At the cheque presentation, Scotiabank Foundation director Peter Ghany underscored the Foundation’s commitment to helping young people become better off. “The Scotiabank Foundation invests in our young people and communities in the areas of education, empowerment and environment.” This donation, he added, helps us focus on two of these areas – education and empowerment.

Steelpan Education in Primary Schools has many positive outcomes.

Learning to play the steelpan plays an important role in opening doors to young children, helping them to discover opportunities that will help them become to reach their full potential.

“Scotiabank has been supporting the promotion of the steelpan for the past 40 years,” stated Kameel Baksh-Edwards, General Manager of Scotiabank Foundation.

“Those contributions to independent steelbands during the Carnival season helps them continue in their thrust of fostering community spirit. The support of steelpan education for young students is a natural extension of our commitment to not only the rich culture of our country and the promotion of our national instrument, but also helping our young people lead better lives” she continued.

Neil Simon, music teacher at Febeau Government Primary, praised Scotiabank Foundation for its foresight in this initiative and emphasised the positive role music can have on the life of his students “Music opened the door for me to pursue tertiary education studies in spite of a disadvantaged background and not having the required prerequisites after leaving secondary school…my path could have been very different, but I chose music,” he indicated.

It is usually accompanied by a back-in-times “playlist” which includes songs about floodgates that were not maintained, rivers that were not dredged, illegal dumping of refuse, abuse of the hillsides, illegal buildings constructed over drains, uncontrolled squatting etc.

Our politician play this game to the hilt with promises to set up commissions of inquiry, aerial surveys from helicopters, distribution of hampers, and snap appearances in knee-deep water well clad in boots.

The reality of the present flooding suggests we have reached nowhere in terms of dealing with this perennial problem.

In days gone by it used to be considered a south/central affair.

A few years ago we saw what floods could do in north Trinidad when the Diego Martin River burst its banks.

If we do not deal with this issue all our efforts at diversification, improving infrastructure etc could be wasted.

As we face the future let us admit we are not prepared for any disaster here.

The opening for public education and for State intervention exists now. There is need for public education. The reality is that given our present practices, if we suffer a serious hurricane the entire country will be under flood waters. If the position of the State is that we have to wait for the waters to subside before the authorities swing into action, then we are all going to die. In a chaotic situation, as exists now, the compensation and support required from the State would be impossibly huge.

The laws for the construction of buildings must be enforced.

Land use practices have to be enforced. Squatters have to learn that it is not in their interest to build in certain areas. People must be educated about the effects of illegal dumping. People have to be shown how their individual actions can come back to haunt them and when they do not learn, law enforcement must prevail.

So the solution is civic responsibility and good governance.

The floods provide a fertile opportunity to start.

SAMUEL LOCHAN via email

The 12-member team will take part in a six-day training camp in London before heading to Botswana, via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa.

At a brief reception at the VIP Lounge, Piarco International Airport yesterday, Sharon Rowley, wife of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and patron of the Trinidad and Tobago Netball Association (TTNA), said farewell to the national athletes and urged them to play to their full potential.

“You can never do better than your best, and I know that you’re going to do your best.

You’ve been training very hard to accomplish this. From the time you step on that plane, you are going to be the ambassadors for Trinidad and Tobago,” Mrs Rowley said.

Referring to Trinidad and Tobago’s joint title success at home, along with Australia and New Zealand, at the 1979 World Championships, Mrs Rowley admitted, “Deep within me, I feel that we’re going to get a repeat of 1979 with this team. You’re going out there with confidence and faith in yourselves.

Believe in yourself.

“Once you have that ‘space’ in yourself, you know that victory can be yours. We know that you can make us proud.” Also speaking to the players was TTNA president Dr Patricia Butcher.

“You have started your journey since October 2015 and you qualified to go to Botswana, after a very interesting and very tough competition where you placed second in the qualifiers.” The Americas Federation of Netball Associations (AFNA) took place in St Maarten last August but TT suffered a narrow 50-48 loss to Barbados in the title decider.

From the AFNA qualifiers, TT, Barbados and third-placed team Grenada all advanced to the Netball World Youth Cup (formerly World Youth Netball Championships).

TT will be in Pool D, alongside Grenada, England, Fiji and Wales.

Reigning champs New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Samoa are in Pool A. In Pool B are Australia, South Africa, Barbados, Zimbabwe and Singapore; while Jamaica, Botswana, Cook Islands, Malaysia and Uganda will feature in Pool C.

TT will meet Fiji on July 8, followed by England (July 10), Wales (July 11) and Grenada (July 12).

