According to head of the TT delegation, Jerry Chin Lee, while the team was training on Wednesday, thieves broke into their vehicles in the parking lot, making off with visas, national gear and four gold medals.

The theft did not dampen the mood of the TT unit though as organisers have already been notified and attempts made to get new medals for the four team members.

Also returning on Thursday were the U-15 boys who placed fourth but were playing in a higher age bracket.

Speaking at the VIP Lounge at the Piarco International Airport on Thursday, Sports Minister Darryl Smith commended the team for their brilliant showing in playing undefeated in the tournament and also said he would be making a personal effort for the U-19 girls to get their medals to commemorate their achievement.

He said the Government has taken notice of their success and will support them fully in their endeavours.

“Part of our policy moving forward is focusing on females in sport and young people. You all have a fantastic inspiration in your coach (Nicola Welch). You all have to follow in her footsteps.

The University she attended, Southern California, is a fantastic school. She got a scholarship to attend and play there (and) I would love to hear a positive with regards to you all moving on to get a proper education and play at the highest level,” he said.

Smith promised the Government’s support as the team shifts focus to the CCCAN (Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation) Championships to be hosted here at the National Aquatic Centre in Couva later this year.

“You all sound like you have a very busy schedule. You have CCCAN (Championships) which we have supported and got funding to push forward with (hosting).

The country is 100 percent behind you for that tournament,” he said.

Welch, 23 years old, saluted her players but reminded them they still have to improve.

“Looking back I’m extremely proud of the girls. They’re all talented and dedicated and extremely hard working,” she said.

Discussing the weakness of the squad, she admitted their five versus six defence needs to get better.

“I think they learned that at the tournament and it’s something we have to work on heading for CCCAN,” she said.

She also touched on areas she felt the team excelled and smiled profusely when mentioning the fitness of her players.

“Their regular half court defence was definitely their strong suit. Oh yeah, we were definitely the fittest team at CARIFTA. I’m very pleased,” she declared.

The former St Joseph’s Convent Port of Spain student said she has implemented a hybrid of European and American style of coaching which she was introduced to while studying abroad and was not hesitant to describe herself as a hard taskmaster.

“It’s a little different from regular style Trinidad coaching. I took a little of European and American style that I learned abroad together with a few of my tweaks. Yes (I’m a hard taskmaster) but they’re accustomed to that by now,” she said.

Resident of the district and former Minister of Sports Manohar Ramsaran has organised a 50-event programme involving athletics events, sack races and other novelty games for every imaginable age group.

Ramsaran, who is also president of the Monroe Road Sport Club said attractive prizes will be at stake for the outstanding performers but the emphasis will be on participation and friendly rivalry among neighbours and friends.

The day’s events get going at 1.30 pm and among the highlights will be a 5K race around the cricket ground. He said all are invited to participate.

The eagerly awaited event is the fourth annual Tobago Super Sixes cricket tournament, organised by the Seaview Sports Club, at the Cyd Gray Sports Complex in the seaside resort of Roxborough.

Teams from Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago are listed to participate when the biggest sluggers of the cricket ball will reap rich dividends.

There will also be live entertainment with performances by Fya Empress and Marvin Lewis.

Cricket fans will also get to hear top Tobago DJs throughout the afternoon. Food and beverages will also be on sale.

President of the Tobago Cricket Association Kerwin John is also expected to be present to join in the day’s activities.

This series started with the airing of All Oceans Blue on April 1, a documentary on famed TT sailor Harold La Borde, that was held at the TT Sailing Association, Chaguaramas, and a week later, at Lange Park Recreation Grounds in Chaguanas, the airing of The World of Goopi and Bagha, an animation film in Hindi.

Johanna Thomas, public relations and marketing co-ordinator at the ttff said the ttff celebrates films from and about the Caribbean and its diaspora, as well as from world cinema, through an annual festival and year-round screenings.

She said the ttff seeks to facilitate the growth of Caribbean cinema by offering a wide-ranging industry programme and networking opportunities.

And with the upcoming Tobago Jazz Experience, Thomas told Newsday: “For the first time ever we are going to be working with the THA (Tobago House of Assembly), and having a Tobago Jazz Film Festival from April 23 to 25.” This inaugural festival is expected to be a celebration of music and Tobago through film, and will be held, as part of the Tobago Jazz Experience. Admission to all events is free.

The lineup begins on April 23, with the Tobago-made short film Redman, about Jerry, a young man who is confused about what women want. It is made by Tobagonian screenwriter, film director and actor Jared Prima, co-founder of Triple Spades Studios Ltd.

