The food fest will feature the sisters’ dishes along with benefactors from around the country.

Several popular restaurants and caterers will also feature signature dishes, among them, Kapok, Arabian Nights, The Normandie Hotel, Boomerang and Grapevine.

While neighbouring Past Pupils Associations from Belmont Boys Secondary, St Mary’s College and Holy Name Convent are set to lend culinary support to the worthy cause.

The funds raised from the event will assist in financing the extensions being made to the range of services offered by St Dominic’s. These services all fall within a continuum of care: from the least restrictive, more desirable interventions which are family and community-based, to the more restrictive out-of-home services.

“As the organisation continues to provide care at the home for children and young people in difficult situations we wish to extend our services to work with children whose needs can be served within their own families, but with some extra support,” Sr.Arlene Greenidge, manager at the home said in a media release.

“We are seeking to deliver services that would prevent/shorten children’s experience of being separated from their families.

“The success of this venture can only happen with the financial, material and professional support of corporate and private citizens who understand that they have a stake in ensuring that socially dispossessed children get the kind and quality of services they need in order for their life situation to improve.” Sisters Can Cook IV tickets are priced at $300 and are available at the home’s main office on Belmont Circular Road. Dinner will be served from 5pm to 8pm.

For more info: 624-7882, 625- 7163, 706-4582 or 393-1281 between 8 am to 8 pm for bookings.

Speaking to Newsday yesterday, De Four said his club is eagerly awaiting the start of the newly formed Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTS L) League One competition which will replace the NSL.

Despite playing in the second tier of local football for the first time, De Four is confident his team can represent themselves with distinction.

“We’re looking to win the league. Cunupia, like any other team, are looking to win,” he said, while indicating they’ve already started training in anticipation for the June 2017 start.

Asked about the likely composition of the squad considering Cunupia FC have signed an agreement with Brazilian club Cruzeiro to share information and players, De Four said: “The local guys have asked for the opportunity to show they have the quality, professionalism and determination to play at this level.” Cunupia FC won the National Super League Championship crown ahead of the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT ) via a better head-to-head record after both were tied on 32 points. Central 500 Spartans finished the season in third place

Even shortening the lunch hour without ensuring consistent teacher supervision in the unstructured times is short-changing the children in their care.

Children who come from homes where any kind of stress, dysfunction or violence is the norm need a reassuring adult to make them feel safe. Only then will some kind of playground socialising and classroom learning take place.

With consistent playground supervision by teachers, children with behaviour problems who may show tendencies to become bullies would have responsible adults monitoring them during unstructured periods like lunch or break times, therefore cutting down on potential incidents and protecting them and possible victims.

They are children, they are going to push the boundaries, climb fences, knock over other children, experiment with curse words and other pranks or worse.

Teachers on rostered daily playground duty would get to know and recognise certain behaviours in some children, and so be able to alert the principal and classroom teachers, thereby helping to offset certain violent incidents and to seek help for these children before things escalate.

It doesn’t mean that every teacher works through every lunch hour. Each teacher would do lunch or break time duty maybe once a week.

Being a teacher means caring for students while they are at school. A teacher cannot be off duty at lunch time. Whose responsibility are the students at lunch time, the lone security guard who is manning the gate? Children will be children wherever they are and need the adults in their environment (in this case the school) to guide their socialising skills, offering a hand to the shy, weaker children, calming the over-exuberant, offsetting potentially dangerous actions, encouraging and affirming caring, respectful behaviour and friendships, recognising and rewarding heroes, and budding leaders before they turn into bullies and playground gang leaders.

Why wait until security guards and police are needed to keep children in check? Why wait until the children in our care develop unacceptable behaviour patterns then say we have a school violence problem? Our children deserve better from the responsible adults in their world: * Parents to choose a safe, learning, focused school to leave them at every day and stay involved in their school lives.

* Teachers to respect and welcome them into such a place, and fill them with the desire to learn.

* Leaders to make it happen.

SUZETTE CADIZ Maraval

She is not too young, but her children have taken their time and got degrees etcetera and only now in the quite modern tradition have begun to produce grandchildren.