“Since you’ve come back – and that was last year August – you have been working extremely hard,” said Butcher. “All of the technical staff are behind our team because we saw the potential, we saw that you can bring glory to our country Trinidad and Tobago.” Butcher will also be in Botswana, not only to cheer on the national squad but to attend the Annual General Meeting of the International Netball Federation (INF).

“What I want to say to you is ‘we have had challenges’,” she acknowledged.

“You all are aware of the challenges. I want to thank God for bringing us this far. What I ask of you is to make us proud, to be very focused, to be very sensitive that you’re representing your country.” And team manager Vanessa Forde pointed out, “We know that we are prepared and we know that we are going to win. I’m so happy for (the players), I’m so happy that they have stayed focus. We will be successful.” This is the eighth edition of the competition, with Australia emerging victorious on four occasions (1988 in Canberra, Australia; 1996 in Toronto, Canada; 2000 in Cardiff, Wales and 2009 in Rarotonga, Cook Islands).

New Zealand won the other three events (1992 in Suva, Fiji, 2005 in Fort Lauderdale, United States and 2013 in Glasgow, Scotland).

TT U-21 TEAM Players: Aneicia Baptiste, Janeisha Cassimy (co-captains), Tiana Dillon, Cheynelle Dolland, Faith Hagley, Tahirah Hollingworth, Canice Jacob, Sanya Jarvis, Jeresia McEachrane, Shantel Seemungal, Shernece Seemungal, Afiya Vincent.

Technical Staff: Rhonda John-Davis (coach), Kemba Duncan (assistant coach), Vanessa Forde (manager), Dr Aqiyla Gomez (physical therapist), Amanda Johnson (mental coach), Wayne Samuel (primary care), Kerwyn Marcelle (massage therapist).

Baptiste-Primus was deliverying the feature address on government policy at the launch of the Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE ) Conference to be held by the American Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AMCHAM) on November 14 and 15 at the Hyatt Regency, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain. She added that the Cabinet is also considering amendments to the Industrial Relations Act; the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act; and the Co-operative Societies Act.

The minister said in the last administration there were stories about irregulaties in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), including OSHA workers being housed in “sick” buildings and OSHA offices being shut down, but under the current administration, the Government is ensuring suitable accommodation for staff, including locating a healthy building at Alexandra Street, St Clair as its head offices.

She said the department was also getting new offices in Tobago, which she has ordered must be occupied before the end of July, and competent and qualified staff have been hired in several top positions.

When she took over as minister, she said, there were provisions for 152 positions but only 50 were filled and almost 200 of the staff of the OSH Agency were working from home because of the lack of suitable accommodation. Many of them, she said, took the opportunity to open businesses, and pursue higher education.

Baptiste-Primus said the ministry had since prepared a building on Park Street, Port of Spain, which would become its main building and will house several other departments.

If this means anything at all there is always hope for the ultimate redemption of this country regardless of its challenges at this time. However, the effort toward redemption needs further help.

For example, we do have a national problem because we do not know our own West Indian history. Nor for that matter world history.

I note that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has stated that he wants to see a greater emphasis on the teaching of history in the education curriculum.

I have also noted that among the priorities of the Ministry of Education is to “emphasise the teaching of our country’s history and geography in schools.” As a student of Trinity College, in the fifties, we were fortunate to study history in all its manifestations. After being grounded in medieval history in the early forms, by Third Form we had the choice of studying either West Indian history or West Indian geography as we prepared for O-Levels.

I remember that our founding principal, Peter Helps, an Englishman, taught the first forms about the several matters including the Hegira, Prophet Muhammad’s (upon whom be peace) flight from Mecca to Medina, in 622.

By Sixth Form we were doing European history and a special course within Caribbean history — emancipation to apprenticeship.

Unfortunately, today many people do not know such basics like the fact that the first Muslims to come to Trinidad were Africans. They preceded the Indian Muslims who came during indentureship. All the Africans had been enslaved but they came from different places, some from America and others from the continent.

And they were literate in Arabic.

The information about the African Muslims is very well documented. There are references in the reports of Brig- Gen Sir Thomas Hislop (governor from 1804 to 1811), Rev JH Hamilton, a rector of the Church of England (1841) and references in various African Muslim petitions to the British Government.

There is a great deal of information in the works of Dr JD Elder (1969), Dr Carl Campbell (1975), Prof Michael A Gomez (2005), and Dr Brinsley Samaroo (2010), among others.

