T&T’s Jereem “The Dream” Richards crossed the finishline in fifth place in a competitive men’s 200 metres event at the Herculis EBS Meeting in Monte Carlo, Monaco, yesterday. This was at the 10th stop of the IAAF Diamond League Track and Field Meet.

The Commonwealth 200m champion, running out of lane three was in contention early on in the dash but faded to go across the line in a time of 20.16 seconds in a race dominated by world leader American Noah Lyles.

The 21-year-old American bettered his previous world-leading time of 19.69 he achieved some two weeks ago in Lausanne, Switzerland, clocking 19.65, also setting a new meet record and personal best (PB).

Following him to the line in second place was World champion Ramil Guliyev of Turkey in a time of 19.99 and in third was Alex Quinonez of Ecuador in 20.03. Panama’s Alonso Edwards was also ahead of the T&T athlete in 20.15.

The others finishers were Commonwealth silver medallist Aaron Brown of Canada in sixth in 20.17, South African Luxolo Adams was seventh in 20.65 and eighth was American Ameer Webb (20.77).

The Monaco meet had a number of exciting finishes including an incredible run by Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who become the world leader while simultaneously beating the Diamond League record, meeting record, national record and her PB with 48.97. Salwa Eid Naser (Bahrain) was second also beating her personal best with 49.08 and USA’s Shakima Wimbley (50.85) was third.

The women’s 100m was won by Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou, who was the only sprinter under 11s, winning at 10.89, followed by another Ivorian Murielle Ahoure (11.01) and Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson (11.02).

Walter Debysingh can land today’s feature event with his one-race filly Nuclear Power. The Shivam Maharaj owned daughter of Mission Impazable won impressively on debut when racing over 1,750 metres. That day she defeated Hurricane Harry and though going up in class, she has improved in the interim and will take all the beating in the Modified Benchmark Handicap for three-year-olds and over horses weighted 80-60 over 1,300 metres on the main track at Santa Rosa Park in Arima.

The United States-bred filly will be expected to remain unbeaten after this event for jockey Jorge Brancho.

O’Brien sends out the talented top-weight Desert Dancer which will be partnered by Dillon Khelawan with 57.0 kilos. Desert Dancer has been campaigning with better and top weight may not stop him from entering the winner’s enclosure, if my selection fails to fire.

Glenn Mendez whose stable is in tremendous form has a two-pronged attack in the event with Valorous and Golden Choice.

The Merlin Samlalsingh-owned Valorous will be ridden by Ricky Jadoo in the $41,225-purse event. Today, Valorous could go close once again over a distance shorter than which he raced last time out. He only weakened in the final 100m last time out and this shorter trip can play to his strength.

The consistent Golden Choice is expected to run another good race.

John Leotaud has Rocket Wheels entered and this filly is expected to go close with Kerron Khelawan in the saddle. This is her optimum trip and she could prove troublesome.

Post time is 1.05 pm.

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Newly recalled West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell and swashbuckling opening batsman Chris Gayle both had little impact as Bangladesh trounced a Vice Chancellor’s XI by four wickets at Sabina Park on Thursday.

Having won the toss and chosen to bat, the Vice Chancellor’s XI could only muster 227 for nine off their 50 overs. In reply, Bangladesh eased to 230-6 in 43.3 overs.

Bangladesh’s efforts were led by Litton Das (70) and former captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who smashed an unbeaten 75 as they romped to victory with 39 balls to spend.

Known for his usual aggressiveness, Gayle made 29 from 44 balls while Russell scored just 11 as the Vice Chancellor’s XI crumbled to 89 for six at one point.

A fightback was led by Kavem Hodge, who made 44 and Yannik Ottley, who scored 58, during a 91-run seventh wicket stand, after Musaddek Saikat had ripped through the Vice Chancellor’s XI top order.

Andre Russell was unimpressive playing for the Chancellor’s XI. Saikat finished with the impressive figures of four for 14 from 10 overs and Rubel Hossain snagged 3-40 from his nine overs.

In their turn at the crease, Bangladesh lost an early wicket, that of Anamul Haque Bijoy, lbw to Russell for nought.

Das and Nazmul Shanto then enjoyed a 90-run partnership, before Das was forced to retire hurt on 43 after getting hit on the hand by Powell.

However, with the score on 156 for five, Das resumed his innings and together with Rahim steered Bangladesh to relative safety through a 52-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

Rovman Powell was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 2-32 from his seven overs, while Russell took one wicket for 22 runs in his five overs.

Bangladesh will now turn their attention to the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against West Indies starting in Guyana on Sunday. (CMC)

T&T’s two Boy’s teams (Team 1 and 2) and the country’s number#2 Girls team have earned the right to contest the final of the ITF/COTECC 12 &Under Development Tournament scheduled for August 20 in Mexico, by virtue of winning the boy’s competition and finishing second in the girl’s play.

On the final day of the Sub Region 4 playoff yesterday at the National Racquet Centre (NRC) in Tacarigua the country’s boys teams of Team 1: Nathan Martin, Beckham Sylvester and Jace Quashie, and Team 2- Luca Denoon, Jaylon Chapman and Daniel Jeary claimed the top two positions respectively, while the country’s girls team of Jordane Dookie, Cameron Wong and Zara Ghuran settled for the second behind the eventual winners Curacao.

On a day of finals, T&T boys 1 produced a flawless 3-0 victory over their compatriots in team 2, with Sylvester whipping Denoon 7-5, 7-5 and Quashie dismissing Chapman 6-0, 6-1 in straight sets. However, the pair of Martin and Quashie were made to work hard for their doubles victory despite claiming the first set 6-3. Instead of a sweep, the pair of Chapman and Jeary stormed back to level the game at one apiece with a 6-4 win.

But the T&T top team showed why they are unbeaten in the tournament by clinching the final set 10-8 for the title and to advance to the finals.

Earlier Curacao boys also pulled off a 3-0 win over Antigua &Barbuda on court 7 for their overall third place finish. Both Cody Ritter and Kyan Henriquez set up the win with respective victories over Justyn Raeburn 6-1, 6-1 and Jaydon Marcano 6-3, 6-0, before the pair of Henriquez and Zahyd Josepia then returned to the court to beat Marcano and Xaveek Toppin in the doubles 7-5, 1-6, 10-8.

