Another trini in the world. Avion Harris, a Diego Martin native, sworn in  6th Nov.2020 as a Superior Court Judge in Newark/New Jersey.  

Abby Phillip, the White House correspondent who has featured in CNN’s coverage of the suspenseful ballot count for the US presidential election over the past few days, has been gaining a large fan following for her calm, clear analysis of that developing story.
She has also become a social media sensation locally after her T&T connections were revealed. The popular anchor is the daughter of Trinidadians June and Carlos Phillip. Her father is a psychology programme manager for the District of Columbia Public Schools in Washington and her mother is a realtor and real estate investor with Fairfax Realty.
Her links to this country have been the focus of a widely shared Facebook post which states: “We are proud of our Caribbean girl, Trinidad and Tobago to be specific. She is holding her own on CNN on those political panel shows. A brilliant political analyst! Harvard trained. T&T is proud of you. Way to go, Abby Phillip.”
Phillip, 31, who grew up in Bowie, Maryland, has a degree in government but had initially intended on becoming a heart surgeon until her realisation that she loved talking to people led her into journalism.
In an interview with a US media outlet, she revealed: “My first journalism experience was going to Mississippi for a service trip where I had to write a blog throughout the entire thing, and I just really loved that experience. And I came back, and I knew that was what I had to do.”
She began her career as a White House reporter and blogger for Politico covering campaign finance issues and lobbying. She also appeared occasionally on Washington Week with Robert Costa on PBS.
Phillip worked at The Washington Post doing national political reporting and general assignments. She was also an ABC News Fellow and digital reporter in New York City. Following the fellowship, she joined the network’s Washington, DC bureau to work as a digital reporter covering politics. While there she produced stories for This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Nightline, and ABCNews.com.
On a recent CNN political panel she made the following observation: “Not only would Black women put Joe Biden in the White House, but they would also put a Black woman in the White House as well and that is the sort of historical poetry that I think we will live with for a long time.”
Phillip, who has been covering the Trump White House has featured prominently in much of the coverage of the US election campaign. She co-moderated the seventh Democratic debate of the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries at Drake University in January alongside CNN colleague Wolf Blitzer and Des Moines Register political correspondent Brianne Pfannenstiel.
Before joining CNN in 2017, Phillip was a national political reporter covering the 2016 election, focusing on the Democrats and Hillary Clinton’s presidential run.
She currently lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, Marcus Richardson, a managing consultant at nVisium, a cybersecurity company.
Source: Stabroek News, Nov 7, 2020

In April, we featured Dr Raulnel Neptune, one of the few male paediatricians in Trinidad and Tobago. In his seven years as a doctor and his time as a paediatrician, he has treated children suffering from a myriad of conditions.
So, why Paediatrics?
According to Tobago-born Dr Neptune, "after completing the mandatory internship, I realized at that time that job satisfaction was more important to me than money. Paediatrics provided me with that satisfaction. The ability to continuously see positive results by managing children, gave me great job satisfaction and that’s what sealed the deal for me."
He told us, "I love my job and I love making a difference. The public has a notion that a Paediatrician is simply a doctor who plays with children, feeds them and changes them. This is very far from what we actually do. As a Paediatrician, we rarely see children who are well and healthy: most are very sick. In fact, nurturing a child back to health is not only about giving medication to make the child feel better but it is about understanding the family structure and incorporating the emotional aspect into the caring of the child."
Dr Neptune recently opened his practice, Paeds World in Tobago, where he is now based. Congratulations Doc and best wishes! The children of Tobago are in good hands.
Source:  MENtions-Stories About Us, Sept 10m 2020

