The Washington-based Institute for Caribbean Studies (ICS) has inducted four-time Olympic medallist Ato Boldon into its Wall of Fame. The honour was given as part of the Institute's efforts to pay tribute to notable Caribbean nationals during Caribbean American Heritage Month, held annually in June. Boldon holds the Trinidad and Tobago national record in the 50, 60 and 200-metre events, with times of 5.64, 6.49 and 19.77 seconds respectively, and also the Commonwealth Games record in the 100m. The ICS said, “Boldon is widely viewed as one of the all-time leading sportsmen in the history of the Caribbean, as well as one of its most internationally-recognisable spokesman.” After he retired from the track, he made his NBC Sports Group debut in 2007 during NBC’s presentation of the US National Championships. That same year, Boldon also served as an analyst for NBC’s coverage of the Track and Field World Championships. NBC said Boldon joined its Olympics broadcasting team in 2008 where he served as a track and field analyst for NBC’s coverage of the Beijing Olympic Games. He continued in that role during the 2012 London Olympic Games and most recently, he served as an Olympic correspondent at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. Prior to joining NBC Sports Group, Boldon served as an analyst for BBC’s coverage of the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain. Source: The Loop, June 2019
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Members of the 2019 National Culinary Team, who took part in the Taste of the Caribbean competition in Miami that ended last evening took away gold, silver and bronze medals in individual categories, and a silver in the team category. TT’s junior chef Jodi Eversley, topped her category for the gold while pastry chef Keenan Lezama copped a bronze medal. Mixologist Isaiah Trumpet, who competed in four categories won silver for his non-alcoholic beverage, due to his age (19), he was restricted from tasting any of his cocktails during the entire competition based on US law. Notwithstanding, Isaiah won the gold medal in the Best Non-Alcoholic cocktail and a silver medal for his overall bartender performance. On top of that, Team TT won the silver medal in the Team of the Year competition. The team was led by team captain Jeremy Lovell, who is also the chef at Courtyard by Marriott, and also included senior chefs Shonelle Greenidge and Gerard Cox, who together with the winners are all students from the TTHospitality and Tourism Institute (TTHTI). It was the first time TT fielded a team of students to compete against seasoned and professional chefs and mixologists from the rest of the Caribbean. The team itself prepared for the judges, an appetiser - soused shrimp nestled on sour pickled peppers, pepper pumpkin line with chive emulsion, lemon zest pan seared shrimp on top charred corn & eggplant, sweet pimento sauce garnished with cayenne dusted corals. Then came the entree - pulled brisket infused with bayleaf Trinbago BBQ sauce, roasted garlic/geera chicken roulade on spicy tomato coulis, local provision & polenta pudding topped with carrot chutney, Angostura aromatic bitters coconut infused carrot curve ending with cheesy vegetable fondue. And for dessert - sweet potato sponge layered with curry mousse, tamarind marsala jelly, topped with saffron and cinnamon creme fraiche, nutmeg macaroon sticks, sweet mango pull, bandania air and amchar fruit, fresh thyme crumble and candied beetroot gastrique. Source: Newsday, June 26, 2019 A STREET in San Fernando has been named after a former slave Mary Belgrove, who first established a funeral parlour in the city in 1888. The former Henry Street, which stands on the side of Belgrove’s Funeral Home and Crematorium on Coffee Street, was renamed Belgrove Lane recently in honour of the family’s long contribution to the commerce of the city This is the sixth street named after individuals who have contributed to the development of San Fernando in the past year, through the initiative of San Fernando mayor Junia Regrello. At the street naming ceremony Regrello noted that many of the streets in the city were named after past governors, mayors and politicians. He said there were other individual worthy of such a gesture and established a committee to research and make recommendations. CEO of the Belgroves Group of Companies Keith Belgrove welcomed the renaming of the street to honour his family’s legacy, As the ceremony, Belgrove proposed that the University of the West Indies, (UWI) St Augustine campus take the first step in starting an associate degree programme in funeral services in an attempt to raise the bar. “We cannot truly become a professional service unless we raise the education bar. I am going to talk to the UWI to put an associate degree together to raise the bar in funeral service. “It is already in Jamaica,” Belgrove said at a street naming ceremony in San Fernando yesterday. Belgrove also used the opportunity to call on Attorney General Faris Al Rawi and Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein to fulfil his dream and regulate the funeral industry. “I dream of the day in my lifetime when funeral directors can grow from being an industry to truly being a profession. “We will not get there unless regulations for the funeral industry is enacted.” Before an audience which included Regrello and deputy mayor