They marched from Tambrin Square through the streets of Scarborough to Market Square where the labour leaders spoke.

In addressing the small gathering, President General of the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) James Lambert said the workers of Trinidad and Tobago are suffering for having supported the People’s National Movement in the 2015 general election.

Even so, Lambert said the “bad governance” of the Dr Keith Rowley administration has united the labour movement once more.

“If you touch one you touch all. Some of them are ashamed to come out but I remembered, sometime in 2015 we were red and ready and on the 30th of June, we are now red and suffering.

We want them to know that we are suffering but at the same time, I want to say thanks to the honourable Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, we thank him for the bad governance of Trinidad and Tobago that he has united the labour movement,” he said.

Lambert stated daily rated workers are working on 2012 wages, as negotiations are yet to commence with Government.

“We are in the fourth year and we have a Government that believes that they could do their collective bargaining and negotiation on the PNM’s (People’s National Movement) platform…. We have sent in our proposals, we went to the CPO (Chief Personnel Officer) and we did all the non-cost items but as it reach to dollars and cents, the Government is not ready yet.” And as the cost of living goes up, “the suffering workers out there cannot get a fair share from the Government”, said Lambert.

On reports of plans to privatise Tobago’s Studley Park Quarry, Lambert assured workers they have no reason to fear.

“We will do every living thing in our power to ensure that the workers in Studley Park get their fair share and justice will be met as long as we are here, so they have nothing, absolutely nothing to be afraid of,” he said Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) president general Ancel Roget implored workers to join together warning they are “being targeted” by employers and Government.

“The employers have united, indeed, they have united with the Government to fight against all of the benefits that you have gained to fight you and therefore the only way that we can combat and defeat this attack is for us to come together in a common cause, a common purpose to fight all of those who are fighting against us,” said Roget.

He said workers also have to grapple with the impact of crime, the state of health care and “the issue of abusive power and bad governance”.

“The politicians have failed repeatedly, over and over again, disappointed the masses, promised gold and give you copper, promised the promise land and send you to hell, that is the modus operandi of the politicians.”

How many of us would own up if we were in his position and did likewise? While his comment may not have been wise, he and the Syria- Lebanese community have contributed significantly to this country in many ways, not just in the financial sector. I thank God for them using their skills and money and for making TT a better place for thousands of our citizens.

So let us see the bigger picture and forgive and move on as Sabga- Aboud has done. Apology accepted, now let us move on.

ARNOLD GOPEESINGH via email

Criminal activity is on the rise in Arima. There are several reports of houses broken into, cars stolen, robberies, aggravated assaults and now front page horror murders, and heartless killers in our midst.

It was not that long ago Arima was more like one big extended family, but the proliferation on the periphery of illegal settlements have been a heaven for the plotting miscreants with their vile murderous intent.

Recently the office of the mayor provided self-defence classes. The initiative speaks for itself. Are we clueless? We withdrew the Community Comfort Patrols, abandoned community policing and deployed fewer patrols in residential areas.

Who could forget the brutal beating of an elderly Chinese man into unconsciousness in Santa Rosa Heights, one house from the police post during the day.

The distinct instruction from former commissioner of police Dwayne Gibbs was for the police to make themselves more visible and interact with citizens. As for our ministers of national security and heads of the Security Council, they should all hang their heads in shame, for they were sworn to protect the people of this country. And note that “a man without honour is worse than dead” (Miguel Cervantes).

COLIN FORTUNE Arima

Coincidentally, a ransom was paid and no technology, such as long distance cameras and GPS trackers, were used to observe the pickup. No helicopters were brought in. Nothing substantial was done to capture the kidnappers.

A newspaper report said, “Laing is believed to have been kidnapped around 3 am when he would routinely open his bakery in preparation of the day’s sales… Laing was snatched outside his bakery, Puff n Stuff, at Circular Road (San Fernando) and in less than an hour a ransom of $270,000 was demanded for his return.” Police had 12 hours to execute a capture plan. Apparently there was none.

B JOSEPH via email

Ramlakhan copped her first gold medal on Friday in the 1M event and continued her impressive showing on the Springboard at the 2017 CCCAN Championships where she defeated her main competitor Maria Jose Mancia Aguilar of El Salvador to claim the gold yet again.