T&T’s first girl’s team also thrashed Curacao 3-0, after Ghuran held off Angelina Maduro 6-3, 6-1: Wong defeated Sarah Nita 6-3, 7-5 and the team of Dookie and Wong outplayed Maduro and Nita in the doubles.

Results

GIRLS - Position 3 - 4
Court 2 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 2 vs. ANTIGUA & BARBUDA 0 - 3
No.2 Singles Inara Chin Lee Ariel Kelsick 1-6, 3-6
No.1 Singles Jaeda-Lee Daniel-Joseph Brasha Dyer 4-6, 1-6
Doubles Jaeda-Lee Daniel-Joseph Brasha Dyer 1-6, 2-6
Kiera Youssef Ariel Kelsick
Position 1 - 2
Court 5 CURACAO vs. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 1 3 - 0
No.2 Singles Angelina Maduro Zara Ghuran 6-3, 6-1
No.1 Singles Sarah Nita Cameron Wong 6-3, 7-5
Doubles Angelina Maduro Jordane Dookie 6-1, 6-4
Sarah Nita Cameron Wong
Position 5 - 7
Court 7 BARBADOS vs. GUYANA 1 - 2
No.2 Singles Zahria Trotman-Gibson Menikshi Jaikissoon 0-6, 1-6
No.1 Singles Shonte Sargeant Reshida Hardy 7-6(4), 6-4
Doubles Faith Moore Reshida Hardy 1-6, 2-6
Shonte Sargeant Menikshi Jaikissoon
BOYS - Positions 3 - 4
Court 1 CURACAO vs. ANTIGUA & BARBUDA 3 - 0
No.2 Singles Cody Ritter Justyn Raeburn 6-1, 6-1
No.1 Singles Kyan Henriquez Jaydon Marcano 6-3, 6-0
Doubles Kyan Henriquez Jaydon Marcano 7-5, 1-6, [10 - 8]
Zahyd Josephia Xaveek Toppin
Positions 5 - 7
Court 3 GUYANA vs. GRENADA 1 - 2
No.2 Singles Jadeon Vieira Rayvon Alexander 0-6, 1-6
No.1 Singles Hayden Mentore Khayden McQueen 7-5, 6-2
Doubles Hayden Mentore Ruel Hypolite 3-6, 3-6
Jadeon Vieira Khayden McQueen
Position 1 - 2
Court 6 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 1 vs. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 2 3 - 0
No.2 Singles Beckham Sylvester Luca Denoon 7-5, 7-5
No.1 Singles Jace Quashie Jaylon Chapman 6-0, 6-1
Doubles Nathan Martin Jaylon Chapman 6-3, 4-6, [10 - 8]
Jace Quashie Daniel Jear

WALTER ALIBEY
 

Trash for cash.
This is the incentive for Massy Stores’ customers and other citizens from the general public who bring in used bottles and other disposable items to be used for recycling purposes.

This initiative was the brain child of businessman Joseph Rahael, director, Kansmacker Recycling, who spoke to Business & Money on Tuesday at Massy Stores, Westmoorings.

Kansmacker is based in Michigan in the United States and has been in existence for almost 40 years but the local joint venture with Rahael in T&T is almost three years old.

Last week, Kansmacker set up a recycling machine at three Massy Stores in Trinidad, Alyce Glencoe, Westmoorings and Maraval.

“It is called a reverse vending machine and it is a tool where the end goal is to eradicate plastic bottles and aluminium cans from the trash cycle in T&T. I know that might sound like a bold claim but that is the intent. It can be successful because it is meant to be a self sustaining system where we are incentivising citizens of T&T to dispose of their trash. We want to bring a recycling solution to all of T&T,” he said.

He said trash in T&T is a significant contributor to floods and general malaise in the country and he wants to make his contribution to a cleaner and more developed society.

“I came across this opportunity presented by other local entrepreneurs and I think that it is a fantastic opportunity for us to tackle and possibly eradicate plastic beverage containers and aluminium cans in our trash cycle. We have to try as it is worth a shot.”

When asked, how much it costs to set up the machine, he declined to say.

Benefits to customers

He said that a person puts a bottle inside the machine, it reads the bottle, and then crushes it and places it in an internal bin and later on disposed of in an environmentally safe way.

“When you put in your bottles and your cans and you are finished, you press the green bottle and then the customer gets a receipt. The receipt has bar code. Currently, people can use the bar code in Massy Stores and redeem that bar code for Massy points. You are essentially converting your trash into cash. It is sustainable because if you are incentivising people to do this, it will be long term.”

According to Rahael, each machine can hold up to 2,000 bottles after which it is emptied before it is ready to be refilled again.

He added that these machines use the latest technology and transmits data via wifi.

“This machine stores data like how many bottles, how many cans, what brand of can and so on. It is also a wifi spot so that in head office we can enter bar codes as we get them because part of the success of this is predicated on manufacturers and importers of bottles sending us their bar codes so we can upload these barcodes into the machine. The machine reads the barcodes so that is how it knows it is a bottle or a can.”

These recycled items will be then exported internationally to countries like the United States where manufacturers there take these items and make them into new products.

Expansion plans

He explained that it is a pilot programme that they are doing with Massy Stores and he hopes to include other members of the corporate community soon.

‘The goal is to expand the network of this machine in all Massy Stores and eventually is to have these machines in many locations. For example, when you put your bottles and cans in and you get your receipt you can scan this receipt onto an app that is on the phone. Once I get points, I then go to rewards and I can go to KFC and redeem it for a free Pepsi. Of course they are not on the programme but it what we would like to see in the future. Only Massy Stores has committed to the programme so far.”

He also hopes to have these machines in schools as he believes that the younger generation must be inculcated with the values of recycling at a young age.

He added that the pilot programme with Massy will be fully operationalised in a week’s time

“We have not launched it fully yet because we are still integrating with the Massy points programme. It actually should come online in a week.”

