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Offline boss

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Re: Positive news from the home front.
« Reply #90 on: April 05, 2013, 06:33:52 AM »
Trini wins World Bank tech contest
Trinidad Guardian
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Nadaleen Singh

Business leaders often perceive innovation as a means of growing their business. For 37-year-old Rick Cooper, it is no different. Cooper, managing director of Rico Technologies Ltd, entered his project—Interact XL—into the PitchIT Caribbean competition which was hosted by the World Bank under its infoDev programme in November 2012.

The competition enabled participants to pitch an innovative idea on web and mobile start-ups where the project was judged based on how professionally the idea was pitched as well as its novelty.

“I had a pet project that I started four years ago, so I said let me just try it out, let me pitch the idea; this was to the entire Caribbean region (who participated in the competition). From the hundreds who submitted, I got picked, which made me happy,” Cooper said in an interview with the Business Guardian.

Each participant was given a mentor to train them on how to present their project. Now that he was successful at the Caribbean competition, Cooper moves forward to participate at the Global Forum of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in South Africa where he would have to pitch Interact XL to investors.

Talking about the project, Cooper said it was inspired by a close relative attaining high marks in mathematics at university, but was not a high achiever in the subject at secondary school.

Describing Interact XL, he said: “It’s an online math platform. The point of difference between that platform and other platforms is that it meshes the specific teaching style with the learning style of the student.”

The programme would enable the student to learn at their pace and was put together with the assistance of teachers and pedagogy specialists.

“What we endeavour is to create different teaching tools, different teaching styles that will be suited to the learning styles of the student. It is an organic programme, meaning that upon launch, it may be three teaching styles and five years later, it might be ten because we all have different types of learning styles.

“It (the programme) also has a feature where parents can get real time updates on the performance of the child after completing the exercises on the application.”

This means that the parent can be at work and would receive a text message indicating the grade which the child scored.

Greenlighting the project

Congratulated during a business seminar and applauded for placing first in the PitchIT competition held last week by the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Westmoorings, Cooper said he felt humbled and honoured to be recognised.

To create the prototype four years ago and in order to enter into the competition, Cooper needed to collaborate with educators, “since then I have partnered with pedagogy or teaching specialists who would be on board once the programme gets a green light.”

A Web developer by profession, Cooper had no problem in finding programmers, but finding SEA teachers proved a small challenge, especially as funding was limited and he had to rely on out-of-pocket expenses. Cooper was determined to succeed.

He said being an innovator can be frustrating.

“It can be a gift and a curse in the sense that you have to retard yourself, know what to put out early. You can’t stop it; you just have to keep going.”

He tells innovators be determined, but keep the secrets of your innovative project to yourself and ensure that your intellectual property is protected.

“On one hand, you hear about ICT initiatives, but on the other hand, it is not really being supported. For instance, when I approach high-level investors, they all love the idea (of innovation), but they may quicker bring in a franchise from abroad because that is a tested sector.”

Many investors are unwilling to take risk.

The former St Mary’s College student is a pre-med student from Howard University in Washington DC. Asked why he moved from studying medicine to being an innovator, he said: “What I found during my sophomore year: I used to play with creative Web sites and it paid the bills, it paid rent. I love science, I love biology, but I just thought this Web technology thing was so fascinating. I got my degree in pre-med, biology, but I stuck with the IT aspect and years later started Rico Technologies Ltd,” he said.

About InfoDev:

It is a global partnership programme within the World Bank Group which works at the intersection of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship to create opportunities for inclusive growth, job creation and poverty reduction.”

About RicoTechnologies:
-started operations in 2005
-located in Belmont

-provides services like:
    Graphics
-Web design
-e-commerce
-applications for inventory
-has three employees based in T&T and 20 programmers based around the world

Some clients:
-Cariri
-Sacha Cosmetics
-T&T Film Company Ltd
-bpTT Ltd

Though he has a science degree, Cooper is determined to complete his master’s in information, communication and technology.

“Science in itself is a logical discipline, you have to use a little logic. The reason I picked up web design so well is because code is logic. I just thought IT was so much more interesting.”

Offline E-man

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Re: Positive news from the home front.
« Reply #91 on: April 15, 2013, 06:29:16 PM »
Some cool videos recently posted

http://vimeo.com/theartofstorytelling


Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #92 on: October 19, 2014, 11:18:36 AM »
WELL DONE YOUTH! Who said nothing good come out of your community? Tell them to hush!

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Open-schol-for-Laventille-youth-279224542.html

Open schol for Laventille youth



NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD Marvin McKenzie, who was featured recently in the Express series, “From Laventille With Love”, has yet another achievement to add to his list of successes.

The teenager is the sole Open scholarship winner at Fatima College, Port of Spain, this year.

The school won one Open scholarship and four Additional scholarships in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).

McKenzie won the first Business Open scholarship at the Mucurapo Road school.

Contacted yesterday, McKenzie, who is currently studying economics and statistics at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine, said he was “completely overwhelmed”.

McKenzie, who lives in the troubled Trou Macaque, Laventille, area, previously shared his inspirational story of overcoming hardship, saying there were days when he had nothing to eat but “pack soup”.

Despite this, the youngster remained focused, knowing education would grant him a way out of those circumstances.

“I feel like it is a dream come true. All my hard work over the last seven years has paid off.”

McKenzie said he could never have accomplished so much without the support of his church, his mother and his uncle, Marlon Danglade, who assisted him financially.

The UWI student said he has not yet decided if he will remain at the institution or take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Open-schol-for-Laventille-youth-279224542.html



Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #93 on: November 03, 2014, 09:02:43 PM »
NICE !!

http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2014-11-02/trini-breakthrough-nanotechnology-research

Trini in breakthrough nanotechnology research



PhD student, Jabari Calliste has been involved in major research in nanotechnology at North Carolina University, USA. Calliste, a past student of QRC, along with a team of researchers, has developed a stationary digital breast tomosynthesis (s-DBT) technology that uses a novel multiple focal-spot X-ray source array with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the field emission electron source. This stationary approach can increase acquisition speed and eliminate the focal spot motion.

This study represents the first human tissue imaging with the novel carbon nanotube–based s-DBT device. It has been shown that the s-DBT device offers significant improvement in image quality, including improved modulation transfer function (MTF) and lesion conspicuity in breast phantom studies. This is particularly helpful for radiologists to enable them to make more accurate assessments for patients to have a clear understanding of malignancy diagnosis, and for medical personnel to allow for better determination of surgical requirements. It has been found that malignant lesions in the breast can be difficult to visualise using full-field digital mammography (FFDM) when significant tissue overlap is present.

Tissue overlap is most apparent in breast tissue that is thick and radiographically dense. Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) uses a small number of angular projections to reconstruct a pseudo–three-dimensional (3D) volume. The objective of this study was to compare the stationary digital breast tomosynthesis (s-DBT) system to a conventional mammography system in a study of breast specimens. Radiologist evaluation of image quality was assessed in a reader study.

This research represents the first human data acquired using a stationary digital breast tomosynthesis system with carbon nanotubes. The novel s-DBT system was found to be comparable to magnified 2D mammography imaging for malignancy diagnosis. Given the trend of preference for s-DBT over 2D mammography for both mass visibility and margin assessment, s-DBT could be a viable alternative to magnified 2D mammography for imaging breast specimens.

The s-DBT system was found to be comparable to magnified 2D mammography for malignancy diagnosis. Radiology readers preferred magnified 2D mammography for MC visualisation. However, readers trended toward a preference for s-DBT with respect to masses and surgical margin assessment.

What is nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about one to 100 nanometres. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are the study and application of extremely small things and can be used across all the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science and engineering (www.nano.gov)

« Last Edit: January 25, 2015, 01:29:32 AM by Sando prince »

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #94 on: November 07, 2014, 11:44:18 PM »
MORE POSITIVES !

http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2014-11-05/qrc-boys-say-it-art


QRC boys say it with art

joint exhibition with Tara Bobart until Saturday
Shereen Ali
Published:
Thursday, November 6, 2014

Sixth form students at Queen’s Royal College enjoy expressing themselves during art class. Work by the students and artist Tara Bobart is on show at the College hall from October 30 until Saturday. Photo courtesy Sabrina Charran
Brightly painted parrots, black and white graphic prints and collage experiments are among the art on display in the roomy hall at Queen’s Royal College (QRC) at St Clair, Port-of-Spain. This group exhibition by QRC students and self-taught painter Tara Bobart has been on since October 30, and continues until Saturday from 2–6 pm.



It’s an exciting use of the hall space: the room, with rotating uses as backup classroom space and an assembly room, metamorphosed into an art gallery this week in a creative collaboration between an artist, an art teacher, a principal, his students and some very helpful businesses.

In the process, QRC students—many of them science students—discovered a whole new form of expression many had never previously considered—or had practised secretly, as a private hobby, never to be shown on a wall until now.