Speaking to Newsday after her second gold medal dive, Alyssa stated, “I am very proud of myself because I trained really hard in the buildup to the competition and it is really rewarding to win gold, in both of the events I competed in, while also executing my routines the way my coach wanted me to.” Ramlakhan detailed the her experiences when she took to the platform stating, “At first I was nervous because it is such a big competition but coach Hannah (Talbot) kept telling me to stay calm, breathe and take my time on the board, as her experience of being in a similar position helped me, otherwise I would have been really scared.” The 20-year-old Talbot was pleased with the performances of her athlete throughout the competition.

“Along with being 11-years-old and competing in an international tournament, I am really pleased with her executions of the routines and nailing the objectives we set out to achieve.” Minister of Sport, Daryl Smith, was also present at the Aquatic Centre yesterday where he extended his congratulations towards Ramlakhan, stating, “Alyssa did not only make history in Trinidad and Tobago by winning the first gold medals in diving at the facility but she also set a benchmark for young athletes to follow suit and gravitate towards the sport as I am very proud of her.” The diving events were followed by synchronised swimming where the hosts did not have a representing team. However, there was an exhibition at the end of the event from a local synchronised swim team.

Other Diving Results – 3M Springboard Male Open: 1.Frandiel Gomez (Guatemala); 2.Anderson Cruz (Guatemala); 3.Jose Caldeison (Dominican Republic).

3M Springboard Female Open: 1.Angela Hernandez (Guatemala); 2.Alexandra Beatriz Manc?a Aguila (El Salvador).

At her childhood church, Crossroads Pentecostal Assembly, she was devoutly involved in music through the congregation’s choir and musician’s team. And her musical inclination followed her through her primary and secondary school years where she was also part of the schools’ choirs.

In 2008, she became part of TT’s first all women’s band, “Nehilet Blackman and D All Girls Band” where she first entered as a vocalist and transitioned to one of the band’s guitarists. “I have been privileged to perform at several highly publicised events, both locally and internationally in countries such as Ghana, the UK, and the Bahamas,” she says of her time with the all women’s band. “Now, I have decided to leave the nest and _ y on my own.” Annessa has the privilege of being one of only a few women music producers in TT, and she suspects she may be the only woman producing gospel music right now. Last year, she released her debut single “Joyful Noise”, a self-produced track that saw great success on the local and regional gospel circuits. The track is a song of praise based on Psalm 100.

Of the track’s creation, she says, “The lyrics came while I was reflecting on how vast and marvelous the universe is. I was amazed at its beauty and wanted to offer up thanks to God.” She explains that her songwriting process usually begins with the idea she would like to convey, and while writing she is always mindful of the lyrics being relatable to others. “I go with what feels good.” Having been surrounded by music for most of her life, she has had the opportunity of working with countless producers but explains the frustration “when you hear something in your head and you are the only one who hears it.” In fact, it is this very frustration that drove her to begin producing her own music. “My background in music and being exposed to so many top-notch musicians and producers has shaped my approach to constructing songs,” she elaborates.

She describes her gospel style as a modern blend of pop, neo soul, and trap music. She is also inspired by the musical genre jamoo (Jehovah’s Music), which was created by the late musical pioneer Lord Shorty, also known as Ras Shorty I. “But I won’t be limited by any particular genre,” she says of the limitations she refuses to set on herself and her music. “Music is one expression of emotion and a song can take any form depending on the feeling involved.” She also refuses to be limited by gender.

Although in a male-dominated industry, she describes her equal work ethic as garnering her just as much respect as and from her male counterparts. “They can’t knock you if you’re working just as hard as they are,” she says lightly. “They respect me as a new producer and never once have I heard ‘You are doing great… for a girl’.” She also hopes, as a producer, to support up-and-coming women artists who need mentorship and support in their musical careers.

She hopes that by setting an example of a successful woman in music, other women can see themselves in her. “I want all women who are interested in music to know that it is not gender specific. You can do whatever you like, do it well, and be respected without the gender tags,” she says of what she hopes her work and creations will inspire. She continues, “Be the bassists, sound engineers, producers, and DJs. This realm doesn’t just need more women in these areas, but creatives who are willing to push the envelope. Your gender should never stop you.” And while the genre of gospel is known for praise to a higher power, Annessa does not only limit her lyrics to that of worship. “Through my lyrics, I try to convey that it’s ok to be human. We win and we lose. On my Soundcloud (soundcloud.com/annessamusic) there is a song called ‘Moving Forward’ which speaks about failures we may come across in our lives and the importance of getting up and continuing on your journey,” she says of the allencompassing lyrics and music she creates, with hopes that every person can listen and have a takeaway.

