The job itself, she has been doing for three years out of her 38 in insurance, a field she chose almost by accident. She stayed though, because it gave her the opportunity to help people.

“That is how I see insurance. As helping people. Insurance comes about when people have a need,” she said.

Janice believed her attitude was a holdover from her mother, who was going to become a nun when her own father died.

“She had to give up her dream and go out to support her family as she was the oldest at home. That is how she met my dad. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” Janice joked.

She got her start in the claims department, where people would come daily seeking solutions to sometimes highly stressful situations. She thought her mother’s humanitarian approach rubbed off on her, coupled with her own determination, served her well here.

“Anything I do, I do it to the best of my ability.

At the end of the day. I think the organisation has a certain expectation of me. If I am given a job, I am going to find out how it is supposed to be done, even if I don’t know how to do it. Because I don’t like to make promises I can’t keep. If I promise something, I must be able to deliver on that promise.” She said her first few days were spent moving around claims, taking the initiative to pull claim files, read through them to see how they were handled and formulate questions for clarification.

Superiors took notice of her and gave her progressively more difficult assignments and responsibilities as the years passed. When her company merged and became the newly formed Guardian General Insurance Ltd, Janice had reached management. However, she told WMN she did not view herself as a “career person”.

She said her time at claims helped to make her a “better” person, having to deal directly with the company’s customers.

“Experience with the customer made you reflect on how things needed to be done and where we needed to be as an organisation.” “When customers come and they are upset, they just really want a solution so they can get on with their lives. When we hold them up, we frustrate them and prevent them from doing the more important things they need to in their life.

As a service industry, we must think of ways to deal with issues quickly, efficiently, so that we can relieve that stress.

Janice switched from claims to being overall in charge of the Trinidad operations, being more exposed to the underwriting side of insurance, when the former VP for Trinidad Operations retired and she was selected to take up the position.

“My executives saw that I could do the job and I had no doubt that I could,” she said.

But it was not a one man show. Janice recalled that her staff and people she worked with through the years could also be counted on for support. She was lucky, she said, to have been in environments where people were loyal and knowledgeable, with none of the familiar turf wars that populate corporate life.

She also said they were the backbone of the company, which has been a market leader for several years running.

“You can have all the tools, all the mechanisms, but at the end of the day, it’s the people who make the organisation,” As a people person, Janice said she always encouraged the two-way flow of ideas and information between herself and the people with whom she works.

She did not think her collaborative style of management held her back in what has largely been seen as a male dominated industry.

“People say it’s a man’s world, and it probably is, but that doesn’t bother me in the least. I have a job to do. And if I need to confront something to do that job then I am going to confront it.” In fact, Janice believed more love was needed in the world. It is a maxim she practices at work.

“I like to see people grow. I like to see people develop. I think everybody has potential within them. It is really just a case of how much you are prepared to explore that potential.” She saw today’s social ills as a reflection of how little love there was in the society and wants to help there too. She is four years away from retirement and sees herself becoming more heavily involved in charitable work, particularly that which provided people with much needed support through difficult periods in their lives.

Her ability to climb as high as she did, Janice said is the result of love itself. Janice’s mother, who is now 85, helped her take care of her three children along with her husband as she pursued a career in the demanding industry.

The future of that industry now lies with Millennials, who she said, were not necessarily gravitating towards insurance as a career.

“Millennials want challenges, they are creative thinkers. I don’t think they want to be stuck behind a desk doing data entry and paper work. We have to find ways to engage them to ensure the longevity of the organisation and the industry.”

Skipper Leeann Kirby smashed her way to a glorious unbeaten 50, powering her team to the title and the trophy along with the $15,000 first prize from Roger Rambharose, Commercial Director of Unicomer Courts Trinidad Limited.

Kirby, a former West Indies player, displayed her wonderful all-round talent and pulverised the Titans bowlers in a fine exhibition of power-hitting that lasted 34 balls and featured two towering sixes and five blistering fours in a match-winning effort in the first-ever T20 franchise tournament for women in the Caribbean.

Kirby had earlier won the toss and invited the TECU Southern Titans to bat first on a pitch that was well-rolled but devoid of grass.

The Starblazers captain led from the front and opened the attack from the Southern end and was miserly in her first three overs that yielded only eight runs with the wicket of Trinidad and Tobago’s opener Shenelle Lord who was caught by wicketkeeper Jervina Pollucksingh.