I recall with some amusement her raised eyebrows when I first spoke with some appearance of delirium of my first grandson. She thought, quite obviously, that I had begun to suffer from the early stages of reduced capacity due to encroaching old age.

But now pictures are beginning to appear on Facebook, yes even grannies use FB, all of which show images of the newly born in close proximity to grandma or nana and her absence from her home has become legendary. Yes. Grandparenthood is a strange and sometimes contagious condition.

Grannies are the salt of the earth.

They are also the true stuff of myth and legend and over centuries have enabled women to make homes and to have careers. My memory of folklore always included a granny.

She taught through many stories how to behave and what good manners meant. She taught respect for those who are elderly or enfeebled.

When I was growing up many mothers in the Caribbean went outside the home to work. There were a number of dynamic women who forged business dynasties and who wrote books and there were teachers, doctors and lawyers.

Grandmothers facilitated this.

There were one-parent families and the mother was the provider.

The granny was an extension of her love and care. Apart of course from being babysitters whenever a crisis occurred.

When I first went back to teaching after the birth of my son, stories circulated about au pairs and nannies who had been imprisoned for abusing babies. I was abroad. Of course growing up in the Caribbean where the role of childcarer has traditionally almost automatically been given to the grannie I was somewhat bewildered and to say the least terrified. My children had no grandmother to care for them when I was not there, since she was 6,000 miles away.

Today most mothers have to work. We fought as feminists for equal pay and the right to a career at a time when having children or becoming pregnant meant enforced retirement from the Public Service, for example, and there was no such thing as paid maternity leave or any leave after the birth of a baby. Now economic necessity means that even so-called well-todo families have little choice in deciding whether both parents work.

The issue has now become the cost of childcare, which is at an alltime high and the quality and availability of that care. But it is becoming a rarity to see grandmothers assume the role of carer. Of course older women also have careers and continue to be productive well into their seventies and eighties. So the role of the grandmother has changed.

Being a granny does not necessarily equate with being old. Young girls become pregnant at the age of 13 or sometimes even younger and boys of that age can become fathers.

But becoming a grandmother does affect not only one’s status in the world, but also how one feels about life and matters pertaining to perpetuity and the future.

What becoming a grandmother often means is that we see the past returning, sometimes, though not always, “wreathed in disguises,” to quote Kamau Brathwaite. There is something called generational trauma that becomes, I think, genetic.

Whether it is that children try to rectify the damage enacted within the previous generation or whether they repeat the mistakes of their ancestors, the fact is that grandparents often find themselves in the situation where they see the return of patterns of behaviour.

This, perhaps, is where the wisdom of age sets in. But it also brings with it a dilemma.

How does one tell a child that he or she is repeating the issues of the past without appearing to be an interfering woman? How in fact does the older generation pass on its knowledge and wisdom in a manner that will actually change what is to come? Or are we perpetually doomed to repeat mistakes and be caught on the wheel of history?

In total, four matches, comprising of back-to-back doubleheaders between Guyana Amazon Warriors against Chris Gayle’s St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, and reigning champions the Jamaica Tallawahs against Barbados Tridents, will take place over an action- packed weekend in Florida.

Fans that purchased tickets for last year’s Florida swing of matches, were given a 72-hour window to book tickets earlier this week and fans who buy tickets early will enjoy further advance opportunities and benefits for Hero CPL matches. The remainder of tickets are on public sale.

Fans have the opportunity to book their tickets now for what is set to be a highly-contested weekend of cricket, with prices ranging from US$35 (uncovered mound) to US$225 (VIP) for both matches on each day.

AS I PROCEED to comment on the disastrous fate of Caroni (1975) Ltd and its employees and the detrimental consequences for the diversification of the agricultural sector, I do so at the risk of being further accused of engaging in race rhetoric by Kevin Baldeosingh, self-acclaimed writer, incisive rational thinker, learned columnist and indefatigable crusader against religion, feminism, socialism and other perceived socially dysfunctional distractions .

