The unbeaten Glenn Mendez trained United States bred three-year-old Spoke In Yuh Wheel came with a well timed run to catch and beat the John O’Brien trained Pauseforacoors in the feature Modified Benchmark Handicap over 1,100 metres on the main track at Santa Rosa Park, Arima.

Sent off as the three to five favourite backers were under pressure when Wilma Galviz and Pauseforacoors skipped three lengths clear on the corner and looked to have the race sewn up.

However, with 200 metres left Spoke in Yuh Wheel kicked into overdrive and quickened up smartly to come a nab Pauseforacors on the line with Desert Dancer back in third.

The three-year-old son of Violence/Glengarra should remain unbeaten for a while for owners the SIR Stables as he looked a massive improver.

However, the star of the day was three-year-old Streaking Far which did just that for trainer Mendez when she galloped home in impressive fashion over 1750 metres in the seventh event. By this performance she will be a big player in the Classic events of 2018.

Training honour fell to John O’Brien who saddled three winners.

Riding honours for the day went to veteran jockey who rode three winners Ricky Jadoo.

Master Archer has raced 11 times, recently a spin over jumps on a desperately soft Towcester surface smacks of desperation for Newmarket trainer, James Fanshawe, who has declared this evergreen four-year-old gelding for a ten-runner Maiden Stakes over 12 furlongs of Lingfield polytrack today, with blinkers!

James is astute when it comes to placing but mega-consistent, hitherto luckless, 79-rated, Master Archer has him baffled; I’m confident it will end with success on this occasion under stable jockey, Daniel Muscutt, who has ridden him just once.
On that occasion Master Archer achieved a half-decent time-handicap mark over a similar distance around Nottingham on a fast surface; good enough to win this time.

Plenty of punters must have had enough of Master Archer, they will definitely prefer Harry Fry-trained Amercian Gigolo, an eye-catching, strong-finishing, head second on his flat-racing debut over this course and distance a fortnight ago, when Give hime Time was two lengths away in third.

American Gigolo is a useful winning hurdler but I’m ruled by the time-handicap which gives him no chance of beating Master Archer which, hopefully, will be ridden positively to sort out the wheat from the chaff.

We’ve got our ‘favourite’ speciality in the form of a ‘ten grand’ six-runner ‘aged’ sprint handicap over five furlongs and reckon our recent winning selection, Red Stripes, could well supplement hard-fought Chelmsford gains, mount of champion all-weather jockey, Luke Morris.

Red Stripes ridden superbly by 7lbs apprentice, Gabriele Malune, last time out, carries 5lbs overweight this time; mine is not to wonder, just reveal my findings based on time analysis.

Probably the prize-money is a factor for trainer Lisa Williamson!

Last week Kieron Pollard put up a couple of emotional posts on his Instagram. According to West Indies’ chairman of selectors Courtney Browne, he was one of the four senior players that opted to skip the World Cup qualifiers in March for the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Unable to hold back his emotions, Pollard expressed his pain at not playing for West Indies and the reasons why on the social media.

Without naming Cricket West Indies (CWI), Pollard wondered how long he could stay in an “abusing relationship” and if there was any point subjecting himself to be “ridiculed” and have his name “tarnished”. In the following interview with ESPNcricinfo, he describes vividly why he has never put T20 leagues before country.

Where is your career with the West Indies? Do you even know?

My career with West Indies is something I can’t answer. I know I was selected for the T20 series in New Zealand recently, which I pulled out because of personal reasons, some stuff that I needed to attend. The last communication I had from the West Indies’ selectors was an e-mail sent on January 3, asking about my availability for the 2019 World Cup qualifiers. They gave us just four days to respond, knowing that we [already] had PSL contracts. And since then I have not had any communication with them. That is why that is a question I can’t answer. That is a question Cricket West Indies needs to answer.

Did you decline the offer to play for West Indies in the World Cup Qualifiers?

You can’t decline an offer if you weren’t selected. In the email, I was asked if I was available and if I am, then I need to play the Regional Super 50. I responded saying I would not be able to participate in the Super50. So that was the communication. There was not any discussion as they [CWI] have been claiming. They knew the qualifiers were clashing with the PSL. And they knew which guys were going to the PSL. So they did not even have the discussion with us.

In 2016, I was dropped from the ODI team. Since then I have had no idea when or how or if I would be picked. So you [the selectors] ask me now if I am available? You didn’t even say that I am selected. They did not say that you are selected and then we said no, we don’t want to. That never took place.

“They gave the contracts to whoever they chose to give. So there is no commitment to us. So what do we do? Sit and wait? No. That’s impossible. This is our livelihood. We cannot sit down behind a desk and retire at the age of 60”

You said you were given four days to respond. Who sent you that email?

The chairman of selectors [Browne] sent an email on January 3. I did not see it immediately. On January 7, he sent a WhatsApp, stating he needed a response to his email by the end of the day. I basically did not have much time to make my decision on my availability, knowing already that I had a PSL contract. You don’t sign a contract and then say you are available. A dialogue needs to take place and that did not happen.

What did you tell Browne in your response?

In my email, I said I had spoken to the T&T coach and told him about my pre-existing contractual agreements in Big Bash and the PSL, so I would not be able to participate in the Super50. I have an agreement with the Melbourne Renegades (Pollard’s Big Bash team) from January 22 to February 4 (Today) and then from February 22 till March 25 in the PSL.

Before the communication in early January, when was the last time you had an honest conversation with Browne or anyone at CWI about your position in the team?

The last official conversation happened sometime in July-September period when they were picking the squad for the one-off Twenty20 in England. They sent a message stating that we are not going to select you for the T20 because only Carlos Brathwaite was being added (to the squad), as he was the captain.

When I saw that message that I’m not selected I did not respond immediately. I took sometime before writing back a long letter stating that if T20 cricket is the only format I am playing for West Indies, and you are now saying we are not selecting you without giving me any reasons, that left me wondering, ‘where do I stand?’ The amnesty scheme had only just been put in place around that time. No one had spoken to me about it yet.

It leaves my future in jeopardy because that is all I play. So I asked the question, ‘where do I stand as opposed to what you are telling me?’. I said I have heard nothing personally from you on the amnesty. I have heard through the grapevine, through my fellow teammates that they have been contacted by the CWI concerning their ODI career. No one called me. Or you are telling me indirectly that I am free to ply my trade on the T20 circuit because I am not going to be considered for West Indies. That was the question I posed to him (Browne).

He tried to explain that guys were contacted. I said, ‘listen, let’s not play games, let’s be straight, let’s be men.’ As (Dwayne) Bravo said he spoke to Jason Holder (West Indies’ ODI captain). ‘There are couple of other guys the chairman would have personally spoken with. No one spoke to me. Where do I stand?’ He then said, ‘you’ll have to go back and play Super50 tournament. You will have to trust the selectors.’

In turn I asked him, ‘how come you have this amnesty where everyone who did not play (Super 50 in 2016-17) are available for selection in the ODI squad (for the England tour last year), guys who have not played for a couple of years, guys who were dropped earlier? What makes me different from those guys?’ That means I will have to wait another four-to-five months to go and play the Super 50, but still would not be available for selection since the team for the qualifiers was being picked before the Super 50.

I explained my situation. I explained how I got dropped. I explained the reasons that they gave to me on my batting which I had never heard before. He said, ‘you know you have said some good things.’ We sort of agreed on certain things, which I give him credit for listening to and understanding. He told me he was going to the selection panel on my availability in ODI cricket.

Four days later, he came back and said I would be going to England as part of the T20 squad and they were picking the T20 specialists. And he also said that I was available for selection for the ODI series in New Zealand. Eventually, I was not picked (for the ODIs). No reasons given. Where does that leave me? What signal does that send?

In November, the PSL draft took place and I got a contract with Multan Sultans. Not knowing where I stood on my future with West Indies I signed the PSL contract.

Would it have made a difference if you were selected for the qualifiers?