Vidya Mungal- Bissessar, Belgrove said he has been clamouring for regulations since the 1990’s. He said Patrick Manning first took the proposal to Cabinet when he was alive and was prime minister but since then he has had promises from successive governments but no results. “The AG gave me promises. The Minister of Local Government gave me promises. I know you have a lot on your plate as you point out constantly but push it. This is a good time to make it happen.” Belgrove also issued a call for the reduction in the “punitive” tariff rates funeral homes are subjected to in the importation of hearses which he said has led to a high cost to the consumer. He said three months ago he wrote to the Comptroller of Customs and Excise to consider its application for the correction for the rate of import duty on funeral hearses. “It is now three months and we have not had any productive response. How can we grow our business under such punitive import duty rates of 65.5 per cent?” he asked. Belgrove said his company has professionally pointed out that funeral hearses are considered special purpose goods vehicle. “To the motor vehicle taxes, it is so considered, but for duty it is considered a luxury vehicle. “There are so many funeral homes who cannot afford to bring professional vehicles in this country. “How then can we stand up as truly world class?” Source: Newsday, June 27, 2019 From the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian, July 24, 2019
We've known for some time now that Trinidad and Tobago was a country spiralling out of control. People were being killed and robbed at record rates, weapons made for war flooded our streets and everyone seemed to be living in fear of losing their life. If you think our national nightmare couldn't get worse, just reflect on the events of the last few weeks. In broad daylight, there were deadly gun battles in the streets of Port-of-Spain at least 24 people in different parts of the country were killed last week alone. No place seemed safe from the scourge of violent crime—from an evening jaunt for fried chicken in Westmoorings to a children's birthday party in central Trinidad. From the time you step out of your door, you're taking your life in your own hands. Only two days ago, a businessman getting ready to drop his wife off to work was shot dead in a drive-by shooting. Criminal gangs have gotten more brazen. They respect no one. Mothers and children are often collateral damage, caught in the crossfire of bloody gang wars. Senior citizens are being targeted and killed by armed home invaders. The spike in rapes of women is now attributed to roaming bands of serial rapists. Some crime scenes in our country resemble the world's deadliest war zones. We are well past the point of patience and tolerance. We do not have the luxury of time. We demand urgent and immediate action. The leaders of our government and opposition parties have failed to deliver. They need to set aside their differences and confront our national crisis head-on. 1. It starts at the top. That means you, Prime Minister Rowley. When you campaigned for office five years ago, you predicted that out-of-control crime would topple the UNC-led government. Appealing for support at the polls, you told us that we were "virtually voting to save (our) life." Voters put their trust in you. Our lives have never been in greater danger. The first and utmost responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens and provide safety of law and order. On that score, your government gets an F. Crime has soared since you took office, surpassing by far the dubious records of your political rivals, whom you appropriately lambasted for their own failings in fighting crime. When Barack Obama became president of the United States in 2008, he quickly accepted the role of consoler-in-chief to comfort his nation after mass shootings and other periods of national grief. In our nation, there is a deafening silence from the top when mothers wail after the blood of their children flows in the street. We can do better. Ask random people in Trinidad and Tobago to list close family members and loved ones who have been murdered in the last decade and it is not unusual for the number to exceed 20. You, Dr Rowley, have felt your own visceral agony of losing loved ones to crime. In early May, your former high school classmate John "Joker" Mills and his common-law wife, Eulyn John, were brutally killed by an intruder in the bedroom of their Tobago home. Their hands and feet were bound, their mouths gagged and multiple stab wounds covered their bodies. In your Facebook post, you asked: "What have we become? What are we producing as the next generation?" As head of government, you can help save our next generation, Dr Rowley. Even though it took three years for you to install permanent leadership in the police service, it was only a start. The lion's share of the work is yet to be done. One of the first tasks should be ensuring that police have all the tools to do their job. It didn't help that Guardian Media reports recently disclosed that our government used millions of dollars in taxpayers' money to support gang bosses and criminal networks fuelling crime. It is indisputable that these criminals take our money, buy bigger and more menacing guns, fund their illicit activities, then fight each other for the government largesse. Many civilians