In a statement to the media, Ome said his concern was once again ignited at the funeral of calypsonian Samuel “Brigo” Abraham on May 22. Brigo’s son Fr Bonnie Anthony Abraham, officiating at the service for his father at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port of Spain, asked that a collection be taken up for calypsonians.

The priest said the money would neither go to the church nor the family, but to TUCO to help calypsonians who were ill or in need of help.

Ome, who is also chairman of the Commission on Reparations, said Michael Legerton, as president of TUCO, had spoken about the convalescent home at the National Action Cultural Committee’s (NACC) 18th annual Top 20 Stars of Gold Calypso Award Ceremony at the Cascadia Hotel on January 7, 2006. Legerton, he said, announced that the home would have been facilitated with a subvention from the then government.

“What has really happened to the idea of a convalescent home for calypsonians?” Ome asked.

He said at a meeting with late Chief Servant Makandal Daaga and Legerton at TUCO’s office at Jerningham Avenue, Belmont, he was shown completed drawings for the home. He said then culture minister Winston “Gypsy” Peters had referred to preliminary work on the establishment of the home and implementation of activities and programmes that exposed stakeholders to relevant training in the arts, culture and the preservation of this country’s heritage.

According to Ome, in the 2011 Public Sector Investment Programme it was explicitly stated that an allocation of $5 million had been made towards the construction of the three-storey home.

He said it was stated in the document that the facility was intended to provide nursing and supportive care to patients, primarily members of the calypso fraternity who had been discharged from hospital and were without support at home.

The site for construction of the home was located within the La Reunion Estate at Carapo near Arima.

Ome said that in 2010, TUCO president Lutalo Masimba (Brother Resistance) said there should be a home for artistes and other performers. He said that work on the home was ‘on pause.’ Despite his concern, Ome said TUCO has done a certain amount of welfare work with the calypsonians. He congratulated, in particular, Carlston Kerr (Calypso Kerr) for the work that he has done to maintain certain calypsonians and even chorus singers who have turned to TUCO for help.

Former United National Congress senator Devant Maharaj is adamant that the JLSC is not properly constituted and today intends to file a claim seeking the court’s interpretation of relevant sections of the Constitution which relates to its composition .

He is seeking a declaration that retired judge Humphrey Stollmeyer’s appointment is unconstitutional, illegal and invalid .

According to Maharaj, he has been following the controversy surrounding the recent judicial appointments of the JLSC which culminated in the Law Association’s passage of a motion of no confidence in the chief justice and the members of the JLSC, calling on them to resign .

“Having regard to the critical constitutional role and function of the JLSC, it is imperative that its membership is properly appointed in accordance with the supreme law that created it,” he said in his lawsuit .

Maharaj on May 8 issued a pre action protocol letter seeking answers to several questions relating to the composition of the JLSC, namely whether a person over the age of 65 was eligible or qualified to serve as a member; whether the JLSC was properly constituted at the time with four instead of five members; whether persons with legal qualifications other than retired judges was catered for by section 110(3)(a) and whether there should be representation from the bar .

On May 9, attorney Ernest Koylass, SC, was appointed to the JLSC and the body, on May 18, conceded that with four members it fell short by one as contemplated by section 110, but that this was rectified by Koylass’ appointment .

It also noted that section 110 permitted the appointment of retired judges Roger Hamel-Smith and Humphrey Stollmeyer and that they were “aptly qualified to so serve.” The other members of the JLSC are Archie as chairman, and head of the Public Service Commission Maureen Manchouk .

In its response to Maharaj’s attorney Anand Ramlogan, SC, the JLSC also noted that there was no discernible prohibition placed by the Constitution on a former judge filling one of the posts since it provides for one of the two members with legal qualifications to not be in active practice .

“I disagree with the JLSC’s interpretation and remain of the view that Justice Stollmeyer cannot be properly and lawfully appointed to serve as a member of the JLSC. It is plain to me that on a correct reading (of the Constitution) the category of persons targeted are members of the legal profession who were practitioners and one who is still a practitioner and not retired judges,” Maharaj said .