“I am very excited about the show,” said student Kamau Romano: “It’s the first time I am getting to show my work, and share with people what I felt through the process of making it,” he said. His artwork The Tide of Time, he says, is all about how to bring the past back into the present. It uses glued jigsaw puzzle pieces, overpainted as a grey wave, which washes over a more contemporary patio scene.

“I liked learning about the different techniques, like papier-mache” said Stephon Gilbert, a 17-year-old science student who experimented with building up different layers of texture in some of his art.


From nature to the surreal



Although clearly all student work, the pieces show different styles, interests and emerging voices. Some are naturalistic (depicting realistic objects in a natural setting), such as beach scenes, landscapes, animals and plants. Others have influences from graffiti and Leroy Clarke, such as Mikael Gilbert’s ink piece.

Aaron Raghunanan shows a clean graphic style in his black and white lino cut prints, while David Neils explores use of framing/bars in Melman Memories (about Melman the giraffe in the Emperor Valley Zoo), and the use of layered tiny symbols to create an atmosphere in Napa Air.

One interesting artwork is strongly surrealist, even Dali-esque: Xavier Peter-Henry’s collage piece called Heritage. This explores an imaginary, dreamlike world, where precise objects are arranged in an illogical, violent scene that evokes strong emotions about our attitudes to our own T&T heritage. He paints a detailed human heart being pierced by a tall wooden stake. Arteries from the heart radiate from it, ending in melting clockfaces: time running out as we murder our heritage?


Curated by Sabrina Charran


Having the confidence to create the images was half the battle, says QRC art teacher Sabrina Charran, who curated the exhibition and who first approached her principal to make it all happen at the QRC hall.

A slim, energetic Indian woman with glossy black hair which whips around her neck as she talks, Charran was a 2006 first class honours graduate of UWI’s Visual Arts programme. She began teaching art at QRC in 2008.

Dressed in jeans and a denim blue shirt, she said on Tuesday that part of her job as an art teacher is to help children express themselves, and teach them different techniques. In this, she has been successful. In the process of organising this exhibition, she has also taught the boys about curating, how to mount an art show, and the importance of cooperation, planning, and hospitality skills to manage successful event projects.

Charran credited QRC principal David Simon for his support in allowing the space to be used in this way. And she emphasised the truly collaborative nature of the exhibition. It couldn’t have happened without artist Tara Bobart, and without the generous loan of the Central Bank art gallery’s mounting screens, as well as invaluable help from Arnim’s Framing Solutions. Sponsors Royal Bank and Republic Bank both helped pay for lighting on the opening night.

Artist Tara Bobart: ‘I paint only what makes me happy.’

Artist Tara Bobart could have shown on her own – but she told the Guardian her intention was to help others, and give the youth a chance to show their work too.

Bobart’s work is inspired by nature and she is all about “cultivating a love for art.” For her, art is a way to have fun, relax, and express herself: “I paint only what makes me happy.” A former geology teacher at QRC many years ago, she later got into cake decorating for fun, and became a noted “sugar artist and wedding cake designer,” creating fabulous towering confections with great delicacy and detail, sculpting orchid petals out of white sugar paste and then “blushing” them in coloured dusting powders.

“If I can do this with sugar, I can do it on canvas,” she thought, and so began to paint in watercolours, oils and acrylics in the early 2000s. She paints landscapes, seascapes, still life images, animals, and nature scenes.
“One of my past QRC geology students, Neil Lewis, now a geologist at Petrotrin, was the one who suggested to me: ‘Why don’t you have a show at QRC with the boys?’ I loved the idea of sharing space with them,” she said.
“We are lucky to have a space to exhibit here,” said art teacher Charran, who said one of the biggest benefits of the show has been the interaction the art works have generated.

“These boys love to explore, and make things. New artists may always feel threatened by the flatness and emptiness of white paper, and then may feel shy to display it. But I feel it’s important to show work on a wall, to have people interact with it,” said Charran, adding:
“I hope this is the first of many exhibitions to come in this space.”

« Last Edit: November 22, 2014, 09:04:46 PM by Sando prince »

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #95 on: November 22, 2014, 09:03:43 PM »
The country future  :beermug:

Theatre and technology brings beauty to the Beetham

http://looptt.com/2014/11/20/theatre-technology-brings-beauty-beetham/



Last Saturday, the Beetham Gardens was treated to its first Evening of Theatre held at the Beetham Impact Centre and   hosted by Steven Edwards Productions (SEP). Steven Edwards Productions (SEP) is a non-profit organisation based in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago. The organisation uses theatre and technology as rehabilitation, nurturing and transformation tools in vulnerable communities.

The evening highlighted the launch of  SEP’s Transformation Through Theatre and Technology and Theatre For Tots to Teens programs. The afternoon’s proceedings delighted the audience as well as brought about some hope great things coming to the community  entertaining and well received by approximately two hundred attendees from phases all five phases from the garden. One resident Joel  said: “We feeling like somebody  because all the time we was just left behind nothing , nothing, nothing and is good to see things happening now.”

The launch consisted of two theatrical performances, “King Hungry Belly and the Palace Pelau” and “Mirrors”. The first performance, “King Hungry Belly”, was a comedic children’s play filled with theatrics and dancing while educating children on cooperation and racial inclusion. The other performance, “Mirrors”, presented scenarios of child neglect, juvenile misconduct and poverty, while teaching the benefits of hard work, perseverance and good family values. A relatable performance that brought the audience to both laughter and tears. At selected intervals of the event, the attendees were given relevant information on the programme.

Transformation Through Theatre and Technology (TTTAT) is a programme created by Steven Edwards Productions (SEP) as a rehabilitation tool targeting at-risk youth. Through its four cycles of the programme it has reaped tremendous success evidenced by the testimonials of the graduates as well as their affiliates. Using theatre as an innovative rehabilitation tool, SEP’s TTTAT model not only provides training in specific areas such as performing arts, literacy and IT, it utilises motivation and counselling to build self-esteem and confidence.

Theatre for Tots to Teens builds morale and morals for young children, at the same time exposing them to dance, vocals, theatre and local culture. This is all done using Trinidad and Tobago various art forms and instills a sense of patriotism and  national pride coupled with tolerance for others.

At the end of the event over 60 applications were received to attend the program with other persons wishing to inquire more about it. This initiative is being supported by the J.B. Fernandes Memorial Trust 1, The Canadian High Commission, The Community Development Fund and the IDB Cultural Development Program. Sessions have already commenced in the Beetham all geared toward building a better individual, community and Trinidad and Tobago.

Executive Chairman Steven Edwards vowed that the team would do their very best to change the stigma of the residents and the community. He also gave a two year deadline in which to do it.

Steven Edwards Productions is currently seeking volunteers for this and similar projects   should you wish to be a part of this movement, or make any type of donation please feel free to contact them at 18683049159 or 18686847321 or email them at communications@stevenedwardsproductions.com or feel free to check out the organisation’s very active face book page  www.facebook.com/stevenedwardsproductions.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2014, 10:07:23 PM by Sando prince »

Offline Dutty

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #96 on: November 23, 2014, 10:24:07 AM »
nice!!...keep it flowin
Little known fact: The online transportation medium called Uber was pioneered in Trinidad & Tobago in the 1960's. It was originally called pullin bull.

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #97 on: November 29, 2014, 10:58:05 PM »


Trinidadian wins Rhodes Scholarship

http://looptt.com/2014/11/27/trinidadian-wins-rhodes-scholarship/

Trinidadian Cherrelle Dacon will be using her Rhodes Scholarship to further prepare for a career in the field of HIV/AIDS, with a special emphasis on the Caribbean.

Dacon is the latest Commonwealth Caribbean Rhodes Scholarship recipient, after being selected yesterday by the Rhodes Scholarship Committee. The 23 year old edged six other regional candidates who were interviewed for the prestigious scholarship, tenable at Oxford University.

Three Trinidadians, two Barbadians, one Antiguan and a Guyanese had been short-listed for interviews. Cherrelle, from Lower Santa Cruz, is a postgraduate student at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2014, 11:07:02 PM by Sando prince »

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #98 on: November 29, 2014, 11:04:31 PM »



Fazad’s red, black and white passion

http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2014-11-26/fazad’s-red-black-and-white-passion

When you enter his home studio in Diego Martin, the first thing that strikes you are the Buddhas. There are several of them, part of the eclectic décor of this quiet, well-ordered space where Fazad Mohammed has just put the final touches to the art pieces for his first exhibition Life and Passion. The show opened on November 26 and continues until December 3 at the Art Society of T&T in Federation Park, Port-of-Spain.

Upstairs, in Mohammed’s work studio, the place is spotlessly clean—no paint splatters, messy experiments or creative clutter disturb the clean white drawing table, or the well-organised storage areas. Supplies, from paintbrushes to all kinds of paint tubes, canisters and related design tools, are ordered neatly in large sectioned storage pockets hanging on two walls.

