One Young World, a British-based charity founded in 2009, connects bright young leaders from around the world to deliver change.

The first caucus brought together young people from Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Guyana, Haiti, Barbados, the Bahamas and St. Lucia to discuss issues such as social entrepreneurship, the future of education, social inclusion and the Commonwealth.

During the event on Thursday last at his Maraval residence, Stew also bid farewell to this year’s Chevening Scholar, Mukta Balroop.

Stew congratulated Balroop on his achievement as the Chevening Scholar 2017.

In addition to expressing his gratitude to bpTT for co-funding this year’s scholarship, Stew commended Balroop’s focus on Media Law which he will pursue at Queen Mary, University of London.

He encouraged Balroop to look beyond his formal education and to allow himself to gain international perspectives from his fellow students; to understand the world from others’ viewpoints.

The National Cycling Centre and the National Aquatic Centre are two venues in Couva used by a number of people to exercise.

However, the current review being done by SPORTT will not allow members of the public to use the venues in Couva for private recreation.

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board Azim Bassarath wants to encourage national citizens to live healthy and made the decision to open the NCC to the public.

Bassarath said, “The venues belong to the people of Trinidad and Tobago and you have to allow the people to use it. Hence the reason that I invited the people to use the National Cricket Centre, it is open for them. We are the ones who have to encourage our nationals to be fit and to exercise.” Bassarath said he disagreed with the decision by the Sport Company to close the facility to the public temporarily, saying the venue was paid for by tax-payers.

He said there were no reports of vandalism or theft at the facility and wondered why it was being closed to persons simply wanting to exercise.

“It is disheartening to know that Mr Dinanath Ramnarine (SporTT Chairman) and the Minister of Sport (Darryl Smith) will collaborate to debar the people from using the stadium,” he said.

The Honduras team, under head coach Jorge Luis Pinto, includes Barcelona B team player Anthony Lozano who told reporters before the team’s departure out of San Pedro Sula that he was expecting a tough outing..

“We are going there with the conviction that we will get the three points. We have worked hard and we believe we can give it our all in these two games to get the results,” Lozano said..

“We are hoping everything can turn out well. We have no excuses because we know each other well and we have prepared for this game,” he added..

Reports indicated that China-based forward Rony Martinez did not travel with the team as his club Baoding Yingli Yitong did not release him for travel in time for the encounter..

Pinto said he expects the contest to be a closely fought one..

“The both teams have a good chance and we know every point is crucial. We know the Trinidad and Tobago team can be dangerous and they are at home but we will be prepared to face whatever challenge comes our way..

We know the importance of this game..

Both teams know it,” Pinto said..

The TT team trained on Monday at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva and a second session was scheduled for yesterday evening at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella..

European-based player Radanfah Abu Bakr was the latest overseas pro to join the camp on Monday night while Kazakhstan- based defender Sheldon Bateau is the last player to come in today..

Among the new local call-ups into the World Cup squad is defender Kevon Villaroel who scored TT’s goal in last Thursday’s friendly with Jamaica. He is eager to prove his worth in the qualifiers now..

“It’s something I have always dreamt of, being on the national team. I’ve worked hard over the years trying to catch the eye of the different national coaches and now finally I have gotten the chance. It felt great to score my first international goal in my second appearance for the national team,” Villaroel told TTFA Media..

“But that’s gone now and it’s about focusing on the preparations for Honduras..

The players have all been a great bunch to work with and we’ve been meshing since preparations began, leading up to the Jamaica game. I think everyone understands the importance of a victory on Friday..

“We’ve been discussing it on and off the training field and it’s a case now of completing our preparations and going out there and finishing the job before going over to Panama,” the former Puerto Rico Islanders player added..

W Connection’s Alvin Jones, brother of Seattle Sounders left back Joevin Jones, is also another player that has come on strongly under Lawrence and will be hoping to play his part in Friday’s outing, making mention of a strong bond within the selection..

“There is a brotherly love not just between myself and Joevin but I think among everyone in the squad. It is a joy when we come together and while we may be having a laugh at times, I think the serious part of things is always there when the boys come together to prepare for a game, especially one as huge as this game on Friday,” Jones said yesterday..

The Secretariat of the JSC wrote to Purdey last week via e-mail requesting him to attend.

