and the Occupational Therapist Association programme called Team Hope.

From 2012 to the present day, I have been at it. I’ve completed five sprint distance triathlons (swim/ride/run) and three Olympic distance triathlons along with numerous different events in between consisting of flat races and duathlons (run/ride/run). I highlight these because they were never easy, and not being able to train effectively based on personal challenges, commitment to my children, studying, classes, projects all took a toll on me eventually.

The reason being I am very competitive in nature but in multi-sport the competition is with self, so I am my worst critic. My major personal hang up was my weight from 2012 to November 2017—the lightest I ever weighed and raced at was 247 lbs, so my weight kept fluctuating during that time because I simply love to eat. I used to tell people I do what I do so I can eat what I want, but this was counter-productive to some of the goals I set myself.

My turning point was my first flat 10km race in November of last year, where I finished 32 seconds outside of the slower end of the time range I set myself. It was bittersweet because I knew I did not prepare as I should but knew I could have done better even running at 265 lbs. I was depressed and really started to look within and wonder what I can do to change this. I called my friend and training partner Sam and told her what I was thinking and how I felt, and after our discussion I took a few days to think it over and then got in contact with Derrick Simon of One a Week. I told him I’m fed up of just being a participant and need help!!!!

For me, the taste of progress seeing the figures on the scale get smaller, the minutes per mile decrease, peoples’ reactions to how I look based on what they knew is rewarding. Yet the most important and priceless reward is the joy of my children and niece when they comment and say “Where my daddy gone? He melting away!!!!” They join me in the yard to stretch, do core exercises, and just simply keep me company.

My journey is far from over—it has only just begun. Good news is that I lost over 50lbs from December 1, 2017, to the present. The road is not easy and many would never truly understand the daily struggle, but through prayer and sacrifice it can be done, and if I can do it anyone can because there isn’t any one that likes ‘their belly’ more than me.

Fit and fab

Endurance is a single word with a powerful meaning. It is used in terms of both philosophy and exercise. Essentially it means that we have to remain focused and continue the journey no matter how many obstacles and challenges we face.

Endurance is one of the most difficult of disciplines but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.

Those who endure, conquer. In terms of exercise endurance is one of the key pillars of the fitness tripod—strength, endurance, and flexibility. Also called aerobic, endurance includes activities that increase your breathing and heart rate and together with strength and flexibility, it must be included in any successful workout routine.

In addition to keeping your heart and circulatory system healthy it improves your overall fitness. Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of many afflictions such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Building endurance makes it easier to carry out many everyday activities. Remember that If starting after being sedentary for a long time you should always begin slowly. Walking briskly, running, jogging, dancing, swimming, biking, stair climbing, and playing sports are all excellent forms of endurance exercise.

In the words of Henry Ford: “Unless you have courage, a courage that keeps you going, always going no matter what happens, there is no certainty of success.

It is really an endurance race.”

One of the added benefits is peace of mind. Many psychologists suggest that the endorphins that result from regular aerobic exercise work at the same level or better than antidepressants.

There is no doubt that regular endurance training improves the quality and quantity of life. You increase life expectancy and reduce the risk of systemic disease when you begin endurance training. Improved
sleep, increased energy, a healthier body, clearer thinking, greater confidence, a better self image, and a well toned body are added bonuses.

The amazing thing about endurance exercise is that you learn to push past pain and exhaustion to a whole new level of power. 

You recognize that hard work and dedication pay off. The feeling of strength through achievement spills over into every area of your life. You become motivated to push against all life’s limits, not just the fitness and physical barriers. The benefits derived from regular endurance exercise and lifestyle change would have been well learned by my Fit and Fab guest today. It is with pleasure that I share the fitness story of Raoul Edwards, a single parent who works full-time with a second job as an Uber driver.

May his journey encourage and motivate us all. Keep shining!!

JUDY ALCANTARA

BA English Honours/Spanish

CIAR Cert (Cooper’s institute of Aerobic
Research) • Email: fitforlife@live.
com • Facebook: www.facebbok.com/
TheFitnessRevolutionTT

Dancers all over the world will be celebrating International Dance Day 2018 today.

Here are some highlights from Candace Clarke Academy of Dance’s production GLORY, which was held on April 14.

“Human beings, when in sync with our creator, are the embodiment of the glory of God. We are the crowning act of his creation,” said director Candace Clarke. She said through the testimony of dance the juniors showcased their talent and inspired with their performances.

Acute caudal myopathy is the scientific term, but other more common slangs for the same syndrome include dead tail, swimmer’s tail, limber tail, cold tail, broken tail, sprained tail, sprung tail and broken wag, amongst others. But, what is it? Limber tail syndrome is when your dog’s tail suddenly goes limp.