Of course that would have made a difference. That is something definite - you are selected. Then you have a decision to make. But me saying I’m available, it still doesn’t leave me with any sort of comfort that I am going to be selected.

But say the selectors had said you are picked. Would you have played the qualifers?

All right, then that is something we need to discuss. I would tell them then: ‘Yes, you select me, but I have this contract. What do you think? How we are going to work it out? What is your plan for me going forward?’ You can’t just pick when you want, drop when you want. This is a profession. You are working. People would sit there and say that you know you need to play for your country. But you cannot play with my future.

“If you don’t care about yourself you can’t expect anyone else to care about you. So I am at peace, but when you are backed in a corner I am not the type of a person to just wilt and fall”

You vented your frustration on your Instagram feed, expressing deep sadness at the situation. Why did you do that?

(I got) emotional. Because this has been continuously happening in West Indies cricket. I started playing in 2007 when the communication (with players) was not great. We are in 2018 and I think it has gotten worse.

You were 28 when you were not included in the 2015 World squad by the previous selection panel led by Clive Lloyd. You did not play any ODI cricket for West Indies between October 2014 and June 2016.

Were you worried your career was over considering the selection panel back then had stated youngsters were being groomed for the future?

I was worried. The selectors had already said they were going beyond Bravo and Pollard. They are building for 2019 World Cup, which is next year. Still, two years later I was included for the [2016] tri-series against Australia and South Africa, where I did well. A few months later, in October, we had a bad tour against Pakistan in the UAE. We got beaten 3-0 in the T20 series. We got [beaten] 3-0 in the ODI series, too. Phil Simmons had been fired as the coach on the eve of that tour. We were disastrous. Everyone was unsure about what was going on. All the shots were being called from the [CWI] headquarters [in Antigua]. I am not sure who was exactly calling the shots.

What is your relationship with CWI president Dave Cameron?

The last I spoke to him was just exchanging pleasantries during the T20 against India in Jamaica. No conversation, just cordial.

Talking to a Caribbean television network last week, Cameron stated that the CWI was very “disappointed” that some of the players had opted not to play in the qualifiers. He indicated some of those players might not play for West Indies again. Does that affect you since it is the CWI president saying this?

Of course it affects me. It affects you as a cricketer, it affects you as a human being. And it not only affects you, it will also affect a lot of cricketers coming forward that the president of the board is calling those sorts of shots. At the end of the day, there is a selection panel that picks and drops a player. There is a cricket director. There is a chief executive officer. Is the president a selector? Every time we have these sorts of issues a player’s career gets ended. If you oppose, or you challenge, you have to get out.

How can you come out and say that you had discussions with us players? How can the chairman of selectors say we have prioritised PSL? It seems to them that is the case, but because of the way they communicate, it is easy to tarnish the player’s name. Are they looking for a reason just in case things don’t go to plan [if West Indies fail to qualify for the World Cup]?

After the England series last year, West Indies coach Stuart Law said the destiny of players is in their hands, that if players are playing in the Super50 and go on to play in the T20 leagues, it is fine with the board. Both players and team would benefit. Is the situation as clear as that?

There’s no clarity and there’s no decision. Last year, we played Afghanistan at home. Some of us would have had a full discussion with the CWI CEO [Johnny Graves]. Some things were mentioned in terms of, ‘we can be flexible.’ That we could play four or five games of Super50, and then we could go play the T20 leagues, then come back. None of that came to fruition.

Also, as per the CWI policy, if any player leaves the Super 50, his team is not allowed seek any replacement. T&T already had [Sunil] Narine, who is currently playing for them in the Super50, but will leave later in the tournament for the PSL. So, say if I were to play the Super50, T&T would have lost two players without replacements. I talked about this during my chat with T&T coach.

How can that happen? That you can play for your regional team but [they] can’t get a replacement? On one hand, we are saying one thing, and on the other hand, there’s a policy in place [to not get replacements]. It does not make sense. It is not going hand in hand.

Who made that policy? Is that going to be helpful for West Indies cricket?
Since 2010, players have been advocating for an IPL window, knowing fully well that the board can’t pay the kind of money the IPL is paying. Financially, they cannot sustain [that kind of competition]. So allow the players to go and play the IPL, and then you have them for the next ten months of the year. That is what we have advocated since 2010, but again they [CWI] played hardball, while all the other nations were able to find a window for their players. Up to 2018, we are now finding a window. And now there are numerous leagues around the world. So now players have an opportunity to make a living. So it is even more difficult, whereas when we actually wanted that one window, they played hardball.

“Playing the leagues gives me the fire inside to continue to perform and continue to show what I can do on a cricket field despite what other people think about me”

Clearly you do still care for West Indies cricket and you want to play for West Indies?

In my heart, my priority at the start of my career, was always to play for West Indies. My priority was to play Test cricket. I can say I was basically robbed of that opportunity because I was told that I was a limited-overs cricketer. That was one thing I had to get up out of my sleep for. I continued playing ODI and T20 cricket, despite having all these leagues around the world.

Obviously my heart is still to play for West Indies. But with these sort of things happening, it is very, very difficult to say, ‘you know what, I’m just gonna sit and wait’. If there’s a clear plan of going forward we sit, we plan for the year, I am sure things can happen.

Recently the CWI offered three types of contracts If you had been offered the T20/ODI contract, do you think the situation might have been different?

Again, that is all up for discussion. We can sit and we can try to speak hypothetically, ‘if this’ and ‘if that’, but will it happen? We will never know. We spoke about white-ball contracts, not one senior guy was offered a contract to show some sort of commitment. Commitment goes both ways, it is like a marriage. So we cannot speak hypothetically about if, if and if. Let it happen.

In the 1930s, the United States went through what became known as the “Great Depression”.

Over 70 years later in 2009, the American economy went through another deep economic downturn now described as the “Great Recession.”

The Americans differentiate between the terms “recession” and “depression” in comparing the two periods which according to economists are two different technical terms.

In the 1980s, T&T experienced a deep economic decline the results of which led the country into the hands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

A sharp decline in energy prices at that time precipitated this course of action.

30 years later, T&T is in the grip of another devastating recession.

Is it an academic debate to raise the question about which economic period is “worse”? Is it a “Great Depression vs Great Recession debate?

Business and labour leaders who remember the 1980s recounted some of their experiences and compared it to the economic turmoil of the present times.

DECLINING COMPETITIVENESS

Wilfred Espinet, Chairman of Petrotrin, who served as President of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) in 1987, told Sunday Business one of the major differences between the 1980s and the present economic downturn is that T&T’s industries have become less competitive.

He said during the 1970s the manufacturing sector was much stronger than now.

“Manufacturers had incentives and these included the protection of the market where they banned some imported products. We had cars being assembled, television sets being assembled, and the manufacturing of a number of different things.”

He attributed the successes of that time to the closed economy of the 1970s and 1980s which is different from this era.

He also said manufacturing also did better during the 1980s despite the recession.

“When the currency was devalued the owners did not have to go buy plants at the higher price so it gave them an enormous amount of capacity available at lower prices because you had a lower TT dollar rate and they became more competitive. During this time the manufacturing sector grew dramatically from 1985 to 1989.”
He said by the early 1980s, there was the crash in oil prices which wreaked havoc on T&T’s unprepared economy.
“I hope people see the similarities and same patterns going on here with this period. In 1984 we had our first devaluation because we continued to spend money up until 1984 without taking a breath. We started to run out of foreign exchange.”

The major difference now is that T&T’s economy operates in a global environment.

“We cannot think of T&T in an exclusive way. If T&T is producing a product and its currency is too high to other currencies or the labour costs are too high, owners would not be able to sell the product they are making. We killed out manufacturing as part of globalisation in the 1990s, what we did is make people choose between manufacturing competitively or closing down and importing. A lot of manufacturing closed down.”

He spoke about different values for people who were around before 1976 compared to the low productivity of the contemporary era.

