THE TURKS & CAICOS NATIONAL WOMEM's TEAM BONDED BEFORE DEPARTURE
The Turks and Caicos Islands Women’s National Football Team, in setting out to defy the odds, held a Team Bonding Session at the Offices of the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA) on Thursday, August 24th.
Key presenters were Candace Hanchell, TCIFA Vice President and Chairman of Women’s Football, and Samantha Clark, who grew up playing soccer in Wisconsin and then became a player in the TCIFA’s women’s programme upon relocating to Turks & Caicos. The one-day session provided a fun team atmosphere where players were encouraged to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and develop their problem-solving skills through interactive team-bonding games and exercises. The Players expressed an appreciation of the Workshop and reflected that the experience will go a far way in improving their relationship both and off the field.
“It is of vital importance that we continue to cultivate a more effective and collaborative team.
The concept of teamwork is extremely important to the success of all partnerships. Teamwork means working together as a unit, providing clear expectations, improving open and positive communication, building trust, and contributing to player motivation. Unhealthy and negative occurrences and relationships can cause conflict between members, and can interfere with the unit’s performance.
The team-bonding workshop provided a great avenue to enhance these attributes. Participation was at its peak as players interacted with each other and embraced the experience. We look forward to seeing the wholeness of the team transferred onto the football pitch. We are very grateful to Mrs. Samantha Clark who assisted with facilitating this workshop,” said Ms. Hanchell.
Ms. Clark added, “Soccer is a pretty influential sport in my life. I am so pleased to be a part of something so wonderful here in TCI. My goal is to be a role model for young women wanting to succeed in soccer, which in turn sets them up for future life goals.”
The Women’s National team is scheduled to play two International Friendly Games against the Barbados Women’s National Team on September 1 and 3, 2017.
The Games will be held at the Barbados Football Association’s Turf Field in Wildey, Barbados and we here at RTC Sports, Sports Watch and football fans wishes the ladies all the best .
THE 21st TURKS AND CAICOS POST CABINET MEETING HELD IN GRAND TURK
His Excellency the Governor, Dr John Freeman, chaired the 21st meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, 30 August 2017, at the N J S Francis Building on Grand Turk.
All Ministers were present.
At this meeting Cabinet:
Received a presentation by Mr. Justine Pierre of Dunn, Pierre, Barnett and Associates on the outcome of the National Skills Audit and Migration Survey consultancy. Cabinet thanked Mr. Pierre for the extensive work that had gone into the audit and survey and would reflect on the recommendations in his report;
Advised His Excellency the Governor to approve the first registration of approximately 0.14 acres of accreted Crown Land lying seaward of Parcel 60804/6 on Providenciales and to grant a long-term 99 year lease to Mansfield Hotels Ltd over that parcel of land for the purpose of regularizing its occupation of that land. Cabinet called on the Crown Land Unit to prepare a policy on accreted land as a matter of priority;
Advised His Excellency the Governor to grant a long-term lease to the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Library Services over Crown Land Parcel 61113/268 at Long Bay Hills, Providenciales, for the development of a public primary school in accordance with the Crown Land Ordinance subject to an environmental impact assessment being carried and other environmental considerations being met;
Advised His Excellency the Governor to approve the allocation of Crown Land Parcels in Block 10403 at East Suburbs on Grand Turk to successful applicants who filed applications under the Grand Turk Residential Land Allocation Scheme GDT002 in accordance with the Crown Land Ordinance;
Noted the financial performance of the TCI Statutory Bodies for the period April-June 2017 as submitted in the First Quarter Financial Report for the Financial Year 2017/18 and approved the publication of the report as required by Section 147 of the Public Financial Management Regulations 2014. Cabinet expressed concern about the financial position and management of some of the Statutory Bodies;
· Noted the financial performance of the TCI Government for the period April-June 2017 as submitted in the First Quarter Financial Report and approved the publication of the report as required by Section 36 of the Public Finance Management Ordinance 2012;