He said he wants all stakeholders in the country—from private citizens to businesses to the Government—to be part of the programme.

Massy’s green project

Derek Winford, CEO, Massy Stores, also spoke to Business & Money during the interview about the pilot project.

“This is just another step in our Get to Green initiative. We spoke about our plastic bags and the 34 million plastic bags that we were using annually. Now we have transitioned to the re-usable bags. It went quite well. The old bag was called a ‘single use plastic bag’ because it was used once. Then it disappears and a lot of it ends up in the ocean. Now customers have the re-usable bags which cost $10. We also gave away over 60,000 bags.”

He said the installation of the recycling machine is another step in their “Get to Green” project.

“We cannot get rid of all the plastic as we still use a lot, so that which we use we want to recycle it. That is what this is about. So you can put in an empty bottle that was a bottle of water, it is plastic and has a barcode. Depending on how customers react to it, you we may have to empty it every hour. We will see.”

He said Massy Stores looked at what is going on internationally and the removal of the single use plastic bag from supermarkets.

“We said that locally we have to make our contribution and we were using 34 million plastic bags annually. We cannot just use these bags and not have consequences for the environment.”

He added that they are starting with bottles and cans but eventually want to expand into other items as well.

Ever heard of spirulina? How about spirulina popcorn?

Spirulina is one of the oldest life forms on earth. It is a blue-green microalgae that is partly responsible for producing the oxygen in the planet’s atmosphere that billions of years ago allowed originating life forms to develop.

It is the world’s first superfood and one of the most nutrient-rich foods on earth, packing more protein than beef, chicken or soybeans. It’s also contains eight essential and ten non-essential amino acids, as well as high levels of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), beta-carotene, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, phosphorus, nucleic acids RNA & DNA, chlorophyll and phycocyanin, a pigment-protein complex found only in blue-green algae.

This superfood has been harnessed by well known local lifestyle chef Abigail “Abi” Bodington, who is using spirulina to create mouth watering, fluffy popcorn—air popped, of course.

Not only is this a popular snack but it’s one of Bodington’s many offerings for healthy eating—a movement that is quickly gaining momentum in T&T.

Bodington leads a healthy lifestyle through fitness to achieve the endurance she requires for running marathons. Her other passion is preparing tasty, nutritious meals.

While the spirulina is imported, Bodington uses fresh, local ingredients in her dishes.

Originally from Point Fortin, Bodington always had a love for the culinary world. She grew up always being outdoors, especially in the garden with her grandmother, planting and harvesting herbs and vegetables.

Seeing the hand-picked produce transformed into mouth watering dishes sparked Bodington’s fascination with cooking from an early age. Her renowned cooking skills, the result of those early experiences, were fine tuned through professional training locally and internationally.

A graduate of the Italian Culinary Academy of New York, Bodington’s distinctive cuisine landed her in the privileged profession of lifestyle chef, enabling her to travel to more 25 countries extensively. On her journeys, she explored cuisine from every location, visited local street markets and learnt about different food cultures, each country inspiring and fostering her unique style of cooking.

Recalling the start of her food adventures, Bodington said: “Ten years ago, I started working as a chef. I’ve travelled to Europe, France, Italy, to many Caribbean islands and everywhere I went I would see what food they ate a lot and try it out.

“In the Bahamas, for instance, they eat a lot of conch and salads. There is also fried food but I try a different version which is more on the grill or roasted side. Many of the dishes I also do include a lot of fish which is always fresh.”

The mother of one, who has now settled back in T&T although she still does some travelling, wants to share what she has experienced, such as transforming food in interesting and healthy ways.

She also to encourage consumption of local produce.

“Not everything has to be fried. We have an abundance of local foods and there’s so much we can do with it apart from using tonnes of oil. That’s my objective,” she explained.

That desire led to ABI&U—a collaboration between Bodington and U The Caribbean Health Digest, a local publication focused on creating awareness of health issues affecting T&T and the wider Caribbean.

Bodington’s recipes are published in the quarterly magazine which is also available online.

“Now that I’m back I’m pushing ABI&U more than what it was before. The response has been good so far.”

Sales didn’t immediately kick off given the Trinidadian palette but as awareness grew about fitness and nutrition, more people have started to purchase the items produced by Bodington.

“People would ask what is that green popcorn but when they tried it they liked it. It’s new and different and it’s a healthy alternative to all the butter.

“People are definitely more conscious about what they put into their bodies, including what they drink, than they were three years ago when I first started off. They are exercising more and eating healthier, using more greens for instance,” she said.

Bodington’s version of “spees”— fried and season split peas—is roasted lentils grains which are seasoned.

“Lentils are so good because it has a lot of protein, so I came up with a recipe and tried it. Being a vegan I would always have spirulina in my shakes at breakfast and I decided to try it in popcorn because it’s a good snack and a popular item,” she explained.

Snacks aren’t her only speciality. Bodington also makes a variety of juices and lemonade. In fact, her turmeric and beet lemonades are top sellers.

“It’s something that not otherwise available. It’s refreshing and turmeric has a host of benefits which a lot of people are into,” Bodington said.

She also offers her own spin on salads, one of which has an Asian flare incorporating rice noodles.

“I do kale salad with avocado using local ingredients,” she said.

What’s next for ABI&U? The business is currently based at Bodington’s Petit Valley home but she has grand plans, including having her products available in stores nationwide and eventually establishing her own restaurant.

“In the meantime, I want add to whatever that’s taking off. The juices for instance. If that’s taking off I will create other lines of juices. If people are not into the snacks too much I will hold back on that so I can determine what’s selling better,” she said.

For more information on her products and business, Bodington can be reached at abodington@gmail.com

It’s one of the most common questions financial advisers hear: should I prioritise paying down debt or building up savings?

Debt can help advance your life, for example by paying for an education to get a job or buying a car to get to work. But paying it back also uses up money that could be set aside for emergencies, retirement or other expenses. Research shows most people are ill-prepared to face a minor financial hiccup, let alone the cost of retirement.

So how do you meet these competing demands? We talked to a few financial experts for their tips.

