According to reports, Colin Clarke, 28, of Cunupia, attempted to smuggle the drugs in the scented candles through DHL courier service. A search at Clarke’s home was carried out and police found 50 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, $200,000 in cash and police apparel. Clarke is attached to Gulf Company at Camp Ogden.

He told the Newsday that since Holy Thursday, of the 517 households affected, approximately 264 are fitted for pipeborne water but have not had water for the past month.

Sammy said that along Penal Rock Road and adjoining traces, residents have not had water since February 27. As a matter of fact, the chairman added, some residents who live along Radhyram Trace, off Bunsee Trace, have not had water since Christmas.

Sammy said that Barrackpore is also badly affected as are all high points in the Penal district. Requests for water to be delivered by the corporation, he added, have also come from public institutions in areas on the outskirts of Penal such as Palmiste, Bronte Village, Monkey Town and areas in Debe district.

“The problem has been going on for weeks, without a schedule or apology from WASA. Twice I’ve requested the intervention of Minister Kazim Hosein (Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Minister) without success.” Sammy said that the corporation has been delivering truck-borne water to approximately 400 homes which are not being serviced by WASA, as well as homes which have water mains. He said that WASA has warned against the corporation delivering water to such residents whose homes are fitted for pipe-borne water.

“But what can we tell residents who call us and virtually plead for water. Water is a right, not a privilege and we must respond to the call within our physical and financial capability,” Sammy said.

Councillor for Penal Shanti Boodram yesterday said that residents of Ramdeen Trace, Fazal Avenue, Bobby Avenue, Aquart Village and Old Quinam Road, have been begging her via her facebook page, for water.

She visited these areas yesterday and heard residents’ complaints, many of whom said that because they live on higher ground, water has not flowed in their mains for several weeks. Boodram said, “We have been asking WASA to pump the water such that those on the higher ground will be able to get water. Some areas did get a pipeborne supply yesterday…but others remain high and dry.”

In Ireland the suddenness of spring is also a dominant gold with primroses, tulips and of course daffodils. Even the weeds springing across the lawn are yellow and rhyme with the emerging spring flowers.

This quick of sap and life is also a signifier of Easter which in Ireland is a time of particular significance, since it is always a reminder of the “troubles” and of 800 years of British rule and in particular of the penal laws that forbade Catholics from practising their faith. But it is most especially a reminder of the resilience and resistance of a people despite the odds, since it commemorates the Easter rising and the martyrdom of Ireland’s heroes.

Springtime brings colour and vibrancy to the land and the people.

As a season it speaks of new beginnings after the traditional Christian period of fast and abstinence.

But giving up treats and vices such as alcohol and cigarettes (for those who still smoke) for Lent is only a passage to something new. That newness heralds forgiveness and the capacity to start anew. Indeed, the idea of Easter is the most important in Christian theology.

The significance of this for all of us, Christian or not, is a reminder that while we can never get back lost time, and even one second that is past cannot be recalled, there is still something called hope.

Few of us live without regret — at words spoken out of despair or desperation, or impulsive acts that are born of tiredness or depression, or even because of acts of intolerance. We often justify these deeds because they appear to be enacted as retaliation for deeds done to us or because of remembered hurts.

Lack of acknowledgement is high up in the list of things that make us speak bitter words. And forgiveness or forgetfulness which are the necessary prerequisites for healing are often simply not possible because so often those who offend cannot bring themselves to admit their wrong. So we see the death of relationships. How many sisters and brothers out there do not speak to each other, or stir up hatred against another, out of a sense of hurt or an inability to transcend some perhaps imagined wrong? But Holy Week and Easter signal the possibility of wounds that can be healed and the potential to resurrect lost or even irretrievably broken relationships. There is something buried deep in the rituals of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil Mass that speaks to both a sense of deep despair and to the possibility that something one considered dead or lost can be resurrected.

It would be wonderful if, amidst the turmoil and the warmongering currently encircling the world, this message could take root. Whether we believe that Syria was bombed as an act of justifiable retaliation or that US President Donald Trump in the age-old tradition of presidents and demagogues saw war as a way of binding the country behind him, and rising in the popularity polls, Easter reminds us that every life has a value.

It also contains the message in Holy Week that crowds are easily swayed and people die because the general populace can be so readily made to cry out in hatred. It brings home the idea that generating hatred against Jews or Palestinians or Syrians or Muslims or anyone creates a spiral that continues to propagate effect for generations.

As Europe continues to live in tremulous fear of possible attacks as has occurred in France, in Britain, in Germany and in Sweden, Easter offers the potential, symbolically, of respite and reconciliation, if only those with power could look beyond the immediate acts of atrocity and the short-term gains and recognise that acts of aggression have not worked in Afghanistan or in Iraq and certainly have led to far greater problems in Libya.