· Received an information paper from the Hon. Premier, as Minister of Finance, Trade and Investment, up-dating Cabinet on the status of the loan portfolio purchased from TOLCO which was formerly managed by Invest TCI;
Approved MSME concession orders to North Win Unites and Bayside Estate to operate vacation rentals in Grand Turk and North Caicos respectively in accordance with the MSME Development Ordinance 2015;
Advised His Excellency the Governor to revoke the appointment of Mrs Natasha Hall as Secretary of the Immigration Appeals Tribunal with effect from 30 August 2017 and to appoint Mrs Lillian Gibbs, a civil servant attached to the Employment Services Department, as her replacement with effect from 31 August 2017 in accordance with the Immigration Ordinance 2015;
· Advised His Excellency the Governor to approve the extension with immediate effect of appointments to the TCI Health Practitioners Board for a period of one year in accordance with the Health Practitioners Ordinance to the following:
Dr. Nadia Astwood, Chairman/Ex-Officio Member
Dr. Dionne Lightbourne, Member
Mrs. Audrey Ewing, Member
Mr. Shanwell Gardiner, Member
Dr. Kendra Gardiner-Hall, Member
· Endorsed a proposal by the Hon. Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Library Services to designate the Long Bay High School on Providenciales as a junior high school for students in Forms 1-3 and the Clement Howell High School on Providenciales as a senior high school for students in Forms 4-5 on the condition, as confirmed by the Hon. Premier, as Minister of Finance, that the re-designation incurred no additional costs;
· Received an up-date from the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs on the refurbishment and other works being undertaken at HM Prison on Grand Turk;
· Received an up-date from the Hon. Premier, as Minister of Finance, on the latest financial position of the National Health Insurance Board (NHIB) including on measures to increase revenue inflows to the NHIB. The Hon. Minister of Health up-dated Cabinet on steps being taken to arrest expenditure by the NHIB. Cabinet agreed on measures to be taken to address the management problems at the NHIB.
Further information on these matters will be provided by Ministers in due course.
2017 Junior Park Wardens Celebrates 17th year Program
The Junior Park Warden (JPW) Program is in its 17th year, teaching the youth about the Turks and Caicos Islands Environment. This year was no exception as a total of 32 participants, aged between 10 and 17, were given an opportunity to explore and discover pressing environmental issues in The Turks and Caicos Islands.
Every year, the Department of Environment & Coastal Resources partners with the Pine Cay Project to deliver a fun-filled and highly sort after summer program, focusing on environmental conservation and practical learning.
"It is important that youth, the leaders of tomorrow understand the natural heritage of the islands, the benefits received from it and how it can be managed to keep TCI beautiful by nature. I would like to thank all DECR staff involved in the JPW, as well as our partners and sponsors who have worked to make the JPW a success for over 17 years," said Ethan Griesbach, DECR's Acting Director.
This year's theme, "Ecosystems" was selected so as to teach participants about the country's beautiful biodiversity and the ecosystems that comprise the natural heritage of the islands. Participants in the JPW Program 2017 learned what an ecosystem is and how it operates. These concepts were illustrated through practical interactions with the local environment.
This was achieved through directly interacting with various ecosystems, such as coral reefs, mangroves and coastal forests and shrub, providing participants with an understanding of the challenges ecosystems face when no longer in balance. In addition, each day introduced students to a sub theme such as sustainable tourism, sustainable development, the DECR roles and responsibilities, National Park and Fishing laws and regulations, and potential careers in Environmental Studies / Sciences and the Maritime Industry. The JPW Program consisted of two, one-week programs, with activities limited to Providenciales.
For the past seventeen years the JPW Program has been sponsored by The Pine Cay Project and facilitated by DECR. This year's PADI Discover SCUBA Dive (DSD) component was sponsored by Provo Turtle Divers, who sponsored a total of 3 participants.
Barbados health project used for global initiative to reduce heart disease
A senior official of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says a pilot project at two polyclinics, which was aimed at improving blood pressure control in primary health care, has been so successful that the results have informed a global initiative to reduce ill health and premature death due to heart disease and stroke.