Assess

First, take a good look at what you’re up against. How much debt do you have and at what interest rates? How much savings do you have? Other questions to consider, according to SoFi certified financial planner Alison Norris, include: are you only making minimum payments? Are your finances a source of stress in your life?

Then look at your budget—knowing how much money you have to work with will help you figure out what is feasible moving forward, said Charlie Bolognino, a certified financial planner in Bentonville, Arkansas.

The budget is the key to unlocking solutions.

“We hear we are supposed to do all these things with money—save it, spend it, invest it and get out of debt—but there’s only so much money to go around,” said Bolognino.

Plan

Come up with a strategy you can stick with.

A successful plan will address both debt and savings in concert, to make the most of the money you do have. It’s not about focusing on one issue then moving on to the next, but rather a matter of determining where your spending priority is, said Bruce McClary of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

A rule of thumb is to allocate 20 per cent of your take-home pay to savings and debt payments. How you divvy that up will depend on your priorities.

One thing the experts agree on: make emergency savings a top priority. Don’t worry about getting several months of savings set aside. Even US$500 can provide peace of mind. This allows you to handle life’s unexpected emergencies, like a car repair or lost cell phone, without further running up debt.

Tackling your highest interest rate debt needs to be near the top too. The average interest rate on credit cards is around 17 per cent and more interest rate hikes are anticipated in the near future, according to McClary. Compare that to the single-digit interest rate you might get from a standard savings account and it’s an easy decision.

“It’s the best time ever to not carry a balance,” he said.

Calculate how long it will take to pay off your debt; knowing that date will remind you there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Then think about your lower-interest rate debt like federal student loans. While it may be tempting to turn your back on longer-term savings, don’t; that is just trading today’s financial ruin for another down the road.

If you find you simply cannot make minimum payments on your debts or have exhausted your financial options, reach out for help through a credit counseling organisation.

“There’s a point when you can’t go it alone anymore,” McClary said.

Social entrepreneurs are individuals with creative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems. Social entrepreneurs create new organisations, new markets, and new ways of thinking and behaving in solidarity with poor communities to provide basic services, such as renewable energy, clean water, healthcare technologies, education, and access to financial services. Social entrepreneurs provide highly affordable products and services that can be bought by people living on a few dollars a day and can distribute these to poor communities.

One of the key characteristics of social entrepreneur is that of exemplifying a socially supportive culture. This is a culture of friendliness, supportiveness, co-operation, and helpfulness to provide a solution either in a product or service to those deserving. This power of socially supportive culture is particularly important for several reasons.

1 It serves as a model of co-operative and caring behaviour, which should influence more individuals within a society to choose social entrepreneurship as an occupation. Therefore, it affects the motivation and supply of potential social entrepreneurs in a country.

2 Social entrepreneurs face requirements similar to those of commercial entrepreneurs in terms of gaining access to and assembling resources. In this regard, social capital can lower transaction costs by enabling resource access through collaboration and co-operation (Meyskens et al, 2010; Meyskens et al, 2010).

3 In order to achieve social impact and introduce social change, social entrepreneurs need to build collaborative relationships with numerous diverse stakeholders (DiDomenico, Haugh, and Tracey, 2010; Mair and Marti, 2009).

4 The socially supportive culture provides an invaluable resource to social entrepreneurs for advice, human resources, innovative ideas/capabilities, financial and emotional support (Greve and Salaff, 2003; Nahapiet and Ghoshal, 1998).

What does this mean for sustainable development?

Since 2015, when the United Nations established a set of shared goals and targets for achieving sustainable development around the world.

Yet, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, fuelled by technological advances, is moving faster and faster with the potential for new growth, benefits and new opportunities but as well the impact on the world’s poorest could be disastrous.

In essence, to combat the future distress on the bottom of the pyramid, we will need more social entrepreneurs displaying the socially supportive culture in order to achieve the scale and sustained impact we need to see in an increasingly complex world.

In conclusion, the power of socially supportive culture displayed by social entrepreneurs cannot be dismissed. There is a real opportunity for all of us to generate value for those in society who cannot provide for themselves. Are you ready to be socially supportive?

Nirmala Maharaj is a doctoral candidate at the UWI-Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business. Her research is in social entrepreneurship. Mobile: 689-6539/E-mail: socialprogressinst@gmail.com

Patience is the key

However strong or tough we might consider ourselves to be, the fact is that none of us are indestructible. As amazing and adaptable as it is, the human body is vulnerable. Even those of us in perfect health will at some time experience loss, illness, or injury that throws us off our game plan. How do we hold on? How do we pull ourselves up and struggle through the pain, disappointment and despair? How do we face those unexpected challenges that hit us without giving up? How do we deal with injury and still maintain focus?

Whether we are aiming to lose weight, striving to establish a consistent exercise routine or preparing for competition, when unexpected problems affect our fitness or training plans it is vital that we re-adjust your goals. The key is to be patient and realistic. Rather than concentrating on performance or results, we must make the first goal healing. By focusing our energy on recovery, we allow ourselves to feel encouraged by our progress rather than discouraged by how far we may have fallen back.

Stress is a major factor in the prevention of improvement after injury. It makes it more difficult for our bodies to heal. Stress hormones interfere with the removal of damaged tissue and impair the movement of healing immune cells to the site of the injury. It can also cause sleep disturbance, further hindering recovery. We must use our bad break as a chance to work on another part of our performance and train our minds to look at what we can do rather than what we can’t. This will give us a feeling of purpose and be of benefit when we are able to resume our training. This is an excellent time to work on such skills as balance and stability.

Vital to the recovery process is emotional healing. Time must be spent on relaxation, ensuring that negative emotions are kept at bay. Crucial to any healing process after injury is professional care and support, without which it is virtually impossible for the process to be completed.

So as we train and struggle to achieve our best in whatever field of endeavour we choose, as we fight back from disappointment, despair or injury the words of Sherrilyn Kenyon speak volumes: “The strongest steel is forged by the fires of hell. It is pounded and struck repeatedly before it is plunged back into the molten fire. The fire gives it power and flexibility and the blows give it strength. Those two things make the metal pliable and able to withstand every battle it is called upon to fight.”