All stakeholders, whether political directorate, Caroni’s management or workers’ representatives, must share the blame in varying degrees for the eventual liquidation of this the major agricultural enterprise in the country and the summary disbandment of its workforce .

Today there is much specious advocacy for attention to be paid to agricultural development as an area that can assist in the diversification of the economy. Many of these voices, however, were silent when the potential of Caroni (1975) Ltd as a catalyst in the agricultural diversification thrust was being destroyed with the diminution of its resources of land, labour and agricultural expertise. It was a lost opportunity never to be regained .

Space does not permit a full review .

However, the inaction of the Panday administration to embark upon any initiative to restructure the sugar industry and promote expansion of the non-sugar agricultural sector was notable, in light of the heavy obligation placed on it to secure the workers’ future through one avenue or another .

A constructive, economically feasible and humane approach to the revamping of Caroni (1975) Ltd’s operations and its role in the diversification of the agricultural sector had been discussed for years within the bureaucracy and among interested parties .

Some consensus had been arrived at on what needed to be done in the short to medium term. No administration, however, had either the inclination or the will to pursue a reform strategy with effective and results-oriented plans and programmes .

One element of the strategy was to reorganise sugar cultivation and processing operations to render sugar production more economically viable and reduce dependence on State support. The idea was not to liquidate the sugar industry but to make it leaner and more cost-efficient .

Even today, Jamaica and Barbados continue to have sugar industries in operation but on a somewhat reduced scale and with State support .

Such efficiency was to be achieved by rationalisation and technological upgrade of production processes, greater mechanisation of field activities, transfer of more of the cane-growing function to cane farmers and implementation of mechanisms to minimise corruption and promote general efficiency and productivity .

The sugar union, however, had a fixed position and refused to look at the larger picture facing the industry .

It held the view that all that was necessary to make Caroni’s operations viable was merely to eliminate corruption at the management level .

Another and equally important element of the strategy involved the measured release of the resources of land and labour to be effected over a six to seven-year period for redeployment in non-sugar agricultural endeavours through investment in the necessary infrastructure and the involvement of private-sector interests .

There was much to learn from the previous tentative efforts of Caroni (1975) Ltd to engage in viable non-sugar agriculture-related activities and the reasons for their lack of success. Since over time some workers would inevitably be displaced, the most critical issue was how this displacement would be managed to minimise uncertainty and loss of earnings .

Outright retrenchment and payment of severance benefits was an option but was dismissed out of hand as it would not secure the long-term future of the displaced sugar workers .

To effect a soft landing, the displacement would be staggered over a number of years during which new agricultural enterprises would be developed to provide opportunities for continued employment with State support for retraining and skills upgrade .

Benny and Flowers beat 28 other finalists who were tested over the weekend by Manchester United Soccer School coaches Mike Neary and William Miller who were joined yesterday by United legend and national Sports Ambassador Dwight Yorke.

Benny, a classy midfielder, known for his dead-ball delivery and ability to use both feet, impressed not only Yorke and the Manchester United coaches but turned the heads of other Caribbean coaches present including Jamaican Albert Burkett who said he was sure he would be picked.

Speaking to the media after he was named among the top two, Benny declared: “Dreams come true, Manchester’s my side man.

That was my dream to go and support (United midfielder Paul) Pogba and them…I expect to go there and see good players play, Paul Pogba there and Juan Mata my favourite players and hope I get to touch him and get a training session with them.” Benny, a student of St Anthony’s College, admitted the weekend’s drills and games were difficult but said he just had to step up and fight for his country.

It was clear to all that it was no weekend vacation for the 30 youngsters in the finals with cotton helping clot the bloody nose of Flowers, players limping prodigiously and a weary look on some players’ faces.

Yorke reminded the aspiring footballers that nothing will be achieved without hard work. The former national captain, speaking prior to the announcement of the winners, urged the youngsters who were not selected to not give up on their football dream despite being obviously disappointed.

“We know today was a bit difficult for some of you, we’ve seen some of the players walking around hobbling. But that’s why it’s called the Flow Ultimate (Experience). It means you’ve been tested in all departments of the game…This is not going to be easy. It’s never going to be easy for anyone but if you have the desire and the determination to succeed no matter where you come from, you can do it,” he said.