He gave a commitment to attend one of the four hearings inquiring into the operations of the inter-island ferry service and more particularly the procurement of the cargo vessel the Cabo Star and the passenger vessel the Ocean Flower II.

The contract which had been awarded to Bridgeman’s was cancelled due to its failure to deliver the Ocean Flower II on time.

Purdey said he was willing to be cross examined and to provide documentation to clear his company’s name.

Sources revealed that all those contacted by the JSC so far have said they are willing to cooperate except former chairman of the Port Authority board Christine Sahadeo.

The JSC e-mailed asking Sahadeo to attend one of the four hearings but she has not yet given a commitment.

The inquiry will be held over four days with hearings in both Trinidad and Tobago.

The inquiry is one of four investigations into the acquisition of the ships.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has also commissioned businessman Christian Mouttet as sole investigator to investigate the procurement process, while Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan has requested the Port Authority to provide him with a report. That report, according to Sinanan is due by this weekend.

The Integrity Commission has also been asked to investigate the issue by former transport minister Devant Maharaj.

Though some can sometimes say, if you choose fruit drinks and crackers, sada roti and vegetables or curry potatoes, bake and scrambled egg or even just a bowl of readyto- eat cereal with or without milk are okay food choices that will provide nutrients.

Yes, you will get some nutrients, but the focus should be on eating balanced meals. You should also keep in mind that in some cases, it might be obvious why people make these food choices; perhaps due to cultural dietary practices, insufficient funds to buy food, lack of knowledge about food nutrient content, busy schedules, and much more.

To ensure that you begin the day with good nutrition, the breakfast meal should comprise seasonal fruit, cereal with milk, staples, protein food, and beverage.

A quick evaluation indicates that the example of the breakfast meal pattern show that the Caribbean Food Groups are used as the guide in meal planning; the different food groups noted are fruits, staples, foods from animals, and legumes. The meal is balanced providing energy to start the day, along with adequate amount of carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals and water.

Health benefits Studies show that making the choice to consume breakfast will add more benefits to your health as opposed to skipping this essential meal (which can negatively impact health), and trying to make up for it during the day. After fasting for long hours during the night, breaking the fast by eating a healthy meal is a good way to begin; it provides the body with energy and nutrients needed.

Eating breakfast can aid you in meeting the recommendation of fruit and vegetable intakes, improving mental alertness, memory, concentration, problem-solving skill, contributing to better academic performance (simply meaning boosts brain power) and school attendance, enhancing productivity in the workplace, weight management, increases in calcium and dietary fibre intakes, healthier lifestyle, and decreasing snacking are some advantages, just to list a few.

Whereas, skipping or omitting the breakfast from your daily meal plan, the negative effects are quite true, as you may have a lack energy to begin the day’s activities.

Other points to note include engaging in frequent snacking — moreso consuming unhealthy snacks, potential risk for weight gain leading to overweight and obesity, may contribute to poor academic performance, and difficulty in meeting recommendations for fruits and vegetables intakes.

According to researchers Timlin and Pereira (2007), adults who consume breakfast regularly may more than likely have better quality diets that include more dietary fibre, nutrients — calcium, iron, zinc, vitamins A and C, and riboflavin, as well as fewer calories, and less dietary fat and cholesterol. In addition, a review of several studies showed that children and adolescents who eat breakfast, have higher intakes of similar nutrients mentioned previously – calcium, vitamins A and C, riboflavin, zinc and iron.

You will find that consumption of a healthy breakfast can aid persons in meeting some of their daily nutritional requirements, compared to breakfast skippers. Moreover, peer influence and media messaging may more than likely have a significant impact on adolescents’ dietary habits which include eating breakfast. Parents, caregivers and educators should encourage teens and their peers to consume breakfast daily which can aid in improving and/or maintaining their nutritional status.

What can you do? Perhaps, you might conclude that making the effort to eat a healthy breakfast daily is worth it, given the positive impact on maintaining health. A few helpful hints include: Take a few minutes to plan the weekly menu that should be well-balanced, and after doing an inventory in the pantry, add the needed items to the grocery shopping list.

Be sure to add to the menu, whole grains and whole grain products e.g. whole wheat sada roti, bake, muffins, wraps, etc, whole milk or low-fat milk and yoghurt, soy milk, almond milk, other food products rich in dietary fibre coconut bake, ground provision, and starchy fruits (breadfruit, plantain, green banana, bluggoe), fresh seasonal fruits and fortified orange fruit juice with no sugar added, and all types of vegetables.