To add to his long list of accolades, Slinger “Mighty Sparrow” Francisco will now be immortalised at the Caribbean Wax Museum in Norman Centre, Bridgetown, Barbados.
The life-like depiction of the ‘Jean and Dinah’ singer will be unveiled tomorrow on the premises of The Commercial Credit Division of Consolidated Finance Co. Ltd, Barbados.
The unveiling is a merged effort of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Barbados, Corporate & Commercial Credit Division of Consolidated Finance Co. Ltd and the Caribbean Wax Museum. ​The Grenadian-born Francisco gained the title “Calypso King” of the world through his music. Since 1956, he has remained the only calypsonian to have won the T&T Calypso Monarch title more than anyone else—eight times. He also took the Road March title on several occasions. Fransisco also took his music to the US, Europe and even Africa.
For his contribution to the cultural and musical landscape of T&T and taking the art form to the world, the 85-year-old was bestowed several honours, including an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies in 1987, the honourary title of Chief of the Yorubas, Chaconia Gold Medal, Order of the Republic of T&T and the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Of this latest honour, Francisco yesterday told Guardian Media it was a very nice thing for the Caribbean Wax Museum to honour him in such a way. He said he was made aware of this five months ago and had no objection to it.
“I have been doing my thing for a very long time. It is good to see this…I wish I could be there to see it,” he said through laughter via a telephone conversation from his US-based home.
Asked whether more needed to be done in T&T honour its creatives, Francisco answered, “I think we should continue doing these things.”
Meanwhile, Trinbago Unified Calypsonian Organisation (TUCO) president Lutalo “Brother” Resistance” Masimba labelled the unveiling as “timely.”
Masimba said given that the honour has come during the celebration of Calypso History Month adds a certain “quality” to the celebration and fitted in nicely with its theme—Calypso Beyond Boundaries and Borders. He said TUCO was very pleased with the recognition of one of the Caribbean’s greatest calypsonians of all times.
In an email interview, directors at the Caribbean Wax Museum said, “As with everywhere else in the world where Caribbean people have settled, the Mighty Sparrow set the standard against which all calypsonians are judged. Barbados’s Mighty Gabby is in many ways a protegee.”
The wax figure of Fransico will join other regional artistes in the soca arena like Barbados’ Alison Hinds and Lil Rick, Barbadian-born US-based R&B singer Rihanna, as well as historical revolutionaries like Che Guevera and Fidel Castro.
Source:  T&T Guardian, Oct 30, 2020

RYAN BACHOO [email protected]
In the midst of the gloom of the pandemic, one T&T writer has found reason to celebrate. Brenda Mohammed received the Prashamshith Pathr (Certificate of Appreciation) from one of the world’s most active writers’ forum, Motivational Strips, and the Indian government’s most respected literary institution, Gujarat Sahitya Academy. It was awarded to 350 prominent writers from 80 countries as India marked its 74th Independence Day on August 15.
It’s a phenomenal achievement for a woman who was battling ovarian cancer 15 years ago. Forced to seek medical help abroad, Mohammed travelled to the University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Centre for surgery and chemotherapy. Not only did she fully recover and was able to return to her job at Republic Bank but that journey shaped everything she did after that.
As a cancer survivor, many who were ailing sought her advice encouraging her 2013 book I Am Cancer Free. It became very popular among those fighting the disease.
“That gave me the encouragement to write more books,” Mohammed said.
That’s exactly what she did. To date, she has written 27 multi-genre novels climbing the ladder at various prominent writers groups around the globe.
A year after joining the Literary Forum, Motivational Strips, the world’s most active writers’ forum with writers from 163 countries and monthly visitors crossing 7.3 million, she was appointed Regional Director of Operations. In October 2018, she was appointed an Honorary Member of the World Higher Literary Academic Council of World Nations Writers’ Union.
Her Prashamshith Pathr award made headlines in several newspapers around the world.
“I was delightfully surprised when I saw my name on the list of awardees. This is not just a premium award for me, but more than that, I value it as the success of Trinidad and Tobago writers,” she said.
Founder of Motivational Strips, Shiju Pallithazheth said it was “a happy moment to see Trinidad and Tobago shining in the world literary map and Brenda Mohammed crowned as its literary gem.”
While it maybe the highlight of her writing career, it certainly isn’t her first award. In January, the Vistabella resident was inducted into The Indie Authors Hall of Fame in the United States —an establishment for self-published authors who have achieved fame. In December 2018, she was awarded the World Laureate in Literature by World Nations Writers’ Union. On August 31, 2019, Mohammed was honoured by the Seychelles Government Accredited Literary Society [ LLSF] for her contribution to world poetry, creativity, and writing expertise.
Her genres include memoirs, science fiction, romance, self-help, mystery, children’s books, and poetry. In fact, her self-help book, How to Write for Success, became an important guide for new and aspiring authors. It received a five-star review and a five-star seal from Readers Favorite one month after publication. It also won the gold award in the category non-fiction in Connections EMagazine Readers’ Choice awards 2019 and a silver medal for second place in all genres.
It would seem that Mohammed doesn’t need any further inspiration with so many awards and accolades bestowed on her but she says: “This award has given me encouragement to do more work in the field of literature that will benefit the world at large.”
Now, as great T&T writers such as VS Naipaul, CLR James and Earl Lovelace have done in the past, she wants to create literature as a form of tourism for this country.
“Although this is a literature award, I see this as a way of boosting tourism in Trinidad and Tobago. Motivational Strips is the world’s most active writers’ forum and has writers from 163 countries with monthly visitors crossing 7.3 million. All eyes are now focused on Trinidad and Tobago and whenever the pandemic ends, I hope we will see a flux of visitors to this country.”
Though the Prashamshith Pathr award is her crowning achievement thus far, it is by no means the final chapter in Brenda Mohammed’s story.
Source: Trinidad & Tobago Guardian, Oct 18, 2020

Born in Trinidad -Judaline Cassidy is changing the construction industry.  Watch her explain the program below