The poui, as with the immortelle, has taken on metaphoric significance in Caribbean poetry.

Both are as it were for a moment.

Their ephemeral beauty suggests that hope is indeed fragile and that even the promises made by the powerful are but for a moment.

But as Walcott put it in Season of Phantasmal Peace that was twice read at his funeral, even if “this season lasted one moment, like the pause / between dusk and darkn e s s , between fury and p e a c e ” for us frail hum a n s in our current state, “it l a s t e d long.”

Imagine big, old, hardback men were throwing money on the ground to see this little girl display her innocent self. It was disgusting and shameful to see adults enjoying the ridiculous behaviour of this child — both men and women. Shame on you all.

I wondered where she learned that kind of indecent behaviour? Who taught her to do those things? What kind of parenting is this? That parents are setting up their child for prostitution.

We have a lot of problems with old men are interfering with little girls. Now I do not know if that video was in Trinidad or if it was from another Caribbean island, but it really does not matter. It is nasty, degrading, and smutty.

As parents we need to protect our children from the wolves out there waiting to devour them. We cannot set them up for failure.

We as parents are failing them. Stop putting your children in harm’s way. Teach your children good values. Keep them away from social media. Teach them to read, teach them to pray, tell them about God. It is Him who gives us those children to take care of. The Bible says children are a heritage from the Lord.

And the glory of children is their father.

That little girl has to be seeing things that she should not see. She was on her head gyrating and everybody around applauded her.

Someone tried to stop her but she was resisted.

Come on parents, what are you doing? Children learn from what they see. We are the ones to show them and teach them right from wrong. Every day you hear on the news some little girl has gone missing. No one really knows if they are really missing because they are returning home.

Parents, do not expose your children to these elements. Train them the right way so they will not depart from it.

I believe it is time the police charge parents for their children’s behaviour.

Take them before the courts. Let parents be held accountable for their children’s behaviour.

If that starts to happen, I am sure there will be a turnaround in society. Charge parents.

MODICIA MARTIN via email

One can see Roget’s and the OWTU’s modus operandi — no one, not the Government, not anyone, must interfere with Petrotrin, as its their cash cow.

And if the Government should get a foreign partner for the company, there will be trouble.

All previous governments have facilitated waste, abuse and inefficiencies at Petrotrin, their political football.

It is inconceivable that in the current economic climate citizens will want this continued waste to continue, which will result in economic chaos and job losses.

And it appears Roget is unwilling to accept any responsibility for his irrational behaviour.

Stand strong Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley with your future decisions on Petrotrin, as your political future hangs by a thread. Citizens can’t take anymore of this nonsense that is passing for acceptability at Petrotrin.

GORDON LAUGHLIN Westmoorings

London was appointed weeks after demitting office as Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) and also as Political Leader of the Tobago-arm of the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM). Davidson-Celestine is a former Secretary of Tourism in the Assembly who also was not selected by the PNM to contest any seat in the recent THA election.

The objective of the briefing, conducted by Ethlyn John, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry and other senior tourism executives, was to sensitise and equip this country’s overseas representatives with information that would assist them in promoting destination Trinidad and Tobago in their assigned countries.

In her welcome remarks, John committed to strengthening the Ministry’s existing ties, and collaborating even more closely, with this country’s Overseas Missions as the local tourism sector continues to play a key role in the economic transformation of Trinidad and Tobago.

Comprehensive PowerPoint presentations were made on the National Tourism Policy, other sub tourism policies as well as TT’s Convention Bureau and the recently launched Go TrinBago mobile application.

Among the many areas discussed were visitor safety and security and optimising the use of our Diaspora in terms of investment and marketing destination Trinidad and Tobago.

This year, the academy, in its commitment to the diffusion of research and the preservation of local cultural traditions, has published Balkaransingh’s work, The Shaping of a Culture: Rituals and Festivals in Trinidad compared with selected counterparts in India, 1900-2014. It was launched in February.

Since the release of the work, Balkaransingh has travelled to India on a book tour, with upcoming presentations to take place in Lucknow, Benares, Goa and Delhi as well as the presentation of further academic papers at conferences held in India.

Balkaransingh’s love affair with India and its culture is not a new one. A former permanent secretary at the Ministry of Finance, he completed his undergraduate education in economics at New Delhi University and is a Kathak classical dancer and choreographer, having received instruction in both the Kathak and Kuchipudi styles from the Kathak Kendra in Delhi. He founded the Nrityanjali Theatre in 1977, and has performed extensively with the group, both locally and internationally.