“Most of us worked hard. We took the train to Port-of-Spain and worked for a full day’s wage. We could not come to work late or get 50 days leave. We did not have all those things that created a substantial cost to doing business. The people working today were not around in 1976.”

SEVERE 80’S RECESSION

Dr Anthony Gonsalves, Honorary Senior Fellow, Institute of International Relations, University of the West Indies (UWI) told Sunday Business that “there is no comparison” between the 1980s recession and the present economic decline.

Gonsalves said he was active on the UWI Campus during the 1980s with other notable economists like Terrence Farrell and Ronald Ramkissoon in shaping debates on what course of action the country should take at that time.

“The recession was much worse then. At that time we had no foreign reserves, we were in huge debt and it is not like today where there is at least $7 billion in foreign reserves and the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF). The situation is fundamentally different compared to that time.”

He said at the time the country had to go to the IMF, T&T could not pay its debts and needed IMF cover to source financing to keep the economy afloat.

“Today, we haven’t reached there as yet. Yes, we are in a difficult situation and we have to look for solutions. We do not want to reach where we were in 1983.”

LABOUR VIEW

Gerry Kangalee, Education Officer, National Workers’ Union (NWU) told Sunday Business when comparing the recession of the 1980’s to the situation today, one must bear in mind that the former began in the early 1980s and dragged on for almost two decades.

He said the economic crisis today, has only just begun and from all indications seems set to continue for the foreseeable future, particularly as the much-touted economic diversification thrust is more word than deed.

“What is clear is that at this stage there is no evidence that the impact of the ongoing collapse is anything but catastrophic. There are similarities, between the two periods as well as significant differences. While the austerity measures (structural adjustment) are basically the same, designed to shift income away from the working people and into the pockets of the transnational corporations and the local merchant class posing as entrepreneurs, the social situation is vastly different.”

Kangalee said in the 1980s and today the mantra is “reduced local consumption, increased taxes, government subsidies to the private sector, decreased public spending on the provision of public goods, frontal assault on collective agreements’ provisions, increased utility rates, privatisation of state enterprises, reduction of the number of government employees; predatory bankers foreclosing on mortgaged homes, retrenchment of workers across the public and private sectors, lower wages and devaluation.”

He said: “The social situation today though, is much different. In the eighties there was organised resistance from the trade union movement. One just has to recall the tremendous strike struggles that swept the east west corridor: Lever Brothers, Metal Box, Sylvania, Printing and Packaging and the energy sector: Fedchem (five month strike and six month lockout), Petrotrin, East Coast Contractor workers, Dunlop and many more. This succeeded in delaying and mitigating the structural adjustment programme.”

He lamented that today, the trade union movement has lost much of its strength in numbers and in its credibility among working people and seems quite incapable of mounting the kind of organised campaign of resistance that is needed and many labour leaders are seen as pawns of the political parties.

STATISTICAL COMPARISON

Former Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran announced T&T had suffered its fourth quarter of negative growth and was now officially in a recession at the end of 2015.

In 2015, GDP declined by 0.6 per cent, whereas in 2016 the decline was -6.0 per cent and in 2017 it was -2.3 percent, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

In 1985, T&T’s GDP declined by -4.1 per cent, in 1986, it declined by -3.3 per cent, by -4.4 per cent in 1987, -3.9 per cent in 1988, in 1989 it declined by -0.82 percent and finally returned to growth in 1990 with a small 1.5 percent growth.

Unemployment, which stood at 7 percent in 1981, reached 17 percent by 1986.

According to the Central Statistical Office (CSO) the unemployment rate in 2017 was under 5 percent.

In December 1985, the government devalued its currency by 50 per cent to TT$3.60 per U.S. dollar.

In 2018, devaluation is still at the debate stage.

Then Prime Minister ANR Robinson said: “There was and is no realistic alternative to an accommodation with the Fund. And there is no escape from the pain of adjustment, whether this adjustment takes place with a Fund programme or without an IMF programme.”

The conditionalities were periodic reviews of the exchange rate, reduction of the budget deficit and reduction in imports and price controls.

In January 1987, the government suspended cost of living allowances (COLA) for workers in the public sector and in early 1988 the Government announced its intention to go to the IMF.

In early 1989, the government slashed public sector workers’ wages, cutting them by 10 per cent.

In 1989 and 1990, T&T was given two loans for its austerity measures.

While there have been cuts to subsidies under the present Keith Rowley administration, there has been no official IMF austerity programme—at least not as yet.

British playwright, novelist and short story writer, William Somerset Maugham once said, “There are few things so pleasant as a picnic eaten in perfect comfort.” And this is exactly the type of experience that Gabriel and Kerry- Ann Bryant aim to provide for their clients through Picnic-Perfect Ltd.

Based in Couva, the young couple are determined to turn their fledgling business into what they hope will become a main-stay on everyone’s lips in the not too distant future.

Accidentally discovering her entrepreneurial passion on the way to completing her engineering degree at the University of the West Indies, the 28-year-old mother of an 18-month old boy laughed loudly as she explained, “Based on what you tell us you want, we put it together and fashion it to suit the couple or family’s tastes.”

Describing Picnic-Perfect Ltd as a full-service company specialising in outdoor dining experiences, Bryant advised, “Our aim is to create an innovative, instant, hassle-free experience for our clients, and one which will surpass even their vision of the event.”

With their mission and values revolving around their clients, Bryant said their tagline is “Redeem Time & Recapture Fun.”

She said it centered around Picnic- Perfect Ltd taking on the hassle of logistics and aesthetics in order to allow the client and their loved ones to relax and focus on spending quality time with each other.

The 28-year-old engineer claimed, “Basically, we do micro-events.”

“Yes, it’s a picnic and many persons would think it is just a blanket and basket outdoors, but to us it needs to look elegant so we treat it as a mini event.”

Wanting to redefine the concept of what a picnic is, Bryant said they currently offered three different packages—romance, family and group.

The romance packages are extended to include proposals, dates and anniversaries; with family fun packages and special offerings for large groups wanting to just have fun and bond outside of the workplace.

Bryant said clients are free to just show up to the location where everything has already been set up, complete with games, food and drinks.

“We just want them to have fun and relax without the hassle of finding food, buying drinks and cleaning up.”

She added, “It can be simple and fun or as extravagant as you want it to be.”

Although they can cater for a maximum of 25 persons right now, Bryant said they were already making moves to grow the business as the demand for their services appeared to be growing incrementally.

Delving into how Picnic-Perfect Ltd was born, Bryant said, “We took our first family vacation just as our son turned five months.”

“During that time, everywhere we went, it was just literally a touch-down and we didn’t get to spend any time together as a family.”

“We were always just stopping for food and hustling to our destination before rushing off again so we barely got to see the place before having to leave again.”

She recalled, “We went to a beautiful park close to lunch-time but we had to leave to get food and the nearest place was a 30 to 40 minute drive, so needless to say we never returned there.”

Bryant added, “We needed to find a solution and it was this that made us realise we needed to find a solution where we could reach ma place, relax as a family unit and also have fun without worrying about anything in between.”

She said, “Quality time, family time and reconnecting with one another is what this is about.”

Confirming they have been receiving positive feedback thus far, Bryant said they have been told time and again that, “We don’t charge enough.”

She said part of ensuring a successful outcome was getting to know their clients likes and dislikes because, “This is not simply a picnic on Sunday, but it’s being specially planned for so and so, who have been married for however long or will be celebrating a birthday.”

Bryant said part of the process was asking clients to fill out a questionnaire - from which they glean information around which to fashion the picnic.

Still getting accustomed to juggling her many roles as a wife, mother and entrepreneur, Bryant said the secret to their success was learning when and how to lean on each other.

She said, “Over the last couple months as I completed my Masters in Production Management at UWI, he basically took up the entire night shift.”

“He maintained the house and held it together while I got to concentrate on my studies.”

Bryant continued, “In terms of picnics, our son usually comes with us and in that case, we usually bring along his uncle or godmother to keep him occupied while we set up.”