Choose lean protein choices such as egg, sliced baked chicken –remove the skin, sardines, tuna, low-fat milk and milk products Plan wisely — prepare some food items the night before like cheese spread, salt fish buljol, veggie patties, home-made bread, bake, granola cereal, salads, chicken strips with vegetable pieces and so on Try the idea of having a breakfast club in the office two to three days per week, making available to colleagues some breakfast foods and beverages. Make the menu simple.

Nutrition take home message: eat breakfast daily, adding local produce to your meal plan.

Claudette Mitchell, PhD, RD – assistant professor, University of the Southern Caribbean, School of Science, Technology, and Allied Health.

Easy to laugh now but when we have to face the fact of a possible government wage freeze, even for sea-bridge workers, will Duke throw a tantrum and start to cry? The sea-bridge woes will eventually be fixed but stark reality says the sea bridge is gradually fixing itself, bar all the political grandcharging.

Tobagonians are not fools.

They have to be smart. They have to realise that with the advent of Sandals they are going to have to realise that the glory of a working sea bridge rests with a successful transition into being a top tourism destination.

Workers from both Tobago and Trinidad have to be punctual, smart and always smiling with every single passenger, foreign or local. Image is everything.

With an almost inevitable wage freeze, the cynical side of me says that if Duke or any other trade unionist expects to direct traffic regarding who works at Sandals and who gets paid what, everything will turn old mas.

The whole world will be watching as with no other meaningful diversification of the economy, we try to make style. We could destroy the important tourism sector by attempting to control the proverbial little piece of the action. It is only in TT that we encourage the stupid to be powerfully stupid indeed.

With the Public Services Association’s election due in November, Duke needs to get rid of his wetsuit. The home boy might be Pied Piper in Tobago but Trinidad is not going to be a pushover.

The other 70,000 PSA voters reside in Trinidad and some of them allegedly dislike the political jet ski and pirogue used to get what he wants.

LYNETTE JOSEPH Diego Martin

Byron is set to demit office having attained his seventh year of stewardship at the regional court. The tenure of president is for a non-renewable term of seven years.

A release from the Port of Spain-based CCJ said, the process of seeking his replacement had begun with the post being advertised extensively.

Advertisements have been in the public domain since August 4.

The RJLSC, which is tasked with the responsibility of finding a new president, has also communicated with regional and international stakeholders informing them of the start of the recruitment process, the CCJ said.

The deadline for the submission of applications is September 18, 2017. Details, including guidelines for applying, are available on the CCJ’s website at www.

ccj.org In a comment on his tenure to date, Byron said, “It has been an honour to serve the region as the President of the CCJ.” He was “particularly proud” of what was accomplished by the judges and the rest of the court’s team during his tenure. “It is now time for me to take on other challenges but I will look back at the six years I have spent at the Court, with pride and with a great deal of fondness,” he said.

Byron has been a jurist for over 50 years. He was first appointed as a judge in 1982.

He was sworn in as the second president of the CCJ in 2011 in St Kitts.

His predecessor was Trinidadian Justice Michael de la Bastide TC.

Byron was appointed by the heads of government of the Caribbean community on the RJLSC.

Applicants must have been a judge for over five years or have practised, or, taught law for at least 15 years.

A criteria of an applicant must possess “high moral character, intellectual and analytical ability, sound judgement, integrity and understanding of people and society.”

Coming up against Express on Sunday, Fishing Pond Youths and Express played to a thrilling 3-3 draw in front a partisan crowd.

Fishing Pond should have got all three points but poor shooting and naivety cost them against a ruthless Express.

Fishing Pond Youths had their supporters in a raucous mood courtesy an early goal from Raqweeb Searles but the item was quickly cancelled out by Andell Sampson. Fishing Pond found themselves ahead again with Searles on target once more. The euphoria seemed to get the better of the home team as the entire team including the goalkeeper celebrated the goal by their corner flag and were unaware play was about to resume. Express’ Akiel Timothy wasted no time from the touch, and blasted the ball into the goal from the half-line to stun Fishing Pond Youths and their supporters before the half. Despite their protests, the goal stood as the referee noted all their players were on the field when he blew the whistle for the resumption.

