The Meteorological Service has advised through its 9:30 am Information Bulletin that during the last twelve (12) hours, Trinidad and Tobago would have experienced some heavy and thundery showers. This is expected to continue intermittently throughout the country for the next three (3) to four (4) hours before any obvious signs of improvement.

As a consequence of these showers, street / flash flooding with accompanying gusty winds can be expected in areas of the heavy showers / thundershowers. In this vein, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) is advising citizens to review their preparedness measures such as storing and protecting valuables and relocating to areas that are not normally affected by flash flooding.

The ODPM has already alerted the first responder agencies and other critical agencies have also been notified should there be a need to render immediate assistance.

The ODPM continues to reiterate that Trinidad and Tobago is now actively in the period of heightened hydro-meteorological activity and therefore, persons are to remain vigilant and take the necessary measures to safeguard their families and valuables.

The situation is being monitored and the public will be advised accordingly.

Steelpan lovers are in for a treat this weekend as NAPA Fest resumes with a concert production entitled: “Genesis in Steel” with the National Steel Symphony Orchestra (NSSO) lead by renowned and well respected Jessel Murray. The concert which will be held at NAPA, comprises a packed programme, and will feature, among other things, the revolutionary ‘G’ Pan.

Other acts will include Classical Orchestras, the UWI Arts Chorale, Lletesha Sylvester, Kizzy Ruiz and other popular guest artistes, Latin and Calypso Orchestras with traditional folk music from David Ruddder, Sparrow, the late Aldwyn Roberts and Jit Samaroo. Showtime is at 7:30 pm on Saturday May 15th and 6:30 pm on May 16th.

The National Steel Symphony Orchestra was formed in December 2007 and is administered by the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs. The ensemble is composed of auditioned players, many of whom are University trained and who represent the best combination of technique and literacy among steelband players in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Community Development Division of the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs is pleased to launch the 2010 version of its Handicraft Development Skills Training Programme. This programme is being offered to interested members of the public free of charge. Persons desirous of entry into this series of programmes should apply at any one of the Community Development District offices located nationwide.

Registration has started and closes on Friday May 14, 2010. Classes will commence from Monday May 17, 2010 an will be held at community centres, civic centres, churches and other stated venues for the period of approximately three months.
Some of the courses being offered to ommunities include:

-Balloon Decoration/Artistry;

-Floral making and arranging;

-Soft Furnishings;

-Wedding décor and planning;

-Natural Jewellery making;

-Crochet;

-Mehendi Art;

-Glass Painting;

-Woodcarving;

-Tie-Dye and batik;

-Hats and Bag Making; and

- Airbrushpainting

This Programme is just one of the many programmes hosted by the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs as this Ministry seeks to champion the two developmental pillars of Vision 2020: ‘Developing Innovative People’ and ‘Nurturing a Caring Society’.

-------------------------------------------------
CREDITS:
- Story by Natalie Walters
- Photo by Sir Mervs

The speculation is over. Dunga gave the list of the 23 footballers summoned to play at the World Cup in South Africa and left out were the very experienced players Adriano, Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos, as well as del Santos Neymar and Ganso.

The surprise inclusion was Grafite of Germany's Wolfsburg who Dunga tried out in February in a friendly against Ireland. The Brazilian coach decided not to yet divulge a parallel list of seven substitute players.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) opted to announce these after a news conference by the coach so as not to fuel media speculation.

With 31 days before the start of World Cup 2010 in South Africa, Wayne Rooney's health is of great concern to Fabio Capello and all of England. And so it will be until everyone sees the Manchester United forward once again among the 11 players to grace the field on June 12, 2010 when England opens its World Cup campaign playing the United States in Rustenburg, South Africa.

Yesterday, the English goal scorer had to leave the field after 22 minutes into the second half with an injury, apparently near the groin. It was his team's last game of the Premier League, which it won 4-0 against Stoke City.

Rooney will recuperate in time for the game so that he can play with the English team that will go to the World Cup in South Africa, Manchester United official Mike Phelan was quoted as saying. He will be fine. All concerns can dissipate, he said.

Manchester United Coach Alex Ferguson said he was confident that Rooney's state was nothing to worry about. He said Rooney aggravated a past leg injury but that it was nothing serious. He will be fine in time to play for England at the World Cup 2010 in South Africa, he assured the media.

The Office of the President of Trinidad and Tobago wishes to refer to the headline which appeared at page 6 in The Daily Express newspaper of Wednesday 5th May, 2010 – “President ‘guilty’…of delay in filling Integrity Commission posts.”

For the sake of clarity and in order to put the headline in a proper context, the Office states as follows:

The matter before the courts was the claim by Mr. Devant Maharaj, head of the Indo-Trinbago Equality Council (ITEC) in his constitutional motion against the State that “his right to the protection of the law under Section 4 (b) of the Constitution has been violated by the delay in the appointment of the Integrity Commission.”

In the judgment handed down on Tuesday 4th May, 2010, High Court Judge, Mr. Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh said inter alia “while I am also mindful that delay in conducting investigations can lead to prejudice to the proper determination of a complaint, I do not think that there is sufficient evidence before me to come to the conclusion that the appointed Integrity Commission on account of the delay in this case will be unable to deal properly with the issues, make a proper judgment or give the benefit sought by Mr. Maharaj…..Looking at the complaints, I think that a fair investigation is still very possible. I also think proper conclusions and action can follow.

I do not find therefore that there has been a breach of protection of the law clause in this case, even though I find there has been unreasonable delay in the appointment of the Integrity Commission. The declarations sought are accordingly refused and the claim dismissed.”(Emphasis added).

It should be of interest to note that the word “guilty” does not appear anywhere in the judgment.

Japan's Kama Chinen who was the world's oldest lady according to the book of Guinness World Records has died at 114 years old.

As water levels at the nation’s reservoirs continue to be low, the Water and Sewerage Authority is reminding the public that current water conservation rules remain in effect across the country, despite the recent increase in rainfall.

Here are some steps you can take to save water:

- Don’t leave the tap running while washing dishes, fill your kitchen sink instead

- Use a broom instead of the hose to clean your driveway

- Don’t defrost foods with running water. Place frozen items in the refrigerator overnight or use the defrost setting on the microwave

- Shorten your showers to between 3 to 5 minutes

- Turn off the water while you brush your teeth

- Use less soap when washing and cleaning, since more soap requires more water to rinse

- Fix leaking faucets and plumbing. A small drip from a faucet can waste as much as 20 gallons of water a day

- When using your washing machine, wash only full loads

- Use laundry rinse water for wetting plants

- Use a bucket instead of a hose to wash your car

- Repair leaking toilets. Add some food colouring to the water in the tank. If colour appears in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak

- Water plants during early morning hours or at night when temperatures are cooler, this reduces evaporation

- Install float valves in your water tanks to ensure that existing valves are working properly. Float valves shut off the water supply to the tank when it is full, preventing wastage.

WASA says let’s save water together. Water Conservation....It’s a partnership.

-------------------
CREDITS: Information sourced from brochure published by WASA
Photo by: darkpatator