She said this enabled them to focus on setting up as per their clients wishes, but also allowed for quality time as a family as they are never further away than a 30-minute drive from the picnic location.

Bryant said they often stayed close in order to dismantle and collect their stuff following the event, which can start from $630.

Among the locations they have staged picnics at is the Botanical Gardens, Samaan Park, Chaguaramas; Palmiste Park; San Fernando Hills; Country Haven Farm, Guayaguayare; Lopinot; Las Cuevas Beach; Heritage Inn; and San Antonio Farms.

Armed with a burning desire to expand the business to offer tours where clients can experience a luxury experience at the particular location, Bryant said they also wanted to establish a regional presence.

The ultimate aim she claimed, “Was to get people to slow down and actually enjoy life.”

Including interactive games specially designed for clients as another way to get persons to put down their cellphones/IPads and actually talk and interface with each other, Bryant said it was about promoting conversation and dialogue.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Bryant said they were busy organising an event for five couples at a location in Santa Cruz.

Concluding that she and her husband were not immune to the pressures of home, work and business, Bryant said there were times when they had to consciously take a step back and re-focus their attention on themselves as a couple, which also helped to bring them closer to their quest to make life one big happy picnic.

Sometimes for businesses, acting together to dominate and influence a particular market is much easier, and more lucrative than working separately. The formation of a cartel usually hinges on this kind of thinking.

Formally defined, a cartel is an organization created from an agreement between a group of producers of a good or service to regulate supply in an effort to control or manipulate prices.

In other words, a cartel is a collection of otherwise independent businesses—or countries—that act together as if they were a single producer and thus are able to fix prices for the goods they produce and the services they render without competition.

Some cartels are formed to influence the price of legally traded goods and services, while others exist in illegal industries, such as drugs and ammunitions (Drug trafficking organizations, especially in South America, are often referred to as “drug cartels.”). Though having less command over an industry than a monopoly, cartels have a negative effect for consumers because their existence results in higher prices and restricted supply. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is the world’s largest cartel.

It is a grouping of 14 oil-producing countries whose mission is to coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its member countries and ensure the stabilization of oil markets.

Despite the fact that OPEC is considered by most to be a cartel, members of OPEC have maintained it is not a cartel at all but rather an international organisation with a legal, permanent and necessary mission.

In fact, OPEC’s activities are protected by United States foreign trade laws.

Identifying and breaking up cartels is an important part of the competition policy overseen by antitrust watchdogs in most countries, although proving the existence of a cartel is rarely easy, as firms are usually not so careless as to put agreements to collude on paper.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has made the detection and prosecution of cartels one of its priority policy objectives. In so doing, it has identified four major categories that define how cartels conduct themselves: price fixing, output restrictions, market allocation and bid rigging (the submission of collusive tenders).

The desire to form cartels is strong. As the famed economist Adam Smith puts it, “People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public or in some contrivance to raise prices.”

The current impasse between NGC and the Caribbean Nitrogen Company (CNC) ostensibly over its gas supply contract is one with far reaching implications for the people of Trinidad and Tobago. The level of interest in this issue can be judged from the plethora of articles, news reports and social media posts over the last two weeks. Two things have become very clear. First, is that there exists a high level of unawareness about the industry in general and the dispute. Secondly, a deliberate attempt is being made by private foreign interests and local operatives to rouse emotional and political reactions among the citizenry in support of their cause.

However, as someone who spent 24 years in the gas industry, I am particularly concerned with some of the utterances from CNC and its sympathisers. I believe I have a responsibility to the people of Trinidad and Tobago to shed some light on three issues: the termination of supply, the wider role of NGC in the gas value chain; the pricing model applied in the T&T market.

The CNC press release and subsequent media reports have perpetuated the narrative that NGC has cut off gas supply to CNC. This is a highly complex situation and I think that interest groups and opinion makers in T&T should be careful not fall in the trap being set by CNC and its shareholders. While the physical cutting off supply is fact, I think it is important to look at the circumstances within which this action was taken. The pertinent facts are that CNC and NGC had been in negotiations about a revised gas supply contract for over a year. When the existing gas contract expired in October 2017, it is my understanding that the parties signed an interim agreement which allowed NGC to continue to supply gas. However, it was also agreed that should negotiations break down, the gas supply will cease, and the parties will go to arbitration. If this is correct, then CNC is deliberately misleading the public and trying to whip up sympathy for its position by crying about the plight of workers and the reputational damage for T&T industry. In other words CNC is trying to ‘mess wid we head.’

An important element of this scenario, which seems to have escaped commentators is the exceptional position of EOG Resources. The now expired contract between NGC and CNC was a unique one. In the late 1990’s EOG Resources (then Enron) had gas reserves and delivery capacity more than their contracts with NGC. To accelerate its sales of already proven reserves EOG then took 20 % of the equity in CNC. It then entered into a back to back contractual engagement with NGC. Two agreements were executed, NGC and EOG for the supply of gas and NGC/CNC for the onward sales of that special trance of gas. Interestingly, EOG Resources was the first among current suppliers to complete a new supply contract with NGC at prices higher than what obtained in previous contracts. On this occasion, however, the EOG contract made no reference to CNC. Something must be amiss.

A second issue raised by CNC and others demonstrate a complete or deliberate misunderstanding of the wider role of NGC in the gas value chain. CNC argues in its first press release that “NGC’s benefit is far more than it claims from its high prices, certainly significantly above international pricing for a gas transport pipeline company.” CNC is being a bit disingenuous here. NGC cannot be compared with a gas transport pipeline company because it is much more than that. NGC is both a gas merchant /aggregator and a pipeline company selling a bundled service. NGC the gas merchant/aggregator purchases gas in bulk from producers, thereby benefiting from lower prices because of the large volumes. This enables the downstream industries better prices than they can negotiate themselves, but also and importantly, insulates them from the supply/ reservoir risks. There is tremendous value in that service which the classification of “gas transmission company” does not cover.

Perhaps the most confusion exists over the issue of the gas price. Attempts have been made to compare gas prices in T&T with prevailing prices in the US. In one statement it was mentioned that NGC is seeking prices above $4.00 per Mmbtu. This is viewed as uncompetitive against a US gas of less than $3.00 as it has been from over the last two years.

We should note several things: Gas prices in the US are very sensitive to weather conditions. For example, in the cold weather in January prices at in North East area jumped to over $10.00. More importantly, as gas merchant, NGC offers the downstream tremendous flexibility in terms of its product related pricing mechanism. By this mechanism the gas price varies up and down with the product price.

By this mechanism, which is not common place in the natural gas business, NGC shares some of the market risks with the petrochemical producers and reduces their most significant operating costs at a time when revenues are relatively lower. Contrary to the view that NGC uses its monopoly position for price gouging and profiteering, it is the big risk taken on product related pricing that has in the past generated significant surpluses in period of high prices. This has allowed the entire industry to grow and prosper. To my knowledge this is not available to the petrochemical industry in the US and it has been one of the key elements in our competitiveness as a location for petrochemicals over the last three decades. When CNC talks about prices more than $4.00/mmbtu, it is important to assess this statement relative to an ammonia price.

Ammonia prices are currently above US$ 400/ tonne and therefore is likely to attract a higher gas price. (More on the issue of the evolution of gas pricing in T&T can be found in the book—From Oil to Gas and Beyond—A review of the Trinidad and Tobago Model and Analysis of future challenges, edited by Trevor Boopsingh and Gregory McGuire.)

Nothing in the above discourse is meant to deny that there are significant challenges facing the current gas supply chain model. The shale gas revolution has dramatically increased US reserves and lowered long term gas price expectations in the US. In contrast new supplies made available to the NGC are expected to come from deeper waters and thus likely to be more expensive than previously. These forces have eroded T&Ts competitiveness in the global petrochemical business. NGC sits in the middle of the chain and must continue to find a delicate balance between the demands of the suppliers and the downstream consumers while trying to preserve the national interest. While it sells on a product related pricing basis to the industry, as far as I’m aware, this concept has not been fully accepted by suppliers upstream. This is a recipe for tensions around price, quantity and term of agreement. With several gas purchase/ sales contracts coming up for renewal over the next two years, this dilemma is far from finished.

