One individual apparently had a breakdown. The conversation went the road of racial politics and that the UNC didn’t stand a chance anymore if residents of other Caribbean islands were to be accepted here and that the PNM strategy had always been this importation of voters. And, of course, there was the overarching concern with crime. One voice was willing to accommodate because migrants would be better workers than locals and things might very well get done here. These were all legitimate concerns of course. And they tell a story of us, in a microcosm albeit, but a story anyway.

That line revisited saying, “A child cannot be told to share, if he/she hasn’t known what it means to possess something.” Not in those exact words but that’s the general essence. It comes from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

The sentence is important here perhaps for the simple reason, that as citizens of this land, it seems that our battle for space– from the conversation on my Facebook feed–is still unresolved.

But this is not news. These views should not be new to any resident of Trinidad and one wonders, really, how ready we are for climate refugees? In the last two weeks, two hurricanes, in quick succession, hit some of our Caribbean neighbours leaving many homeless, and overnight refugees. But, even before this, the Rohyinga issue in Myanmar was uppermost in my mind (more on that at another date) together with the crime that took the lives of two elderly women in Trinidad. And I thought of the latter that, if this didn’t make citizens begin to form vigilante groups, well then nothing else would.

Well the conclusion is nothing’s going to happen. Pensioners have been robbed, raided, murdered and we stand by. Retrenchments, murders, kidnapping of children, men and women, rise in cost of living – are all issues that we have been trying to cope with and the situation keeps getting worse.

Are we hoping that a superhero is going to pop up to do the work– alone–while we cheer and congratulate or in some cases blame him/her for things gone wrong? Do we not realise that while we may not be able to eradicate some of these issues, that we can at least control them? That all the citizens need to do is quietly, without much fuss or fanfare if they wish, down tools and disrupt the systems, forcing administrators into action.

I read a foolish argument when this type of disruption was suggested that went something like this, “Think about the poor people who need jobs, how can they down tools? They are not privileged like you to have a job…etc etc.” I thought, “Well, this is the exact reason why nothing is happening.

It’s because this thinking prevails that we continue to box ourselves into a seemingly helpless situation. We haven’t as yet recognised, perhaps because we have never known the power of a collective voice.” Don’t blame the Government when we continue to suffer in silence and fear to the point that now when someone asks if we are ready for climate refugees some of us have meltdowns because our own sense of humanity has been depleted on account of the fact that we ourselves are essentially also trying to survive.

Some see these displaced peoples as threats because we as citizens are also helpless. We don’t mind giving aid from afar or even going across to help with the rebuilding, but why accommodate more persons into a space where our own citizens are struggling to make ends meet? The issue is, how human do we feel when we are constantly on the lookout for the next kidnapper, the next murderer, the next gunman, lying in wait to rob you and also take your life? Do some of us still feel human enough to extend compassion? What is compassion anyway but, as one writer put it, a primal instinct that tells you that this act might very well cover your own back in the future. It has nothing to do with goodness but rather your own survival. So, what do we have to gain from our compassion towards our Caribbean neighbours? Which “citizen” is ready to accommodate someone who is seemingly as dispossessed as he/she is and thus add more heads to the battle for cultural and political space? A n d so the q u e s – tion on that feed stands: Are we r e a l l y r e a d y for clim a t e r e f u – gees?

“My entry into the world of film came at a young age when my mother began to film environmental documentaries,” Aurora says of her first exposure to the industry she now calls home. “This was a wonderful experience: seeing our country’s caves, waterfalls, flora and fauna captured on film.” At the age of 14, she was offered the opportunity to write a column for a leading local news publication, and interned at Gayelle The Channel as a co-host for one of their television shows at 17.

She was accepted into the Journalism Specialist Programme at the University of Toronto and studied, lived, and worked in Canada for five years before returning home and partnering with her mother to launch an environmental television show, Showcase Environment.