Fishing Pond came out hungry for goals in the second period but were again wayward in front goal and squandered three straight chances.

Express had three cracks at goal in a mad sequence of play but again the shooting left a lot to be desired, Firstly, forward Carlos Garcia saw his close range shot cannon off the bar and back to his team-mate whose header went wide but the referee ruled that he was fouled and awarded a penalty.

Garcia took the penalty but his tame effort was easily gobbled up by the goalie. Express, however, were making inroads in the Fishing Pond defence and Kevon La Fon showed good strength on a counter to hold off a defender and squeeze a left footer into the far post from a raid down the left.

Fishing Pond were not done, though, and Dillion Ramsammy made it 3-3 with a tap-in after the ball was fizzed across goal from a left-sided cross.

Earlier in the week, Fishing Pond Youths and SP Boys played to a 2-2 draw. In other results, Boys Town rose to second in the standings with a 5-0 thumping of the league’s “whipping boys” Two Touch. Alescon FC and Manzan United picked up three points each with default wins over North Oropouche and El Carmen 45 respectively.

As a consequence, the support base of the PNM collective will be denied being on television, despite the tremendous work being done by the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts.

Maybe certain people hate what they see in the mirror.

Maybe that is why in the US there are BET , EbonyLife TV and O networks.

LANCELOT SARJEANT via email

And it is important to remember that our justice system is based on the premise that it is better for ten guilty men to go free than for one innocent man to hang.

Put another way, our justice system is about justice for the accused; if it was about justice for the victim then there could only be one possible verdict in every criminal trial: guilty.

We have today a serious problem that has arisen in our justice system that nobody really wants to deal with.

The problem is being kicked around from one side to the other and forgotten about, probably deliberately, until somebody raises it again, and then everybody wrings his hands and says in effect, “But I don’t know what to do. And in any case, it wasn’t me who created the problem in the first place. Why should I have to deal with it?” I am talking about the poor wretches who have been waiting for years to have their preliminary enquiries heard and now have to wait for years again, thanks to the screwup (the Marcia Ayers-Caesar issue) by somebody (we don’t know yet exactly who, although the published evidence seems to point in a certain direction) that has resulted in all 53 of their cases being started again.

The latest bright idea is to go back to the courts and seek an interpretation summons.

How long this will take is, of course, irrelevant. Let the poor wretches who have not yet been found guilty just stay and rot in jail for as long as it takes. After all, they are all probably guilty anyway.

You have only got to look at it to see how grossly unfair that is to the accused and how highly unsatisfactory it is to the society as a whole. And if anybody says that he does not see why this is so wrong or unfair, then let’s lock him up and throw away the key for a few years without a trial and see whether he still doesn’t get the point.

No. It is wrong and it is unfair.

It could very well be that all of these poor wretches are indeed guilty of the crimes they have been accused of.

But what if there is one, or two, or ten who aren’t? Do we just turn our heads and look the other way? Do we regard them as “collateral damage?” Like almost everybody else, my life has been personally affected adversely (and seriously so) by the crime epidemic in this country. I have absolutely no sympathy for people found guilty of a crime. But the key words in that last sentence are “…people found guilty …” So, please don’t think that I don’t understand the strong hurt that victims of crime experience.

Unfortunately, I know from firsthand experience how that hurt can linger for a lifetime.

So, what to do? I would like to recommend that conditional pardons be given to each and every one of the accused in these 53 matters. The condition would be that they are set free immediately but if at any time in the future anyone of these men is found to be guilty of any crime … a speeding ticket would suffice … during the rest of his life then he can be tried for the offence for which he is presently charged.

Is this a “perfect” solution? Far from it. But at least it would show that we do understand the injustice that has taken place and that we are prepared to do something about it. Two or even three wrongs do not make a right.

And what has happened to these men is wrong.

I have deliberately not debated whose fault this was.

Not because I am not interested or think that is not important, but because I think that it is more important to fix the problem first … and to fix it fast. Today. Now.

And the answer to the question as to why should you have to deal with it is because you are in charge. It is up to our leaders to fix a problem whether they created it or not.

The only test of leadership is to lead and to lead vigorously.

The Government must take the lead. Now. Going to court for an “interpretation” is a cop-out and is not leadership but cowardice. Lead!

ROBIN MONTANO via email