Praise for The Shaping of a Culture Professor Ken Julien from the UTT expressed great support for Balkaransingh’s work, lamenting that Trinidad and Tobago suffers from the irreversible loss of cultural heritage and tradition due to a failure to undertake efforts towards preservation and recovery. “We don’t study and adore where we came from; done today, forgotten tomorrow.” Professor Hollis Liverpool, in sharing Julien and Balkaransingh’s passion for cultural preservation, expressed the need to ensure that academic efforts translate into tangible and accessible progress. “Don’t just keep (the research) within the walls of UTT,” he urged. “Let it out – let it be reviewed, critiqued and help the community at large.” Professor Brinsley Samaroo, who accompanied Balkaransingh on one of his research trips to India, also discussed the importance of the work and of cultural preservation in general to the “new Caribbean civilisation which we are creating.” According to Samaroo, “We have proven (19th-century English author Rudyard) Kipling wrong when he wrote, ‘East is east, west is west and ne’er the twain shall meet’.” The process of collecting data for the work was a highly extensive one, and required combing several towns and villages in India. It was there that Balkaransingh uncovered – with, he says, “an open, inquisitive mind and a clear, trusting heart”– the lifestyles, rituals and stories of the Indian people, with their varied languages and cultural traits coloured with the nuances of different lands.

These stories shed light on the extent to which Trinidad and Tobago and India’s connections run more deeply than annual Divali celebrations.

The author was amazed to come across a woman of about 90 who was familiar with Trinidad; when he enquired further, she explained that her father had been indentured in Trinidad and, on completing his labour, returned to India with his two daughters, leaving his nine sons on the island.

Among numerous other topics, the book tells of the 400-year-old Carnival celebrated in the former Portuguese province of Goa, and of Indians hailing from Pondicherry arriving as French-speakers in Martinique and Guadeloupe before arriving in Trinidad.

The presence of Christianity in India is another subject covered : the then-new faith was brought to Indian shores by missionary St Thomas (otherwise known as “doubting Thomas”) in 52 AD. His missionary work and subsequent martyrdom there led to the construction of San Thome (St Thomas) Basilica in Chennai.

Return to India Two months after the launch, Balkaransingh once again finds himself pulled towards the motherland, this time to promote the book and to present additional academic work On March 28 and 29, he spoke on the centenary of the en d of the Indian indentureship system at a conference organised by Professor Ashutosh Kumar and the University of Leeds in collaboration with the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, held at the museum in New Delhi. Entitled 100 years after Indentureship, Where and How are the Present Generations of the Post-indenture System Influencing their Environments?, Balkaransingh’s work was among those of 20 speakers from ten countries and was well received.

Also to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of Indian indentureship, Balkaransingh is carded to present his work at the International Conference to Commemorate the Centenary of Abolition of Indenture System, to be held on April 20 to 22, under the aegis of the Indian Council for International Cooperation. This paper, 100 years after the Abolition of the Indenture System, Identifying Indo-Trinidadian Performative Traditions, Locating their Appropriate Antecedents in the Ancestral Country, and Examining their Potential for Future Development, appears to resonate closely with the book’s research and maintains Balkaransingh’s theme of linking the past and present, the cultural and the national, the east and the west.

The Shaping of a Culture: Rituals and Festivals in Trinidad compared with Selected Counterparts in India, 1900–2014 is available at local bookstores, on Amazon and via the UK online bookstore Hansib Publications.

A Kindle edition is soon to follow.

These are books meant to uplift your spirit.

Here are some of my favourite books that have inspired me.

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown – still my favourite book ever, The Boys in the Boat tells the story of Joe Rantz and his team who won the Olympic gold medal in eight-man rowing.

Brown weaves the story of how Germany prepared for those Olympics between this exciting sports story, which shows how perseverance pays off.

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand – No athlete got more coverage in 1938 than Seabiscuit, the race horse that defied the odds.

Seabiscuit was not your typical racehorse. He wasn’t built for the sport, but he was all heart. No one in this true story of Seabiscuit was extraordinary, but they all rose to the pinnacle of fame because they wouldn’t give up.

The 80-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse that Inspired a Nation by Elizabeth Letts – When Harry de Leyer, a Dutch immigrant picked out Snowman from a bunch of horses heading for the slaughterhouse, he had no idea that Snowman would become famous for jumping. Snowman proves just how much even a horse can accomplish if someone believes in him.

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing – This has got to be one of the most exciting and incredible stories ever written. Stranded in Antarctica after their boat becomes trapped in ice, Shackleton and his men must find their way back to civilisation.

