There has never been in my lifetime such a threat to the well-being and the security of the world.

The recent attack in Berlin at a Christmas market suggests that peace is something that we really must yearn for, both on an international level and on the domestic front and it is a wish that transcends religious belief and affiliation.

So I wish all my readers lasting peace and goodwill.

Maybe peace will come when we see beyond ourselves and understand that we are made up of interconnections.

These are links that are forged by what has happened in the past, sometimes over generations. But they are also the connections between people and our interactions with them. That might lead to a feeling of gratitude and a sense of the bounty rather than the problems that face us.

Someone suggested recently that we should write down all the good things as they occur to us so that at year’s end, when we set out to make new-year resolutions, we actually see the good rather than the bad. It is so easy to be overwhelmed by the negative.

The second item on my list then would be a sense of gratitude for everything that has made us what we are.

That means in the true spirit of Christmas that we think in terms of how we can give back to our families and communities, rather than thinking of what we can get for ourselves.

Giving is something that is truly difficult since it seems written into human DNA that when we give we expect something back in return.

The story of Christmas points to the fact that Christianity is about giving to those who have little and who may never be able to return the favour.

As a story it places those who are homeless, those who are travellers and refugees in the centre of the stage. At no other time in recent world history has this story of a family looking for shelter been so relevant.

But more than any thing else the Christmas story speaks to our vulnerability as humans, since no matter how intelligent or how rich and how powerful, we may all find ourselves in need of someone’s generosity and indeed hospitality.

In particular it speaks to our attention to the weak and the marginalised and to those who appear powerless. This is so if only because in this uncertain and changing world, with irrational wars and atrocities, the images of those who are uprooted and helpless seem so apparent.

If Christmas means anything, it also calls us to recognise our relationships as human flesh and blood people, and the importance of sustaining them, which is why we send greetings to people we hardly think about or contact during the year.

This as an idea has become more important as increasingly in this digital era of swift interconnectivity the need for real connections intensifies.

How much must the lonely yearn to hear a voice or have someone touch their hands rather than see a text message or an email or a Facebook greeting? Loneliness is probably the biggest scourge of this 21st century.

So my biggest wish is that we share ourselves this Christmas and make the year to come one that is filled with compassion for those who may be in need of some human contact or solace.

But giving of ourselves also means thinking about how the actions of any one person or group affect others and how our lives hit off each other.

Unlike previous generations for whom individualism was a governing concern, in this age we need to think of how our lives flow into each other. It has become a small world indeed.

Amidst all the trappings and the trimmings the family gatherings and the nostalgia the Chr i s tmas m e s s a g e finally is surely that we wish others what we wish for ours elves .

So peace, joy and happiness to all.

The PM gave a directive to his new mayor to address with urgency the issues of street dwelling or vagrancy.

The PM also issued another directive to give life to the management of city parking through the introduction of parking meters.

Both issues have been with the city for a lifetime and to the credit of some mayors (not all mayors) efforts were made to relieve the city of Port-of-Spain of the burden of street dwelling.

The facts of my own efforts to end street dwelling and equally to introduce organised managed vehicular parking are well documented in a text researched and written by me and aptly titled “Local Government in Trinidad, Conspiracy Against the People”.

As I found out back then, the issue of street dwelling has been passed from generations of mayors to new generations of mayors for good reason — the mayor simply under the present laws is powerless! Back then as one who believed and accepted the responsibility to leave PoS better than I met it, I bravely undertook the challenge to bring street dwelling to an end.

This self-imposed mandate required convincing the central government to accept both its role and responsibilities in support of any plan to make street dwelling disappear.

In this regard the new mayor is far better off than I was as both he and the central government share the same bed and eat from the same plate.

He is also fortunate that he has the PM and his party behind him. Then, as I served and sought to revolutionise the way business was conducted at City Hall I never once was blessed with the presence of party officials nor did I have the support of the PNM nor its political leader.

Yet the new mayor will find out in short time that the removal of street dwelling is not as flippant an exercise as his boss the PM suggested in issuing his mandate.

