MIND your backs!
That’s a phrase you’ll be hearing a lot at the TCI hospitals in Provo and Grand Turk.
A group of InterHealth Canada TC staff have successfully completed a high level Manual Handling Key Trainer course.
The eight participants, whose roles vary from physiotherapists to engineering assistants, are now fully-qualified to advice colleagues on the correct way to lift, push, pull and carry in the workplace.
Head of education at InterHealth Canada TC, Linda Gill, explained: ‘Firstly congratulations to the eight members of staff who took part.
“Being qualified means they are now able to support their colleagues in any given manual handling task.
“This means any job that requires pushing, pulling, carrying or lifting has to be assessed, planned and operated efficiently and effectively, but most of all safely.
“It’s an approach that affects every single member of staff throughout the hospital from lifting a ream of photocopying paper or moving a patient from one place to another.”
Group tutor was Jan Crawford from Centaur Training, based in the UK.
“Jan is a leading authority when it comes to manual handling and we were very lucky to have her here”, added Mrs Gill.
“Again it underlines our commitment to provide the very best qualified staff here in the TCI.”
The successful candidates were Kadesha Fletcher, Constance McLaughlin, Pheona Brown, Onia Jackson, Stephen McDonnell, Natoy Dilworth, Nicki Mullins and Peggy Samuels
Rebecca Bird
Tune into The Indie Hour every Tuesday evening at 8pm to listen to some of the world’s best indie music.
Throughout the show you’ll hear a host of classic alternative tracks and loads of brand new music too.
Enjoy The Arcade Fire, The Killers, Kings of Leon, Oasis, Jamie T, Radiohead, The Naked and Famous, Passion Pit, The Streets and much more!
And every week you have the chance to win big prizes with a fantastic listeners’ competition.
Hit up Radio Turks and Caicos on 107.7fm or stream it live on www.rtc107fm.com
You can also listen to any past shows any time on www.tindeck.com/users/theindiehour
Send your suggestions, requests and competition answers to beccaradio@gmail.com
The show is brought to you by Rebecca Bird, also known as host DJ Becca.
Becca, a newspaper journalist of six years, grew up in the UK with a huge passion for music.
“There is nothing I love more than the feeling that races through your body when you hear a great track for the first time,” she said.
“The buzz is like no other – it’s like a drug for me. I’m addicted to new music!”
While living in Manchester in England Becca could often be found at local gigs checking out, photographing and interviewing bands.
But a search for sun, sea and sand led her away from the indie music scene to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Three years later during a short trip back to the UK Becca realised that something major had been missing from her paradise island life - the tunes.
So she made a decision that if she could not go to the music, she’d bring it right here to the TCI, and The Indie Hour was born.
Oil prices hit fresh highs on supply worries
Oil prices have hit new two-and-a-half year highs as worries continue about unrest in oil producing nations in north Africa and the Middle East.
The price of Brent crude settled up $2.36 at $121.06, after earlier reaching $121.29.
US light, sweet crude rose 53 cents $108.47, the highest close since September 2008.
Hopes of stronger growth in the US and supply problems in western Africa have also helped to push oil prices higher.
"Oil workers in Gabon have gone on strike again today which has hit production," said Joel Hanley, managing editor at Platts.
"As a result the refineries are looking for barrels that currently aren't there and it's all pushing up the oil price."
Supply fears
Production by Libya, which is the world's 17th largest oil producer, with a 2% market share, has been almost completely shut down by the conflict there.
There were also reports on Monday that Libyan rebels were advancing towards the oil town of Brega in renewed fighting in the east of the country.
"In the short term, oil prices look very well supported," said Carsten Fritsch, analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt.
"The general market sentiment is positive, but we still feel that prices will come down later this year once the supply fears have dissipated."
Opec
Iran's oil minister also added to the pressure on oil prices by playing down the need for an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) to discuss whether to increase supply.
Iran currently holds the rotating presidency of Opec, which produces about 40% of world crude.
The organisation is not due to convene to discuss oil production until 2 June 2011, when its 12 member states will meet in Vienna, Austria.
Kuwait, one of the member countries, has said it believes the price of oil should be lower.
Farouk al-Zanki, chief executive of Kuwait Petroleum Corp, the country's state oil company, has been quoted as saying $90 to $100 a barrel would be "the fair price" for crude.
Spain's jobless level hits record high
The number of Spanish people filing for unemployment benefits rose for its eighth consecutive month in March.
The benefit claimant count rose by 34,406 people, to a new record of 4.3 million, the Labour Ministry said.
Spain's total jobless rate is released separately every three months, and includes those not claiming benefits.
In February this number stood at 4.7 million people, about 20.5% of the population, and more than twice the eurozone average.
Spain's government has imposed tough austerity measures to reduce its debts, and does not expect the economy to start creating jobs until the end of the year at the earliest.
The March data showed the services sector, which makes up around 70% of the country's economy, saw the highest number of layoffs.
