In an interview with Newsday yesterday, Alexandrov said two tests which were seemingly important to prove the baby was born alive were a floating test of the lungs, and a gastrointestinal floating test.

“A floating test was conducted and showed air went into the baby’s lungs,” he said.

“If the baby just made one breath being alive, the air goes into the lungs. When the lungs are placed into a container with water they float. In stillborn babies, when the lungs are put into the container with water and the lungs do not have any air, they sink.” He said a similar exercise was done with the baby’s stomach.

“The lungs, the stomach and the gastrointestinal tract were floating which means the baby was born alive. The baby was perfectly well developed weighing three kilogrammes and was 51 centimetres in length. The umbilical cord was cut and a small one-centimetre stomp was left.” Alexandrov said he faced a challenge in determining what to put on the death certificate.

“I put ‘abandonment in hostile environment of a newborn viable full term infant’.” He said according to national standards, in his profession, there are rules and regulations to follow and the case should be treated as an infanticide to investigate until proven otherwise.

“Leaving the innocent child all alone, absolutely helpless newborn in a hostile environment is a homicide.

If the baby was put into a box and then a garbage bag, the baby had a lack of oxygen. And if the baby was put in the box and then in a plastic bag, probably this little baby was going through hyperthermia (extreme increase in body temperature). For a baby of this age, I think all it takes is a matter of minutes to die. Maybe ten minutes or so.” He said for the sake of possible identification, if the police find the mother of the baby, samples of the baby’s bone marrow and bones from the thigh were kept for future analysis to prove the baby belongs to that woman.

Meanwhile, head of the Police Service’s Corporate Communications Unit, Ellen Lewis, yesterday told Newsday investigations are continuing and anyone with information on the whereabouts of the mother of the baby should come forward.

A release from the PATT said it noted recent media reports that she had been suspended.

“The Port Authority wishes to place on record that Ms Lewis has not been suspended and continues to hold her position as General Manager/Chief Executive Officer at the Port Authority.” The PATT said it viewed the statements as irresponsible and reckless as no verification of Lewis’ status as an employee was sought from the PATT.

The PATT called on members of the media to apologise to Lewis and to formally retract the untrue statements.

Sadly, race and ethnicity are nearly always on the political agenda here in the UK, where I find myself at present, and this was quickened by the gloomily impending Brexit guillotine that will sever integration links with Europe that were developed over the last 30 plus years.

It was the perceived threat of streams of Eastern European and other nationalities coming into Britain that helped win the vote to leave the European Union.

Ideas of racial purity, as absurd as it is almost everywhere, remain potent.

Britain has been home to waves of peoples from Europe and elsewhere, including Africa, going back centuries and the mixing has been a huge success, so much so that the history has been forgotten.

Next year will mark the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury in England that brought the first big wave of West Indians to Britain.

There will be a lot of celebration as the ship’s arrival is considered one of the defining moments of British history, as was seen in the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony.

A mock-up of the ship’s metal frame appeared alongside representations of the Industrial Revolution, WWI, the suffragettes movement, the 1936 Jarrow March, and the creation of the National Health Service.

The cultural impact of Caribbean and, later on, sub-continental Indian peoples has been greater than their actual number. Few of the approximately two million “black” people in the UK now identify themselves as Caribbean. Most of them, around three percent of the national population, are Africans arriving in the last 20 years.

The paradox of the Windrush celebrations, as historian Olusago underlines, is that it misleads the uninformed to believe that black people have only been in British life since 1948.

It came into relief when a Twitter war began three weeks ago when someone, eager to weed out political correctness, criticised a BBC cartoon featuring a dark-skinned father to a normal English family.

When a world-renowned Cambridge academic, expert on the Roman Empire, waded into the Twitter fracas to add that Africans were at all levels of even Roman life in Britain and Europe, she and scholarship were vilified by the ignorant.

There have been other cases of films and television programmes where historical research that correctly allowed for the casting of black and brown characters have been accused of wilfully distorting British history. And the doubters will not be convinced.

The truth is that with new isotope and DNA testing techniques, more irrefutable evidence is constantly appearing. In Olusago’s book he mentions the mixed race Roman Britons, including the famed Ivory Bangle Lady and many others through the centuries.

The moment of forgetting must be dated back to the Atlantic slave trade when the very humanity of African peoples was destroyed and the black presence in “island” Britain excised except where it existed in several archives and works of art that accurately record their historical period.