And surrounding us are many of the paintings from the current exhibition.

“A lot of people say—You’re too clean for an artist...but I function better in an ordered environment.” I think it’s my training from 14 years in the corporate world,” he comments.

Mohammed may be better known as a communications specialist in public relations and branding.

He worked for about eight years in corporate communications at BP T&T, doing an internship right after graduating from UWI in 2000 (he majored in sociology, with minors in human resource management and politics.)

After BP, he worked in corporate communications management at ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel and mining company, at their Pt Lisas plant.

He earned an MBA in 2011.

Why, then, the new interest in art?

n Continues on Page C12

“I’ve always had a passion for art,” said Mohammed, saying Art and Craft were his favourite subjects at El Dorado Secondary School. He remembered doing paintings of flowers for his retiring principal Hebe Millette many years ago. But he said as soon as he has ever had to sit an exam in anything, he started to hate it: so he never pursued art academically, because he wanted to preserve his enjoyment of it.

Years later, at work in BP, a colleague saw him doodling with red and black pens during a routine meeting. “You had fun at that meeting, didn't you?” asked the colleague. “Yes, I did,” Mohammed replied.

He dreamed then of having an exhibition done all in red, white and black.

“It's reconnecting with what T&T stands for....I am a Trini to the bone. I am very passionate about my country. I love my country. I love the energy and vibe of the people. We have so much talent and so much to offer this world that is so untapped at the moment.”

From doing personalised invitations to events, to discovering the joys of Photoshop and designing his own tattoos, he taught himself several graphic and photo-editing techniques. Mohammed said he is very grateful to Dianne Hunt (co-founder of Radical Designs, owner of DH Gift stores and Dianne's Tea Shop) who gave him his first big artistic break to design male costumes for her section in Island People. Mohammed designed Carnival costumes for five years for Island People.

Right now, he's taking a break from corporate T&T through his art on canvas.

His work in the Life and Passion exhibition shows use of expressive line, use of flat planes of colour to symbolically define various images, and a graphic obsession with fine, often careful detailing. One work shows a fascination with intricate patternmaking, using the photoshopped branches of trees, repeated and overlapped, to form echoes of faces and possibly spiritual or cryptic symbols in what seems like a linear version of a Rorschach test. Some pieces echo the lines of a mas band player, others have a more surface, decorative feel. Many show careful precision and a preference for symmetry.

“My works are 100 per cent planned,” he said. So, no happy accidents!

Mohammed has more than 32 pieces in the show, all produced over a six-month period. There are gemstones in the pieces, such as crystals, bronze mother-of-pearl, rubies or the 25-carat gold infused in the paint of some works. One piece includes textures built up by use of curved koa leaves, overpainted. The work includes acrylic on canvas, watercolours and graphic works reproduced on silk. He has vectorised all of the paintings so they can be used easily as prints or scaled up to large sizes as interior design accents for walls.

One series explores themes of love, and souls trying to find each other through time, he said. Other paintings show an interest in religious and spiritual subjects: a swirl of symbolic pilgrims at Mecca; the temple by the sea; images of Buddha. Another series explores different aspects of love: lust, passion and spiritual love.

Red, for him, is the colour of passion, the “bloodline of the people of T&T.” There's a lot of red in the art works.

Mohammed loves modern abstract art, but finds a scarcity of this style made by local artists – especially local abstract art that is about our own culture and rich history, he says.

He has simple advice for aspiring artists thinking about having their very first show: “Take the risk.” Sometimes in life, he believes things happen that are beneficial for you, even if they are not what you thought you wanted, he said.

He believes we need to free up our preconceptions about what makes up art. It can be any medium, he feels.

He says he's absolutely fine with people seeing their own meanings in his art works:

“You see for yourself. Make your own sense.”

MORE INFO

What: Art exhibition by Fazad Mohammed

Where: Art Society of T&T, corner Jamaica Blvd & St Vincent Ave, Federation Park, Port-of-Spain

When: Nov 26 – Opening reception, 7-9 pm. Nov 27 - Dec 3, 10 am – 5 pm daily.

Contacts: 681-5232;

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #99 on: December 02, 2014, 03:10:01 AM »
Wishing this young man the best  :beermug:



He’s a Naps boy at Harvard

http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2014-11-08/he’s-naps-boy-harvard


Meet the Caribbean’s top Mathematics and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) student, 19-year-old Mandela Patrick. The former Naparima Boys’ student from Palmiste, San Fernando is currently an ICT student at Harvard University. Patrick received ten distinctions in his CXC examinations and is ranked eighth in the Caribbean in the game of squash.  SHARLENE RAMPERSAD spoke with Patrick, who talked about some of the secrets to his success, gave an insight into his life at Harvard and the possibility of finding love at the University.

Q: Did you expect to top the region in Mathematics and ICT?
A: I had a very strong feeling that I would because I topped Pure Mathematics, placed second in IT and placed fifth in Applied Mathematics in the Caribbean during Year One of Cape and I had the highest marks in these three subjects in my school during Year Two.
 
What was your study routine like? How did you cope juggling sports and academics?

My study routine wasn’t very rigid, most of my studying was concentrated during the couple months before Cape examinations but I tried to do past papers throughout the academic year.
It was definitely tough juggling both squash and academics but I believe the best way to excelling at both is to know when to give each activity its due priority. For example, leading up to my exams, I had to give squash a break but when I had squash tournaments, I spent most of my time sharpening up my skills.

What do you think are the greatest challenges facing young people today?
One major challenge facing young people is the education system, it has become so competitive and there is constant pressure by parents for their children to succeed, so a lot of young people are unable to find time to enjoy their youth. Many students are sacrificing playing a game of football with friends to go to extra lessons and this can have a burn out and disenchanting effect. 

What advice can you give to young students like yourself?
Dream big! Shoot for the moon, and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. Secondly, success doesn’t come easy. You have to make sacrifices to reap the rewards.

Who contributed to your success? How?
God has definitely contributed to my success. I strongly believe that a spiritual background and a relationship with God is a necessity to succeed. Secondly, my parents, Raymond and Hyacinth Patrick, and my brother, Nku Patrick, contributed significantly. And my teachers. There are so many teachers that had a positive impact on my success.

What contribution do you hope to make for our country? What are the biggest challenges facing T&T at this time?
I think that technology is heavily under-utilised in the education system in T&T so if I can make an impact in this area, I’ll be happy.  I’m hoping to make educational apps that simplify the learning process in core subjects such as mathematics, science and English.

What recommendations can you make to improve our educational system?
There should be an emphasis to promote innovation rather than the consumption of information. The current education system produces students who are extremely good at cramming and regurgitating information but who are unable to think critically and logically. Secondly, extra lessons are the main avenue to do well at examinations; however, a lot of the poorer students are unable to afford extra lessons. Therefore, this creates a vicious cycle where the poorer students find it difficult to excel academically and compete with the richer students. Thirdly, technical vocational subjects should be expanded so that students who are not academically inclined can still excel.

Why study ICT?
ICT, specifically computer science, is a burgeoning field. Every industry requires a computer scientist so a computer scientist is never short of job options. In America, there is a big startup culture and most of these startups are tech related. These startups are owned by some of the richest people in the world. For example, Snapchat, the popular picture messaging service, was a final computer science project of a couple of Stanford seniors who are now multi billionaires.

What has been your experience as a Caribbean student at Harvard?

So far, unbelievable! I’ve met so many brilliant students who are willing to share their knowledge. There is a big collaboration culture here, which is a boon to my experience.  My roommate has his own software company and has already written a computer science book.  I’ve met someone who speaks 26 languages and the top astrophysics student in the world. Harvard also is the number one ranked national squash team in the country and the squash team has made my transition to college very smooth.

Have you faced any discrimination at the college?
Thus far, I have not faced any discrimination as a Caribbean student. I must admit my accent is hard to understand for most, but everyone has treated me very well.  I’ve made some great friends and I feel loved here. 

Do you think you will find love at Harvard?
If I can find a girl who can actually understand my accent and what I am saying half of the time, finding love here at Harvard is a possibility, haha. I can’t predict what the future will bring but I will admit Harvard girls can’t compete with Trini girls. Trini girls are the best!

What life lessons have you learnt so far at Harvard?

The main lesson I have learnt is that in order to succeed here, you have to reach out for help. Never be ashamed to say you don’t understand a concept because no one judges you and all are willing to help you till you get it.

What do you miss most about T&T?
Trini culture and music is what I miss the most. Since I grew up singing and listening to calypso and soca music, they have become part of my identity. I miss Trinidadian parties because soca music is all the DJs play. Every Carnival Tuesday I would go with my dad and my brother to watch mas however, I will have to do without Carnival for the next four years because Carnival occurs during the height of my squash season. I miss Trinidadian food like bake and shark, doubles, roti, crab and dumpling. The food here is okay but it can’t compete with Trinidadian food. There are also no Caribbean restaurants near Harvard so it has been a struggle and I miss Matouk’s Ketchup as Heinz Ketchup ain’t cutting it. I also miss my family and friends because they actually understand me and I can totally be myself around them.

