It is a fact they will tell you, those apologists for the UNC, that Gene Miles fought against corruption in the PNM. It is a fact that ministers were accused of corruption from Japanese gardens to apartments in Toronto and Swiss bank accounts.

These “facts” are however little more that a justification for those that came after, indulging and engrossing themselves in the same behaviour. The preposterous nature of the defence and justification masquerading as outraged indignation is classic — attack them twice as hard when they lash out at you.

The best that can be said, is that these honourable gentlemen may have very well gotten away with it and perhaps are serving their sentences in hell. The living however need to be dealt with expeditiously before they pass from this world and it is for this reason that they need to be pursued.

I wish the Attorney General well in his endeavour to bring the wrongdoers to light.

To all those UNC apologists, you need to get the politics right and two wrongs don’t make a right.

SATU-ANN I RAMCHARAN Maraval

These include a silver for team of the year, chef of the year, and chef (beef competition), and gold for bartender of the year, best vodka drink, pastry chef of the year and junior chef of the year, as well as an honourable mention for chef (seafood competition).

Brian Frontin, CEO of Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Association (THRTA), expressed his pride in the team and their success, especially as they departed from the traditional “curry and stew” tastes and explored other aspects of the country’s culture.

The team of the year competition was a three-course offering with the Trini Syrian appetiser, the French Creole main course, and the British desert. The Trini Syrian comprised a tamarind glazed shadon beni and ginger infused pork kofta, cardamom scented pork cushion, cardamon a jus, accompanied by a green fig, tomato and mint salad, roasted eggplant puree, and sada crisp.

The French Creole was a pan seared spiced rubbed CAB beef skirt steak, classic beef stew sauce, roasted Trini seasoned chicken ballontiine, creole tomato sauce, waffle shaped coo-coo, callaloo pistou, chicken crackling, and vegetable slaw dressed in a citrus vinaigrette.

The British included a toolum sticky pudding, Angostura rum creme anglaise, salted cashew caramel, passion fruit jub-jub, pineapple and candied red bell pepper fool, and a sorrel sauce. “I am very very proud of the team and their efforts because the range of medals across several categories, including team of the year. I think the team is highly enthused to return next year to again showcase the range of offerings that we have, and perhaps tweak the effusions to ensure we maintain the TT tastes to which we are accustomed,” said Frontin.

“I think that is a really good demonstration that TT as a country is not limited to our Indo and creole tastes. This wider profile, including our Syrian, Lebanese, British and French Creole influences, means we can appeal to different segments of travellers. All of this is developmental for youths, yes, but it is about introducing tourists to our tastes, or food, our cosmopolitan Trinidad and Tobago.” In fact, he said the judges complemented the team for going outside of their comfort zone, and thanked the members for educating them about TT culture.

Frontin said two members were currently completing their studies at the TT Hospitality and Tourism Institute (TTHTI), of which THRTA was the owner and manager since 1996. “The nexus there is that the industry helps guide the curriculum and what the training outcome should be for the industry so that when graduates are produced they are fit for work.” The THRTA started sending culinary teams to Miami in 1997 but was absent from the competition in 2014 and 2015. However, they returned in 2016 and won Caribbean national team of the year, and a number of medals.

This year, the competition took place at the Hyatt Regency, in Miami, Florida from June 2 to 6.

The team included captain Adrian Cumberbatch; bartender Clinton Ramdhan; pastry chef Anasuya Jackson; junior chef Rondell Thompson; senior chef, Brandon Maharaj; beef chef Ridge Juman; and seafood chef Aswad Forde.

Frontin said there was a lot of crowd support with people, including participants from other countries, requesting samples of their plates and giving positive feedback.

However, there were some challenges.

