One of the affected areas was Kent Street located near the Guaracara River, which overflowed its banks and flooded their homes as well as a warehouse.

In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Bret, scores of homes were flooded between Monday night and Tuesday morning. Still in the process of cleaning their homes and counting their losses, overnight rains resulted in more flooding. While the water was rising, residents assisted each other in relocating all vehicles to the nearby Kumar Recreation Grounds. Residents again called on the authorities to assist them in whatever way possible.

“On Tuesday, the ODPM people came and handed out mattresses.

But around 3 am (yesterday), it (the flood) came back like a tsunami. The mattress we got gone, everything we tried to salvage on Tuesday gone,” said Sanjay Sanasie. Residents estimated that more than 100 people were affected by the torrential rains and gusty winds.

In some of the houses, the water level rose to about five feet. Owner of an automotive and variety store Oudho Persad was on the brink of tears saying he lost more than $250,000 worth of items from his two warehouses.

So heartbroken was the businessman over the incident that he is planning to close up shop. He has been operating the business for 10 years.

“On Monday, it did not affect much but last night water was about six feet high. For now, total loss is $250,000 and we are half way in cleaning. There is no salvage in that. We have a staff of 20. It is automotive and household items we lost here. I will have to look for work and make it somehow,” Persad said.

The father of one noted he had no insurance for his business and the flood had placed him in grave financial difficulties.

Mother of five Gloria Ramgobin, 56, pleaded with the authorities to assist her saying her husband Camechan, 61, is a slickly man.

“We cannot take it anymore. When the water started to rise, I had to leave here and go by relatives to spend the night. Most of the things we could not save and the house I went by flooded too. I don’t know if the fridge working,” Ramgobin said.

Councillor Vashti Sookoo and members of the Princes Town Regional Corporation visited residents and pledged to assist.

“If we can get a place to live, we will be very grateful. We cannot take on this stress anymore.

This is twice in one week. It is very discouraging.

My husband is waiting on his gratuity,” the grandmother of six added.

According to the TT Meteorological Service, the country can today expect cloudy periods to light to moderate showers in varying localities and heavy showers or thundershowers in a few areas. Conditions will become settled after nightfall, it stated.

“Gusty winds, street and/or flash flooding are likely in heavy showers or thundershowers.

Additionally, in areas where the ground is already waterlogged, the likelihood of flooding in heavy or prolonged rainfall is high,” the Meteorological Service added.

Up to last evening, residents were still engaged in clean-up efforts.

“We are proud to belong to a community that boast of having world renowned cricketers such as: Rangie Nanan, Inshan Ali, Dinesh Ramdhin, Gopaul Sahadeo, Eugene Antoine and Giles Antoine,” Indarsingh, the Couva South MP, said in his address to the 2017 graduating SE A class of the Preysal Government School at Preysal Community Centre on Thursday.

Indarsingh told students that as they bid farewell to the primary school, they can draw inspiration from sportsmen who have shown great determination to advance from a simple club to national cricketer and to be named as West Indies players.

He congratulated the captain of the Preysal Cricket Club, Dillon Balkaran, a graduate of the school.

To the parents, Indarsingh advised that while every child cannot come first or become among in the first 100 in SE A, the children must be encouraged to never give up but to strive for excellence at secondary school. “There is the need to continue to love, support and embrace your child to realise his/her full potential through their secondary school careers,” he said.

Parenting, he said, is a full time responsibility and not a part-time one.

“It is your duty to look after your children at all times,” he said, adding that children may need better supervision due to the many devices of the 21st century. “Laptops, smart phones and ipads may be useful to get information and transfer messages but it can be dangerous when children choose to look at games and shows not suited for them,” he stated.

He urged parents to be strong and decisive in fulfilling their roles and at the same time develop a line of effective communication with their children so that in secondary school they can approach them to discuss any challenges they may face.

Principal Vashti Ali was happy to report that students of the graduating class were well-behaved and have been excellent in their studies.