York congratulated all the footballers for making the finals and commended them on their overall demeanour to the weekend’s activities and challenges.

“I love the attitude of the players.

It’s been very challenging, I know the pitch wasn’t great for you guys but you got on and didn’t moan about it…I have to say looking from the outside, you did yourself very proud and not just yourself but your family and the country that you represent,” he added.

Sports Minister Darryl Smith congratulated Flow for their vision in hosting the venture, saying that they’ve seen the future of the region and have invested in it.

He urged the young footballers to take all they’ve learned over the weekend and use it to continue improving and also share their knowledge with their peers.

This Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says, is to provide patients in the public health sector with medicine 12 months a year.

Deyalsingh said the country’s formulary is currently at 1,000, which he hopes to be reduced to 700. After examination of how that affects things, there might be further reduction. He added that too often, medicines are added to this list for economic reasons. “There was a decision to rationalise the formulary since I became minister. So that is a work in progress.” “What has happened over the years is that you will have advocates of a particular drug and they would just keep adding drugs to the national formulary. In adding drugs it does not mean your budget to purchase drugs also increases.

“Over the years the different categories of states that you want to treat, Diabetes, Cancer, HIV/AIDS, if you started a formulary say five years go with five drugs to treat Diabetes every year, you have advocates to put a new drug onto the formulary so the five drugs to treat one condition grows from five to now ten.

“Multiply that by every category of disease.

HIV, oncology, eye, dental and what you have is a formulary that is expanding and expanding for economic reasons and then the national budget remains, basically, the same.” The National Insurance Property Development Company (NIPDEC) has an annual budget of $750 million for the procurement of the country’s formulary.

“The formulary has became bloated because you have ten different versions of the same drug,” he said.

The rationalisation process was starting for this year’s tender cycle, which starts in May and June.

He said the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a formulary of 350 drugs.

He added that India has a formulary of 300 drugs for a population of one billion, “and we have a population of 1.3 million and have 1,000 drugs.

Deyalsingh said the recommendation would be made that prescribing by brand has to end.

“We are looking at, at the end of the process, it may be a little more but we are looking to rationalise. We have already brought it down to 700. We are going to stop there for now because we cannot shock the system in one year.

Let us see what this does. We are working closely with all the specialists to get them on board to alter their prescribing habits.” He said the in private sector, doctors were free to prescribe by brand and to send their patients to buy by brand but if tax payers dollars were being spent it was a different scenario.

He said there were still shortages with drugs for cancer patients because of the same system he was speaking to. “The first set of protocols we have adjusted are oncology and HIV/Aids because that is the biggest chunk of the drug budget.” “A national formulary cannot be everything to everybody…If you have people being trained in different parts of the world, they are going to come to TT and practice in their private setting and recommend any drug that they are taught in their part of the world. But do you know what happens, they then go to the formulary committee and want to get their drug put on the formulary because they have been trained in a particular way. We cannot do that in TT for the public setting, it is what the Government formulary is and you prescribe that.” He said the ministry was setting the guideline for what gets onto the formulary based on what the patient deserves not for economic reasons.

He said the other areas being targeted are metabolic diseases such as diabetes and the high expenditure areas first.

Batting first, Queen’s Park’s middle and lower order were rallied by Daron Cruickshank (70) and Terrence Hinds (73) that lifted them to 280 all out in 49.5 overs. Hinds was particularly severe on Central Sports’ bowlers with five fours and five sixes in his knock which came off 49 balls. Cruickshank was less aggressive but was still quite potent with his 70 coming off 82 balls with two fours and five sixes. Royston Crandon (4/56), Shazan Babwah (2/46) and Rakesh Maharaj (2/49) were among the wickets.

Central Sports, who lost the national T20 final on Friday, struggled badly in their chase, slipping to 77 for eight inside 20 overs.

Babwah, batting at number eight, brought some respectability to the score with a quick-fire 57 from 65 balls as Central Sports were eventually bowled out for 146. Medium pacer Kevon Cooper (4/23) did the early damage for Queen’s Park. Meanwhile, Tableland lost by default against Merry Boys after pulling out the tournament on Saturday.

