The former West Indies batsman says having a winner in every Test match would make it a more attractive proposition for fans, with worldwide attendance figures in general decline.

The 47-year-old praised the introduction of T20 cricket and suggested a change in the long form of cricket of the game could have similar affects in Tests in bolstering crowds.

“I played in a period when Test cricket was waning and the crowds were a bit smaller and I grew up in the 70s and 80s and lined up at five o’clock in the morning to watch a Test match with a packed house,” Lara told BBC.

“T20 has brought a new spectator in.” “One of the complaints by an American is ‘how can you play a game for five days and it ends in a draw?’ I would like to maybe see results in every single Test match,” he told BBC.

Toco put up a valiant effort throughout, but were unable to deny Defence Force the win, as they won the first game 5-23, the second game 25-20 and the third 25- 19. Robert Solomon, representing the Army- Coast Guard combination, was named as the game’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Glamorgan were also in winners row as they took care of UTT 3-1 in a Women’s Super League encounter.

Glamorgan took the first game 25-21 as well as the second 25-10.

UTT responded with a win in the third game 25-16 but Glamorgan closed out the match with a 25-12 result in the fourth game.

Shushanna Marshall of Glamorgan was adjudged as the Most Valuable Player of the encounter.

According to police, Stewart of Phase Four, Beetham Gardens, was liming on 19th Street when gunshots were heard.

He was found later bleeding from a wound to his eye. Another man, Shaquille Reid, 19, was also shot.

They were hospitalised. No arrest has been made.

In other crime news, two guns and quantities of cocaine and marijuana worth over $100,000, were seized in San Fernando. At about 3.30 pm on Thursday April 20, San Fernando CID police conducted a search of several boats and abandoned shacks along King’s Wharf, San Fernando.

There, they discovered two Taurus pistols hidden under the wooden flooring of a shack. One of the pistols was fitted with a magazine containing six rounds of nine-millimetre ammunition. The officers also seized 1.2 kilos of marijuana valued $70,000 and 94 grammes of cocaine, worth $45,000. No arrests were made in connection with the finds.

During this period of intellectual growth, development and advancement, students are not only taught academic and technical vocational skills; but educators, parents, religious leaders, and others seek to implement good moral values, principles, and discipline which are critical elements in shaping character.

In today’s society contributory factors such as technology, peers, and family members may probably play a major role in influencing their decisions. Today’s article will focus on nutrition during adolescence.

Teens’ health Perhaps you might agree that adolescence is an exciting time, but somewhat challenging period in human development. According to authors Dr Kathleen Mahan and Sylvia Escott-Stump, adolescents experience rapid growth and development that you cannot help but notice; it affects physical and psychosocial health.

“The changes in cognitive and emotional functioning aid them in becoming more independent as they mature. Within this period being accepted by their friends, sharing opinions, and peers become at times much more important than cherished family values; such behaviours tend to create conflicts between teens and their parents or family members, and even others in authority. Examples of psychological changes noted from early to late adolescence can include, but should not be limited to preoccupation with body size, shape, and body image; strong peer influence; expanded cognitive ability, including abstract reasoning; social, emotional, and financial independence becomes more pronounced; usually develop their own set of core values, to guide their moral, ethical, and health-related decisions.” Overall, good nutrition is also essential during this period of development in maintaining one’s nutritional status. But, the psychosocial development of adolescents may positively or negatively impact their health.

For during adolescence, some may be obsessed with body image and possibly choose to restrict calories by consuming too little, avoiding nutritious foods, or even skipping meals regularly because of the fear of weight gain; as well as even engaging in exercise for lengthy periods of time during the day. These eating habits tend to impact health and in some cases weight control behaviours may contribute to eating disorders.

Example of eating disorders include, anorexia nervosa — characterised by the following: refusing to maintain normal body weight, always seeing oneself as overweight even if they are not; intense fear of weight gain; distortion of body image; and amenorrhoea (absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles) in postmenarcheal females.