From them we know that black sailors were part of Sir Francis Drake’s crew and several black soldiers fought alongside Lord Nelson at Trafalgar, for instance.

It is curious that Britons know little about their part in the slave trade, which is still poorly taught in schools, yet are moved by telling of stories of slavery in the USA. The teaching of a whitewashed history is the reason Britons are ignorant of their past and why black Britons remain disadvantaged — less employed, lower paid, more criminalised.

Notwithstanding, next week’s Notting Hill Carnival will show, again, how through art, music, sport and fashion West Indians and others have become “standard bearers of a new cultural and national identity,” making indelible contributions to British life.

Earlier this month, James revealed startlingly low occupancy rates of 34% for hotels and 25% for guesthouses, compared to 67% reported regionally.

Kaye Trotman, President of the Tobago Unique Bed and Breakfast & Self Catering Association (TUBBSCA) says the crisis has been especially difficult to bear for her membership.

“With the troubling issues on the sea bridge,” Trotman explained “small properties in general have been dealt a crippling blow to their revenue earning capacity from the domestic market. We have seen our occupancy levels drastically reduced to under 20% and for small operators whose properties may range from under 5 to 15 rooms, we are taking about occupancy of under 1 to 3 rooms per month. Some properties have even experienced 0% occupancy on occasions.” While problems with transportation between the islands are not new, this holiday period has been particularly inconvenient. Trotman says “There have always been issues with the air and sea bridge that have negatively impacted Tobago tourism stakeholders and the general Tobago public.

“Efforts have been made to address these issues but we have yet to see the adoption of solutions that address the issues once and for all. The current sea bridge crisis has only served to worsen the declining trend we have been experiencing in the tourism industry in recent years.” The TUBBSCA President says the situation is becoming more dire by the day.

“With the current sea bridge woes, most tourism operators have been literally cut-off at the knees” she said. “Some are facing the wrath of the financial institutions (banks) who are showing little empathy for their clients’ situation during these trying times and have shown limited willingness to work with them on instituting “situational” solutions in response to prevailing circumstance.” Asked about a possible government mediation between the banks and the affected Tobago businesses, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley did not offer much in a way of a solution.

“I would not be the one to commit to talk to the banks because banks are very difficult to talk to,” he said after a stakeholder meeting on Monday. “However,” he continued, “in managing the business of the country the banks have clients and without clients there’s no bank and if their clients are experiencing temporary hardships I’m sure that any good banker will want to keep his or her client alive so that they can live to fight another day.” Given that the ferry situation has been laid squarely at his administration’s feet, the Prime Minister was also quizzed on the possibility of financial compensation to offset losses incurred during the first two quarters of 2017.

“I don’t know about compensation,” Dr Rowley said. “When you are in the business world there are certain knocks that come your way and if the Government can make any action that will bring about some amelioration to the losses or to the discomfort the Government will but I wouldn’t here commit to any compensation.” The matter of a moratorium on the 10% tax Tobago hoteliers pay was also raised in the stakeholders meeting.

Dr Rowley was again cautious when approaching questions about a possible grace period, “It is something I would have to raise with the Minister of Finance who also has other kinds of crises to deal with.” He said hoteliers were privy to other governmental considerations “and it’s against that background… it was felt at the time (the) tax was imposed that hoteliers need to make their contribution even though they were having some difficulty. Like other citizens, they need to make that 10% contribution so as to ensure that they are not getting a free ride because the Government put a number of things in place which only they benefit from.

“But given that they have got this extra hardship, which is not of their doing and it also has the effect of damaging the contribution they can make to the economy, we’ll want to consider what relief we can give but I wouldn’t want to commit to that until I speak to the Minister of Finance to see where he’s at and where we are at.” The government has had to shoulder the blame for the fiasco which has also affected its own plans to stimulate the local economy.

“Over the past 12 years we have seen a steady decline in international tourist arrivals to Tobago which stakeholders have attributed to limited effective destination marketing and non-stop airlift to the island. Most operators became dependent on the domestic market to keep them afloat,” Trotman says.