It was this varied background and experiences that fostered Aurora’s passion for media. “I truly believe that it is the best platform to effect positive and sustainable change in the world,” she says. “For me, utilising media means fiction and non-fiction storytelling through film and television and also the practice of journalism.” Upon returning to Trinidad in 2011, her sights were set on work as a journalist. Yet, small coincidences seemed to gently steer her in a different direction. Firstly, she was offered work on the set of Caribbean’s Next Top Model where she was introduced to Danielle Dieffenthaller, a woman she respected since the TT classic Westwood Park was on air. Soon, she would meet other colleagues who she grew to admire: she worked with Robert Dumas as a researcher for his film Red White and Black: A Sports Odyssey, and eventually interviewed with the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), becoming the official blogger for the festival – a position she filled for the past three festivals.

It was at a festival event that she met filmmaker Sean Hodgkinson. “He told me he needed a first assistant director for his film, Trafficked. I had never done that job before but it spoke to my skill set. That was my conception into the Quirky Films family, which I am proud to still be a part of today,” she shares of her first active role in film production.

She has worked on the projects of fellow filmmakers such as Salty Dog (2017), which makes its national premiere at this year’s ttff, The Warehouse (2016), Bazodee (2016), as well as other commercial work. She also produced The Weekend (2017), another Quirky production that is nominated for People’s Choice Award at this year’s festival.

“A producer is essentially responsible for co-ordinating the filmmaking process from beginning to end, developing the project with the director and other team members, finding funding, and running the production from casting to post-production,” she explains of the role she has now taken onset. “A producer makes sure that everyone does their assigned task on time and within budget.” However, she points out that in our local film industry, one person may wear many hats; directors may produce, producers may manage audio, actors edit, editors write, and writers create musical scores. She believes this diversity in roles is part of the magic that has birthed our local industry. “However, I don’t feel that is a fair or sustainable practice. Each person should have the opportunity to be paid for their particular role and also feel supported by all others fulfilling their own roles.” Of her producer credit on The Weekend, she describes the experience as intense and wonderful. “It was wonderful because so many people came together to give of their time and talent to the project,” she says, revealing that 42 pages of script was shot in three and a half days, as the cast and crew worked 20-hour days during filming. “I once described The Weekend as a passion project that took so much and gave so much. [Director] Sean has a very special ability to tell stories with dark undertones in a funny way; in many ways, this type of storytelling embodies our distinctive Trinbagonian culture and when I work with Quirky, I feel like I play a direct part in translating the nuances of our national identity on the screen.” She also worked as co-producer on Salty Dog, working alongside director Oliver Milne and producer Lesley-Anne Macfarlane, who she says has been one of her mentors and inspirations as a multi-talented woman trailblazer in the industry.

Of her work on the film, she says, “I scouted locations, set up casting sessions, and worked onset during initial weeks of filming.” Salty Dog is nominated for best TT short at this year’s film festival and Aurora holds pride in being a part of its coming-to-life.

While Aurora does not believe in “gender essentialism”, she does note that there are roles within the film industry that are not equally represented across genders. “I would definitely love to see all of these roles benefitting from equal representation,” she says, attributing directing roles to a mostly male demographic, while producers, script-writers, and costume designers tend to skew to a female average.

She has been privileged to work on balanced and diverse sets, where the gender imbalance isn’t glaring. However, outside of sets and in the arena of finance, she feels that women are less successful in securing funding for film projects than their male counterparts. “I think this speaks to our gender biases in society and needs to change.” As for the contribution of the ttff, she praises the organisation for effectively creating platforms for filmmaking on our shores that has consistently grown the industry. “They have provided workshops for filmmakers and producers, carefully opened up the market for Caribbean films, and painstakingly built regional and international relationships with investors and filmmakers,” she praises, adding that the festival has intelligently programmed the festival to examine pertinent societal issues. “The ttff has moved our country forward.” Yet, she notes that the availability of such progressive cinema that highlights our stories and societal contexts outside of the festival remains elusive, as opposed to cheaper and more accessible options such as cable television and Hollywood movies. “Hardworking creatives toil for months to years working on a project with very little revenue,” she says, pointing out that the channels for proper remuneration or constant funding to tell our own stories are limited at best.

“I fully acknowledge that our television stations need favourable economics to run. However, I feel that it is past time to negotiate terms between local content producers and television stations. We have the content. Now we need the platforms.