The main one was the loss of the team’s main and alternate bartenders, Tyrone Benjamin and Kanesha Shana Rajahram, who trained for three months, individually and with the culinary team, and developed drink concepts for the competition. Frontin said about two weeks before the competition, their US visa applications were declined. However, last year’s bartender of the year, Clinton Ramdhan, was also travelling to Miami to support the team and he stepped in as the team bartender. In addition to winning a gold medal in the category, he also won best vodka drink. “They were distraught. It was a very emotional moment for the team. But I want to commend Clinton for using some of the concepts that were developed by Tyrone and Shana over the period in recognition of their efforts throughout the period. The win was a shared one.” Frontin encouraged Benjamin and Rajahram to continue in the bartending fraternity and to participate in Making the Cut, the local competition used to chose the national team members, next year.

Why are our footballers so gun shy? If I know football, and I think I do, football is about scoring goals — and that could only come by attempts on goal.

Thank God for goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams. He saved us from mud on our faces in the World Cup qualifier against the US in Colorado. Of the US’s nine attempts on goal, he saved seven.

What an outstanding feat.

Our national team only had two serious attempts to score.

The US had numerous. TT could have left Colorado with a bagful.

Nuff said.

KEITH ANDERSON via email

There are many that might interpret this as another ‘attack on manhood’. It’s not and if you don’t get what I’m saying, lucky you. Many though, will understand exactly what I mean and this article is just my way of saying don’t be bound by social norms. On this day that honours fathers don’t be afraid to celebrate the individual that filed that role in your life, whoever they may be.

No, I’m not some bitter feminist and I don’t hate men either. The West Indian social structure is very confusing. On the home front, it is matriarchal but the wider society strictly adheres to the Judeo-Christian norms of male dominance. So, at the bottom of it all we have a lot of women who get all the responsibility but none of the support.

In the 1950s Edith Clarke wrote the classic My Mother Who Fathered Me, a study of Jamaican family structures. The odd thing about the tome is that it is applicable largely across the Caribbean region, Trinidad included. The fact that it was written more than 60 years ago has not diminished the relevancy of the book either.

Unfortunately, as a people we have not progressed it seems. The same dysfunctional family structure guaranteed to ensure the perpetuation of a number of social ills continues to this day. In spite of this many, many women stand in the gap and do the dual role of mother and father. Father’s Day is just as applicable to them as to any man.

I don’t have a problem being the voice in the wilderness wishing Happy Father’s Day to the women that carry the weight of the world to raise their children (just as fathers that are both mom and dad should also be honoured on Mother’s Day).

This is not to discount the role of fathers in the lives of children. I know it well. Who could have cured me of the chronic case of daddyitis I had as a child? Although my mother was present in my life, we even lived in the same house, I have zero memories of her before my eighth birthday. I was that attached to my father. Luckily, I was born into a family that had a lot of great fathers, not all but many of my male relatives are the kinds of fathers that sound too good to be true. I know what both good and bad fathers look like. A good father is a great influence on a child, a bad father also has an influence. Too many men are just that, bad fathers. Then they sit and expect to be honoured and given gifts on this special day. You don’t get credit for work you didn’t do.

I did my research and there is a Sperm Donor day but it’s on Wednesday. I’m just saying.

The person filling the role of a father should be honoured whether it is a biological father, a step-father, an uncle, a neighbour, an aunt, a grandparent or a mother. Often times it is the mothers, single mothers and married single mothers that have to step up and do this. Being both mother and father is an unbelievably impossible task but since so many women do it each day, we tend to discount it. Don’t. It is these women that are keeping our society from falling apart.

I want to specially recognise the men that fill the role of missing fathers and raise children not biologically theirs with the same love and care as if they were. As a voracious reader, I came across the story of a family of Yemeni refugees that moved to South Korea. The father of the family was a young man that married an older woman with six children and he loved them like his own. I was really struck with admiration for his willingness to assume the task. Not many men are willing to take on that kind of responsibility. His wife and children absolutely adored him, it was very moving.

I’m not going to launch into a diatribe about the shortcomings of many fathers because there is no one way to be a good father. They come in all types. A man can have a grill like he robbed a jewelry store with his teeth and be an amazing father, just as much as a man can be well-spoken and well-dressed and be a rotten louse of a dad. A man’s love for and involvement in his children’s life has nothing to do with his level of education or socio-economic status. My grandfather, God rest his soul, was an under-educated brute of a man but he was an amazing husband and father. There are only three requirements to be a good father: give guidance, be involved in every aspect of their lives and make the child a priority (not just in words). The fact is being a good father has nothing to do with gender or even sexual orientation.

