His best throw was his first throw of 56.53 metres, while his final attempt got him 54m.

The event was won by American Jeremy Campbell with a throw of 63.66m – a Commonwealth Record.

Today, veteran Carlos Greene and Nyoshia Cain will be the TT participants on show.

Greene will compete in the final of the men’s discus F11 while Cain will be in action in the women’s 100m T44 T43/44 first round, with the second round, and the final, also carded to take place today.

The intentions of the Clinic are to develop new techniques, compete and have fun.

Sessions will take place on Sundays, from 9 am until noon, at the venue, as well as the neighbouring Nelson Mandela Park, for children between the ages of five and 17.

The Harvard Football Clinic, which commenced in 1976, has been sponsored by Nestle Milo since 1994.

Ragoonath told Newsday that he is not particularly optimistic that the meeting between Rowley and Persad-Bissessar will bear the results which the population is demanding at this time. According to Ragoonath, the Government and the Opposition continue to be very much “in election mode.” He said both sides are constantly attacking one another and the burning issues in TT are not being dealt with. “On both sides, there has been very little compromise by both leaders,” Ragoonath said.

He added that Rowley and Persad- Bissessar must each make compromises on behalf of their respective sides, to give the population a semblance of hope that their concerns are being dealt with. Referring to the agenda outlined for tomorrow’s meeting, Ragoonath said the Prime Minister has shown there is a need for Government and the Opposition to have consensus on key legislative matters either before the Parliament or to be brought to the Parliament.

He said tomorrow’s meeting could be an opportunity for Rowley and Persad-Bissessar to get an insight into what their thoughts are on those matters. Ragoonath said one issue which urgently needs some level of bi-partisan consensus is the difficulty within the Judiciary, especially the imbroligio which arose from the appointment of former chief magistrate Marcia Ayers Caesar as a judge and her subsequent resignation from that post.

The Prime Minister has previously not ruled out the possibility of reconvening Parliament to deal with legislative matters which could require a special majority for passage. Parliament is currently on recess and officially due to resume in September. However Parliament can be summoned during its recess if urgent matters arise. Ragoonath said the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC) issue seems to be dragging on indefinitely. He opined that the time may have come for Government and the Opposition to reach a consensus upon a solution. Rowley has repeatedly said the Government will maintain the “Great Wall of China” between itself and the Judiciary. He also said Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi will advise the Government accordingly in this matter.

On July 6, a statement from the Office of the President announced the resignations of retired Appeal Court justices Humphrey Stollmeyer and Roger Hamel-Smith from the JLSC. Neither Stollmeyer nor Hamel-Smith gave any specific reason for their resignations. Chief Justice Ivor Archie, the JLSC chairman, has rejected calls from certain quarters for him to resign. Sunday Newsday yesterday reported that retired master of the Supreme Court Ralph Doyle is President Anthony Carmona’s choice to fill one of the two slots in the JLSC left vacant by the resignations of Hamel-Smith and Stollmeyer.

Newsday understands that neither Rowley nor Persad-Bissessar will be bringing large delegations to tomorrow’s meeting. A statement issued on July 15 by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said Persad-Bissessar would be invited to bring a note-taker with her to the meeting. Newsday understands that the Prime Minister will only be accompanied by a note-taker as well. Other items on the agenda to be discussed are internal self-governance for Tobago; campaign finance reform; the Integrity Commission; Anti-Gang legislation; a Code of Conduct for parliamentarians and the effectiveness of service commissions.

The Opposition holds its Monday Night Forum meeting in Siparia tonight at the Tulsa Trace Hindu School in Siparia from 7 pm. Persad-Bissessar is expected to speak more about her meeting with Rowley, in addition to other matters.

However, he is incredibly busy, as are all of his friends.

They have soccer camp and camps of every description.

I remember as a child simply being left to my own resources during the holidays.

My parents were busy people and we lived in the heart of Arima. Much of my time was spent reading, going to the library, or to the Windsor cinema, which was next door — I don’t think I ever paid. I also dressed up, wrote little plays, got my friends to act in them and, more or less, passed the time in a world of the imagination.

I dreamt and my dreams were like crystals. Dreaming is so powerful and so wonderful.

Reading is the best kind of dreaming and I often wonder whether the imaginations of children today feed as much on television and computer games as mine did on books.

But, of course, I could spend my time daydreaming because during the holidays I had so little to do that was rigidly structured.

Now there is obviously a need to supervise children.

Especially in our world that has gone so dangerously wrong. But I wonder, is there some space left to allow children the time to be bored, so that they develop self-reliance and self-motivation?I knew exactly what I wanted to do from the age of five. I was going to be a writer and my world would consist of books and the make-believe existence that literature provides.

If there is no time for the play of the imagination, then there is no space to imagine and create.