Another is bulimia nervosa – the illness is characterised by a repetition of binge eating episodes after which the individual might engage in purging, self-induced vomiting, and the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas or even non-purging behaviours such as fasting or participating in excessive exercise. Whatever the case, eating disorders can affect the health of children, teens, and adults; you should note if these eating behaviours exist, scheduled a visit with your medical doctor and follow his/her medical advice.

Taking a look at food habits Considering all of the above mentioned points, you can conclude that adolescents’ dietary intakes can vary due to several influencing factors, of which when examined may not necessarily be the best. Generally, good dietary practices among this specific target population may be affected by skipping a meal or two, excessive snacking (these snacks are usually high in fat, sugar, and salt), greater consumption of sugary beverages, the availability of income within the home to buy food, decrease influence of members of household and greater influence of peers on food choices, increase exposure to social media, sometimes employment outside the home with the increase in discretionary spending capacity, and the increase in responsibilities in the home having to care for younger siblings or even parents and/or grandparents leaving them with very little time to consume their meals Making changes Moreover, a balanced diet adequate in the macro and micronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals, and water) will aid in helping teens to meet their daily nutritional requirements.

Therefore to support growth and development healthy eating habits are beneficial, contributing to healthy bones, skin, energy levels, and boost the immune system; while lowering potential risk for dental caries, eating disorders, constipation, malnutrition, and iron deficiency anaemia (US Department of Health and Human Services and US Department of Agriculture, 2005).

When planning meals, meal managers should incorporate the ideas of adolescents and other persons within the household, and make available snacks that are nutritious and delicious e.g. yogurt, granola, fruit pieces, veggie sticks with dip, fruit smoothie, milk shakes, mini muffins, pizza pieces, trail mix, popcorn, crackers with peanut butter or cheese, sandwiches, mini roti, etc. Add to the meal plan fruits, vegetables, peas and beans, and foods from the staples and foods from animals food groups.

Encourage adequate water intake throughout the diet; the recommendation – six to eight glasses per day in plain or flavoured form with fresh fruit pieces.

Limit concentrated sweets, and foods high in fat and salt.

Also to help teens make good food choices cafeteria operators can make available healthy food choices, and vending machines should have a variety of nutritious snacks.

Claudette Mitchell, PhD, RD – Assistant Professor, University of the Southern Caribbean, School of Science, Technology, and Allied Health.

They have done so on sprint champion Control Unit for the feature 1350 metres race for horses rated 70 and over on Race Day 13 at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, on Saturday.

The Glenn Mendez- trained runner will have to give away lumps of weight to his six rivals including stablemate Whisper Light (54.5 kilos). Next highest weight in the race will be carried by Teniente Coronel – 57 kilos.

Saturday’s eight-race programme will see 93 horses entered with some full fields.

There will be a single winner bonus of over $4,000 on the Hi5, while the Pick 6 has a carryover of over $5,000. Racing on Saturday is scheduled to begin at 1 pm.

Warner, who is currently banned from all football-related activities falling under FIFA, is suing “for the persistent defamation of my character.” On Friday, it was reported that CONCACAF was suing Warner and ex-CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer for US$20 million, alleging the pair negotiated bribes and kickbacks in connection with lucrative broadcasting rights for tournaments.

But Warner, in a press release yesterday afternoon, dismissed the allegations, saying the accusations being made “have been repetitive and ancient” and questioned why he is being targeted by football’s regional authorities.

“I have left the CONCACAF since 2011. Why the CONCACAF will not leave my family and me alone is simply mind-boggling. CONCACAF football is at its lowest today and the current threat to sue Warner and Blazer for 20 million US is nothing more than a distraction to shift its pathetic current state away from the management of this Confederation,” he said.

He believes the lawsuit against him stems from “vindictiveness” due to the inability of the USA to acquire the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup which was awarded to Qatar.

“All these false allegations filed in an American court simply because the USA did not obtain the votes to host a FIFA World Cup will fall to nought,” he said, while addding Gulati and other CONCACAF officials may have something to hide.

“I have my name to protect and my family to defend and that I will do to the very end.

I have been slaughtered for the past six years and have remained silent ignoring my legal options to respond to the atrocities that have been perpetrated against me by men of the lower ilk. And so the time has come for me to respond,” he said.

