The Campus Chronicle October 28, 2011 edition

“all the news you need, this week”

28, 2011 1/no. 4

october vol.

independent student newspaper news

Gordon Greenidge Specialist Batting Coach

A First for the Caribbean The health sector gets a boost for UTT grads. Page 5.

Mervyn Dillon Assistant Bowling Coach

FIRED

opinion

Spectator Syndrome

Anya's victory should inspire you to get off your butt.

Page 12

arts&culture

Sex, Soca, and Spirituality

Larry Gomes Cricket Coach

Machel Montano gets personal.

Page 15

Vicky Boodram Boxing Coach

Students uncertain about scholarships after coaching staff terminations

By Abby Brathwaite

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Staff Reporter

sports

Baila Zumba!

The Latin music fitness craze hits T&T. Page 24.

tudent-athletes from the High Performance Unit of the Academy of Sports and Leisure (ASL) at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) are unsure what will become of their scholarships after several members of the Academy’s coaching staff were fired.

The Campus Chronicle has been reliably informed that at least five coaches have been dismissed since Oct 25.

The sport that has suffered the most severe cuts is cricket, with the dismissal of three former West Indies players from the coaching staff.

Cricket coach Larry Gomes, assistant bowling coach Mervyn Dillon and specialist batting coach Gordon Greenidge have all been axed from their respective posts.

The Campus Chronicle obtained a copy of one of their termination letters.

It read, “The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) has embarked on an exercise to review its current arrangement with staff in the organisation in order to ensure performance optimisation and the effective streamlining of its operations.”

The letter, which was signed by Vice President of Human Resources Clenford Joseph, promised the payment of outstanding

leave balances and three months’ salary.

These firings come on the heels of the suspension of the Academy’s executive manager, Ken Butcher, earlier in October.

Butcher confirmed his suspension to the Campus Chronicle in a brief telephone interview recently, saying that he would know his fate in the coming weeks.

“I am on suspension. At this stage, I can’t give any information. I have to wait until maybe about two weeks before I can say anything,” he said.

In an interview on a radio station in September, Butcher complained about a 30 percent reduction in the Academy’s funding from the Ministry of Science,

Technology and Tertiary Education (STTE). He also revealed that UTT had, some nine months ago, terminated the services of batting star Brian Lara, who also worked with the cricket team The current turbulence in the ASL is having a negative impact on students enrolled in the programme. One member of the cricket team, who spoke with the Campus Chronicle on the condition of anonymity, said team members are unsure of their future at UTT. “It is really a sense of uncertainty, because we supposed to start practicing about a month and a half ago for the cricket season that starting in January, and no please see

FIRED / p. 3

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october

News

28, 2011

A Walk to Remember

Students worry about GATE programme's flexibility

By Abby Brathwaite Staff Reporter

mark gellineau | Staff Photographer

Graduands from the University of the West Indies Faculty of Social Sciences officially transition from students to alumni during their graduation ceremony on October 28. Over the course of six graduation ceremonies, the university awarded degrees to 3,341 students, 670 of whom received postgraduate degrees. The Faculty of Social Sciences submitted the most students for graduation, followed by the Faculty of Humanities and Education.

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from page 1 practice at all, nothing has taken place so far,” he said.

“I think the coaches are not certain about their jobs, and this has affected practice, that is the rumour going around. There are a lot of changes in the staff, but we have not been told anything officially. We are just hearing things.”

He said that in addition to the staffing issues within the unit, the student-athletes have also not been receiving their full scholarship funds.

“Since school start, the students have only received $1,000. The stipend is supposed to be $750 per month and $1,400 per month for meal allowances catering for breakfast and dinner. We get lunch in school. So they basically owe us close to $4,000. And this is affecting everyone on the scholarship,” he said.

Boxing coach Vicky Boodram is also among the coaches relieved of their duties. Boodram told the Campus Chronicle that she believed the Academy was being slowly dismantled, and that it no longer fulfilled the purpose for which it was created.

“They are just dismantling it; they took the academics component out and placed it under UTT Academics. They took the

Axed cricket coach Mervyn Dillon and specialist batting coach, Gordon Greenidge are pictured here with members of the UTT cricket team last year. Also in the picture is former West Indies captain, Brian Lara, whose contract with the university was also terminated.

SUCCESS Unit arm and moved it, too. So they began dismantling the programme, and you know, the whole concept and everything has been destroyed, so it‘s such a loss, a big loss,” she said.

“After I left, there is nobody there to take over or anything like that. They just let me go and said they were no longer able to pay me, and because of the budgetary cutbacks and all of that, they had to let me go.”

Boodram said her contract expired in October of last year and that she was promised it would be renewed. She said that although she witnessed a reduction in the number of students who were accepted into the boxing programme, she was still surprised by

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her dismissal.

She added, “They are just acting and they are not informing. So right now everybody is up in the air. Nobody knows what is happening. The students right now, they don’t even know if they are still on scholarship.”

Meanwhile, Minister of STTE Fazal Karim told the Campus Chronicle that he did not give any directive to UTT to downsize the Academy and directed all questions to UTT Chairman Curtis Manchoon.

“I am not responsible for any hiring or firing at UTT. They have a board and a chairman and they operate as a business. I do not get involved,” Karim said. abby@mycampuschronicle.com

While the decision to impose stricter measures on the administration of the Government Assistance for Tertiary Education (GATE) programme has been met with widespread approval, some students are worried about the way these changes are being made.

Days after students were warned they would have to pay tuition in January if they did not meet their respective minimum grade-point average (GPA), several students used Facebook to discuss the issue.

A large number of people were in favour of the move, but some spoke more cautiously about the implementation of a policy that they felt did not make provision for the sometimes-unpredictable world of university life.

Shauntaye-Marie Andrews, a third-year student at the University of the West Indies, told the Campus Chronicle recently that she had some reservations about the new rules.

“I think it is a good idea in theory, but in practice it might be a lot harder to enforce, seeing as so many things can happen that can cause low grades and the government can hardly monitor them all,” Andrews said.

“Deaths and traumatic experiences can throw someone so off track that their academics will suffer. So I would hope that provision would be made for those instances, and also for them to work with the student so that they can finish their degree.”

Kevin Harper knows what it feels like to perform below his school’s expectation. In his first semester at COSTAATT, he was unable to achieve the minimum GPA. He is thankful that he was given a chance then to improve and has since continued to excel.

The second-year student, who is studying graphic design, told the Campus Chronicle that he believes that the new policy was unfair.

“I do not think that this is fair.

There are a lot of things that will make a person not reach their required GPA. People learn at different speeds, and someone

might need some time to adjust to the transition to tertiary education,” Harper said.

“There is a system at COSTAATT if you do not reach the standard. You will meet with an academic adviser and they will work with you to figure out what is going on and give you advice on what to do in the following semester.”

He added, “Now with this new system, I can already see that there will be a lot of people who will be affected, and it might result in a lot of empty classrooms.”

Camille Samuel, vice president of Student Affairs at the COSTAATT City Campus, addressed her students recently in a letter about the changes.

Samuel said, “From what we have been told so far, the College is expected to submit a listing to the Ministry of all students who have not maintained the minimum GPA average by the end of the first week in each semester.”

She said she was informed that “students wishing to be reinstated in the GATE programme must show proof that the minimum GPA has been achieved by submitting an official transcript from the institution and must obtain approval from the Funding and Grants Administration Division before completing a GATE application form.”

Samuel encouraged students to apply themselves more than ever and advised them to seek support from their lecturers sooner rather than later. She also gave the assurance that the College will “do their best to assist students who have been struggling with particular courses.”

Meanwhile, Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education Fazal Karim told the Campus Chronicle recently that this measure was not about pushing people out of the classroom.

Karim said that if people have a valid reason for their poor performance, this would be taken into account when his Ministry decides whether or not to continue funding. abby@mycampuschronicle.com

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october

28, 2011

New programmes offer training for prospective journalists

By Ruth Osman Staff Reporter

mark gellineau | Staff Photographer

Two members of the TTHTI team are engrossed in their 30-minute prep time in the second preliminary round of Taste T&T on Oct 29.

Culinary wizards turn “mystery” ingredients into prize-winning creations

By Faine Richards Staff Reporter

A dynamic duo from the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute (TTHTI) has clinched the top prize in the Taste T&T culinary competition.

Donnelle Melville, 19, and Andre Church, 23, who called themselves "Flames and Flavours," impressed a panel of judges which included famed Iron Chef Jose Garces.

Their culinary creations secured the $6,000 first prize and bragging rights for the school.

“It feels great!” Melville beamed.

“It was quite a shock, but I must say I saw it coming out in our favour.”

The final-round face-off took place on Oct. 30 during the second day of the Taste T&T festival, which transformed the Jean Pierre Complex into a gastronomic getaway for locals and visitors alike. The festival showcased local culinary talent and featured international chefs who shared their secret recipes with the public. Salivating patrons could sample and purchase everything from high-end cuisine at Boticellis to sweetbread and paw paw balls.

The highlight of the festival, though, was the culinary competition, the final round of which pitted Melville and Church against a team from the Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute. Both teams had to create a dish comprising “mystery”

ingredients, which turned out to be spiced cocoa, pommcetheye, rabbit and shrimp.

The eclectic mix was daunting, but Melville and Church quickly overcame their anxiety to make pan-seared rabbit atop shadon beni spaetzle with a cocoa red wine reduction, which is where the boiling process is used to thicken and intensify flavor, as with sauces and wines. The meat was accompanied by roasted vegetables served with a pommcetheye, a shrimp ceviche and cocoa foam.