Akeem Stewart has created history in T&T as a Paralympian. His is a journey of endurance. We applaud his skill and determination and are inspired by his commitment. “Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition, such as lifting weights, we develop our character muscles through overcoming challenges and adversity.” —Steven Covey

Keep training!

My name is Akeem Stewart. I am 24 years old and I am the first athlete in T&T to win Paralympic Gold in 32 years. My journey has not always been an easy one and has been a series of ups and downs.

I can remember when I was 14 and I started experiencing pain in my knees. My dad was my first coach and he was training me in shot-put and discus. The doctors described my knee pain as the result of a growth spurt. I had grown an additional six inches and my body was trying to adjust. I was frightened but my dad encouraged me to remain calm and positive. I had to lay off of training for one and a half years. Thankfully, when I got back on the field I was stronger in shot-put and discus and I qualified for the Carifta Games in St Kitts and Nevis.

My knee had improved and I was motivated, but misfortune struck again. When doing shot-put the ball rolled off my hand and fractured my right middle finger. Were it not for my dad and my close friends who encouraged me and my own spiritual strength, I would have wanted to give up. I had to stay out of participation for three years. I kept training and in my final year of being a junior athlete I qualified for the Carifta Games in Jamaica and won T&T’s first medal in that competition.

I moved up to the senior category and started doing really well in my favourite event—shot-put, breaking the national record for the first time in 19 years in the Open Championship with a throw of 19.34 meters. I was on a roll, but once again disaster struck. At the Hampton Games, I tore my meniscus, which is the most important cushion you have in your knee. It was the most terrible pain that I had ever felt. I had to stop throwing. This injury threw me back a great deal. I continued in the gym and with aqua therapy.

In 2015 and early 2016 I was at my lowest. I felt that I had no real technical support, no equipment, no facilities. Still, I held on and in 2016 while fighting off my knee injury, though I did not feel like going, I went to the Paralympics in Brazil. To my shock, I broke the world record in the javelin, a skill which I had just started in 2015, throwing 57 metres. The crowd support was amazing and really motivated me. Now I started to get recognition globally. I started training even harder, breaking the shot-put world record in Jamaica in 2017 and qualifying for the Paralympic World Championship in London.

Then once again misfortune struck. While off the field I injured my left metatarsal and had to sit out. It is part of the bones of the midfoot and is extremely painful. Despite the injury, I had to throw the javelin a few days later or I would have been disqualified. I feel that I took out my frustration, anger and disappointment on the javelin. I put everything into the throw. I broke the 25-year javelin world record as well as the world record in shot-put.

I now have to compete with the able-bodied group, the big guns and I am training for the CAC Championship in Colombia and the NACAC in Toronto. With all my injuries there have been times that I felt like giving up but I know that major setbacks bring major comebacks and that if you align yourself with positive people and have faith you will succeed. We must never, ever give up. I believe strongly in the Biblical word “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

I want to thank my dad Wayne Stewart for always being there for me, my coach Wade Franklin, my Cuban coach Ishmael Lopez, who worked with me in Australia. Thanks to the Guardian Group, bpTT, Southern Sales, and MJP Michael Johnson High Performing Centre. I also want to thank Playable Caribbean for supporting my development over the last three years and the public for your continuing support.

The road is never easy but if you work hard and give it your all you will succeed.

This series of articles will cover inter-dog aggression. Readers must understand that these articles are for guidance only.

Aggression between dogs is a complex psychological condition requiring a professional dog behaviourist to evaluate and treat each case individually. In this article, we will continue to assess how and when inter-dog aggression develops.

Inter-dog aggression is fighting between dogs living in the same household. In the second article in this series, we started to discuss the two developmental stages of maturity in dogs. It is between sexual and social maturity that owners may first start to notice signs of aggression between the dogs. One of the most common scenarios involves brother fighting brother or sister fighting sister – this is why inter-dog aggression is often referred to as sibling rivalry.

As we looked at in the second article, the “alpha” concept is a myth. There is no absolute dominant dog. Rather, resources may be competed for and the winner most often depends on who wants the resource more. Dog A may be food-motivated and will guard a treat from Dog B who is less interested in the treat. In this scenario, Dog A is being more assertive over Dog B in the presence of food. On the other hand, Dog B may be very attached to the owner and will vie for the owner’s attention while Dog A is more independent and does not seek to be in the owner’s company all the time. In this case, Dog B is the one exerting the assertion when the owner is around.

Dogs who are unrelated will not share genes. Siblings, however, are more likely to have similar behavioural traits because they share not only the same DNA, but they have also shared the same womb. It is, therefore, possible that these dogs will naturally compete for similar resources instead of having vastly different preferences.

In addition, siblings grow up together and will attain both sexual and social maturity at the same stage. When there are two dogs in the same household who are likely to be interested in the same resource, and they are of similar temperament, and they are the same age–meaning that they start challenging at the same time–fighting can be quite likely.

Fighting also occurs between dogs that are not related. In these cases, it is most often that a younger dog attains social maturity and starts challenging the older dog. The natural canine social dynamic is that the older dog defers to the younger, fitter dog.

However, if the older dog has been the resident dog for years on his own and is accustomed to getting and having everything for himself, he may find it difficult to learn to share his resources–and even harder to give them up to the newcomer.

The owner may exacerbate the situation by feeling sorry for the older dog and punishing the younger dog while giving preference to the older dog. This increases the tension because it goes against the grain of nature and the result is a fight.

Come August 7, Nalis will unveil its PAC Lab preservation clinics and workshops at the Sangre Grance public library, at 10 am. The series of family heirloom preservation clinics will be conducted nationwide by Danielle Fraser, Nalis’ conservation librarian.

The hosting of these clinics is part of the Nalis Preservation and Conversation Lab’s (PAC) commemorative activities to mark its fifth anniversary. At the Family Heirloom Preservation Clinics, the public will be provided with one-on-one, expert advice on techniques to preserve items such as postcards, diaries, family Bibles, certificates and photographs.