Deputy Chief of the Global Non-Communicable Disease branch of the CDC, Dr Lorna English, said that based on the positive results from the Barbados pilot, the evidence-based tools and practices that were promoted and demonstrated by the project had been integrated into technical packages of a programme called the Global Hearts Initiative.
She said that the tools developed for the technical packages reflected lessons learned in Barbados and that key elements included standardised, evidence-based treatment protocols; team-based care; registries for patient monitoring, and evaluation.
The Ministry of Health here collaborated with the CDC, The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the University of the West Indies and Healthy Caribbean Coalition to execute the Barbados Global Standardized Hypertension Treatment Project at the Winston Scott and Edgar Cochrane Polyclinics.
“Barbados and the PAHO region are global leaders in moving this work forward. It is no surprise that many other countries throughout the world are interested in applying the same simple and cost-effective approach,” the CDC official noted.
Health Minister John Boyce said the project would eventually be rolled out in all nine polyclinics.
He said that hypertension was the most common non-communicable disease (NCD) in Barbados with more than 40 000 adults affected with an estimated 20 000 attending polyclinics for management of the disease.
Boyce said that the project involved the use of quality hypertension pharmaceuticals, training of health care professionals in hypertension management, the integrated use of health information systems, clinical audits and “an empowered patient”.
“The protocol produced has led to some positive changes in prescribing habits of our primary care physicians, better blood pressure control among clients and a more engaged patient,” Boyce said, adding that the continued success of the programme would require commitment from primary care physicians, nurses, medical records officers, dieticians and clients.
He said a viable programme would also require a health information system that could streamline care with the ability to analyse and predict service use.
“I am happy to report that the health information system known as Med-Data is now functional in all of our polyclinics with modules currently being added for maternal and child health,' Boyce added.
Source-CMC
Superstar Serena Williams reportedly in labour
Pregnant tennis superstar Serena Williams was in labour at a Florida clinic on Friday, US media reported, prompting an outpouring of goodwill messages for the charismatic former world number one.
Williams, who will turn 36 later this month, was admitted Wednesday to St Mary's Medical Center, which shut down an entire floor to provide security for the megastar, the local CBS affiliate said.
The network also said the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion -- who revealed she was pregnant in April -- was induced overnight.
"We're sending all our love and best wishes to @serenawilliams, who has reportedly gone into labor," the US Tennis Association wrote on Twitter.
The US Open -- where Serena's elder sister Venus is due to play Friday -- also sent words of support.
"#HelloSeptember and soon to be hello to a new baby! Sending our best wishes to @serenawilliams who is reportedly in labor!," the tournament wrote.
Williams and her fiance, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, have said they plan to keep the sex of the baby a surprise until birth.
Williams has vowed to return to competitive tennis in January, to defend her Australian Open title, which she won while newly pregnant.
Her spokespeople were not immediately available for comment on the reports.
Source-AFP
Tyler Perry donating $1 million to Harvey relief efforts
Tyler Perry is the latest celebrity to be donating big bucks to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.
Perry announced in a video posted to his Facebook page on Thursday that he's donating $1 million to relief efforts, a quarter of which will be going to Joel Osteen‘s Lakewood Church.
The Houston mega-church pastor was criticized for not initially opening the doors of his church to people seeking storm shelter, though this week Osteen told Good Morning America the church's doors were open to people seeking refuge as soon as flood waters around the church had receded enough so that entry into the building, which holds 16,000 people, was safe.
“I know that there’s been some controversy about Joel Osteen and him not opening the doors of the church,” Perry said in his Facebook video. “Joel and Victoria are amazing people — there’s no way that they would lock people out of the church or not let people seek shelter.”
“There were some safety concerns, and I spoke to them on the phone, and it all made perfect sense to me,” Perry continued. “So, before you just run and judge someone real quick, you need to know the whole circumstances.”
Perry also is donating $250,000 to Beyoncé’s pastor, Rudy Rasmus, who the Houston Chronicle has reported is working with the singer's foundation on relief efforts.