In this matter the PM must become busy about the people’s business, taking time to fully understand the intricacies of the removal of street dwellers. Did he the PM not grasp anything from the experiences of his last mayor as he sought, and rightfully so, to close the gates on street dwellers at Tamarind Square and is he the PM not aware of the directives of the court in response to actions brought by street dwellers? This is very current and the court’s directives to the city, if he was aware, must have suggested to the PM that the matter of street dwelling requires a much more strategic and planned solution, which is not beyond the republic. This is not a PoS matter — this is a national issue that ought to be treated with the appropriate due diligence.

For the records, it must be noted that following four street dwelling exercises by the 2010-2013 City Council during which street dwellers were brought before the courts, we found that there were four distinct groups of street dwellers.

The largest group of the street dwelling population are drug addicts; this group is followed by mentally ill people, which is followed by deportees, with the last group being people who have fallen on very hard times.

Given that the majority of the street dwelling population are drug addicts, the evidence suggests it is reasonable to believe if the city were to bring street dwellers before the courts on four occasions for loitering, ie, sleeping on the streets, appropriate laws which provide for mandatory rehabilitation can be imposed by the courts.

During the four exercises noted above, the council ensured that a competent medical team comprised part of the exercise. Medical practitioners present could identify street dwellers by name, and such people known were administered the applicable mental health medication.

These people, upon being treated, returned to their homes within a short period.

What the evidence suggests is that public mental health services must change its approach from one which demands a visit by the patient to a clinic to one in which the clinic goes to the patient. There must be aggressive outreach programmes to cater to mentally ill people who have a track record of becoming street dwellers.

The third category of deportees merely requires the State to work closely with agencies such as Vision and Mission, providing the appropriate funds with the caveat that there be strict accounting for the responsibility given.

Finally, we must demand increased improvement in the quality and volume of service provided to people who have fallen through the cracks by the republic’s vast social service.

Given the aforementioned, the PM must now know his mandate has been wrongly placed.

The reality is that unless the central government led by the PM moves together to give life to appropriate laws required to effect the management of street dwelling, the new mayor will remain like Alice in Wonderland.

In treating with the second public directive to fix parking, I encourage the new mayor to review the files of the work of the 2010-2013 council.

In these files you will find all you require to initiate a modern city-parking programme. In this matter, you also require your PM to move the laws, before you can implement.

* Louis Lee Sing is a former mayor of Port-of-Spain.

Where in our law books does a walkout act as a remedy for a debate? As political leader of the UNC and Leader of the Opposition, Kamla Persad- Bissessar has to come up with a better strategy to deal with the country’s business than these walkout tactics.

Stop the sore loser, sour grapes, spoiledchild approach. We need an opposition that will fight for its citizens as a gove r n m e n t wat chdog.

The UNC has many good debaters who can challenge the Government on issues and make a case for their points of view. The population is however cheated of proper representation when the Opposition is absent from the equation while conducting the business of the country.

This is where our country loses out on quality representation by this maximum leader style politics.

There is no way that all of the members of the Opposition can feel comfortable with stalling the FATCA legislation while our country is on its second extension.

The Opposition first walked out of a sitting, then it did a total boycott of a subsequent sitting to d e b a t e FATCA with a F e b – r u a r y deadline fast approaching.

The Sangre Grande Corporation installation saw the same walkout approach when things didn’t go in the UNC’s favour.

This is the same party which passed legislation for proportional representation in local government during its recent term in office. The PNM now wins the popular vote in a deadlock situation and the UNC walks out when the PNM chairman is installed.

Then we hear the UNC with a weak argument referencing the “spirit of the law”, ie, a law that speaks to proportional representation based on the number of votes.

We cannot continue like this. Kamla Persad-Bissessar has made some poor judgment calls while in office that have caused the UNC to lose consecutive elections, petitions and appeals. Now we are witnessing an outright “give us what we want or we walk out” approach which sets a bad precedent and example as leaders. This is another poor judgment call because it is counter productive and solves nothing.

I therefore urge Persad- Bissessar to stand up and debate the issues and stop walking out. Party politics should end with elections.

A government must represent all its citizens when assuming office in the same way an opposition has to represent all citizens while in office.

Ronald Huggins St Joseph

This will require parents and teachers who are willing to assume the responsibility and pay the price necessary to produce a new generation of citizens who will show loyalty and respect for their country.

It makes no sense lamenting the ever increasing murder rate each year if the country continues to have uncaring fathers and mothers who would not take the necessary time to mould their children from an early age so they would not live a life of crime.