“Even with the “Stay to Get Away” programme by the Ministry of Tourism over the July-August period, customer interest cannot be converted because of the unreliability of the inter-island transport options.” Travellers continue to be left stranded at both ANR Robinson International and the Scarborough Port, a situation that serves as a potent deterrent for domestic tourists. On Tuesday, just one day after the Prime Minister’s meeting with stakeholders, passengers scheduled to travel from Tobago to Trinidad on the 6 am sailing of the TT Express were forced to wait some 11 hours after the vessel experienced electrical issues. Some frustrated passengers tried to get a flight off the island, causing some chaos at the Arthur NR Robinson airport. The Express eventually left the Scarborough Port at about 5:15pm. Passengers sailing from Trinidad to Tobago later in the day also experienced delays.

Trotman said her membership has always weathered what she described as “less than stellar service” from the entities meant to serve the island’s transportation needs. In a recent television interview Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) President, Gregory Aboud had some sharp comments about the issue.

While she took umbrage to some of his remarks regarding Tobago’s contribution to the country, Trotman said Aboud highlighted a lingering issue.

“Mr Aboud’s comments signal the need for urgent and comprehensive constitutional reform and institutional changes that would allow for the dynamics of a relationship between the islands of Trinidad and Tobago that would yield greater benefits, economic and otherwise, to the individual islands and the union.” In the interim she believes definite action is needed to address deficiencies in the administrations of the agencies responsible for ensuring the continuity of the sea bridge’s operations.

“The buck must stop somewhere.

Since these parties are the ones with the legitimate authority to address the issues with the sea bridge they must be held accountable for the discharge of their duties and responsibility in this dilemma.”

The injunction was granted on Monday by Justice Margaret Mohammed in the Port of Spain High Court in response to an application filed by the Office of the Attorney General in an attempt to have the money recovered.

Private Josimar Belgrave and corporal Jason Richards, through their attorneys Stephen Wilson and Alvin Pariagsingh filed an application yesterday before Mohammed to be heard on the granting of the injunction.

The judge granted the attorneys time to file affidavits in response and adjourned the matter. The application to strike out the injunction is expected to be heard by Justice Ricky Rahim.

State attorney Gilbert Peterson SC submitted that legal costs for the injunction, which was granted in the absence of the soldiers and their attorneys, should be paid by the soldiers.

However, Pariagsingh contended the costs of ex-parte injunctions ought to be dealt with at the end of the hearing of the injunction and not before.

Wilson said since the application for the injunction was made without the accused being present, the costs should be borne by the State.

The date commemorates the events of August 22-23, 1791, in Santo Domingo (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) which saw the beginning of the uprising that would play the most crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. The leader of the revolution was Toussaint L’Ouverture.

UNESCO has been inviting the Ministers of Culture of all UN member States to organise events every year on that date, involving their entire populations and in particular young people, educators, artists and intellectuals.

I have witnessed no efforts to do so in TT .

According to the UNESCO web page, “the day is intended to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples.

In accordance with the goals of the intercultural project, The Slave Route, it should offer an opportunity for collective consideration of the historic causes, the methods and the consequences of this tragedy, and for an analysis of the interactions to which it has given rise between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean.” My contribution to the day has been twofold.

First I want to urge TT to do its part in the commemoration of this event, which was the only successful slave uprising in human history. Secondly, I wish to recall a part of my tribute to L’Ouverture which I narrated on radio during African History Month, 2015. I wrote: “When Toussaint L’Ouverture joined the Haitian revolution, he was already in his mid-forties. This was an advanced age for an enslaved person because slavery aged the Africans prematurely.

“Toussaint’s early life had prepared him very well for the task which he had to undertake.

He soon recognised the military and political deficiency among the enslaved. In the early months of the revolution, L’Ouverture built an army strong enough to safeguard the freedom of the Africans in Haiti.

“He also had to govern a land, which was caught up in three-way fighting between Africans, whites and persons of mixed heritage.

“In quick time, Toussaint was able to drive the Spanish out of the French-speaking part of the island. And later, he forced the British to leave Haiti. In fact, the expulsion of the British by the Haitians was the worst defeat of a British expeditionary force between the reign of Elizabeth the First (1533–1603) and the First World War (1914- 1919).

“After Toussaint L’Ouverture had defeated the English, who wanted to restore slavery in Haiti, the great emancipator began to develop the liberated island for a new era.

Once the army of liberation had achieved its early objectives, Toussaint believed that the economy of Haiti should be returned to its former strength.

“Toussaint issued regulations that the free Haitians should go back to work, 24 hours after they had assumed control of any district.

He also ordered his commanders to take all measures to ensure that the plantations were kept running.