Source-ABC
Flava Flav tweets about lawsuit, says he "loves" Chuck D and says they "will fix it"
Earlier this week, it was reported by several media outlets that Public Enemy group mates Flavor Flav and Chuck D were allegedly at odds because of a lawsuit Flav filed against Chuck. However, Flav tweeted on Thursday that he holds bears Chuck no ill will.
He wrote, "#ATTENTION EVERYONE!! this is Flavor Flav speaking himself,,,,I love my partner Chuck D everyone so don't get it twisted,, we will fix it !!FF."
According to TMZ, Flavor Flav is suing Chuck and several Public Enemy producers because "he hasn't seen a royalty check in several years," although he "co-wrote more than 50" Public Enemy tracks.
Flav also claims that his voice and image were "used without his consent" on Public Enemy's "Nothing is Quick in the Desert" -- released in June -- and that he never received money from the toy company that created Public Enemy action figures. He's reportedly blaming producer Gary G-Wiz for the toy company offense, since he was the one who allegedly made that deal.
Chuck, on the other hand, told TMZ that Flav "took a wrong road" with his lawsuit and that the rapper is just simply "peeved about a third party merchandiser and the way the record biz now works."
However, Chuck's not angry enough to hold a grudge against Flav -- he told TMZ, "We will be [together] on a future stage."
Source-ABC
2017 Grammy Salute to Music Legends
A PBS special featuring highlights of the Grammy Salute to Music Legends concert will premiere Friday, October 13, at 9 p.m. as part of the network's Great Performances series.
The show, which celebrated the Recording Academy's 2017 Special Merit Award winners, took place July 11 at New York's Beacon Theatre. It featured musical tributes to Lifetime Achievement Award honorees Nina Simone, Shirley Caesar, country legend Charley Pride, jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal and Sly Stone.
Grammy-nominated singer Andra Day performed Simone's 1964 song "Mississippi Goddam," while Kirk Franklin and Le'Andria Johnson sang a medley of Caesar's "You Name It," "It's Alright, It's OK, You're Next in Line For a Miracle" and "Satan, We're Gonna Tear Your Kingdom Down." Shirley also appeared onstage to sing her songs "Caught Up" and "Jesus, I Love Calling Your Name."
Other artists at the show included Charlie Wilson, Valerie Simpson and Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid -- all performing an homage to Sly Stone -- plus Dionne Warwick and ex-Stylistics singer Russell Tompkins Jr.
Other honorees celebrated at the event included country singer Jimmie Rodgers, pioneering rock band The Velvet Underground, "Philly Soul" architect Thom Bell and record executives Mo Ostin and Ralph S. Peer.
Here are the honorees featured on the Grammy Salute to Music Legends special, followed by the performers saluting them:
Thom Bell
"You Make Me Feel Brand New" -- Russell Thompkins Jr.
"Then Came You" -- Dionne Warwick
Ahmad Jamal
"But Not for Me"/"Ahmad's Blues"/"Poinciana" -- Stanley Cowell
Nina Simone
"Mississippi Goddam" -- Andra Day
Jimmie Rodgers
"Hobo Bill's Last Ride"/"Mule Skinner Blues"/"T for Texas" -- Dwight Yoakam
Ralph S. Peer
"Crazy Blues" -- Catherine Russell
"The Great Pretender" -- Russell Thompkins Jr.
"Georgia on My Mind" -- Andra Day
The Velvet Underground
"I'm Waiting for the Man"/"Sunday Morning" -- John Cale Band with Maureen "Moe" Tucker
Shirley Caesar
Medley: "You Name It"/"It's Alright, It's OK"/"You're Next in Line for a Miracle"/"Satan, We're Going to Tear Your Kingdom Down" -- Kirk Franklin with Le'Andria Johnson
"Caught Up"/"Jesus, I Love Calling Your Name" -- Shirley Caesar
Mo Ostin
"A Few Words in Defense of Our Country"/"I Think It's Going to Rain Today" -- Randy Newman
Charley Pride
"Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone" -- Neal McCoy
"Kiss an Angel Good Morning" -- Charley Pride
Sly Stone
"I Want to Take You Higher"/"Everybody Is a Star"/"Sex Machine"/"Dance to the Music" -- Charlie Wilson, Valerie Simpson, Vernon Reid
Source-ABC
Amazon faces lawsuit over 'faulty' eclipse glasses
A US couple have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Amazon, claiming they sustained eye injuries from solar eclipse glasses purchased on the site.