He also provided a history of the JLSC’s composition, dating back to 2005, which showed that two retired judges and one legal practitioner have sat on the commission .

Maharaj said as of October 2015, there would have been three retired judges on the JLSC until the departure of retired judge Annestine Sealy, leaving four members, two of whom were retired judges .

He is seeking an early hearing in order to guide the President, Chief Justice and other state functionaries on the issue of appointment of members to the JLSC .

The event featured an all female group Queen, a Korean traditional music group that promotes traditional Korean music with a contemporary twist.

In his welcome address before the start of the concert, Korean Ambassador Dooyoung Lee told the audience that each of Queen’s concerts aims to highlight the aspects of traditional Korean song and dance. He said: “I believe culture is one of the most effective ways for the people to understand each other well.” Lee said of the group: “Each of them plays unique, traditional Korean instruments with harmonies originating from both East and West.” Queen has been invited to perform in 20 different countries.

Lee said he hopes his Trinidadian friends, having been exposed to the groups music, will acquire a better understanding of the Korean culture and heritage through a more relatable and modern perspective.

“Likewise, I do hope that such an understanding will serve to further strengthen and promote the friendship and cooperation between our two countries in the years to come.” Dressed in traditional Korean wear, Youlee Lee on the haegeum, a traditional Korean string instrument, Ahreum Lee on the gayageum, a Korean board zither, Goeun Jeon on the janggu (drum), and Hyekyung Kwon on daegeum, a bamboo transverse flute, danced as they played their instruments over an up-tempo track. It was a dramatic start to a lovely evening of Korean sound and dance.

Ahreum Lee remained on stage for an interesting gayageum sanjo (gayageum solo), then came Yunju Ha to do a vocal solo Sijo – hwangjinlee. Over tracks and based on a Korean poem with animated visuals in the background, it was hauntingly beautiful.

Youlee Lee then played the familiar You Raise Me Up on the haegeum and the audience readily related to it.

The full ensemble returned centre stage and with vocalist Yunju Ha delivered another song familiar to the audience, You Are My Everything, from a Korean drama film Descendants From The Sun.

From the very first bar of the song the crowd reacted favourably.

Complemented with scenes from the film in the background, loud cheers came at the end of the song.

The ladies followed with an equally entertaining performance of Queen’s Arirang, getting the audience to clap along to the uptempo piece before the group closed the first half of the concert with Beautiful Korea, moving gracefully throughout their performance and leaving the crowd wanting more.

Indeed more came in the second half, this time though, with K-pop music.

For this half, the group changed outfits to pleated short skirts, fitted tops, tall socks and sneakers/high heels.

Lee, Jeon and Kwon showed off their dancing skills during their delivery of their K-pop medley of 21st century Korean songs.

Another outfit change saw the group in white fitted tops and frilly, red, pink and fuchsia skirts, delivering Spring of Queen. The next item elicited loud applause.

The Queen ensemble was highly entertaining with their playing of Mission Impossible and Vivaldi: The Four Seasons – Winter Ballad.

The group and vocalist Ha then entertained with Queen’s Melody and Gangwondo Arirang before they launched into Trini to D Bone, by David Rudder and Carl Jacob.

As that track began, hands started clapping and, with Youlee Lee and Kwon taking the lead on their instruments, the crowd sang in measured tones.

The lead singer tried to get them to sing into her microphone but they chose to remain as they were. However the performance evoked the loudest and most sustained applause of the evening.

Encouraged by the reaction, Queen returned for a lagniappe and, at the announcement of Gangnam Style as the final song, the crowd roared with approval.

Towards the end of the performance the group put down their instruments and did the dance to the song.

The crowd loved it and rewarded Queen with some more loud cheers.

“We have impacted every aspect of our marine environment,” Juman said.

