Shadow Minister for Education Teachers' Appreciation Address
Let me say that I believe in the truism “you can judge a community by how highly it values its teachers.”
Teachers are responsible for molding and shaping not only the hearts and minds of our children who depend on you for guidance in our difficult, fast paced, temptation filled world but also this country’s future citizens. More than ever, young people need the direction and the leadership that can be provided by teachers. You can light a fire of learning in our children which will burn for a lifetime.
I am sure we can all remember a teacher who had a significant impact on our lives; perhaps more than one.
So it is only right that we should have a Teachers' Appreciation Day, a day to recognize and celebrate the important contributions of our teachers.
But perhaps we should do more than pat our teachers on the back once a year; perhaps we should provide a more tangible measure of our appreciation.
Now, I understand that it is easy to play to the crowd and it is easy to talk about money when you are not in a position to have to find it. But I do believe- and I think the recent incident at CHHS underlines this fact - that we risk grave dangers if we do not invest in the infrastructure of education. I do not mean just buildings, I mean the people who teach our children, those persons who have been charged with the truly awesome responsibility of educating our citizens.
All governments and political parties will say that education is high on their priorities, but for some reason that never seems to translate to money.
We need a new covenant between teachers, government and the public. If we want our children to go to good schools taught by energetic enthusiastic teachers we are going to have to pay for it.
So teachers you can count on me. As Shadow Minister of Education, I will champion the cause to improve your pay and conditions of service as well as infrastructural needs. You have my 100% support on that.
So, if you are fortunate enough to find yourself in the role of a teacher, accept my hearty congratulations and a profound word of thanks. Remember that God honors your profession just as surely as He offers His loving abundance to you and your students. With God’s help you are destined to reshape the future of our nation.
So, let me leave you with a quote “Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best.” -- Bob Talber
Teachers, thank you for teaching our children what counts.
Hon. Josephine Connolly
Shadow Minister for Education
Peoples' Democratic Movement
EU Housing Project Invites Bids for Design and Construction of Homes
The European Union Housing Project has issued an invitation to Contractors in the TCI and the Caribbean to tender for the Design and Build of new low cost homes for residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands who have still not recovered from the 2008 Hurricanes, Hanna and Ike.
The Disaster Recovery Board which oversees the project is hoping to attract bids that will see innovative approaches to constructing low cost housing.
“We are looking for design and construction which incorporate energy saving approaches such as the use of solar water heating; and designs which take advantage of the constant breeze in the TCI to keep the new homes cool” says Project Manager Sue Breetzke. “The Beneficiaries are persons with low incomes, so we are looking not only at the design and construction costs but also at any cost of living savings to the person who will live in that home.”
This is the third tender to be advertised by the Project with the two previous contracts for repairs to damaged homes scheduled to commence by the end of March.
In all 124 applicants were deemed eligible for funding. Categorised into four priority groups, the most vulnerable applicants will receive help first. The total number of homes to be built will depend on the costs of the construction.
For more information on the tender please contact the EU Housing Project office on 649-338-3509.
Police - 'Do not get caught with stolen goods'
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force are reminding the public that purchasing property from unlicensed individuals can be unwise, particularly now with the number of stolen items on the streets.
Police Public Relations Officer Audley Astwood is advising the TCI public to ask questions first and do some inquiries before making any questionable purchases.
"Burglars are interested in cash and are anxious to get stolen items off their hands. Do not get caught with stolen goods. When electronic items are traced or shut down through the technology now available, it will be your loss.
"In addition, a person could be charged for handling stolen goods if found in possession of stolen items, whether it be jewellery or electronic items, even if it seems like a legitimate purchase. Maximum penalty for this offense is 14 years," he said.
Police are asking persons to be on the lookout for anyone selling jewellery, flat screen TVs, laptops and smartphones. These are some of the type of items that were mainly stolen in burglaries over the last several weeks.
Persons who want to make inquiries on items that may be stolen can contact the Criminal Investigation Department by calling 941-4448 extension 81843 or 81837
Persons can also contact any Police station or post throughout the Turks & Caicos Islands if they suspect someone of selling stolen items.
Chicken Pox cases in Grand Turk Primary School
Four children from the Ona Glinton Primary School in Grand Turk were seen with Chicken Pox by the Ministry of Health Primary Health Care Department on 3rd March 2014.
