Nature unites us, it brings together people from all walks of life who find common ground through the love for the environment. There are many reasons to preserve the greenery in our environment and our backyards.

When we think about the images of nature the colour green stands out as a profound association with nature; greens revive, restore and renew. It is the symbol of new beginnings a mindfulness of conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Moreover we wish to reconnect with nature to reoxygenate and reinvigorate. Through the observation of World Environment Day the United Nations (UN) creates a worldwide awareness of preserving the environment on June 5 every year.

The theme this year is Connecting People to Nature. As we celebrate with other countries with such activities as tree planting and cleanup campaigns we show that creating and protecting a green, clean and healthy environment starts with me, to enjoy and preserve for generations to come.

Here are a few simple steps you can take to improve your environment:
* Start recycling – in the house, use reusable instead of disposable items
* In the garden move to organic fertilisers and pesticides
* Plant native trees and food crops
* Invest in air purifying plants
* Start a compost pile
* Collect rain water for irrigating plants. Waste water from the house can also be used

Creating the ideal living environment is the responsibility of all of us. Being aware of our actions and consciously changing habits in our homes, encouraging our children and neighbours are the first steps we can take. This will ultimately carry over to our community to foster a healthy natural environment for our citizens. Stopping water pollution, indiscriminate waste dumping and deforestation are some of the topics on the agenda for many local environmental groups in Trinidad and Tobago and the Eastern Horticultural Club continues to advocate for educating and preserving our beautiful twin islands.

Our general health can be improved when we focus on creating the type of environment we want to live in. Do you want to be happier lower your blood pressure.
decrease stress and learn patience? Nurture a plant as many have healing as well as aesthetic benefits. Some plants, however, may be toxic so extra care is required with children and pets, but once they are accustomed to having plants in their environment they seldom interfere. My pets actually love relaxing among the greenery. If you have not started your collection of air-purifying plants here are a few to look out for and acquire at the plant show:

Boston ferns, peace lily, Dracaena, spider plant, ficus, snake plant aloe vera, bamboo palm, chrysanthemum golden pothos, areca palms, and Chinese evergreen.

These plants help remove harmful gases that can build up over time. House plants are effective air purifiers as they absorb carbon dioxide and covert it to oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. Some particulates may also be absorbed with the carbon dioxide. The root associated microbes convert toxins in the air into nutrients for the plants which they thrive on. In short, plants act as filters for some of the toxins released from your commonly used household items. Some of the toxins released from your household items are as follows:

* Benzene – from glues, paints, furniture wax and detergents
* Formaldehyde – from emissions, disinfectants and fixatives or preservatives in consumer products.
* Trichloroethylene – from industrial work – particularly in homes undergoing renovation.
* Xylene & Toluene – from a variety of household consumer products.
* Ammonia – from aerosols and sprays used in the home.

Once we become aware and start making changes to “green living” simplify our needs and get back to nature we shall see progress. The Eastern Horticultural Club’s theme for our 8th Annual Plant and Garden Show is Preserving our Greenery… Images of Nature on June 3 and 4, at St. Augustine Secondary School, Warren Street St. Augustine from 9 am to 6 pm. daily. The public is invited to visit learn and share knowledge as we all move to grow green together. For further information contact the Eastern Horticultural Club at 357-5033 or 720-2698 or easternhorticultural@ hotmail.com The club meets on the first Saturday of every month (except public holidays) at 3 pm at Moreton Hall, Aramalaya Presbyterian Church.Cochrane St, Tunapuna.

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.

If you don’t usually wear makeup, don’t be experimental on the big day. I recommend doing a dry run of your look prior to the event; If you didn’t have time to practice, then stick to a simple look. Some people like to pair a simple eye with a bold lip; others like a bold eye with a neutral lip. If you favour a more natural look, you can definitely pair a simple eye with a nude lip.

Make the focus of the look perfected, bronzed, luminous skin.

The following products can be used to achieve a glamorous graduation look: face primer, foundation, concealer, setting powder, bronzer, blush, highlight, eye primer, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, false lashes, lipstick and lip gloss.

Remember, you don’t need all of these items for your look. For example, you can skip foundation if you don’t need it. Omit powder if your skin is very dry. False eyelashes will take some getting used to, so you should probably skip them if you’ve never worn them. Whether your skin is oily, normal or dry, always moisturise. Priming the face can help your makeup to last longer and apply more smoothly. Priming the eyes will help your eyeshadows to adhere and remain vibrant throughout the event.

If your skin tone is uneven, a thin layer of foundation can help to create an even canvas.

Don’t keep layering foundation to hide your blemishes, as this can create a heavy, cakey effect. Instead, apply concealer to your blemishes and pat to blend it in. The concealer that you use under your eyes should be one to two shades lighter than your foundation for a brightening effect. Set your concealer with a powder; you can also apply some powder to any areas of the face that get oily.

The following steps can be used together, or you can pick the ones you are comfortable with:
• You can contour just under your cheekbones with a slightly darker powder to add dimension to your face.

• You can also contour your nose to slenderise it, around the perimeter of your forehead to make it appear smaller, and under your jaw to create a more chiselled profile.

• If you find contouring too daunting, bronzer is a more forgiving way to add shape and warmth to the face. Use a larger, fluffier brush when bronzing. Dust bronzer on the cheekbones, temples, lightly over the nose and on the chin for a sun-kissed look.

• If you like the dewy look, then you can highlight your features: the tops of the cheekbones, the brow bone, down the bridge of the nose, the Cupid’s Bow and on the chin.

If you choose to skip all prior steps, that’s fine; but don’t skip blush. Blush will perk up the complexion and add colour back to your face.

A swipe of rosy blush on the fullest part of your cheek will create a healthy flush.