Let’s try to have a life focused on discipline, production and tolerance — watchwords of the nation given by our first Prime Minister, the late Dr Eric Eustace Williams, back in August 1962 when the country attained independence.

Kelvin La Roche St James

This success has driven IGT (formerly GTECH) to provide an additional ten iPads to Autism Place, as part of IGT’s continued effort to assist those in need through the use of technology.

An initial donation of five iPads complete with software, screen protectors and hard cases was made to the Autistic Society of Trinidad and Tobago (ASTT) by IGT in 2012.

“By using the iPads, members of staff have found them to be an effective and engaging learning tool, which is used to improve motivation, engagement and learning outcomes for persons with autism,” explained Boodoo referring to IGT’s initial donation.

Among the many who have benefitted from the iPads is a young boy, who attends the Autism Place, whose severe anxiety has been reduced whenever his mother leaves his side. This was achieved through the use of a new app called iMovies.

In March, Kari Dunn-Buron, an Autism Educator and Specialist from Minnesota, USA demonstrated the use of the app which she used to create a social story in the form of a video modelling for the boy.

“Self-modelling” is a form of observational learning in which individuals observe themselves successfully performing activities on video, and then try to imitate the targeted behaviour.

Dunn-Buron took short video clips of the child engaged in activities without his mother’s presence.

She then videotaped his mother leaving saying, “Bye, see you later” and re-entering the building saying, “I am back.” Segments of the video clips of the boy crying were edited, and within minutes the video was presented to the family to look at together, to demonstrate how self-modelling through the use of the video could help their child to regulate his emotions when his mother was not present.

The child is shown the video repeatedly thereby reinforcing the message that although his mother has to go to work, he can still have fun with his toys until she returns.

Now, when the boy arrives at the Autism Place, he is able to undertake his activities without crying for his mother.

These donations were made possible through IGT’s After School Advantage (ASA) Programme.

This long-standing initiative provides non-gove rnmental organisations (NGOs) with new computer equipment and specialised educational software to help children as young as five years old become more computer literate.

This philanthropic initiative is meant to provide an otherwise unavailable educational experience and bridge the digital divide among educational institutions and the community.

“The reality is that autism does not discriminate since it affects children around the world. IGT’s donation of these iPads to the Autism Place is an acknowledgement that we must all do our part in creating an environment that aids communication among those affected by autism,” said Ann- Dawn Young Sang, IGT’s Regional Vice President for the Caribbean.

President of the Autistic Society of Trinidad & Tobago, Teresina Sieunarine said, “I am very thankful for the support and interest that the IGT family has given to the ASTT. They have shown that they are committed to helping children with autism through the use of technology, by providing iPads for use in our Centres. It has been proven that technology is quite effective in assisting children on the autism spectrum, as the iPad can be used as a visual support to facilitate learning, improve communication, increase independence, reduce anxiety and improve behaviours.” She added, “Technological aids like the iPad are expensive and the ASTT would not be able to finance this wonderful initiative, so thanks again to IGT.”

These people left indelible marks on this country on very huge scales. But there was also much to celebrate with the return of ten-time National Panorama champions, the legendary Desperadoes Steelband that attained its 11th title, after a classic jazzy arrangement of 5-Star Akil’s “Different Me” arranged by Carlton Alexander that brought back great memories of the past.

Also, after a decade-long hiatus, there was the return of Peter Minshall mas, albeit in a small way but with great appeal to most in the mas fraternity, with his king creation: “The Dying Swan: Ras Nijinsky in Drag as Pavlova” which appeared in K2K’s Alliance and Partners’ mas band Searching for Shangri- la.Then there were youngsters Helon Francis and Aaron “Voice” St Louis, and first time big steelband entrant Supernovas who proved to be forces to be reckoned with, after producing highly entertaining performances, and by large margins they copped the Young King, Soca Monarch and second place in the Panorama competitions respectively.

It was also a phenomenal year for Calypso Rose with one of her 2016 releases going platinum in France, a first for a local. The demand for her performances around the globe increased.

JANUAR Y, However, as the year began the big dreaded “R” word, recession, caused a lot of pain and financial losses for show and fete promoters, and by extension, artistes throughout the Carnival 2016 season.

* A number of shows and all-inclusive fetes took a beating in terms of attendance, while others were outright cancelled, due to the “recession facing the country.