Nevertheless the announcement was met with opposition from the outset until the end of Wonder Woman’s contract less than two months later. Opposing voices felt that the Wonder Woman image was an overly sexualised one and her clothes boasted American flag emblems that were culturally insensitive to other nations. Despite this, in 2017, Wonder Woman (played by Israeli actress Gal Gadot) is making her presence felt at the box office in the first live-action feature film where she gets her own script.

The plot is an intelligent combination of genres – Greek mythology combined with real-life historical backdrops smartly interwoven to provide a very credible story.

This is an origin story so naturally, here we have a paradise – the island of Themyscira or Paradise Island – where the Amazons, skilled warrior women governed by Queen Hippolyta, live. Here, men are prohibited and children are made from clay (thought Princess Diana aka Wonder Woman is actually the daughter of Zeus in this script). The island has been hidden for centuries behind a magic membrane created by the god Zeus so as to protect the Amazons from the world of men. Peace reigns here.

In bursts Steve Trevor, a British intelligence officer, flying into the world of the Amazon warriors in a malfunctioning airplane that penetrates the magic membrane. In so doing he allows for the entry of a German naval fleet that is in pursuit of him.

The Amazons thunder down onto the beach where the queen’s sister, the greatest warrior and leader of the army, Antiope is killed in battle. The Amazons win the battle against men but it inspires their princess to leave their safe world to go into the world of men to fight in the “war to end all wars”. The reference is brilliant – mythical in sound but based in fact.

World War I otherwise known among other names as the “War to End All Wars’ (a term coined by science fiction writer HG Wells) or “The Chemist’s War” (as Dr Poison represents) is a perfect setting for Wonder Woman’s origin story.

Steve Trevor’s unwitting penetration of the magic membrane that had protected the Amazons from the outside world is the first indication of the impact of the war on borders and boundaries. World War I set the stage for the disruption of geography, the reshaping of boundaries and nations, the creation of ethnic rivalries, the growth of new nations and also set into motion events that would trigger World War II almost 20 years later.

It was the first time that all nations were involved in a war of such massive scale, an observation that made science fiction writer, HG Wells remark, that this “was not a war of nations but of mankind” (Edwin Steep A War to End All Wars, Vision. Other articles on Wells’ essay are available online) No doubt, the writer of the 2017 script would have been influenced by Wells’ ideas. It is ideally the sort of world into which we should introduce a heroine such a Wonder Woman, a heroine with the right amount of love for mankind and the moral will to do what is right.

But even she realises, like Wells did, that even though she defeats Ares, the god of war, such victories are short-lived for there is a dark side to humans. Ironically, Greek gods have both light and dark sides and are significant archetypes for human behaviour but we gloss over this in the film. Instead, we focus on the fact that Wonder Woman is the idealist, the form that wishes to triumph with love.

After what I would consider a decent enough plot with some screwball comedy that is inevitable when an Amazon enters the world of men, the ending is a disappointment as the film closes with a clich?d line on love as the triumphing spirit (something to that effect). It is nevertheless, the brilliant interweaving of periods and worlds that remains the strength of the story.

In our current world of rapid technological advancement, experiments with weapons of mass destruction and the threat of another war, the films is even more relevant in its call for a different type of governance.

Where literature and film present us with possibilities this new version of the Wonder Woman story itself makes us aware that we have the power to rework narratives.

And that, for me, is the usefulness of art.

“There appears to be what can be termed a quiet establishment of a parallel public service with portions…being filled by the use of contract employment in the various ministries throughout the public service. This parallel system of appears to be dismantling and weakening the traditional public service and creates a dilemma for a number of citizens who now live their lives with a great deal of uncertainty about the sustainability of their income, their livelihood and their very existence.” She was delivering welcome remarks yesterday at the Industrial Court Meet with the Court” Symposium 5: Fixed Term Contracts in the Public Sector held at Regimental Headquarters, Aranguez.

She said that fixed term contracts do have their benefits as it can avoid bureaucracy and is prudent to get the services of an expert.