become their innocent robbery and murder victims. (The UNC-led government does not have clean hands in this matter, as it has also funded "community leaders", also known as gang bosses). But now, Dr Rowley, your wear the jacket. How can the commissioner and his rank-and-file do their jobs when your government is funding the gangs? Don't take our word for it. Listen to what Police Commissioner Gary Griffith said last week: "It is absolute madness that anybody that holds a position of authority could feel that by giving criminal elements funds and money…. [then] throw blame on the police service. I will not have anyone throw blame…when they are not doing their job." This is the time, Dr Rowley, for you to stand up and make bold decisions for all the people of Trinidad and Tobago. One should not ponder if starving the criminal networks of taxpayers' money will result in electoral consequences. Here's another way you can make a difference, Dr Rowley. Undertake a massive restructuring of the nation's legal system. In the PNM's 2015 manifesto, you promised: "The PNM will engage the criminal justice system stakeholders to re-engineer the structure to provide an efficient and legitimate criminal justice system as the foundation for crime prevention, law enforcement and the protection of human rights." Everyone agrees that our justice system needs a massive overhaul. Criminal cases still take up to 15 years to come to trial—with no guarantee of resolution. (One fraud case involving a lawyer who tampered with witnesses ended last week after 24 years.) Many cases languish before magistrates and judges, some of whom, for various reasons, lack any urgency to clear their dockets. The judiciary owns part of the crime problem. If you cannot have a fair justice system, you cannot fairly prosecute criminals responsible for the crime spree. Dr Rowley, the question is: do you have the will to fulfil your promise? Many people—eminent legal scholars and citizens alike—were dismayed last week when you decided to leave Chief Justice Ivor Archie in his job. He faced misconduct allegations involving his association with two convicted fraudsters. Over the last few years, his colleagues on the bench, the legal community and the public have lost confidence in Archie and, by extension, the administration of justice. If Archie appears to be compromised, how could he be expected to help you transform the justice system? Fighting crime should be the Government's top priority. That is why we cannot understand how Stuart Young, your hardest working minister in government business, can be minister of communication, minister of legal affairs, minister in the Office of the Prime Minister and minister of national security. No wonder, the overburdened Mr Young sometimes takes a hands-off approach when pressed on crime. "At the end of the day the Commissioner of Police and the men and women of the Police Service are the ones constitutionally who have the powers of arrest. I can't go and arrest anyone," he said in a recent rebuttal. Attacking our national crisis is a full-time job. Here's a radical proposal: reduce Mr Young's portfolio to only minister of national security or appoint someone who can focus every minute of the day on our national crisis. 2. Fellow citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, the heinous nature and frequency of the crime you see everyday is not normal. We are losing a generation of young men—and young women. If you follow social media sites covering our carnage, you'll receive a daily blast of drive-by killings, robberies and vicious fights—often with guns, cutlasses and anything people can get their hands on. In other videos, women and children confront and even repel police who enter neighbourhoods to arrest suspected gangsters. This is not normal. The criminals keep getting younger and younger. With the glee of children playing video games, a group of boys who seemed no older than ten-years-old brandished guns and bragged in a recent video about their criminal and sexual exploits. No wonder that many people, after seeing or hearing about grotesque crime, say in exasperation: "Trinidad is not a real place." Last week came another shocker: young women flashing big grins and what appeared to be semi-automatic weapons. Many of our young people have lost their innocence. It is no surprise that in many schools, teachers are no longer in charge and discipline holds no sway. Some youngsters have little or no regard for authority because they feel that kind of behaviour is empowering and has currency. It seems like every day the lives of our nation's youths are being snuffed out as killers show no mercy. We all remember how 13-year-old Videsh Subar, while awaiting his SEA result, was brutally murdered. The schoolboy and his neighbour, in whose care he was left, were found in her Malabar home tied up and their throats slashed. In Laventille, where violent gang wars reflect the horrors of urban warfare, children are often innocent victims. About two weeks ago, Fitzgerald Hinds, minister in the Office of the Attorney General, disclosed that in the last decade, more than 1,300 people in Laventille alone had been murdered, some 93 per cent by gunfire. Hear Mr Hinds: "We have a crisis in Laventille. Because you know better than me that tomorrow, this evening, your children are at risk. They could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And you know you too are at risk. Because if you only provoke somebody now, tell them something, watch them too hard, bounce them as you passing by the shop, they want to go for their 'lass, they want to go for their gun. That is the level of ignorance." Hinds seemed baffled that children in Laventille would suffer the same dire plight of children in Middle Eastern conflicts. "This is no war zone," he said of Laventille. When you hear despair in a government minister's voice, you know we're in trouble. 