« Last Edit: December 02, 2014, 03:11:46 AM by Sando prince »

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #100 on: December 08, 2014, 05:08:55 AM »


Another shining star from the Morvant/Laventille area  :applause: :applause:

School winner Janaazie exceeding expectations

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Schol--winner--Janaazie--exceeding--expectations-284280311.html

St George’s College graduate and Open Scholarship winner Janaazie Coppin remembers being told that he would never amount to anything.
“In primary school, I was asked to spell a particular word and I couldn’t spell it,” he said. “I was told ‘you will never be good for anything, you will never accomplish anything.’ That really stuck with me for awhile.”

They were harsh words, but ones that didn’t entirely come as a surprise.
“Being from the community I am from, you are expected to fail,” Coppin said. “You are not expected to do well.”
But the youngster exceeded these as well as his own expectations, receiving top marks at the school in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), including seven distinctions. He is the sole winner of an Open Scholarship at St George’s College this year, earning his in the field of Languages.

Now, Coppin has two simple words for those who doubted he would succeed: thank you.
“Without their negative words, I probably would not have gotten that extra motivation to accomplish what I have accomplished,” he explained.
So just how did he do it? Coppin said he used his everyday surroundings as tools to help him learn.
 
“I would see signs on the highway in different languages and translate them. Even the instructions on bottles, I would try to read them in different languages to help me practise.”

Coppin said he sacrificed sleep in order to study, waking up at two in the morning to go over his work because “that’s the time I am most productive.”

The well-spoken youngster said he could not have done it without the support and understanding of his parents and older sister, who gave him the space and quiet he needed at times.

“My parents sacrificed tremendously to pay for my extra studies,” he added.
But Coppin made it clear that his life did not revolve around academics as he participated in a number of extra-curricular activities during his time at St George’s College.

“I played volleyball and a lot of music. I was in the school’s choir, the school’s parang group, my church choir and another parang group outside of school,” he said.
He is also a member of the St Augustine Steel Orchestra.

These activities served as positive distractions and kept him from becoming idle, he said.
Now, the young man is awaiting responses from several universities in England to which he has applied to study law.
He has applied to the London School of Economics and Political Science, Queen Mary’s University, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Kent.

He wants to specialise in international law.
“I made the decision to study law because I believe I will be able to make a greater contribution to my country. I want to do international law because I think we need to establish greater connections with other countries and help Trinidad and Tobago, because we are a nation with potential.”

Never one to be idle, Coppin said he is currently seeking employment to occupy the time until he leaves to pursue his studies abroad.
Coppin said he is proud to be able to represent a positive aspect of his community, but said he is far from alone.

“I am not the first and I will definitely not be the last. There are people here who are continually excelling.”
The modest youngster sought to downplay his achievement, saying: “There are people who have overcome worse conditions and achieved greater things, in my opinion.”

Coppin said he was able to speak to pupils at his former primary school and it was a fulfilling experience.
“It felt good to be able to share some stories and advice with some of the younger ones so that they will know that it is possible for them to achieve, despite the Morvant/Laventille stigma.”

He gave credit to his teachers at St George’s College, including Gail and Jason Ganpat, and his volleyball coach, Peer Nasseir. He also expressed thanks to prinicipal James Sammy, who he said was one of his mentors.
Coppin said his dream for his community is to see an end to crime and for more persons to take advantage of education opportunities.
He has this advice for other young men with a desire to succeed: Trust God, study hard, work hard, and you can achieve whatever it is you want to achieve.”

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #101 on: January 17, 2015, 08:56:25 PM »




Trini to get Queen’s award for leadership


http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2015-01-14/trini-get-queen’s-award-leadership

Trinidadian Teocah Arieal Anika Dove is among 60 young leaders from across the British Commonwealth to be awarded with The Queen’s Young Leader Award.

Dove, 26, who originally lived at Enterprise Village, Chaguanas, is a Chevening Scholar with close to ten years of volunteerism, advocacy and activism experience.

According to an article via Buzzfeed.com, Dove is also one of the first female recipients of this honour, which she will receive from Her Majesty in June this year.

The award recognises exceptional youth, (aged 18-29), who have shown substantial commitment and verve as a leader in community development.

The nature of the award comes with a huge expectation, that the awardees will use the prestige and training package, mentoring and network endorsed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth to continue their work in communities to transform and change lives.

The expectations of the award are well within the bailiwick of the 26-year-old, in addition to her educational pursuits and entrepreneurship, she is a great example of volunteerism and national pride.

With a passion for gender, vulnerable women, HIV/Aids, poverty alleviation, community, human rights and youth development, she has pledged to use the momentum of the award to continue national development in these areas.

In her biography, Dove thanked a few people who have been instrumental in her life, including media personality Lisa Wickham; her role model Abigail Ajim; Social activist Anderson Figaro and the late prison reform activist William Latchman.

At the age of 17, Dove volunteered to work with Wickham on the film premiere of A Winter’s Tale.

“It supplemented everything I was learning in college studying journalism/PR. It was to me, and remains today, not just a job, but a playground. I had fun and an institution of learning! From writing press releases to event planning, to film/music video production, to script writing, call sheets, everything media/PR.”

In 2010, while pursuing her BA at the School of Business and Computer Science, Dove met Ajim, who she said singlehandedly shaped her academic skills and ability.

“Although I graduated in 2011 and I’m no longer her student, she remains instrumental in my academic development to date. Despite her busy schedule, without hesitation, she makes time to read over any essay/article/ academic submission and provide feedback! Had it not been for her, I don’t know where I would be academically. She shaped my vision and ability to think critically. She is the only person I call my role model!”

Dove met Latchman at the age of 23, after she submitted her letter of intent and resume to serve as the country co-ordinator for Partners of the Americas Youth Ambassador Programme.

In addition to spearheading the Youth Ambassador Programme, she became a board member at Partners of the Americas–Trinidad Chapter and under the guidance of Latchman, who was president at the time.

“I had the opportunity to work with and impact the lives of many! He supported and mentored me in all my other societal engagements. He died one month before I left to pursue my Masters, I continue my journey in memory of his legacy.”

Her passion for social issues commenced when she became a volunteer member of the Voice of One Overcomers Club in 2004. This organisation laid the foundation that initiated her calling, and a few years later, her career.

“Through volunteering under his (Figaro’s) leadership, I learnt everything from peer education, resource mobilisation, activism, community engagement, transformational-servant leadership, engaging with multiple stakeholders, everything! He carved the first roadway in my path to fulfilling my destiny.”

In 2006, Dove became a member of the adult rank of the T&T Cadet Force. Through her years of active service (2006 – 2013), this organisation taught her all the world’s lessons.

“While my role as an adult member of the organisation was to mentor and guide young cadets, I too developed holistically as young woman. Work ethic, triumph, failure, success, inner-strength, transformational leadership, discipline and how to be a lady! This organisation gave birth to my understanding of the world, my being as an individual and my feminist activism (unknowingly).

Most importantly, they assisted me in understanding my duty to God and country. Iit was in the midst of these years I developed a true sense of patriotism!”

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #102 on: January 17, 2015, 09:04:09 PM »



Henrietta Frederick – Mother of Parrot Hall

http://www.thetobagonews.com/articles/item/2536-henrietta-frederick-mother-of-parrot-hall

IN the small community of Parrot Hall, which is sandwiched between Englishman’s Bay and Parlatuvier, there are just over one hundred residents, but one of them stands out amongst the others.

The most prominent resident there is Henrietta Frederick and she can be described as an institution in the village, where the main family names are Burris, Edwards, Fredericks and Phillips.

The 86-year-old grandmother, who is known to all as ‘Ms Tilly’, is a respected elder in the village, and the oldest surviving member of the large Burris clan in the community. She explained that her grandmother, who was very fond of her as a child, was called ‘Tilly’ and passed on the name to her as a symbol of her affection.

Her humble home sits atop a ridge with a magnificent view of the bay; it is just a stone’s throw from the spot where she was born as Henrietta Burris on April 6,1928 and attended the Parlatuvier Anglican School. At the age of 13, she was finished with formal education, but had good groundings in the English language and arithmetic; it was then that she began learning to sew. 

In those days, it was imperative that young girls be proficient in housekeeping, which meant the management and maintenance of the home by learning how to clean the house, wash, cook, bake, sew, purchase groceries, pay bills and to generally control the affairs of the home, including the care of the younger siblings.

Frederick showed much promise at an early age, and, in addition to her home duties, she assisted the post mistress at the small Post Office, which also served the villages of L’Anse Fourmi and Bloody Bay. In her teenage years, she left Tobago to seek employment in Trinidad and stayed with her aunt in San Juan. She later found employment as a domestic worker and had some interesting experiences. By far, the most memorable experience was around 1950, when she worked at the home of the brother of Dr. Eric Williams (who later became our country’s first Prime Minister), who was visiting from abroad. They asked her to prepare the typical European-type breakfast for him, but when he raised the kitchen towel and saw the meal he just covered it back.

