You will find that there are several contributory factors which can negatively impact one’s health, but working together as a family unit, community, and organisations can make a difference.

For example, planting, harvesting and sharing agricultural produce (farm to table approach); community wellness programmes; and cooking classes are just a few projects individuals can perhaps choose to participate either in as groups or teams. Good nutrition is important throughout the life cycle.

Overview In today’s society, governments and communities share concerns about the chronic non-communicable diseases and conditions (heart disease, malnutrition, hypertension, stroke, cancer, and diabetes mellitus); overall, they contribute to premature mortality, the economic burden, and absenteeism at school or in the workplace.

In addition, such diseases may more than likely tend to negatively impact productivity, academic performance, functional status, nutritional status and much more.

Moreover, you should keep in mind that multiple factors can possibly influence your health; these include but may not be limited to environmental factors (access to safe food and water, air quality, climatic conditions, physical environment at work and home); socio-economic factors (funds available to purchase food, having knowledge of food and nutrition, employment, education level, etc); personal behaviours and health practices (diet, participation physical activity, tobacco smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, etc.); biological and genetic factors, and health systems and services (Ministry of Health and Healthy Caribbean Coalition).

According to Health Report Card for Trinidad and Tobago (2011), the chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) contribute to at least 60 percent of the deaths; with cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes being the leading causes of deaths in the nation, accounting for 24.6 percent, 13.75 percent, and 13.6 percent, respectively.

These chronic non-communicable diseases may more than likely affect the quality of life, and “usually develop over long periods of time being asymptomatic at first. The diseases are similar in that they are linked to a common set of modifiable biological and behavioural risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels, poor and/ or unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and tobacco consumption and alcohol abuse (Ministry of Health).” Reports from the World Health Organisation (2015) indicated that the non-communicable diseases account for the deaths of 38 million people annually; with three-quarters of the deaths (28 million) occurring in middle and low income countries.

At least 16 million people diagnosed with non-communicable diseases die before the age of 70; noting that 82 percent of the premature deaths from non-communicable diseases occur in low and middle income countries. Overall, deaths resulting due to the non-communicable diseases, “cardiovascular diseases accounting for the most 17.5 million people, cancer (8.2 million), respiratory diseases (4 million), and diabetes mellitus (1.5 million). The risk factors include tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and alcohol abuse; the vulnerable group includes children, adults, and the elderly. They also indicated that there is a link between poverty and the non-communicable diseases, and that “the rapid increase in these diseases is predicted to impede poverty reduction initiatives in low income countries, particularly by rise household cost associated with healthcare.” First, you should note that the risk factors are similar in both reports reflecting lifestyle practices, and of such seeking to make changes by adopting a healthy lifestyle is critical.

“Health-promotion and disease-prevention strategies are effective at reducing morbidity and mortality and improving quality of life, and have a significant impact on the leading causes of disease.”

As the story unfolds, the audience members will be invited to gather together in music as The Lydians sing joyfully of the birth of the Christ child. The concert will follow a creolised re-imagining of the journey of the Virgin Mary from the holy cradle to the river side – “with we calabash”, where a community will gather together in celebration to laugh, sing and have a ball in celebration of the Saviour’s arrival.

In “A Christmas Calabash” a selection from the salsa mass, the Missa Salsera by Rosado will return, along with a special Lydian Steel performance of the samba- themed Brazilian Sleigh Bells. The Bishop Anstey Junior School will also make a guest appearance to offer Christmas selections.

Original music composed and arranged for the full choir, soloists and ensembles will be premiered this year: “Ave Maria-Oye/Oh Mary” from Lydian Steel member and composer Astra Noel, a jazzy rendition of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” with “sun and calypso” instead of “snow and mistletoe” by eccentric jazz arranger, Mark Brewster, and an old-time calypso Christmas medley featuring songs of The Mighty Spoiler, Lord Kitchener and other comedic numbers arranged by folk and calypso arranger John Jacob. A tribute to the Lara Brothers in a parang medley will be also featured, along with excerpts from the works of Tchesnokoff, Handel and Bach, said a media release.

The concert is being supported by some exciting creative collaborators including Peter Minshall, who is delighted to have played one of the shepherds to this flock. Also Wendell Manwarren, noted creative director and performer with 3canal who will be directing The Lydians on stage; Gillian Bishop, designer and jeweller taking charge of set design; Claudette Edwards, stellar wardrobe mistress who keeps the choir looking great; Celia Wells, noted lighting designer and many others who support the effort to ensure that Lydians presents the highest quality performance.

The grand finale of the show, will sweep audiences into the traditional season favourites and standards along with the Hallelujah Chorus with tassa drums and a never-before-seen surprise ending, proclaiming the greatness of God.