Apart from being painful and physically distressing for the dog, this syndrome affects the ability of the dog to move and to communicate. Dogs use their tails for balance when walking, running and turning corners, and they use them as rudders when they are swimming so without a working tail, these simple activities become challenging for the dog. Additionally, dogs speak to us with their tails. We can read that a high, rapid tail wag is a sign of friendliness and wanting to play; an erect, rigid tail is a sign of aggression; a slowly wagging tail is a sign of anxiety or wariness; and a tail tucked between the legs is a sign of fear.

It is hard for the dog to express his emotions to us if his tail no longer wags.

Any dog can be affected by this syndrome, but it is found to be more common in breeds such as Pointers, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Beagles, particularly if they are working dogs. Males and females are equally affected. Genetics may be at play, as dogs that suffer from limber tail are more likely to be related to each other, and reputable breeders will take this into account.

The symptoms of limber tail can vary slightly between individuals. In some cases, the tail is completely limp and just droops between the rear legs from the base; in others the first part of the tail sticks out while the rest hangs limply. The fur over the top of the tail may be raised which can be a sign of swelling underneath. Your dog may have difficulty in getting up because he needs his tail for balance. The condition is very painful, and he may whimper, whine, or lick and chew at the tail.

The cause of this condition is a sprain or strain of the muscles used to wag and support the tail. Overuse of the tail causes trauma to the bony vertebrae of the tail and the surrounding muscles and ligaments. It can look as if the tail is broken, but the damage is to the tail muscles, not to the tail bone. Dogs who develop limber tail usually have a history of recent intense physical exertion involving the tail. Swimming appears to be of the biggest risk factors because dogs use their tail in the water more than they usually do when they are on land. Other risk factors include prolonged cage transport and exposure to cold weather or very cold water. Your veterinarian will be able to diagnose this syndrome by careful palpation of the tail, radiographs to rule out a fracture, and a detailed history provided by you.

The good news is that the syndrome usually resolves itself within a few days to a week. The most important aspect of treatment is rest, until the tail returns to normal. Your veterinarian may prescribe mild painkillers to ease the soreness in the tail. Never give your pet medication that has not been recommended by a veterinarian!

You can help to prevent limber tail syndrome by ensuring that your dog is not a couch-potato. Get your dog accustomed to some level of physical activity to keep the muscles flexible and toned; the exercise will also be beneficial for you.

Copyright © Kristel-Marie Ramnath 2018

Administrative Professionals Day was on April 25, but Administrative Professionals Week was observed from April 23 through April 27. One of the issues that require constant reinforcing at seminars for administrative professionals is telephone etiquette.

Too many times I have called organisations and if the receptionist did not answer the phone, a member of staff will take the call and answer with just a “hello.” Or sometimes in an open office environment, you can get distracted by someone yelling into their phone and the whole office has to listen to the conversation while trying to get work done. It is also unprofessional for a receptionist to be constantly on her phone at the front desk or taking a personal cellphone call after putting a company call on hold.

Below are eight modern phone etiquette rules that should be observed:1. Announce your name when answering a phone call. A good example is: “This is Joan Smith speaking.”

2. Speak in a quiet tone of voice. Sometimes you may unconsciously be speaking too loudly. Most importantly, you never know who may be eavesdropping on your call.

3. Be respectful when having a meeting or a meal. Answering a call tells the person you are meeting with that the person who called you is more important. Most phone software allow you to send a text message indicating that you can call them back later or that you are in a meeting. If you have to take the call, then excuse yourself.

4. Place your phone face down when in a meeting so that you are not distracted by incoming phone calls. It is a lack of respect when you have a member of staff waiting on you to finish a call. Another person’s time is just important as yours therefore, don’t waste their time.
5. In seminars and conferences, participants are asked to turn off their phones so as not to disturb the speaker or everyone in the audience. The best way to deal with this is to put one’s phone on silent. Vibrating phones can be a distraction especially if you are in the front of the podium.

6. It is only respectful to let the caller know that you are putting them on speaker phone as you would like the person in the room to join the conversation. It can be embarrassing if the caller talks about confidential information that a third party is not supposed to know.

7. Many times people don’t play their voice messages. If you are going to leave a message make it short and sweet or leave a callback number. When leaving a phone number, say it slowly and twice. It can be annoying to have to keep replaying a message just to get the information.

Be professional when recording voicemail announcements. Recommended announcements are as follows: “You have reached Jane Smith, I am unavailable to take your call, please leave your name, phone number and brief message, and I will respond as soon as I can.”

If you don’t want to give your name: “You have reached 999-9999, I am unavailable to take your call, please leave your name, phone number and brief message, and I will respond as soon as I can.” If you don’t have a professional voice, then have a friend do it for you.