This month, she will be releasing her next single featuring Nathaniel (known for his single “For Better or Worse”), called “Nobody”. She shares that the track is an upbeat, melodic, and introspective song of God’s love and mercy in her life. “It’s Hip-Hop inspired, so look out for those banging 808s!” she says coyly ahead of the song’s release.

In the future, she hopes to have her own record label and work with young creatives, like herself, who are hoping to spread words of encouragement, praise, and love to the world. She also has a special place in her heart for women artists and will continue to represent them through her work.

To other women, she says, “I just need women to know that they can do anything they put their mind, hearts, and wills to. Say ‘NO’ to your doubts and watch your future unfold.”

The swimming competition continued at the National Aquatic Centre, Couva, yesterday where the hosts have gathered a total of 12 gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze medals up till press time.

Puerto Rico have copped the most gold medals thus far with 14, to go along with eight silver and 14 bronze.

Bermuda, Costa Rica and Panama all have a total of 17 medals as they battle for the overall third position.

With news of Dylan Carter suffering a minor injury to his shoulder after yesterday’s preliminary stages, the home crowd was left to wonder if the swimmer would be able to participate in last night’s races. Carter led the charge for TT on Friday night, smashing another national and tournament record, in the 18-and-Over 200-metre freestyle, when he finished in a time of one minute, 48 seconds. He defeated El Salvadoran Marcelo Acosta and Mikel Schreuders of Aruba, who completed the race in 1:51.73 and 1:51.76, respectively.

Carter then helped the Boys 18-and-Over 400m freestyle relay team to gold as they stopped the clock at 3:29.81, ahead of the Bahamas (3:32.42) and Puerto Rico (3:36.0).

Carter qualified for last evening’s 18-and- Over 100m freestyle and the 800m freestyle relay events but was withdrawn from competing as a precautionary measure for the forthcoming World Championships.

Jonathan Farah was his replacement in the relays.

Team TTO continued to rack up the medals, despite the loss of their most influential athlete, as Christian Dieffenthaller copped gold in the 200m freestyle with his time of 2:02.34. He was closely monitored by Puerto Rican Minfer Lebron who finished in 2:02.51 for the silver. His fellow teammate Aqeel Joseph (2:02.68) also had a solid finish to secure the bronze for the hosts as he managed to hold off the other Puerto Rican Ezequiel Negron (2:02.71).

Dieffenthaller also copped gold in the 400m individual medley, blowing away his competition in 4:46.09. Bajan Nkosi Dunwoody’s time of 4:50.97 was enough to secure silver in the race, ahead of Alejandro Panting of Honduras (4:55.02). Gabriella Donahue continued her form in the competition leading the Girls 400m freestyle relay team to gold in 4:04.83. Costa Rica followed behind in 4:05.83 and Barbados rounded off the top three with a time of 4:10.85.

Kael Yorke copped gold for Team TTO in the Boys 15-17 50m Butterfly while Joshua Romany secured the 18-and- Over butterfly category.

Even years before graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Fashion and Design, after graduating from Bishops Anstey High School, Port-of-Spain, she was sure her career path would run in the vein of fine arts or culinary arts. It was during the months after graduating secondary school that she saw a televised performance of Cirque du Soleil’s Kuzo, and it was as if her fate was sealed.

“I was struck by how the costumes helped to tell the narrative,” she says of the awe-inspiring garments worn by the performers, “and transformed bodies and created spectacle.” From then on, the young creator set her sights on working in the film or theatre industries as a costume designer. While there was no costume design programme in Trinidad at the time, there was one in Fashion offered at CAFD. For Sarah, this was just her luck. For although her heart was set on costume design, she could still learn the same basic skill sets needed as a costume designer, such as technical sewing, fabric manipulation, design concept, art and fashion history, and illustration.

Sarah describes the four years before graduating with her BFA as “intense … but at the end of it I realised why they pushed us so hard: because we not only have to compete with ourselves but with the rest of the world.” She also speaks of TT’s own budding fashion and design industry, which most students of CAFD have and will continue to nurture and foster; tenets which are instilled along with technical skills through the courses and degrees offered at the academy.