“Toussaint told the formerly enslaved Africans: ‘Work is necessary.

It is a virtue. It is for the general good of the State.’ Toussaint began a massive road-building programme. He built schools and improved the agricultural output of Haiti.

“In less than two years, he put Haiti on a better financial foundation than it had ever been. But, most importantly of all, Toussaint strengthened the defences of the island against any further attempts to enslave the population.

“The Haitian leader reinforced the forts and reorganised the army. Although his iron discipline did not find favour with many Haitians, he persevered until he was able to build a military force without equal in the New World.

“Toussaint was justified in maintaining a strong hand in governing Haiti, because the greatest threat to Haiti’s freedom was Napoleon Bonaparte, the French dictator. Bonaparte had conquered large parts of Europe and he was furious with Toussaint, whom he called ‘a rebellious slave.’ He said that a mere servant had stained the honour of France.

“In certain quarters, Toussaint was placed on the same pedestal as the European general.

Some persons were calling Toussaint L’Ouverture the black Bonaparte and others went so far as to say that ‘of the two Bonapartes, the black one is greater.’”

AIYEGORO OME Mt Lambert

Duran Felician was the goal-getter for Organs, in the lone match on the day.

On August 15, Young Guns had too much ammunition for Top Strikers to deal with, as they romped to a 4-0 win. Brent Sam and Rennie Britto, both former San Juan Jabloteh players, scored two goals apiece in the one-sided meeting.

Limited Edition brushed aside Huvan FC 3-0 with Darnell Sookoo, Gabriel Ragout and Kevin Hill getting their names on the scoresheet.

Also on August 15, We Side inflicted a 3-1 beating on Barcelona Squad. Shakeem Patrick scored twice while Raygan Jawater got the other for We Side. The lone goal-getter for Barcelona Squad was Stephon Carryl.

Other Results: Open Division – July 29 – OR G (1) – Daniel Bascombe vs OR GANS (1) – Dejuan Roper.

July 31 – MASSIVE AND CREW (2) – Kevon Banmali, Ricardo Lake vs HUVAN FC (1) – Aldine Blake; FEARLESS (2) – Theo Lewis, Khareem Charles vs LAW BREAKERS (0); TOP STR IKERS (0) vs OLD SCHOO L (0).

August 2 – SWEATERS (2) – Hector Sam, Richard Villafana vs OR G (0); TOR NADOES (3) – Nkosi Quashie, Rhasaan Quashie, Daryl Findley vs OR GANS (1) – Stephon Blake; YOUNG GUNS vs SAN JUAN YOUTHS; Young Guns won 3-0 by default.

August 3 – FUTURE (3) – Isaiah James 2, Darlon Guppy vs HUVAN FC (0); LOCAL YOUTHS (2) – Nicholas Delandro, Keno Archibald vs WE SIDE (1) – David Coltes; MASSIVE AND CREW FC (0) vs BARCELONA SQUAD (0).

August 5 – OLD SCHOO L (1) – Monty Carmona vs DESTRO YERS (0).

August 7 – SAN JUAN YOUTHS (1) – Japhia Ellis vs TOP STR IKERS (0); LIMITED EDITION (1) – Kevin Hill vs SKHY FC (0).

August 8 – YOUNG GUNS (2) – Randy Britto, Brent Sam vs TOR – NADOES (1) – Everton Weekes; FEARLESS (1) – Keyon Wilson vs WE SIDE (0).

August 9 – FUTURE (2) – Ronaldo Jaggasar, Isaiah James vs MASSIVE AND CREW (0); UNRULY (3) – Terrance Doyle 2, Israel Grimes vs OR G (1) – Jabari Sam; HUVAN FC (2) – Aldine Blake 2 vs BARCELONA SQUAD (0).

August 10 – LOCAL YOUTHS (1) vs LAW BREAKERS (0).

August 12 – OLD SCHOO L (4) – Monty Carmona 2, Hayden Jones, Richard de Couteau vs TOR NADOES (1) – Nkosi Noel; OR GANS (2) – Duran Felician 2 vs UNRULY (1) – Jesse LaCroix.

August 14 – SAN JUAN YOUTHS (2) – Daniel Sutherland 2 vs UNRULY (1) – Rondell Richardson; SWEATERS (3) – Dillon Jagessar 2, Joshua St Rose vs DESTRO YERS (2) – Hakim Skinner, Lukeman Brooks.