8. Respect organisations’ policy on cellphone use. A lot of organisations have incorporated a cellphone policy into policy documents. The use of cellphones have been abused by some staff and they need to take heed of telephone etiquette. Practising telephone etiquette will make a difference as to how a caller is going to view you and whether they are going to do business with you. Opportunities lost, all because of a lack of telephone etiquette

Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts recently launched its 2018 Community Education (Skills Training) and Handicraft Programmes throughout the country.

In an effort to promote and encourage continuing learning opportunities for the disadvantaged, the programme provides training in a variety of marketable skills which leads to home-based production of goods and services and employment generation, helps to reduce household expenditures and allow for the more effective use of scarce financial resources.

This programme provides education and training for the generation of sustainable employment opportunities to alleviate poverty, improve standards of living, promote equity and harmony in the society.

“The programme provides training in a variety of marketable skills which provide unemployed and under-employed people with equal opportunities to prepare themselves to compete for jobs or to develop the skills to create a sustainable self-employment initiative,” according to the ministry.

The Skills Training programme from its inception in the 1960s has targeted householders, low-income families, rural and urban poor, dropouts in the school system, the vulnerable and “at risk” in our society.

The programme is accessible to all regardless of age, gender, race, educational background, social or economic status, religion, or political persuasion.

All courses are sponsored by Community Development and are free.

The 49th annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival opened Friday — a sun-drenched affair where the joy was tempered only by news of the death of a New Orleans music idol.

Charles Neville, a saxophone player since the 1950s and a stalwart for three decades with the Neville Brothers Band, died Thursday.

“He was a huge part of the New Orleans music scene and really important to all of us” said Amanda McFillen as she showed off a picture of Neville posing with a young Harry Connick Jr, at the 1989 Jazz Fest.

The image was on sale at a booth for the Historic New Orleans Collection museum, where McFillen is an associate director.

“I definitely think there’ll be some tributes here over the next few days,” McFillen said as a Cajun band tuned up on a nearby stage.

For years, the Nevilles were a traditional closing act at the popular festival that caters to a wide variety of tastes in food, music and art.

Sting closed out opening day Friday evening, drawing throngs to one of the largest stages with favourites including Synchronicity II and Every Little Thing She Does is Magic. But even his performance was scheduled simultaneously with a variety of other acts — including rock, blues, brass, and gospel — the culmination of a day that would see well over 60 acts perform on more than a dozen stages.

The festival takes place at the Fair Grounds Race Course, a venerable New Orleans horse track.

Most of the action happens on the large infield, but there are also exhibits and food in the grandstand building. Family matters Members of Charles Neville’s family remain a part of Jazz Fest.

Brother Aaron is scheduled for a May 4 performance. Charles’ daughter, singer Charmaine Neville, is scheduled for a May 5 performance, the same day Aaron’s son Ivan performs with his band Dumpstaphunk.

Cultural crossroads The group Bamboula 2000 was preparing to launch into a set of its Afro-Caribbean-influenced New Orleans soul on the Jazz and Heritage Stage. Fiddle music pealed from the nearby Cultural Exchange Pavilion.

And in a roped-off area between the two there was a different kind of music: the rhythm of hatchets hitting hardwood, occasionally broken by the whine of a chainsaw.

August “Cocoa” Creppel, vice principal chief of the United Houma Nation, an American Indian tribe, was among a group demonstrating the crafting of a dugout canoe.

“This is what our people used to use to go fishing and hunting, back hundreds of years ago,” said Creppel.

“Years ago, they didn’t use tools,” Creppel said. “They would burn out the inside and they would use shells to scrape it out.”

It was the Houma nation’s first demonstration of canoe-making at the festival, Creppel said, although they have sold food at past Jazz Fests. The diversity of cultural influences at the annual spring festival is one of the reasons he likes to be there. “It’s a great place to be. We get to come here and share our culture with so many people from all over the world.”

Food fest Just as musical offerings at Jazz Fest go beyond jazz into rock, Cajun, brass, hip-hop and more, the food choices go beyond the boundaries of New Orleans and south Louisiana favorites.

Yes, there are poor boy sandwiches stuffed with shrimp or crab or duck or any number of other delicacies.

There is jambalaya and fried chicken, greens and other soul food.

But there’s also grilled lamb offered by a Tunisian restaurant; a variety of Asian dishes, including pan fried noodles and seaweed; and cucumber salad offered by a catering business called Ajun Cajun.

Cultural-cuisine mashups also are evident. One booth offers yaka mein that you can follow up with a traditional bread pudding dessert.

Ajun Canjun offers a Yakiniku poor boy (stuffed with garlicky beef ); another booth offers a savoury pastry with a name that suggests German influence but a stuffing that is pure Louisiana: crawfish strudel. `(AP)

Legendary singer Mavis John keeps on winning kudos for T&T through her music. Her latest triumph is the use of her song, Use My Body, in the US TV series The Looming Tower. The song was written for John by Tony Wilson and released in 1980 on the Kalinda label.