Dancehall Queen, the full length feature film from Jamaica, that follows Redman tells the story of Marcia, a single mom and street vendor barely scraping by even with financial assistance from Larry, a gun-toting strongman with a twisted desire for Marcia’s teenage daughter, Tanya, who he pursues.

Both films will be shown at the Shade Nightclub in Bon Accord, from 7 pm, and will be followed by a dancehall after-party.

On April 24, it will be Tobago’s turn to take in the screening of Miles Ahead at Mount Irvine Bay Resort, However the evening begins with the short film, Glass Bottom Boat, a true story of Janet Wells, who came to Tobago on vacation with her sister and fell in love with local fisherman, Galla. The film was made by film-maker and photographer Kyle Walcott, who was born in Trinidad, raised in Tobago and attended Bishops High School.

The festival ends on April 25, at Waves Restaurant and Bar with the evening airing of the Tobago-based short film, The Resort – a series of three vignettes shot in Tobago that follow a young man as he sells love for a living. Later, the animated film, Chico and Rita, set in 1950s Havana will conclude the festival.

Annabelle Alcazar programme director, ttff told Newsday the first ttff was launched in 2006 for just one week and with one sponsor, the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company. It was the same year that the BA in Film programme was started at UWI when film had been identified as one of the seven pillars of economic diversity in TT .

Dr Bruce Paddington is the founder and festival director.

Alcazar said: “The festival has continued to expand over the years and in 2015 celebrated its tenth edition. That was a bumper year with over 130 guests and the launch of the Caribbean Film Database (an online database of Caribbean film from 2000 to 2014 translated into three languages) and the inaugural Caribbean film mart, which invited 15 projects from around the region to meet with international film industry professionals to pitch their projects with a view to acquiring funding, sales or distribution.” In 2015 the ttff was also named the top “Unmissable Event in the Caribbean” by the lifestyle magazine, The Culture Trip, and was also voted “one of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” by the international film magazine MovieMaker.

“Uniformly excellent cinema…

genuinely thoughtful, inspiring panels and moviemaker education events…, extending its coolness beyond borders”, an article in the magazine said.

Alcazar stated: “That same year, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said ‘In addition to providing a boost to the local film industry, the ttff serves to redefine the identity of Trinidad and Tobago as a hub for film making and festivals…. which translates into an increase of its annual contribution to the economy from revenue generated’.” Last year, the festival was held for one week but screened films in two screens at MovieTowne as well as at UWI, COSTAATT , and other venues around the country, showing over 100 films features and shorts.

Alcazar said: “After 12 years in operation, the ttff is considered the most prestigious festival in the Anglophone Caribbean.”

TT also has unique Easter traditions of its own — goat and crab racing in Tobago, kite flying, beating the Good Friday bobolee, camping at the rivers and beaches.

Here are some of the Easter traditions from around the globe and the history behind them.

Finland Children in this Scandinavian country go begging in the streets with sooty faces and scarves around their heads, carrying broomsticks, coffee pots and bunches of willow twigs. In some parts of Western Finland, people burn bonfires on Easter Sunday, a Nordic tradition stemming from the belief that the flames ward off witches who fly around on brooms between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Poland Pouring water on one another is a Polish Easter tradition called Smingus-Dyngus. On Easter Monday, boys try to drench other people with buckets of water, squirt guns or anything they can get their hands on. Legend says girls who get soaked will marry within the year. The refreshing tradition has its origins in the baptism of Polish Prince Mieszko on Easter Monday in 966 AD.

Haux, France Don’t forget a fork if you’re in this southern French town on Easter Monday. Each year a giant omelet is served up in the town’s main square. And when we say giant, we mean giant: The omelet uses more than 4,500 eggs and feeds up to 1,000 people. The story goes, when Napoleon and his army were travelling through the south of France, they stopped in a small town and ate omelets. Napoleon liked his so much that he ordered the townspeople to gather their eggs and make a giant omelet for his army the next day.

Corfu, Greece On the morning of Holy Saturday, the traditional Pot Throwing takes place on the Greek island of Corfu: People throw pots, pans and other earthenware out of their windows, smashing them on the street. Some say the custom derives from the Venetians, who on New Year’s Day used to throw out all of their old items. Others believe the throwing of the pots welcomes spring, symbolising the new crops that will be gathered in the new pots.

Norway Easter is such a popular time for Norwegians to read crime novels that publishers actually come out with special Easter Thrillers known as Paaskekrimmen. The tradition is said to have started in 1923 when a book publisher promoted its new crime novel on the front pages of newspapers. The ads resembled news so much that people didn’t know it was a publicity stunt.