The story truly is incredible.

Isabella: The Warrior Queen by Kirstin Downey – A biography of Queen Isabella of Spain might not seem like an exciting read, but I found this to be a jaw-dropping story of faith and perseverance.

Filled with intrigue, love and war, you couldn’t ask for a better novel or a more compelling story.

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor – The first Puerto Rican Supreme Court Justice tells her story in this autobiography about growing up in Brooklyn and reaching the pinnacle of success.

This is a story of how culture and family sustain you.

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough – The Wright Brothers is a story that will make your heart soar. Mc- Cullough’s biography of the two brothers who invented the airplane is another story in faith and perseverance.

A Night Divided by Jennier A Nielsen – Although this is a book written for upper elementary and lower secondary school students, any reader searching for a good read will enjoy this novel about a family separated when the Berlin Wall was built. In this historical novel, a brother and sister hatch a plot to escape with their mother and reunite their family in the west where another brother and their father now reside. This is a particularly heart-warming story made relevant by US President Donald Trump’s threat to build a wall separating the US from Mexico.

Womens’ Health Concern defines menopause as: “that time in every woman’s life when her periods stop and her ovaries lose their reproductive function”.

In order words, it’s the stage when the functional life span of ovaries starts to fail, creating fluctuating hormone levels and causing altered bodily reactions.

This usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 (in exceptional cases it can be 30s, or even younger), and lasting an average of seven years. However, even though we know that it is just a regular part of the natural ageing process and not an alien concept it is rarely discussed.

The complexities of gendered vulnerabilities are profound with approximately 80 – 85 percent of menopausal women going through a myriad of unpleasant symptoms. For the women who survived the experience relatively unscathed, I am very envious of you.

Symptoms can range from cognitive confusion or ‘brain fog’; poor memory; emotional irregularities; tiredness; sleep disruption; urinary incontinence; aching joints, irritable bowel, changes in sexual desire; vaginal dryness; thinning hair; fibrocystic breast disease; and the dreaded hot flashes – which are endured by three out of every four women. For many women including myself, the hot flashes are the most intolerable and embarrassing aspect of the menopausal transition.

My colleagues laughed endlessly as I alternated between sips of tea to warm myself, rapidly followed by gulps of ice cold water to cool down. One minute I would lament about the cold temperature in the office, then within seconds, I could sprint faster than Usain Bolt opening windows to let in some wintry cold air. Whatever was near at hand became a fan quelling the discomfort of the sudden rush of extremely intense body heat, and abating the sweat as it tried to create a facial steam and damp underarm patches. (Here’s a tip – in an emergency, rulers and CDs may be used as a fan, mobile phones can’t).

Hot flashes are known to affect physical, psychosocial, sexual, and overall well-being, and can be detrimental to social interactions in relationships and careers.

Partners, children, family members, and colleagues often struggle with the mood alterations, unaware of how disabling it can be for the woman.

Various studies have shown that the transition can pose detriments to mental health causing increased risk of depressive symptoms, and the potential for a re-emergence of a previous depressive episode. Yet so many women mistakenly suffer in silence, believing that it is just something they must put up with.

At an intergenerational forum on the topic, many of the women said that despite the challenges one of the positive aspects of the menopause was that it represented a coming of age – a time when they felt empowered to say what’s on their mind and have their voices heard, a time when they no longer held back their true feelings, thoughts and opinions.

What’s interesting, is that I have seen studies suggesting that women of colour experience an additional symptom of rage. I wonder if it’s in the context of the stereotypes of the ‘angry black women’ that this coming of age and freedom of expression has been misinterpreted as ‘rage’. On the other hand, as someone who struggled with the sleep deprivation, tiredness and mood swings, I can relate to the intense feelings of anger.

Don’t panic because it is not all doom and gloom as there are ways to manage the severity of symptoms and positively improve the mental health experience.

There are successful medical interventions such a hormone replacements which isn’t suitable for everyone, or natural remedies such as evening primrose oil (which works for me) starflower oil, and sage.

The key is in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, doing physical exercises such as dancing, walking, and yoga in conjunction with following a nutritional diet. But more talking about it and sharing experiences can make the transition much easier. Information can be found on the British Menopause Society website: www.bms.org.uk.

From the early days of Hollywood (1953’s The Robe) and the recent spate of Christianity-based fare on offer at the cineplex (2014’s Son of God), to AD The Bible Continues (the mini-series sequel to The Bible) debuting on NBC on Easter Sunday, there’s Easter-themed stories sure to appeal.

Even those looking for lighter Easter-themed fare need only look to Fred Astaire and Judy Garland (Easter Parade) and the Peanuts gang (It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown) for something to view this weekend.

