Acknowledging that there has been a sustained and gradual increase in unemployment in Trinidad and Tobago in recent months, she said, “From the last quarter in 2015, unemployment would have increased from 3.5 percent to about four percent in 2015.” On poverty, she said, “it did not start in 2015. It has been increasing over the last 10 years.” Crichlow-Cockburn spoke yesterday in the House of Representatives during the debate on Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh’s motion calling on the House to condemn Government for failing to deal with the country’s current unemployment challenges. Despite the economic downturn and Government operating within stringent economic times, she said, “our unemployment rate is still not considered high by international standards.

It is below five percent which is considered the natural rate of unemployment.” At those remarks UNC MP Barry Padarath heckled Crichlow- Cockburn and Speaker Brigid Annisette-George asked him to, “Take your tea break now and return later.” Shortly after, Annisette-George distracted by Finance Minister Colm Imbert, asked him to leave the Parliament Chamber as well.

For sure the action announced by Tourism Minister Shamfa Cudjoe is drastic, but there have been signs of malaise for a while now.

Tourism receipts are not what they could be. We lag far behind our Caribbean neighbours. Our annual arrivals have been put at about 325,000 a year, compared with 3.6 million in Jamaica alone.

Today, tourism contributes less than one percent of economic output in Trinidad and Tobago, while it contributes four percent of total output in Jamaica, six percent of total output in the Dominican Republic, and over 11 percent of total output in Barbados.

For a rich, diverse nation with an abundance of natural resources, this is a dismal performance. While our industry has been resilient over the years, it clearly has a long way to go. In a situation where there is a thrust to diversify the economy, there is a need for greater revenue from this sector.

The plan to close the TDC caught some by surprise, including trade unions that now accuse the Government of a ruse to shed the entity of union strictures. But it remains to be seen what rules will apply to the two bodies envisioned by Cabinet and what relationship, if any, they will have with modern industrial relations practices. For now, the charge is serious enough to warrant sensitivity moving forward, given the State’s track record at entities such as BWIA and Caroni (1975) Ltd.

The shutting down of the TDC is meant to clear the way for the formation of two separate entities, one for Trinidad and one for Tobago.

It is true both islands offer different tourism products. Tobago offers sun, sea and sand, as well as stunning nature resources. Trinidad offers a rich array of bustling culture, including Carnival and unique landmarks such as the La Brea pitch lake. But the premise that two separate entities are needed seems misguided when there can be clear synergies.

For instance, what is to prevent the State from offering up Tobago jazz with the Bocas Lit Fest – as suggested last Wednesday by that festival’s founder, Marina Salandy- Brown? Why can the Carnival experience not segue into a cooldown on Crusoe’s island? In truth, Trinidad and Tobago citizens have been enjoying the best of both worlds, straddling the attractions in both islands. We demonstrate how there is no need to section off these two different types of tourism. If we do this in our daily lives, why can’t we market this packaged experience? It is true that having a special enterprise for Tobago will potentially give the Tobago House of Assembly the control it may want on handling tourism. But it is unclear why the THA cannot have that autonomy under a one-corporation system.

We can only imagine specialisation will be another big reason why two entities might be preferable.

Yet, is a narrow focus on each island the way to go? Shouldn’t we compete with the experience offered in our neighbouring Caribbean islands by offering a unique package experience which cannot be obtained anywhere else? Thus, while it is clear the TDC is not working well enough and while we support the decision to close it down, we are not yet convinced of the merits of the measures which have been proposed to replace it.

The deeper issue is the need for a clear blueprint on the way forward.

We do welcome, however, the plan to set up a single body to implement standards across the industry.

This to us is essential and will help drive quality upwards. It is clear such a regulatory agency will have to be centralised to ensure uniformity and consistency. If the minister concedes the need for one single quality control, perhaps she might reconsider the dual track she has set us on.

It is one thing to have a child with an intellectual disability, but quite another thing having a child with an intellectual disability and then mental illness on top of it.” I watched Arlene Williams on one of the morning talk programmes trying to hold back her tears. Dignified yet vulnerable, her pain and struggles came through the screen.