Rome, Italy On Good Friday the Pope commemorates the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) at the Colosseum: A huge cross with burning torches illuminates the sky as the 14 Stations of the Cross are described in several languages. Mass is celebrated on the evening of Holy Saturday, and on Easter Sunday, thousands of visitors congregate in St Peter’s Square to await the Pope’s blessing from the church’s balcony, known as Urbi et Orbi (“To the City and to the World”).

Czech Republic and Slovakia Travelling to these Eastern European countries over Easter? If so, you’d better watch your back! There’s an Easter Monday tradition in which men spank women with handmade whips made of willow and decorated with ribbons. According to legend, the willow is the first tree to bloom in the spring, so the branches are supposed to transfer the tree’s vitality and fertility to the women. This playful spanking is all in good fun and isn’t meant to cause pain.

Verges, Spain On Holy Thursday in the Medieval town of Verges, Spain, the traditional “dansa de la mort” or “death dance” is performed. To re-enact scenes from The Passion, everyone dresses in skeleton costumes and parades through the streets. The procession ends with frightening skeletons carrying boxes of ashes. The macabre dance begins at midnight and continues for three hours into the early morning.

Washington, DC For 130 years, the White House has hosted the Easter Egg Roll on its South Lawn. The main activity involves rolling a coloured hardboiled egg with a large serving spoon, but now the event boasts many more amusements, like musical groups, an egg hunt, sports and crafts.

Hungary Sprinkling, a popular Hungarian Easter tradition, is observed on Easter Monday, which is also known as Ducking Monday. Boys playfully sprinkle perfume or perfumed water on girls. Young men used to pour buckets of water over young women’s heads, but now they spray perfume, cologne or just plain water, and ask for a kiss.

People used to believe that water had a cleaning, healing and fertility- inducing effect.

Jerusalem, Israel Taking place in the city where it is believed Jesus was crucified, Christians celebrate Good Friday by walking the same path Jesus did on the day he was nailed to the cross. Taking note of his pain that fateful day, some of those who participate carry a cross with them in remembrance. On Easter Sunday, many pilgrims attend a church service at Garden Tomb—the area that it is believed Jesus was buried.

Sicily, Italy In Prizzi, Sicily, “the Abballu de daivuli is a representation of devils from locals wearing terrifying masks of zinc and dressed in red robes,” according to The Telegraph. Those dressed in costume pester as many souls as they can (which really means making them pay for drinks) before the afternoon when the Virgin Mary and the risen Christ save the day by sending the devils away with angels. (womansday.com)

The indigenous sport has been in existence for over 90 years in Tobago and on Easter Monday and Tuesday, goats and their jockeys will compete for a year’s worth of bragging rights.This unique sport began in 1925 when the inventive people of Tobago sought to establish their own racing community that rivalled the happenings in established race tracks such as Santa Rosa Park in Trinidad, but didn’t require expensive horses to run.

The sport has since matured from humble beginnings on Chance Street to Rosehill, where rails were built out of bamboo and swamp wood. Now, spectators, jockeys and the four-legged competitors themselves enjoy the modern facilities at Mt Pleasant and Buccoo, where the races have found their home.

“Goat racing is such an integral part of Tobago’s heritage and an aspect of our identity that all Tobagonians should be proud of,” said secretary of Tourism, Culture and Transportation, Nadine Stewart-Phillips. “As we work toward fully integrating all aspects of the island’s culture into the Division’s overall tourism strategy, it is important for us to ensure signature Tobago experiences, such as goat racing, are properly maintained, preserve and showcased.” On April 17, the Carnbee/Mt Pleasant Community Council will welcome residents and visitors to its 45th Annual Sports Festival at the Mt Pleasant Recreational Grounds from 2 pm. The goat races will serve as the main attraction, with the fleet-footed animals and their equally fast handlers thundering down the 110 metre track. However, the day’s activity will also feature other track and field and novelty events for spectators to participate in or simply observe.

The excitement then heads to Buccoo on April 18 as the Buccoo Community Council hosts the village’s 92nd Annual Goat and Crab Race Festival at the Buccoo Integrated Facility.

Spectators will be treated to goat races on the 100 yard grass track, along with crab racing and live entertainment.

And with the Tobago Jazz Experience coming close on the heels of the goat racing festivities, Stewart- Phillips said it is no surprise that over 19,000 international arrivals were recorded between March and April of last year, as visitors came by land and sea to experience the cultural and musical offerings of Tobago.

If you were to visit Chaguanas, you will find it difficult to walk on the pavement along the main road because illegal vendors have now claimed the public space as their own.

These vendors have flocked from all over the country and Spanish-speaking foreigners have now joined the bandwagon.