He called her aside privately and asked her if she could prepare a ‘Tobago ting’ - a breakfast of roasted coconut bake, saltfish buljol, tomato/cucumber salad and lemon/lime drink in two hours' time; she set about the task and pleasantly surprised him, as she had it ready well within an hour. As a true Caribbean man, that was exactly what he longed for, so he requested her to prepare for him a ‘good Tobago pelau’ on the following day, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

In her early 20s, Frederick returned to Tobago to take care of her mother who was ill.

For several years, she was known as the village seamstress and was also employed as a female labourer and first aider, having been trained in first aid by the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade Officers; she was a member of the Mason Hall Branch. She was also a faithful member of the Parlatuvier Village Council, and was honoured for her dedicated service to her community.

Frederick has always loved gardening, which was her basic source of income, and remembers the days when the coastal boats, the SS Trinidad or the SS Tobago docked every fortnight at the bay, as her parents harvested large bunches of Gros Michel bananas, plantains, sweet potatoes, yams and tannia to sell to the traffickers.

Every week, she sets aside time to socialise with her peers at the Senior Citizens’ Activity Centre at Rockly Vale, where they learn dressmaking, embroidery, floral arrangement, shell craft, grow box culture and several other skills. She has produced some elegant pieces of handwork with embroidered decorations and exquisite patterns which she created in between her daily chores.

At church, she plays a key role as Welfare Leader, reaching out to the needy, enhancing the skills of the ladies and organising programmes, such as the ‘Evening of Songs’ which is held in the month of May. She notes, “Tobago needs good leaders”, and advises, “Leave off the worldly pleasures, follow God’s way.”
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« Last Edit: January 25, 2015, 01:21:24 AM by Sando prince »

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #103 on: January 25, 2015, 01:25:48 AM »
Wishing you continued success Mr Defour  :applause:



Trinidadian Chef Hasan Defour opens Caribbean restaurants in Singapore!

http://news.asiaone.com/news/soshiok/tekka-ingredients

Caribbean chef Hasan Defour does not have to go far to source ingredients for his restaurants here.
In fact, he can find all that he needs in Singapore for the Caribbean dishes served at Lime House in Jiak Chuan Road and its sister outlet Lime Deli in Telok Ayer.

He says: "People always ask us how much we import from back home. But everything can be found here. It's just that in Singapore, the ingredients have different names."

The London-based Defour, who runs Caribbean catering company Defour Catering, returns every few months to check on the restaurants and introduce new dishes.

He says that what is called a Kerala banana back home is called a plantain here. Also, the roselle plant is known as Jamaican sorrel.
Life! joins the 37-year-old chef, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago, on a trip to Tekka Market in Little India, one of his favourite places to look for ingredients.

As he walks through the market, he picks up various vegetables and fruits, and asks the shop owners about those unfamiliar to him.
Proving his point about the ingredient name game, he picks up a starfruit and says: "This fruit, we call it five finger back home. You see, it's just names, really."

Upon seeing tapioca, he makes a note to use it for side dishes.
Next, he picks up lemongrass and says that it is not used for cooking back home. Instead, it is used to make tea and drunk as medicine.
He chances upon dried ikan kurau (Malay for threadfin) and buys a packet, as he is hoping to use it as an alternative to salt cod.
But while he has had to substitute certain ingredients here and admits that sweet potatoes in the Caribbean islands have "more intense" flavours, he insists that the Caribbean taste here is not compromised.

He says: "The food doesn't taste different because the process of cooking is Caribbean. Our food is heavily marinated. Jerk chicken is marinated overnight. It is no less flavorsome."

Thyme and coriander, he says, are key ingredients for jerk seasoning, which he also calls "green seasoning" and says that each island has its own version.

He also has a roasted blend of fenugreek, mustard seed, caraway, cumin, chilli and turmeric, which he recommends for rubbing on meats.
Waxing lyrical about the diverse cultures of the Caribbean islands, with their French, Spanish, Indian and Portuguese influences, the chef, who is also a cooking show host, makes sure he showcases that diversity at Lime Deli.

Offerings include curry goat, considered a Trinidadian and Jamaican dish; and Doubles, a common street food from his hometown. It is a fried bread sandwich filled with spicy chickpeas and mango chutney and reflects Indian influences on the islands.

Spicy food is certainly not an issue for him, as he dismisses the local chilli padi as a walk in the park for him.
Naming spicy peppers, he says confidently: "A scotch bonnet will blow off the top of your head. What's hotter? A scorpion pepper. I can eat that too. No problem."

The chef, whose dreadlocks are tied into a bun, attracts attention in the market.
Curious stall owners whispers to Life!: "Is his hair real?" and "How does he wash it?"

A small group of Indian stall owners forms a mini audience as Life! speaks to him in the market. At the end, he releases his bun of hair to a chorus of oohs and aahs.

"I'm used to it," he says with much amusement. "And there is no secret to how I wash my hair. Soap and water, like everyone else."

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #104 on: March 12, 2015, 10:51:20 PM »


Trini wins Commonwealth Youth Award

http://looptt.com/2015/03/10/trini-wins-commonwealth-youth-award/

The announcement was made during the Commonwealth Youth Awards ceremony in London this morning.

Lynch, 27, is a climate change and environmental sustainability advocate, whose work has impacted 15-20 non-profit organisations. She has helped to provide aid to impoverished communities and spearheaded sustainable agriculture projects in several Caribbean Countries.

She is a National Youth Award winner and her eco-friendly, all-natural skin and hair care line ‘Eco-Truffles’ uses sustainable raw materials from rural women producers throughout the Caribbean.

Lynch was chosen from four persons in the Caribbean and Canadian regions who were shortlisted for the prize.

Katherine Ellis, Director of Youth at the Commonwealth Secretariat, said: ‘Young people throughout the Commonwealth are creating and leading projects that have real and tangible impact. The work of our incredible finalists is proof that young people are integrally involved in the process of change, and not simply passive beneficiaries of development.’

The award recognises outstanding young people under 30 whose development projects and programmes have had significant impact on their communities, countries and across the globe. -

The 2015 Commonwealth theme is ‘A Young Commonwealth’. It recognises the capacity, contribution and potential of young people, who form over 60 percent of the Commonwealth’s population, and the vital role they play in nation building.

« Last Edit: March 12, 2015, 10:57:07 PM by Sando prince »

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #105 on: March 18, 2015, 10:34:39 PM »
Congrats young lady :applause:




UN Secretary-General receives winning “climate” artwork by student from Trinidad and Tobago

http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/03/un-secretary-general-receives-winning-climate-artwork-by-student-from-trinidad-and-tobago/#


A vibrant vision of a future powered by the sun painted by 17-year-old Coryse Wright was the winning artwork recently presented to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon by H.E. Eden Charles, Charge d’Affaires a.i. of the UN Mission of Trinidad and Tobago.

The painting by Ms. Wright, a student from Speyside High School in Tobago, was selected from among dozens of entries as the winner of the Bridging Borders through Art Competition run by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Entitled “Solar Cooler”, her picture now hangs proudly in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General at United Nations headquarters in New York.

The Ministry first developed the competition in 2011 to provide an avenue for students to creatively demonstrate their interpretation and understanding of International Relations issues through the medium of art.

Last year’s competition, which took place from 22nd April, 2014 to 29th May 2014, was themed “Climate Change and Sustainable Development”.

Ms. Wright was also the 3rd place winner of the competition in 2012.

The competition is one of the public diplomacy initiatives conducted by the Ministry to increase awareness of its work among the Secondary School population.


UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (right) and H.E. Eden Charles, Charge d’Affaires a.i. of the UN Mission of Trinidad and Tobago (left) inspect the winning painting


The winning painting


Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #106 on: March 18, 2015, 10:51:15 PM »




Pan icon Terry Noel honoured by Queen

http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2015-03-16/pan-icon-terry-noel-honoured-queen


Terry Noel, the longtime Leader of the Melodians Steel Orchestra UK went to Windsor Castle on March 6 this year where Queen Elizabeth II awarded him with an MBE, Member of the Order of the British Empire, for his contribution to steelbands in the UK. It was a fitting honor for a leader in the globalisation of pan.

In December last year, the band also issued their third album, Melodians Magic, the first album in many years. Both serve to recognise a long career in pan education.

Terry and the Queen had a brief conversation and discussed the fact that the Melodians had played for the Queen at her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 as well as three garden parties at Buckingham Palace and eight years ago at the Commonwealth Day Services in Westminster Abbey.

For Terry Noel, it was the best. “It was a fantastic and memorable day. It was nice to know the Queen remembered the Melodians and enjoyed their playing.” The Melodians had a big celebration with friends, family and supporters the next evening and Terry wore his special outfit to play the basses with the band.