“For me, it was more challenging, as we did not have enough time to prepare as previously with the first round,” said Melville, who is pursuing an associate’s degree in culinary management at TTHTI. “The cocoa was a big curveball for us, but we persevered and made it through with confidence.”

Church said that even during the first round the day before, the strategy was to devise a flexible meal plan and leave room to improvise.

“We came with ideas in our head; it was just to fuse the ideas together to incorporate the new ingredients into the dish we had already planned,” recalled the native of Grenada, who just graduated from TTTHTI with an associate’s degree in culinary management.

The dishes were judged based on their nutritional content, colour and

flavour balance, portion size, presentation, sanitation and, of course, the chefs’ technical skills.

There was disappointment for another team of TTHTI students, Naomi Lovell and Kerneal Samuel, who were unable to move past the preliminary round of competition.

The pair attempted to make a culinary masterpiece out of what Lovell called a “very challenging” combination of mystery ingredients: sorrel, coffee, duck and eddoes.

“It wasn’t even self-instant coffee; you had to grind it,” 19-year-old Lovell lamented. “I think we lost marks for the time we took.”

Lovell, who intends to study abroad and develop her baking and pastry skills, said she wasn’t too dejected about the loss. She praised the Tourism Development Company and the Ministry of Tourism for staging Taste T&T, since it gave up-and-coming chefs a platform to exhibit their talent.

“I’m in it for the fun and for the experience, and the exposure, too.

This is actually the first event where I see this happening, because most times it’s probably a little in-school tournament and in-house cookoff, but not as much exposure as we need. I think the competition elevated the standard we put local food on, so Trinidad could appreciate its wonderful food.” faine@mycampuschronicle.com

With courses being offered in fields ranging from hair and nail care to investment banking, it’s easy to conclude that certification is one of today’s hottest trends. Even journalism has joined the bandwagon. This year, both the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine, and the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT) have started new journalism programmes.

COSTAATT’s Ken Gordon School of Journalism and Communication Studies, launched last month, aims to provide aspiring and practicing journalists with an undergraduate degree.

UWI’s programme provides a certificate in Journalism.

Both institutions claim the new programmes were a response to the media’s call for training in journalism. But in a field where practitioners have traditionally learnt on the job, does a certificate really make a difference?

Freelancer and veteran journalist Tony Fraser believes it does.

“I would think that it (a journalism programme) is absolutely necessary for someone who wants to become a journalist, who wants to get into the media, to do.”

Referring to other professions such as engineering and law, Fraser said, “It would be unacceptable and crazy if…professionals were to come straight into their different professions without some kind of grounding…”

He admitted, though, that traditionally, certification was not a prerequisite for becoming a journalist: “There was a period in time…when a university education was not so easily available as it is now… Some of the stalwarts of journalism…came up without a university education.”

Newspaper columnist and Caribbean Beat editor Judy Raymond, sees things differently. “I don’t think…(academic qualifications) are necessary,” she told the Campus Chronicle.

“I haven’t come across very many people in the past with a journalism degree. I think certainly in this country, the idea of having one is a fairly recent one.”

For Raymond, the determining factor isn’t necessarily the certification, but the type of knowledge gained during the training programme.

“Like many other degrees, a lot of the teaching seems to be theory and not the practical experience that you need to be able to function fully in a newsroom,” she said.

She concedes that if a programme were to offer opportunities for practice in the field, it would place its graduates in good stead.

Paula Lindo, a journalism student at UWI, said the new programme does just that. “We’re learning the fundamentals of journalism, what it is that a journalist is expected to be and do… and there is an internship section next semester,” she said.

Damian Gonzales, a second-year student in COSTAATT’s Associate Degree in Journalism and Public Relations, said his lecturers, many of whom are journalists, are careful to pass on practical knowledge to their students: “I think the programme is geared towards preparing you for a career… You’re actually getting from them hands-on experience in what the newsroom is like and how hard you’re going to have to work.”

Fraser believes, however, that nothing, not even internships, can fully prepare students for a career in journalism.

“You shouldn’t go into a radio or television or newspaper feeling that you know it all … You really don’t,” he cautioned.

And of course, there is the pay.

“If you’re going to talk about it in terms of money,” Raymond said, “then going into journalism doesn’t pay – full stop.”

Both were quick to admit, however, that as a vocation, journalism has its perks.

“Think about journalists in Europe or in the Arab world. Think about you at the centre of all of these events and they are unfolding,” Fraser said.

And then he laughed, “Now if you have that kind of desire, that’s great … but you mightn’t be able to mind your children with that.” ruth@mycampuschronicle.com

october

28, 2011

news

mark gellineau | Staff Photographer

PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, Amalia Hosein, carries out an experiment in a lab at the UTT O'Meara Campus.

UTT graduates first batch from biomedical programme

by Ruth Osman Staff Reporter

This November, seven students from the University of Trinidad and Tobago will graduate from the Caribbean’s first biomedical engineering programme.

Dr. Renee Williamson, head of the university’s biomedical engineering department, believes that the three-year programme, which started in 2008, is an integral step toward the development of Trinidad and Tobago’s health sector.

“There are not many biomedical engineers available to meet the needs in the health sector,” he told the Campus Chronicle. “What happens now is that they hire consultants who come with expat wages. We ought to be training students, and that’s what the programme is about.”

Williamson, who was responsible for designing the programme’s curriculum, said that the department was fortunate to receive expert help from Johns Hopkins University, a world leader in medical studies.

Biomedical engineering, Williamson said, is a diverse and dynamic field ranging from prosthetics to tissue engineering. He defined the field as “the use of engineering principles to solve problems in medicine.”

For Kristy Mungal, one of the graduating students, that marriage of engineering and medicine gives the programme its appeal.

“It provides you with a strong background in being able to deal with different medical problems,” she said.

According to Mungal, the students’ final-year project involved identifying a medical problem and designing a device to solve it. “I designed a therapeutic bed to prevent the development of bedsores in bedridden persons,” she said.

Assistant professor, Dr. Natasha Ramroopsingh, said that the programme is as much a learning experience for the staff as it is for the students.

“The students find ways to challenge you … so it’s stimulating and refreshing.”

“We’ve been lucky to get a batch of really bright students,” she continued. “They’re very intelligent, proactive and passionate about what they do.”

She explained the process that leads to a bachelor of applied science in biomedical engineering:

“All the year-one BASc (Bachelor of Applied Science) students do the same courses .... The university exposes them to a variety of disciplines so they could choose what they want to specialise in.”

With their first year over and their grades taken into account, the students study for two more years in the biomedical engineering department before acquiring their degrees. They can then move on to a master’s, and then to an M.Phil. and Ph.D. Amalia Hosein, who is currently doing her Ph.D., described the programme from the perspective of a graduate researcher.

“I love being a part of the research team here.

Because it’s biomedical engineering, there’s always new research happening. And it’s a really good team. Every lecturer is involved in their own research and we all work together.”

But the department also has its challenges.

“Experiments are a bit difficult because the lab is still in its formative stages,” Hosein said.

“It’s partially running for undergrads but not for postgrads.” Fortunately for her, her thesis is based more on information technology than on lab experiments.

There are also challenges at the administrative level. “Funding is always difficult,” said Ramroopsingh, “especially when there’s a change of government. But we’re starting to get things going again.”

Williamson believes that the programme’s success is guaranteed by its developmental role. “The future of the programme is strong because of the demand,” he said. “It’s one of the cases where we designed a programme to meet a national need.”

Ramroopsingh agrees, noting that the programme could lead to the development of a whole new industry. “The biomedical engineering industry is definitely a lucrative alternative,” she said. “Right now, there is a void in medical institutions for persons trained in managing diagnostic devices, imaging technology and the development of biocompatible prosthetics.”

Whatever the future of the programme is, Mungal knows that hers will be better because of it. “We’ve already been given job offers. But I’m definitely going on to do my master’s and Ph.D.,” she said. ruth@mycampuschronicle.com

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october

28,2011

Scrabble tournaments springing up at costaatt

By Ruth Osman Staff Reporter

Ten students from the College of Science Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT) sat around canteen tables, their eyes focused on the Scrabble boards in front of them. Occasionally, someone would issue a challenge to their opponent’s word choice, and the Scrabble Dictionary would make its rounds.

The event, staged on Oct. 27 at COSTAATT’s City Campus, was the first phase of COSTAATT’s intramural Scrabble tournament, the first of its kind in Trinidad and Tobago.

Clayton Blackman, senior lecturer in Management and Entrepreneurship and founder of COSTAATT’s Scrabble club, told the Campus Chronicle that the tournament consists of two phases.

The first involved separate tournaments at COSTAATT’s campuses in Port-of-Spain, San Fernando and Tobago. The second, carded for Nov. 11 at City Campus, would see top competitors from the previous leg competing for more than $5,000 in cash and prizes.

Shauntelle Lue Qui, a third-year mass communications student and one of the founding members of COSTAATT’s Scrabble club, said that for her, it wasn’t really about

Vowel movements

mark gellineau | Staff Photographer

Students from COSTAATT’s City Campus compete in the first ever tertiary-level Scrabble tournament.

the prizes.

“I’m an avid Scrabble player because I see it as a challenge, and I’m the type of person who enjoys a little competition…I also find Scrabble to be fun and intriguing in a weird way.”

Since 12 finalists were supposed to be selected from that particular event at City Campus, Lue Qui, as one of the 10 players, is almost guaran-

teed a spot as a finalist.

Blackman explained that participants such as Lue Qui provided the motivation to establish the tournament.