When it comes to the eyes, there are a few looks that you can accomplish with very little skill.

The easiest look to do is a neutral eye. If your blending isn’t superb, it won’t be too noticeable.

Apply bronzer to the crease of your primed eye using windshield wiper motions. Apply a goldenbronze eyeshadow to the eyelid. Using a smaller brush or a cotton bud, blend bronzer under your eye to create a smoky effect.

Line your eyes however you like. If your hands aren’t steady enough to do a wing, then just dot your pencil eyeliner along the lashes, and blend it out with a cotton bud for soft definition. Line your lower waterline with brown or black pencil.
Curl your eyelashes and apply a generous coat of mascara.

Some of the strange murders can never be solved as it would now appear killers are killing for the fun of it or it has become their hobby.

Perhaps, too, they are using dangerous drugs which make their minds play tricks and are having distorted thoughts and imaginations.

At present, in my opinion, the figure so far for murders this year is about 210, despite the fact that official sources are only reflecting about 194. It looks very much like the murder rate at the end of the year will be more or less around 440.

GA MARQUES Via email

The First Citizens Primary Schools Chess Championship will be held at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, Valsayn Campus.

La Fleur, who played unbeaten in Jamaica, scoring four wins and three draws, will play with the same team from last year. La Fleur’s team members are Osinachi Obinya, Desailly Bastien-Cowan and Khadell Campbell.

La Fleur’s brother Juninho, who scored four wins in Jamaica, will lead the new Atwell’s Chess Club team, which will include Josh Koo, Anthony Plummer and Dijoun Joseph.

Coach Bhisham Soondarsingh is confident that his team will retain the First Citizens challenge trophy.

However, a strong challenge will come from former threetime champions Grant Memorial Presbyterian School (GMPS), who scored a hattrick from 2013 to 2015. Grant Memorial will be led by Athena Martin, daughter of GMPS coach David Martin, and national boys Under-12 champion Keegan Ragoobar.

Maria Regina Grade School have won the title the most, scoring a beaver-trick from 2009 to 2012.

A strong contender looking to land the prestigious title for the first time, is San Fernando TML Primary School with TT’s youngest candidate master Rayden Rampersad.

Rampersad won the gold medal in the boys Under-10 sub-category at the Carifta tournament. TML will also have in their line-up the talented Ramoutar twin sisters, Anahita and Ariana.

Some of the other schools expected to compete are Rock River RC, Basseterre RC, El Dorado North Hindu School and St Ursula’s Girls Anglican School.

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.”

Al-Rawi said he had been told so by the Chef Parliamentary Counsel. “Thank God for written records,” he said, in his wind-up to the bill he had piloted earlier.

He related that a Cabinet policy document from March 2013 (under the PP) had dealt with prisons officers collecting bail money, as he hit back at Opposition MP for Oropouche East Dr Roodal Moonilal’s complaint that the process was cumbersome, that prisons officers were to be turned into cashiers and that prison was not the right place to store any such accrued sums of money.

The committee stage of the bill will be taken on Friday when the House will also debate an Opposition motion on

Out the Box Designs – Renee’s design start up company – offers a myriad of graphic design services. She says the company’s mission is to provide exceptional designs at reasonable prices.

“Our vision is to continue to provide designs that our clients love, as we strive to give them designs that are outside the box,” she adds. Clients can choose between the designing of several options and merchandise, from logos to fliers to business cards to t-shirts, and the company also offers photography services, whether for special events and functions or more intimate portraits. Renee also shares that recently the company has begun providing company branding and marketing services.

“We have different packages to suit the needs of our clients and their varying budgets,” she says of the company’s flexibility and position to offer a range of services toward one project or goal. “We work with the clients through every step, regularly sending updates on the process so that they can give feedback to the design direction,” she describes Out the Box’s close working relationships with their clientele, which facilitates efficiency and ensuring their designs are on the right track with their clients’ design visions.

As for their feature services of company branding and marketing, Renee points out that her own years of practice, academic studies, trial and error experimentation, and handling the process of rebranding her own company leaves her con_ dent that she can help clients take steps in the right rebranding direction. “I believe that the key to successfully branding a company or business is understanding what your brand means to you, because a company is more than a logo or a business card or a Facebook page,” she says of what she has learned and believes. “It is the feeling that the name of the brand brings, how it is represented, and how it connects with people.” Renee has her sights set on doing some local rebranding work here at home, as one of her stringent mantras is “support local”. “If given the opportunity to work with a company to rebrand, I would love it,” she says of the exciting and close process of rebranding between client and the design agency.

However, having a design company doesn’t come without its limitations, one of which Renee says is the oversaturation of her field. “There are so many ‘graphic designers’ and ‘photographers’,” she explains, “so the ones who are actually good at their jobs never get the chance to prove themselves; people would rather go for quantity (lower costs) over quality work. It is disappointing but sadly a reality.” She describes designing professionally as being a challenging, yet equally enjoyable, experience. Another mantra of hers has come to life: “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” “I do enjoy what I do, and seeing the client’s expressions when they see the designs is well worth it,” she says of the fulfilment providing work of substance to clients elicits. For added efficiency, Out the Box’s design process begins with a design questionnaire, for an easier and more streamlined process for both client and company alike. “After this is filled out and sent back to us, we begin designing, which usually takes between four to seven days.” While her business continues to take on new clients and expand their list of services, Renee is hopeful to share more fruitful partnerships with companies and clients. She says these experiences make her proud of the work she has achieved, and the work she continues to do, and this seeps into the pride her clients feel upon receiving Out the Box’s services, “whether it is company branding, wedding photography, or any other design and photography needs.” She knows that “teamwork makes the dream work”.

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.”