The importance of the African Muslim presence in Trinidad has also been noted by Gomez who said that “…African Muslim presence (in Trinidad) constitutes one of the largest, most organised, most vibrant, most enduring, and most influential African Muslim communities in all of the Americas prior to the 20th century, perhaps rivalled only by their coreligionists in Brazil.” Before the 20th century, African Muslims in Trinidad lived at Guaracarite (Hausa Road), Mayo, Mandingo Road (just south of Princes Town), Quare Village in Valencia, Manzanilla, Belmont and East Dry River. In Belmont there were a number of African Muslims who were Mandingos, Hausa, Fulani and Yoruba.

Jonas Mohammed Bath emerged as one of the most prominent African Muslims in Trinidad. Mohammed was born in 1783. He was brought to Trinidad during the early 19th century as a slave of the British Government. Because he was literate in Arabic, he served as imam and Commissioner of Affidavits among Muslims in Port of Spain.

He formed a Mandingo society.

The group owned land and property.

Under his leadership they “formed a distinct society of themselves strictly bound together by their Mohammedan faith” and operated with the mission of emancipating their members from slavery.

Bath would seek out newly arrived Mandingos who had been enslaved. He usually purchased their freedom and in some cases was able to have them repatriated to the continent.

Bath Street in East Dry River is named after this African Muslim.

AIYEGORO OME Mt Lambert

They include Preysal Government, Ramai Trace Hindu, Reform Hindu and Santa Flora Government primary.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Doodhai also identified the Rousillac Hindu Primary School as being under construction.

“Rousillac Hindu is, I believe, housed in a community centre that is far from adequate.

The Preysal government primary is housed in its own building and the new school is being constructed next to the old building,” he said.

“There are some serious issues with that school. There is a foul smell coming from the sewer system, the school also has some other problems that have impacted on the safety and health of teachers and students.

These include question marks over the structural integrity of the building. The heat is at times unbearable depending on the weather conditions.

“TTUTA wants to call on the Ministry of Education to either recommence the construction of the Preysal government primary school, the new school building which we are told is between 75 to 80 per cent completed, or we must relocate the school to another location.” He expressed optimism that the 141 primary and secondary schools identified as needing remedial work would be repaired during the July/August vacation.

The Mystery XI, playing in their first game of the league after their previous match was abandoned due to rain, scored a competitive total of 161 for seven wickets from their allotted 20 overs.

Sunil Narine continued his positive batting form from the recently concluded India Premier League by blazing 35 runs from 16 balls including three fours and three towering sixes.

He was assisted by his opening partner and newcomer to the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force team, Tion Webster, who scored 32 from 16 balls including three fours and two sixes.

The best bowlers for WPI were Teshawn Castro (2/39) and Lendl Simmons (1/30).

In reply, Ottley showed his class with a brilliant knock of 63 runs from 38 balls with four boundaries and six maximums.

The left hander took a special liking to the leg spin bowling of Sheldon Balroop, hitting him for 19 runs in one over – the most in the tournament.

Teshawn Castro and West Indies player Lendl Simmons both had all-round performances on the night as they backed up their bowling performances with 34 and 41 runs respectively.

Simmons brought home the match in style with a six and four off Kashma Mitchell in the 16th over. Sunil Narine bowled superbly with one wicket for 14 runs.

Charlieville Same Side’s Roshan Parag wrecked Younstaz with his medium pace bowling claiming a hat-trick which was the fourth of the tournament.

Batting first, Same Side posted a total of 156/7 from their quota of overs.

Former West Indies and TT batsman Lincoln Roberts powered his way to 48 runs from 33 balls with two fours and four sixes. Stephen Kadoo (2/9) and Uthman Mohammed (1/23) were the best bowlers for Younstaz. Kevin Williams was the lone batsman in double figures with 19 runs as Youngstaz crumbled to 61 all out from 15.4 overs to lose by 95 runs.

The hat-trick hero, Parag, had figures of 3/6 while Jon Ross Jaggesar grabbed 4/11. Underground Warriors won by default against Marabella All Stars in what would have been the third game on the

We have been spared a great disaster.

Yes, we had some flooding and damage to property, but most homes remained standing. There was considerable distress in certain areas but few injuries and only one man lost his life while running across a makeshift crossing in the rain. Our people rose to the occasion and for the most part utilities have been restored and the clean-up has started. Recovery is on the way.

Now, however, comes the hard part. Though God spared us from the worst of the storm, Satan is trying to brew a new one. One based on division and hatred.

People, please do not fall for his devices.