Gregory McGuire
Energy Industry Expert

Virtuoso make-up artist Daniella Thompson is looking forward to creating unique and beautiful make-up looks when she returns to T&T for Carnival 2018. She will be fresh off her recent successes at Junkanoo Carnival in the Bahamas.

Thompson, who has been doing make-up professionally for the last five years, has been interested in make-up artistry since she can remember, and used to get into trouble for using her mother’s make-up. After graduating from Holy Faith Convent, Penal, she began doing her friends’ make-up, eventually building a home studio in Claxton Bay and giving classes in make-up application.

In addition to being trained by acclaimed make-up artist Dion Samuel, Thompson graduated with an Associate Degree in Hospitality Management from the T&T Hospitality and Tourism Institute in 2012 and in 2016 she obtained a degree in Tourism Management from UWI, St Augustine.

Thompson moved to Nassau, Bahamas, seven months ago after getting married. She was initially hesitant about the move but now feels it was a very good decision, especially business-wise. While there, she also opened her website, DHGcreations, with the assistance of her husband, who she credits with pushing her to make it bigger than her original idea.

Thompson was the make-up artist for 2 Saxion’s Junkanoo dancers for Bahamas Boxing 2017 and also one of the make-up artist for Bahamas Masqueraders in 2017 Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival. She has networked with international make-up artists at shows and workshops in New York City, and loves to keep up with the latest trends in the industry.

Thompson has been featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine for her special effects make-up and her use of the natural household materials, gelatin, glycerol and water, to create a very realistic melting face. Some of her special make-up looks have gone viral on Facebook and Instagram.

Thompson is proud that she has reached a stage in her make-up journey where many of her clients are repeat ones who also recommend her to others. She has also volunteered her services to a few school pageants and tea parties because she believes in the importance of giving back her services to the community. “I don’t do make-up just to make money but to make a meaningful contribution to a person’s life, create a memorable experience and to invigorate their natural beauty. I also love being a mentor to young ladies, especially those who suffer from low self-esteem, as I’ve had struggles in the past, and so I use every opportunity to give a word of encouragement to everyone I come in contact with.”

Thompson will be at the Hilton Hotel in the Humming Bird Room on both Carnival Monday and Tuesday from 12 midnight to midday, offering customised make-up designs, face & body art designs, eyelashes, rhinestone application and body bronzing.

Thompson's website is www. dhgcreations.com and she can also be found on Facebook and Instagram at DHGCreations.

There are many cancers affecting women in T&T.

Whilst we are aware of the importance of breast cancer and how it impacts women and their families, running closely behind it is cervical cancer. The statistics show that worldwide cervical cancer is ranked as the third most common cancer amongst women. With such a disease affecting the lives of so many, it is valuable to note that screening is available.

Cervical cancer screening has been implemented across the globe and its widespread use has been able to save many lives.

Screening entails being able to routinely test patients to detect the disease but does not prevent the disease from occurring. In cervical cancer screening, the well-known Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test allows a sample of cervical cells to be obtained and sent to the laboratory. This is a relatively inexpensive and readily available test at many clinics.

With the advent and utilisation of the Pap smear in many countries, it has greatly increased a doctor’s ability to detect the presence of precancerous or cancer cells. In this way, early detection can be achieved leading to a decline in the mortality rate.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG), the recommended age group for screening is between 21 to 65 years of age. There has been much research and studies into the ethology of precancer changes and cancer of the cervix.

It has been found that there is a strong association of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Worldwide, data shows that HPV has been detected in approximately 90 per cent of cervical cancers.

There are over 100 type of HPV however, not all are associated with malignant changes of the cervix. Some types are responsible for anogenital warts and some are oncogenic (cancer causing). Approximately 15 subtypes lead to cervical cancer and are detected in about 99 per cent of these cases. Of these, subtypes 18 and 31 are found in approximately 70 per cent of cases. As a result of this valuable information, it has led to the discovery and introduction of a vaccine for the most common oncogenic subtypes of HPV.

Speaking to your doctor about whether the vaccine is appropriate for you is important.

However, being vaccinated does not negate the importance of still being screened by your doctor, as the vaccine does not cover all the oncogenic subtypes.

Cervical cancer screening can save the lives of many by early detection of abnormal cell changes, thereby giving women the opportunity for appropriate treatment options before they turn into cervical cancer.

Once found early cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable cancers.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Women with early cervical cancers and pre-cancers usually have no symptoms. Symptoms often do not begin until the cancer becomes invasive and grows into nearby tissue. When this happens, the most common symptoms are:

•Abnormal vaginal bleeding, such as bleeding after vaginal sex, bleeding after menopause, bleeding and spotting between periods, and having (menstrual) periods that are longer or heavier than usual. Bleeding after douching or after a pelvic exam may also occur.

•An unusual discharge from the vagina−the discharge may contain some blood and may occur between your periods or after menopause.

•Pain during sex.

•These signs and symptoms can also be caused by conditions other than cervical cancer. For example, an infection can cause pain or bleeding. Still, if you have any of these symptoms, see a health care professional right away. Ignoring symptoms may allow the cancer to grow to a more advanced stage and lower your chance for effective treatment. Even better, don’t wait for symptoms to appear. Have regular screening tests for cervical cancer.

Being told by your veterinarian that your new puppy is blind or that your elderly dog is going blind can be devastating news. You wonder if you and your dog will be able to adjust and unfortunately many owners make wrong choices based on a lack of knowledge or worse, on misinformation. New adopters may attempt to re-home or even abandon the puppy, while long-time owners of a dog whose eyesight is deteriorating may euthanise the dog. Your dog deserves a chance to cope with his life in the dark and the opportunity to brighten your life.

If you have a new puppy who is blind, it’s your job to help the pup become familiar with the layout of your house. When you first bring him home, lead him through the house on a loose leash. Tension should only be applied if the dog is heading into danger. Use scent markers and mats with different textures to mark doorways or obstacles the dog can bump into. Make sure to block off access to stairs in your house or yard until the dog is accustomed to and comfortable using them.

If your dog is still having difficulty getting around; a “hoop and harness” can help to keep him from bumping into objects. The harness fits securely around the dog’s waist and the hoop goes around the front of his head. This works in much the same way the white cane a visually-impaired human uses: the cane will touch the object and warn the human of the presence of the obstacle while the hoop on the dog will come into contact with the obstacle first so that he can turn and avoid a collision.

Your elderly dog will already know the layout of your house so do not introduce or move furniture or other objects unless you plan to teach your dog the new layout of the home. Your dog will adjust to navigating around the house based on his memory as well as using his senses of smell, touch and hearing which all become elevated when he loses his sight. Your dog may have trouble locating his water bowl so you can try a dog bowl water fountain—your dog will be able to hear the water which will lead him to his bowl.

A blind dog is just as playful as a seeing dog and there are lots of games and toys that will help you to interact with your dog. Use toys that can be combined with food, such as The Buster Cube and Kong toy.

These can be stuffed with treats that are dispensed when your dog plays with them. Hiding treats and encouraging your dog to hunt for them will be a great outlet for his energy and will aid in satisfying his natural predatory drive. You can hide and use your voice to get your dog to come to you. This will help you both to bond and teaches your dog to come when you call.

Select toys that activate the hearing as well as the sense of smell of the dog. Non-toxic scented toys such as Jolly Critters dog toys are vanilla-scented making them easy for the dog to locate. Toys that make sounds such as those that squeak or the Talking Babble ball that makes funny noises when played with can entertain blind dogs.

When your dog is sleeping, do not step over the dog or try to move him because he may be startled awake and bite out of fear. Rouse your dog using your voice. If your dog is in the yard, always secure him if you need to open the gate. He may wander out into the road and get lost or will not be able to see your car coming into or leaving the garage. Be extremely cautious as you can accidentally run him over.