Warner vehemently defended his tenure at CONCACAF which lasted over 20 years but ended when he resigned in the midst of a cash-for-votes scandal in 2011.

“I left CONCACAF (in 2011) located in the prestigious Trump Tower with millions of dollars in its bank account and sub offices in Guatemala City and Port of Spain. When I assumed office in 1990, it was virtually impossible for the many teams in CONCACAF to represent the region at FIFA World Cups, since we were only allocated one team. By the time I left office, three and a half teams had the opportunity to represent the Confederation every FIFA World Cup,” he said.

I concur, for it is just that if we live off the resources the State provides, such as infrastructure etc, we should pay our fair share for that upkeep.

But there are issues here, the first and foremost being one of fairness.

Is it fair for the average middle class citizen and others similarly affected to be subjected to in an increase in property tax from under $300, as in my case, to now near $1,600, an increase of over 500 percent? This begs the question as to whether the citizen should be made to prop up a now depleted Treasury arising out of mismana geme nt by inept and often corrupt politicians charged with managing the public purse.

Should this taxation of the people for revenue-making purposes become a trend, as it well might be, considering that the Government has few revenue-making structures outside the normal Public Service framework, with the exception perhaps of the National Lotteries Control Board, is this not alarming where this might lead? Possibly into a continuous stream of taxation, direct and indirect, on goods and services, penalties and the like and, for all you know, straight into our savings in the bank? This is not alarmist by any means, for the Government must find money to run the country, and in the virtual absence of same, there is only one place to turn: the people.

The Government must find creative ways other than the people to generate revenue, and a good place to start is to make a concerted effort to recover monies stolen from the Treasury and follow it up on the macro level to avoid situations like the BP fiasco and encourage investment in oil and gas-related projects and boost agricultural development.

On the community level it can help to create greater self-sufficiency by incentivising smallscale agriculture and entrepreneurship and cottage industries, minimising the reliance on the State.

Taxing the people to earn revenue as an all-embracing economic strategy, according to one British politician, is like trying to lift a bucket while you are standing in it.

DR ERROL BENJAMIN via email

Babwah, who will turn 40 later this year, struck 72 and grabbed two for 16 in four overs to lead Central Sports to a 41-run win over Trinidad and Tobago Prisons Service in round two of group three.

Babwah’s knock guided Central Sports to 165 for nine batting first.

Kamil Pooran pitched in with 32, while Johnathan Singh (3/25) and Javed Boodram (3/32) both took three wickets for Prisons.

In reply, Prisons could only muster 124/7 with Ricardo Sam scoring 37, while Deens Baird contributed 23. Babwah restricted the Prisons batsmen along with Rakesh Maharaj (2/24). Central Sports defeated Cane Farm by three wickets in round one. Round three of the group stage will be played tomorrow.

SUMMARISED SCORES: JAILAL ENTERPRISE VICTORIA 171/5 (H Mitchell 39, Andrae Bryce 34, Kareem Hamilton 2/30) vs MOOSAI 111 (16.2 overs) (A Daniel 32, Q Williams 17, Sanjiv Gooljar 3/12, V Rampersad 3/19) Victoria won by 60 runs.

QUEEN’S PARK TWO 118 (Namir Suepaul 30, D Drakes 28 not out, Keon Isaac 3/26, Aneil Kanhai 3/15) vs MERRY BOYS 122/3 (12 overs) (Isaiah Rajah 49 not out, Amir Jangoo 32) Merry Boys won seven wickets.

ALESCON COMETS 152/4 (Steven Katwaroo 48, Rayad Emrit 25 not out, Devendra Krishna 1/15) vs Courts Orangefield 148/8 (Shemroy Barrington 46, Trevon Griffith 42, Kenroy Williams 3/23, Imran Khan 2/20) Comets won by four runs.

CANE FARM 179/3 (Alcindo Holder 70, Romel Nanan 43, Gabriel Blackwell 2/26) vs TABLELAND 162/7 (Al Small 61, Keaton Mahabir 29, Anthony Simmons 2/43, Tevon Jadoo 2/38) Cane Farm won by 17 runs.