From Coryal Village to Arima to London. Terry Noel left Trinidad after being a police officer in the mounted branch and travelled to England to become first a psychiatric nurse and later a youth social worker. He retired after serving over 15 years as a magistrate. But he never was far from pan. He played in the police steel band in Trinidad and in Esso Tripoli.

In England he first formed a group called the Groovers and later after a spell in Trinidad returned to the UK. Noel founded Melodians, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012. He took the name of the Arima band he had just been playing in when he founded the band in London and ever since he has been the one connection between the two bands. All along, he taught pan in public schools in addition to his day job.

Formed in October 1987, the band has received two Performing Rights Society Enterprise Awards, a Royal Anniversary Challenge Award and a BT (British Telecom) Innovation Award. As part of the Making Music Adopt a Composer program, they worked with innovative young composer Neil Luck on a new composition Acirema that was played on BBC Radio 3 in early 2012 and available on Youtube as are several other cuts by the band.

For the last four years, the band has stored its steel drums at Henry Cavendish Primary School in Balham in South London and rehearsed there twice a week. In exchange for housing the drums, Melodians lets the students at the school play the instruments and provides a tutor. The result has been two new members of Melodians who are only 11-years-old.

The band keeps its maximum at 34 members and rehearses weekly on Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon. They are a versatile band performing from weddings and receptions to concerts with an annual Christmas concert. For many years they were sponsored by BT and did their annual Royal Albert Hall Christmas concerts. But for the band, their greatest joy is international travel.

Melodians have been to over 30 countries around the world including Azerbaijan, Australia, North Korea and Russia, becoming a band of choice for British embassies celebrating the Queen’s Birthday. They have become quite popular in doing so and they will travel for the love of spreading the joy of the instrument. When arriving at a country like Zambia, they will always play God Save the Queen but often the local national anthem as well, which has proved quite popular in showing their respect for the country they visit. Their audiences around the world are amazed and delighted to hear their national anthem on pan. Once when they were doing this in Austria, the ambassador got involved and joined them on trumpet. They have also been going to a festival in Turkey and France several times as well.

They have gotten new exposure with their involvement with the famous conceptual artist Jeremy Deller who made them part of a film called English Magic for British exhibit at the 55th Venice International Art Biennale in which they performed three disparate pieces of music chosen by Deller, from a section of a Ralph Vaughan Williams symphony to an acid house piece and David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World. Deller arranged for the band to go to Venice for the premiere of the exhibition and then for the opening of each of the three British locations on the tour of the exhibition.

The band’s new album features the three original recordings done for the English Magic film and recorded at Abbey Road studios plus a variety of selections from pop music by the Beatles, Lionel Ritchie, Boney M, Queen and the French electronica group Daft Punk as well as Brazilian composer Jorge Ben. Two numbers on the album were ones they had featured this fall in a concert in a collaboration performing them with an 80 voice choir called The Big Sing. It had been a long time coming but the recent new exposure caused many requests for the band to record a new album. The arrangements are largely by members of the band. It also includes an arrangement and original by Robert Thompson based in Arima who was active in Melodians here as well as supporting the British group.

• Ray Funk is a retired Alaskan judge who is passionately devoted to calypso, pan and mas.

Offline Bakes

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #107 on: March 27, 2015, 09:49:01 AM »
The hero of Harris Village (Trinidad Express)
...man saves two people from burning house

By Susan Mohammed Multimedia Desk



Story Created: Mar 27, 2015 at 10:23 AM ECT

A South Oropouche man is being credited with saving the lives of two people he pulled from a burning house on Wednesday night.
Amrit Butkoon, of St John’s Trace, said he did not think twice about risking his own safety when he spotted a house on fire on the way to his home.

Butkoon and another man, who did not give his name and did not stay at the scene, rescued 67-year-old Kaloutie Maharaj from her bedroom,
which was already engulfed by flames and smoke. Butkoon also saved Maharaj’s brother, Pundit Baldath Seegobin, and brought him out from the burning house.

When asked by the Express what were his thoughts on his act of bravery, Butkoon was modest.

He told the Express: "I really wasn’t thinking about myself, I was thinking about how people would have lost their lives in a very horrible way. In the hospital last night (Thursday) people kept coming up to me and calling me ‘hero’. I am not sure about that. But I do feel good that I saved somebody.”

Butkoon recalled that at around 8 p.m. he was driving along the Guapo Road, Harris Village when he saw a fire at the house.
He said he would usually see fires there since Seegobin is a pundit, and at times when Hindu prayers are being performed fire is used in the rituals.

“I knew that fire did not look like an ordinary ‘pooja’ when I saw the fire in the roof. I stopped my car in the middle of the road and went in when I realised that the place was on flames, I ran back to my car and parked it and ran back in the house”, he said.

“I ran downstairs and saw the pundit running up and down, frantic. I brought him out in the yard, but then I was still hearing screaming. I ran upstairs. Fire already was by the front door, going straight up to the whole roof. I went inside and the smoke and fire was all over the flooring and the passageway. But I kept hearing the bawling so I went in”, said Butkoon.

He said another man, Prakash Harrinarine, also came into the burning house, but the soles of his feet began to burn and he ran back out.
“I went into a back room and I found the lady curled up with a parrot next to her. Ash and firewood was falling on her, the bed was on fire and the skin from her shoulders and hands already started to burn. I went to her and I realise another guy came in to help. We picked her and the parrot up and the ash we brought them out fast”, said Butkoon.
He said by that time a crowd had gathered outside the burning house, “but everyone was watching, no one was helping”.

He said he ran to a neighbour’s house and got toothpaste wchih he rubbed on minor burns he sustained on his arms and legs, and on the soles of Harrinarine’s feet.

Neighbours called the fire and police officers.

Butkoon then used a water hose and began to douse the flames on the house, until fire tenders from the Siparia Police Station and Oropouche Police Station responded to the scene.

Maharaj was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital where she is warded in the Burns Unit in stable condition.

Harrinarine was also warded at hospital.

A team of officers from the Fire Prevention Unit visited the house yesterday, which was partially destroyed.

Initial investigations suggest that the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault.

“I am just glad to know that she is safe and did not lose her life. If I didn’t stop at that point, I don’t know what would have happened to her”, said Butkoon. “Yes I would do it again.”

Offline Deeks

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #108 on: March 27, 2015, 11:40:11 AM »
Good deeds, Breds!

Offline fishs

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #109 on: April 03, 2015, 08:02:47 AM »
HOME SWEET HOME
By RICHARDSON DHALAI Friday, April 3 2015

PEOPLE who could not walk, the blind, deaf and others with varying disabilities filled a section of the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) where emotions ran high yesterday, as they received keys from government to home sweet homes, specially outfitted for them.

Over 100 differently-abled persons – representing collectively more than 900 years of waiting for government houses – were specially invited to the ceremony which was a continuation of government’s pledge to hand out 100 homes to new owners weekly, under its housing programme.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar, who was the chief celebrant on the occasion, had to navigate through a throng of wheelchairs to hand out keys, even having to walk some distance from the main venue to paraplegic Marcus Ganesh whose physical condition made it impossible for him to leave the vehicle which brought him to the ceremony.

With his eight-year-old daughter by his side in the car , Ganesh in a barely audible voice said, “I feel happy, I feel wonderful...it put a smile on my daughter’s face, on everyone’s face. When people figure the doors closed, God finds a way to open it for you. I went through some terrible things but God is good,” he continued as his daughter, who was peering over his shoulder in the car, held out hope that he would be on his feet again one day.

“My daddy will walk again,” she exclaimed.

Ganesh and the other recipients waited for an accumulated period of 908 years for a place to call their own. And for most recipients, the emotional relief was too much to bear. Corinne Lois Conyette, held onto Persad-Bissessar’s hand as she wept on being presented the keys to her home by the Prime Minister.

In between sobs, Conyette thanked the Prime Minister as well as the HDC saying she waited over a decade for the opportunity to have her own home. “I couldn’t believe it when they came to me and said I had qualified for a house,” she said. “I thought I was forgotten.”

Most of the recipients who were confined to wheelchairs, were visually impaired, blind or deaf were presented with their keys by Persad-Bissessar who, together with Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, left their places on the podium and presented each person with keys to their new homes.

Ganesh, 33, was shot during a robbery at his St Helena home in August 2012 and was left paralysed from the neck down. Two armed bandits stormed his house while Ganesh was with his wife Karen and daughter Emily, and announced a hold-up. The thieves robbed the family of three cellphones and $30.

Police said the two men kept demanding more money and when Ganesh told them that was all the money they had, he was shot twice in the chest. Since he was unable to use a wheelchair yesterday to access the ceremonial site under several tents in the SAPA car park area, Persad-Bissessar made her way to the vehicle which had brought him to the function and presented him with his keys while daughter Emily and wife Karen, 29, looked on.