Most blind dogs are very sensitive to movement and they may be hesitant or defensive when meeting other people or greeting other dogs. Any dog—and especially blind or deaf dogs—should always be allowed to approach a person at his own will and be given the time needed to smell the air and pick up the scent of the person. The person should talk to the dog from a distance so the dog knows the person is there.

When introducing your blind dog to other pets, have your sighted pets on leashes so you can control them, and have your blind dog off-leash so he can run away if he is scared. Fitting bells to the collars of your other pets will help your blind dog to hear them so he cannot get snuck up on.

Blind dogs can live normal, happy lives. Most dogs adjust to blindness quickly and they can do almost all of the things that a seeing dog can do. You just need to have patience and teach your dog to get around. As the saying goes, love is blind.

Copyright © Kristel-Marie Ramnath 2017

The harrowing stories of Venezuelans being lured to Trinidad and Tobago to work in the sex trade carried in our Sunday edition represent just one of the many issues we face as that country’s situation deteriorates. Reports of a growing trade in guns and other illicit goods coming from Venezuela also show that our shores are porous and dangerously open to criminal activities.

President Nicolas Maduro’s regime seems to be moving full speed towards collapse, worrying every one of Venezuela’s neighbours, especially Colombia and Brazil, as they have already seen a significant increase in migration, legal and illegal. The Gulf of Paria offers T&T a helpful buffer, especially if the regime’s collapse is dramatic and uncontrolled. However, the ripple effects will no doubt reach our shores—as controllable waves or as a major tsunami.

Given the strategic plans involving shared gas fields, our Government has been at best coy about dealing with Venezuela’s risk. At times, appeasement feels like the best description to our Government’s stance.

Ironically, the longer our Government looks away from Maduro’s abuse of power and economic mismanagement, the more a robust contingency plan is needed to deal with a Venezuelan catastrophic collapse.

Mangled police service

The official residence of a permanent Police Commissioner (if we will ever have one) is a stone’s throw away of a collection of broken down, mangled and cannibalised police cars on display by entrance of TT Police Service’s St James barracks. Many of his subordinates around the country will have a similar view from their police station offices.

This is just another example of how mismanaged our law enforcement body has been over the years, with taxpayers’ resources wasted through lack of maintenance or no due care for public assets. All that with disregard for good governance, with poor control systems in place to track maintenance and repair contracts.

Apart from being a slap on the face of taxpayers, the state of the police fleet is a gift to the much better equipped criminal gangs.

Power to Ajay

Young Ajay Aberdeen’s choice to grow his own peppers and sell them in San Juan (whilst still attending school) instead of choosing the apparently easier route of drugs and gangs is truly inspirational.

We need to nurture the thousands of Ajays out there to reward them for their right choices and show others it can be done. Keep up with the good work and keep spreading the message, Ajay.

My New York readers recall how parts of our stories can vanish. How we need to stubbornly re-tell them. It’s the youthman at the end, who shifts the narrative, who’s disappeared again. Like panman Markus, my pardner Amilcar Sanatan fell out of my story about pardners the other day, one he was supposed to be the centre of. One that started listening to him jumping up in the national winetiefin debate, on Hema’s morning show and his blog.

He asked men defending winetiefin as culture to wine in women’s shoes—highlighting two powerful things in painfully shorty supply that we can build a nation around.

Playfulness and empathy.

They almost disappear altogether when we engage across ethnicity, gender or sexuality. Remember the squeaky, foul-mouthed Cocorite 14-year-old’s video casually imagining violence against her Prime Minister, punctuated by race and pudenda; the Rio Claro 24-year-old’s post wishing the rape and halal slaughter of his PM’s wife and daughters. These aren’t exceptions. Buggery litigant Jason Jones can tell you how casual online death threats are.

At an internet governance forum panel on social media activism that he missed his flight and was unable to sit on, Attillah Springer and SueAnn Baratt shared how off-the-cuff invocations of their grandmothers’ murders are and how, though seemingly random, they actually target those who defy gender, class and race prescriptions.

It’s my experience, too—how the audacity of my bright black ness drives others tizzic. Yes, it surprises me how it is more often race than sexuality that elicits fury at me stepping “out of place.”

The moral of the lost end of my story was about righteousness. That my pardners in men’s and women’s movements—those in Single Fathers Association and UWI’s Gender Studies Institute I’d predicted playfully for 2015 would collaborate—aren’t actually likely to, because we all need to be right.

Now here we are again this month, down another dramatically gendered rabbit-hole of a debate, about Miss’ hem.

At a Parliamentary oversight hearing on school violence and bullying, Clarence Mendoza, newly-elected to the National Parent-Teacher Association executive, felt it appropriate to graphically raise teachers’ blouse-and-skirt. Female teachers’ clothing choices are making them “inappropriately touched” by boys “in a lot of schools.”

1…2…3…Womantra. “Victim-blaming.” Dresscodes in the tropics. Editorials.

Of course, here’s another school community official hopelessly believing moral decorum—women’s “particularly”—is at the centre of school violence. Even NPTA president Raffiena Ali-Boodoosingh quickly walked things back, telling media boys need to be socialised to respect women.

The whole affair, though—like the West Port-of-Spain traffic plan and last month’s wining consent nine-days-wonder—shows how hard it is to solve problems unless we practise empathy, embrace the complexity of the debate and not just our own interests.

On the one hand, skirt lengths are way down on the list of school system priorities. On the other, lost beneath Mendoza’s sexist moralising is another lesson on how schools are failing boys. Failing to teach them hems and necklines aren’t licence to touch. Failing to pay attention to how their hormones affect their learning needs.

How teachers dress matters. My male fourth-form teacher would unbutton his hairy chest all the way down, during class. I showed up at his house at 2 am, madly in love, and wanting to kill myself. I failed his subject.

What boys and girls both need are smaller, less streamed schools, with relevant curriculum, evidence-based methods, robust life-skills and counselling supports and valued, accountable professionals.

Who dress modestly: teachers’ dress is simply a matter of putting students first in a profession I believe is increasingly less accountable, and less valued. Most T&T dress codes are flagrantly colonial. Some are about professional accountability.

There are some ways of wielding power that should end a political dynasty, for they are so cynical, manipulative and unethical that collective disgust should rise up with toppling momentum. The injustice experienced by 22-year-old Yugge Farrell in St Vincent and the Grenadines is a blatant example of such advantageousness in our midst, and we should not let it occur without consequences.

Yugge was charged for using abusive language to Karen Duncan-Gonsalves, wife of Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves, daughter-in-law of Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, and Senior Crown Counsel in the Attorney General’s office. After Yugge pleaded not guilty, the prosecutor requested that she be sent to a psychiatric facility for evaluation. The magistrate agreed—without any evidence of mental health issues presented—to justify court-ordered evaluation and confinement. Indeed, if Yugge’s mental health were an issue, the charge and court process should not have proceeded as it did in the first place.

Yugge spent three weeks in a mental health centre. According to newspapers reports, she was administered a cocktail of medication outside of the court order and against her will, without proper or independent evaluation, without trained psychiatrists on staff, and despite the fact that the Mental Health Act only speaks to observation and evaluation and not to involuntary admission and treatment.

The St Vincent and Grenadines Human Rights Association, a petition hosted online by Code Red for Gender Justice and continuing to be signed by hundreds across the region, and a collective statement created by Womantra in Trinidad and Tobago, all point to misuse of political power, questionable judicial process and integrity, and human rights violation in this situation.

The petition asks whether commitment to a mental institution for use of insulting language is a regular occurrence or, instead, irresponsible and heavy-handed state force. Yugge has publicly claimed she was in a romantic relationship with Minister Gonsalves up to 2016, but as the petition points out, “state entities can easily use the excuse of mental instability to vilify, discredit and institutionalise any critic or person(s) deemed a threat or embarrassment to the established political order”.