Chickenpox is a very contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). It causes a blister-like rash, itching, tiredness, and fever. Chickenpox can be serious, especially in babies, adults, and people with weakened immune systems. It spreads easily from infected people to others who have never had chickenpox or received the chickenpox vaccine. Chickenpox spreads in the air through coughing or sneezing. It can also be spread by touching or breathing in the virus particles that come from chickenpox blisters.
There are several things that can be done at home to help relieve the symptoms and prevent skin infections. Calamine lotion may help relieve some of the itching. Keeping fingernails trimmed short may help prevent skin infections caused by scratching blisters. Acetaminophen or Panadol can be used to help relieve fever from chickenpox.
The general advice is that all children suspected or diagnosed with Chicken Pox are seen by the doctor and sent home on sick leave until they are well.
The Environmental Health Officer for Grand Turk visited the school this morning Monday March 3, 2014. The Principal of the affected school is following the prescribed protocol of ensuring that children are sent home and only return to school when the doctor gives a medical certificate to state that they are well enough to return to school.
Unfortunately this is the time of year when we experience outbreaks of Chicken Pox in TCI and the region, but the general thought from PAHO (the Pan American Health Organization) is that the number of cases seen in TCI does not warrant immunization against the disease, also it may be better for children to develop natural immunity to the disease.
Residents are reminded to listen to RTC for tips & further updates on these cases.
NIB takes Businesses to Court for non-payment
The National Insurance Board has taken a few business persons to court over the non payment of contributions here in the Turks & Caicos Islands.
The following NIB matters were heard in the Providenciales Magistrates Court # 2 at IGA Complex, Leeward Highway.
NIB v Lofton Morley for failing to pay national insurance contributions and additional charges in the amount of US $31,915.85 for the period September 2009 to December 2009 and August 2010 to March 2011. There were 16 complaints laid against the defendant in this matter and guilty pleas were entered in respect of 14 of those complaints. Sentencing in this matter was deferred to March 12, 2014.
The trial of the matter NIB v Lofton Morley on an application for Judgment Summons following the defendant’s default on a court order to pay the National Insurance Board the amount of US $37,788.24 was concluded. The defendant was ordered to pay the debt in installments of US $500.00 per month commencing March 31, 2014 and continuing each month until the debt is extinguished.
Also, on Friday February 21st 2014, Defendant Coleta Williams of Whole Gospel Christian Acadamy appeared in the Providenciales Magistrate’s Court to answer to a Distress Warrant filed by the NIB for the levying of $224,008.40. The matter was adjourned for 9:00AM Friday September 19th 2014.
Then on Friday February 21st 2014, Defendants Terrence Astwood and Wayne Higgs of BAT Security were scheduled to appear in the Providenciales Magistrate’s Court to answer to a Distress Warrant filed by the NIB for the levying of $6,025.00. The defendants failed to appear. A warrant was issued for the defendant’s arrest.
Defendants Joanne and Manuel Hernandez of Hernandez Construction, who appeared in the Providenciales Magistrate’s Court to answer to a Distress Warrant filed by the NIB for the levying of $47,526.69. The matter was adjourned for 9:00AM Monday April 7th 2014 pending settlement.
Separately, Defendants Dwaine and Denver Pratt of Chrystal Pools Services appeared in the Providenciales Magistrate’s Court to answer to a Distress Warrant filed by the NIB for the levying of $15,593.40. An order was made for the Defendants to pay to NIB $15,593.40 in monthly installments of $500.00 commencing February 28th. The matter was adjourned for 9:00AM Wednesday June 11th 2014.
The final case heard on Friday February 21st 2014 included Defendant Arlene Jennings formerly of Horse-eye Jack Restaurant and Bar was scheduled to appear in the Providenciales Magistrate’s Court to answer to a Distress Warrant filed by the NIB for the levying of $5,627.79. The matter was adjourned for 9:00AM Wednesday June 11th 2014 pending settlement.
CARICOM and Canada Assist Suriname to Incorporate Regional Integration and the CSME into School Curricula
Approximately four hundred teachers in Suriname will be trained on the operations of the Caribbean Community and CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). The sessions begin on Monday 3 March, 2014 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Paramaribo and will run until 24 March, 2014. The activity in Suriname falls under the CARICOM Trade and Competitiveness Project (CTCP) and its Information Flows component. The CTCP is executed by the CARICOM Secretariat with the assistance of Canada.