Pedestrians are forced to walk on the roadway to steer clear of bumping into vendors’ merchandise and to avoid pickpockets who prey on unsuspecting shoppers.

These illegals occupy the prime spots, block the storefronts and are bold enough to showcase their goods with mannequins and display racks.

Clothing, fresh produce, household items, jewelry, you name it, can all be found on the sidewalks.

One of the three traffic lanes is completely out of use due to vending, leaving motorists to feel as though they are trespassing.

As the saying goes, give an inch and they’ll take a mile.

Lawful vendors pay a fee to sell their goods in designated areas, while store owners pay a rent to carry out their business.

Are these illegal vendors prepared to pay a fee for a designated spot in the borough? Likely not. It’s not easy to forget the responses of illegal vendors over the years when any attempt is made to remove them: “I have children to mind.” “I’m a single mother.” “They want me to go and thief?” “I trying to make an honest dollar.” Really? But then again, whether it’s happening in Chaguanas, along the highways or busy intersections, who are we as lawful citizens to complain when this is all being done in plain sight of the relevant authorities, who choose to do nothing about the situation.

V Bowlah via email

Primarily, that person’s death was avoidable.

Compounding the insult is the neophyte politician who tells the population the person did not die because of HIV. It is evident he lacks information about HIV and health issues in general.

People who contract HIV don’t die from AIDS; they die from related issues as a result of their immune system’s inability to resist simple things like pneumonia.

So cause of death would not read AIDS/HIV, but simply “pneumonia.” Further complicating matters, in recent times, cause of death in many instances have been simply given as “unknown.” This bothers me because several years ago I took issue with the Blood Bank when asked to donate blood for a friend. Donors were provided with a questionnaire that sought to ascertain one’s life story: one’s sex life, including sexual orientation, if one has a criminal record, number of tattoos, number of body piercings etc.

The questionnaire was both intrusive and ridiculous. And I made it known to the staff. They indicated they were “only doing their job.” It implied that if one manages to answer all the questions correctly, then there was no need for the blood to be tested.

This basic assumption is seriously flawed. All blood must be tested to determine at least type and, one would expect, other possible infections, including hepatitis, sickle cell etc.

Clearly, this is not the case with the Blood Bank here. This explains how several people have become infected from transfusions.

And it is possible that many others have been infected and are unaware. Someone should be held accountable. But in a land where the blame game is the only game, it is an exercise in futility to expect someone would be held accountable.

I have made the point on several occasions that one of the major problems facing the nation is our poor work ethic. This explains why bpTT would refuse to have its platform built here and why we have challenges in every sphere, in particular State institutions.

It explains why BWIA/ CAL, WASA, Petrotrin, TTE C, NHA/HDC, government schools etc are forever operating in the dark.

Meanwhile, we have yet to see any bank record a loss, despite recurring claims of recession and depression. The almost non-existent murder detection rate by the police can also be explained by our sorry work ethic.

And while I agree with the Prime Minister that the Government is not responsible for solving crime, he should know that when the Government wishes to take credit when crime is down, then it will be blamed for when it goes in the opposite direction.

I have also indicated on numerous occasions that cleaning up TT is not a job for the faint-hearted. It is not a job for anyone who sees it as just “doing a job.” Cleaning up the country requires testicular fortitude of the highest magnitude, since we did not wake up this morning and became lawless. We have been on that path for quite some time and no one saw it fit or necessary to bell the cat. Now that the box is finally opened, it is disingenuous to act surprised as we watch our citizens die.

Rudy Chato Paul, Sr D’Abadie

I cannot understand how a child could disrupt a school to the extent where parents have to protest with placards and burning tyres.

We have to be “kicksing” in education, or we like foolishness.

This problem is supposed to be nipped in the bud. Is ministry officials sleeping on the job or should they be in their rocking chairs? Is the Children’s Authority bigwigs sitting in their posh offices while Rome burns? Are the police handcuffed in these matters? Or are their hands tied? What is going on? Things have now reached the stage where a frustrated parent tried to get her hands on a bully because of no justice for her daughter. Why did it have to reach to this? What if she dropped a serious blow on the bully where it hurts most? I predict that a serious attempt will be made to solve this problem when a parent takes the law into his/her hands and deals seriously with a bully. God forbid.

Now I am hearing some “gobar” about students suffering from behaviour disorders and wonder whatever happened to “guava whip disorder?”

Keith Anderson via email

A backhoe, an excavator and a grader are all that are required to make it functional. So what is the delay? Where is the normally vociferous and verbose Member of Parliament/ Prime Minister to give the people their green space? Or is this another broken promise soon to find itself in intrigue?

Phillip Alexander via email