“You have Scrabble being played in the primary schools, in the secondary schools and then straight onto club,” he said. “So you are missing tertiary, and it is my objective to fill that void.”

He said that the intramural competition was the first step in the development of a tertiary Scrabble tournament.

“The plan is to select a team and then invite other schools, other tertiary-level institutions, to participate,” he said. “Sometime next year, we hope to have a tertiary-level competition.” ruth@mycampuschronicle.com

Software app may help West Indies cricket players bowl over the competition

By Faine Richards Staff Reporter

Even die-hard fans will admit that West Indies cricket is in a woeful state. Nothing short of a miracle, many say, can restore regional play to its heyday.

But what if science could deliver some measure of “salvation” to the beleaguered Caribbean team?

Professors and students at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) have designed and tested a software application which could help bowlers improve their technique.

The application receives and analyses data from cricketers who practice using a specially-designed glove – the latest technology in haptics technology, the science that deals with the sense of touch.

“So I could actually put this glove on and it could sense the bend in each finger,” explained Dr. Andrea Kanneh, an assistant professor of Information and Communication Technology at UTT.

“We just go to the coach and ask them what makes a good spin, so they will tell us the movement of the wrist, the certain positioning of the hand. They (the cricketers) hold the ball and do spin bowling, and we capture those measurements and then do an algorithm to distinguish a good spin bowl from a bad one.”

The software was used in trials with the UTT cricket team for more than a year. The university hopes to pitch the technology to junior cricket teams and training academies before marketing it to regional players.

“We need to be like the Australians, where it’s not just about an art, it’s a technical skill where you could actually master how to hold the ball, how to spin the ball…that’s how we can actually promote the sport,” Kanneh contended.

The programme is one example of the innovative technology designed by UTT students. Their work was on display at NAPA dur-

ing a forum celebrating one of the fathers of modern-day technological innovation: Steve Jobs.

The passing of the Apple cofounder last month was a catalyst for a global conversation about the kind of thinking which drives innovation. UTT organised the forum not only to join in this discourse, but to showcase innovative students.

The university’s information technology students believe their inventions have practical applications which could improve everyday life.

Take the driving simulation software designed by post-graduate UTT student Kevin Kandhai, who made it possible to begin learning to drive without ever touching asphalt.

Using a steering wheel and accelerator pedal, driver trainees can interface with a simulation which accurately replicates scenery from different parts of Trinidad and Tobago. The software features “immersive views”

of the roadway from the inside of the vehicle, and is complete with a dynamic environment of pedestrians and vehicular traffic.

As they praised their classmate’s project, fellow ICT students Jehu Cummings and Romoni Duke lamented that young people aspiring to pioneer new technologies often encounter an entrenched resistance.

“In terms of the ideas, I mean, most of the students here are ready for it and we’re taking the necessary steps to reach that level,” said Duke.

Cummings added, “You have to have a certain mindset in order to be innovative. Not any and everyone can be innovative, you have to have the right background and the right knowledge and you can work from that. Not everyone is ready for that.”

In that vein, UTT’s chairman believes the need for innovation in Trinidad and Tobago goes beyond technological advancements. He contends that people must reori-

ent their mindset, starting with the philosophies which influence how they see their role in an organisation.

“The employment concept is seen as a negative concept,” said the chairman, Curtis Roland Manchoon. “You come here to ‘do a wuk,’ as we say in Trinidad…I remember interviewing somebody once, and when we went through all of the stuff, we asked if he had any questions, and the guy said, ‘How much holidays I getting?’”

Manchoon said that in contrast, innovators are “not concerned about a job, they want to change the world. They want to do something great.”

The software application which aids bowlers in improving their technique may not change the world. It may not even redeem West Indies cricket. But it could be a small stride forward, in Kanneh’s view. And that, she believes, is the very purpose of innovation. faine@mycampuschronicle.com

september

news

19, 2011

Another reason to choose bmobile.

Available now on bmobile.

Visit bmobile.co.tt for more details

TM and Š 2011 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.

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september

19, 2011

• Unlimited date change waivers • Earn free miles each time you fly • Free in-flight entertainment • Meal /snack included between Kingston and Trinidad • No hidden Fees

* Applies to all Tertiary and Technical institutions within the Caribbean (including Guyana and Suriname) between the ages of 17 - 30 years. Promotion lasts until January 15, 2012. Student Identification or an official letter from the University must be presented at any Caribbean Airlines ticket office. Reservations must be made at a Caribbean Airlines Office. Offer is not available for sale via our website. Unlimited date change waivers are allowed when travelling within the Caribbean or from the Caribbean to attend Universities.

october

Opinion

28, 2011

Why should universitybound students get job offers without experience?

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ongratulations to the winners of the President’s Medal, a prestigious honour bestowed upon the young scholars of our nation! It is duly noted that for those who work hard and diligently, great rewards and success lie ahead for them, even if their qualifications do not go beyond CSEC and CAPE results.

But how can the Minister offer one of the President’s Medal winners Shastri Ram a“highpaying” job for which he is not aptly qualified, while others just like Shastri decide to take a year off and enter the job market, and unfortunately for them are not as lucky to be granted a job opportunity in the field which they may wish to pursue?

Mr. Minister, are you aware that hundreds of post-CAPE students do not enter university right away? But I’m sure that they were not offered jobs, either. Why is that?

Although I highly commend your efforts, what about the rest of us? I was confounded by your decision. Let’s put this into perspective…the scholarship winner has no valued experience, training or education in that field of work, he has just completed secondary school education and he is also just 18 years old.

My question now stands, “How can he be put to work on such an immense project, be given a ‘high’ salary with such little qualifications, when there are young people better-qualified to take up this position?”

Usually, a position such as project assistant at the state company to work on the Point Fortin highway project requires some level of higher education at the tertiary level in the field, and to my knowledge, Mr. Ram possesses none.

I am not against the opportunity given to this brilliant young man, but the choice seems inappropriate and somewhat biased, clearly displaying the inequalities of an imperfect education system.

Mr. Warner, what about the student who has also excelled in CAPE (maybe not with a certificate of grade 1s) and is seeking a job for the year? What is that

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khadine harvey

student to do when they are unable to find a job for the year?

I can tell you from personal experience that job-hunting is not an easy task. It takes time, endurance and patience to find a company willing to hire an inexperienced employee with little or no qualifications in the field you require and further offer that person a satisfactory salary. This is where the disparities manifest within the system.

That student must now become highly motivated and innovative to find ways in which their time can be used wisely, or they may also wind up idly wasting their time, liming on the block and may pick up unfavourable habits (smoking, selling drugs, etc.) just to earn a dollar. What will the government say then?

We would be singing the “shouldas…couldas…wouldas…” then maybe this youth would not have ended up spending time in jail or even dead…another source of criminal activity in our society.

So I ask again, what about us? Maybe I am wrong, but if I were you, I would definitely look at the bigger picture. Why not partner with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education to develop a programme which is inclusive of all post-CAPE students who make the decision to take a rest from studies and enter the job market, ensuring that they are kept employed and productive and also have the opportunity to meet influential persons and create linkages?

Further, get the private sector involved. I am sure that they will want to assist in such a venture.

I applaud your attempts, but let’s try to minimise the level of disproportions in the education system and continue to seek an equitable future for the nation’s youth.

Sports are indispensable; our commitment to athletes must be as well

Competition for a spot on the memorable-moIf you doubt the value of these professionals, just ments shelf of Brian Lara’s mind must be tough stop to imagine life without sports. work. The genius batsman conquered the cricketIt is with this in mind that we call for a speedy ing world in grand style and is hailed all over the resolution over tenure for coaches at the High world as a legend beyond compare.

Performance Unit of the Academy of Sports and We hope, though, that Lara regards his receipt of Leisure (ASL) at the University of Trinidad and an honourary doctorate from the University of the Tobago (UTT).

West Indies (UWI) for his outstanding contribution The student-athletes at UTT who have decided to cricket and country as a grand achievement. We to cast aside the risks associated with choosing certainly do. a sports career deserve our best. After all, we’ve UWI’s choice of Lara for the demanded no less from them.

STAFF EDITORIAL award has come at an opportune Relevant stakeholders must stop time. The university must be laudbeing double-minded on this issue. ed not just for their appreciation of Lara’s work, It is often said, usually when sporting personalibut also for the message they have sent about how ties achieve some measure of success, that the the men and women who represent this country in Government is committed to the development of sport should be treated. our athletes.

In large part, we are still guilty of treating our That commitment must be made evident not just sporting representatives as second-class professionas a reward to an already successful athlete, but it als. Perhaps we don’t fully appreciate that playing must also translate into tangible support for those a game is actually work, employment that is just as yet unknown — to the undiscovered Brian Lara taxing as the work of other professionals. waiting in the wings.

Kerry Peters

Editor-in-Chief

Faine Richards

multimedia journalist

Mark Gellineau photojournalist

Abby Brathwaite assistant editor

Favian Mookram

Sales Representative

Ruth Osman Staff writer

Published weekly during the academic year by Caribbean Communications Network (CCN), The Campus Chronicle is an editorially independent newspaper for tertiary students.

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10

opinion

october

28, 2011

permanent head damage

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Book Review: Diana Athill's 'Somewhere'

very so often, when I am really enjoying a book, I stop reading it somewhere toward the end. It’s not that I don’t want to know what happens at the end, but the desire to know what happens is less than the desire to savour the book that little bit longer. So I stop.