“The stakeholders of nation building have outlined the desire to ‘see ourselves on television’. However, how can these stakeholders expect the very people asked to work creatively to survive within substandard conditions?” She believes this situation can be changed if proper negotiated standardised contracts are instated, providing sustainable living and job security for creatives. As it stands, many cast and crewmembers currently create and contribute to projects solely out of passion, with no financial impetus.

“As human beings who are called to create, our work carries a very deep meaning,” says Aurora of the offerings the people in our local film industry bring. “Often, these cultural meanings have a hand in defining and redefining personal and national identities. This is a huge impact.” Even against such financial obstacles, Aurora is proud to be a part of our local film industry, and sees the ttff and other bodies that promote our local film market as irreplaceable. While there is still a ways to go, the progress that has been made thus far cannot be ignored.

“I genuinely feel that I am contributing to effecting positive change within TT. I am able to manifest and engage in national conversations on human rights, migration, government corruption, environmental degradation, crime, family, economic imperatives, art, and creation,” she says of the topical themes that can be relayed effectively through the magic of film.

“I have been very blessed to possess my particular skill set and I have worked very hard to develop and expand it. I believe that life is a gift and that if you can utilise your talents to make the world a better place, then you should.” 7

If CHD develops in active or fit individuals, it occurs at a later age and tends to be less severe.

How exercise helps the heart “One of the key benefits of exercise is that it helps to control or modify many of the risk factors for heart disease,” says Dr Kerry J Stewart, Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Exercise has benefits in and of itself, however, the best way to prevent heart disease is to combine exercise with a healthy diet. Exercise alone can help with weight loss over a long period of time. But a short-term approach is to reduce the number of calories you take in through diet, while increasing the calories you use through exercise.

Exercise has many positive effects on heart health. A regular exercise routine can: • Help lower blood pressure • Lessen risk of developing diabetes • Help Maintain healthy body weight • Reduce inflammation throughout the body • Improve the muscles’ ability to pull oxygen out of the blood, reducing the need for the heart to pump more blood to the muscles.

• Reduce stress hormones that can put an extra burden on the heart.

• Work like a beta blocker to slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure.

• Increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol and helps control triglycerides.

Researchers have found that patients who suffered heart attacks and who participated in a formal exercise programme, reduced the death rate by 20 to 25 per cent. In addition, patients with newly diagnosed heart diseases who participated in exercise programmes, reported an earlier return to work and improvements in other measures of quality of life, including a boost in their selfconfidence, lower stress, and less anxiety.

Ideal exercise for the heart The American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine both recommend combining aerobic exercise (jogging, swimming, and biking) with resistance training (moderate weightlifting). Together, these two categories of exercise produce the greatest benefit for preventing and managing heart disease.

However, if you currently suffer from cardiovascular disease, you should get advice from your medical practitioner to assist in creating a workout plan that is tailored to your unique needs.

One week after the.11disaster, ITNAC team.11member Brent Hector.11yesterday told Sunday.11Newsday the organisation.11has mounted a.11major drive to collect.11food and items for the.11devastated island.

However, he said.11the effort was not only.11limited to Dominica.11but other islands within.11the region that have.11been destroyed by hurricanes.

Referring specifically.11to Dominica, Hector.11said the immediate.11needs were for canned.11food, dry goods, toiletries,.11baby supplies,.11over the counter drugs.11(Panadol and cough.11medicine), mosquito.11repellent and clothes.

He said there also.11was need for tarpaulins,.11cots, sleeping bags.11and blankets “because.11many Dominicans are.11living in shelters.”.11Next week, he said,.11ITNAC will begin collecting.11building supplies.

Hector said the organisation.11also needed.11cash to assist with.11shipping among other.11expenses.

People wishing to be.11a part of Dominica’s.11relief effort, he said,.11can make a donation.11to ITNAC’s Republic.11Bank account -.11510009446802.11He said the support.11has been overwhelming.

“People are coming.11to help sort clothes to.11help sort clothes and.11pack items,” he said,.11adding that people.11with vehicles can also.11visit the organisation.11to help transport items.11to the port or collect.11supplies.

Suzanne Dowdy,.11of the Port-of-Spainbased.11Living Water.11Community, said items.11were being collected.11for Dominica and other.11hurricane-affected.11islands through the TT.11For Irma Group.