They are free to continue believing as such.

If you could choose one day of the year to let him choose your makeup look, Father’s Day would be it. Whether he likes smoky eyes, cherry red lipstick or natural makeup, once you’re a makeup lover, I’m sure you won’t mind. Whether you’ll be going for dinner, on a movie date or you’ll simply be spending the day with your husband, father or family, I have some suggestions as to what you can do with your makeup. I asked several fathers, and found that they liked three specific looks. Today we will be learning to do these looks. The consensus was that generally, men are not fans of false lashes.

Natural Makeup This is what most fathers say when it comes to their daughters. If dad likes natural makeup or no makeup, stick to a glowing, bronze look. Use a foundation or tinted moisturiser to even out your skin tone. Conceal any blemishes with a concealer that matches your skin tone. Apply the same concealer under your eyes. You don’t want to use a lighter concealer under the eyes because it will look too highlighted and unnatural. Only apply powder to areas of your face that get oily.

Apply bronzer to add some structure and warmth to your face. A soft champagne highlight will add some radiance to your complexion. Keep the eye makeup minimal; blend a little bronzer into the crease of the eye and apply the champagne highlight onto the eyelid. You can apply eyeliner however you like. A cat eye will look nice with the minimal theme of your makeup, if you think dad won’t mind. Fill in your eyebrows if necessary using a pencil. Create short, feathery strokes in the direction your hair grows, as opposed to hard lines as those will look unnatural. Apply mascara and a tinted lip balm for a soft, natural look.

Smokey Eyes If dad likes smoky eyes, you can be a bit more adventurous with your makeup. Apply your foundation and concealer however you desire. You can brighten under the eyes with a concealer one or two shades lighter than your skin tone. Apply a heavy amount of powder under the eyes using a damp beauty sponge. Since we’ll be using darker eyeshadows, this excess powder will catch any fallout.

Apply an eyeshadow primer to your eyes, from lashes to brow bone. Rim your eyes with a black kohl eyeliner on the top lid and lower waterline; smudge your eyeliner with a cotton bud to create a smoky effect. Apply a mid-toned brown to the crease of the eye and fade it out towards the brow bone. Apply a chocolate brown shade to the entire eyelid and blend it into the crease. Blend a black eyeshadow to the outer third of the eyelid, fading it up into the crease slightly. You can dust away the powder you applied under your eyes now. Apply mascara, natural blush, and contour and highlight if you desire. Finish your look with a soft, muted lip colour like rosy pink, nude or soft peach.

Red Lips If dad likes red lips, try a vintage or bombshell type of look. Either minimal on the eyes with winged eyeliner, or bronze and smoky on the eyes, paired with your red lip. Apply your foundation and concealer however you desire. Brighten up the under eyes with a concealer that is one or two shades lighter than your skin tone. Set the face with loose powder on a powder brush. Apply an eyeshadow primer to your eyes.

If you’re doing the vintage look, apply a matte cream colour to your eyelid and a soft brown shade to the crease. Apply a dramatic winged liner and mascara. If you want to do a bombshell look, apply a golden bronze shade to the eyelid. Blend a medium brown into the crease to add some definition. Apply a black pencil eyeliner to the upper lash line. Use a cotton bud to smudge and soften the line. Smoke the bronze shade on the lower lash line as well. You can add blush, bronzer and highlight as you desire. Curl your eyelashes and apply mascara to complete your look.

Mervyn Taylor’s Voices Carry and Shivanee Ramlochan’s Everyone Knows I Am A Haunting respond, each in their own way, to issues plaguing our society.

I know both authors. My third book, Pitch Lake, is dedicated to Taylor; and was recently reviewed by Ramlochan. I would not want to pretend to review these titles as an independent critic might. Instead, I refer to both books as part of an overall argument about the right of the poet to speak out in the manner of their choosing.