Regional calls are therefore for a formal investigation into the decision to detain and medicate Yugge Farrell, an immediate review of the Mental Health Act in St Vincent and the Grenadines, the dropping of all charges, and public resistance to such state persecution to silence truth.

Shockingly, Prime Minister and Minister of Legal Affairs Ralph Gonsalves, despite his clear conflict of interest in protecting his political heir, has been brazenly commenting on the case in media. On January 24, SVG’s iWitness News described him as arguing that “a magistrate can decide to commit someone to the psychiatric hospital based on information that the prosecutor gives the magistrate outside of the court proceedings and which is not disclosed to either the defendant or to their lawyer”.

Ralph Gonsalves is no neutral bystander here. What we are seeing in St Vincent and the Grenadines is another cover-up strategy to hide impropriety by powerful men in government.

As Leave out Violence in SVG (LOVNSVG), a group which focuses on gender-based violence and violence against women has put it, “Yugge’s story highlights the subjection of the poor and those on the margins to the whims and fancies of the political elite and ruling class”.

If the region had not been horrified and acted in solidarity, Yugge’s experience and confinement may have passed with impunity. Now that Yugge has been released on bail, her defence, protection and wellness are priorities. Additionally, as Womantra put it, we are “closely watching the further conduct of this case and stand ready to speak out against the slightest hint of malfeasance by any agent of the state”.

Find and sign the petition on the Code Red for Gender Justice webpage. Support the fundraising campaign for Yugge at: https://www.gofundme.com/justiceforyugge.

I went to the blood bank Friday morning to donate blood for a very sick friend. I have given blood many times in the past. I was told I could not give blood because when a drop of my blood was placed into an open container with a blue solution, it floated. The woman (there was no indication that she was a nurse or a medical professional) told me my iron was too low and the drop of blood was supposed to sink.

As I had already put aside the time to give blood and had some extra time, I went straight to a private medical laboratory and paid $200 to do a blood iron test and a complete blood count (CBC). I did not eat or drink anything after leaving the blood bank.

My iron reading was 120 UG/DL which was well within the normal range of 37-170 UG/DL. All the readings in my CBC were within the normal range.

Strangely enough two other women I met at the blood bank that day were told their iron was too low also and one, a doctor herself, was told her blood pressure was too high. This doctor takes her own pressure every day and it is normal. They were not allowed to give blood.

Another woman who passed the iron test and the blood pressure test was told she was too skinny as she weighs 49 kilograms and should weigh 50 kg and so she could not give blood either. She is a perfectly proportioned person.

That was four pints of blood that the blood bank very casually and wrongfully denied us from donating to our very sick friend.

Something is very wrong at the blood bank. It is outdated and it’s equipment is faulty and primitive, even for the most basic of tests. Peoples’ lives are at stake and we are left helpless when we are trying to help.

If the blood bank was more user-friendly and modern maybe more people, including myself, would give blood every four months to build up reserves for others and not only once in a while when we are donating for a sick person.

BERNADETTE THAVENOT

The government of T&T, nearly 40 years ago, decided to commercialise the natural gas that was being flared as a waste product by the oil companies operating in the country. They took he decision to build a steel plant, ISCOTT, at Point Lisas and then a petrochemical complex—ammonia, methanol, urea. Originally all of these were mainly owned by the government and operated by locals. The marketing of the products was outsourced.

Pt Lisas was a risky venture which required the upstream oil companies to invest in the collection and processing of this waste product, natural gas. The downstream plants were new ventures and their entry into the global market was high risk. Hence an entity, NGC (National Gas Company), was created to buy the gas on long term contracts from the oil companies, ensuring that there was an assured market for the oil companies’ gas. Further the NGC resold gas to the Pt Lisas downstream plants. The upstream oil companies were, thus, relieved of the risk of the new venture.

The downturn in the economy in the late 1980’s-1990’s coupled with the poor start of ISCOTT forced the sale of the plants of the Pt Lisas initiative, encouraged by the IMF, to foreign investors. NGC continued to buy gas from the upstream oil companies and resell on contract to the downstream plants now under new owners. The petrochemical industry at Pt Lisas flourished and soon became world class exporters of methanol, ammonia and urea. ISPAT, the purchaser of the steel plant, ISCOTT, also made that plant profitable (now closed because of the current world market).

Still, NGC bore the buffer risk between the oil companies and the Pt Lisas plants even though the industry had made its mark in the world. Besides assuming this buffer risk NGC added no value to the value chain though it did build/own the pipeline system that distributed the gas.

Then we progressed to LNG (liquefied Natural Gas) and some of the investors in these LNG plants were also upstream sellers of natural gas. Eventually they (the up-streamers) got permission to sell gas directly to the LNG plants as opposed to via the NGC. The maturing of the T&T natural gas industry, which by now had overtaken the oil industry in revenue earned, reduced both market risks (supply of gas and global marketing of products) and T&T became a world class player in natural gas and petrochemicals.

The question then is: Has NGC outlived its usefulness, its purpose, as a gas purchaser and on-seller? Should the gas producers and those that use the gas be disallowed from forming product delivery contracts among themselves as the LNG industry was doing, instead of NGC acting as a middle man that added no value? NGC could of course continue as a gas transport company and even investor in the industry.

This would mean that T&T would have to forgo the middleman fee that NGC earned, but this could be made up more efficiently and effectively by aggressive taxation and royalties. (We have been told recently that there was no royalties charged on gas extraction!) However, the new gas plan as advised by the consultant, Poten and Partners, recommends instead that the delivery of gas to these plants also be via NGC so resulting in more revenue for the NCG, for the government.

The ownership of the upstream production facilities have investments also in and across the downstream plants, while others, eg the marketing companies, have also invested across the plants. Hence, there is a view that if the NGC were not in place to manage the pricing of gas across these players we run the risk of transfer pricing to the detriment of the income remaining in the country. But such a phenomenon occurs in other parts of the world which have seen the emergence in say, the OECD, of Transfer Pricing Guidelines for Multi National Enterprises and Tax Administrations. This can be utilised locally since such rules allow the tax authorities to adjust prices for cross-border and cross company transactions and so adjust taxable income.

But there have been innovative methods for these intercompany gas transactions. For example, gas was sold at prices that varied on the price of the final product in the global market with a floor price below which the price would not fall. Also in the LNG industry that NGC does not sell to, though the government has shareholding, profit is based on net back pricing where the cost of producing the product and marketing it is deducted for income and this shared among shareholders.

Care has to be taken though as to where the product is sold and where it ends up. However, NGC is faced with a further burden given that T&T is not producing enough gas to supply the down streamers and it therefore falls to NGC (the government) to go looking for new gas (Venezuela, deep water). This then brings into context the situation in the US that is a major market for petrochemicals, while the US itself is becoming a large producer and exporter of natural gas. We have already seen a plant in Chile being closed and taken to the US where the gas is available and the market is over the fence.

In summary, NGC now adds nothing to the value chain yet it still takes the responsibility to provide the gas required by the downstream industry on contract in a mature industry, a situation in which NGC has found itself in breach of contract given the drop in production of gas by the upstream industry. Indeed two of the downstream companies, Pt Lisas Nitrogen company (US$129 million claim) and Methanol Holdings (US$385 million claim), have claims against NGC for gas curtailment. Like the local LNG industry the two relevant players, gas suppliers and users, should be left to negotiate gas supply among themselves—the opposite to what Poten and Partners are recommending—while the government ensures that it gets its just due via taxes, royalties and an adequately controlled regime of transfer pricing.

Mary K King

RAGOONATH: NOBLE age 74, retired Public Health Inspector III, died on Thursday 1 February 2018. Son of the late John and Dorothy Ragoonath. Husband of Vera Ragoonath. Father of Anil Ragoonath and Ria Henning. Brother of Clive, David, Dulcie and Ganish (deceased). Grandfather of Lauren (USA), Ajay, Avesh and Shashti. Uncle of many. Father in law of Jeffrey Henning and Debbie Bachu. Brother in law of Ena, Zena, Pearl, Gemma, Dave, Renzi, Necia, Jerome, Ashmir, Esther, Dianna, Shalay, Callis (deceased), Trevor, Selwyn and Nip. Funeral service for the late Noble Ragoonath takes place at 10:00 am at the San Juan Presbyterian Church, First Street, San Juan followed by cremation at 12:30 at The Cinerary, Long Circular Road, St. James. Enquiries, Lee’s Funeral Directors, 663-1010.