The group was.11formed in the wake of.11Hurricane Irma which.11battered Leeward Island.11territories, Cuba.11and Florida earlier this.11month.

Like Hector, Dowdy.11said the island was in.11dire need of food, water,.11tarpaulins and plywood.

On Prime Minister.11Dr Keith Rowley’s.11appeal for TT citizens.11to open their homes.11and hearts to Dominicans.11for a period of six.11months as the island.11rebuilds, Dowdy said.11the community does.11not have housing accomodation.11to facilitate.11this need.

“But we are open, as.11a community, to whatever.11the need is. We.11will always offer what.11ever we can. It may not.11be housing but we will.11do whatever we can.”.11Hector said ITNAC.11has not yet had a conversation.11about the.11Government’s appeal.11for citizens to open.11their homes to distraught.11Dominicans.11for a period of six.11months.

.11

However, St Augustine MP. Prakash Ramadhar and Caroni. Central MP Bhoe Tewarie yesterday. insisted it cannot be “an open. door policy for all.”. “We cannot empty Dominica. from all those who can help in the. restoration process because Dominica. has a future. We must help. them build it,” Ramadhar said in a. statement.

Ramadhar, who said he will also. make a personal contribution to. the cause, made it clear said he had. no issue with the Government’s. call.

“Of course, we must help our. brothers and sisters in their time of. need,” he said.

“Dominica having been devastated,. it is important for all those. who have friends and families or. anyone that they know, who wish. to open their doors to them, to. welcome them and temporarily. host them until they can get back. on their feet.”. Ramadhar also said it is very important. that Dominica be rebuilt.

“To do so we must ensure that. those who can, remain in Dominica. and we must assist them in every. possible way.” Ramadhar said equal. attention and support also must be. paid to Dominican who wish to. stay on the island during the rehabilitation. process. “There are many, of course, who. wish to live in their homeland,. where their entire legacy, their fore. parents, their grandparents, their. parents, born and grew and helped. build Dominica.

“They wish to remain I am sure.

We must help them. For those others. who wish to have their children. born and to grow in their homeland,. we must help to build a future. for themselves and their children.”. He added: “As a result, it is necessary. for us in Trinidad and Tobago. to do all we can to assist. To that. end I am making a call to all of our. constituents of St Augustine to donate. food stuff, clothing and more. importantly building material as. we proceed to assist our brothers. and sisters now and into the future.

I also call on all of our citizens of. Trinidad and Tobago,. “The Inter-Religious Organization,. where every church, mosque. and temple must be involved; The. Supermarket Association, The. Hardware Dealers Association,. The Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers. Association, and The National. Petroleum Company to do. as much as they can at this point in. time to assist.” Ramadhar said he. will also make a financial contribution. to this effort.

Tewarie applauded the initiative,. but called for an immigration policy. with clear targets aligned to human. resource needs in the context. of a sustainable development strategy. for TT.

“It is all well and good to be kind. and charitable and to others in. times of need. This spirit of generosity. should be applauded. But we. have had a Haitian crisis. We have. had for some time and continuing,. a Venezuelan crisis, and we now. have a Dominican crisis,” wrote on. facebook.

The former minister of planning. said he had initiated a manpower. study based on clear diversification. preferences with the IDB.

“I do not know if the Rowley. government has supported this initiative.

While vie-ke-vie decision. making may seem humanitarian. in a situation of crisis, proceeding. in crisis response mode facilitates. arbitrariness and making decisions. without wider context, frame work. or plan will ultimately result in. confusion.

“So as we accept as reasonable,. the PMs gesture to the people of. Dominica, let us bear in mind that. there is urgent need for something. more.”.

The defending champions are demanding the respect they deserve after maintaining their 100 percent record during the start of the 2017 season. Presentation San Fernando remain the only other team who are undefeated this season as they kept pace with the league leaders by defeating Carapichaima East Secondary 2-1 in Carapichaima.

‘Pres’ are second on the table with 13 points and currently trail the leaders Shiva by two points after the fifth round.

St Augustine Secondary looked as though they would be the third team to keep an unbeaten record after Stephon Eallie beat the Naps’ goalkeeper from the half-line with a fantastic free-kick in the 42nd minute.