A preservation workshop titled When Disaster Strikes: Emergency Salvage of Water Damaged Family Heirlooms will be held at the National Library Building, Port-of-Spain for members of the public on August 20, from 9 am to 2:30 pm. Participants will learn hands-on preservation techniques as well as methods for salvaging water-soaked, paper based records and materials. The workshop will be repeated exclusively for Nalis’ staff on August 22.

Library and Archive professionals and paraprofessionals are specially invited to attend another workshop—Dealing with Mould: Guidelines for Library and Archival Collections—on August 22 from 9 am–3:30 pm.

Participants will learn measures to prevent mould growth and actions to take should it occur within their collections. For further details or to pre-register for any of the activities, contact 624-4466 ext. 2038 or email Danielle.Fraser@nalis.gov.tt or pr.marketing@nalis.gov.tt

The Nalis PAC Lab, which was officially commissioned on July 8, 2013, celebrates its role in preserving countless library material and historical collections. As the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ Preservation and Conservation Regional Centre for the English-speaking Caribbean, the Lab’s core duty is to work with the Heritage Library Division in achieving its mandate to acquire, promote and preserve national heritage material. Additionally, the Lab advises public and private organisations on the care of their collections and artefacts.

More info 

Nalis Preservation and Conversation Lab’s (PAC) clinics and workshops:
August 7: Sangre Grande Public Library (10 am - noon);
August 8: Maloney Public Library (10 am - noon);
August 13: Couva Public Library (9:30 to 10:30 am);
August 14: Rio Claro Public Library (10 am - noon);
August 16: Carnegie Library, corner Prince of Wales and Coffee Streets, San Fernando (10 am - noon).

What do men want? Why do men cheat? What defines a man? These are some of the questions explored in the Focus Arts Productions’ upcoming production of Da Mans Dem, which will take place at the Little Carib Theatre, Woodbrook, on Tuesday, July 31.

Playwright Alan Charles said the play is the sequel to Love, Sax and All That Jazz, and is told from the viewpoint of three male characters, the brothers. He said: “In this offering, the brothers take centre stage and give their take on love, sex and relationships. Through the life of three buddies we get a glimpse of the male psyche as they attempt to explain what men want, Why men cheat, and what defines a man.”

Charles said both plays are written from a Christian standpoint, “to highlight some of the issues surrounding sex and relationships that the church sometimes fails to address. They were written to bring light and offer solutions to some of the challenges faced in relationships. At the same time, they also offer audiences clean wholesome quality entertainment. There is a PG13 limit attached to the production.”

The play is now in its sixth year and has been performed throughout the UK, Toronto, Barbados and Trinidad. Charles said: “The show benefits from having two casts, a UK cast and a Trini cast. Love Sax and all that Jazz is in its ninth year and, in addition to the previously named countries, has been to Grenada, St Kitts, St Vincent and Antigua.

“The upcoming show will feature the Trini cast and is directed by local actress and dancer Kimmy Stoute-Robinson. It stars Dexter Musgrave, Khadija Glasgow, Marie Guerra, Karen Richards, David Clarqe, Jamel Spring, Brandon Giroux, Fidel Guerra, Jomo Williams and Abbi-gail James-Williams.”

Charles said he hopes the audience will be uplifted and inspired by the comedy drama, and be able to use some of the sentiments in the play to strengthen their relationships if already involved or gain some invaluable insights if you are looking to get involved.

“Whenever and wherever the shows are performed audiences are thrilled and impressed. We have no doubt that our next performance at Little Carib Theatre will also have audience in tears of laughter while being inspired and uplifted” said the playwright.

(Paula Lindo—prilindo@gmail.com)

More info

Tickets cost $125 advance, $150 at the door and $100 each for groups of ten or more.
For more information call 624-4162, 387-9561 or 768-8214, email focusarts@yahoo.co.uk and find Da Mans Dem on Facebook.

T&T men’s Team Sprint trio of teenager, Nicholas Paul, Kwesi Browne and two-time Olympian Njisane Phillip doubled this country’s gold medal tally to two at the 23rd Central American and Caribbean Sporting Organisation (CACSO) Games continued in Barranquilla, Colombia, yesterday.

Overall it was a very productive day for T&T as fellow cyclists, Teneil Campbell (bronze) and rower Felice Chow (silver) also captured the first-ever medals for T&T in their respective events to push T&T’s medal haul to four, adding to the swimmer, Dylan Carter 100m freestyle gold on Friday night.

Competing in the final event at the Velodromo Alcides Nieto Patina, the trio of 19-year-old Paul, Browne, 24, and 27-year-old Phillip, riding in that order combined for a time of 43.873 seconds, a new games record, well ahead of Venezuela (44.578 secs) and Colombia (44.172 secs) which got silver and bronze respectively. Mexico was fourth in 45.774.

T&T had earlier finished with the fastest qualifying time of 44.096 ahead of the Venezuelans (45.154).

One event earlier, fellow cyclist and reigning Caribbean Road Race and Time Trial champion, Campbell finally got her historic medal on her second attempt.

Campbell, who was fourth in the women’s Road Time Trial on Friday got bronze this time out in the Women’s Scratch Race (10,000 metres/40 laps) behind Marlies Mejias of Cuba and silver medallist Lizbeth Salazar of Mexico.

The medal for 20-year-old Campbell is the first ever at the CACSO Games by a women’s cyclist for this country in their first ever appearance as well.

She will also compete in the Points Race and Omnium.

Earlier on the same track, the duo of Costa sisters, Alexi and Jessica as well as Christian Farah and Alex Bovell missed out on qualification to the Women’s Team Pursuit (4,000m) medal round.

The T&T women combined for a time of 4:51.022, a new national record, for the fifth spot.

The duo of Cuba (4:33.516) and Colombia (4:34.772) ended in the top two places and will contest the gold medal event today while Mexico (4:34.890) and Venezuela (4:43.060) will battle for the bronze medal.

In the Men’s Team Pursuit (4,000m), T&T’s Kemp Orosco, Tyler Cole, veteran Adam Alexander and Jovian Gomez could only finish sixth in their qualifying event in 4:26.561, ahead of Dominican Republic (4:40.693).