* In the height of the season, steelband icon, composer and arranger Jit Samaroo passed away at age 65. Over the years, he arranged for the Samaroo Jets, bp Renegades, Sangre Grande Cordettes, Arima Angel Harps, Tornadoes and Trinidad Nostalgic.

But Samaroo, who was bestowed with an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies in 2003, got his major success with the bp Renegades earning nine Panorama victories, the most by any arranger to date.

* Platinum Steel Orchestra created history as the first all-female orchestra to participate in a National Panorama competition, in the Single Pan category.

The 35-player orchestra led by Natasha Joseph debuted with an aptly named song, “Unknown Band”.

* Given the “recession” the allocation for Carnival was $270 million, a $44 million reduction compared to $314 million in 2015, while the 57 Regional Carnival Committees got a subvention of some $13 million from the State that also paid out $2.9 million in financial assistance to more than 180 unsponsored steelbands across the country, and another $1 million towards the staging of Dimanche Gras.

*With the masses watching their spending, pan lovers came out in their thousands to follow judges visiting large conventional panyards in the north. It was by far the largest number of people taking that annual pilgrimage from panyard to panyard.

*Partygoers too, opted for the cheaper cooler fetes and boat rides that were more suited to their pockets. But pulling the biggest crowd was the annual Army Fete where patrons flooded the Queen’s Park Savannah (QPS) and Machel Montano’s “Machel Monday” concert that also had a large crowd, no doubt because of its featured acts that included Pitbull, Timaya, Lil Jon, Omi, Taurus Riley and Angela Hunte.

CARNIVAL BACCHANAL

* Denise “Saucy Wow” Belfon, frustrated by having to wait for hours and then being told that she could only sing one song at the annual Ladies Night Out Concert, as she got on stage she told the crowd: “Ladies allyuh know Saucy love allyuh… but yuh see this F—ery!!!”. This led to her arrest backstage for using obscene language.
However, no charges were laid.

* “The Dying Swan”, a costume designed by Peter Minshall for K2Kand Partner’s Searching for Shangri- La, depicted a ballet dancer on stilts. The portrayal played by Jhawhan Thomas was a clever piece of genius by Minshall that captured the hearts of mas lovers. However, newly crowned King of Carnival Ted Eustace was most critical of the costume.
Needless to say, Eustace got severe flak for his criticisms.

* Calypsonian Skatie (Carlos John) was thrown out of the semi-finals of the National Calypso Monarch competition for failing to pay the $100 registration fee. But three days later, a High Court judge ruled in his favour and he eventually competed in the semis and went on to make the Dimanche Gras finals.

* Failing to pay musicians hired to accompany performing artistes at the San Fernando Calypso and Soca Monarch finals (south pre-Dimanche Gras), resulted in the ten-member soca band “Temperature” packing away their instruments and making their way off stage, leaving organisers, the San Fernando Carnival Committee (SFCC) very embarrassed. After much discussions, band members returned to the stage for the show to go on.

* Soca Monarch producers felt by not carrying the event “live” on television on Carnival Friday and not naming the winner until the next night, would have drawn the crowds.
That plan backfired as there were fewer patrons who got into the venue with tickets scalped for as little as $25.

* The national television Carnival coverage was the worst ever. Very few events went live, thus depriving thousands of viewers who either were unable to come out of their houses or who depended on the television to keep up with the goings on about what is termed the supposed national festival.

CARNIVAL BIG WINNERS KAISO Devon Seale – National Calypso Monarch; Voice (Aaron St Louis) – Soca Monarch; Machel Montano – Road March winner; Helon Francis – Young King; Amrika Mutroo – National Calypso Queen and also Star of Tomorrow; Gypsy – Extempo King;

The Colour of Shadows by Judy Raymond – Former Trinidad Guardian editor, Raymond turns research into an exciting story – the first of its kind I have read that really compels readers to imagine how the waning days of slavery felt.

Readers see, taste, feel and touch that time period in Raymond’s biography of plantation owner and artist Richard Bridgens. This is biography, history and literary journalism all rolled up in a riveting read.

Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart by James R Doty – Dr Doty explores the mind/body connection and shows how your thoughts can determine your future.