Lord emerged as her team’s top scorer with 22 runs that included four fours off 18 deliveries while Kirby finished with two for 14 from her four overs.

The Titans struggled against Grenada’s leg spinner Afy Fletcher (3/12) and TT’s junior spinner Rosemary Samaroo (3/11) who did most of the damage. Those spells prove decisive as TECU Titans crawled to 103 for eight in their allotted 20 overs.

Set a victory target of 104, Sacha Starblazers lost early wickets and were 18 for two after 6.3 overs. Opener Rachel Vincent was adjudged LBW to Peters for three while Jamaican Chedean Nation was smartly stumped by Merissa Aguilleira off Lord for duck.

However, the experienced Amanda Samaroo stroked three fours off 23 balls before she offered Lord a return catch which was gleefully accepted. At 35 for three in 8.4 overs, the Starblazers were slightly behind the Titans at the same stage.

However, 30-year-old Kirby, who hails from Arima, found a valuable partner in Fletcher and together they rallied the Sacha Northern Starblazers to a historic victory that was achieved and celebrated with much gusto by the players and merry band of supporters that included Kama Maharaj, managing director of Sacha Cosmetics, the main sponsor for the newly-crowned champions. With her knock and two wickets to her name, Kirby was deservedly voted “Player of the Match”.

The Titans were surprisingly lacklustre compared to their previously confident and energetic selves perhaps drained from their exertions the previous night when they fought bravely to edge out the same rivals in the final round robin match contested at the Munroe Road recreation ground.

Kirby, speaking to Newsday, attributed her team’s victory to excellent teamwork, being humble and focussed. She said: “We played with a lot of team spirit and decided to fight from the start. I told the players to remain humble but be totally focussed on our goals. Usually we set team goals and get all our players to understand what we have to do to achieve those goals. So I wish to give special credit to all the players in our team who fought harder than before. To win the title is a special feeling which we will cherish.” Kirby, who totalled 111 runs and claimed five wickets in the tournament, was named “Player of the Series” and took home a SmartTV donated by the tournament’s title sponsor Unicomer Courts Trinidad Limited. Kirby also collected a cosmetics hamper from her team’s main sponsor, Sacha Cosmetics. Lord, with 10 wickets in the competition, managed to stop Kirby’s clean sweep of individual awards

Investigators said the unidentified man’s head was covered in blood and a bloody stone was found near his body.

According to police reports, at about 3 pm, a visitor discovered the man’s body in a drain near the site in Hindustan, New Grant, Princes Town.

The visitor contacted the Princes Town police who cordoned off the area. A district medical officer ordered the body be taken to the Forensic Science Centre, St James for an autopsy tomorrow.

The universal Church celebrates the heroic faith and witness of children who refused to be bullied –by religious and secular authorities alike– into recanting their accounts of the appearance of a beautiful lady who urged them to pray the rosary daily, to make sacrifices for sinners and open their hearts fully to the love of God.

The Lady asked the children then what she would ask of us today: pray the rosary every day. Many Catholics have long neglected the practice especially in the family setting. It is seen by many as a time-consuming and tedious task, best undertaken by Catholic schools, many of which have stopped the recitations of this powerful prayer and the meditation of the holy mysteries.

The children were told that the Great War of 1914 to 1918 could be brought to an end by prayer. Our Lady warned about future wars, which the world would bring upon itself by its wickedness.

In an era or political and military instability, with the threatened use of nuclear weapons by North Korea, the widespread suffering, civil unrest and violent clashes on our doorstep in Venezuela and now with the almost daily murders in this country, we should heed our Blessed Mother’s call to pray, and save ourselves from the destruction which is increasingly rearing its evil, ugly head.

The fact that the children to whom the Virgin appeared were humble, ordinary peasants holds another truth that we need to acknowledge. We are all called to be saints, regardless of our state in life.

In the performance of our daily duties, in our treatment of brothers and sisters, in our handling of the challenges which each of us must face and in our relationship with God, we are called to be heroic in our faith.

The idea of a heroic faith may seem far fetched and impossible to achieve. To be certain, it is a state that we cannot reach without divine help.

It requires a complete surrender to the will of God, complete faith in His power and love.

The Lord assures us in today’s Gospel, that if we keep His commandments we will have His help.