Let me be clear. The poet has no duty to anyone. Yet, no poet lives in a vacuum.

Each is a product of a society or societies.

Though we sometimes disagree on what poetry is, we do not quibble over who poetry is for. It is meant for an audience.

That audience, too, is comprised of sentient individuals: beings whose lives have been coloured by factors that shape our understanding of the world. On this pulsing theatre stage, what is the place of the poet?

At the very least, poets who choose to directly engage with the issues of their time; who seek to express truths; who sincerely advocate for justice and equality should not be vilified. Nor should their work be, for these reasons, deemed inferior or dismissed as simplistic. Plato and Socrates questioned virtue, but poetry reassembles it with both crystal-clear water AND mud. Remember, poetry is a true democracy. It is often said in debates about poetry that the idea of a poet having an agenda is distasteful or distracting. But it is not about the poet having an agenda.

It is about the poet having the freedom to express their moral conscience. It is about an individual’s willingness not to turn a blind eye to suffering. A desire to express our dream for a better world, presenting the world in all of its beauty and its ugliness. If a poet is dismissed as being fashionable due to her awkward quality of having integrity, then so be it.

Taylor’s previous books include The Waving Gallery, No Back Door, and Gone Away. Like these works, Voices Carry examines the shifting individual, moving across boundaries and time, coming to terms with bitter social realities. The collection is nostalgic about the past, in love with memory, drunk on music and literature, ever mindful of the shifting times; the changing world. His poems achieve great clarity but not at the expense of freshness. They feel like fables but are completely modern. If at times they veer into the surreal, that is because life in Trinidad and Tobago is surreal (consider Blue Lights, Bad Dream).

Crime is the villain of theses poems, stalking them, made more horrific by how Taylor casually incorporates suffering. In Alma’s Advice he writes: Who are the boys we’ll root for, when they’re all dead or gone away? Where is the cluster of houses We’ll indicate with a wave, meaning where we grew up, where we had our first glimpse of secret flesh, covered with fur.

But for all the fine poems, it is A Kind of Valentine that lingers in the mind long after we close this book. Taylor writes of murdered Japanese steel pan player Asami Nagakiya, found dead on Ash Wednesday, 2016, in her Carnival costume.

The poet gives us, “the Carnival that so went to a man’s/ head, he tried to hide her/ among the yellow blossoms”. The concluding lines: I will walk you round this Savannah… I will show you where not to go at night.

But I cannot help during the day, when it is bright, and a hundred thousand people offer invites, and behind the masks, men are not always who they say they are.

In this book, voices bring us news.

They carry—meaning they go far and wide; they endure. They carry— meaning they contain multitudes, bring us gifts.

In a similar vein, Ramlochan’s rich début, Everyone Knows I Am A Haunting preaches truth. There is a sense of a poet luxuriating in language. Elegant lines are dipped in Gothicism and folklore; incandescent monologues are spiked by the poet’s imperatives. There is the play of magic realism, the personal is made mythological yet the sense of intimacy, of secrets being revealed remains. In this way social concerns, such as those relating to gender and violence, are woven into a beautiful tapestry. Ramlochan’s mosaic leaves us with the bristling sensation of a yearning for justice. And so the complex Materna: I am not your mother but in my womb there is knowing of you.

The dome of my head is shorn close, ‘til it hints of marrow.

These years and years of hair carpet your dreams.

Also consider the irresistible Shepherdess Boxcutter sequence where the traumatic and fertile are allied.

Everywhere we find the body of the abused, the marginal, the silenced – now strangely brought back to life by the poet’s scalpel as though we are privy to a miraculous post-mortem. Translate “Everyone knows I am a haunting” and you get everyone knows I am a-hunting; everyone knows I am a ghost; everyone knows. All should be afraid.

These books respond to the immediate needs of the world around them in ways that are compelling, beautiful and, in my view, necessary.

Taylor and Ramlochan approach social realities differently, yet those realities are present all the same.

They demonstrate John F Kennedy’s famous declaration: “If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him. We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.”