Now that parents feel obliged to monitor their children’s free time with such diligence, the ingenuity that imaginative play develops seems gone awry.

My friend Laura, who is a researcher and teacher, says that while structure is important, there needs to be a balance so that children can develop their own creative potential.

It is possible to have structured playtimes that enable the free reign of the imagination.

For example, we could have charades or dressing up.

Or we could use the device that good old Huck Finn discovered, which is to make work desirable and fun: for example, even gardening, including weeding, if done as a group activity could actually be enjoyable; or washing the car, or even painting a fence.

Then there are so many wonderful sights in Trinidad and Tobago; two of my most memorable trips were hikes through the forest to waterfalls — one in Toco near Grande Riviere, the other in Tobago.

Or maybe we could give our children a sense of God’s magnitude by just accompanying them on a trip to look at the baby turtles, since the laying season is now over. There is always the perpetual magic of Asa Wright and the sight of the humming birds will cast a permanent hue over their memories. Childhood is, after all, about storing memories for the future. Or perhaps, as parents or grandparents, we could plan a visit to the river or a river lime. Water makes reflections and shapes on its surface and stimulates artistic desire. It also helps in encouraging thought.

Many of these activities are actually done in silence, for the most part. But maybe that is another lesson that we need to learn. The thing is that children need to be allowed to disc o v e r that the w o r l d is magical and that it is the imagi – nat ion t h a t s p i n s t h e magic.

His interment was July 5 and the presence of President Anthony Carmona speaks to the calibre of Grimes, a family man and true friend to all.

Condolences go out to his wife Denise and two sons, who loved him dearly. Special mention is made of Godfrey “Peck” Duncan, who accompanied the body from South Africa to Trinidad.

The past members of the OCNFB who have specialised in law and other professions have formed an OCNFB family to give back to the organisation.

We give school lectures on the dangers of narcotic abuse and the laws of TT , and prepare and execute exercise and recreational activities.

Finally, we extend our full support to Lloyd Mc Alpin and those under his charge, with our blessing.

ATHELSTON CLINTON Arima

A pair of young foals, bred in captivity has been secured from Safari Enterprise in Texas and will soon leave that facility destined for the Emperor Valley Zoo. They should be in Trinidad around July 26.

These two young zebras will follow the same journey as the Zoo’s giraffes, travelling overland to Miami and then via air cargo to Trinidad.

Addressing the welfare of this “precious” cargo, Lutchmedial assured that special arrangements have been made for all segments of the journey. “We are fortunate to once again have the services of our international director, John Seyjagat who will be accompanying these animals to attend to their needs,” stated Lutchmedial.

The zebras are to be housed in an enclosure within the African Exhibit adding to the experience of guests to the Zoo “who are already enthralled with the giraffes, lions and the new impalas.” Lutchmedial has indicated that the species of zebras being acquired is the plains zebra, also known as the common zebra or Burchell’s zebra, or locally in Africa known as the “quagga”. This species of zebras is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra.

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Shannen’s need for the procedure was highlighted by this newspaper in March of this year as her family needed to raise more than $700,000 to cover the costs of the treatment.

An update on her condition was provided by former president of the Rotary Club of Chaguanas Michael Ibrahim on Saturday last at the club’s handing over ceremony at Buffet King Restaurant, Chaguanas.

The club had stepped in to assist the parents in raising $250,000.

Ibrahim who praised Newsday and other media houses for publishing Shannen’s story said it was because of those articles the club was able to raise more than $300,000. He said Shannen has completed all her preliminary tests and her mother Michelle Kallie-Luke has been selected as a donor and white blood and stem cells have been donated which will be used during and after her bone marrow transplant which is scheduled shortly “I want to thank the citizens of this nation and employees of many organisations for their overwhelming kindness and financial support for assisting Shannen and giving her an opportunity for God’s continued gift to life,” he said.

The club’s new president Aldrian Mohammed said the Shannen Luke project showed that once the club was focused there was nothing they could not achieve.

“For our club can take limited manpower and scarce financial resources and obtain significant results,” he said.

Mohammed said as president his first priority was to make their club stronger by attracting more members and increasing their human capital which will allow them to better serve the community.

“The Rotary Club of Chaguanas must demonstrate through its service what Rotary is and that indeed Rotary is making a difference. My main task as president is to take that energy and enthusiasm our members have and to translate that into engagement and ultimately action,” he said.

There is a possibility that a Government that seems incapable of getting a handful of public servants to work for a full day at the Licensing Department on Wrightson Road, Port of Spain, will not be able to get public servants to process the over 400,000 properties in time for next year’s Budget.

I suggested that rather than continue the complicated, time-consuming and costly path to collecting property taxes, a less costly avenue could be a percentage increase on the old property tax.

This percentage can be in tandem with the increases of property value over the years.

This will allow for immediate tax collection while the more complex structure is put in place.