In her third year at CAFD, she was the recipient of the Meiling Design Critic Award for Best Design in the category Gingerbread House. “It was a great moment,” Sarah recalls, describing the hard work put in to create her concept. “To have someone recognise that, con_ rmed for me that all the work and decisions I had made up to that point were right.” Since graduating from CAFD in 2013, Sarah opened and co-directed her own business from top to bottom alongside her mother, Greer Jones Woodham. She explains that after developing a business plan for a fabric store as part of an entrepreneurship class assignment at CAFD, her mother saw her research figures and decided to jump on board with helping bring her class project to reality. “She applied for grants and won enough to get us off the ground – that’s how we started A.M.E.N. (a memory emerging new) Print House.” The company produces its own fabrics, catering to a client base with an eye for unique prints. As time went on, the company’s list of services and products expanded to include clothing and accessories for men and women.

During this time, Sarah was also inspired to apply to do a Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) in Costume Design at Yale University, through her design work in a local production of An Echo in the Bone, when she met two Yale School of Drama alums who further encouraged her to apply. It was these two colleagues who she says rekindled her passion to work in film and theatre.

“So I took a month off from work and created a portfolio and applied.” As hopeful as she was, her application to the esteemed programme was

rejected. But a mere week later, the school contacted her to inform her they had a spot at the school with her name on it. Come this fall, she will be entering the third year of her MFA programme at the Ivy League college. Thus far, her resume includes several shows for the school as part of her curriculum, as well as eight short plays as part of the Dwight Edgewood Project, a community project where local sixth graders write their own plays, which are then produced by Yale students over the summer months.

She says her biggest obstacle upon entering the MFA programme was having the courage to listen to her instincts and following through on them. “A young woman from the Caribbean with little theatre experience going to an Ivy League school seemed daunting, but once I made the decision to apply to Yale and had the conviction to follow through and ask for help from my family and community, everything fell into place.”

She also reflects on the decision to leave the comfort and familiarity of her family, friends, and home – a decision she says was not an easy one but which is unfortunately necessary for many local students seeking to make careers for themselves as creative professionals. “I left in order to truly learn what the theatre and film industry is about when well-supported by its own people; different ways theatre and film is run professionally; how to apply those production methods locally,” she says, adding that at the time of her departure there was no formal learning offered in the field she wished to pursue here at home.

In her third year, she has been assigned a repertory show, where plays are co-produced with industry professionals on the Yale stage. “I’m looking forward to designing costumes for Field Guide with The Rude Mechanicals, an amazing theatre group from Austin, Texas,” she says of her upcoming year of work.

Beyond her MFA, she says her future is neither here nor there. She hopes to move to London after graduating to work alongside experienced costume designers in their thriving theatre community and start designing shows professionally. Her inspiration is to create positive narratives that inspire people to collaborate with each other, respect and understand different perspectives on life, and address problematic social issues.

She says her creative process is simple: she continuously seeks inspiration and to understand the “whys” of the world. “Designers have to do a lot of inspection of the world and I think if people took the time to sit outside of their own bias and experiences and really get to know the people and the environment they are surrounded by globally then we would be a little closer to a true community.”

And she is still grateful to CAFD and her lecturers for helping her on her first step to realising her creative dreams. “CAFD gave me the tools I needed to get out there and compete with the rest of the world,” Sarah says of the irreplaceable motivation and knowledge she gained during the course of her BFA.

“To have a group of people that are a rich resource to me, that understand where I’m coming from and understand the struggle of becoming a creative professional internationally and locally is something I can’t put a price on.”

Using interchangeable pieces in largely monochromatic hues of grey to black grey, Adrian explained that much of his visual inspiration for the winning collection came from the world of horror and sci-fi . Listing the zombie slaughter-fest Resident Evil FIlm series, movies within the steampunk genre and some of the darker anime among his inspiration for the pieces, he told WMN that he really wanted to put out something “unconventional.” He told WMN that some of the pieces’ silhouettes possessed certain elements pulled from each of the movies by which he was inspired. “I twisted them to insert them into my version of things.” Like the narratives from which Adrian borrowed aspects of his aesthetic, his collection had tales of their own to tell. “I wanted to tell a story in terms of the way the clothes were presented on the runway,” he explained. “Certain pieces represented battle and the two finale pieces [represented] what was destroyed by the world coming to an end.” “I’ve always been drawn to those kinds of movies,” Adrian admitted. “A lot of people do [Caribbean-themed] pieces; I wanted to come out of my comfort zone,” he explained his choices.