“However we are in a position where it’s not too late. If we act now we would be able to turn things around. It’s not just Government’s job. Everybody needs to be part of the solution.” Juman made the comments while discussing with Newsday some aspects of the institute’s recently launched State of the Marine Environment (SOME) Report, indicating that its work was challenged by lack of funding.

“We know our problems. We have been trying to make people aware. The report was a call for action, a baseline where we should aspire to improve because we need to improve.” One of the areas in which this country needed to improve, she said, was the water quality at bathing beaches across the country as they were contaminated by sewage.

She said possible sources include leaking pit latrines, soakaways and septic tanks from unplanned developments (squatting areas) near the shore or on the beach, as well as malfunctioning sewer treatment plants and run-off from animal farms entering drains or river courses.

“A lot of this ends up in the water courses and eventually flows out into the ocean. We have documented problems with sewage pollution since 1981.” The IMA uses World Health Organisation and US Environmental Protection Agency Bathing Beach standards to determine if a beach is unsafe for bathing.

However, she said, if a beach is long, only certain areas could have a problem. In addition, she said some beaches, such as Maracas and Macqueripe, were “high-energy” beaches, which usually have strong waves and currents which flush sediments and therefore cleans itself more quickly.

The SOME 2016 Report highlights various sections of popular beaches along the north,west, and San Fernando coastlines that have poor water quality or are unsafe for bathing. The report can be downloaded from the IMA website.

Juman suggested that bathers refrain from swimming after heavy rainfall or during rainy season when there is increased run-off from the land. She also advised people to stay away from bathing near river mouths and areas near unplanned housing (squatting).

In order to combat the problem, Juman said proper planning permissions, ensuring developments have proper sewerage, that the Water and Sewerage Authority- maintained sewer treatment plants, and the limiting squatting communities were important.

She said,“It’s not just dealing with what comes out a sewage plant but also land-use planning.

What kind of land use we have along a river course and where the waste is going… Is it being treated before it is released into the environment?” Juman stressed that 75 percent of marine pollution in the Caribbean comes from land-based sources. “Because we are a small island state, a lot of our development is along the coast. Most of our people live and work on the coast, and most of our industries are located along the coast. we are very highly dependent on our coastal resources. Because of that we have impacted them negatively.” In addition to sewage, marine pollution also comes from waste water from industries, hydrocarbons from the oil and gas sector, nutrients, suspended solids, heavy metals and sediments from deforestation, land clearing, and quarrying.

She said the coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves were all negatively impacted, especially the coral reefs as the pollutants block the sun from reaching the reefs, and stress the coral. These environments then become more susceptible to climate change.

She said under this country’s jurisdiction, there was 15 times more sea space than land.

Therefore, the marine environment provided many opportunities to diversify the economy through tourism, the shipping industry, aquaculture, and many other fields. However, she said, a healthy environment was necessary to take advantage of those opportunities.

TT coach Dennis Lawrence announced a 24-member team yesterday but, according to the media release issued by TT Football Association (TT FA) media officer Shaun Fuentes, “Cato was released due to disciplinary reasons”.

Efforts to reach Fuentes for a comment over Cato’s exclusion proved futile up to press time last evening but, according to a story on top local sports website Wired868.com, the 24-yearold Cato, who plays for San Jose Earthquakes in the American MLS (Major League Soccer), was omitted due to an alleged breach of team rules.

The local-based players were involved in a 12-day camp in Colorado, where they were joined by the US and overseas-based contingent.

However, strikers Willis Plaza and Akeem Roach, as well as midfielder Jomal Williams, have returned to TT due to injuries while a hamstring strain has ruled out teenaged Dutch-based winger Levi Garcia.

Lawrence said he was anticipating the forthcoming days of preparations with his full compliment of players ahead of Thurday’s fixture.