And he is hoping that generous benefactors will come on board to help stage the concert, which is expected to cost approximately $100,000. The sum, Liverpool said, will include rentals for chairs, sound system, advertisements and payments for artistes and band members.

“I am depending on sponsors to see if we can really bring this thing off,” Liverpool said.

Liverpool, known to the calypso world as Chalkdust, is also hoping that the concert will be held before Calypso History Month in October.

It’s all part of the Save the Calypso series, which was conceptualised by former president and associate provost at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) Prof Kenneth Ramchand several years ago to celebrate the contributions of calypsonians and musicians.

Liverpool, who is also Professor of Carnival Arts in the UTT’s Academy of Arts, Letters, Culture and Public Affairs, said the Save the Calypso series has already honoured the late Kelvin Pope (Mighty Duke); Dillary Scott (Mighty Cypher); Fred Mitchell (Composer) and musician Ed Watson.

“We have gotten people to play their music and sing their calypsoes. The calypsonians being honoured also get a monetary reward of at least $100,000 and a plaque,” he said.

Liverpool noted, however, that the economic downturn had forced UTT to cut back significantly on its expenses.

“The money for the calypsonians was given by the board of the UTT, but now there is some financial pressure because the board depends on the Government.

So I am depending upon sponsors to see if they can continue it.” Abraham, 77, died on May 16, reportedly from complications relating to Alzheimer’s disease.

Apart from his riveting social commentaries, Abraham was famous for his facial contortions on the Det insecticide advertisement, many years ago.

Shortly after his death, he was honoured by the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation in a special tribute held at the Kaiso Blues Café, Newtown.

One of Abraham’s sons, Catholic priest Fr Bonnie Abraham, who officiated at his funeral, has since vowed to preserve his father’s legacy and that of other ailing artistes through the establishment of the Brigo Cultural Centre.

Liverpool told Sunday Newsday that plans to stage a concert for Brigo were in the making long before his death.

“We had already named the songs and Errol Ince had already done all of the music with the songs. It is important to show Brigo’s work, especially for the schoolchildren.” Should a sponsor decide to assist with the project, Liverpool said organisers may also consider paying tribute to the late Gaston Nunes (Smiley) and Emrold Anthony Phillip (Valentino) at the same concert to save money. In previous years, the tributes would have been done separately.

Liverpool said honouring the legacies of the country’s cultural exponents was critical to the survival of the artforms.

“When we had done Duke’s show, hundreds of people did not know that Duke did all those songs,” he said. “When people got to realise his contribution, which we analysed in song, people were able to follow it on our power point presentation.

And we also got people to talk about the songs and his work.” Liverpool said the trend of celebrating artistes only when they have died must be stopped.

“We don’t wait until they die to deliver a eulogy. We must deliver living eulogies about the person.

“For example, someone may do something about an entertainer and his music and find out why he used certain chords and why he used certain words in his songs. So we deliver living eulogies of the artiste. We don’t wait until they die to do so.

Fast forward to today and 27-year-old Campbell is the editor- in-chief of “nerd culture” website, The Buttonsmashers, which has more than 300,000 monthly views, contributors from all across the globe and relationships with major video game and manga publishers.

Sunday Newsday spoke with Campbell to discuss the genesis, growth and future of his website.

The Buttonsmashers, which covers technology, video games, manga, anime, comic books, and more, was founded in 2012 and was originally known as just Buttonsmashers.

Campbell recalled that back then he was a student of CTS College of Business and Computer Science and would chat about video games with his friends, who encouraged him to do a podcast. Using his PC and basic recording software he began doing podcasts.

He met Kitami Prescott through a mutual friend and was amazed by her adorable, anime sounding voice. He thought she would be the perfect person to join him on his podcast and she agreed. It was Prescott who came up with the name Buttonsmashers.

They recorded via Skype and Campbell said the quality was very low and “horrible” compared to what they do now. The duo produced five episodes, which featured interviews guests and discussions on games and anime. He said that it was casual and relaxed and did not have much organisation.