Venezuela (4:06.621) and Mexico (4:08.746) will contest the gold medal while Colombia (4:09.036) and Guatemala (4:16.314) will face off for bronze.

Today, Browne and Paul will compete in heat two of the men’s Keirin event while Akil Campbell lines up in the men’s Scratch Race (15,000m)

Chow rows to historic silver

Over at Lago, Calima, in Cali, 41-year-old Olympian, Felice Chow secured T&T’s first ever women’s medal in rowing, competing in the Women’s Singles Scull contested over a distance of 2000 metres.

Chow, who competed at the Rio Olympics in 2016 crossed the finish line in nine minutes, 26.24 seconds for silver behind Cuban, Yariulvis Cobas (9:13.05 mins) while Mexico’s Naiara Arrillaga took bronze in (9:41.22 mins)

Calypso Stickwomen improve to 2-0

Teenager Shaniah De Freitas netted two goals, as T&T women’s hockey team battled past Barbados 2-1 to improve to a perfect 2-0 round-robin record at the Unidad Deportivo Pibe Valderrama.

However, it was the Barbadians who struck first in the 17th minute through Keisha Boyce after a 0-0 first quarter.

De Freitas, 18, playing in her sixth international match for the ‘Calypso Stickwomen” drew T&T level five minutes later from the penalty spot and with two minutes left in the match she was on spot to score again to earn her team a deserved win.

The win lifted the Anthony Marcano-coached team who clobbered Guatemala 12-0 on Friday to six points in Pool B, three ahead of Jamaica whom they face tomorrow. Barbados is also on three points and meets winless Guatemala in its final match.

The Jamaicans defeated Guatemala 5-0 in the other pool match yesterday.

Today, the senior men’s hockey team, coming off a 2-1 win over Cuba on Saturday meet Barbados from 5 pm. Barbados edged Jamaica 1-0 in its opener.

Carter, Romany in 50m butterfly medal hunt

USA-duo, Dylan Carter and Joshua Romany were expected to add to T&T’s medal tally last night when they contested the men’s 50 metres butterfly final at the Complejo Acautico.

The 22-year-old Carter who won the men’s 100m freestyle in a CACSO Games record of 48.95 seconds on Friday night, was in record-breaking again yesterday when he won heat five of the 50m butterfly in 23.50 seconds, to erase Guatemalan Luis Martinez’s time of 23.53 set the heat before.

Romany, also 22, had earlier won the first heat in 23.73 to have the third fastest time ahead of last night’s gold medal swim.

Two other T&T swimmers who were in action, Jabari Baptiste and David Mc Leod did not advance to their respective final.

Baptiste was fifth in heat two of the men’s 100m backstroke in 58.02 seconds and was due to swim the B-Final, while Mc Leod was seventh in heat three in 59.25.

Ping pong women make doubles exit

The T&T teams of France-based Rheann Chung and Brittany Joseph, and Linda Partap-Boodhan and Catherine Spicer were beaten in the quarterfinal round of the Women’s Table Tennis Doubles at the Centro Eventos Puerta de Oro.

Chung and Joseph first defeated Barbadians Kenday King and Janae Lewis in the last-16, 11-5, 11-6, 11-9 while Partap-Boodhan and Spicer battled past Guyana’s Chelsea Edghill and Trenace Lowe, 14-12, 10-12, 12-10, 14-12.

However, in the last-eight, Chung and Joseph went under to Guatemalans, Mabelyn Enriquez and Andrea Estrada 10-12, 11-4, 5-11, 8-11; and Partap-Boodhan and Spicer were ousted by El Salvadoreans, Emme Arias and Estefania Ramirios, 7-11, 5-11, 11-9, 7-11.

Both Spicer and Chung will now focus their attention on the knockout stage of the Women’s Singles after advancing from the round-robin group stages as second-place finishers in their three players groups with 1-1 records while Partap-Boodhan and Joseph were winless, 0-2.

T&T hopes for a squash doubles medals were dashed as the local teams in the women’s, men’s and mixed doubles were all beaten in their quarterfinals.

The T&T duo of Alexandria Yearwood and Marie-Claire Barcant were booted by Colombians Laura Perez and Maria Perez 4-11; 6-11; men’s doubles duo, Chayse Mc Quan and Nku Patrick were stopped by Bermudans, Micah Franklin and Noah Browne, 8-11, 4-11, and the mixed doubles team of Kale Wilson and Charlotte Knaggs fell to Colombians, Catalina Pelaez and Miguel Rodriguez, 6-11, 7-11.

Calypso Spikers secure quarterfinals spot

T&T women volleyballers will come up against Mexico from 8 pm tonight in the first of two quarterfinals at the Humberto Perea Coliseum. This after the Renele Forde-captain ‘Calypso Spikers’ defeated Costa Rica 25-18, 25-23, 25-16 to end with a 1-2 round-robin Pool B record.

On Saturday night, the T&T women were beaten 22-25, 19-25, 20-25 by host Colombia who got a tournament-high 27 points from Amanda Coneo. Middle blocker Sinead Jack led T&T with 14 points, while wing spiker Channon Thompson added 12, and the pair of Darlene Ramdin and Krystle Esdelle, eight apiece.

Costa Rica hands Under-20s second loss

T&T chances of advancing to the men’s football medal round competition were all but ended after a 3-2 loss to Costa Rica at the Estadio Romelio Martinez, yesterday.

Randall Leal scored twice for the Central Americans in the ninth and 23rd minute while Andres Gomez was also on target in the 15th.

For T&T, John-Paul Rochford got a 60th-minute goal to give his team some hope before Nickel Orr made it 3-2 seven minutes later.

That was as close as T&T would get as Costa Rica held on for the important three points. Last night the T&T women, beaten 5-1 by Mexico in their opener came up against Nicaragua, which defeated Haiti 3-0 on Friday. A win for T&T will keep them in the contest for a medal.

Olympian Andrew Lewis had a mixed day on Saturday as he placed second in the fourth of his Laser Radial races before a 16th placed in race five while Kelly-Ann Arrindell was fifth and ninth in race four and five respectively prior to yesterday’s events.