The visitors looked comfortable away from home and thought they picked up the three points when Anthony Samuel struck the second for the “Green Machine”, after he got on the end of a cross, in the 63rd.

However, Naps were spurred on by those setbacks as Juda St Louis led a resurgence as he struck a late hattrick to grab all three points.

St Louis’ first goal came in the 76th when he dispossessed a St Augustine player and then followed the play until the ball worked its way back to him, on top of the box, where he smashed it into the back of the net.

Naparima were then awarded a penalty and the midfielder stepped up from the spot and made no mistake for the equaliser in the 80th.

St Louis then completed a Man-of-the- Match performance when he struck a brilliant free-kick, from 30 yards out in the 90th minute, to send the home fans in a frenzy.

In the other SSFL Premier Division matches, Fatima got past QRC 2-0 at the Queen’s Royal College Grounds while St Benedict’s and San Juan North battled to a 1-1 draw at the Mahaica Oval, Point Fortin.

Signal Hill hosted St Mary’s College in Tobago but were defeated 3-2 in their encounter, while Trinity East travelled to Speyside and triumphed 3-0.

The match between St Anthony’s College and Fyzabad Secondary did not play due to a waterlogged field at Westmoorings.

The question of the end of the world arises not so much because of the actual published prediction that the earth would be destroyed by a planet called Nibiru, but by things that are happening for real, right now.

With the current plague of natural disasters, it’s enough to make the most level-headed of us feel a bit paranoid. It is easy to see why, in less developed societies, such things are seen as demonstrations of anger by whoever or whatever people regard as being in charge.

Look out: it’s a thunder storm; we must have done something wrong and we’re being punished for it (even though a thunder storm is little more than a slap on the wrist unless you get struck by lightning).

In primitive communities, such castigations are ascribed to a god of some sort, and what distinguishes us in the developed world in the wonderful, all-knowing 21st century from these less educated groups is that here there is some dispute about the very existence of God. The ancients didn’t–and the remotes don’t–have access to scientific research that could be adapted to suit their own fears and theories, so they believed what their elders believed, just as devotees of the Bible and the Qu’ran can point to passages contained in them that indicate right and wrong or foretell disaster.

While TT is luckier than most Caribbean countries in that hurricanes usually start just in front of us and head the other way, even those who choose to interpret weather events as divine retribution must admit that whoever is dishing out the punishment is hugely biased.

Why should a nation in which murder and rape are on the front pages every day get away with it? Why should Irma wipe out peaceful, harmless little Barbuda and spare the gun-toting morons who make TT ’s streets such nervous places? And as for earthquakes, such as the ones that have just killed hundreds of people in Mexico, are they also supernatural beatings handed out to the bad guys? In which case, what has Italy done to warrant the quakes that have plagued it in recent years? Is pizza really that bad for the world, or is it just the stuffed crusts and the anchovies? Perhaps the point is that we, the human race, have to be self-policing at an individual level.

In other words we each have it within ourselves to be good citizens and whatever we may feel about our reward being in heaven, or that karma will sort us out later, it’s up to us to clean up our act here and now, just in case.

That doesn’t mean abandoning religion because it causes trouble, which is a fashionable point of view. That would be like banning football because there is occasionally trouble at a match.

It doesn’t even mean finding some way of getting everyone of a religious persuasion to worship the same god. That would just be insulting to the intelligence of the billions of people whose beliefs cannot be scientifically proven (nor disproven) but who go about their lives in peace, minding their own business.

This is not the first time our communal demise has been predicted.

It is, after all, the sort of thing that great wise men are supposed to know. If you’re going to be accepted as a fount of wisdom, you’ve got to have a few facts at your fingertips, such as what time is closing time.

In 1524 many people fled their homes in London and headed for the hills after a prediction by astrologers that the end of the world would start with the flooding of the city. When that didn’t happen the theorists revised their estimation, adding 100 years (a suspiciously round figure, don’t you think?), but guess what – it didn’t happen in 1624 either.

The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, as used by the much-respected Mayan civilisation which peaked in Central America between 250 and 900 AD, pinpointed December 21 2012 as lights-out time, resulting in huge queues at Penny Savers when people who didn’t expect to see another Christmas realised they were going to need to get some beer and ham in after all.So all together now: p h e w ! Isn’t it g r e a t t h a t there are s o m e t h i n g s we don’t know?