But there was pride also, dignity and a strong sense of survival that drew me to her and forced me to put down the remote.

Her son Jon has Down syndrome “a chromosomal condition that is associated with intellectual disability, a characteristic facial appearance, and weak muscle tone in infancy… Delayed development and behavioural problems are often reported in children with Down syndrome. Behavioural issues can include attention problems, obsessive/ compulsive behaviour, and stubbornness or tantrums.” Jon tried to live a normal life, with a girlfriend and even competing in the powerlifting category of the Special Olympics. He suddenly had a psychotic break, lost touch with reality and became violent. Arlene described a nightmarish journey of trying various medications, moving in with her sister to help her deal with the challenges, all while attempting to retain a sense of who she was. But the point of this article is why Arlene and her son Jon were on the programme in the first place. They attended a wine and art evening and she assumed she would have to hold Jon’s hand and guide him with the painting.

Surprisingly, Jon produced a piece of art that she laughingly said was better than hers.

That was her “ah ha moment” and she started to look for an art teacher for him. The idea of an exhibition came to her, not necessarily to make money, but to demonstrate the amazing healing powers of art for young people who may be struggling like Jon. She also wants to use the exhibition as a means of offering support to parents who may be facing similar challenges.

Living with a violent partner is scary, but there is always the option to walk away. It is not as simple when dealing with your own child. I have listened to horror stories from my own friends and family.

They hate the fact that this child constantly has everyone in fear, but feel guilty at the thought of giving them over to the care of someone else. An unending dilemma.

In our work with young people, we use the rich cultural forms of our country to break through the behavioural issues, problems at home and inability of those in authority to relate. We also saw this in action at the Hindu Prachar Kendra for Phagwa celebrations, with the tireless efforts of cultural workers like Pundit Ravi Ji and Geeta Ramsingh who insist that young people must take the lead in their community programmes.

In a week when our schools were once again in focus for terrible dysfunction, Jon’s story serves as a reaffirmation of the power of the arts.

Unfortunately, there continues to be a disconnect between what our society needs and what we receive.

We speak about work-life balance for adults, but that philosophy must now be applied to our youth and implement the long-promised move away from pure academics to activities that heal and uplift.

Jon’s exhibition closes today at the Horizons Art Gallery, St James. And even though his mother said you don’t have to buy anything, send a powerful message by making sure it is sold out.

D a r a Healy is a perform a n c e artist and founder of the NGO, the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN

Schnoor was the feature speaker yesterday and gave an insight into her background living in Jamaica and the integral role of the sport in Caribbean society.

“Yes, I am from Jamaica, and growing up in Jamaica is just like Trinidad in terms of cricket being a much loved sport and pastime.

Cricket plays an integral role in the social fabric of our society as it instils a deep passion in the hearts of the Caribbean people. It is very rare to find a unifying force that surpasses all boundaries of age, gender or race.” She continued, “Scotiabank sees the Kiddy Cricket Programme as a means of passing on the West Indian culture and the positive values that come through playing the sport. At Scotiabank, we believe that everyone has the right to become better off. Through the Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket programme, our boys and girls not only learn about the sport that we in the Caribbean are very proud of, but they are provided with the tools to help them become well rounded individuals.

The programme teaches the basics of the sport but also life skills such as team work, discipline and integrity that will benefit them for a lifetime.” Last year marked the formal expansion of the Kiddy Cricket programme here in Trinidad and Tobago with double the number of participants. This year, 120 schools will be participating with 60 of them newcomers.

Also, present at yesterday’s launch was Azim Bassarath, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) who stated that the Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket Programme over the years has trained teachers, provided equipment, supplied educational aids, and afforded implementation opportunities for the immeasurable benefit of the nation’s children.

“We as responsible adults recognise the ever-increasing need for positive guidance, the inculcating of proper value systems and the need for healthy living amongst our youth,” Bassarath said.

He said the Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket Programme affords much more than instilling good cricket skills, sportsmanship, leadership, discipline, honesty, self-esteem, and inter-personal relationships.

Bassarath said that scientific research has shown conclusively that there are linkages between sport and physical activity, and the early development of children who are given the opportunity.