I was plunged into this comfortable pattern once more as I read Diana Athill’s Somewhere Towards the End. The book is the final part of Life Class: The Selected Memoirs of Diana Athill, which comprises four of Athill’s published memoirs: Yesterday Morning, the memoirs of her girlhood; Instead of a Letter, her account of love and loss as a young woman; Stet, about the half a century she spent as one of the most powerful people in book publishing; and finally Somewhere Towards the End, a memoir of aging Athill penned when she had passed her 90th birthday.

The first I’d heard of Diana Athill was in V.S. Naipaul’s outburst earlier this year when he denounced women’s writing as sentimental.

“My publisher, who was so good as a taster and editor, when she became a writer, lo and behold, it was all this feminine tosh. I don’t mean this in any unkind way,” Naipaul was quoted as saying in a Guardian (UK) article dated June 2. Athill, it turns out, was that editor-turned-writer.

The memoirs are presented in chronological order of her life, but not in the order in which they were written, so that some of the events in 1963’s Instead of a Letter were also recorded in Yesterday Morning, which first appeared 18 years later.

Athill’s prose is otherwise precise, perhaps a byproduct of her years as an editor, and the tone intelligent and familiar so that by the time you get to the second quarter of her life, re-reading about events seems more like recalling a memory with a clever friend than plodding through a dreaded task for a second time.

The most striking feature of Athill’s writing, however, is not its precision, but its honesty. She endeavours to recall events “exactly as they happened” so that events which other writers (male or female) may imbue with sentimentality – a family’s failing fortunes, heartbreak after being left by the man she loved, an abortion, caring for an ailing partner – are told with candour that is not devoid of tenderness.

Her commitment to honesty means that she doesn’t present herself as a martyr, is

guyanne wilson aptly critical of her faults and isn’t unduly proud of her achievements. (Indeed, it seems that she could be a little more pleased about these.)

Passages that may be criticised for gushiness are inevitably about nature: the joy that horses and the countryside brought her as a child, the thrill of sailing, the beautiful view from the hillsides of a Greek island, the joy that gardening brings her in her old age.

To dismiss it as “feminine tosh,” however, is unfair.

The other significant feature of Athill’s memoirs is their breadth. Athill was born in 1917; her life reads like a compendium of 20th-century history. Unwed and working, she was in some ways atypical of women of her time, but her memoirs are sound documentation of the strides that women, particularly in the West, have made in the past century.

She comments on this frequently enough, about her lack of knowledge in finding a job, about how the young women in her life now seem so much more sophisticated than she was.

More than documenting the changes women have experienced, however, her life as an editor with Andre Deutsch allowed her insight into events that had, as clichéd as it may sound, literally changed the world. For example, it was Athill who coaxed Into that Darkness, based on interviews with extermination camp commander Franz Stagl, out of Gitta Sereny, but who decided that Myra Hindley’s story of the murders she had committed should go untold.

If you don’t get a chance to read all of Athill’s memoirs, I would recommend reading Stet. In this, she documents the almostmaternal relationship between publishers and writers. It’s also an important read for West Indian readers.

Though Andre Deutsch’s expansion of his business to the newly independent world was hardly philanthropic (Athill presents Deutsch as a shrewd and demanding businessman), it did lead, as she rightly notes, to the publication of many fiction and nonfiction authors from across Africa and the Caribbean, no-

tably Jean Rhys, Michael Anthony, Dr. Eric Williams and V.S. Naipaul.

Her encounters with them brings her to Trinidad and Tobago (and Dominica), and it is fascinating to read about her reactions to our islands, which, given that she has read more about them and more from them than many of us who live here, are especially

penetrating.

It’s very rare for people who lead lives judged to be interesting to survive for long enough to record them, or for them to have the talent or tenacity to record their lives “exactly as they happened.” For Diana Athill’s memoirs, then, we are extremely lucky.

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october

11

opinion

28, 2011

Just because foreign stuff seems fancier doesn't make it better

S

ome people will order everything online without even considering local stores because they believe foreign = better. They’d ride the subway in New York all day, but scorn PTSC buses like the scum of the earth. (The new buses happen to be FAR nicer and just as comfy – if not more – than anything NY Metro has on the road. They are also cheaper and in better condition than plenty of maxis and taxis.)

Without trying to sound overly proud of my country, Trinidad and Tobago is not nearly as backward as some people think.

But it takes genuine interest and inquiry to overcome this autobias toward the First World.

With scholarships being recently awarded, I pondered the future those young people would now consider for themselves. How would they prioritise their choices for tertiary education? Where does tertiary education fall in the local-versus-foreign debate? Does having gone to school outside of Trinidad and Tobago still mean for some people that a graduate of the same level in the same

megan yarde

field of study is worth more than his/her equivalent produced by COSTATT, SBCS, SAMS, the UWI or the UTT? I interviewed some foreign and local graduates for ideas to consider before making this decision: 1. Many of our local leaders went to school in merry ole England, not only because the schools were better, but for many, there was no university in this country and England was the boss in days past. In the new millennium, however, a British education does not guarantee to make you a leader in society or make you smarter. Prime example: The guy I met who didn’t know what an adjective is allegedly (I could do without going to court for defamation) studied in London.

Lesson: What you do while in “fancy school away” matters more than the school itself.

2. Alcohol, drugs and general delinquency exist on campuses worldwide. The “Girls Gone Wild” advertisements and crazy fraternity stories have their equivalent in local delinquency.

But it doesn’t mean you have to participate. Lesson: If you can’t have good behaviour at home, why do your parents think you’ll be an angel thousands of miles away at “fancy school” without supervision?

3. Cheap/free does not automatically equal less quality.

Personally, this argument really angers me. Whether or not your family can afford to send you to “fancy school away” should have no implications on your intellectual capabilities. Whether funded by parents or the government, better-equipped schools give students more exposure. Lesson: Where the money goes matters more than where it comes from.

4. Exposure is important. The fact remains that local universities simply don’t offer every degree programme that our creative and imaginative young people may wish to pursue. One foreign graduate, in doing her research before

choosing her school, also found that local universities tend to have more of a regional focus while she found more international exposure abroad, regardless of field of study. If you want to be exposed to the best in your field and that best happens to be abroad, then by all means pursue it. Lesson: You are only the best when you compete against the best in your field, not in a race against a few random people from various fields. But be ready to know how to apply your knowledge to local society.

5. Most importantly, whether studying, working, visiting or residing, or breathing in another country’s air, my interviewees made it incredibly clear that that does not mean a foreign graduate is a better person nor does it give any graduate or employer the right to look down on a local certificate. For example: Trinidadians are not the greatest for customer service! Fine. But in the same vein, consider this: So you spent a year in France. (Ooh, fancy!) But if I hired you and you ran my business into the ground because you looked down on my

clients and other employees the way French people are noted for looking down on people, I would fire your so-and-so in a heartbeat!

Knowledge is knowledge. If you can get the same product for about the same price without the cost of shipping and handling, then leave Amazon alone. You have to be brave and sensible enough to shop around and make a thorough list of all your options before you invest. Check with the Accreditation Council of T&T to make sure the school and programme you want to pursue (or have pursued) is recognised.

It makes no sense that you get all excited about your latest designer shoe purchase on Amazon, brag to your friends about the huge discount and then upon delivery, the damn shoe cuts off circulation to half your foot.

Trinidad and Tobago will always be home. Even if you moved to Australia and bad-talked this country for the rest of your life, how are you fixing the problem?

If we don’t try to make local just as good as foreign, who will? …

And don’t knock the new PTSC buses until you try one!

While our politicians grow problems, it's time for us to grow food

“so my mother texting me to tell me bread gone up so make bread oh gosh man Kiss because of you i have to go and make bread now steupsssss”

D

uring the aftermath of increasing bread prices, how many Facebook statuses appeared like the one above?

What about during the aftermath of double-digit inflation rates?

How many Trinidadians swore oaths to plant?

Now, how many actually did resort to the homemade and the home-grown?

For me, planting a kitchen garden was a chain reaction. Food became too expensive to buy, so I began to cook; grocery prices

celeste addison

rose too high, so I went to the market.

However, during this S.O.E., my last trip to the market left me so disturbed that I took a trip to the plant shop. I have opted for sowing in the S.O.E. and I would like to encourage others to join me.

Now, I have observed that many university students will NOT

plant a garden. My survey has shown that 5 of 10 would plant because of inflation, although 8 of 10 cook and only 2 of 10 actually own kitchen gardens.

This lack of enthusiasm for planting is consistent across the nation, time being the major deterrent. While many temperate countries have fast-paced lives which revolve around seasonal patterns, they still make the time to plant.

I have thus concluded that the answer lies in the age-old proverb “The apple never falls far from the tree.”

Our leaders have instilled in us the notion that oil is Trinidad’s only profitable resource, while as-

sets such as year-round sunshine and fertile lands are neglected or even bulldozed. In June 2010, the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT) reported the sixth consecutively flat performance by the non-energy sector.

Little importance is placed on oil’s non-renewable state that will eventually lead to its exhaustion or even obsolescence.

Victor Darceuil made a similar observation in his article which stated that “The Minister of Energy…would have us believe that all is well in the industry and we will continue to find gas… He ignores that…our gas industry… will be fundamentally affected by the availability of low-price shale

gas in the U.S.” Trinidad is so richly abundant in the sunshine and landforms that will promote a flourishing agricultural sector.

Even though the authorities may not practise this on a large scale, we can use those renewable resources to furnish our kitchen cupboards and save money during this S.O.E. The go-green evolution should not be sowing seeds in developed nations’ gardens while we remain indebted to a dying source. Sunlight is undying and so are landforms.

