Costelloe, who is also an avid mountain biker and road cyclist, won the Olympic distance triathlon race which comprised a 1,500-metre swim, 40km ride and 10km run. Costelloe finished with an overall time of two hours, 10:34 seconds (2:10:34), after completing the swim in 23:17, the ride in 1:03:15 and the run in 41:41. The second place finisher was a distant 12 minutes behind.

The Caribbean Triathlon Championship featured athletes from Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Curacao, Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, and Puerto Rico among others.

Talking about his success, Costelloe said, “When I won it I was literally speechless. It is really an unbelievable feeling to win the Caribbean Championships especially since this is my first time entering the event. It was definitely one of my most memorable wins to date.” Despite his victory, Costelloe said the conditions on Sunday were difficult. “The conditions were a little tricky because they had winds up to 35 kilometres an hour which made the swim a little difficult.

The breeze was hitting you from the side so you had a little current to play with. The main challenge came on the bike where you were getting hit with the 35km breeze, either from your front, from your back or your side, which made the cycling part of it a lot more challenging,” he explained.

What gave Costelloe the edge though was that cycling is his strength and he unsurprisingly extended his lead on the chasing pack during the bike leg.

Costelloe, who won the National Duathlon Championships recently, is not getting swell-headed by his triumphant Caribbean debut and still feels he can get better.

“Hard work by many have gone into these results and I am very pleased with my performance. I still see room for improvement and I will only keep on striving to better myself,” he said.

He hailed the love and support from his fiance, friends, family, coaches, as well as his sponsors including The Beacon Insurance Company Limited and GNC Trinidad and Tobago.

The ultimate goal of the Caribbean Age Group Triathlon Championship, held in conjunction with the Mark Cycle International Triathlon Championships, is to bring Caribbean nations together with a common goal of developing young athletes in the region.

PowerGen amassed 167 for six in their allotted 20 overs and restricted Victoria SC to 98 for eight in their quota.

Fletcher, who opened the batting, lost his fellow West Indian opener Evin Lewis (3 runs off 10 balls) and TT ’s newcomer Ewart Nicholson (8 off 6 balls) at 13 and 38 respectively. But he soon received solid support from West Indies middle-order batsman Jason Mohammed and his fellow Windwards Hurricanes partner Delorn Johnson to help post a decent total. Mohammed made 27 off 24 deliveries and shared a 47-run third wicket partnership while Johnson rattled up 24 that included three huge sixes off thirteen balls.

Johnson and Fletcher added a vital 60 runs for the fourth wicket while Mark Deyal remained undefeated on 14 when the innings closed at 167 for 6 in 20 overs.

Fletcher smashed four sixes and an equal number of fours during his 55-ball innings that earned him the “Man of the Match” award.

In reply, Victoria Sports’ batsmen found it very difficult to dominate the PowerGen bowlers who maintained great consistency to stifle attacking strokeplay.

Left-arm spinner Kavesh Kantasingh was frugal and finished with one wickets for seven runs from three overs while Ancil Bhaggan had one for 10. Akeil Cooper (1/20), R. John (1/9) and Mark Deyal (2/23) kept up the pressure throughout and did not allow the Victoria players to score freely. PowerGen will clash with Central Sports in the second semi-final carded for the same venue on Thursday from 7 pm while MerryBoys will do battle with Clarke Road in the first semi-final at 3 pm.

The matter came up for hearing yesterday before Justice Frank Seepersad who granted an extension to May 8 but not before he expressed his disquiet with the pace with which the matter was proceeding.

He has adjourned the case to May 29. Representing Charles is attorney Devesh Maharaj while Reginald Armour SC and attorney Nadine Nabbie appear for Rowley whose response was expected to be filed on March 3.

In his notice of application Charles of Union Hall, Cross Crossing, is seeking a declaration that the decision of the prime minister to revoke his appointment was illegal, made in bad faith and is contrary to fundamental human rights.

He says he was not provided equality before the law and equality of treatment. Charles will also be asking the court to declare that he had a legitimate expectation to maintain his rank and position as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary upon returning to Trinidad and Tobago and therefore Rowley’s decision to revoke his appointment as ambassador was a deprivation of his legitimate expectation that he would have retained his position.