40-and-Over Division – July 29 – OR GANS (0) vs ONE IS ONE (0); CENTRAL OLD BOYS (1) – John Preito vs ST FRANCOIS NATIONALS (1) – Andre Lynch; MASSIVE AND CREW FC vs OLD RO AD UNITED, Massive and Crew FC won 3-0 by default.

July 31 – MADRID (1) – Kacy King vs SAN JUAN SAN JUAN (0).

August 5 – CENTRAL OLD BOYS (6) – John Preito 3, Victor Lee Tang, Ryan Patterson, Trevor Gore vs ONE IS ONE (0); OR – GANS vs TOR NADOES, Organs won 3-0 by default.

August 7 – SAN JUAN SAN JUAN (2) – Frederick Joseph, Richard Gibson vs FRIENDS (0).

August 8 – MADRID (0) vs MASSIVE AND CREW FC (0).

August 10 – FRIENDS (0) vs ONE IS ONE (0); SO SP ECIAL vs LIVERPOO L, So Special won 3-0 by default.

August 12 – OLD RO AD UNITED (1) – Jason Noray vs ST FRANCOIS NATIONALS (1) – Marvin Joseph.

August 14 – ST FRANCOIS NATIONALS (4) – Marc Borde 2, Marvin Oliver, Marlon Morris vs SO SP ECIAL (0).

August 16 – OLD RO AD UNITED (7) – Marvin Harper 2, own goals 2, Gabriel Burke, Anthony Jackson, Trevor Robert vs SO SP ECIAL (0); MASSIVE AND CREW FC (1) – Kestor Lendor vs CENTRAL OLD BOYS (1) – John Preyton.

August 17 – ST FRANCOIS NATIONALS (2) – Andre Lynch, Marvin Oliver vs OR GANS (0); ONE IS ONE (3) – Errol Stafford 2, Ian Garcia vs TOR NADOES (1) – Larry Noel.

For some they might say, “I agree”, a cold beverage be it fruit juice with no added sugar, sugary drinks, alcoholic beverages, milkshakes, water in plain or flavoured form or even buying a cup our local snow-cone, are great choices. Whereas, others could argue, “you are right”, but is difficult at times to drink water. Be that as it may, keep in mind that water is the best refreshing drink.

Today’s article will focus on the importance of water in the diet. The focus will be on the healthy population; for example, those diagnosed with kidney disease, congestive heart failure, etc are at times prescribed restricted fluids with their meals by the medical doctor, you are encouraged to remain compliant with the physician’s advice.

Essential nutrient Water is essential in the diet; it is a nutrient, just as important as carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. The body needs water daily, irrespective of the weather conditions.

Water loss normally occurs through sweat, urine, expired air from the lungs, metabolic processes in the body, and removal waste. You should note that water loss must be replaced to maintain fluid balance in the body. In some cases, water and electrolytes are lost through diarrhoea; when this occurs replacing the water and electrolytes are critical in maintaining health.

Mahan and Escott-Stump (2008) documented that water forms the largest component of the body. You should note that the total body weight, for example at birth, water accounts for 75 to 85 per cent, while for the lean adult accounting for 60 to 70 per cent, and obese persons 45 to 55 per cent. Generally, water has the critical role of aiding physical and chemical constancy of intracellular and extracellular fluids, maintaining body temperature, assisting with the physiological process of digestion, absorption, and excretion, and preventing dehydration.

From this you may wish to conclude that water must be added to the diet. It can be taken into the body as part of the food and beverages that you consumed. A good practical approach to consider is to drink water between meals throughout the day in plain or flavoured forms by including fresh fruit pieces, lemon or lime juice. Veggie pieces such as cucumber slices, carrot slices or adding a very small piece of mauby bark or cinnamon stick and so on. In addition, you can also add to your meal plan fruit juice, milkshakes, slices of fresh fruit (watermelon, pineapple), tossed salads, and soups.

Note: if water cannot be taken orally or by a feeding tube, it may be administered intravenously by the medical doctor in the form of saline solutions.

Nutritional content: Plain water contains zero calories; flavoured water will add to the caloric content. Please take a few minutes to read the food label. You are encouraged to drink water, and omit and/ or limit sugary beverages, and energy drinks which contain caffeine, sugar, and add a lot of extra calories to the diet (Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2017).

What happens when you don’t drink enough water? The recommendation is six to eight glasses of water per day. If you are not drinking enough water to replace body fluids loss, the possibility is that you can become dehydrated.