John said she’s elated, grateful and shocked that her song has been chosen. “I accept this blessing with God’s grace. I am also very happy for the writer Tony Wilson because of all the songs I had done I never thought this one would do it. It has also taught me that you never know what people like and what their tastes are.”

The Looming Tower is an American web television series which premiered on February 28, 2018 on streaming service Hulu. It’s based on the Pulitzer-Prize winning book of the same name by Lawrence Wright. The series traces the rising threat of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda in the late 1990s and how the rivalry between the FBI and CIA during that time may have inadvertently set the path for the tragedy of 9/11.

The series follows members of the I-49 Squad in New York and Alec Station in Washington, DC, the counter-terrorism divisions of the FBI and CIA, respectively, as they travel the world fighting for ownership of information while seemingly working toward the same goal of trying to prevent an imminent attack on US soil.

The series consists of ten episodes which aired between February 28 and April 18. The series is available on Hulu.

Use My Body is a funky dance number proclaims “we don’t have to get down just to get it on, you know how to use my body.” Also labeled as house and electronic music, the song is played in many countries worldwide and is now number 10 on the charts in Amsterdam.

John said the selection and use of her song is good for T&T. “It’s also good for the music of the country, because I’ve always had faith in what the writers have produced and the kind of music that we’ve produced.

I’m very cool and calm about it but in its own way it is a blessing. I’ll wait to see what happens with it, because like everything else it comes and it goes and you don’t know what’s going to come out of it.”

For it is described, a gypsy is a “free-spirited” person and so, Mayaro-born, irrefutable Extempore King of the World, calypsonian, former Government Minister of Arts and Multiculturism and, Community

Development, former board member of the National Carnival Committee (NCC) and businessman, Winston “Gypsy” Peters, took another leap, and took-up the mantle on April 23, to serve as chairman of the National Carnival Commission (NCC).

Given the decades of deafening news of inefficiencies surrounding aspects of the NCC, it is hoped that chairman Gypsy’s rescue mission will see a net thrown-out salvaging what good is left in the sea and reel-in healthier catch.

To consider the post of chairman, came by way of “a call from the Prime Minister,” but “before making the decision, I consulted with my wife and other people,” stated Gypsy on the CNMG’s early-morning talk show on April 24 – a principled act that is testament…integrity, respect and teamwork lie within the chairman’s fold.

Faced with a few slightly intricate politically-mischievous, non-NCC-related questions layered-on by presenter, Rishi Harrynanan—if he’s “still a member of the UNC,” if he “feels demoted having been a Minister and now Chairman of NCC,” and how does he “feel, having served as a minister for the UNC and to be now serving under this government”—the chairman assiduously responded, while too, emphatically beseeched, “to stop politicising everything.”

He continued, “I gave-up my USA citizenship to serve T&T. “Not because one was a government minister…if you are needed as a garbage collector, then do the job.

“It’s not a demotion, it’s serving the people.

“The salary is the only thing that can be considered demoted.”

Citing his self as a “bland” person, Gypsy apprised, “I tend to my garden daily. I do not ascribe to or feed-off titles and positions, but instead, off the ability to get a job done.”

Always assertive, pressing-forward and confident, recovering well from being demeaned proves one of his strengths, as the nation should recall despite the burst and streams of toilet-paper hurled and waved at Gypsy during his rendition of Angry Land at last year’s Calypso Fiesta, he maintained composure, continued delivering with distinction, and advanced to the finals.
Reports claimed that it’s the first time a calypsonian had accomplished such a feat.

To the concerns of what he plans to do as new NCC chair, eventually made its way on the interview ladder very close to the end of the segment.

“Observing what was done, what is being done and what’s on the table to be done, is my initial focus,” says Gypsy, “then I will determine what needs to be done.

“Putting systems in place to ensure operations run smoothly like a good-working car is also priority.”

Apart from sport, the world relies heavily upon arts, entertainment and culture as a means to boost tourism and the economy, create employment, and to jell and give recognition and credence to the uniqueness of a people.

As such, the nation should be looking forward to an enriched NCC, ultimately lending well to an equally enriched and improved culture to help heal this angry land.

This is an angry land, with angry men and women.

And even little children, adding to….

You looking at angry souls, totally out of control.

Taking a dangerous toll….

With the exorbitant spike in lawlessness, it will be foolhardy of NCC to not work wisely and productively, and of adults, to not direct our young ones into healthy performance, to help steady the ship, calm the seas, and show-up worthy enough to give the NCC the impetus to tap-into the “unexplored potential of Carnival,” towards a better T&T.