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg – This short, powerful novel about a middle- aged woman who loses her boyfriend and entire family in a fire the night before her daughter’s wedding will make you question the meaning of life. Who set the fire? This is the mystery in this thought-provoking book.

Norwegian by Night by Derek B Miller – There’s adventure and tension galore when 82-year-old Sheldon runs away with a boy after the child’s mother is killed. Miller’s novel examines how memory serves us and fails us.

Shoe Dog by Phil Night –The co-founder of Nike has penned a witty, thought-provoking autobiography filled with conflicts and tension usually reserved for fiction.

Anyone who has ever had a dream and a drive to succeed should read this book. Night started off with a loan of $50. Today he’s worth $28 billion. The Civil Wars of Julia Ward Howe by Elaine Showalter – This biography written about the woman who wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” during the American Civil War turns out to be a vivid portrait of the daily struggle of educated women in the 19th century.

The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin by Steven Lee Myers – Any book about Russia tends to be heavy, but this is a worthy read because it shows Putin in a whole new light – not as a selfish power monger, but as a man obsessed with loyalty.

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley – This novel about a disabled girl struggling to survive World War II and her mean mother is written for eight to 12-year-old readers, but adults will enjoy this well-written story.

My students and I felt this was one of the best books we ever read.

Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Black Athlete by William C Rhoden – There are many forms of “slavery” as you will learn from this book about how black athletes are being controlled by sports contracts.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz – If you enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson, then you’ll enjoy the fourth book in the series written by an author sanctioned by Larsson’s estate.

Lady Bird and Lyndon: The Hidden Story of a Marriage that Made a President by Betty Caroli – Part politics and part biography, Lady Bird Johnson’s biography paints a vivid and vital portrait of a first lady who had her hands full with a very difficult husband.

Here’s looking forward to a new year of reading. Cheers

This point was made loud and clear by Alistair Narinesingh, Community Relations Officer of the National Gas Company (NGC), primary sponsors of the National Cricket Academy administered annually since 2002 by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board.

Narinesingh was delivering an address at the graduation of the 2016 class of inductees last Wednesday at the Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre at Balmain in Couva.

He said that at this time of the year when reflection and thoughtful re-assessment is being made by the NGC Group, which has invested heavily in several note-worthy initiatives across Trinidad and Tobago, he is compelled to admit that the sport of cricket under the TTCB is worthy of their continued robust support.

“We have partnered with the TTCB for a number of years and we are always heartened by the talent and promise of the young cricketers who participate in the development programme which the NGC funds,” Narinesingh said.

“Even more exciting is the fact that so many young people springboard from these programmes into national and regional platforms, where they not only debut as names to watch, but shine,” he said.

Narinesingh pointed to the emergence of the two most recent exemplary products of the NGC/ TTCB National Academy __ Jyd Goolie and Kirstan Kallicharan __ who played a significant part in the victory of the West Indies Under-19 team at the ICC World Championship in Bangladesh at the beginning of the year.

“Kirstan was named the TTCB’s ‘Youth Cricketer of the Year,’ in 2016, a testament to the success of the NGC/TTCB National Academy.

We have no doubt that the training and guidance received during their time with the National Academy catalysed their development, and we are confident that all of you graduates are equally equipped to make your mark on cricket,” Narinesingh said.

He also dished out some timely words of advice to the youngsters: “Greatness is well within your reach. Be disclipined in your game, work hard, play fair. To you has fallen the task of restoring West Indian cricket to a place of prominence on the international stage and you have a nation behind you, supporting you, willing you to succeed.

“Today we rally around the Bravos (Dwayne and Darren), (Kieron) Pollard, (Denesh) Ramdin, (Sunil) Narine. Whose surname we will be wearing on our shirts in years to come? Perhaps the entire future of the national cricket team is sitting in this gathering today. You are certainly capable, so do not settle for mediocrity, strive for greatness,” said Narinesingh.

The NGC official also applauded the effort of the parents and guardians of the young graduants for their unstinting devotion and commitment in the pursuit of their charges for a career in cricket, and urged them to continue their encouragement to help the boys realise their fullest potential.

“The road ahead will not be easy, but these youngsters have demonstrated outstanding talent and it would be a shame not to see their potential realised for lack of support. In that regard, the future of TT cricket hinges as much on your performance off the field as it does on theirs in the middle. No pressure though,” he advised sagely.