He will send “another Advocate”, the “Spirit of truth” to be with us forever (John 14:15, 16).

In her love for the children, Our Lady of Fatima allowed them to have a vision of Hell, as she warned that many souls were being lost to the fires of eternal damnation. She begged for prayers for the conversion of Russia and for penance to bring about world peace.

The message of Fatima are as applicable today as they were in 1917. We would be foolish, indeed, if we did not heed them now.

The ghats can be roughly translated as the stairs that lead down to the holy river. As I set foot on Kedar Ghat through a narrow doorway, the river opens out in front of me. It’s a breathtaking view after my twenty-six years absence. The auto-rickshaw driver, Ahmed, points out Harishchandra Ghat to our right. The smoke from burning bodies floated off over the river on the early winter morning.

A man passing by comments with a knowing shake of his head, as though teaching us a lesson, “We all end up there one day.” I nod in response and look towards the river. Men are already waist-deep in the water, making their offerings of flowers and water and taking their ritual baths.

Benares or Kāshi as the city is also known, now has a different appeal to me as an adult. For children, as we were in the late 1980s, the ghats were a morning adventure where we were taken for a bath during the Kartik nahaan or where a 5.30 am boat ride revealed a gorgeous sunrise and a wide expanse of architecture that gave the city its special feeling.

Today, I walk down the long flight of steps to the river, look up and see the magnificence of the temple architecture and old palaces. One feels minute in the presence of centuries of history enshrined in old walls, and temples that resonate with the simple devotion of daily worshippers who endure long lines simply to have a quick look at the images of gods and goddesses inside.

One lady is sitting on the steps of a shrine in a courtyard of the Vishwanath temple looking through the bars that are three-quarter way blocked off. There is a space at the bottom. Her head is almost on the floor as she strains to catch a glimpse of the mūrti/image through the open space. A pujari/temple priest chases her. The priests are still getting the mūrti ready for viewers.

No one is supposed to be intruding on the dressing of the image. But the lady has gotten her satisfaction and she moves on.

To my left and right, the other ghats stretch along the river like open arms as if to embrace the river that flows peacefully along.

From the top of the stairs, I survey the river that defines this city and many Hindus in Trinidad.

A friend has asked me to bring back Ganges water.

The Ganges of Benares is the site of life and death. There are over eighty ghats dedicated to different activities even while ritual bathing and devotion is a common theme.

In a sense, one experiences the city’s life on these ghats, from the daily Ganga aarti on evenings, done with much pomp and festivity, accompanied by singing and chanting, to the burning of bodies and the washing of clothes, that all take place on ghats allocated to these activities.

One cannot visit Benares and sidestep the presence of death. On our drive from the airport, a car passes by with a body strapped to the roof. It is wrapped in bright orange cloth with gold tassels that gives it a festive air. The car bumps along the dirt roads of the villages we have to pass through. The body too takes a hard ride, bouncing up and down much to the amazement of my friend who has never seen a dead body in this situation.

“It’s so impersonal, unemotional.

I can’t see my family being treated that way, exposed to the world even though the body is covered. But I guess this is normal for them because the body has no life right?” The question is rhetorical.

My childhood in Benares has made me immune to this amazement.

I had misjudged the impact of memories until now. Death is a given, a part of a mathematical formula where life is the one you have to work out. Varanasi is commonly defined as the City of Light. That light includes death, just another rite of passage, and a release from the illusory world. But the legacies left behind serve as an impetus for some to build upon.

The deaths of calypsonian Brigo and guitarist Tony Voisin, this week, signify the continuous movement towards the end of eras of music.

These deaths coincide with a year that marks the centennial anniversary of the end of East Indian indentureship.

We are thus reminded further of the importance of recording the lives and legacies of our people for we often forget in our present, that there is a future. And the histories of nations are built through the legacies of both individuals and communities.

The report was in relation to an incident on November 24, 2016 where a remand detainee accused of murder was allowed to conduct business at a bank while not in handcuffs and with members of the public present and unaware of his presence.

The JSC, chaired by Laventille East/Morvant MP Fitzgerald Hinds, conducted a public hearing on December 8, 2016 with Prison Service officials, including Prisons Commissioner Sterling Stewart, and received both oral and written submissions.