Terms and expressions which once formed the cornerstone of Christian identity are but a faint echo and, in some cases, there is nothing at all. So too is the expression “becoming missionary disciples”– the theme of the, almost concluded, Catechetical Month (September). The word “disciple” may still evoke some resonance but hardly the word “missionary.” This should not surprise us since the last available census (2011) puts those who are not into institutional religion at 13.3 per cent–a relatively large figure. Add to that the high percentage of nominal Catholics, ie who have had little or no faith formation, and we could be heading in the direction of a tabula rasa when it comes to Catholic identity.

Yet the very survival of the Catholic faith, not only as a religion but as a social force demands the renewal of these terms in ways that would resonate with the post-modern generation immersed as they are in a digital world.

At the heart of the word “missionary” is the notion of “witness.” A Christian is a witness. This has both a doctrinal and moral component. We are witnesses to someone, ie Jesus Christ, in a world which wants to hear His name less and less in the public square. But we are also witnesses to a moral order founded on his name–Christian ethics. When the moral order has significantly collapsed in a country that is 6305 per cent Christian, and 86.7 per cent religious (belonging to a religious institution) we are looking at a grave failure of religion.

Religion itself is too mired in puerile “devotionalism” which will not generate a renewal of the moral order. Placing national flags, banners, bunting etc in various parts of the national landscape stretching from Independence to Republic Day has its place but will not, by itself, generate nationalism in a country that refuses to sing the words of its own anthem at high-level state functions at which the President and Prime Minister are present.

Nor does it naturally arise among so many who see nothing wrong in hunting animals to extinction, including the Scarlet Ibis; nor among the majority of the population who have resigned into accepting that Tobago will never have a reliable ferry service despite past budgets as grandiose as 70 billion.

What is killing our country is human selfishness with money as the number one diadem in the crown of greed. There needs to be, as we celebrate our republican anniversary, a less urgent sense of charity and a greater desire for justice and equity; a need for the class consciousness that dominated the years before and shortly after Independence.

We need to focus on neglected communities and community development, employ more social workers to our schools, encourage thrift at all levels, reduce pollution and care for the environment.

We need to rebuild a strong moral framework whose soul emerges from the best practices of religion

One such citizen is Trinidadian activist and Newsday columnist Elizabeth Solomon, who has worked for years with the United Nations on humanitarian projects around the world and whose husband, Senior Counsel Reginald Armour, has been on the ground in Dominica since Friday.

“How he has described the place, it is really, really devastated,” Solomon told Sunday Newsday.

“It was a very lush island and now it is denuded. Those pictures that people have been seeing with lots of wood. Those are trees that have been stripped of all their leaves.” Solomon, who is also the executive director of the Dispute Resolution Centre, said the people to whom she has spoken on the ground tell a tale of serious hardship.

“There are lots of people sharing one room. There is no food. It is going to be quite some time before they are going to be able to be on their feet again and to just have a roof over their head.

So, they need immediate help.” According to Solomon, the island’s most pressing demand is for food, water, sleeping cots and tarpaulins. “They have been exhausted and traumatised and a little sleep will help so I think tarpaulins are needed.” Basic medical supplies, she said, are also urgently required.

Alluding to reports of violence and looting, Solomon said the such situations must be properly managed.

She said: “I imagine that there are elements who feel that they can take what they can get because they don’t know what is going to happen next. But then that spirals out of control.

And then there is also the propensity for people to believe that they don’t have equal access to safety and for goods. In the short term, it is important to be cognisant of that and to be conflict prevention wise.” Solomon said that rather than just gathering commodities to send to the island, people were genuinely interested in the restoration process.

Although she did not hear Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s appeal citizens to open their homes to Dominicans for a six-month period, Solomon said on the surface, she welcomed the initiative.

“It will be important to know the details of what he has in place. The devil is in the details. But I think it is important that we should open our arms to support the people of Dominica, to support our neighbours and they really are in desperate need of help.”

It’s a moot point, especially since Mottley, a former finance minister, has long left politics.