The teachers are selected from all Junior High Schools throughout Suriname and they will be exposed to presentations focusing on integrating CARICOM and the CSME into the subjects of Geography, History and other social sciences. The presentations will be made by the Suriname Ministries responsible for Trade and Education and are based on booklets and documents developed by the CARICOM Secretariat. The Department for Curricula Development in the Ministry of Education will play a pivotal role in ensuring the facilitation of the training.
The activity is part of the CARICOM Secretariat’s efforts to create and enhance information channels to enable increased participation of CARICOM stakeholders in decision making on regional integration. Suriname decided that teacher training and curricula development were priority areas for the Dutch speaking South American CARICOM Member State.
Other CARICOM Member States participating in the CSME are also benefiting from the CTCP. However Suriname is the first to implement an activity relating to improving its information flows for the CSME. Other Member States have also requested teacher training and the development of other information channels under the CTCP.
Venezuela on the brink
The sound of banging pots began well before dawn. Out on the streets of Caracas on February 24, the barricades were going up across the south and east of the Venezuelan capital. Tree trunks, blocks of concrete, burning tires and smoldering trash brought traffic to a halt. In some areas demonstrators slicked the road surface with oil or spread spikes to keep away government forces.
It was the same picture in other big cities across Venezuela this week. With impressive co-ordination, opposition radicals were sending a message to President Nicolás Maduro: Beatings, bullets and tear gas will not deter us. “Look, this is a sacrifice,” says a barricade-builder in San Cristóbal in the southwestern border state of Táchira, where the protests began three weeks ago and tensions are highest. “It doesn’t matter if it takes a month, two months, three months. We have to get rid of this government.”
The protests started because of anger over violent crime, inflation and shortages of food, medicines and other basic goods, but the authorities’ harsh treatment of demonstrators has fuelled the rage. More than a dozen people have been killed since the regime’s response turned violent on February 12, half shot in the head.
Most of the deaths have been at the hands of security forces or civilian gunmen backing the government: On February 26 the authorities announced that seven members of the intelligence services have been charged with murder. The Venezuelan Penal Forum, a human-rights group, says that it has documented 18 cases of torture among the hundreds of detainees. More than 500 complaints about abuses remain to be investigated. Dozens of amateur videos show an excessive use of force on the streets.
Moderate leaders of the opposition Democratic Unity alliance are struggling to control the radicals, whose figurehead, Leopoldo López, has been in custody since February 18. On February 22 former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, governor of Miranda state, told a mass rally in the capital that there were “millions of reasons to protest,” but that for protesters to barricade themselves in their own districts played into the government’s hands. That call has fallen on deaf ears.
There are signs of fracture within government ranks too. The official line of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela is that the opposition is trying to mount a “fascist coup.” A “truth commission” has been proposed to investigate “violence promoted by far-right groups.”
Nonetheless, Capriles’ calls for the authorities to cease repression and to free political prisoners were echoed on February 24 by José Gregorio Vielma Mora, a Socialist who is governor of Táchira state. Vielma acknowledged abuses and said that the economic crisis was behind the protests.
Although Vielma later retracted these comments, presumably under pressure from the government, his words were the first public evidence of tensions within the regime. They were all the more significant because the governor, a retired military officer, took part in the 1992 coup attempt by the late Hugo Chávez, founder and “eternal leader” of the Socialists, and is highly regarded by many former comrades.
Meanwhile the country’s economic woes worsen. In an effort to blunt the impact of the protests, Maduro decreed that this Carnival weekend—which coincides with the so-called “Caracazo” of 1989, when economic hardship led to days of looting and a massacre by the army—would begin on February 27, two days earlier than scheduled. With many offices and stores already closed because of the protests, an extended holiday will exacerbate pervasive shortages.
Extreme economic hardship is just around the corner in Venezuela, and with it the likelihood that anger against the regime will spread.
Source-Guardian Media
Absolut Karnival Takes Carnival by Storm in Trinidad and Tobago
Absolut is proud to announce that the world-renowned vodka will be unveiling its newest flavor and bottle, Absolut Karnival, at one of the world's most prominent carnival celebrations in Trinidad and Tobago. The passion fruit and orange blossom-flavored limited edition Absolut Karnival will capture the transformative energy of Carnival.