Corey Payne and Kayla Harris said they experienced headaches and vision impairment after using the glasses to watch the US eclipse on 21 August.
Amazon said it issued a recall on potentially hazardous eclipse glasses on 10 August.
The couple claimed they were not informed of the recall.
Legal documents filed by the pair say the warning was "tragically too little, too late".
Amazon has declined to comment on the lawsuit, which was filed in a federal court in South Carolina on Tuesday.
The online retailer claimed it emailed customers issuing a recall of certain solar eclipse glasses products that it was unable to verify as having been manufactured by reputable companies.
However, Amazon did not disclose the scale of the recall or list the affected vendors.
When it issued the recall, it said it did not name specific brands or products, because some suppliers were selling legitimate versions of eclipse glasses.
The couple said that they did not look into the sky without wearing the glasses to view the first total solar eclipse to cross the North American continent from ocean to ocean since 1918.
Several hours after viewing the eclipse, the pair said they experienced headaches and eye watering.
Over the following days, they then developed vision impairment including blurriness and distorted vision.
The couple are seeking to represent other customers who also claim they did not receive a warning from Amazon and suffered similar injuries from using defective eclipse glasses.
The pair want Amazon to pay for the medical cost of monitoring peoples' eyes to see how much damage, if any, has occurred.
In the run-up to the solar eclipse, experts warned people never to look directly at the Sun with the naked eye.
Nasa scientists warned against using homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, because these glasses would transmit thousands of times too much sunlight for the eyes to handle.
Instead, they advised people to obtain special eclipse glasses from the American Astronomical Society (AAS)'s list of Reputable Vendors of Solar Filters & Viewers.
Source-BBC
Hurricane Harvey hit the US economy hard
The costs of the deadly storm in Texas and the Gulf of Mexico have continued to mount, with Texas authorities estimating it at $125bn (£97bn).
Hurricane Harvey has killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
While the rain has shifted away from Houston, the US's fourth largest city, much remains underwater. The state of Texas is one of the US's main economic engines.
Many firms in the region, a major transport hub that is a home to the oil and gas industry, don't know when they will resume normal operations.
The storm struck at the heart of America's oil and gas industry, knocking a third of all US production offline, closing refineries around the Gulf Coast, and causing major pipelines that move fuel to other markets to shut.
Petrol prices, which increased in anticipation of the storm, are expected to continue to rise, despite additional shipments from overseas. In Texas, shortages at stations in some areas have been reported.
Mansfield Oil Company, a wholesale gas supplier, is trying to bolster its supplies by bringing in fuel by lorry and rail - even ships, depending on the market.
Companies are trying to figure out when they can restart operations.
Colonial Pipeline said it expected to re-open its Houston line by Sunday, but other firms said they didn't know when normal operations would resume.
"Given the unprecedented flooding in the city of Port Arthur, it remains uncertain how quickly the flood waters will recede, so we cannot provide a timeline for restart at this time," said Motiva, which runs one of the biggest refineries. "Our priority remains the safety of our employees and community."
Moody's expects costs to businesses to total $10bn-$15bn, with additional infrastructure costs rising as high as $10bn.
Some damage was already evident.
Fires from organic peroxides were reported at the Crosby plant of chemical company Arkema and more were expected, after flooding overwhelmed the firm's back-up generators and refrigerators designed to keep the materials cool.
The plant was six feet underwater, the company said.
Shutdowns of other facilities have led to releases of pollutants, while water has overwhelmed Houston's sewers. The structural integrity of reservoirs is also being monitored, the White House said.
Source-BBC