So I urge you to pick up the shovel, rake and some seedlings so that you, too, can sow in the S.O.E.

get it published here. editor@mycampuschronicle.com

12

opinion

Anya won big, but you can be the next big winner

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et us be perfectly clear: Anya did not win for you.

This is not a victory for Trinidad & Tobago; this victory is for Anya and Pilar and her family, not for you.

And so it has begun. The ads litter the newspaper. Poorly constructed ads congratulate Anya on her victory, because clearly every company in this Soca Republic helped her and mentored her.

Suddenly, Anya is a shining beacon of success, ingenuity and stick-to-itiveness.

Perhaps the funniest part of it all is that once again, our reactive leaders are “considering” taking a second look at the fashion industry and are “seeking her out,” hereby proving my point that bandwagonists come in all suits and styles.

I say this not to be harsh, but to remind the viewing public that we must stop living vicariously through our heroes and begin to live!

Inasmuch as Anya won Project Runway and is set to change the face of fashion (no pressure), there is no rule that says that you cannot also take the world by storm in whatever field you choose to pursue.

Instead, we choose to sit back and let those whom we’ve deemed to be heroes do all the heavy lifting. You see it all the time in the animal kingdom. There are groups that hunt as a cohesive unit and there are groups that depend on a leader to bring home a kill.

I suspect that while the leader hunts, the rest sit back and wait – living through the leader, since they are not “capable” of hunting on their own. That proposition may be altogether erroneous and another example of the humanising of nature, but if it’s true that homo sapien is the highest animal, then it is quite possible that this behavior of sitting back and letting ONE do the work on behalf of everyone may be inherited.

We have to wait to be “inspired”; we need someone to show us “how to do it” instead of coming to the dramatic conclusion that we and we alone are the masters of our own success/failure.

And I speak not of empathy. The human condition to feel for one another causes us to lend our support to another person or cause. When Anya lost her money, we felt for her, we empathised. My mother and I were altogether terrified for her.

Understandably so. To come this far and be undone simply because you misplaced your money, I WOULD CRY! And when she made that outfit with $11.50, my mother and I cheered. (Granted, that was not the one that won her the challenge, still… well done, Anya.)

Of course, Anya as a success story is not an isolated incident. I know of a man who left here for England when he was very young. He used to live in a shelter. One day, he came across a job offering that could change his status. So he bought a book, read everything, took the exam and

tracy

hutchings

got the job. Many years later, he is living quite comfortably.

I know of an artist who sought out a job that was above his current artistic level.

So he quickly learned all he needed to know. To this day, he continues to excel at everything.

I think of Veera, who put many of us to shame by taking the bar. We have hands and do nothing. I think of the “average” Trini who takes three jobs overseas, doing jobs that the natives of that country wouldn’t want to do JUST so they can live comfortably on their return to Trinidad.

I share these with you because I have noticed a disheartening pattern with humans: they cloud their minds with so many excuses as to WHY they can’t follow their own dreams that they instead sit back and “cheer on” those who ARE following their dreams. This spectator stance allows us to: a). Critique and criticise their vision: “If that was me, I’d have gone with a different fabric” – Would you? Really? b). Disperse and deny before the media crow three times.

I applaud Anya. I have been in her corner since Project Runway started (though Kim was cool and Olivier was the most groovy emo in life!). I applaud Delia Alleyne for being the superhero behind the superhero.

I applaud every Trinbagonian who discovered Twitter during Season Nine, but enough. We must have the tenacity to do likewise, to be more than the sum total of what people think we are; to LIVE and not LIVE VICARIOUSLY through another person.

Anya, salud. God bless, walk in wisdom and continue to be great. And for the love of zod, please make men’s clothing. I can’t walk down the road with a plunging neckline bathing suit, but I would like to own an Anya. Blessings.

I leave you with two quick thoughts: Last Saturday, I found out that one of my highly groovy friends studied fashion, could sew and so forth.

She said to me that she doesn’t watch P.R. because when she sees how far the designs/designers go, she wonders why she didn’t push further. She now works in a bank. My dear friend Ayodhya once explained to me that I am “more than my life.”

It was an eye-opener for me, a bit of logic that reminded me that current situations do not dictate my outcome, that I needed to live and create for myself a life that I want to enjoy. You, too, are more than your life. Go out and DO more.

october

28, 2011

october

Heckler

28, 2011

13

Politicians should be arrested for wasting journalists’ time…then we’d have to write about it Journalists are planning to march through the streets to raise awareness for a new piece of legislation which would charge politicians for “wasting valuable time.”

The legislation will resemble that of making a false report to the police, or essentially wasting police time. It will target anyone who calls the media to hyperbolise a situation that falls flat.

The decision to create such a rule comes on the heels of an extremely disappointing press conference by former Prime Minister Patrick Manning who, after months of silence in the face of numerous questions, chose to repent, leaving more questions than answers.

Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Rowley would also be an offender for promising to “drop bombshells” in his budget response in the parliament, then doing no such thing.

“It’s time these people realise we’re not here at their beck and call like little lap dogs,” said a spokesperson for the Media Association.

“We have scandals to uncover, and it’s hard to do that running to press conferences where they announce absolutely nothing.

Glenn Ramadharsingh held a press conference in the airport after a trip to say that people enjoyed his speech…and if Jack Warner makes us look at one more drain…”

But politicians are not the only ones guilty of wasting journalists’ time. Members of the public are notorious for dragging the media to events that are nothing like what they described on the phone.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten a call about a raging flood, and there was a trickle of water coming from a ravine,” one journalist said.

The head of news at a TV station said, “They think we’re here to save the world. One time, someone called to say that their roof had blown off. I asked if the fire brigade had arrived, and they said they hadn’t even called them. They called the media first. By the time we did arrive, the woman had fixed her own roof.”

Some journalists admit that it is unlikely politicians will approve a law that they will never be able to obey, but they say it’s good to highlight their own problems once in a while.

Former Prime Minister and San Fernando East MP Patrick Manning is a paragon of what not to do in a press conference.

Trinis too preoccupied to occupy

Gay creative arts centre to be torn down

The burgeoning worldwide protest that started on Wall Street hit Trinidad like a brick wall yesterday, where it subsequently died. This after the small group of students who originally planned the local “Occupy Wall Street” decided that it was “too hard” and “real tiring” to organise any real protest anyways.

Terry McDonald blamed her Humanities professor for giving her so many assignments that it became evident that she wouldn’t be occupying anywhere, save the library.

Donald Ramjattan from MedSci said that while he’d like to fight the power, his father is a prison guard and may not take too fondly to his son’s possibly embarrassing actions.

The lone voice of dissent, Karene J. Smith, said that she plans to continue the protest action “at least until 10 p.m. because, yuh know, curfew nah.”

Occupy Wall Street is a “leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions.”

The group’s motto, “We are the 99 percent,” harks back to the perceived greed and corruption of the wealthy, aka the 1 percent.

However, in Trinidad, 99 percent of people prefer to watch from the sidelines rather than act on anything. This view was confirmed by radical activist Professor Eko – author of “Nine Day Wander: How Trinis Process a Protest” – who admitted that he was not surprised that the local arm of Occupy withered instead of forming a fist.

“Oh c’mon, is a big lime people was hoping for. You ever watch trade unions protest in this place? Is big, big pot of pelau they bringing to a hunger strike. Nobody is serious about anything.”

The youth group in question says that while they have postponed their actions, they WILL be giving up their Facebook status for one hour for the good of the cause.

In keeping with the conservative view of one-man, one-woman relationships, the University of the West Indies has decided to tear down the Creative Arts Centre, citing “suspect practices and performances.”

In its stead is a planned car park, which will help alleviate stress and wonton rage felt by UWI car owners.

In a phone interview, one unnamed source said the move to raze the Creative Arts Centre had not only been in the works for some time, but was obviously coming.

“It just too gay over there, man,” said the source. “All this dance and poetry and so-called intellectual poppy-cock is GAY TING! And you does know them, too, eh. All them Humanities and Creative Arts and Gender Studies students and them. All ah dem gay.”

The source says that while the campus is all-inclusive, it was necessary to curb things before they got out of hand. “The car park is the ideal solution at this current time. Besides, we wouldn’t have to do it if the Creative Arts Centre wasn’t so…‘creative.’”

Jonas Brown, a simple UWI student with dreams of starring in “HAIR – The Musical,” said, “The Creative Arts Centre is a great source of inspiration and creativity and stuff. We have to preserve it.”

Many students agree that the Creative Arts Centre is vital to the university and should be kept whatever its sexual orientation is. “Who cares if it too gay? It’s the one beacon of light in this place,” one student said.

Yet another, a first-year student, explained that, “I don’t see the point. Most students experiment with the Arts at least once in their lives, anyway. That don’t mean we should tear the building down.”

However, not everyone shared this view. One student, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the car-park was EXACTLY what UWI needed. “You try getting a decent parking space in this place and get back to me.”

An official statement has yet to be released, as conflicting stories are still coming in concerning the status of the Creative Arts Centre, though a few students recently staged a silent protest in defense of its preservation.

When asked to comment about the protest, the source simply said, “You see what I saying, ‘silent protest.’ Is gay ting again.”

14

heckler

october

28, 2011

To Australia, with love… please don’t give her back Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had to be dragged out of her Perth, Australia, hotel kicking and screaming, saying she didn’t want to go back to Trinidad because Australia is “so much cooler.”

Sources say on her first night, at 11:02 p.m., Persad Bissessar looked at her watch, then said, “I think I’ll go for a walk...because I can.”