“Sports-based programmes have been shown to improve the learning performance of children, encourage school attendance, and foster a desire to succeed academically.

What more can we ask for our children,” he asked rhetorically.

130 young footballers, representing local football clubs and schools, have been chosen to compete in three skills: control, short passing and dribbling. The skills are taken from the Manchester United Academy programme and local coaches will evaluate and rank each player throughout the morning. At the end of the event, two winners will be selected based on rankings and assessments in each skill.

Trudy DeVerteuil, Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations at Flow, said the challenge is one way to ensure that the next generation of footballers are ready to show off their talents to the world.

“This challenge is a great opportunity for our young footballers in Trinidad and Tobago to show off their skills. As a football nation, we’re always on the lookout for the next person to follow Dwight Yorke, Russell Latapy, David Nakhid, Shaka Hislop or Stern John on the international field. We look forward to seeing who these youngsters are and guide them on the path that will take them to the next level. Flow is proud to contribute to this experience not only here, but also in the region. We are confident that we have cleared a way for development which can only lead to future success,” DeVerteuil said.

Manchester United’s Group Managing Director, Richard Arnold said, “Youth development is at the heart of this Club’s traditions and success. The Manchester United Academies were developed to help spread this spirit to as many children as possible.

In recent years, our partners have been instrumental in helping the great work of our Soccer Schools coaches reach young people around the world. We’re proud to work with Flow on this project.” The winners of today’s challenge will compete in a final weekend of skills and small sided games with finalists from the other countries in May. The finalists will also compete for the chance to win a VIP trip to Old Trafford in Manchester, England.

The eight-team competition, which takes place between today and April 2, will see Canada, Japan, Russia, Chile, United States, Switzerland, hosts Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados battling for a top two finish to guarantee a place in the Hockey World League Semi-Finals, where those coveted berths at the Hockey Men’s World Cup 2018 in India are up for grabs.

Like all the Round Two events, the competition in Tacarigua will witness a clash between teams that came through the first phase of the competition against sides that were automatically given a bye through to Round Two due to their higher placement in the FIH Hero World Rankings.

The highest ranked teams will enter at the Semi-Final stage of the Hockey World League which will take place this summer.

The competition will feature two pools of four, with the finishing positions at the end of the pool phase determining the line-up for the quarter-finals, which begin on Thursday.

In Pool A, Canada (FIH Hero World Ranking: 11), Chile (WR: 26), United States (WR: 29) and Barbados (49) will all go head to head.

Japan (WR: 16) are top ranked side in Pool B but are likely to face stern challenges from Russia (WR: 22), Switzerland (WR: 30) and home favourites Trinidad and Tobago (33).

Japan’s campaign at the 2016 Men’s Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan, Malaysia last October ended in a disappointing sixth place finish, but a ray of light came from the performances of striker Kenta Tanaka, who scored six times — five from open play — to finish second in the scorer’s charts at that event. Tanaka has been selected for the competition in Tacarigua could well be hoping that his goals can fire his team into the World Cup qualification phase of the Hockey World League.

On paper, Russia could well be Japan’s strongest challengers in the pool, with veteran defender Evegenii Mokrousov captaining the team. Mokrousov lead Russia through their Hockey World League campaign in 2014-15, where a fourth place finish at the Round Two event in San Diego, USA was not quite enough for them to progress to the next phase.

Hosts Trinidad and Tobago may be the lowest ranked team in the pool, but according to team captain Darren Cowie, they are confident of their chances.

“I think probably acceptable is a fifth-place finish, judging from rankings, preparation and the fact that we are the only team that has not had a international match in preparation,” said Cowie in an interview recently.

At the age of 39, Trinidad and Tobago’s Kwan Browne may be the second oldest player in the competition – behind USA’s Paul Singh, who is three months older – but he is still capable of producing match-winning moments of brilliance.

At the end of day one last Saturday, Merry Boys closed on 402 for eight in the first innings batting first at the Brian Lara Recreation Ground in Santa Cruz. Former West Indies batsman Lincoln Roberts led the way for Merry Boys slamming 100, while Clifton Halls (78), Amir Jangoo (71) and Mario Belcon (62) all cracked half centuries.