T&T’s Samantha Wallace and her New South Wales Swifts hopes of advancing to the Suncorp Netball League semifinals faded after a 57-57 with Magpies Netball at Hisense Arena, Australia on Saturday.

Coming off the back off four straight losses, 24-year-old Wallace and the Swifts were hungry for a win, but instead, they walked away with a tie and their path to the top four too far gone.

A second-year player with the Swifts, goal shoot Wallace started off well and scored 11 of her 12 attempts to hand her team an 18-14 first quarter lead.

As the second quarter commenced, the physicality in the Swifts goal circle increased, with both England international, goal attack Helen Housby and Wallace taking some hard knocks to the ground.

Towards the end of the quarter, the home to close the gap, at 26- 28, winning the bonus point for taking the quarter, 12-10.

At the start of the third quarter, Wallace who added six goals to her tally from seven attempts was replaced by Sophie Garbin as the Swifts attack slowed down, with Magpies finishing off their passes a lot cleaner.

The home side took a one-goal lead but a call on Kim Ravaillion delaying the centre pass got them back 39-37.

Caitlin Thwaites took a shot on the buzzer but she missed, giving the bonus point to the Swifts (16- 15) with the score 44-41.

The fourth quarter was a seasaw tussle as the momentum was swinging for both sides. As the clock wound down and the scores were levelled and the pressure increased.

Housby and wing attack Paige Hadley both got an intercept each, and centre court Maddy Proud took a hard tumble that took her off the court, but Sharni Layton got the ball back to level the score 55 a-piece with one minute to play.

Right before the final buzzer, Magpies’ goal attack Erin Bell sunk a high-pressure shot to draw the game 57-57 and take home the bonus point.

Wallace ended with 17 goals from 19 attempts to take her season tally to 357 goals from 398 attempts while Housby added 19 from 22 attempts, and Garbin, 21 from 22.

Thwaites who was named the Nissan “Most Valuable Player of the match had a match-high 31 goals 34 attempts, and Bell, 21 from 27.

With the draw results, Swift’s record improved to 5-1-6 from 12 matches, for 41 points, 14 out of joint fourth spot held by Queensland Firebirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning with two rounds of matches left. West Coast Fever leads the eight-team table with a 9-0-3 record and 63 points, two ahead of Giants Netball (8-1-3) while Melbourne Vixens (8-0-4) and Queensland Firebirds (7-0-5) are next with 56 and 55 points, respectively.

Magpies Netball is seventh with a 3-1-8 mark and 38 points while winless Adelaide Thunderbird (0- 0-12) occupies the last place with four points.

Former national youth player, Ryan Stewart bagged a double to lead FC Santa Rosa to a comfortable 5-0 mauling of Matura ReUnited in the T&T Super League on Saturday.

Kevon Cornwall opened the scoring for FC Santa Rosa as early as the ninth minute at the Guaya Recreation Ground while Stewart, formerly of Guaya United, netted his first in the 24th for a 2-0 lead at the half time interval.

Two minutes after the restart, Kheelon Mitchell made it 3-0 before Stewart completed his double in the 56th followed by a 92nd-minute strike from Giovanni Abraham to complete the one-sided contest to climb to the fourth spot with 12 points from seven matches, four adrift of leaders Queen’s Park Cricket Club who were in action yesterday.

Up at the University of T&T Ground, O’Meara Road, Arima, Andre Mohammed netted two quick second-half items to earn visitors, Prison Service a 3-2 triumph over UTT.

In-form Nathan Julien handed Prison Service a 1-0 lead at the half thanks to his 40th-minute strike. However, two minutes into the second-half, national futsal player Cyrano Glenn drew UTT level, only for Mohammed to hammer home goals in the 61st and 63rd minute to give his team a 3-1 cushion.

With five minutes left, Shaquille Nesbitt converted a penalty for UTT, but Prison managed to hold on for the valuable three points to move to fifth with ten.

In the two other matches played yesterday, Club Sando Cultural Roots United and San Fernando Giants battled to a 1-1 draw at Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular while Petit Valley Diego Martin and Metal X Erin FC ended goalless at St Anthony’s College Ground, Morne Coco Road, Westmoorings.

Results

SATURDAY

Club Sando 1 (Jamal Burke 45th) vs San Fernando Giants 1 (Keston Grant 45th)

FC Santa Rosa 5 (Ryan Stewart 24th, 56th, Kevon Cornwall 9th, Kheelon Mitchell 47th, Giovanni Abraham 92nd) vs Matura ReUnited 0

Prison Service 3 (Andre Mohammed 61st, 63rd, Nathan Julien 40th) vs UTT 2 (Cyrano Glenn 47th, Shaquille Nesbitt 85th pen)

Petit Valley Diego Martin Utd 0 vs Erin FC 0

Standings

CURRENT T&T SUPER LEAGUE STANDINGS
TEAMS...........................P...W...D....L...GF...GA PTS
1. QPCC.................................6..... 5.... 1.... 0.....16.... 6....16
2. Cunupia FC......................6..... 4.... 2.... 0.....15.... 5....14
3. Matura ReUnited...........7..... 4.... 1.... 2.....12... 14...13
4. FC Santa Rosa.................7..... 4.... 0.... 3.....15.... 7....12
5. Prisons Service...............7..... 2.... 4.... 1...... 9...... 9....10
6. Guaya Utd.......................6..... 2.... 3.... 1.....11.... 6......9
7. Police FC..........................6..... 2.... 3.... 1...... 5...... 6......9
8. UTT....................................7..... 2.... 2.... 3...... 8..... 11.....8
9. RSSR FC............................6..... 2.... 2.... 2...... 7...... 6......8
10. Erin FC............................7..... 1.... 3.... 3...... 9..... 10.....6
11. Club Sando Cultural...7..... 1.... 2.... 4...... 5..... 10.....5
12. San F’do Giants............7..... 0.... 5.... 2...... 5..... 12.....5
13. Bethel Utd.....................6..... 0.... 3.... 3...... 4..... 12.....3
14. P.V.D.M Utd....................7..... 0.... 3.... 4...... 3..... 10.....3