She reported, however, that in the last few years there have been fixed term contracts to perform the same duties as other public servants and duties that are regular and not time bound. Thomas-Felix added that fix term contracts offer more attractive remunerative packages even though they are doing the same tasks as other public servants which puts the latter at both an economic disadvantage and has a demoralising effect.

She said a large number of the fixed term contracts are for short periods, between three months to a year, and recipients do not enjoy job security and because they are not considered public servants do not receive the same benefits.

She added that the continuous use of these contracts is disruptive to work flows in any organisation.

Thomas-Felix said for citizens, particularly young people, on a three or six month contract they would not be able to secure mortgages, rental agreements or open bank accounts. She stressed that fixed term contracts should only be an option where services are needed urgently and it is not possible to find the skills on a permanent basis.

She advised that the country revisit the persistent and widespread use of fixed term contracts and examine the social and economic impacts.

During the question and answer session, someone asked whether fixed term contracts could facilitate corruption. International Labour Organisation representative Shingo Miyake responded that they do not necessarily lead to corruption.

He said some employers use these contracts due to a rapidly changing situation and some employees prefer the flexibility so they can have time to study. He added that there can be benefits for both employer and employee once fixed term contracts are properly managed.

Also during her remarks, Thomas- Felix said she has observed that a number of companies do not attend court and have no representation but there is an outcry when matters do not go in their favour.

She explained that the wording of the Industrial Relations Act is about a conciliatory process that is meant to improve labour relations and facilitate the smooth resolution of disputes. “For a number of hearing employers are absent and do not take part in the process.” She said when matters are determined ex parte (with the interest of only one side) then the employers “cry foul.” She also commented on an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) matter which she in on and said the procedure adopted by the stakeholders is incorrect. She explained that an OSH matter is a criminal matter – people found guilty can go to prison or be fined – that required a criminal complaint. She said the approach cannot be that of a normal industrial relations matter. She reported that she had placed a draft complaint on the court’s website.

A few young men are playing basketball and kicking around a football. In half an hour the scene is transformed to an energetic work out as more than 20 people, mostly women, sweat to pulse pounding soca music. And though on the surface it may look like just any other random exercise session it is actually one of the initiatives of a multi-faceted fitness organisation that has been changing lives, transforming bodies and bringing communities together for the past seven years.

That organisation is Five Star Fitness Factory and Sunday Newsday chatted with its CEO Stefan Theophilus last week.

An army corporal, Theophilus is from Covigne Road, Diego Martin. He recalled that back in 2011 a neighbour, Maurisa Hinds, encouraged him to have a fitness session on the basketball court. Theophilus did not want to do it but as she continued to “badger” him he eventually gave in.

He asked his friend and fellow graduate of Diego Martin Government Secondary (now Diego Martin Central) Justin Spring to join him. The first session was held on September 5, 2011 and Theophilus initially planned to run the sessions for three months.

“But when I saw the turn out and the different generations – grandmothers, mothers, children, everybody coming out we just decided to continue the vibes as they say and it grew into a household name.” He said they did not plan anything outside of the sessions on the court but when people saw pictures and videos they started receiving requests for their services. He recalled that Guardian Life asked them to visit for their health month and “do something.” The company has remained with them from that time to the present and they now conduct sessions with Guardian Life West Mall, Chaguanas and Maraval Road.

After Guardian Life, other businesses reached out to them also requesting their services. Theophilus said the business “built itself ” through their social media which is all managed by instructor James Bascombe.

When they r e a l i s e d that so many people wanted their services, they decided to make it a formal business and registered the name. Theophilus came up with the name Five Star Fitness Factory because the term “five star” is synonymous with quality and to fit with the mantra of “manufacturing healthier lifestyles” he came up with “factory.” The organisation expanded to include hikes, team building activities, hosting of sports days, acting as master of ceremonies, photography and massage therapy.

Theophilus explained that each member of the team branched off and got certified in various skills.

In terms of patrons, he said a number of them have been with Five Star Fitness Factory since 2011 and some have elevated to the level of instructors.