Kashtri Singh was the best bowler for Comets taking 5/103.

In other matches continuing today, Powergen and Tableland will play at the Sancho/St Julien Road Recreation Ground in Princes Town, Central Sports and Jailal Enterprise Victoria will battle at the Barrackpore West Secondary Ground, while Queen’s Park and First Citizens Clarke Road face off at St Mary’s College Ground in St Clair.

FIRST DAY SCORES: MERRY BOYS 402/8 (Lincoln Roberts 100, Clifton Halls 78, Amir Jangoo 71, Mario Belcon 62; Kashtri Singh 5/103, Roshon Primus 2/52) vs ALESCON COMETS.

POWERGEN 209 (Akiel Cooper 62, Jeron Maniram 49, Ewart Nicholson 34; Brian Pegus 4/57, Tareeq Abdool 2/20) vs TABLELAND 128/9 (Elijah St Clair 20, Gabriel Blackwell 20; Ansil Bhagan 7/46, Kavesh Kantasingh 2/57).

CENTRAL SPORTS 249 (Kjorn Ottley 53, Shazan Babwah 50; Sanjiv Gooljar 3/44, Garey Mathurin 3/51, Uthman Muhammed 2/43) vs JAILAL ENTERPRISE VICTORIA 22/1 (Marcelle Jones 14 not out).

FIRST CITIZENS CLARKE ROAD 154 (Gregory Mahabir 65 not out; Terrance Hinds 5/26, Kevon Cooper 2/32, Javon Searles 2/49) vs QUEEN’S PARK 152/2 (Tion Webster 62, Daron Cruickshank 38, Ahkeel Mollon 2/34).

Batting first the Jamaica Scorpions were dismissed for 201.

In reply the Red Force top order stumbled, closing the day on 79/3, trailing the Scorpions by 122 runs.

Captain Kyle Hope is on 33, while Yannic Cariah is 19.

Sheldon Cottrell, playing for the Red Force against his countrymen, had the Scorpions on the back foot early on, grabbing three wickets in the first session.

After Jermaine Blackwood fell for 68 shortly after lunch, the Red Force tamed the Scorpions as the score quickly became 150/9. Blackwood faced 83 balls while cracking nine fours. But Derval Green came to the crease to frustrate the Red Force bowlers.

Marquino Mindley and Green guided Jamaica past 200 ina defiant last wicket stand. Shortly after the pair brought up their 50-run partnership, Green was the last man out for 53 as Jamaica were dismissed for 201. Green’s innings lasted 56 deliveries comprising eight fours and two sixes. Imran Khan was the top bowler, finishing with 4/28 in 9.4 overs, while Cottrell snatched 3/34.

Summarised Scores: JAMAICA SCORPIONS 201 (Jermaine Blackwood 68, Derval Green 53, Devon Thomas 23; Imran Khan 4/28, Sheldon Cottrell 3/34) vs TT RED FORCE 79/3 (Kyle Hope 33 not out, Yannic Cariah 19 not out; Damion Jacobs 1/12)

And the chances of a deal being struck for Tuesday’s qualifier against Mexico currently look slim as the TTFA and Flow are still far off on the negotiating table.

All TT’s previous qualifiers in the hexagonal stage as well as some from the previous round were televised on Flow Sports Channel 95.

A press release by Flow yesterday at 1.52 pm stated: “The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) and Flow Sports were unable to reach an agreement with regard to the televising of the Trinidad and Tobago World Cup Qualifier match today.

We regret the inconvenience this may cause our local viewers.” Trudy de Verteuil, Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations at Flow Trinidad, explained to Newsday why her company was unable to acquire the rights to show the match.

“Well the thing is we made several offers to the TTFA and all of those offers were declined. So at this point we are not in a position to broadcast it because we don’t have the rights for it. We tried our best. We do have the rights for the other games like the USA vs Honduras – you would be seeing that. We did make several offers to them, it wasn’t one but they all were declined,” she said.

Asked when exactly negotiations broke down, De Verteuil continued: “Earlier this week there was a final offer made. Our main concern is to bring the content that our customers want. We know our fans and customers would want to view the game.