And out of his comfort zone he came, taking a risk that landed him the top prize of his year group. With the clean lines in his silhouettes and the precision in his sewing, one wouldn’t think that Adrian had arrived at UTT four years ago without sewing skills or even knowledge of fashion.

Adrian’s artistic flair actually began on the page before it made its way to the runway. “I love art and drawing; it was one of my subjects for CXC.” The young designer told WMN that his favourite art subjects were plants and scenery as well as anime, and that he had a preference for charcoal, pencils, coloured pencils and oil pastels as his media.

With art as only a hobby, Adrian began the Sports Studies programme at the UTT San Fernando Campus but switched after a short time, feeling a certain pull towards fashion design. “I always found it an interesting _ eld.” How did Adrian overcome his deficiencies, in not knowing how to sew in such a short space of time? No special secret there but hard work. “I practiced a lot on my own. I just practiced and used YouTube.” When it came to tackling hefty assignments, Adrian admitted, “I have good time management.” He explained that whenever projects were assigned, he would begin almost immediately, researching and doing the other background work. “I used to be ahead of everyone, and people kind of looked up to me for that.” While a number of his classmates’ pieces used lighter fabrics, and seemed appropriate to wear in the region’s climate, Adrian’s “Apocalypse” was actually designed with the intention of it being a fall collection. “There was lots of layering, knit fabric, woven fabric, drill and denim.” He let on, “I wasn’t necessarily designing for the Caribbean.” When asked if his having showcased a fall collection in the heat of June’s rainy season was indicative of a desire to go abroad, he laughed in agreement.

“I want to leave Trinidad to get more experience overseas.

I don’t want to stop; I’d love to further [my knowledge],” Adrian told WMN, explaining that he would like to specialise in a particular subfield within the fashion world. “There are lots of avenues – shoes, handbags… the list goes on. Even the programme only catered to womenswear but I chose to add some menswear pieces,” he said, revealing that he would like to have done an allmale collection but it wasn’t allowed given the leaning of the course offerings.

But for all his desire to depart from here, Adrian has much love for the local fashion industry, citing Meiling as a personal favourite. “I met [her] about three weeks ago; she brought Anya [Ayoung Chee] to see me.” Adrian also told WMN that he would be interested in doing an internship with a local designer. “I need to get some experience; I’d work under another designer for a while – someone like Meiling, Shaun Griffith Perez or Anya Ayoung Chee.” Apart from the mystery and mayhem of the apocalypse and his favourite sci fi flicks, Adrian’s work has myriad other inspirations, some of which he shared with us.

So far, he finds the aesthetic of the African continent fascinating. “I’ve been doing a lot of research on Africa recently, not necessarily the fashion but the tribes.” The hectic European club scene – Adrian mentioned the Netherlands in particular – is also a source of inspiration for the young designer.

When asked if he had any advice for persons who are hesitant about starting out in a new and unfamiliar field, Adrian encouraged, “Go ahead and try it because you never know how you’ll do. I didn’t know that I was going to do this programme.” Adrian admitted, “I’m still learning.”

The bay daughter of Gold Market/Katakova well riddeen by jockey Sheldon Rodrigo, took up the running 800 metres out, and when pre-race favourite Hello went in pursuit, the John O’Brien-rained filly just galloped away to a four length victory.

Blind Date, also from the O’Brien Barn who raced prominently throughout, held on for third.

It was a good day for trainer O’Brien who topped his peers saddling two winners yesterday to take his season’s total to 19, two more than current champion trainer Glenn Mendez.

Equally, it was a good day for jockey Dillon lKhelawan who was astride two innners.

Khelawan was at his best, getting Bridal Falls home by a nose in the 1100 metres sprint for locally-bred three-yearolds.

One turfite left the track a very happy camper after spotting the Hi5 combination of Precise Moment, She Izza Lady, Jesse’s Girl, Vantage Point and Single Bullet for a payout of $7,702.45.