Dehydration can be described as excessive loss of body water.

The adverse effects of dehydration include that of: strong thirst, vague discomfort, loss of appetite, decreased blood volume which may affect normal circulation, impaired physical performance, increased effort for physical work, nausea, difficulty in concentrating, failure to regulate body temperature, dizziness, laboured breathing with exercise, increased in weakness, muscle spasms, delirium, and failing kidney function.

Water is adequate for hydration.

You are encouraged to hydrate before work, as it can make it easier to keep hydrated during the day; if dehydrated prior to starting work, it makes it difficult to catch-up with the body’s need for water during the day.

Also, maintain hydration by drinking water during the day, work performance can be affected when dehydrated.

If you work outdoors such as in farming, construction or at quarries, it is suggested to drink one cup water every 15 to 20 minutes; drink at shorter intervals which may be more effective than drinking larger amounts infrequently. Do not drink more than 48 fluid ounces of water per hour.

Note: overconsumption of water and other beverages can probably increase your potential risk for medical conditions.

In addition, keep hydrated after work, as you may need to continue to replace fluid loss..

Dr Claudette Mitchell, PhD, RD is an Assistant Professor, University of the Southern Caribbean, School of Science, Technology, and Allied Health

The Guerrero family of seven sisters and one brother bring their passion for the hospitality industry to life and receive a special joy from their family-run business.

A village rich in history, with a population of approximately 1,400 residents and a reportedly low incidence of crime, eldest sister Brenda explains how many people arrived in Lopinot: “The Government was building a dam in Caura at the time and relocated all of the villagers. That’s how our grandmother’s family settled here.” The café is situated obliquely opposite La Veronica RC Primary School on the main road. Brenda and their dad taught at the school which was built in 1946.

On arrival, I was greeted by two of the Guerrero sisters – Marcia and Brenda who shared their journey. “Our siblings Arthur and Bianca were the brainchildren behind the official launch of the café in 2001. We made the collective decision to rebrand in 2011 and include cocoa in our menu items, gradually catering for events, retreats, workshops, dinners, lunches, overnight guests and more,” Marcia says.

“We cook with 70 per cent chocolate, pure cocoa mass, ground granules and pulp used in salad dressings and beverages.

There is a growing awareness for the appreciation of our local cocoa.

However, more locals need to take up the mantle. Though you may not get recognised for it as an individual, it’s all about service to our country,” Marcia states.

Café Mariposa creates cuisine made with ingredients primarily from their own backyard or purchased from neighbouring farmers, so as to reduce the food miles. According to Foodmiles.

com, the concept attempts to measure the distance food has travelled before it reaches the consumer and is an indicator of the environmental impact of foods and their ingredients.

As I peered over Brenda’s shoulder, past the feeding hummingbirds, I spotted the banana, mango, grapefruit and orange trees she spoke of in the distance.

As part of the first Lopinot cluster training with the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as UWI’s Cocoa Research Centre and their personal research, the siblings do all things cocoa: processing, innovation and cocoa dancing. They have won numerous awards for their creations, including Marcia’s Batido de cacao (chocolate drink).

She re-appears with freshly made mango and carambola [five-finger] juice with a hint of cocoa and continues, “Our parents facilitated us by allowing us to build on their property and by being good parents. We learnt how to support each other and everyone has their distinctive role in the business.” The sisters recalled happy memories of how the café [unofficially] began. “In the early days we sang for free to visitors.

Our father Benedict Guerrero, fondly remembered as Teacher Ben would say, ‘Girls, come, come, we have visitors, let’s sing!’ We would serve guests pone, ice-cream, sweetbread and the works!” Gone but not forgotten, the senior Guerrero left precious memories and values etched in their hearts and minds.

In 1984, they won the Cynthia Alfred Championship Cup at Music Festival in the Family Class for a Spanish composition written by their brother Arthur, whose family subsequently took home this prize. As Brenda serves some tasty, specially prepared fried ripe plantain “amarillas” with a flavour-filled pommecythere chutney sauce, topped with 70 per cent grated dark chocolate she continues with her entertaining stories from yore.

“We always felt that Lopinot needed a place to relax with family.