CALDRAC 133/8 (Eugene La Fleur 32, Allen Laurent 24, Anderson Phillip 2/15, Jyd Goolie 2/21, Yannick Ottley 2/35) vs CLARKE ROAD 134/1 (17 overs) (Adrian Ali 59 not out, Kyle Hope 35) Clarke Road won by nine wickets.

POWERGEN 185/6 (Evin Lewis 69, Jason Mohammed 34, Antonio Singh 2/35, Jevon George 2/38) vs F&E DIAMIOND 111/7 (Michael Collins 25, Dwayne Charles 25, Delroy Johnson 3/9, Mark Deyal 3/20) Powergen won by 74 runs.

ARANGUEZ 103/7 (19.4 overs) (Safraz Laloo 26, Khary Pierre 2/5, Terrance Hinds 2/15) vs QUEEN’S PARK ONE 104/2 (13.5 overs) (Justin Guillen 37 not out, Akeal Hosein 28 not out) Queen’s Park won by eight wickets.

However, US dollar dividend payments require completion of, “a number of steps first”, including getting necessary approvals from the TT Stock Exchange and the TT Securities and Exchange Commission.

TTNGL Chairman Gerry Brooks also said, “it’s also going to be extremely important that shareholders establish a US dollar account because if they do not have (one), there’s no basis on which to pay.

“We want to work through those steps very carefully first and then, of course, we’d want to have a conversation with Government; in terms of a policy, but it’s an important step.” He said the board was “very, very encouraged” with the 2016 performance.

For the year ended 31 December, 2016, TTNGL recorded total comprehensive income of TT$344.8 million while earnings per share was TT$1.16 for 2016.

TTNGL’s share of profits from its 39 percent shareholding in PPGPL improved operationally by 20.3 percent from TT $136.3 million in 2015 to TT $164.0 million in 2016. “This improved performance at PPGPL,” Brooks explained, “was directly linked to the deliberate efforts of the company to rationalise expenses in the face of lowered Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) production caused by continued gas supply challenges and lowered product prices,” Brooks stated.

The board approved a final dividend of TT $1.00 per share (2015: TT $1.00) bringing the total dividend for 2016 to TT $1.50. Brooks said this is consistent with the dividend payout for 2015 and represents a dividend yield of 7.14 percent at the end of 2016. “It is the highest dividend yield on the TTSE . The final dividend will be paid on 12 April, 2017 to shareholders on the Register as at 28 March, 2017,” Brooks stated

Speaking at the launch of the Safety, Security and Sustainability (SSS) Expo and conference in Chaguanas, the Minister noted government remains concerned with the murder rate and has embarked on several strategies .

“We have hired a DNA custodian and he is setting up the management structure right now. We are engaging a provider to treat with the DNA data bank. That again will be a game changer in so far as using the DNA result in increasing the detection rate,” Dillon said. The minister added that Government is not comfortable with the detection rate figure and the DNA bank is part of an initiative to improve the rate .

The commissioner of police, supported by the strategic services agencies, is strengthening the detection rate through training and development of police officers .

“There are a number of initiatives taking place to treat with crime and criminality. It is not just a one stop shop. It is a number of initiatives both in the legislative framework and from the operational side,” Dillon assured .

The minister added that the Attorney General has a suite of legislation in terms of the rehabilitation pillar, which focuses on the prison system. The launch of the SSS expo and conference was held yesterday at Passage to Asia Restaurant at Yves Street, Chaguanas. It is a collaboration between the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CCIC) and the Ministry. The initiative, which is free to members of the public, takes place from June 22 to 24 at the Outdoor Facility Divali Nagar, Chaguanas .

Speaking also at the launch was ACP Mobile Deodath Dulalchan who told the gathering that policing is not just the police business and added he welcomes the initiative. He called on the public to do their part in the fight against crime and noted that from 2008 to 2016, the country witnessed the lowest number of road fatalities .

“In 2008, we had 264 road fatalities and 2016, 135. That is almost 48 percent decrease,” he said. In terms of serious crimes, under which homicide fall, “since 2009 to last year, the amount of serious crime was almost half” .