Lianna McKenzie, 23, has been with Five Star for five years and is training to become a fitness instructor with the Defence Force.

Asked what has kept her with the group she replied, “the vibes and everything.” For the sessions, Theophilus said they “go intense” so even the fittest participant will be tested.

“We ask they push as hard as they can. As much as they could get.

Work hard, rest. Eventually they will find they will work harder.” He said they also alternate exercises according to the skill level.

People who stick with them are able to get fitter and achieve their fitness goals.

Theophilus said besides increasing their fitness level or losing weight some people report that attending the sessions is their “peace of mind in the evening.” He described it as a “joy” to see the community come out continuously and support the sessions. The contribution for the session is $5 which is to offset the cost of new music and to repair the speakers. He stressed that nowhere else would one receive the level of quality training at that price.

“We don’t give people an excuse not to train.” Regarding the wider fitness community, Theophilus said they are a household name, are mentioned regularly and are invited to many events. He added they are often recommended on social media as place for people looking to improve their fitness.

Member Thyrese Gardner, 19, from Petit Valley, has been coming out for the past few weeks. She said it has been “very good” and she likes that they cater for everyone including children.

“Most fitness groups don’t do that,” she added.

She also said it is a fun fitness group to be involved with and she likes that they have sessions in different parts of the country.

From Covigne Road, their base, they have expanded to Knowles Street, Curepe and also conduct sessions at Guardian Group branches, with TTE C and they do team building with the Unit Trust Corporation.

The group’s eldest member is Ulrica Calliste at 63. Nicknamed “Supergran” she runs marathons and has been with Five Star for the past two years. She said she enjoys the exercise and “feeling young.” “It keeping me good,” Calliste said.

One of the few men participating on Thursday was 41-year-old Maurice Charles from Covigne. He has been with Five Star for a year and described them as “excellent”.

“When you (finish) you (would have gotten) a good training.” Five Star vice president Justin Spring, who is a leading seaman in the Coast Guard, said the organisation has grown into even more than he expected. He explained they came out to give back to the community and to promote healthier lifestyles. He said people can come for an hour and feel good about themselves rather than sitting at home watching television. He said during the sessions people would look out their window and others would work out with them from their gallery.

“To see people enjoy the work out…it encourages us as well. We know it is not in vain.” Spring is from Diamond Vale but he said Covigne Road has become home to him as well. Asked about the reputation Covigne Road has regarding crime, Spring responded that is the first thing people bring up when he tells them about the sessions. He said he has been going there since his school days and he has seen the positive transformation. He pointed out the sessions on the basketball court have been a major change, and to have predominantly women exercising at night, including those from outside of Covigne, showed this change.

Theophilus said Five Star hopes to increase the number of instructors so they can have sessions in more areas.

This is the first year they have released a calendar of events and these include Fitness on the Ferry (burnout on a boat) and their first 10k run and aerobics burnout.

During the year, they also participate in other fitness events like Fusion and Hardcore.

He said many members have reported pregnancies.

“When they go home and feeling and looking sexy their significant others can’t help themselves,” he explained.

The organisation has been expanded to include Five Star Fit Kid Factory which caters for children. He said some of the participants see themselves as family and have become friends, showing affection and appreciation.

“They want their children to grow up in the fitness thing. Some have never exercised before.

They see it as a joy.” For more information please call 708-6678 or 355-1930, email fivestar f itnessfactory@ gmail.com, check out their website www.fivestarfitnessfactory.

com or check out their Facebook page.

Namely, “How will the balance sheet be apportioned between those three companies? What are the implications for future re-financing of the US $850 million bond? What are the implications for the pension plan; how will it be separated?” Ramnarine also wanted the person/ s who recommended the split to explain how Petrotrin’s current liabilities would be divided amongst the three new entities.