There was some relief for the embattled construction sector, which saw its unemployment level fall 4.4%.
"The fact that (overall unemployment) rose again despite indicators showing a cyclical recovery in Spain clouds the outlook for the economy and does not bode well for demand," said Silvio Peruzzo, economist at Royal Bank of Scotland.
Youth unemployment remained a critical problem, with 12,830 lay-offs in March hitting people under 25 years old.
European Union data showed that youth unemployment in Spain was 43.5% in February.
Australia posts trade deficit as disasters hit exports
Australia has posted a shock trade deficit for the month of February as twin natural disasters dented the country's exports.
According to the latest data, the trade deficit stood at A$205m ($212m; £131m), the first deficit in 11 months.
Analysts were expecting a trade surplus of close to A$950m.
The Australian states of Queensland and Victoria were hit by floods and a cyclone in January and February.
The states are home to some of Australia's most resource rich areas. As a result there has been a sharp fall in shipments of metals and minerals, with exports in the sector down by 8%.
Overall Australia's exports slid 2% in February to A$22.8bn.
Meanwhile, imports rose by 5% to A$23bn. The surge in imports was mainly due to a 26% jump in fuels and lubricants.
Despite the surprising trade deficit, the overall outlook for Australia's exporters remains upbeat.
Increasing demand from emerging economies coupled with rising commodity prices mean that profits at some of Australia's biggest commodity exporters will continue to be robust.
Reserve Bank of Australia's index of Commodity Prices has surged more than 55% in the first three months of the year.
It now stands 41% higher than in March of last year. Analysts say the affect of this can be already seen.
"The outlook for trade remains very strong, with high commodity prices underpinning miners' plans for huge investment spending," said Brian Redican of Macquarie.
Last week BHP Billiton said it will invest $9.5bn to expand its iron ore and coal operations in Australia. The company has planned an $80bn expansion over the next five years.
Analysts expect Australian companies to invest as much as A$160bn to expand their operations in the country this year.
Connecticut Wins
Connecticut's Alex Oriakhi and the rest of his frontcourt mates led the Huskies to their third national title by succeeding where so many teams have failed: They bullied Butler.
Oriakhi shook off first-half foul trouble to finish with 11 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks as UConn dominated the overmatched Bulldogs in an emphatic, if not exactly crowd-pleasing, 53-41 victory.
UConn outscored the Bulldogs 26-2 in the lane while holding Butler to the worst shooting performance in title game history. The Bulldogs made 12-of-64 shots, many of the misses from in close the Huskies either swatted or altered with their considerable reach.
Butler scraped its way to a second straight national title game behind a gritty defense and a methodical offense that never seemed to get rattled or intimidated on the big stage.
Not this time.
Oriakhi, Charles Okwandu, Roscoe Smith and Tyler Olander swarmed Butler in the lane.
Butler's only basket in the lane came on a lay-up by Andrew Smith with 6:13 to play. It drew a roar from the decidedly pro-Butler crowd, but by then the Bulldogs trailed 41-30.
Smith was 2 of 9 from the floor and star Matt Howard's only field goal was a 3-pointer in the first half. He managed seven points and missed all seven of his shots from inside the 3-point arc.
Butler appeared to have a chance when Oriakhi trudged off the floor with 10:26 to play in the first half after collecting his second foul.
The Bulldogs took a 22-19 lead into the break and the lead stretched to six on a 3-pointer by Chase Stigall moments into the second half.
It would be Butler's last push. Oriakhi and company stepped up the defensive pressure while Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb provided the offense.
The Bulldogs went through two long stretches without a basket in the second half. Shots that had fallen so often over the last two years rolled off the rim, if they got to the rim at all.
WICB considering performance pay
WEST INDIES Cricket Board Chief Executive Officer Dr Ernest Hilaire revealed that performance related pay for cricketers is being considered by his organsiation as they seek to motivate players to improve.
“With regard to performance related pay the board is currently discussing different models for the compensation of players. A decision will be made shortly. Of course we recognise the need for us to provide greater incentives to the players to perform. You will see, moving forward, the board will propose to WIPA and to the players that there is a very strong component of performance related pay,” he said.
Hilaire noted that it has been a challenge with certain players to come to an agreement with regards to their participation in the Indian Premier League. He revealed that discussions have taken place with Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Chris Gayle but the conversations with the latter have not been what they expected.
“We said to the players that we don’t want to be in a fight with you. It makes no sense for us to have players who we’re forcing to play for West Indies. We won’t get performance, we won’t get commitment.
We’ve tried to explain to the players about representing West Indies and the necessity to do it and the importance of it. We can always decide that we will pick you and see what happens – whether you perform or not it’s up to you and your conscience and your commitment. But we do not think that is the best way to go about it so we have tried to speak to the players about it,” he said,
“We’ve had discussions with Kieron Pollard about his own aspirations, his development, where he wants to go with his game and what his own plans are and we’ve understood his own thoughts. And we’re going to try to work with him to ensure he remains a valuable resource to West Indies cricket.