Jackfinbar has good prospects of supplementing course and distance gains in a nine-runner 3-y-o Novice Stakes over a mile and a quarter of Wolverhampton tapeta tonight, when punters will be confronted with a difficult seven-race ‘twilight’ programme.

Last time Harry Dunlop’s charge, 20/1 chance, was hampered ‘early doors’ and knocked back to last; amazingly the Whipper colt soon recovered and stormed through to grab the spoils for a neck victory under Hector Crouch, whose exploits as an apprentice have been tremendous during the past three years.

His boss, Gary Moore, is rightly proud.

On this occasion Jackfinbar will have his third outing under allweather champion jockey, Luke Morris.

There are one or two quietly- fancied, lightly-raced, types from ‘fashionable’ yards, which are bound to be well-backed and indeed ‘on the premises’, but 80- rated Jackfinbar will be on ‘next time’ lists of serious backers and rates a solid each-way bet with three places.

Morris is also booked for Nampara, one of eight declared for a 3-y-o handicap over five furlongs but a flop ten days ago when running wide entering the righthanded Kempton straight; that ruined all chances.

Going left-handed should suit Nampara better, certainly his time-handicap mark in the previous race over this course and distance, beaten less than two lengths, bears close inspection and Paul d’Arcy must have good reason to book ‘the champ!’

Last weekend we watched Faugheen make another ‘comeback’ in the Irish Champion Hurdle, Willie Mullins’ charge made the running but was collared close home, it was a valiant effort given ground conditions continue to be desperate.

Considering the extremely cold weather surfaces have no chance whatsoever of recovering until we get a prolonged spell of sunshine and warmth, 10-year-old Faugheen put in a fine effort, few were sympathetic to his problem( s) but I’ll be interested to see which race Willie Mullins enters ‘the machine’ for at Cheltenham next month.

Prestbury Park will be in prime condition, could be fast, ideal for Faugheen, winner of the Champion Hurdle two years ago!

The West Indies Under-19 team lead by Emmanuel Stewart had a very disappointing campaign to say the least. Being the defending champions, the fact that they failed to finish in the top-eight wouldn’t have pleased the Caribbean outfit and their supporters. The title defence ended just two games into their campaign as New Zealand and South Africa beat them in convincing fashion. Their quest to salvage something by winning the plate division ended up in smoke with Sri Lanka pipping them to the title in a thriller which saw them came into the tournament as defending champion but faded away to finish tenth.

The sole bright spot was the presence of Alick Athanaze and Keagan Simmons among the top five run-getters of the tournament.

We cannot forget the controversy

In addition, West Indies have once again ignited the spirit-of-cricket debate, when they appealed against South Africa opener Jiveshan Pillay for obstructing the field in their Group A fixture in Mount Maunganui.

Stewart, the West Indies captain and wicketkeeper, made the appeal after Pillay picked up the ball close to off stump, even though it was stationary after rolling off an inside edge. The third umpire Ranmore Martinesz was called in and the decision went in West Indies’ favour after a long wait and a number of replays. The incident occurred in the 17th over of South Africa’s innings, when they were 77 for 2.

Once the decision was referred to the TV umpire, it was going to be difficult to give the batsman not out unless Stewart and West Indies withdrew the appeal. Law 37.4, which deals with ‘returning the ball to a fielder’, states: “Either batsman is out obstructing the field if, at any time while the ball is in play and, without the consent of a fielder, he/she uses the bat or any part of his/her person to return the ball to any fielder.”

South Africa Under-19 coach Laurence Mahatlane was measured in his reaction during the innings break. “Our take is very simple: we play to the laws of the game and it’s part of the laws,” he said. “It’s happened and hopefully we’ll learn for a long time from it.”

West Indies captain Emmanuel Stewart appeals International Cricket Council

West Indies’ actions in this game are likely to be debated widely, as they were at the 2016 World Cup when their bowler Keemo Paul effected a mankad to dismiss Zimbabwe’s last wicket - Richard Ngarava - to win a must-win group game. They eventually went on to win the tournament. West Indies were in a must-win position against South Africa in this game too, having lost their tournament opener against New Zealand.

In 2016, former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop had defended the U-19 side against criticism for the mankad, but he was less supportive of this obstructing-the-field dismissal.

“This is an unfortunate issue,” Bishop, one of the commentators at the game, told Fox Sports. “The batsman isn’t trying to gain an advantage. He is not trying to being unfair. The umpires have done what they need to do. The ball has stopped. It’s not threatening the stumps. I don’t really necessarily feel as if that’s a good law. It could take a re-look. The batsman is not trying to gain an unfair advantage.”

India was the best team

By some distance, India was the best team in the World Cup. Be it in batting, bowling or intensity on the field, India proved to be far superior to any other team in the competition. Several stars shined through the course of the tournament, led by Shubhman Gill (372 runs), who notched up three fifties and a century. The pacers—Shubham Mavi (9 wickets at 18.88), Ishan Porel (6 wickets at 13.66) and Kamlesh Nagarkotti (9 wickets at 16.33) have given enough proof that India’s future in pace looks good. This world cup win was a show of thorough dominance.

Australia worthy title contenders

If not for India, Australia had quite a dominant run in the World Cup, blazing past the other teams. However, against the eventual champions, was were comprehensively beaten twice—once in the group campaign and in the finals. A clear second-best. What will remain their biggest takeaway from the tournament will be the come-from-behind victory against England, set-up by Lloyd Pope’s 8-fer. It will forever in their careers remain an inspiration to never give up.

Pakistan—Clinical when good, abysmal when not. Not sure how well it augurs for their future but their performances were signature Pakistan.

Afghanistan—A team that beat Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand to cause a bit of a stir and made their presence felt.

South Africa—Traditionally, one of the stronger sides at the Under-19 level, South Africa was as rusty in parts as it was while in good times. Two back-to-back defeats against New Zealand and Pakistan derailed their campaign.

Bangladesh—It wasn’t exactly an extraordinary tournament for Bangladesh, but it was as good as the team would’ve expected. Bangladesh decimated the easier oppositions and struggle against the stronger ones.

England—At 47 for no loss, chasing 128 against Australia in the quarter-finals, England’s story was different. The team had won everything until that point and looked well set to go further. But their campaign only went downwards thereafter.

New Zealand—has never been a strong side in age-group cricket but being hosts a better show was expected.

Sri Lanka—began its campaign in style with an easy win over Ireland but the victory was followed by losses to Afghanistan and Pakistan. As a result, the team was denied a top-eight spot finish.

Zimbabwe—For a change, Zimbabwe was on the right end of a 10-wicket result when their campaign began against Papua New Guinea, but things changed quickly with loses India and Australia. Their bowlers delivered in the Plate division play-offs.

Canada—Canada will be pleased with the fact that the team managed to pick up two wins out of the six games it played in the tournament.

Ireland—The tournament was a mixed bag for Ireland after losses to Sri Lanka and Pakistan in resounding fashion to begin its campaign but ended up with a memorable win over eventual semifinalists Afghanistan.

Namibia—A campaign filled with four losses to begin with, finally brought some cheer when the Namibian skipper took matters into his own hands with a sparkling 76-ball 114 against Kenya that delivered their first win.

Kenya—The fact that Kenya failed to beat the likes of South Africa, New Zealand and Windies came on expected lines but it is the manner of defeat in each of those contests that would hurt them the most.

Papua New Guinea—Not surprisingly, Papua New Guinea finished at the bottom and ended up being the only side to not win a single game in the competition.

(Source—Cricbuzz)