For us to move forward now, we need to first appreciate our great blessing and be grateful to God for His love. Secondly, love one another. Unite to assist those in need. And those in need, make your request known certainly, but be prepared to be reasonable, patient and honest. Pray for a grace that takes you through this “wilderness” season quickly and successfully. Focus on accessing all that is available to you and receiving wholeheartedly all that is being proffered. Do not be distracted.

ANISA GRANT via email

Randolf Scott, 60, pleaded guilty to having 4.5 grammes of the illegal drug in his possession.

Magistrate Cherril- Anne Antoine scolded Scott, who is also diabetic, telling him he must find an alternative given his delicate situation.

“You have to be careful about what you put into your body,” Antoine said.

“Let the doctors recommend something for you. I understand when people get their legs amputated they get something called phantom pain. But no, not cocaine.” She ordered him to pay $1,000 forthwith or, in default, serve one month in jail with hard labour.

When Scott’s name was called yesterday, a woman identified as his daughter told the magistrate about Scott’s disability.

The courthouse does not facilitate access for people using wheelchairs.

Three policemen from the Court and Process unit went downstairs and lifted Scott and his wheelchair into the courtroom.

If you’ve got raised cholesterol If your cholesterol levels are high, opt for barley or oats. They contain powerful compounds called beta- glucans which help lower cholesterol in the blood, especially the bad cholesterol known as low density lipoprotein (LDL).

Buckwheat is another heart-healthy option, because it contains rutin, a compound that protects against the effects of high cholesterol. It’s rich in magnesium, which relaxes blood vessels and helps keep blood flowing.

Health

If you avoid gluten People with coeliac disease react against gluten, a protein found in certain grains, including wheat, rye and barley. The good news is there are a number of options that are naturally gluten- free. One popular choice is rice flour, which can be used to make puddings and biscuits, as well as for thickening sauces. It’s also worth checking out teff. This is a grass seed, and although relatively new to our shelves, it’s been used for centuries in its native North Africa. As a flour, teff can be used as a substitute in bread and other baked goods. Also try millet, amaranth and quinoa – millet is rich in protein and low in starches making it easy to digest. It’s also a great source of silicon which helps promote healthy hair and nails. Amaranth supplies the amino acid lysine, which is absent from most cereal grains – and being a good source of calcium it helps support strong healthy bones.

If you need an energy boost Avoid foods made with white refined flour, and select wholegrain versions that are rich in the B vitamins your body needs to convert food to energy. Bulghar is a form of whole wheat which has been parboiled and dried, making it a quick and easy option for a filling lunchtime salad. As well as supplying energising B vitamins, it’s high in fibre, which helps to sustain vitality levels right through the afternoon.

Looking for a different grain for that kick-start? Then opt for kamut – the kernels are twice the size of common wheat and the grain supplies more protein which means it keeps you fuller for longer.

If you have blood sugar problems It’s important to supply the body with the key nutrients needed for managing blood sugar levels. Wholegrains are a good source of magnesium, a mineral needed for the release of insulin, the hormone which manages levels of glucose –the sugar we use for energy. Oats, rye and barley are all good options, as well as brown rice and buckwheat. Alternatively, opt for sorghum, not only does it supply magnesium but it contributes protective compounds which help prevent the damage that leads to some of the health problems associated with poor blood sugar control. Sorghum flour can be substituted for wheat flour in bread and bakes and is used in many gluten-free products.

If you’re watching your weight The popularity of high protein diets has meant many slimmers shy away from grains because of their carb content. However, some grains, such as rye, don’t cause the insulin rise associated with wheat, making it easier to avoid the appetite swings and dips that lead to snacking and craving. Studies also suggest that rye keeps you fuller for longer, so swap to rye bread at breakfast or lunch to help fend off those snack attacks between meals.

Other useful grains for controlling your appetite and minimising blood sugar swings include oats and brown rice. Try replacing your mid-morning biscuits with oat cakes and accompany lunch with a portion of brown rice instead of bread or pasta.

If you suffer hormone havoc As well as being nutrient- dense, wholegrains contain compounds called lignans which have a weak hormone-like effect –so including wholegrains like rye, oats, wheat or barley may help you achieve a better hormonal balance. These grains are also valuable sources of vitamin B6 which plays a key role in managing hormones and alleviating pre-menstrual symptoms like bloating, mood swings and period pains. Try adding a tablespoon of wheatgerm to your breakfast cereal or smoothie –as well as being rich in B vitamins, including B6, it’s an excellent source of vitamin E, another key vitamin for regulating hormones.