Apart from the historical site and bars, we wanted to create a family atmosphere.” Next came the beef and pork tortillas made from cassava and sweet potato flour and even after skipping breakfast, I quickly became filled. The café caters to diabetics, vegans, lactose and gluten- intolerant guests. “If you don’t eat flour, you have the option of tortillas made with corn, cassava, sweet potato or dasheen flour purchased from a vendor in Tobago.

For breakfast we also offer fresh jams made with mammy apples, five-fingers or guava which can be used to sweeten your porridge made from freshly-grated cassava or sweet potato,” Brenda says.

You may be asking just where did these women learn to cook? “By the time we were nineyears- old, our mother placed a stool by the stove and told us we had to learn to cook,” says Brenda.

“We all also have fond memories of our grandmother cooking fireside. She had a sweet hand and everyone came to our house for her bakes. In those days she lived in a modest tapia house with this basket hanging in the middle of the kitchen. She made comfrey tea from pommecythere, sour cherries and spices that would turn a shade of red. We especially savoured the whole pommecythere seed and when granny gave you this tea with a piece of bake with guava, wow!” Brenda beams.

“They never taught us Spanish, but we learnt it at school and the older folks would switch between Spanish and patois to keep us kids in the dark.” She recalls that the storytelling was the best part about growing up in the village.

“We did not receive electricity until 1967, but we had the privilege of famous parranderos like Sotero Gomez and Papa Guhn visit our home which kept us going and boy did they know how to tell stories! “ An educator for 34 years who retired as a principal, Brenda admits that she always liked teaching, but loves being her own boss.

“When I transitioned to the café, there’s no better feeling than seeing guests enjoy a meal prepared with your hands.” While Marcia, a former banker and missionary who lived abroad, shares similar sentiments: “I believe this is the best job to be able to touch lives!” They ended by singing a Spanish song a perfect afternoon. “We can’t take the music out of the business – that’s how we began and it brings a special feeling to our guests. We want our offspring to realise the value of our history and continue the legacy we wish to leave in honour of our parents. We would like our guests to remember ‘Mi casa es su casa’ and we care about what we include in our food. ” For more info: cafemariposa58@ gmail.com

Those calling for their removal, barring the politics of trying to further embarrass President Donald Trump for his stance on the recent violence, are doing so on the basis of their perception of the Confederate cause in the American Civil War as an endorsement of slavery.

Those objecting to the removal of statues, such as that of Robert E Lee, et al, are essentially racist, including the President. But does it necessarily imply sympathy for the Confederate cause which undoubtedly favoured the retention of slavery in the American south? It may be seen as such considering how sensitive the subject is, but can it also be a call to avoid destroying important mementos of total American history, whether good, bad or ugly? One recalls the horror of the destruction of the ancient statues of Buddha in Afghanistan by the Islamic State because of religious ideology.

The question to ask is whether a people’s history should not be retained in all its aspects, more so as the First Amendment of the American Constitution allows for freedom of speech, freedom of thought with the understanding that distasteful as such freedom of thought and expression may seem to others with opposing views, that tolerance is the expected reaction? Again, would the elimination of statues which bring back extremely unpleasant memories somehow eliminate those memories? It may help to mitigate the effects, but can that action eliminate the deep-rooted negative psychology of slavery as Frantz Fanon has described in Black Skin White Masks? Won’t it be more rational and productive, difficult as this may seem, just to try to come to terms with this horrendous experience, learn from it, and be the better for it? For if this precedent is set of removing the symbols which remind us of an atrocious past, where does that leave the case of the American Indian whose glorious culture and way of life would have been virtually decimated by pioneers who are recorded as heroes in the annals of American history? The American Indians continue to experience discrimination as is inevitable with subcultures in mainstream culture, but their approach is to try and assimilate as far as is possible, taking the good with the bad.

What of the “hero” Columbus who discovered the New World but paved the way for Pizarro and Cortez and their decimation of the First Peoples and the Incas and the Aztecs? Yet life goes on in Peru and Mexico, despite the horrors of conquest.

Tucker Carlson in Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News made a telling point recently that the history of the world is a history of conquest and enslavement, beginning with Genghis Khan in Asia and continuing with Sulieman and the Ottoman Empire, and further with the Roman Empire and Hitler’s Germany, the Spanish Empire in the New World, not forgetting the British Empire in the New World and in India.

But what Tucker suggests is that you can’t eliminate the march of history even with its atrocities.

There is no other choice but to accept its inevitability and grow from it.

DR ERROL BENJAMIN docbenj742@outlook.com