Narinesingh thanked the TTCB under the leadership of president Azim Bassarath for completing another successful instalment of the NGC/TTCB National Academy saying emphatically that the efforts and advice of the national governing body for the sport is noted with appreciation and high regard.

“The NGC remains your committed partner as you work to grow the sport locally and regionally,” Narinesingh said.

He also heaped praises on the performances of all the national cricket teams with the observation that Trinidad and Tobago emerged victorious in seven of nine regional tournaments they participated in this past cricket season which is unprecedented in the nation’s sports history.

The West Indies Under-19 team, not the most talented team on paper, won the ICC U-19 50- over World Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh defeating India in a low scoring final on February 14. Medium pacer Ryan John snatched three for 38 in 10 overs while fast bowler Alzarri Joseph grabbed 3/39 in 10 overs as India was dismissed for 145 in 45.1 overs.

India seemed set to lift the title as West Indies were reeling on 77/5 after 29 overs. However, an unbroken 69-run sixth wicket partnership between Keacy Carty and Keemo Paul took the Windies to their maiden U-19 World Cup title. Man of the match Carty finished unbeaten on 52 while Paul was 40 not out.

If West Indies fans thought February 14 was a special day, April 3 almost seemed unbelievable as the West Indies Senior Men’s and Women’s teams won World T20 titles mere hours apart. Cricket fans throughout the Caribbean set their alarms early that Sunday hoping that the Windies could bring home both titles in the tournaments being played simultaneously in India.

First up it was the West Indies Women as they had a daunting task against three-time defending champions Australia in the final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Australia posted a challenging 148/5 off their 20 overs as West Indies faced an uphill task. The Windies Women were ready for the occasion as a 120-run opening partnership between captain Stafanie Taylor and Hayley Matthews help set up an eight-wicket win with three balls to spare.

Matthews fell for 66 with the score on 120, then Taylor was dismissed for 59 with the West Indies on 144. Deandra Dottin and Britney Cooper avoided any further damage getting West Indies to the target. Even some of the West Indies Men, who were waiting to play the Men’s T20 final at the same venue, joined the Windies Women on the field to do the “Champion” dance in celebration of their victory.

Hours later Carlos Brathwaite became a household name in cricket and it took him four deliveries.

Chasing 156 for victory, West Indies needed 19 off the last over with Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels at the crease. Brathwaite did not need the entire over smashing the first four deliveries for six off medium pacer Ben Stokes to end the match in spectacular fashion.

Before Brathwaite struck the final six, English commentator David Lloyd graciously told former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop to commentate the final delivery.

Bishop could not hold back his emotions as when Brathwaite struck the final six over mid-wicket he shouted, “Carlos Brathwaite! Carlos Brathwaite! Remember the name! History for the West Indies! What a match we’ve had here at Eden Gardens!” Brathwaite ended on 34 not out off 10 balls, while Samuels was unbeaten on 85 off 66 deliveries.

TT Red Force/TT Red Force Divas The TT Red Force cricketers continued their prowess in the shorter formats of the game winning the Nagico Super50 tournament which was hosted by TT and St Kitts and Nevis from January 7 to 23. TT lifted the title with a 72-run victory over Barbados Pride in the final played at the Queen’s Park Oval. Despite the team’s success in the 50-over format, the Red Force struggled in the 2015/2016 Regional Four-Day tournament finishing fourth among the six teams. The TT women were more successful than their male counterparts as they won both the 50-over and T20 regional titles in Guyana.

Queen’s Park do the treble Queen’s Park Cricket Club continued their dominance in local club cricket winning the T20, 50-over and three-day titles. The treble made the year even more special for the Parkites as the club celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2016.

Players, WICB continue to wrangle The WICB and the players had a tumultuous relationship in 2016 with many players openly stating their dissatisfaction with the board. In the post-match conference after the West Indies won the World T20 title Darren Sammy, who was the T20 captain at the time, stated his disappointment with the WICB’s lack of support.

Sammy said, “I really want to thank the heads of CARICOM.

Throughout this tournament they have been supporting the team, we’ve got emails, we’ve got calls… and I’m yet to hear from our own cricket board. That is very disappointing.” Darren Bravo was another player to state his frustration with the WICB. In November Bravo was been sent back to the Caribbean from Zimbabwe after his public outbursts about president of the WICB Dave Cameron.