“We arrived here on May 23rd to begin a training camp with the objective of getting acclimatised with the players available to us and I am able to say that we were able to get in some proper training which allowed me and the coaching staff to get a good impression of how the players would react under the conditions here,” said Lawrence. “The players have responded positively with a good attitude and the spirit in the camp has been good with everyone having a proper understanding as to why we are here.” Lawrence, the former TT central defender, continued, “Now we are under a week away from the match and we should have the full squad together from (yesterday) evening and (today) we will begin the final leg of preparations.

We are heading into it in a positive frame of mind and ready to focus all our energies into ensuring we prepare as best as possible for what is ahead of us.” TT squad: Jan Michael Williams, Marvin Phillip, Adrian Foncette (goalkeepers); Carlos Edwards, Aubrey David, Alvin Jones, Radanfah Abu Bakr, Mekeil Williams, Triston Hodge, Sheldon Bateau, Daneil Cyrus, Curtis Gonzales (defenders); Joevin Jones, Andre Boucaud, Kevan George, Hashim Arcia, Khaleem Hyland, Leston Paul,Kevin Molino, Hughtun Hector, Nathan Lewis (midfielders); Shahdon Winchester, Jamille Boatswain, Kenwyne Jones (strikers).

Addressing a media conference at the MSJ’s St Joseph Road, San Fernando headquarters yesterday, Abdulah said the no-confidence motion was another indication of the “collapse” which was taking place in institutions.

“We want to say that in our view, the time has come for Chief Justice Archie and the members of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission to resign in order to ensure that the credibility and legitimacy of the Judiciary and for our legal process to regain some of its very significantly tarnished reputation,” Abdulah said.

The media conference also focused on the state of health care delivery with MSJ general secretary Ozzi Warwick once again calling on the minister of health to “come clean” on the Point Fortin hospital and the delay in its construction.

“On Saturday April 1, the MSJ held a press conference just outside the construction site of what was supposed to be the new Point Fortin hospital where we highlighted the fact that, notwithstanding sod turning, nothing has actually happened,” Warwick said.

“Well subsequent to that, you had the UdeCoTT and the minister of health coming out in a strong statement to give the indication that some work is taking place. Now today, on June 4, absolutely nothing is happening.” Abdulah also highlighted a case involving an MSJ activist whose daughter had been denied funding from the Children’s Life Fund after she had initially been approved to receive funding for lifesaving surgery.

“There was approval in 2015 March for Jordan Adams, the daughter of Ronnie Adams, to get surgery in the United States. We are now more than two years after that and to date the Children’s Life Fund has not honoured its original commitment to disburse the money,” Abdulah said.

“His daughter is alive today but needs ongoing medical treatment and she’s only alive because in desperation, Ronnie and his wife approached Petrotrin to get a loan.

“We are saying that the Children’s Life Fund ought to honour its commitment that was made originally.” The loan was in the amount of US$147,000.

Coupled with this, Bailey-Sobers said the population of older people continues to increase with the commensurate implications as older people are more likely to acquire a disability as they age.

Bailey-Sobers was speaking at the launch of the first national consultation on the revised policy on people with disabilities at the Eastern Regional Sporting Complex, Orange Grove Road, Tacarigua last week.

She said one of the fundamental functions of the government was to protect the rights and freedom of the vulnerable in society, which included people with disabilities.

She said as the government moved towards the creation of a new framework for this country’s development by 2030, all contributions were critical in helping it finalise the second version of the policy.

“Together we must arrive at a consensus on those amendments to the draft revised policy on people with disabilities. We are charged with an enormous and important responsibility.” She said one important requirement was a national policy to serve as a blueprint for advocating the cause and meeting the specific needs of this growing population and for creating enabling environments to allow their full integration, participation and contribution to society.

She said the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) recently required nation states, as a duty of care, to report on the progress of the adoption of the convention.

This country was no exception, she said, and through the ministry’s Disability Affairs Unit, sustained efforts were now proposed to put required structures and strategies in place to comply with the convention.