“As at 2016, the company’s current liabilities were $12.2 billion, with total liabilities of $28.2 billion.” Noting that a current liability “could be something which you have to pay quickly while a non-current liability (includes) de-commissioning costs, money set aside for persons who are retiring and so on,” Ramnarine asked, “How is that ($12.2 billion) going to be apportioned across three companies?” Ramnarine shared his concerns on Thursday evening, while delivering the feature address at a technical talk on the “Future of TT’s Petroleum Industry: Challenges and Opportunities”, held at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine. Rather than split it into three, Ramnarine advocated Petrotrin should maintain its integrated structure but with reduced operating costs and increased oil production.

“According to Rex Tillerson, former chairman and CEO of Exxon- Mobil, now US Secretary of State, integrated oil companies allow for greater degrees of flexibility (because) they can adapt quickly to the changing needs of customers. It also allows for shared services across the organisation, such as information technology, human resources and legal services.” Ramnarine argued that, “without the integrated approach at Petrotrin, you would have the triplication of services; resulting in increased costs, inconsistent policy, confusion in strategic direction and so on.

That, of course, means increased head count. And finally, corporate planning and allocation of scarce resources, including funding and investment, is inefficient if you have three separate companies.” Looking ahead, Ramnarine recommended five key things be done, if Petrotrin is to return to profit: 1) Keep the integrated structure intact; 2) Manage cost downward and cut waste and inefficiency; 3) Focus on increasing production; 4) Increase the joint venture, lease operator farm out (LOFO), incremental production service contract (IPSC) programme – “this has been proven to work since 1989”; 5) Focus private capital on drilling and Petrotrin capital focus on asset integrity and paying debt; and 6) Re-finance the US$850 million bond “as soon as possible.” Regarding the bond, Ramnarine warned that this may prove “difficult to refinance with three separate companies because an integrated company has more clout when it sits before a bank.” The technical talk at which Ramnarine spoke was hosted by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) ,Young Professionals of TT Chapter and AAPG UWI STA Student Chapter, in collaboration with the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) TT Young Professionals Chapter and SPE UTT Student Chapter.

Al Muhammad, a 40-year-old heavy equipment operator and driver from El Dorado, reported that around 10 am he was driving his Nissan RG8 tractor unit and was pulling a crown triple axel trailer. He said he was proceeding west on the Eastern Main Road and turned across Third Avenue when a white Nissan Tiida “darted in front” of him and an army Toyota Hilux.

Muhammad said he continued proceeding west and a driver in a silver Nissan Cifero attempted the same manoeuvre but was unsuccessful and hit the trailer of his vehicle. He reported he did not know that he had been hit at the time because the the tonnage of his vehicle prevented him from feeling the impact. He said the trailer hooked the car and when the driver of the Cifero applied brakes it dragged on to the army vehicle.

Muhammad said his vehicle received no damage as with the steel “it was like an ant trying to bite an elephant.” The Cifero however was reportedly totalled and the army vehicle received damage to the right hand side.

No one was injured in the accident.

Barataria police responded and investigations are continuing.

During the debate on Thursday on the Criminal Procedure (Plea Discussion and Plea Agreement) Bill 2017, Heath, who is also an attorney, said one of the problems attorneys find is the accused who have had multiple matters dismissed because the police did not turn up to court.

“These persons are not likely to engage into any plea agreement when they know the culture of police officers is that, ‘I’m going to run my case for a little while, see if the officer coming and when he don’t turn up I’m going to hire an attorney and get it thrown out’. That’s another way which we avoid a trial but notwithstanding that throwing out process takes years. So it’s still a clog in the system, so that behaviour has to be discouraged and until such time that police officers are made to account when they do not come to court and their matters are thrown out and they don’t face disciplinary actions then it’s going to keep on happening,” he said.

He said with this bill there has to be a change in how the police prosecute their matters which they have brought to court. “Because if that doesn’t happen you’re going to find the end user meaning the accused who knows the system is not going to be attracted to this at all (plea bargaining) so that is something that I think simply has to be addressed.” Heath said he also found the bill to be lacking in terms of how it addresses specific sentences.

“It doesn’t speak to for instance a suspended sentence if you were to give by way of plea discussion/plea agreement a suspended sentence.