While participating in a FIFA video game tournament, the organisers asked him to host another event. He attended with Prescott, and when the emcee for the event cancelled he was asked to fill in.

It was Campbell’s first time speaking publicly but he was able to pull it off , even adding a bit of humour. When he came off the stage he met a fan of the podcast.

“I was stunned. I never experienced that before.” He said never before had he created something that made people happy and engaged.

The team began attending more events and added three more people including Adrian Moses, the current manga editor. The team would go on to produce more than 50 podcasts. Around 2013, they started writing on the website and moved to a WordPress blog.

Then there was a bump in the road as members, including Prescott, began dropping off due to their hectic lives.

While The Buttonsmashers lost the full time input of some local contributors, it gained international members like games editor Zach Auld from Vancouver, Washington, classic games editor Jessica Brown from Mississippi, and guest writers Pieterjan Deneys from Belgium and David Tailor, a professional writer from the United Kingdom

“It all happened so quickly.”

Campbell explained there was an advertisement on the site asking people to submit an application if they want to join their team.

They received a number of applications but were looking for people passionate about anime and games and who had the longevity to stick with the site.

He said some people “burned out” and did not last more than two weeks.

He too feels burnt out but because of passion he sticks with it.

Campbell’s degree is in computer engineering and he pointed out that most of the team are web designers or computer engineers without formal education in writing or journalism. He said, however, they continue to learn from each other and gather information online.

The team got larger with Dominican/Trinidadian Sade Mcleod and Kriston Daniel from Tobago, who are general news writer and anime editor respectively. Other members include anime writer Stephon Gabriel (TT), anime podcaster Kaleigh John (TT), games editor Roger Bergström (Skellefteå, Sweden), Play- Station editor/podcaster Tim Bledsoe (Vancouver, Washington), classic games editor Jessica Brown (Mississippi), and guest writer Ross Elliot (Australia).

Meeting with major publishers

From 2014-2015, the team decided to up their game and made contact with video game, manga and anime publishers.

Campbell recalled they did not receive responses because they were still “just a blog” and decided to rebrand. Buttonsmashers domain had been purchased and someone wanted to sell it to them for US$2,000. They decided to rebrand as The Buttonsmashers.

Immediately after the change, publishers and game developers began reaching out to them.

Initially they had smaller publishers and then larger ones including VIZ Media, Yen Press, Kodansha, Crucial, LucidSound, NIS America and SEGA.

“Think about a game publisher and we have their card and they have ours.”

The Buttonsmashers has also been accredited to attend numerous events as a member of the media including: PAX, E3, Gamescom, Anime North, and others. Campbell explained that depending on the location of the event their foreign contributors would attend.

He recalled that when he spoke with a representative from VIZ Media, one of the biggest anime and manga publishers in America, they recognised The Buttonsmashers.

He asked them for books to review and they agreed to send to them. They also were invited to attend meetings and press events with the publishers.

At that point, import/export co-ordinator Kadan Hicks joined and was able to co-ordinate their items coming in from the US. They even developed a relationship with a manga publisher from Greece. The Buttonsmashers began receiving submissions from tech manufacturers and started reviewing items like head phones, gaming computer builds and drones.

Campbell funds the website using his earnings from his private school, ‘A’ Class Tutors, and from private web design. He explained the site is an investment for him. The site, he said, has visitor traffic from TT, the US, Canada, Russia, Philippines, Indonesia, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, France and Australia.

“One of the coolest things is to go somewhere you have never been and someone recognises you.” However, he encourages his team to be humble no matter the amount of success they achieve.

Every month they attend an event and have ten to 15 games or manga to review. He said it is a huge workload with a small team and they are looking to recruit more contributors. He also hopes to grow and build the site and eventually pass on the reigns of editor-in-chief so he can become CEO and focus on other aspects, such as the finances.

In five years The Buttonsmashers has achieved a lot and the team has been able to meet people and companies he idolised as a boy.

“For me that is pretty cool.” For more information visit The Buttonsmashers website.