Other scores: POWERGEN 291/5 – Evin Lewis 127, Jason Mohammed 59; Sanjiv Gooljar 3/61 vs VICTOR IA SC 222/8 – Garey Mathurin 90, Farrel Jugmohan 45 not out; Mark Deyal 2/40, Akeil Cooper 2/42.

CLARKE RO AD UNITED 239/9 – Jyd Goolie 91, Gregory Mahabir 81 not out; Rayad Emrit 3/58, Bryan Charles 2/33, Imran Khan 2/30 vs ALESCON COMETS 101 – Imran Khan 35; Kerwyn Sirju 3/15

Desmond Mohammed was the star for Smashers, blasting his way to 191 in his team’s total of 230 for three wickets – the joint highest individual score of the season – to beat Malgretoute, who totalled 227 for six.

Varoon Samaroo scored 104 for Extreme Customs in their 314 for six to beat Spoilers.

Devindra Ramasi got 111 for Hardbargain to top Massahood United; Ronnie Seejatan got 117 for Pawan II; C Legall reached 102 for Untouchables who lost to Links XI by 15 runs.

Kiran Harripersad 92 (New Settlement); Mukesh Boodoosingh 92 (Central Renegades); Shammi Rampersad 91 (Gandhi United); Kevin Wellington 92 (Surprise Barrackpore); Ameer Mohammed 98 (Links XI) and ex-national allrounder Richard Sieuchan 90 (Everglads) all missed centuries.

New Settlement, Barrackpore Angels, Gandhi sports and Tarouba Sports marched into the semi-finals of the Championship Division.

Here are the summarised scores: Championship Division (Quarter finals) NEW SETTLEMENT SPORTS 233/6 – Kiran Harripersad 92, Josh Ramjewan 54, Denesh Boodoo 2/45, Jason Dookoo 2/50 vs SPOILERS SPORTS 204 – Jayson Dookoo 71, Joey Boodoo 58, Vade Donell Sabala 3/41, Damian Harrichan 3/34.NEW SETTLEMENT won by 29 runs.

PERSEVERANCE 212/9 – Rajesh Ramsaran 37, Krishard Bootansingh 31, Fyard Hosein 25, Alim Mohammed 3/29, Rossi Seujattan 3/53 vs BARRACKPORE ANGELS 217/6 – Roger Thomas 61, Fazard Mohammed 48, Aleem Mohammed 29, Fareed Hosein 4/29, Scott Ragbir 2/58. BARRACKPORE ANGELS won by four wickets.

CONGO VILLAGE SPARTANS 75 – Kapil Harry 3/30, Nishal Gayadeen 2/15 vs / GANDHI SPORTS 79/0 – Kapil Harry 48, Avin Bissondath 22.

GANDHI SPORTS won by 10 wickets.

YOUNG STARZ 121 – Jason Bhola 36, Jerold Ganga 24, Alon Mahabir 4/13, Vishnu Bridgelal 4/13 vs TAROUBA SPORTS 122/6 – Surindrs Dookie 33, Larry Mathura 26, Sanjay Ramkissoon 3/21, Shivanan Ghinoo 2/16. TAROUBA SPORTS won by four wickets.

Other scores: BARRACKPORE ANGELS 132/9 – Roger Thomas 54, Rommel Rampersad 34, Imtiaz Esahack 4/27, Vijai Hardin 2/37 vs HAPPY HITS 119/8 – Vijay Hardin 32, John Birchwood 31, Suresh Seujattan 5/25, Rommel Rampersad 2/10. BARRACKPORE ANGELS won by 13 runs.

EXTREME CUSTOMS 314/6 – Varoon Samaroo 104, Keegan Jagersar 67 vs SPOILERS 230/5 – Roger Boodoo 77, Deenesh Boodoo 49. EXTREME CUSTOMS won by 84 runs.