These were the first words the prime minister uttered as she landed in Perth for the Commonwealth Heads of GOvernment Conference.

Her second statement was simply “I think I’m staying here; there’s no state of emergency.”

The prime minister was heard on several occasions marveling at the fact that police officers in Australia needed warrants to search people’s homes and that police actually needed evidence to arrest citizens. She noted that the streets were cleaner and the economy was at least stable.

In an informal meeting with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Persad Bissessar said, “How do you get 21 million people to listen to you? I can’t even get 1.4 million to be in bed by 11. Do I have to go back? I just want to hide out here until it’s over.”

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, right, asked Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to let her ride out the rest of the SOE in Perth with the kangaroos.

Ambition probably isn’t hereditary, but nobody cares enough to find out why After closely observing 100 students on four campuses, researchers from the Institute of LaissAffairs (ILA) have concluded that ambition is not passed down through the genes as some initially thought.

In fact, among those polled, 60 percent admitted that were it not for GATE funding, they would have gotten a real job long ago.

“GATE really opened the uh, gate to, well, a nice lil party, yes,” said Dr. Ivan Hors, President of the ILA, “Besides, most students learn early on that there are no real-world applications to be had to studying, so why bother anyways?”

Calling the condition Biblio-Dysentery, Dr. Hors said that while people a generation or two back were eager to PAY for school, the ambition gene seemed to have skipped their kids, who really aren’t keen to “learn something” with the “free money.”

Martin Farah, a single father of one such student, said his daughter was just “gliding through” on GATE till she found a rich man to fund her “Shoeses for Pooches” store.

“I just thought she was playin’ d’ ass. I didn’t realise ambition wasn’t hereditary.

That Biblio-Dysentery sound serious, though.”

Not all the students polled were completely without sense, but according to the ILA’s findings, there’s not much hope for them, either.

“Because of their strong work ethic, they’ll have lots of responsibility but limited pay in this banana republic. They will work with this sad same screw-ups and not be elected to public office.”

Dr. Ivan Hors continues his research into Biblio-Dysentery in hopes of finding a suitable cure.

This lack of personal responsibility has been sponsored by…someone else A Tunapuna woman burst into tears upon the realisation that her lazy husband will never change, despite having watched a Liberty Mutual commercial on cable.

Marion Joel-James said that last Sunday, during an episode of “CSI: Miami,” her husband, Jeffery James, saw a Liberty Mutual ad that ended with “Responsibility.

What’s your policy?” and remarked that it was real good…leading her to believe that he was in some small way ready to change his attitude and help around the house.

However, reports at this time indicate that instead of doing so, he merely sunk deeper into the chair and bellowed for some orange juice.

“He eh changing!” she cried hysterically.

“I thought he’d have gotten the hint and decided to, you know, CHANGE! The lazy dog still on the couch…”

Marion claims that for a brief moment, she saw a glimmer in her husband’s eyes

smart people read. smarter people read the newspaper.

that she foolishly mistook for a sign of his impending change. “Apparently he did bite into some pepper, so… the eyes was watering nah.”

Marion’s plight is not an isolated incident. Semal Seegobin said that his son refused to take away the message in the Liberty Mutual ad, claiming instead that he was “going to work in insurance” because “it have real money in that.”

“That boy just hopeless,” Semal lamented. “He wouldn’t take to heart that message, but the… boy will walk around singing ‘FIVE-DOLLAR FOOT LONG!’” A class-action lawsuit is supposedly in the works against FLOW, BLINK, DIRECTV, CBS and the advertising agency for Liberty Mutual collectively for emotional anguish, mental trauma and false hopes.

“Somebody has to pay for this!” Marion said. “Somebody have to darn well pay!”

october

28, 2011

Arts&Culture news

mark gellineau | Staff Photographer

Machel Montano listens to questions at the event, Soca State of Mind with Machel Montano. The open interview, hosted by the UWI Student Guild, was held at the Daaga auditorium on Oct. 24.

geniusgenius Soca superstar offers insight into his life, passion, career

By Ruth Osman

T

Staff Reporter

he auditorium, filled to capacity, was so quiet that you could hear the solitary giggle erupt and spread until everyone was laughing at Machel Montano’s joke.

The question, asked by Amilcar Sanatan, president of the University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Guild of Students, was, “Do you still perform ‘Big Truck’?”

“Almost every night,” Montano responded.

The soca superstar was speaking at “Soca State of Mind with Machel Montano,” an open interview hosted by the UWI St. Augustine Guild of Students and the Caribbean Reasonings Organisation Committee on Oct. 24 at Daaga Auditorium.

The “Big Truck” joke was just one of the many sexual references made that evening. At one point, while informing the audience that he has three children, Montano grabbed his crotch and said, “Yes …

I still have it.”

Later on, he admitted, “I’m a very sexual person. I feel is because I’m an African … the cradle of civilisation.” The audience went crazy.

But it wasn’t all about sex. In response to questions posed by Sanatan, Montano spoke about his early introduction to the stage and the evolution of his career from child performer to international soca star.

“It wasn’t about the music for me. I was attracted to the technology – the lights and the lasers,” he said.

Under his mother’s guidance, he started to sing

calypso, but he eventually lost patience with the genre’s relatively slow tempo and traditional structure. That, along with the realisation that most of his peers couldn’t relate to the music, forced him to make a decision.

“I realised that calypso wouldn’t work, so I dash weh that,” he said. Thus began a soca career that spans more than two decades.

Montano credits his mother for his success as an entertainer. “She left her job for her children,” he said. “She has been my acting coach, my PRO, my manager … she was everything.”

He also acknowledged the important contribution made by Kernel Roberts, son of the late Lord Kitchener, to his career. “Genius is genius,” he said of Roberts, who has collaborated with him on many hits, including this year’s Road March, “Advantage.”

He said that the song, which also won him this year’s Soca Monarch title and a grand prize of $2 million, was inspired by the decision to “bring back de stage,” the raised platform sandwiched between the North Stand and the Grand Stand at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

“The stage is that mountain peak,” he said, noting how masqueraders look forward to parading on it.

“We knew that was going to be the biggest thing for Carnival … So we went straight for it.”

In many ways, the same can-do attitude characterised his return to the Soca Monarch competition.

“It was a natural decision to go into Soca Monarch,” Montano said. “I wanted to show the youth that – OK, you want to compete? Beat the best.”

“I coming with A, B, C, D. Everything lock … and it was the best soca monarch in history.”

Part of his winning formula, he said, is his spiritual practice. “I practice a lot of things from Hinduism …Vedic knowledge, personal mantras, transcendental meditation … a lot of people don’t know that about me,” he said.

“I understand what religions are and what their purpose is … a way to know that life is bigger than you and me and to know that all of us are one,” he continued, noting that he had tried a number of religions, including shamanism, Buddhism and Catholicism. “To this day, the Our Father and Hail Mary are the most beautiful prayers I know,” he said.

As a sort of finale, Montano treated the audience to an a cappella rendition of “Bend Over,” which has been nominated for the Best Caribbean Performance Award at this year’s Soul Train Music Awards.

As the audience flocked out of the auditorium, some could be heard complaining about the need for a more academic approach to the subject matter.

The questions asked, they argued, did not strike at the heart of the more controversial issues surrounding soca music and Machel Montano’s role in its evolution. The debate spilled over onto the event’s Facebook page, where Sanatan defended his approach to the interview: “We spoke about popular culture, Carnival, sex and sexuality, religion, calypso and soca … If all was missed, then I hope you enjoyed the refreshments.” ruth@mycampuschronicle.com

15

16

arts & culture

october

28, 2011

renewedspirit

mark gellineau | Staff Photographer

Divali beauties (from left) Keshanna Pheerangee, Devatie Ramjattan, Samanta Ramnarine, Annastasia Sukhai, and Kristy Gangoo attended the UWI Hindu Society's annual Divali celebration.

Hundreds of faithful gather for annual Hindu festival

By Faine Richards

T

Staff Reporter

he hum of engines and flashes of light from passing vehicles surrounded them. Yet stillness rested over the praying masses.

The worshipping ground: a narrow parking lot on the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies.

Flickering flames drank the oil inside their palm-sized clay pots, penetrating the darkness of the October night.

Hundreds of students sat in silent reflection as devotional chanting echoed from the stage. Hundreds more who couldn’t find a vacant seat stood rooted in place in the aisles, in the food tents and at the back of the lot, quietly joining in the praise of Mother Lakshmi.

The invocation set the tone for the annual Divali celebration which the UWI Hindu Society hoped would reaffirm the spiritual teachings behind the festival of lights.

“This year, the programme took a more religious feel than a Bollywood one,” said public relations officer Richard Rampersad. “If someone had to do a musical song before, it would have been a film song. This year, we had more devotional songs…Divali is a religious thing. It’s not a fashion show.”

The society’s signature event saw 2,000 people cram into the TGR south car park to partake in the food and festivities. Rampersad said the event was a “profound success” which improved tremendously on last year’s estimated turnout of

1,300.

Decked out in their saris, salwars and dhotis, devotees were greeted by two rongoli designs, floral patterns which sprawled across the concrete near the entrance. The chalk drawings, done by students from the UWI art department, are traditional Hindu symbols which welcome guests and entice the gods to bestow blessings.

But, in keeping with the society’s commitment to nurture spiritual sustenance, the main attraction of the night was an epic play based on the Mahabharata scriptures.

The narrative told of a bitter rivalry between two royal families who went to war. The Pandavas family, who had been exiled from the kingdom which rightfully belonged to them, eventually defeated and killed the conniving Kauravas clan.