Tickets are available at the Queen’s Hall Box Office (624- 4281 Ext1). For more info: 338-602 or 268- 9556, thelydiansingers@ yahoo.com

The first to experience the gift, were the children from the Enaame’s Private School and the Aspirare Learning Community, which are located in Diego Martin and Cocoyea, respectively.

Bonding quickly took place as over 70 excited children were treated to face painting, story-telling and games by the Digicel team.

Principal of the Enaame’s Private School, Edris Brizan expressed how delighted she was for the visit from the Digicel staff, said a media release.

The much-anticipated highlight of the afternoon was Santa’s arrival, when gifts were distributed to the children.

Principal of Aspirare Learning Community, Albertha Hercules exclaimed how thrilled the children were to interact with the Digicel team, saying “this really made our Christmas, thank you so much Digicel.” This initiative gave the Digicel team the opportunity to give of their time, talent and treasure to those who are less fortunate during this festive season.

As the day came to an end, the children thanked the team with thank you cards and wished them Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Sister P has acted in the highest tradition by signalling the need for the party to rebuild before the next general election.

Alas in TT , our own Sister P is determined to take the UNC to another electoral defeat whenever a next election is called.

Having an unparallel and unprecedented string of defeats, perhaps mounting to double digits, this leader for life recently declared she “nah leaving”.

Clearly manipulating statistics, her cohorts crowed that Sister P single-handedly was able to increase the UNC vote from 122k in 2013 to 180k in 2016.

They disingenuously tried to distort the truth with these figures by not stating that in 2013 the UNC, as part of the People’s Partnership, fought 77 seats to total the 122k votes it gathered.

The other partners, COP and NJAC, fought 61 seats and together they amassed about 190k votes.

The ILP, a breakaway faction of the UNC, polled 102k votes in 2013 and after its bubble burst and the Partnership imploded, the UNC votes returned home.

In 2016 the UNC fought 136 seats as a separate unit and was able to poll less than the combined Partnership votes in 2013.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar must level with her party members.

Plain and simple, Persad-Bissessar did not carry the votes from 122k to 180k.

It was the same votes.

RUDY C PAUL Arima

With a low detection rate for murders and with unenforced laws, these criminals reign supreme.

As citizens, our helplessness has now been converted to hopelessness.

Our grief has now been converted to outrage. With each passing day, a daughter or a son, a brother or a sister, a mother or a father becomes our latest statistic. Our silent yet deafening screams are yet to be heard by the Government.

Crime is a difficult challenge for any government. It takes a holistic plan, tackling all angles directed towards the problem. This plan must deal with the overburdened legal system, bureaucratic resistance to change, high levels of unemployment throughout the marginal constituencies, disenfranchised and unskilled youth, the easy accessibility to weapons, the negative effect of gangs and their organised criminal activities, the lack of faith in the transparency of the Police Service, all coupled with the economic constraints of a socalled recession.

Clearly, the three “bosses” heading the ministry in charge of TT ’s security, Major General (retired) Edmund Dillon, Senator Dennis Moses and Parliamentary Secretary Glenda Jennings- Smith, have failed.

They have failed to create an environment which ensures public safety and security. They have failed to make any dent on crime. They have failed to deliver on the PNM’s promise to the citizenry to eradicate and alleviate organised criminal activity.

They have failed.

The actions of the Speaker on December 9 in the Parliament only sought to further display the gross neglect and disregard for matters of urgency affecting the people of this country. The ejection of Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar from the House of Representatives is a rejection of all law-abiding citizens from the national equation. The message sent was that the FATCA Bill is more valuable than the 1.3 million lives in TT .

Politics has overshadowed any effort of a collaborative approach among parliamentarians from both sides of the political divide to address the issue of spiralling crime and missing people in TT .

Desperate times call for desperate measures. A Rodrigo Duterte (President of the Philippines) approach may be our only option to take back our country. With over 450 murders to date this year and no plan from the Government, the tidal wave of blood and terror may soon drown out all of our screams for help.

Varsha Sankar via email

The recent decision to use a neighbouring property as a command centre for the Police Service will be baffling to individuals who know the history of QRC.

Many have recognised that it was prudent education planning that allowed the Government to construct new facilities adjoining several schools which were originally junior secondary schools as happened, for example, in St Joseph and Couva.

The space was available to erect new physical plants for these schools.

At present QRC has no space for its physical development which compromises the future of the institution.

I wonder how many government officials took the time to read from either QRC2004 or QRC100 in order to have an appreciation of the place of QRC in the education history of the country and to note the impact of its graduates on national life.

I suggest the government officials read the messages of Sir Solomon Hochoy and Dr Eric Williams on pages 7-9 of QRC100.

Ian Green Couva

FATCA was the main item on the Order Paper.