But Giuseppi, who, on September 15, launched his second book The Journey Continues at the National Library, Portof- Spain, remains convinced Mottley would have been an excellent prime minister.

Reading an excerpt, Giuseppi, one of the country’s wellloved media personalities, referred to his general distaste of politics but admitted to guests he once considered getting involved in the field.

That was in 2002, when he was invited by a friend to attend a meeting in Port-of- Spain hosted by Mottley.

Giuseppi, 69, wrote that at the meeting, Mottley indicated his intention to launch a new political party.

“He outlined his vision for TT and I must admit, I was impressed. For the next few months I worked very closely with Wendell and his team in setting up the party which was to be known as the Citizens Alliance,” he wrote.

Giuseppi wrote that a snap election prevented the party from becoming a force on the political landscape. He recalled, along with two others, advising Mottley against contesting the election.

“The time was much too short for us to even think of contesting the election since none of the party’s structures were yet in place to allow us to make a serious run at capturing the Government or even winning enough seats to allow us to make a difference in Parliament.

“My argument was that our goal needed to be long term and would be better served by taking the next five years to build strong party institutions which will allow us to be a force to be reckoned with down the road.” According to Giuseppi, a number of people disagreed and were able to convince Mottley to proceed.

He said he wished them luck and “withdrew completely from any further involvement in the party which went on to contest the general election and suffered a heavy defeat which ended Wendell’s involvement in our politics.” “I was quite disappointed with the turn of events since I remain convinced to this day, that Wendell Mottley would have made an excellent prime minister of TT .” Born and raised in Arima by Neville and Undine Giuseppi, both of whom were prolific writers, the former TTT broadcaster, in the book, revealed that former prime ministers George Chambers and Patrick Manning had approached him to contest the seat.

“My answer has always been the same.

I have neither the patience nor the testicular fortitude to be a politician,” he wrote.

He said while it might be true that politics governed everything in the world, “I have always felt that getting involved in active politics often forces one to make compromises that they will never make in the normal course of things.” Saying politicians and political parties should serve only one term, Giuseppi observed that once the question of re-election came into the picture, compromises started.

“Members who are committed to a oneterm party can make the hard decisions as often as needed without fear of losing at the polls on the next occasion.” Referring specifically to TT , the former Arima Boys’ Government student, wrote there were many hard decisions to be made which successive governments seemed afraid or unwilling to make.

“That is why we continue to be a third-world nation, a place I believe we will always remain, regardless of what the politicians may say to the contrary.” But Giuseppi’s brief political interest was just one area into which The Journey Continues delves.

Within its 382 pages, the book also captures his other life experiences, presenting never before revealed insights into the “things that made him tick,” according to his daughter, Nicole, who delivered a reflection at the launch.

Written in bold print with hundreds of photographs, she said the book highlighted her father’s love for family, friends and “genuine respect for true professionals who have made their impact on Trinidad and Tobago society, the region and the rest of the world.” Receiving equal attention, Nicole said, was his take on the Americanisation of Trinidadians, the breakdown of discipline in schools, religious fanaticism, the failure of one of the country’s major health institutions to provide an acceptable level of health care and what he considered the “rip off that is perpetrated on the country’s citizens by the large majority of the country’s insurance companies.” It also speaks to Giuseppi’s status as a free mason and onetime manager of two of the country’s leading calypsonians.

Nicole said, “He takes us back to a simpler time almost 50 years ago, when, along with his late parents, he was able to tour Europe on $5 a day.” Nicole said her father had the ability to recall even the smallest details about people and events many years ago.

Giuseppi joked that The Journey Continues–the sequel to his first book, No Regrets– was by “no stretch of the imagination meant to be any academic dissertation meant at enlightening the masses.

“This book, like the former, is simply a collection of the memories of a man who lived life to the fullest and who, in the twilight of his years, is reflecting on what these years meant to him and maybe to others whose paths he may have crossed along the way.” Businessman Ken Gordon delivered the feature address.

Giuseppi’s daughter, Lisa, also spoke.

Among those attending the event were Arima Mayor Lisa Morris-Julien, former Port of Spain mayor Louis Lee Sing and media personalities Jones P Madeira, Tony Fraser, Bernard Pantin and Dominic Kalipersad