“In order for our country to achieve the laudable goal of developed- country status by 2030, much work will have to be undertaken to adequately address the needs of this growing cohort. The revised policy must be current, and it must be keeping with international human- rights perspectives on disability and, most important, reflective of those issues people with disabilities, their families, caregivers, NGOs and civil society deem of critical importance.” Bailey-Sobers encouraged all stakeholders, especially the community with disabilities to participate fully and let their voices be heard during the consultations.

Hill is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s theatre luminaries. He has written numerous plays including Square Peg (1949); The Ping-Pong (1950); Dilemma (1953); Wey-Wey (1957); Strictly Matrimony (1959); Whistling Charlie and the Monster (1964); Dance Bongo (1965) and What Price a Slave (1970). His numerous accolades include the Hummingbird Gold Medal in 1973; the Barnard Hewitt Award in 1985 from the American Theatre Association and the Bertram Joseph Award for Shakespeare studies from Queens College of the City University of New York in 1985.

Directed by Belinda Barnes, artistic director of the National Theatre Arts Company and Arthur Lewis, this fully staged large-scale production is performed in collaboration with the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s Academy (UTT ) for the Performing Arts. The production features the National Steel Symphony Orchestra (NSSO) and the National Philharmonic Orchestra, under the musical direction of Akua Leith, artistic director of NSSO. Written in 1954, Man Better Man is a folk musical that tells the story of a young man who resorts to obeah to win acclaim and gain the notice from the woman he loves. Aided by comedy, kalindas, and calypso, Man Better Man weaves a story of superstition and stickfighting, village-life, heroism, and the pursuit of love.

Admission is free, however, tickets must be collected at NAPA box office, 119 Frederick Street, Port-of-Spain, from noon to 6pm daily while stocks last.

There is a limit of two tickets per person. For more info: 271- 2894.

According to reports, the 40-year-old woman and her 32-year-old male friend were walking along Pujadas Street, St James at about 5.45am when they were approached by two men armed with guns.

The men robbed them of cash and jewellery and ordered the to the house where they were staying.

While at the house, two other friends, the other 32-year-old man and the 24 year-old woman, were also robbed of cash and jewellery.

One of the gunmen then ordered the 40-year-old woman inside a bedroom where she was sexually assaulted while his accomplice stood watch over the two men and the 24-year-old woman. The 24-year-old woman was then taken to the same bedroom where she too was assaulted.

After the incident, the suspects fled the scene and the victims made a report to the St James police.

They were examined by a doctor and Newsday understands camera footage was obtained by police to assist them in identifying the suspects.

“There is a lot of consciousness about eating what you know and eating what you grow,” Rambharat said, adding, “The more we produce and the more accessible it becomes, we are able to keep the prices at a level where it becomes more affordable.” He was speaking after a tour of the Godineau River, south Oropouche yesterday as part of World Environment Day observances which is being observed worldwide today .

“Continue to respect nature and the environment.” Rambharat, who was accompanied by Fyzabad MP Dr Lackram Bodoe, was taken by boat along the river to those areas which had been affected by last year’s oil spill .

“One of the issues I saw in the Godineau river and in the Caroni bird sanctuary was the issue of dredging of rivers and the way in which the silt that is dredged is dumped onto the banks. When you do that, you really affect the shell fish that is using the bank of the river as a breeding ground so that will affect the oyster .

“We need to put in some infrastructure to help the boat operators to be able to land and anchor their boats a little more safely along the Godineau at an area called St John’s and another area called Woodland,” he said .

Rambharat also said the river possessed the potential for eco-tourism as there was already some activity taking place along the river but on a limited basis .

At a meeting with farmers, Rambharat said he knows “the number one issue is land tenure; the number two issue is access roads; and third is the support from the Ministry” and spoke at length about the work of the Ministry and other agencies to address their legitimate concerns .

While at the meeting with the fisherfolk, he called on the Fishing Association to instill discipline among its members with a view to proper management of their facilities .