He also believe the decision is “flawed and defective” as the prime minister failed to provide reasons for the revocation.

Charles is seeking an order redirecting his appointment in addition to compensation. According to Charles, he was appointed Ambassador in March 2012.

He said he never had any previous interaction with Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses and in Sep tember 2015, Moses visited the UN Headquarters in New York to attend the 70th session of the UN General Assembly.

Charles said he and Moses attended a series of meetings in which he briefed the minister and advised him on several issues including a meeting of CARICOM foreign ministers.

Charles said that on September 30, 2015, Moses met the Ghanian foreign minister and while it was customary for advisors to attend, the minister did not want him (Charles) present at the meeting.

Charles said he later learned that the Ghanian minister had his advisors present at the meeting which concerned the planned visit by PM Rowley to Ghana in 2016.

He said at the end of 2015, he was asked by the acting permanent secretary of the Foreign Affairs ministry to submit his resume which he did although this was not the norm. He said on September 20, 2016, he received an instrument of revocation of his appointment.

The return of these two events is in response to numerous requests from diehard loyalists, according to event organisers.

This year’s edition is in tribute to founding member and first president Earl Ronald Crosby who passed away in August 2016.

Though still in negotiations with several sponsors, the St James Community Improvement Committee (CIC) is committed to staging the festival which runs from June 4 to 10 at the St James Amphitheatre, Western Main Road, St James, the committee said in a media release.

Events on the scaled-down calendar include WeTreat (June 4), health day and film night (June 6), JazzBeat (June 7), Pan Explosion (June 8), Vintage Kaiso (June 9), Steelband & Traditional Mas Parade (June 10), boat cruise (June 11).

WeBeat St James Live 17 is a cultural explosion intended to showcase the diverse cultures and recognise contributions of “St Jamesians” in their lifetime.

The event had its genesis in 2001 in an effort to enhance community/ heritage tourism and economic growth, based on a pilot project, The Renaissance District concept, an initiative of the then Tourism Industrial Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Tidco).

The organisation continues to pay homage to community elders and people who have dedicated their lives to the promotion and artistic, sporting and cultural traditions and whose achievements have brought honour and glory to St James.

The CIC has created opportunities for steelbands where they can showcase their varied repertoire outside of Carnival. It is proud to be able to provide a stage where a proper production of “pure, unadulterated” vintage calypsoes can be heard. It has been able to give our jazz aficionados a place where they could come and muse on the local fare and also to be able to treat the young, evaluate the health of the elderly and to throw one of the best street pan parties in country, the release said.

Staging the event is never without difficulties, the most challenging being financial. In its 17 years of continued existence, the organisers came close to cancelling on two occasions but despite the woes, WeBeat continues.

Addressing a rally at the Debe FunSplash Water park, following a motorcade through ten southern UNC constituencies, to protest the property tax, Persad-Bissessar dared government to lock her up, for failing to submit the form by the May 22 deadline. She said she has received legal advice that the form is “null and void”, and no one is under any obligation in law to fill out and submit the forms.

Declaring she is prepared to fight the property tax, a fiery Persad- Bissessar blasted government saying it wasted the savings her People’s Partnership left in the country’s coffers. “I told you, we will fight them in the courts, fight them in the streets and in Parliament.” She urged people to join the battle against the “this back breaking tax” which she renamed the poverty tax.

“Here is the first battle that is in your hands and which you can win and we all can win,” said Persad- Bissessar as she held and then tore up the property tax form. “You are getting in your mail boxes a form like this. Does it have a name in it? Does it have an address on it? I am a lawyer, but I have consulted with other lawyers and we have gone through the Valuation Land Act and we have gone through the Property Tax Act and it is very clear that this form is null and void,” she said.

“And today I tell you, you have no obligation in law to fill out this form and send it in, none whatsoever.

There is nothing in the law, they cannot prosecute you. They can do you nothing,” she said.

WHEN mistakes are made those who are responsible for making them are usually vilified or treated less than humane.