Another man, paraplegic Felix Jones was also so overcome with emotion that he remained transfixed, staring for several moments at the keys he had just received.

In her address, Persad-Bissessar recalled that when her administration assumed government in 2010, there was “very little support for persons with disabilities.”

“My dream is to create a disability inclusive and sensitive Trinidad and Tobago,” she said adding that Cabinet had mandated that five percent of all HDC homes be allocated to differently-abled persons as well as senior citizens.

In a video presentation produced by the HDC, a number of homes were shown under construction while several others were undergoing remedial work including the construction of remedial ramps leading to the units to accommodate the differently abled.

The Prime Minister also revealed that the HDC would hold a lottery or random draw on April 15 for applicants who were on the HDC’s database. While she did not state how many persons would be selected, the HDC has a database of approximately 200,000.

Also addressing the function, Moonilal said 5,670 citizens had received keys to new homes while a further 7,548 affordable homes would come onto the market over the next two years.

 
 
« Last Edit: April 03, 2015, 08:05:18 AM by fishs »
Ah want de woman on de bass

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #110 on: April 05, 2015, 11:42:44 PM »

Positive!  :beermug:



Trini author serves up Universal Soup

http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2015-04-05/trini-author-serves-universal-soup

Many often say science and philosophy should exist separately, but for author Burt Sinanan these two disciplines are the foundational ingredients intermixed solidly in his book Universal Soup.

Sinanan, 42, a chemical engineer based in London, formally launched his first book—Universial Soup Adventures in Story Collecting at his family’s home in Claxton Bay, last Sunday.

The book, which is self-published, traces the adventures of a young engineer Beni during the course of his career. Beni, through his travels to different places around the world, meets people of different races and cultures whose experiences and his interaction with them changes his view of life.

Sinanan, in an interview with Sunday Guardian before his return to London last week, explained that he always wanted to pen his own book and share the experiences and lessons he learned during his travels.

He explained that as a student in Naparima College he was exposed to various books that piqued his interest in writing, and with the motivation from his former teacher James Lee Wah, he decided that one day he would pursue his passion for writing. Six months ago he turned that passion into a reality.

Sinanan, who dedicated the book to his six-year-old daughter, Surya Belle, said the main character in the book is fictional, but every story is a real experience and is coloured with examples of the various shades of humanity.

“Every single story is true, but it was tied together by a fictional character. It is hard to believe that one person could have all of these extraordinary experiences, but there were many experiences of many different people. I chose to link them and get the best of their experiences and characters and tie them all together,” he said.

The book, which is loaded with historical titbits, some culinary gems and dashes of Trini humour, is a welcome addition to any local literary addict.

Sinanan said he needed to communicate his experiences to people all around him and the best way he could have done was through stories.

“It was to educate and entertain at the same time. So the book took a spin using science—which is my background—and the all-round part of me— the humanities—and try to merge it into one.

“We have covered so many real aspects of what human experiences are supposed to be and that is what is important to me the human experiences. Too often now people are sitting in their offices or sitting in their homes and the aspire for one thing and it is my humble view that is not a complete view, that is not life,” he said.

Essentially the book, he said, is “the process of meeting people and capturing experiences of mine and other people that is so broad and touching.”

Sinanan said that it would be “difficult and unfair” to choose one story or character as his favourite.

However he admitted that the female lead character, Beni’s Argentine love interest Fernandina, struck a cord in his heart.

“The trials and tribulations she went through and the strength she was gaining from her own experiences which were different. But she was to her counterpart (Beni) a love interest and when they went their separate ways, like any good love story, they got back together and understood that they have formed the complete circle of the rainbow. Most people do not know that a rainbow is a circle part of which is only visible above surface,” Sinanan explained.

The book, he said, is definitely a journey in many senses.

“I still try to bridge that gap between philosophy and science. There is a connection there and you cannot separate it from your own life, your roots and it is part of you and probably moulding you into some creature that you do not know who you are or who you are going to be it cannot be separated. It is like a love/hate relationship,” Sinanan said.

Sinanan, who is also an artist, did paintings of scenes related to each story and included it as an additional section in the book.

The book, he said, took him six months to produce and is also available on Amazon Kindle.

He said his second book is almost complete and will be launched in the coming months.

The new book, he said, will be a journal of his daughter’s adventures of her travels with him around the world. He is also planning to publish a book of poems.


Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #111 on: May 02, 2015, 12:52:04 AM »



‘LA Times’ led by Trini wins Pulitzer honours


http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/LA-Times-led-by-Trini-wins-Pulitzer-honours-301634261.html

\\\\\los angeles
 
The Los Angeles Times, led by Tri­nidad-born Davan Maharaj, has won two Pulitzer Prizes, American journalism’s top honour, for its coverage of California’s drought and for cultural criticism.
Staff writer Diana Marcum won the feature writing prize for her narrative portraits of farmers, fieldworkers and other Californi­ans in drought-stricken towns in the Central Valley.
Mary McNamara, Times’ television critic and cultural editor, won the prize for criticism.
Times editor Davan Maharaj said the prizes, announced on Monday at Columbia University, spoke to the newspaper’s resiliency and commitment to excellence after years of adversity that inclu­ded bankruptcy, lay-offs and changes in ownership.
“Through it all, the staff’s dedication to producing the highest-quality journalism and serving our community has been inspiring and sustaining,” he said.
The Times has now won a total of 43 Pulitzer Prizes.
Marcum, who is based in Fresno, California, wrote piercingly throughout 2014 about the finan­cial and emotional toll of the drought in California’s agricultural heartland.
In one story from her winning package, she profiled 68-year-old Fred Lujan, a “gentleman farmer” in the town of Terra Bella who, she wrote, “called his pistachio trees his babies, his girls, and gave them names”.
As the drought stretched into its third year, the local irrigation district sealed off his water meter. “How am I supposed to just sit here and watch everything turn brown and die?” Lujan asked.
A former columnist for the Fresno Bee, Marcum became a staff writer for The Times in 2011—an ambition she said she had harboured since elementary school— after freelancing for the paper off and on for years.
‘Binge-watching has
become the new sex’
 
McNamara was honoured for 2014 columns on the death of Joan Rivers, Stephen Colbert’s departure from Comedy Central, the media circus attending the Sochi Olympics and myriad television shows.
She often ranged beyond television to examine broader cultural trends and controversies, including the debate about the role onscreen sexism might play in real-world violence.
“To argue that entertainment does not impact culture is absurd,” she wrote. “Hollywood doesn’t get to take credit for breaking ground with films such as Philadelphia and shows like Will & Grace or, for that matter, Girls, only to wash its hands of more destructive attitudes.”
In a column celebrating the diversity of such non-cable shows as Fox’s Sleepy Hollow, she wondered why “prestige” cable had not shown similar progress in “embracing the rainbow”.
And in a column exploring the joys of the series House of Cards, she noted Netflix released season two on Valentine’s Day, adding: “Binge-watching has become the new sex.”
McNamara joined The Times in 1990, and covered the film industry for four years before becoming a tel­-
evision critic eight years ago. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 2013 and again in 2014, and is the author of the novels Oscar Season and The Starlet.
Other awards
 
Also on Monday, Times staff writer Richard Marosi and photo­journalist Don Bartletti were named Pulitzer finalists in international reporting for the series “Product of Mexico”, which explored the harsh working conditions at export farms across Mexico.
“Because of their series, milli­ons of Mexicans will have better lives,” Maharaj said.
Marosi was a Pulitzer finalist in international reporting in 2013 for his stories on the plight of immigrants deported from the US to Mexico.
Bartletti, a Times photo­journa­list since 1984, won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography for photo essays about young Cen­tral American migrants.
The Times was also a finalist for breaking news for coverage of the Isla Vista shooting rampage. The staff mobilised reporters in the middle of the night to cover a deadly spree near the campus of UC Santa Barbara that left seven dead, including the killer, and wounding 13.
The Daily Breeze of Torrance won the Pulitzer for local reporting for the newspaper’s investigation of the Centinela Valley Union High School District. Pulitzer judges cited the paper’s “enquiry into widespread corruption in a small, cash-strapped school district, including impressive use of the paper’s website”.
—LA Times

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #112 on: May 31, 2015, 09:49:57 PM »

Trini Fashion Stylist gets Spotlight on BBC




'Hijabistas': Hidaya Mohamad and Naballah Chi

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02rmj93?ocid=socialflow_twitter

Naballah Chi is a 25-year-old fashion blogger, model and hijab stylist from Trinidad & Tobago. Her blog celebrates colourful clothes inspired by her Caribbean island home, but it also addresses the concerns and questions of her followers. Naballah has worn the hijab since kindergarten, but as an aspiring model she acknowledges that keeping the commitment can be a struggle and describes the guilt she felt when she removed it to take part in a beauty pageant.