Hair is made mostly of keratin, a tough fibrous protein. This is the same material that makes up fingernails, animal hooves and animal horns. Hair cells are formed at the base and of the follicle in a structure called the hair bulb. The hair bulb, nourished by blood vessels around it, makes the hair cells. As the new cells move up the channel of the follicle, they mature by going through a process called keratinization. During the process, each hair cell is filled with the protein and eventually loses TS nucleus. The hair that emerges from the scalp is fully mature, and no longer alive.

In addition to protein, the body requires many nutrients to facilitate hair production and to

maintain scalp and follicle health.

Protein.

The major component of hair is protein, and so, it is important that your diet includes sufficient protein to support hair growth. Good sources of protein include fish, lean meats, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. Vegans and vegetarians can get protein from beans, nuts and foods like tofu.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

Omega-3 fatty acids contribute to the strength and lustre of the hair. The Omega-3s help to keep the cuticles smooth so that tangles and breakage is reduced, and the smooth cuticles give the hair a smooth, lustrous appearance. A diet consisting of sufficient Omega-3s also prevents dry, flaking and itchy scalp. Good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids include linseed, chia seeds, egg yolks, and oily fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel and tuna).

Biotin.

Biotin or Vitamin B7 is a water-soluble vitamin that helps your body convert food into energy. It helps to promote hair growth and increases elasticity thereby reducing hair breakage. Biotin can be found in liver, eggs, fish, legumes, berries, avocadoes, cauliflower and mushrooms.

Vitamin D.

There are Vitamin D receptors in the hair follicle that helps to regulate the growing and resting cycles of hair. This vitamin serves as a signal to the follicle to start the growing cycle. Hair loss is a sign of Vitamin D deficiency. This vitamin is made in the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. There are also many foods that are fortified with Vitamin D, for example: milk, cereals, orange juice and cheeses.

Iron.

Like Vitamin D, an iron deficiency is characterised by hair loss. Iron plays an important role in the structure and function of red blood cells. Nutrition is delivered by blood vessels to the bulb in the follicle to make new hair cells. Low levels of iron negatively affect the follicle resulting in abnormal and excessive hair loss. Some iron rich foods are: red meat, pork, poultry, seafood, beans, dark green leafy vegetables (like spinach), dried fruit and fortified foods.

Water.

It should come as no surprise that water is absolutely necessary for healthy hair. If the body is dehydrated, the process of making, maturing and naturally moisturising your hair will be greatly compromised.

Other important nutrients for healthy hair growth include Vitamins A and C, potassium and zinc.

As is the case with all forms of wellness, the things we put into our bodies can greatly assist or hinder our progress.

Early in her life, her parents played pivotal roles in her drive and direction; each parent guiding her to pursue academics and sports, individually.

Shimonah credits their drive with motivating her to continuously improve on all aspects of her life.

For ten years, Shimonah swam on the National team. She was also the kids’ triathlon champion twice and placed in the top three at the national junior aerobics competition. She also took part in Math Olympiads.

“To balance academics and my sporting career was always a challenge which I managed to handle well,” she says of her natural ability to excel in both spheres. “This created the foundation for me becoming self-motivated, disciplined, and enabled me to achieve my goals and improved my time management skills.” These skills have equipped her with the ability to study, work, and manage her family and social lives to this day.

Today, she has a career in the energy sector’s supply chain field where she has been for the past five years, strictly in procurement for the last three. Her job in the Materials Department focuses on procuring both plant and non-plant items. Procurement, as she explains, is the sourcing, purchasing, and arranging of logistics from the vendor to the worksite, both locally and internationally.

Shimonah recalls watching “G.I. Jane” with her father as a child and being in awe of the lead character – the only woman in the army – also being one of the best in her field. “In particular, I remember how hard she worked for what she wanted and how she proved so many people wrong; I’ve always liked movies with strong leading women roles and an underdog story,” she says, relating this to the energy sector, a very male dominated arena. But she says her strong and diverse upbringing never taught her to view being a woman as an “obstacle”; she was not brought up to see her womanhood as a disadvantage or hindrance, and to always put her best foot forward.