We’re even now trying our best and continuing to try and negotiate with them (for the Mexico game on Tuesday).” Asked if she is optimistic that both parties would reach a common ground, she admitted, “Based on what happened with today’s game, no we’re not. We’re not sure that we would be any more favourable with that one than with today’s game.”

Fictional or not, Mohammed- Ali has found a way to make his dream come alive through Comicfest 2017 .

Comicfest will be held at Radisson Hotel in the Festival Ballroom on April 8 .

Much like the storylines he admires, he got into comics and collecting its memorabilia in his early teens after spotting a painted cover of Ghost Rider .

“I got into comics when I was 13/14-years-old. I live in San Fernando and there was a guy at the top of High Street opposite La Piques Mall. He used to sell comics at the side of the road .

“He did not have a store or anything. The first book that caught my eye was a painted cover of Ghost Rider. I actually stopped .

“I used to pass him everyday selling and did not take it on and it was this one day it sparked an interest in me and I bought the first book,” he said .

In an interview with Newsday on the origins of Comicfest, Mohammed-Ali said it began when a group of friends who would come together to sell comics at the mall occasionally, met Terrence Ragoonanan .

“I had the opportunity to meet Mr Terrence Ragoonanan, who was part of the team that did the sales in Trincity Mall and from there we got into the idea instead of doing one-time sales, why not do a convention of sorts,” he said .

The group then fleshed out the particulars and the first event was held in 2013 with Heroes Foundation and then after that two other events were held at the Creative Arts Centre in San Fernando .

For Mohammed-Ali the event is a pop culture one and geared mostly toward promoting literacy and creativity through comic books .

While some might be inclined to think that this is strictly the domain of children, he said it is very popular among 30 to 40-year-olds, “simply because, 30 years ago, in TT collecting comic books was rather non-existent .

“A few stores used to carry comics but everyone knew about Superman, they knew about Batman, they knew about X-men and stuff but here in TT our attitude towards comic books was not same level as in the US .

“ I would like to think within the last ten, 15 years or so and with the advent of the Internet and when people got out…” Mohammed-Ali said part of Comicfest is to illustrate to others that collecting comics or being interested in them is not a useless hobby .

In fact he said it, “can be used for good. It can be used for channelling energies into something worthwhile and productive .

“It is only then people realise it could, aside from the monetary value in collecting –actually help to inspire kids to do something with their talent.” An extension of Mohammed- Ali’s dream was introducing international talent to TT by having a local Comic Con in TT .

“We really want to bring that international feel of the event to Trinidad, which is why we decided to take it a step further and actually bring in international talent this year,” he said .

The fest will feature New Yorkbased Nelson DeCastro a freelance writer and artist who has done work for both Marvel and DC; New York-based Frank Tieri, an established comic book writer who has done work for both Marvel and DC and other independent publishers such as Top Cow and Archie; and New Jersey-based Dave DeVries is a cover artist and illustrator. He did the cover art on Afterlife with Archie in 2013 .

Local artistes Shaun Riaz, Chris Riley and Ryan James will also be featured at the event. Events such as this one, he said, demonstrates that this is a growing field in the local content production field in TT that simply needs some nurturing .

“I see this as a budding segment in TT which just needs a little bit of nurturing to grow,” he said .

“We have the talent here. It is raw it just needs to be focused,” he added .

Since its inception, attendance at the event has grown steadily .

“At the first event we only had 250 visitors. But for us that was a success because it meant there was interest .

“The following event, there was a lot of word of mouth and the attendance doubled, the last event which we hosted in 2015 the tally actually doubled again. We had about 1,000 people at the event.” This year the fest has partnered with Charis Works Christian Academy, a school that deals with special needs children, for an art and essay contest. All essays and art work will be on display at Comicfest 2017 .

For Mohammed-Ali, this is a labour of love funded solely out of his pocket .

As he said, “I want the people to see this is something you can achieve. While you do need to get it at certain level, if you put your mind to it. You can do it. I remember someone said, ‘you need to stop dreaming and start doing’ .

So for me, I am doing.” Tickets are priced at s $150 but will be $125 until the end of the month .