Inspired by carnival and launched in a big way, Absolut will be participating, or "playing mas" as it is known locally, in Port of Spain for the first time with the bottle's exclusively designed characters. The Absolut Karnival Cocktail truck that features the distinct shape of the Absolut bottle will be strutting down the parade route with one of the island's most revered bands, Harts.
The alignment with Harts joins one of the island's most premium bands with the premium vodka brand. The family owned band that has been around for more than 50 years and has won Carnival five times is welcoming the Absolut Karnival Cocktail truck for the first time.
Absolut unveils the newest Karnival bottle design, featuring artwork by the Brazilian graphic novel artist and writer Rafael Grampa. The five characters symbolize freedom, spirit, smoothness, style and happiness; elements that are vital to the joy and celebration of carnival.
All five characters, along with stilt walkers, will be playing mas on Carnival Monday, March 3 and Tuesday, March 4 with "masqueraders" and Absolut personnel will be handing out complimentary samples.
Look for the Absolut Karnival Cocktail truck playing mas with Harts and get your taste of Karnival.
The Absolut Company has the worldwide responsibility for the production, innovation and strategic marketing of Absolut Vodka, Malibu, Kahlua, Wyborowa, Luksusowa and Fris. Absolut Vodka is the world's fourth largest premium spirits brand. Every bottle of Absolut Vodka is produced in Åhus, southern Sweden. Malibu is the number one rum-based coconut spirit in the world, sold in more than 150 countries. Kahlua coffee liqueur is the world leader in its category. The head office is located in Stockholm, Sweden. The Absolut Company is a part of Pernod Ricard, which holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector.
Source-PRNewswire
3.6-magnitude quake felt in northeast region
A 3.6-magnitude quake was felt Friday night at 9:14 PM local time in the northeast region, about 19 kilometers west-southwest of Sabana de La Mar, and 70 kilometers northeast of Santo Domingo, at a depth of 22 kilometers.
According to the United States Geological Survey, there were reports of light shaking centered in the south of the country but there were no reports of damage or injuries.
Machel retains Power Soca Monarch
Defending Power Soca Monarch king Machel Montano retained his title despite getting stiff challenges from Hollice "Mr Kill@" Mapp, Neil Iwer George and Destra Garcia at the 2014 International Soca Monarch competition at the National Stadium in Port of Spain on Friday.
The Carnival showpiece, dubbed "Fantastic Friday", saw Montano used a host of dancers, including break dancers, and less props as he's renowned for in his presentation of "Ministry Of The Road."
Clad in a yellow suit and black tie, Montano was able to energise the crowd as his dancers went through a high intensity routine while a member of his supporting cast attempted to smash up a piece of road, the one noticeable prop used, with a sledgehammer.
Mr Kill@, who was considered a serious contender to dethrone Montano, finished in a historic three-way tie for second with Destra Garcia and Neil Iwer George.
During the performing of his immensely popular "Rolly Polly", the Grenadian soca artiste did a handstand on the back of two of his rolly polly dancers before introducing his major prop, a rolly polly machine.
He had a slim young lady enter the machine to be subsequently transformed into a 'Rolly Polly' woman, almost four times her original size.
Iwer, as usual, showed he still possessed the uncanny ability to get the crowd to respond to his every urging while delivering "Mama Oye" while Garcia gave a polished performance of her 2014 hit "Mash Up."
But they were unable to remove the king off his Power throne.
In the Groovy category, however, Kerwin Du Bois was able to accomplish what the others failed to do - dethrone Montano.
Du Bois' "Too Real" proved to be too groovy for Montano's "Happiest Man Alive" as he won the approval of the judges and the crowd.
Montano took second with "Big People Party" securing third position for Darryl "Farmer Nappy" Henry and Garcia rounding out the top four with "First Time."
Results
Power Soca Monarch
1. Machel Montano - :Ministry Of The Road"
2. Hollice "Mr Kill@" Mapp - "Rolly Polly"
2. Neil Iwer George - "Mama Oye"
2. Destra Garcia - "Mash Up"
Groovy Soca Monarch
1. Kerwin Du Bois - "Too Real"
2. Machel Montano - "Happiest Man Alive"
3. Darryl "Farmer Nappy" Henry - "Big People Party"
4. Destra Garcia - "First Time"
Source-Trinidad Express