3. This is a call to all decent people. All the good citizens of Trinidad and Tobago who value law and order over lawlessness must come forward in numbers greater than the criminals to reclaim our country, to help make our neighbourhoods safe again and work with what should be a revamped and professional police service. Let us channel our collective outrage over two decades of record-setting bloodletting to let our leaders know that we don't like it so. Demand that they work together to solve the crisis. We need to develop and rally around a well-articulated national crime prevention strategy. The Government and Opposition should embrace civil society groups and the business community to develop this plan, with appropriate contributions from people across the nation. Before that happens, the Government should be honest and transparent about the scope of the problem. But first, the Government and the police should consider taking interim steps to restore public trust in the police and judiciary. We must acknowledge that recent examples of people who have stood stood up against criminals haven't gone so well. Just ponder how many state witnesses have been killed while they were in protective custody. Commissioner Gary Griffith would acknowledge that many corrupt cops would disclose the names of informants to criminals. Griffith needs to be given the tools to clean up rogue elements to build confidence in police service. Any effort to address crime must confront the toughest questions. For instance, if the murder toll in Trinidad and Tobago is largely fuelled by turf battles over drugs, is it time for a wholesale review of our existing drug laws? How do we prevent weapons of war from entering the country through our ports? How do we provide jobs—in the public and private sectors—and hope to impoverished communities? And how do we rally the nation to become part of the solution? Guardian Media remains committed to addressing these pressing issues. In the next few weeks, we will show how our dire crime situation is ripping apart the fabric of our nation—and what we all need to do to be safer in our homes, our neighbourhoods and our country. To channel Stalin, the bard from Marabella: Our country faces its darkest hour. This is a time to demand that our leaders put country before party. Finding solutions will not be easy. They will require our best minds, sacrifice and collaboration to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago does not become a failed state. Staying the course or doing nothing is not an option. Our beloved nation's very survival is at stake. Congratulations to Trinidad-born, UK-based writers Vahni Capildeo and Lawrence Scott, who have been named Fellows of The Royal Society of Literaturetoday!
THE TT Mathematics Olympiad (TTMO) contingent left for the UK on Sunday to participate in the 60th anniversary of the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which will run from July 11 to 22 in Bath, England. The IMO is one of the most prestigious Olympiads worldwide and is an annual competition which started in 1959. Today, over 100 countries participate by sending its best six mathematical minds, chosen after a series of rigorous testing and elimination rounds. Students must be under 20. This year’s contingent includes Rajeev Gopeesingh, a sixth form student of Hillview college who participated in the 2018 IMO; Joshua Davis (6th Form) of Bishop Anstey Trinity College East; Rahul Gopeesingh (5th Form) of Presentation College Chaguanas; Celine Roodal (6th Form) of Lakshmi Girls Hindu College; Alex Adams (6th Form) of St Mary’s College and Justin Llanos, a sixth former of Fatima College. The team is headed by Dr Indra Haraksingh with the deputy head being Jagdesh Ramnanan. The competition looks deceptively simple as each participant from around the world has to solve three problems within a four-and-a-half-hour period, each day for two days. These six problems carry seven marks each, so a total score is 42 points. No calculators are allowed and if a participant solves one entire problem only, for seven marks, he is given an honorary mention. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded according to standards set by the IMO. The TTMO has been sending participants to the IMO fairly regularly since 1991. The TTMO is headed by Dr Haraksingh, Lecturer in Physics at UWI, and a Director of the International Mathematical Olympiad Foundation (IMOF), which is a Charity that supports the IMO. To date, TTMO has brought home two silver and five bronze medals, and has received several Honorary Mentions (HMs). Source: Newsday, July 2019 TOPS: Siri Vadlamudi reacts after being taped top SEA pupil. Photo: DEXTER PHILIP A pupil of the Grant Memorial Presbyterian Primary School in San Fernando has topped the country at the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examinations.