“We’ve spoken to Dwayne Bravo about his own plans and intentions. We’ve had some very frank and engaging discussions on the matter and we will see how best we can accommodate the players. With Chris Gayle it has not been a productive discussion and therefore it is a little more difficult for me to make any pronouncements as it relates to Chris.
“But we are open to discussing with players what their plans and objectives are and how best we can accommodate them within the commitment that they must also play for country and to represent West Indies cricket,” he explained.
He pointed out that there has been an agreement with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that international cricket gets the priority which all must respect.
“The BCCI has agreed that it will only allow players to play in the IPL if they are not chosen to represent their country in international matches. So as long as WICB selects a player, no IPL franchise will let that player play. So when players were told don’t sign your (WICB retainer) contract because it means you can go to IPL they were being misled.
If they don’t sign contracts and we select them, the franchise will not let them play. They can decide they are not playing for West Indies but even then they still cannot play in the IPL because we would have selected them to play for West Indies,” he said.
Dawes, Russell move Jamaica closer
Jason Dawes and Andre Russell enhanced Jamaica's chances of reaching the final of the WICB Regional first-class championship after their batsmen, led by Wavell Hinds, piled-up the runs against Trinidad and Tobago yesterday.
Dawes snared two wickets for 28 runs from 11 overs, and West Indies fast bowler Russell collected two for 49 from 10 overs, as T&T, replying to Jamaica's record first-innings total of 664, reached 198 for four at the close on the third day of their semi-final at the UWI Sports & Physical Education Complex.
The Jamaicans have not had it all their way, with T&T captain Daren Ganga striking seven fours in an unbeaten 69 from 141 balls in a little over 3 1/2 hours.
Out-of-favour West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin was not out on 49, and Daren's younger brother, Sherwin, supported with 42.
Jamaica, starting the day on 574 for seven, chose to bat until they were dismissed for their highest total in the modern regional first-class championship (1966 onwards) about half-hour after lunch.
Ironically, Jamaica's previous highest total in this competition was 563 for nine declared against the same opponents 34 years ago at Jarrett Park in their homeland.
Hinds anchored them to the landmark with resolute batting to finish with 165. He struck 15 fours and one six from 280 balls in just over 6 1/2 hours.
Unimaginative batting from the tail-enders ensured that the T&T bowlers would hardly finish with flattering figures, but off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth was the most successful with three for 115 from 47.4 overs.
The start of play was delayed by 15 minutes, following a discussion between match referee Hayden Bruce, the elder Ganga, T&T manager Omar Khan, Jamaica captain Tamar Lambert, and Jamaica coach Gus Logie concerning the determination of the qualification rule for the final in case the match ends in a no-result on Monday.
In the end, it was determined in such a case that the qualifier will be the team which gained more points from the head-to-head clash between the two sides in the league phase, which means that Jamaica are highly favoured in this regard.
Hinds then proceeded to add 75 for the eighth wicket with Andre Russell, who was bowled by West Indies World Cup teammate Ravi Rampaul for 27.
But neither Odean Brown nor Dawes passed 20, as the Jamaicans continued to rub salt into T&T's wounds.
Janet Jackson to Attend AIDS Charity Event in Vienna
Janet Jackson is booked to attend the annual AIDS charity event Life Ball, to be held May 21 in Vienna — 30 years after the disease was first discovered, organizers announced today.
Jackson will be present in her capacity as representative of the Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR).
“HIV/AIDS is a pandemic which requires our immediate and continued attention,” the singer says in a statement.
“Combination therapy has made HIV a maintainable disease, but sadly, there is still no cure and it continues to spread at alarming rates. HIV/AIDS is a continuing hazard, both in the Unites States and abroad.”
The Life Ball is held annually by AIDS LIFE, an independent non-profit organization that raises funds for people living with HIV.
Last year, the ball generated $ 2.1 million for AIDS charities.
Idris Elba to Open Health Clinic in Sierra Leone
British actor Idris Elba is planning to open a healthcare clinic in Sierra Leone to provide support for sick families in his father’s homeland.
The actor was born in England to African parents and admits he’s “embarrassed” he’s never visited his father’s birthplace or his mother’s hometown in Ghana. So he’s putting together plans to boost healthcare in Sierra Leone by teaming up with a cousin to fund a medical unit in the country – and he’s even considering helping the region’s arts industry.
“It’s embarrassing. I have to go. There are plans, serious plans! I can’t wait,” Elba tells Britain’s Observer Magazine. “I want to go to Sierra Leone with something – whether it’s some sort of contribution to healthcare, or to the entertainment industry. My cousin is a nurse; we are talking about opening a clinic.
“I would really like to open a studio in Sierra Leone. It’s a country that can actually house and look like many parts of the world. If I could somehow encourage a film community to use Sierra Leone as the studio in West Africa to make films there, that would be really cool.”
Next up for Elba – the role of Heimdal in Marvel Studios’ “Thor,” due in theaters May 6.