That person who knows that he has a suspended sentence hanging over his head is more likely than not for a period to engage in behaviour so as not to attract or make that suspended sentence come to fruition and I’m saying that is how we need to start looking at it,” he said.

Heath said with this bill a suspect can benefit from a plea agreement but this he says is hardly to succeed if they do not commensurate with this law a substantial improvement in the evidence gathering.

“A police can have the name of the suspect, matching description, the last thing that will happen is that there has to be an identification parade and it is only after then you can charge, and sometimes that takes a little while to get that going.

So I have no difficulty at that stage but it must be that the evidence has to be disclosed to the suspect and his attorney at that stage. If your case has good evidence there is no need to hold it back, so I’m seeing in this proposed bill that you can disclose a summary, I think you should disclose as much as you think to bring the bargain to the table.”

You might still be marooned but at least you would have all your electric appliances and expensive furniture untouched.

What is a kitchen and drawing room doing on the same level as the swamp? Maybe some people like the headache of having to purchase new electrical appliances and furniture every rainy season.

If you have to use the ground floor of your property, how about only plastic furniture and any other household equipment lightweight enough to be carried upstairs? A small fridge and a microwave oven, a two-burner stove, a couple hammocks could be at ground level.

Fix up downstairs with some small plants and lightweight decorations.

Make it look nice. People could still come by the house to lime. I have no suggestions for parking cars and trucks or about the planting of the swamp land.

That is beyond my imagination. I from down in town.

LYNETTE JOSEPH Diego Martin

As we learn to love ourselves we can work on self-improvement, in which exercise can play a major role. With the right leg workout plan, you can reduce your cellulite and make your lower body look smoother and feel firmer. The trick is working all your lower body muscles from every angle, reducing the underlying fat stores and replacing lost muscle tissue to give the area a taut, toned appearance throughout. Here are a few exercises that firm and smoothen the thighs.

Side lunges: work the legs and hip muscles.

Start with a standing position. With your feet and knees together, stand straight.

Taking a wide step sideways, spread your legs apart, as far as you can go comfortably.

Now bending to your right, lunge towards the floor.

Make sure your left leg remains straight and stable.

As you lunge, take care that your right knee does not extend past your right toes.

Stay there for three breaths and then come back to the original position.

Repeat on the other side. This completes one rep of a side lunge. Do 2-3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side.

Curtsy lunge: Work the hamstrings and thigh.

Start from a standing position, and step your left leg behind you and to the right so your thighs cross, bending both knees as if you were curtsying.

Return to standing, and switch sides to complete one rep.

Do three sets of 12 to 15 reps per side.

Step-ups: This works the muscles of your upper leg.

To start, place your entire right foot onto the bench or chair. Press through your right heel as you step onto the bench, bringing your left foot to meet your right so you are standing on the bench.

Return to the starting position by stepping down with the right foot, then the left so both feet are on the floor. Do 2-3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side.

Donkey kicks: This exercise works all of your glute muscles.

Assume the starting position on all fours: knees hipwidth apart, hands under your shoulders, neck and spine neutral.

Bracing your core, begin to lift your right leg, knee staying bent, foot staying _ at, and hinging at the hip.

Use your glute to press your foot directly toward the ceiling and squeeze at the top. Ensure your pelvis and working hip stay pointed toward the ground.

Return to the starting position. Do 2-3 sets of 10 to

Sumo Squat Jumps Stand with your feet wide enough so that they point outwards at a 45 degree angle. Make sure your spine is in a straight, neutral position. Make sure your weight is through your heels.

Squeeze your leg and core muscles as you lower your body downwards, use your hands for balance if needed. Lower yourself until your butt is an inch or two off the ground. Hold for 1-2 seconds.

Explosively squeeze your leg and core muscles to raise yourself up into a jump. Landing softly before slowly moving into your second squat. This is one rep. Do 2-3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.

These _ ve exercises, coupled with a healthy diet will aid in making your thighs look smoother and more youthful in appearance.