The name was kept a closely guarded secret until shortly before 9a.m when Education Minister Anthony Garcia, and Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan arrived in San Fernando. At 9.48a.m Garcia named Siri Vadlamudi as the top pupil. She will be attending the Naparima Girls High School. Vadlamudi's parents are from India, and her father is a medical doctor. The child told reporters she wanted to thank God and her teachers. Siri, who said she felt 'okay' after writing the SEA, said she wants to be a doctor. About 18,849 pupils across Trinidad and Tobago who wrote the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination will get their much-anticipated results today. Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan also said the top three SEA pupils will be named. All three top schools are from south Trinidad. On June 17, Education Minister Anthony Garcia said the results would be published, and those parents who didn’t wish to have them published could request they be withheld by writing to the ministry. A small number of parents had made the request, he said. In a release yesterday, Garcia cautioned anxious parents: “Your response to your child’s results will dictate your child’s self-esteem and the way they view their results. “If the child feels as though they have disappointed their parents, that feeling can transcend the results and be transferred into the attitude the child carries into their new school. “The SEA is a placement examination and will not dictate how a child will perform in the next five years. “A seed, once nurtured, can bloom and thrive in some of the toughest environments. The nurturing at this time is the support of parents.” Parents should be able to collect results from 9 a.m. at the respective primary schools after principals collect their school’s packages at the Education District Offices. Source: Sunday Express, June 28 2019. Ramgopaul Roop, a 71-year-old farmer from Trinidad continues to inspire others and prove that with hard work and dedication you can realise your dreams.Roop is the owner of Rocrops Agrotec, a smallholder family farm established in 1990 in Trinidad; owned and managed by him and his wife Beena Roop. At the age of 71, Roop graduated on July 5th, 2019 from the Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland with a Master of Science Degree (MSc) with Distinction in Business Management specialising in Human Resource Management. In addition to this, he is the winner of the University Medal for topping his class. This is a follow-up to his achievement just (3) years ago, back in 2016, where at age 69 he was awarded a Master of Business Administration (MBA), also with Distinction. Rocrops Agrotec has been a Partner of the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) for the past eight (8) years. The development of Rocrops Agrotec, has always revolved around an integrated system of agroecology practices to rehabilitate degraded heavy clay soils for horticultural and agricultural production. Amongst its many activities, on the farm Roop has steered significant promotion of climate-smart agriculture and water management. He works to promote sustainable agricultural techniques and practices with the potential to contribute to rural development and food security of Trinidad and Tobago. Additionally, soil and water management in climate change adaptation is critical to the way in which Rocrops Agrotec is managed. The farm has been Roop’s family home providing a year-round source of income for the past 30 years. It is an innovative and model farm in the Caribbean. During these 30 years, Rocrops has successfully implemented soil and water adaptation measures to mitigate against the negative impacts of climate change. Source: Global Water Partnership Caribbean, July 2019. This post is particularly sad - after seeing the decinimation of the Scarlett Ibis population for "wild meat parties" by the wealthy, this is now happening. It is as if there is no longer any care about the environment.
This is what the post said: "I saw someone posting the photograph below asking advice on the best way to cook them. They were sold by a Tobagonian fisherman over the weekend. It is so disappointing and unfortunate that as with many things in Trinidad and Tobago we often "bite the hands which feed us"! These fish are critical for the survival of our reefs and have been highlighted on several prominent reef conservation sites over recent months. There seems to be a proliferation of hunting parrot fish in Tobago recently despite all efforts to discourage this activity. Please don't support this practice by purchasing them from vendors if you see them. If noone buys them, they'll eventually stop catching them." https://animals.mom.me/role-parrotfish-play-reef-ecosystems-11654.html https://www.virgin.com/virgin-unite/leadership-and-advocacy/parrotfish-the-fish-that-can-save-coral-reefs This book shop hut on a drive through Manzanilla run by Ishmael Samad - books + the ocean. So much interest was shown that her now has his own Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/The-Book-Junkie-Manzanilla-347420562587563/ |
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