The role of the Opposition was very critical at that sitting in both the amendments stage as well as in the final vote, having regard to the fact that the FATCA Bill is an exact replica of the 2015 People’s Partnership draft, as were the current Gambling and failed Bail Bills.

Without the Opposition being present, the sitting was a glorified waste of parliamentary time as it turned out to be. Without the presence of Leader of the Opposition Kamla Persad-Bissessar at the sitting, being its chief spokesman on the Bill, the Opposition could and would not participate in the scheduled negotiations of the committee of the whole at that sitting.

Walking out with its leader was the logical response.

So that when Persad- Bissessar failed in her request to the Speaker to get her motion on the murder rate debated as a matter of definite, urgent and public importance there was indeed some mild disorder. But it was not sufficiently disruptive, in my view, to cause the Speaker to summarily and impulsively suspend from the sitting both the Leader of the Opposition and member for Naparima.

The Speaker has previously, regularly and quite arbitrarily suspended other members of the Opposition as if they were her infant students for minor misdemeanours and quite acceptable levels of banter/cross talk in the House. The House is not a church.

Anger cannot be used as a management/ control tool from the Speaker’s chair. Maturity, discretion, fairness, judgment and good sense are the tools of effective House Speakers.

On this occasion, taking into account the urgency of the FATCA debate that began on September 9 and the February deadline given by the US Treasury Department for passage of the Bill in Parliament, as well as the key role of the Leader of the Opposition that the Speaker will be privy to prior to the sitting, she should have adjourned the House for a 15-minute cooling- off period rather than suspend the key player in the subsequent debate. Suspension is an avoidable affront to constituents.

What am I to make of the immediate withdrawal of the Speaker from the House post the ill-timed suspension and the chairing of the FATCA monologue by Deputy Speaker Esmond Forde? Stephen Kangal Caroni

The thinking that gives rise to this question is so archaic as to lead one to wonder if the senior officials of the Public Service are still operating in colonial times.

There is no prohibition against Public Service employees serving the country at a different level nor is there any justification for any sanction against any public officer for doing so.

The decision to offer oneself for service of a different kind is one that should be encouraged and applauded, not treated as an act against the employer.

The State in fact recognises this in its provision for public employees to be granted no-pay leave on the grounds of public policy. Employees who have spent many years accumulating benefits which they have earned by virtue of their employment would not lose them because they wish to serve at a different level.

Many officers are granted such leave to serve in State enterprises and in education institutions. How then can it be fair to deny such facility to someone who wishes to serve the nation? No such denial could be justified and any such attempt should be determined by the court.

KARAN MAHABIRSINGH Carapichaima

The two sisters ages nine and 14, were discovered in a van in Barrackpore and were rescued by police officers.

Surajbally, of Lothians Road, Princes Town, was charged in May under the Children’s Act, with kidnapping, indecent assault and giving alcohol to minors.

The preliminary inquiry into the charges began before Senior Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan in the Princes Town Magistrates’ Court in which State Attorney Sarah De Silva is prosecuting and had called the two children to give evidence.

They were cross-examined by Surajbally’s attorney Pamela Elder SC, instructed by attorney Owen Hinds Jr.

De Silva also called the children’s mother as a witness, as well as medical doctor Clem Ragoobar. Three police officers, including the complainant, PC Alcala, also testified for the prosecution. On Monday, De Silva recalled Alcala for re-examination then informed Rambachan that the prosecution had closed its case.

The inquiry was conducted via paper committal in a hybrid form in which some witness statements were sworn and filed and given to the defence attorneys to determine whether they wanted the witnesses to be called for cross-examination.

Surajbally is on $300,000 bail and had secured bail in the High Court before a judge in Chambers.

The State and the defence attorneys would make legal submissions to Rambachan on January 3 following which he is expected to give a ruling on whether the State has made out a prima facie case to either commit Surajbally to stand trial before a judge and jury, or discharge him.

The magistrate heard from prosecutor PC Cleyon Seedan that on September 6, 2014, Jeremy Girdharry was seated in his car next to the Quik Shoppe at Circular Road, San Fernando, at about 2 pm. Granger approached the vehicle, Seedan said, pushed his hands through a window and grabbed the chain.

Attorney Annalee Girwar pleaded for Granger saying that he had a previous conviction for marijuana in 2014. But Girwar told Forde-John that Granger and his father had a verbal dispute at their home and he (Granger) left the house. “M’Lady, he was out on the streets and wanted to get food. This is what led him to do what he did.

He has changed his life and has made amends with his father and he is now back home,” Girwar said. In ordering Granger to serve the jail term, Forde- John told him that she considered his guilty plea and also the fact that he had a previous conviction in 2014 when he had committed the robbery