Here, in no particular order, a list of ten of the best Easter movies:

The Robe (1953) Richard Burton plays military tribune Marcellus Gallio who commands the Roman unit that crucifies Jesus. In a dice game, Gallio wins the robe Jesus wore and is told it will serve as a reminder of his first crucifixion.

Haunted by nightmares of the act he has participated in, Gallio slowly begins to believe the robe is having an effect on his life. Over time he comes to understand what Jesus was trying to achieve, and eventually converts to Christianity – much to the disgust of his peers and his father, an important Roman Senator. The Robe was also the first film ever to be released featuring the wide screen process known as CinemaScope.

Son of God (2014) Produced by reality television competition guru Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice) and his wife, actress Roma Downey, Son of God was adapted from the ten-hour miniseries The Bible which aired in 2013 on the History channel. As a feature film it both expands upon and abridges the Jesus-driven portions of the miniseries, from birth to resurrection.

While making the movie Burnett says he couldn’t help but notice certain similarities to popular contemporary entertainment.

“The feeling of the movie and the pace, it’s like ‘House of Cards,’ that political intrigue, the political drama,” he said. “It’s a political thriller wrapped in an epic – and it’s pretty epic, the scale: hundreds and hundreds of extras and special effects with miracles.”

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) Based on the Broadway musical of the same name created by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, this rock opera follows the final weeks of Jesus’ life and features no spoken dialogue. Ted Neeley stars as Jesus, Carl Anderson as Judas, and Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene. The film centres on the conflict between Judas and Jesus leading up to the crucifixion and features the hit song, I Don’t Know How to Love Him.

Easter Parade (1948) Starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire and featuring music by Irving Berlin, Easter Parade definitely falls on the lighter end of the Easter movie spectrum. Astair stars as a dancer suddenly bereft of a partner when his former colleague (Ann Miller) departs the duo for a solo career. Astair’s character finds a replacement in a chorus dancer who can not only move, but has a great singing voice (Garland). The movie features beloved numbers such as It Only Happens When I Dance With You, A Couple of Swells and of course, Easter Parade.

Jesus of Nazareth (1977) Italian director Franco Zeffirelli’s dramatic take on the life of Christ is a television mini-series produced in Britain. Robert Powell portrays Jesus alongside an all-star cast that includes Christopher Plummer, Anne Bancroft, Laurence Olivier, Claudia Cardinale, Ian McShane, Olivia Hussey, James Mason, Ian Holm and Anthony Quinn.

Ben-Hur (1959) Charlton Heston is Judah Ben- Hur, a Jewish merchant of noble blood in this sword-and-sandals historical epic that begins with the birth of Jesus and ends with the titular character witnessing the Crucifixion. Thanks to an act he did not commit, Ben-Hur ends up a slave who must fight his way back to the land and the woman he loves. One key scene involves Ben-Hur being denied water when his slave gang arrives at Nazareth. He collapses and a local carpenter (who is revealed to be Jesus) comes to his aid against the orders of the Roman guards.

The nine-minute chariot battle featured in the movie became a hallmark of great cinematic moments and the film went on to win 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture.

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) Max Von Sydow portrays Jesus in this three-plus hour movie that also features Charlton Heston as John the Baptist and follows the life of Christ from Nativity to Resurrection. Other notable stars in the movie include Angela Lansbury, Jose Ferrer, Telly Savalas and Dorothy McGuire, and it marks the final film of Claude Rains.

It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974) In this, the 12th prime-time television outing to feature the Peanuts gang, Linus tries to convince everyone the Easter Beagle will make the holiday a success when he arrives on Easter morning.

After Linus’ previous belief in the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and co. don’t buy in to his ideas. Even Sally has trouble keeping the faith in her “sweet baboo” following her previous disillusionment at Halloween. Of course, by the time Easter morning arrives so does the Easter Beagle (Snoopy), just in time to distribute eggs.

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) Directed by Martin Scorsese, it’s one of the more controversial retellings of Jesus’ life, with Willem Dafoe as Jesus, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, David Bowie as Pontius Pilate, and Harry Dean Stanton as Paul. Throughout the film Jesus is tempted by the various sins he must overcome, including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance and lust.

The Passion of the Christ (2004) Directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus, the film covers the final 12 hours of Jesus’ life and was controversial for its use of language and depiction of violence. The entire dialogue is performed in the ancient languages of Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew, with Jesus’ arrest, trial, torture, crucifixion and resurrection shown in graphic detail. The Passion of the Christ is still the most successful non-English language film ever at the box office, grossing more