Unfortunately through learnt behaviour, making a mistake is viewed so terribly that in some instances the self-esteem and self-confidence of those so affected are negatively impacted.

I think that the fast-paced environment within which we now co-exist provides a unique opportunity for us to begin the process of unlearning such thinking. Start by removing the word “mistake” from your vocabulary and instead view every single situation and experience in your life, as an opportunity to learn and grow and to also expand and transform your mind.

Viewing an occurrence as a mistake limits your mind’s perspective in terms of what should or shouldn’t be.

If the outcomes of a particular situation are different from the original expectations, that should not be branded as a mistake but rather, new inventions and new direction.

Continuing to be fearful about making mistakes is a recipe for a tunnelled vision approach to life; it is sad to see the large numbers of people who are living in fear of making mistakes, attempting to sidestep them and even concealing them if and when they do occur.

We need to unwire our minds and welcome missteps as natural, high-yielding and dynamic game-changers.

Mistakes are critical to transformation, as they emphasize the fallibility of humankind…meaning that we are not perfect.

Understanding this puts us at a great advantage of better utilising our missteps to advance rather than deter our success.

Mistakes provide tons of new learning curves….and sometimes, it takes a major incident to shift paradigm; for example, you may have been practising a particular routine for decades, and perhaps a major injury may be the shift for that much needed change with the times.

Healthy mindfulness also arises out of mistakes, as research has shown that empathetic acceptance of our own mistakes influences our determination and commitment to move forward successfully; you also become less risk-averse and less fearful. When you think you have failed by the counter-intuitive outcomes of your intended actions, it’s sometimes new challenges that are being offered to boost your motivation towards achieving your goals.

Missteps shift us from a mindset of improvement to one of expansion, as this is the only medium through which you would be able to see the bigger picture; it’s really about embracing a larger perspective of living, self-actualisation and self-fulfilment which point us towards a direction of succumbing to our loss, re-engineering our vision and then continuing to move forward. Remember we are human and not perfect.

Use your mistakes as a stepping stone to improve, succeed and excel.

Sandrine Rattan is a communications/ branding consultant, author and President of the International Women’s Resource Network (IWRN) Contact: thecorporatesuitett@ gmail.com or intlwomensresourcenetwork@ gmail.com or contact 283-0318.

The Tobago Jazz Experience ended on Sunday with performances by Grace Jones, Lletesha Sylvester, Ronald Hinkson, Arita Edmund, Cousoumeh, Kaycyy and Elan Trotman.

“Agricultural” land is land used for three purposes only: (1) the rearing of livestock or food cultivation; (2) the cultivation and processing of food or food products or rearing of livestock; and (3) horticultural use. A kitchen garden or land used for ornamental or recreational purposes is not “agricultural.” The “annual rental value” of land is defined in the Act as “the annual rent which particular land is likely to attract having regard to the purpose for which the land is actually used, occupied or tenanted, or where it is not actually used, occupied or tenanted, having regard to the purpose for which it is reasonably suitable.” Who has the discretion in this law to determine the purpose for which the land is “reasonably suited?” You guessed it: Finance Minister Colm Imbert.

The “capital value” of property in the Act refers to the current market price which in the Act is the fee that a “bona fide” seller would ask. “Commercial land” is land used for “commercial purposes” — “whether wholesale, retail or carrying out a trade.” Doubles vendors’ homes immediately fall under the ambit of “commercial properties.” The property also becomes commercial if there is a “service” provided there. The women who sew dresses at home, bake cakes, prepare lunches to sell; the people who do people’s taxes at home, repair watches or computers. Even the homes of non-profit NGOs are “commercial” properties in this Act.

Your home would become “industrial property” under this Act if the “improvements” you have effected the minister thinks you have done for “processing or manufacturing.” Your home would suddenly fall under the ambit of “industrial property” if it is seen as a hub for “transportation (taxi owners), fabrication, assembly, treatment or distribution of manufactured products or storage of bulk material.” I tell you! So all the little trades that the PNM taught in its “caring” for the ordinary people, it is now going to be repaid twice and three times over. Wicked! I end with a real kicker. “Residential land” means “vacant or unoccupied lands with or without a building” that can be or is intended for use “by its location” for “residential purposes.” That definition applies to ordinary people. The definition for the wealthy among us is different.