Bravo was offered a C contract by the WICB __ the lowest grade available __ but declined the offer.

Cameron said the board can’t continue giving Bravo an A contract because he would not have any motivation to improve. Bravo openly stated his displeasure with Cameron via Twitter, calling him a “big idiot” while clarifying that he has never received an A contract.

Shake Up in West Indies Cricket West Indies were busy off the field as many changes in personnel were made. In May, only weeks after West Indies won the World T20 title, former West Indies fast bowler Curtly Ambrose was sacked as West Indies bowling coach and replaced by Roddy Estwick. In June Clive Lloyd packed his bags as West Indies chairman of selectors and replaced by former West Indies wicketkeeper Courtney Browne.

In August the changes continued as Darren Sammy, only months after leading the regional team to the World T20 title, was removed as West Indies T20 captain and replaced by the inexperienced Carlos Brathwaite.

Also in August West Indian bowling legend Courtney Walsh accepted a job offer in Bangladesh as that nation’s bowling coach leaving his post as a member of the West Indies Selection Panel.

Phil Simmons was next to go, axed as the head coach of the West Indies after 18 months on the job in September.

Henderson Springer and Estwick were in charge of the team while the West Indies Cricket Board searched for another coach. In December the WICB made the decision to hire Australian Stuart Law as the new head coach, while Jimmy Adams was announced as the new West Indies Director of Cricket replacing English-born Richard Pybus.

“he said, adding, “if these world reporters were here in Trinidad.

I tell you something, all these areas that are covered because of violence and crime they would be joke to what is happening in the killing fields of Trinidad and Tobago.” “And for those of you who love to say that crime is down, well crime is not down in Aleppo, Syria, it is not down in San Fernando or Port of Spain or Trinidad and Tobago,” he said, and noted that by his reckoning.

over 1,000 families have been affected by the spiralling murder rate between 2015 and 2016. “Our killing fields in Trinidad and Tobago is more vicious than the truck attack in Berlin,” he said, adding.

“too many families in our society will not celebrate Christmas this year and their sadness will go on into the new year.” Teelucksingh was addressing a packed congregation during a Christmas worship service at Susamachar Presbyterian Church, Coffee Street, San Fernando yesterday. In his trademark candid approach.

Teelucksingh cited the song, Blue Christmas, as the unofficial anthem of these families who would be shedding tears amid pleas for justice which would remain unanswered as Trinidad and Tobago seems to be “a land where so many cases go cold.” “Who are these families who know about the sad tear drops and the sad memories that come calling, 420 of them in 2015, about 450 in 2016 so far, family members who were murdered,” he said, adding, “ I want to remember and think about a mother’s sadness. She lives in Barataria – her 15-year-old son was shot to death this month. Did you hear about the Penal truck driver? He has a family – the family missed him for 11 days and he was found dead near an oil well in the district with his body duct taped, wrapped in a tarpaulin and dumped. For 11 days they cried and 11 days they prayed. I want you to remember the grief of a son who witnessed the shooting death of his mother a few days ago, a mother who was weeping for her young son who was shot to death for his gold chain and the sad tear drops keep falling for that young lady in Port-of-Spain who was murdered in a warehouse.” “This is a land where nobody seems to care,” he said, adding, “and I want to appeal to all families in Trinidad and Tobago to spare a thought and say a prayer for the families that will not be having a merry Christmas.” Teelucksingh also noted that the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus were not without their problems but, instead of giving in to their problems, remained a family while dealing with their many challenges. “I want you to bear this in mind. Don’t think they were such a Godly family and they had no problems. That model family had problems just as any other family throughout the ages,” he said, adding, “do you know that Mary and Joseph and engagement problems? A real serious problem that they nearly break up.” They sought the guidance of God and they worked it out and stayed together, and that’s important. I want you to remember that lest you think that was a marriage made in heaven. I don’t know about that one. But I will tell you something as far as my family and your family is concerned.

that family had problems. They dealt with their problems they prayed about their problems and I am sure they discussed it with other people,” he said. Teelucksingh said the family had to remain the “nation’s premium fortress” against the many ills of society just as the Holy Family had managed to overcome the wicked devices of King Herod who had plotted to kill the new-born baby Jesus.