Her work in the energy sector is closely linked to her father’s legacy; she reveals he himself worked in the energy sector for over 30 years. She and her family lived in Couva, and their proximity to the estate always left Shimonah dreaming of working there someday. Her first degree at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine – spurred by her father’s experience and support – was in Environmental Science and Nature Resource Management, with Minors in Biology and Entrepreneurship. Her intention at the time was to pursue a career in Health and Safety, but midway through her degree she felt a different calling.

“I discussed with my dad who worked in procurement and suggested I try to break into his field,” she says of her inspiration to follow in his footsteps. She pursued the professional procurement certification, CIPS (Certified Institute of Purchasing and Supply) and the rest, as they say, is history.

“I’ve always seen my dad as a super hero,” she shares of the bond between father and daughter.

“I wanted to be like him! He gave me the structure and framed my life as a child. He was responsible for me being more disciplined and determined, which I’ve now applied to my business life.” The “business life” she speaks of took root in September 2015 when she started her MBA in Trade Logistics and Procurement at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business. It was her enrolment here that awakened her “entrepreneurial spirit”. “Being at the school unlocked innovation and creativity to be a profitable venture,” she says of the new path her life was about to take.

“My husband had friends who were having babies and he always gave me the task of finding ‘cool and unique gifts’ for them. I always felt like it was a challenge to find something great and affordable; I’ve seen stores sell some items but it never seemed to be a one-stop-shop for babies and mummies,” she says of the other occurrences in her personal life happening around this time. It seemed to click.

“The idea came to me in June 2016. In July 2016, I started doing research and found the idea was feasible and potentially profitable,” she says coyly. “I found my niche.” That niche is her maternity store Baby & You in Mind, a boutique that offers a range of maternity and baby items for expectant or new parents, in a variety of brands for just the right fit. Shimonah says she has heard many people complain of not being able to find quality baby care items at reasonable prices locally. Even in her own experience as a shopper, she has scouted for presents for baby showers and came away with items she was not entirely satisfied with.

“When I found something, my curiosity of the online price would be piqued,” she says – possibly a relic from her career in procurement. “Sometimes when you see the mark up of items, you feel taken advantage of.”

Thus, her goal with Baby & You is to provide a one-stop space for both parents and babies with quality items that do not make the pockets weary. The store offers top brands in clothing, travel, feeding, health and hygiene systems, furniture, brain stimulation, and toys for babies. For mothers, it offers2 breast pumps, storage options, nursing covers, pads, and carriers. Baby shower registries, gift baskets and certificates, as well as baby shower planning services are also available.

With its genesis as an online store, Baby & You in Mind moved to its physical location at Gaston Street, Chaguanas in March of this year. Shimonah is proud and says business is picking up as more people get acquainted with the store and its services.

She also feels a corporate social responsibility to develop local content and manufacturing in TT. While many of Baby & You’s products are imported, the business hopes to provide a platform for local makers. “Preference will be given to crafters that can make items that are tailor-made to our local market,” she says of her goal to give local manufacturers a space to sell their creations.

“At this time, we have one local crafter who makes handmade cards that were customised for birthdays and baby showers. We are also working with joiners to make local and customised nursery furniture,” she says, adding that she hopes this will reduce the amount of imported goods while encouraging and providing more consistent work for skilled local artisans.

Her ultimate dream is of having a sustainable store that fits all parents – mothers and fathers alike – and their babies. She would also like to distribute regionally in the future. “We hope that it grows into that one-stop store to buy all premier products for our babies. To become THE baby store in TT,” she says proudly.

She also shapes her business and personal life around mindfulness, clarity, and love. “I don’t think our lives should only be hoping to gain wealth or worldly success,” she explains, giving an example of a quote by Bob Marley: “Some people feel the rain, others just get wet.”

“I’ve always felt as though the quote was very profound. Sometimes with our busy lives we get caught up and forget to enjoy those precious moments with our loved ones. It’s important to remember our time on this world is short; we ought to contribute to society in a positive way – not only with our loved ones – but society at large.”

For more information visit

“Baby & You in Mind” on Facebook.