Rajeev Sankar, the director of the play, explained, “I worked around the theme that victory will go to the righteous. I wanted to remind people of what they are about, what it means to be part of the religion. No matter how bad things are in life, once they have God in their life, things will always work out.”

Sankar said this message is a universal one which resonates with people from almost any religion.

He said he hoped people would walk away from the event with a renewed sense of the spiritual lesson symbolised by the diyas: that light will always prevail over darkness, and good will triumph over evil in the end. faine@mycampuschronicle.com

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18

arts & culture

bitingback

october

28, 2011

Trombone player hopes to take the bite out of lost tooth

By Ruth Osman

A

Staff Reporter

mark gellineau | Staff Photographer

ANDELL JEROME, second year student, Artist Diploma in Music, UTT stands outside the Academy for the Performing Arts, holding the instrument he hasn’t been able to play for the past three months.

ndell Jerome hasn’t played his trombone for three months. The culprit is a missing lower incisor, lost during a recent car accident.

For Jerome, a second-year student in the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s music programme, the loss of that particular tooth is a major setback.

“The whole thing about playing trombone is that my mouthpiece pushes against my lips and my teeth provide the support,” he explained. “Without that tooth there, the other teeth don’t have anything to lean on, so my playing could dislocate them.”

In short, Jerome can’t play until the tooth is replaced.

“He definitely would not have a career on the trombone without that tooth,” said his trombone lecturer, Aidan Chamberlain, noting that Jerome was on his way to becoming a “really good trombone player.”

Although there are a few options available for replacing the lost tooth, Jerome has been advised that only one will work for his specific needs.

“I’m doing an implant,” he said. “It’s different from dentures… There’s a screw that goes down into my jaw that will act as the root of the tooth and then they screw the tooth in.”

The entire procedure will cost $20,000 and take about three months.

“We’ve had to wait a while to give it time to settle,” Chamberlain said, noting that they would have to wait again once the screw was put in.

“It has to be left for three months so that bone grows around it, then the tooth fits into the screw so that it’s really strong,” “It’s the most expensive option,” he shrugged. “But dentures won’t work because they won’t fit in as well and provide the support…(and) it’s the same problem with a bridge.”

The necessity of a new tooth to the continuation of Jerome’s music career has led Chamberlain, along with his wife and fellow lecturer, Kaitlyn Kamminga, to launch a donation drive to fund the procedure.

“We’re sponsoring Andell to run around the Savannah to raise funds for the procedure,” he said. “It’s kind of like a focal point for raising money.”

The event, which took place on Oct. 21, brought out a small but supportive group of UTT staff and students who cheered Jerome on as he made his way around the Queen’s Park Savannah.

Donations, Chamberlain explained, can be made at the UTT office in the Academy for the Performing Arts building, Port-of-Spain, and at the university’s Pt. Lisas and O’Meara campuses.

“We’re having a LINX machine…and we’ve got forms in the office where you can pledge the money,” he said. “The student guild will be collecting all the money and sending it to the dentist.”

Jerome is hoping that he can start the procedure soon. “It’s very disheartening, because this is what I do for a living,” he said. “I play with Divine Echoes, and there I am at work, helping them pack and unpack the instruments because I can’t play.”

The music classes that he teaches in the afternoons have also been affected. “I’m not able to really demonstrate what I want … I’ve been doing a lot of singing,” he laughed.

The experience, as harrowing as it is, has a positive side. Jerome will ensure that it does. “I’ve been getting so much support,” he said. “I’m thinking about making this an annual thing to raise funds for UTT students who need financial assistance.” ruth@mycampuschronicle.com

october

28, 2011

19

arts & culture

AUDioLogY mark gellineau | Staff Photographer

Shurwayne Winchester's latest music video depicts women transported in a container and being sold to a man.

Images, themes degrade women in latest Shurwayne Winchester video

By Renelle White I recently had the chance to view Shurwayne Winchester’s new video for his song “Wine On It.” Shock, awe, disappointment and anger inundated my being at the images of women detained in a storage container.

I always loved Shurwayne’s music and appreciated his efforts at patriotism, nationalism and cultural hybridity. He has proved to have a social and cultural awareness. Until now.

This new video blatantly perpetuates images and ideas of human trafficking – more specifically, sex trafficking of women – and the objectification and commoditisation of the female body, all within a national and a Caribbean context, which I believe is most problematic for the Caribbean as a region struggling with crime and gender and human trafficking.

The video received widespread criticism from non-governmental organisations who condemned it for glamourising violence.

In a statement released to the media the organisations stated: “ The Centre for Integrated Research and Training (COIN), which provides support, training, legal aid, medical and psychological and social services to trafficked women in the Dominican Republic, recorded that of 21 cases of women trafficked from the Dominican Republic, 16 of those women were trafficked to Trinidad. COIN is aware of numerous other

cases of trafficking in Trinidad where women have not come forward.”

The video begins with a disclaimer: “The intro of this video is purely fictional and the owners do not condone or support human or any other form of illegal trafficking.”

The disclaimer is followed by two males at the beginning of the video engaging in a literal exchange of women for cash.

The disclaimer, then, actually hurts more than it helps. The makers of the video are definitely aware that the images are linked to human trafficking. So awareness isn’t the problem here; it’s the issue of perception, representation and gender.

Shurwayne has since issued an apology saying that it was not his intention to “trivialise the utterly reprehensible act of illegal trafficking.”

Images are powerful tools and musicians need to know how these images express their ideology.

I don’t think he was really sensitive to the negative connotations of these images and the ramifications they have for women.

A gendered consciousness and awareness is required.

The opening skit in the video shows how women are objectified, turned into and perceived as objects for trade. Women are commodities, marketable “items” produced or provided to satisfy wants and needs.

In this case, the video has a strong un-

dertone of not only human trafficking, but also female sex trafficking, as these women are not only objectified but also sexualised within a patriarchal system, all under male ideologies: control, desire and production.

Kamala Kempadoo asserts in her work Sexing the Caribbean: Gender, Race and Sexual Labor, “Women’s lives under capitalism and patriarchy point out that sexual labor power in this gendered economic system is commodified, hyerexploited, traded on the market, bonded, and sold in exchange for a service.”

Aside from the clear image of human trafficking, there is also the issue of containment. Are you aware that the women never leave the container?

This definitely highlights and represents female containment. They were transported in the container and remain dancing in it solely for the purpose of entertainment, specifically for male viewership, again demonstrating the utter objectification of the female body for male control, since women’s freedom is taken away.

My other major concern is that inside the container, there are three national flags: Jamaican, Trinidadian and Cuban.

Nationalism and “Caribbeanness” come to the fore, as the flags are linked to the women who are being sold.

What will happen when this video hits international media? How would the Caribbean be perceived? Winchester has to understand how images can convey

messages and ideas about identity. Is this what it means to be a Caribbean woman – internalised submission, objectification and the “property” of men? And what does it say of Caribbean men?

Instead of being part of the struggle “against” this debilitating system of human trafficking, Shurwayne perpetuates it by using ideas about human trafficking for aesthetic purposes. Creative exhaustion, maybe?

But as an artiste who creates for public consumption, he should have a social consciousness and a sense of social responsibility. To use such images and ideas is irresponsible and insensitive toward gender issues, women and humanity.

In fact, this video normalises human and sex trafficking of women, as it is portrayed as an effective idea and image used to propel the song. What has society come to when issues and images such as these, that use the female body, are not taken seriously, but instead reproduced for aesthetic, commercial and capitalist purposes?

Shurwayne... as a pioneer of patriotism and Caribbean nationalism, you have disappointed me, as well as many other women, in your treatment of women and human trafficking.

So ladies, will you wine when you hear this song, or use your body as a tool of protest and consciousness-raising? This is my consciousness-raising.

Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism

E X H I B I T I O N At the

Celebrating Fort San Andres Museum South Quay, Port of Spain

Our Cultural Heritage Exhibit From November 2011 to January 2012 Monday to Friday - 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturdays - 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Live Performances every Friday and Saturday: Storytelling, Folk Songs, Parang, Dramatic Readings and much more...

Games for the Kids and Young at Heart

Admission is FREE

51-55 Frederick Street, Port of Spain. email: culturedivision.tt@gmail.com http://www.culture.gov.tt/rememberwheninstitute

For further information or group tours

Please call 623-8945 or 627-4991

october

28, 2011

arts & culture

movie night

knock out!

“Real Steel” a futuristic drama you’ll enjoy right now

By Briele Johnson obots, boxing, high visual effects and an incredible soundtrack? What more could the movie rated “the best of the year” possibly include to make it more incredible? Awesome actors, that’s what. Hugh Jackman makes his return to the big screen, in a big way.

Shedding his wolverine claws for the boxing gloves of Charlie Kenton, he does not disappoint. His portrayal of a robot-fighting, addicted, errant father is on point; however, his carefully constructed reality included a forgotten 12-year-old son, Max, who upon the death of his mother is now included in his robot-fighting routine.

The lead role is shared between Charlie and Max, played by Dakota Goyo. Their fatherson dynamics are believable and entertaining.

They argue, they fight, they break things.

Such is the bond between a father and son.

The similarities between the two are revealed slowly throughout the movie. They’re both

R

stubborn, driven and express a love of robot fighting (that borders on being unhealthy).

The movie is set in 2020 with cool technology and holographic devices, yet the landscape is very rural, with activities such as county fairs and bullfights still existing. The movie takes you to the underground, where robotfighting fanatics reside, and to the coliseum, where robot fighting gets serious.