Hidaya Mohamad is a Javanese-Malaysian graduate student in Japan and feels she looks "like an alien" being the only hijabi on campus. Her philosophy is that if you're going to get noticed, you should wear good clothes and have fun. She is a student of foreign affairs and a fashionista with her own style blog, who says the hijab enables her to control who sees her body, "it liberates me .... but it does not define me."

(Photo: Hidaya Mohamed and Naballah Chi. Credits: Ryuuzaki Julio and Luis Young)

Presenter: Kim Chakanetsa


Offline Bitter

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Re: good things
« Reply #114 on: June 15, 2015, 03:36:09 PM »
Elections in full gear.
Bitter is a supercalifragilistic tic-tac-pro

Offline maxg

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Re: good things
« Reply #115 on: June 15, 2015, 04:37:55 PM »
Elections in full gear.
would have thought so, but at least it's completed projects and not addtl promises

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #116 on: June 16, 2015, 06:19:16 AM »

Trinidadian breaks world record: limbos under SUV




http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20150615/news/trinidadian-breaks-world-record-limbos-under-suv

HOW low can you go?

For Trinidad-born Shemika Charles also known as the Limbo Queen very, very low.

She has just broken a world-record by becoming the first person to ever limbo under a car in the United States, the Metro UK reported online on Monday.

The 22-year-old first landed a spot in the Guinness World Records in 2010 when she limboed down to eight and a half inches, an unbeaten record.

Charles' mother Sherrie Charles is also a limbo dancer in Trinidad and Tobago and said her daughter received her flexibility from her.

The younger Charles is now touring the United States with her family and has a session with her chiropractor once a week to keep her in tip top shape. She began her limbo career at age 14.

Her trainer is her uncle Bob who proudly sports a Trinidad and Tobago jersey in a video about Charles' unusual talents posted online.

After limboing under the red SUV, an ecstatic Charles, sporting a tight-fighting pink and black outfit said: "I wanna do it again."

Sport Minister Brent Sancho said he knew of the individual but did not know she was able to make another record.

He said: “That is a remarkable feat that shows her dedication for the culture. She has a passion to go for more and I hope she continues to keep the Trinidad and Tobago flag flying high."


Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #117 on: June 18, 2015, 08:42:23 AM »

Trinidadian breaks world record: limbos under SUV




http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20150615/news/trinidadian-breaks-world-record-limbos-under-suv

HOW low can you go?

For Trinidad-born Shemika Charles also known as the Limbo Queen very, very low.

She has just broken a world-record by becoming the first person to ever limbo under a car in the United States, the Metro UK reported online on Monday.

The 22-year-old first landed a spot in the Guinness World Records in 2010 when she limboed down to eight and a half inches, an unbeaten record.

Charles' mother Sherrie Charles is also a limbo dancer in Trinidad and Tobago and said her daughter received her flexibility from her.

The younger Charles is now touring the United States with her family and has a session with her chiropractor once a week to keep her in tip top shape. She began her limbo career at age 14.

Her trainer is her uncle Bob who proudly sports a Trinidad and Tobago jersey in a video about Charles' unusual talents posted online.

After limboing under the red SUV, an ecstatic Charles, sporting a tight-fighting pink and black outfit said: "I wanna do it again."

Sport Minister Brent Sancho said he knew of the individual but did not know she was able to make another record.

He said: “That is a remarkable feat that shows her dedication for the culture. She has a passion to go for more and I hope she continues to keep the Trinidad and Tobago flag flying high."



<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/tqI4NKLhhvU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/tqI4NKLhhvU</a>


Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #118 on: June 26, 2015, 06:24:06 PM »
Good news to me. A nice gesture.


Penny gets her Street

...Commissiong-Chow: It's a wonderful idea



http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20150626/features/penny-gets-her-street

I think its a wonderful idea. This was the response yesterday from former Miss Universe Janelle Penny Commissiong-Chow to the news that the Port of Spain City Corporation intended to add her name to the already existing Queen Street.

Port of Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee made this announcement yesterday at the Statutory Meeting at City Hall, Knox Street, Port of Spain.

Tim Kee said originally an aircraft was named after her after she won the title in the Dominican Republic. But he felt it was important to honour her for having brought renown to T&T as the first black Miss Universe and the first woman of colour to have won the coveted title.

Tim Kee said: I am sure there will be some longevity on the street. She grew up on Oxford Street, Port of Spain. She has done something that has stood out.?

Via a telephone interview yesterday, Commissiong-Chow said: ?In another three weeks, I would be celebrating 36 years of having won the crown (July 16, 1977). I am extremely pleased. It is quite an honour.

Reminiscing on her childhood, she said: ?I was born on Duke Street and grew up on Oxford Street. My backyard was Memorial Park. That's where we played. Port of Spain was suburban. Oxford Street was nice. There were nice little small houses. There was a lot of culture around. There was the famous masman Harold Saldenah. In the back of Oxford Street, there was a lot of culture. Port of Spain was a great city and a great area for growing up.

She added: My family were very happy at the news. They are very happy with this pronouncement. My Oxford Street posse was very happy.

Commissiong-Chow also thanked Tim Kee and the Corporation for the honour in naming a bustling city street after her.

Quote
About Penny
She is a Trinidadian beauty queen, who migrated to the United States at the age of 13, and returned to Trinidad and Tobago ten years later.

In New York City, she studied fashion at the Fashion Institute of Technology, but returned to Port of Spain in 1976. The following year, Commissiong won the Miss Trinidad and Tobago title, and she went on to be crowned Miss Universe 1977 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She was elected Miss Photogenic four days before the final, becoming the first black woman to win the award in Miss Universe history.

On July 16, in the National Theatre of Santo Domingo, Commissiong was crowned Miss Universe, attracting international attention as the first black winner of Miss Universe. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20150626/features/penny-gets-her-street

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Positive vibes, good news thread!
« Reply #119 on: June 26, 2015, 06:28:19 PM »
Nice., keep striving  :beermug:

Tennessa Lawrence: Making a mark in law

TENNESSA Ebony Lawrence nee Fraser is an exemplary Tobagonian young lady who is going places.



TOBAGO- A graduate of the St. Andrew's Anglican Primary School and Bishop's High School, Lawrence completed her secondary school education at the University of the West Indies School of Continuing Studies at Signal Hill. She then went on to read for a Law Degree from the University of London External Programme through the Academy of Tertiary Studies in Trinidad. 


She completed her journey to becoming an Attorney at Law at the Hugh Wooding Law School.


Lawrence was a member of the Interschool Christian Fellowship (ISCF) in secondary school and credits this group with reinforcing her character traits of honesty and integrity. “Through ISCF my peers and my teachers held me to a higher standard,” she says. Professing Christianity openly meant that she had to live up to the standards of the faith. Her public speaking skills were also developed by the fact that she had to make regular announcements with respect to meetings of the ISCF at school assembly.


Lawrence explains her reasons for becoming an Attorney at Law. “I always wanted to be a voice for the voiceless; to articulate and advocate the needs of others,” she said.

With respect to travelling, Lawrence thinks that she has not done enough, and her ambition is to visit every Caribbean island, as well as Europe. These visits are part of her agenda for the future.


She is the daughter of Yolande “Pompey” Fraser and Melver Fraser. Of her parents she said, "My parents taught me that I should study hard, remain humble and be content in whatever state I am.” She is delighted at the fact that she has made her parents proud, since they made many sacrifices to ensure she achieved success. She is still very close to her parents and they both assist in her current work as a lawyer.


Professionally, her role models are Ian Benjamin, Attorney at Law and former High Court Judge and as an inspiring example of marriage and family life, Oswald and Rhea George.


Lawrence says that for relaxation she binge watches her favourite television programmes. Currently she is into season four of the Good Wife.


When asked what advice she would give to young people, Lawrence repeats what her mother told her on several occasions when she was a teenager, “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight; for they, while their companions slept were toiling upward in the night”; a quote from the American poet and educator, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.


With respect to Tobago, Lawrence points out that there are many issues that need to be addressed, especially if the island aspires to full autonomy. 


A major issue is the workforce, and she believes that the island needs an efficient and proactive workforce so that it can move forward. However, she has no desire to live elsewhere.


Lawrence has been the wife of ‘her best friend’, Garnet Lawrence for two-and-a-half years. “I unashamedly profess my love for my husband wherever I go…because I believe the superb quality of our marriage is directly linked to the man that I married,” she said. “Marriage is honourable, marriage is enjoyable and marriage must be Christ centred.”

The funding for her tertiary education was provided primarily by her parents. She was also assisted by the Tobago House of Assembly, her church (the Wesleyan Holiness Church at Cinnamon Hill) and her husband. In the next five years, Lawrence is looking forward to being a mother, continuing to be happily married, as well as running a successful law practice.

- See more at: http://thetobagonews.bugsi-designs.com/newsline/index.php/features/on-the-rise/item/1019-tennessa-lawrence-making-a-mark-in-law#sthash.nglV9C99.dpuf

 

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