The JSC noted a submission from the Prison Service on January 4, 2017 which revealed that 61 requests were made by inmates/ detainees (not including Youth Training Centre) during the period 2015-2016 with 51 of these requests to view a corpse. The JSC reported that 20 of the people granted access were charged with murder which is a “direct contradiction” with a policy stated in a 1987 prison document which prohibits prisoners under sentence of death and inmates on murder charges from being granted access to this facility.

“The committee is thus dissatisfied with the conduct of the officials of the Prison Service,” the report stated.

The JSC pointed out that no steps were taken to effectively communicate with the TT Police Service (TTPS) on the prisoner’s bank visit.

“The committee finds it inexcusable that prison officials failed to inform the TTPS of the November 24, 2016 visit of a prisoner to a bank, as is required in its own policy in relation to the granting of access for the viewing of a corpse.” The JSC also reported that prison officials had failed to adequately prepare for the public hearing in December and had failed to conduct in-depth investigations.

The JSC stated there was no policy governing the granting of access to detainees/inmates to services outside of the prison facility other than the policy to grant access for the viewing of a corpse. In its recommendations, the JSC stated that as an immediate measure the Commissioner of Prisons should complete and implement the provisions of the draft policy on inmates leaving the prison in instances other than court, clinic and programmes “at the earliest occasion to prevent recurrence of the incident in question.” The JSC also advised the Prison Service rules should include framework policy to allow for access to critically needed external services by prisoners who qualify, and these rules should clearly define the communication protocols that must be followed between the Prison Service and the TTPS on all such occasions.

The JSC also stressed that “the safety and protection of citizens should be of paramount importance on all such occasions.” Other suggestions included alternative arrangements for access to critically needed services by detainees/inmates in secured locations within prison facilities.

A 35-year-old farmer was detained and charged. According to police, at about 10.30 am Al Clement, 32, was liming with friends at a bar along the Naparima /Mayaro Road in Mayaro when a man he knew approached him. The man accused Clement of a crime involving his family members which occurred one year ago.

Clement denied the accusations and the two began arguing. The man, police said, went to his car took out a cutlass and went back to Clement. There was a scuffle and the man chopped off Clement’s hand then ran off. Emergency Health Services took Clement to the Mayaro Health Facility and transferred him to Sangre Grande Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to save his left forearm. The suspect was arrested shortly after the attack. PC Chan of the Mayaro Police Station laid the charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The suspect is expected to appear before a Mayaro magistrate tomorrow.

There was a buzz around the venue as close to 100 youngsters from six primary schools and coaching schools in the area assembled to take part in the second edition of the grassroots festival which commenced last weekend at Green Park, Felicity in Chaguanas.

There are 30 sessions scheduled to take place at various venues within the six regional associations under the TTFA between May and August.

Children are being taught the basics of the game with an emphasis on player participation and enjoyment as coaches, who have all been trained by the TTFA coaching instructors and been part of the recent TTFA/CONCACAF Grassroots coaching course, are utilised to guide the youngsters during the sessions.

TTFA Technical Director Muhammad Isa spoke about the positive turnout yesterday.

“The participation level both here and in Felicity last weekend has been promising. Of course you always want to have more players involved but so far we have seen a lot of enthusiasm and the kids have been having fun which is the most important objective of this grassroots festival,” Isa told TTFA Media.

“I am satisfied with the progress and happy that the coaches have gotten the kids from the community to come out. There are a series of technical drills and game activities taking place. The zones will continue to have the grassroots activities and our concern from the TTFA is to see what talent we can identify between the six to 11 age group that we can now pick up and continue to nurture,” he added. One of the grassroots coaches, Kendall Crawford from the southern football association observed that there were youngsters with good technical ability on show.

“So far we have all the kids engaged and the enthusiasm level is very high and we have seen a number of them who have shown technical promise and we have bodies of various types. This is where it all starts… at the grassroots level. If we don’t get them into the right structure from early then we are going to run into problems later down the road. “In Felicity last week there was also a good turnout with strong showing from the kids and we are definitely hoping to push on with this type of progress in each of the zones,” Crawford added.

The next grassroots session will take place at the Blanchisseuse Recreation Ground on Saturday from 9am.

So Rev Dr Knolly Clarke said yesterday during the homily at the three-hour funeral service for Rennie “Stretch” Dumas, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Portof- Spain. Another funeral service is expected to be held on Wednesday in Tobago.

Clarke said churches, political parties, and other organisations had become so exclusive, that they had no use for people of different positions and ideologies.