The robots – the big, mobile, dangerously deadly hunks of machinery – like any animal wanting to make itself appear more than it is, they all have a starting routine that captures the crowd’s attention and raises excitement that can make you find yourself clapping along.

There is diversity among the robots, and as usual, the most supreme among them is a Japanese monstrosity aptly called Zeus.

The descriptions of these robots in the world of “Real Steel” would cause you to expect the lead characters to have a “bossman” robot of their own. Unfortunately, that

is not the case. Charlie and Max uncover an ancient robot, small and unremarkable, yet rare by traditional robot standards.

The boy and the robot, called Atom, develop a relationship similar to any “Herbie” movie, where the boy insists the robot has a character, a soul all its own.

The fight scenes are remarkable and very visual – head ripping, body slamming – it’s like wrestling, but where the loser usually leaves in pieces or, worse, dead.

Besides robot-on-robot action, there is robot versus animal fights; very realistic, leaving one to wonder if it was a real fight or not. (If it was, animal activists must be rolling in their graves…if they’re dead.)

Last but not least, every teenager’s favourite topic: relationships. Hugh has a love interest (how could he not?) played by Evangeline Lily.

Their love borders on playful at the beginning of the movie, but gets a major energy boost toward the end. The relationship

21

Hugh Jackman, who plays CHarlie Kenton in "Real Steel," gives a pep talk to Atom the fight robot.

between Hugh and his son has a dual effect: It helps Hugh regain his former glory, and his son a father.

One thing about this movie is that it has something for everyone: The robots and fight scenes would make any hot-blooded individual pump their fists in the air and cheer along with the crowd. The many hilarious jokes and situations shared between father and son would appeal to those with a comedic heart.

The relationships, which were not overdone, would pull at anyone’s heart strings. And the songs, oh, the songs…they would have you leaving the cinema, pretending you are a part of LMFAO, and doing the shuffle.

Overall, this movie receives 5 out of 5 stars, if not for its awesomeness, then for its amazing message: “There are so many people out there who will tell you that you can’t. What you’ve got to do is turn around and say, ‘Watch me.’”

Real Steel: 5/5

22

sports

october

28, 2011

UWI nets shutout over COSTAATT UTT Tertiary Football League

UWI: 4 / COSTAATT: 0

By Sean Taylor A midfield master class from Ashram Mahadeo and Keron Clarke sealed a second consecutive victory for the UWI football team Oct. 28.

It was UWI’s first home fixture of the campaign and they started off in style. Their opponent this time was COSTAATT, who made an admirable attempt to deal with the mobility of the UWI midfield and attack. However, two goals in each half were more than enough to kill the contest.

The match started with a frantic pace. Both teams exchanged possession indiscriminately, and it was clear that they both wanted to gain control of the match as early as possible. Terrance Hinds from UWI had an early half chance from a through ball.

But COSTAATT looked more threatening in the early exchanges during which they used penetrating long balls in an attempt to unsettle the UWI defence.

It didn’t take UWI long to settle into a possession game, though, looking like the more composed of the two teams for lengthy periods. The slick conditions presented by the rain-soaked pitch made the going particularly tough for COSTAATT, and in the 10th minute UWI created their first opportunity.

After being put clean through, Kevern De Bellot hit his effort straight into the hands of the keeper. Moments later, Keron Clarke, a candidate for the man of the match, had a 30-yard effort comfortably saved. It was a sign of things to come.

UWI looked unsure at the back on occasion, and COSTAATT almost created the opener from an arcing right wing cross. In the 15th minute, COSTAATT was awarded a free kick which Christopher Durity flashed just wide with his effort.

However, COSTAATT was limited to just half chances as the first half wore on.

Clarke put in a solid performance at the heart of the

mark gellineau | Staff Photographer

Capitalising on their home field advantage UWI triumphed over COSTAATT when they met recently in the 2011 UTT Tertiary Football League

UWI midfield, and in the 21st minute he opened the scoring with another shot from long range. It was the beginning of the end for COSTAATT. Nine minutes later, UWI defender Marvin John squandered a chance virtually on the goal-line with the pressure mounting on the visitors.

Tyrell Marshall doubled the lead in the 33rd minute with a far-corner finish after nervous COSTAATT defence.

UWI’s captain, languid but deadly, almost beat the keeper with an effort that went just wide in the 35th minute.

Ashram Mahadeo was the fulcrum of UWI’s midfield and his understanding with Clarke create a lot of problems for the visitors, as their passing and marking ensured that UWI dominated everything in the middle.

In the second period it was much of the same, this time with Clarke playing a 25-yard through ball – the pass of the match that would have resulted in a sure goal, if not for the courage of Whiltshire in the COSTAATT goal.

Christopher Nicome, who came on at halftime, had a scorcher from the right wing go wide in the 51st minute.

UWI was all over COSTAATT at this point, swarming around their penalty area with Ashram and Clarke the

core of UWI’s passing rhythm. Against the run of play, Ronald Robinson had a rare chance for COSTAATT, which went over the bar from the right. UWI keeper Adrian Prythesingh was called into action when he had to dive low to his right to push a free kick out for a corner in the 57th minute.

Things got worse for the visitors when live-wire striker Jared Bennett came on and immediately added more pace and mobility to UWI’s attack. In a two-minute spell, he shot wide after a one-two with Ashram, and then he went one better a minute later by scoring low and hard at the near post.

COSTAATT almost pulled one back after a slip in the UWI defence gave them a rare sight on goal. However, ironically, it was their keeper’s mistake that allowed Daryl Lewis, with his unmistakable hairstyle, to scoop the ball into an empty net nine minutes from the end. Bennett harassed the visitor’s defence in the late stages and almost created a fifth goal all by himself when he hit the post after a solo run.

The referee ended the match with UWI as 4-0 victors and looking like serious contenders for the title this season.

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24

Sports

october

28, 2011

mark gellineau | Staff Photographer

Ladies 'bust a move' during a Zumba fitness session at the Long Circular Health and Wellness Club.

GROOVE MOVES

By Faine Richards

T

Staff Reporter

he mirror-lined walls trembled as the bass pounded out of the speakers.

It was salsa music on steroids.

The all-female fitness class was dancing at an unrelenting pace, sashaying side-to-side with right hands raised as though to lock palms with an invisible partner.

With barely a pause in between, the playlist progressed to club music. The synthesizer droned on to energetic drum machine beats, as Pitbull’s husky voice echoed across the aerobics room: “If you’re sexy and you know it, say, ‘Oh yeah!’”

“Let me hear you, ladies!” shouted fitness trainer Sharon Diaz over the music, her students hollering in response.

Then, the video vixen behaviour began.

Booty-shaking, boob-jiggling and wining.

Who knew wining could be a workout?

It is, when you Zumba.

A high-energy yet easy-to-follow dance fitness programme, Zumba is inspired by mainstream Latin music. The fitness phenomenon, which has skyrocketed in popularity over the past decade, is market-

ed as a way to “party yourself into shape,” according to the official Zumba website.

“Losing weight is almost like a fringe benefit to having fun while you’re dancing,” Aviance Bain said after an hour-long Zumba session. “I would recommend it to people (who are) campus age because it’s vibrant and it’s not boring. And if you are tired, you’ll be motivated to go on because of the energy. It’s fun.”

That element of enjoyment was key to the accidental creation of Zumba. Back in 2001, a Colombian aerobics instructor named Alberto Beto was about to teach a class when he realised he’d forgotten his aerobics music. Beto improvised, playing cassettes of his favourite salsa and meringue and using freestyle dancing instead of aerobics steps.

Zumba was born.

Suddenly, dance moves normally reserved for nightclubs and music videos were making their way into the gym. The moves, vigorously executed to electronic dance music from popular international artistes, are interspersed with squats, fist-pumping and punches.

The end result is a total-body workout

that builds stamina and leaves your clothes stained with sweat.

“The workout is mostly focused on core activity. It’s a nice combination of muscle toning as well as the ability to do cardio and lose weight,” explained Diaz, who offers classes at the Long Circular Health and Fitness Club. “As you know, with other aerobics classes, you’re counting out steps, you’re telling people what to do. We customise it more like a party. We don’t really teach people steps here.”

That freedom gives Zumba its widespread appeal; as the songs change, so do the moves.

“This Zumba is like you’re really just feeling the music, as opposed to aerobics, where you’re really trying to get the steps,” said Zumba addict Llana Lewis.

The fitness craze is particularly appealing to people who aren’t gym buffs or spin class specialists – those who find it challenging, or just too boring, to commit to a 30-minute jog on the treadmill. Even those who are a little off-beat or who are “rhythmically challenged” can let out their inner Shakira.

The genre of music associated with

How do you see your future?

Just ask.

Zumba has changed over time, too. The repertoire has expanded beyond Latin music to include club and hip-hop. There are even YouTube videos of Asians living in Canada doing Zumba to the Bajan soca tune by Lil Rick, “Go Dung.”

Of course, when it comes down to it, a workout is only worth its weight in gold if there are tangible benefits. Diaz estimates that people can shed 500 to 1,000 calories an hour, depending on how much energy they exert.

“I can do Zumba slow to my own pace, I have people in my class that are up to 86 years old and they do it at their own pace, they create their own style,” Diaz said.

“Otherwise, you can really push it, and I have people really, really losing weight.”

She recommends doing Zumba five times a week, the general rule of thumb for cardio exercise. On two or three of those occasions, use weights to aid muscle toning.

Whatever your fitness level or dancing abilities, Zumba might by the workout wake-up you’re looking for. Because, let’s be honest, you already do it on the dance floor. faine@mycampuschronicle.com

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