YOUNG STARZ UNITED 222/9 – Satyam Ramlal 47, Christopher Dipchand 42, H Rampersad 2/34, S Balgobin 2/40 vs EAST INDIANS 177 – Ramsey Deonarinesingh 53, Hyden Rampersad 46, J Bhola 4/24, S Ramkissoon 2/25. YOUNG STARZ won by 45 runs.

GANDHI UNITED SPORTS 219/7 – Shammi Rampersad 91, Brandon Gopelal 51, Aaron Ragoonath 3/55, Jonathon Bisnath 2/29 vs CENTRAL RENEGADES 223/3 – Mukesh Boodoosingh 92, Narine Bedhesi 30.

CENTRAL RENEGADES won by seven wickets.

Intermediate Division: GOLCONDA UNITED 197 – Nicholas Sookram 76, Nicholas Toolsie 31, Christopher Ramsaroop 3/27, Ramesh Bajnath 3/29 vs TREASURE CITY 159 – Ameer Francis 60, Eddie Kanhai 4/39, Ganesh Persad 3/21. GOLCONDA won by 36 runs.

BLACKWATER 190/7 – Dhamendra Singh 41, Wayne Singh 35, Varun Raghunanan 2/19 vs MANOHAR TRACE 158/5 – Kevin Harracksingh 38, Ashraf Hosein 27, Dhamendra Singh 4/44 (including hattrick). BLACKWATER won by 32 runs.

MASSAHOOD UNITED 246/6 – Vikesh Mahadeo 73, Nicholas Ramjass 43, Anil Ramai 2/23, Devindra Ramai 2/34 vs HARDBARGAIN 249/5 – Devindra Ramai 111, Brian Sooman 37, Avinash Ramjohn 2/21. HARDBARGAIN won by five wickets.

WOODLAND F.C. 284/8 – Kevin Balsingh 66, Brian Jagdeo 46, Shameed Mohammed 3/52, Damian Ali 3/57 vs SURPRISE BARRACKPORE 286/8 – Kevon Wellington 92, Dylon Ali 45, Shameed Mohammed 36, Joshua Ghisaywan 3/68, Mark Partapsingh 2/41. SURPRISE BARRACKPORE won by two wickets.

PAWAN XI 165/- Vijay Sookraj 55, Chaitram Rambharose 22, Alix Sookhan 4/9, Christopher Joseph 2/26 vs EVERGLADS 167/4 – Kevin Mahadeo 43, Dale Ramdeen 32, Dylan Seerattan 2/27. EVERGLADS won by six wickets.

MALGRETOUTE 227/6 – Avinash Hajaree 66, Kristian Ramcharan 63, Sherwin Rampersad 33, Danny Oudit 2/28 vs SMASHERS 230/3 – Desmond Mohammed 191, Shawn Rampersad 2/47. SMASHERS won by seven wickets.

RELATED 154/7 – Brandon Ganga 43, Dylon Maharaj 32, Damion Solomon 2/21, Lomas Bachan 2/26 vs KNIGHT RIDERS 154/7 – Damion Solomon 55, Adrian Subran 33, Samuel Jogee 2/24.

APOLLO XII 153/9 – Devanand Dhanraj 31, Rajesh Sinanan 31, Ritesh Ramlochan 4/25, Aron Maingot 3/42 vs PUNISHERS 154/5 – Rossy Ramsaroop 56, Joshua Amrow 22, Ryerson Bhagoo 3/28. PUNISHERS won by five wickets.

INDEPENDENCE SPORTS 230/6 – Anil Boodoo 64, Kevon Ballie 41, Mark Thomas 2/37 vs HARDBARGAIN 233/9 – Keith Jackson 85, Ryan Ramai 31, Kaveer Seepersad 31, Anil Boodoo 3/34, Kevon Ballie 3/42. HARDBARGAIN won by one wicket.

STAR WARS 128/6 – Vinod Persad 39, Riaz Mohammed 34, Ravi Mootilal 2/16, Reynold Ramnarine 2/17 vs SECRET STORM 127 – Renold Ramnarine 26, Nishan Deonarine 21, Rodney Gangoo 3/2, Riaz Mohammed 3/27.

STAR WARS won by one run.