Residential land is also “land that has affixed to it a building or other dwelling which has the physical characteristics that enable it to be occupied or be capable of occupation as a residence or for residential occupation and is used and occupied on a permanent basis as a single dwelling accommodation and includes complementary outbuildings and (c) boat houses.” I suppose this is for the big shots with beach front holiday homes who own yachts.

Talk about the PNM and its fiefdom.

STEVE SMITH via email

Batting first, Barrackpore posted a challenging 177 for six in their 20 overs and then romped to victory when their bowlers combined to demolish Blended in authoritative fashion by bowling them out for 92 in exactly 20 overs.

For Blended, Richie Richardson topscored with 25 while Dindial Bridgelal got 22. Former national off-spinner Shiva Rambaran claimed three wickets for 25 runs from his four overs while promising leftarm spinner Jovan Webber took three for 13 from four overs.

Sylus Cooper (48), Rickson Maniram (39), Javed Mohammed (24 not out) and Trevon James (22) were the principal scorers for Barrackpore United.

Former West Indies left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed (two wickets for 30 runs from four overs) and Justin Persad (three for 51 from four overs) were the main wicket-takers for Blended United.

Meanwhile, Munroe Road and Dreadnought Cricket Club were involved in the second semi-final at the same venue from 7 pm yesterday.

Today, the winner will clash with Barrackpore United in the grand finale from 7 pm tonight.

Addressing school violence and indiscipline effectively begins with an understanding of the nature of the problem; being able to answer the questions, “What is this?” “How will we recognise it?” School violence has been defined as youth violence that occurs on school property, on the way to school and from school or school-sponsored events, or during a school-sponsored event. A young person can be a victim, a perpetrator, or a witness of school violence.

School violence may also involve or impact adults (Center for Disease Control, 2016). School violence includes bullying, fighting, weapon use, electronic aggression and gang violence, examples of which we can identify in our own contexts from reports of various incidents across Trinidad and Tobago.

It is important to also note that school violence is not only a school or educational issue. Indeed, it is also a public health issue since school violence may result in both physical and psychological challenges that impact on the entire society — children, teachers, families and communities. Additionally, while school violence typically involves people between the ages of ten-24 years, pathways to youth violence can begin in early childhood.

The burning question of course is, “What do we do about it?” As indicated in last week’s issue, we need a layered approach to addressing this problem. However, at this juncture it is important to sound a note of caution: there is no quick fix to this problem. It did not happen overnight and it is an ever evolving phenomenon influenced by broader societal factors.

Whatever course of action we decide to embark upon to address this we must recognise that we are in it for the long haul. The actions must be systemic, broad-based and sustainable. So, back to the layered approach which consists of four layers to the solution — the individual, relationships, communities, and societal. At the individual layer, we first need to recognise that there are multiple factors that may give rise to an individual’s involvement with violent behaviour — experiences, knowledge, and skills.

Deficiencies in any of these areas leave children and youth with the inability to effectively solve difficulties or participate in pro-social activities that may significantly reduce the risk for violence.

One useful evidence-based strategy is universal, school-based violence prevention programmes that focus on emotional self-awareness, emotional self-control, pro-social skills, social problem-solving, conflict resolution and teamwork — all aimed at self-empowerment.

Even as this is happening at the level of the school, there are parallel activities that must take place in the other layers.

Through the universal schoolbased programmes described above, a climate that supports healthy relationships among peers, teachers and students, and the school and families helps enhance protective factors, and reduce risk factors.

Children learn how to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence, teachers learn strategies for building respectful and supportive relations with students and the line of communication between the home and the school is enhanced.

At the community level, there is a need to provide more structured after- school programmes to support children and youths, particularly in those communities that are prone to violence, characterised by low income or poverty. Furthermore, on the societal level, supportive policies and systems must be put in place to support all the foregoing layers. Addressing violence and indiscipline in school must be a collaborative effort.