That seems fair and reasonable.

This suggestion as well as many other seemingly logical ideas appear to be ignored by both the Government and Opposition simply because of politics. There seems to be a concerted effort to ignore that which may be best for the country if such suggestions conflict with one’s political agenda.

Consider the following suggestions that seem to be ignored despite the possibility they may be beneficial to TT : * Reduce our food import bill by cultivating the Caroni lands.

* Distribute the Housing Development Corporation’s completed houses and sell the incomplete ones at a value consistent with their level of completion.

* Privatise most of the State enterprises or enter joint ownership with the private sector through the sale of shares.

* Privatise the public transportation sector including the water taxi service.

* Invest in a tourism partnership with the private sector to develop the bird sanctuary, Chacachacare, our mountain tops, rivers and swamps, beaches, Carnival and the pan industry.

* Reduce the Government’s costs through restructuring the public sector to incorporate modern office practices, technology and up-todate job evaluation.

It is critical that a new economic long-term strategy is considered with the knowledge that there is a global glut of oil and gas. There is also a global change in the demand for energy as countries are quickly changing to less expensive sources that are not as harmful to the environment.

Politics as usual is not an option. We need to see beyond our political and ethnic division and agree on the best economic way forward for TT .

STEVE Alvarez

Sent in to bat, the hosts, winners of the 2016 competition, were dismissed for 148 runs in 36.4 overs with Avinash Mahabirsingh topscoring with 63, off 61 balls, with 10 fours and a six.

S Gerson was the chief destroyer for the Windwards with 4/17 while G Serieux chipped in with 2/29.

Set a revised target of 147, under the Duckworth/Lewis system, the Windwards reached 149/8 in 47.2 overs, with Serieux leading the way with 54 while J Alexander was unbeaten on 22. D Auguste also struck 22 for the victors.

Mahabirsingh returned with the ball to take 3/22 and Jayden Seales 3/23.

Entering tomorrow’s final round of matches, TT have a record of three wins and one loss, while the Windwards have two wins, a loss and a no-result – similar to Barbados.

The Leeward Islands and Guyana each have two wins and two losses, while Jamaica were beaten in all four of their matches to-date.

At the National Cricket Centre, Couva, Barbados took care of the Leewards by 19 runs.

Rashawn Worrell hit the first century of the tournament – 101 (114 deliveries, 12 boundaries and one six), while N Reifer, M Forde and T Gibson each made 31, as the Bajans tallied 258/9 in their allotted 50 overs. Z White got 2/38 for the Leewards.

Despite P Miller’s 42, T Francis’ 38 and D Benta’s 32, the Leewards were only able to muster 239/9 in their 50 overs in response. R Headley did the damage with the ball with 4/44 while Forde took 2/57.

And, at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair, Guyana trounced Jamaica by 81 runs.

The Guyanese posted 182/4 in 50 overs and then dismissed Jamaica for 101.

Final Round Fixtures (Tuesday) – Trinidad and Tobago vs Leeward Islands, National Cricket Centre, Couva; Guyana vs Barbados, Gilbert Park, Couva; Jamaica vs Windward Islands, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba.

The FC Santa Rosa attacker has already bagged seven goals so far this season, including an immensely impressive hat-trick against Club Sando Moruga and is hoping that his form continues into his time with the national team.

“I’m off to a flyer right now! The goals are coming in and hopefully the form will overflow into the national team stint,” a brimming Clarke said in a story on the Super League website.

He continued, “Last season was a bit tougher, the goals were few and far between. But this season has been good and I just want to thank God. It’s only through him that I have the talent and everything.

“And now, it’s a privilege just to get a call up…just even to be considered.” Clarke has been a dominant force at the heart of FC Santa Rosa’s chase to win back-to-back league titles.

FC Santa Rosa founder and coach Keith Look Loy was equally ecstatic at his captain’s call-up and even more so, what it represents in terms of opportunities for players in the Super League.

“This is huge for the club and the TTS L,” commented Look Loy. “It validates the work of the former and heightens the status and image of the latter. I anticipate more TTS L players breaking through.” These sentiments were echoed by Clarke, who sees himself as setting the foundation and becoming an inspiration for younger players in the TT Super League to aim to achieve similar opportunities.

“I want all of the Super League players, staff, coaches, everybody and especially the younger players to use this as an opportunity,” said Clarke.

“Prior to this (call-up), Super League players didn’t have a chance. I hope this would open the window, especially for younger players to work towards…who might have a chance at a career (in football).” The 31-year-old Clarke continued, “the barrier that was holding back Super League players seems to be going.

“I just hope that everybody recognises this and use this as an opportunity.” Lawrence has also received glowing praise from the members of the TT Super League community for Clarke’s call-up with many labelling the inclusion as surprising, but bold and refreshing.