“We can not tolerate different things. We cannot recognise that Trinidad and Tobago is a diverse society… we have lost the art of listening and dialogue.” He said Dumas, 61, was a man of many talents who was involved in all aspects of national development.

He said if the people of Trinidad and Tobago were going to build up this country as Dumas did, we would have to do so as a community of communities. “If this man’s life meant anything to you, we must change.” All of the speakers described Dumas as a man of many talents who served his country and the People’s National Movement (PNM). They said he was a man who understood people and so was patient and empathetic.

Listing some of Dumas’ accomplishments, Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis said he served as president of the UWI Guild; an executive member of TTUTA; a senator; a member of the House of Representatives; a government minister; member of the General Council and Central Executive of the PNM; and as an executive member of the PNM’s Tobago Island Council.

Speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and the PNM, and the Women’s League, Robinson-Regis described Dumas as a good and decent man, and as the voice that bridged the two islands.

“He gave us strength in times of trouble, wisdom in times of uncertainty, and generosity in times of happiness… He was always by our side… It was because he was a man who understood people, that in the darkest days of 2000, 2001, he lit the lamps of hope at many firesides as we traversed the length and breath of Trinidad and Tobago and released so many from the chains of despair, that by 2002, we were able to convince the nation that we were worthy of their trust.” Former PNM minister Mustapha Abdul-Hamid told the audience Dumas was “one of the most underrated politicians, a true intellectual powerhouse” and he loved Dumas as a brother.

He said although Dumas was “a mountain of strength and power” in the Parliament, “Rennie’s superior generosity and wisdom were to be found, not in academia, but in his understanding of people.” In addition Abdul-Hamid said, “He had the courage to stand on his principles, even at great personal cost. At a time when it was fashionable to ridicule, humiliate and persecute Patrick Manning, Rennie Dumas refused to join the herds stampeding in desperate search of high political office.” Delivering the eulogy, William Benjamin, a friend of Dumas’ for 30 years, was the most emotional.

He said he could not believe it when Dumas died because he was too young. In fact, he said he visited Dumas a few weeks before his death, and Dumas was an eternal optimist. He said Dumas felt confident all he needed to do was strengthen his body, undergo the surgery, and he would be back on his feet.

While that was not the outcome, Benjamin said he was happy his friend lived his life well, had done so many good things, and was loved.

He described Dumas as gracious and warm, full of love, a man with a joy for life, a scholar, counsellor, a proud father and loving companion, an educator, and an integral part of the PNM in Tobago.

Benjamin said Dumas was a walking encyclopaedia of the social, political, and economic landscape of Tobago, and that Tobago had lost a community man and a champion who understood the institution of democracy.

“It seems of little consequence now that there were political differences or objections to his legislative product, his approach to development, and his style of leadership… What matters now is that feeling of loss. That personal sense of emptiness which most Tobagonians and Trinidadians feel because Rennie, our Stretch, has left us in the prime of his life,” he said.

After the eulogy, Benjamin began to sing Hear Me Calling, Great Redeemer by Fernando Ortega.

He was not able to finish as he broke down in tears and had to be helped from the platform.

WASA in a release yesterday stated the disruption is due to ongoing emergency repairs to a broken 48-inch pipeline at the Desalcott- owned and operated Point Lisas Desalination Plant. Production at the plant has been reduced from 40 to 10 million gallons per day, while the repair works are being carried out, WASA reported.

The affected areas include: Caroni, Felicity, Charlieville, Cunupia, Chaguanas, Chase Village, Carapichaima, Endeavour, Montrose, Point Lisas, Couva, Claxton Bay, Vistabella, Marabella, Gasparillo, San Fernando, Gulf View, Duncan Village, Pleasantville, Union Hall, La Romaine, Palmiste, Phillipine, Woodland, South Oropouche, Rousillac, Boodoosingh, Avocat, Fyzabad, parts of Siparia, De Gannes Village, Debe and parts of Penal.

WASA stated that in order to manage the deficit it has amended its temporary water supply schedules.

WASA also reported it will redistribute water from the Navet Water Treatment Plant and Point Fortin Desalination Plant, in order to minimize the impact of the disruption.

“Customers are further advised to manage their water use efficiently, as it may take 12 to 24 hours for the supply to normalize to some affected areas, after the plant returns to full operation.”