From all indications, Trinidad and Tobago will be electing its first female President next Friday. 
Following deliberations by both Government and Opposition, just one nominee has been named - retired Justice of Appeal Paula Mae Weekes. 
Here are a few things you should know about the President-designate: 
1. Justice Paula Mae Weekes is a former pupil of the Bishop Anstey High School, and a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, and the Hugh Wooding Law School.
2. She was called to the Bar in 1982 and entered private practice a little over a decade later. 
3. In 1996, Weekes became the fifth female judge in Trinidad and Tobago's High Court. 
4. She was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2005 where she served for the next 11 years. She retired in 2016.
5. In February 2017, she was sworn-in as a justice of appeal in the Turks and Caicos Islands for a three-year term.
6. For an eleven-day period in August 2012, Weekes acted as the Chief Justice (CJ) when Acting CJ Wendell Kangalloo was injured in a vehicular accident. 
7. The retired Justice of Appeal is single and has no children. 
Source: The Loop March 19, 2018

OUTSIDE of the more known roti shops around the country such as Hosein’s, Hott Shoppe, Mona’s, Don’s, Patraj, Highway Roti Shop, Wings, Shiann’s and Parbatie’s, Newsday took a few trips around the island in search of some other special roti flavours that keep customers going back for more, over and over again.
Roti shops were selected following a poll done by Foodie Nation, an online website that focuses on local food and recipes, and as well, a subsequent Facebook poll which asked people to submit their favourite roti shops.
The restaurants surveyed all offered their own distinct curry flavours and varying textures of their roti skins. Flavours are enhanced by different mixtures of Indian spices done by the various establishments, each coming up with their specific blend.
The tour rolled out in the east with the first stop at Sheila’s Roti Shop on Pasea Main Road, Tunapuna. The crew was met by a smiling Sarita Harkoo, who is the manager, while Sheila herself was happy to play a supporting role.
Harkoo said: “As you can see everything is separate and we don’t mix spoons. That is one of the things that makes us different. Also, we serve home-made sorrel, mauby and other juices.”
And indeed, they operate in a very sanitised environment filled with cheer as workers take pleasure in getting the food prepared to be served from 9 am, Mondays to Saturdays.
The result is a taste that is just fabulous. Customers can choose from goat, chicken, shrimp roti, plus any or all of sides such as channa and aloo, bodi, mango and pumpkin. On Fridays and Saturdays, duck is added to the menu. Duck is popular weekend option which is usually sold out long before closing hour.
Juman’s Roti Shop on Jackson Street, Curepe, was another delight. Run by Nasrudeen, Shanaz, Rosena and Azrudeen Juman, it was established in 1993 and opens every day from 10 am to 4 pm, except Thursdays and Sundays.
Shanaz said: “It’s been hard at the beginning, but now, reaching where we are now and all that we have achieved at this point, this is the best thing we have done.”
She added that the customers crave their roti skins particularly the softness of the dhalpuri and the silkiness of the paratha.
Though their biggest seller is chicken roti, they also offer shrimp, beef and duck, but the duck is only served on Fridays and Saturdays here as well.
Shanaz said: “We also do a stew beef, and it is really going well, it is a difference.”
Asked about being deemed one of the best roti shops in the country, by a recent Foodie Nation survey, she was at a loss for words. Rosena offered: “It’s an overwhelming feeling placing second. We started as a small shop and it snowballed into this fantastic business and we are very grateful for it. It’s a lot of hard work, but our greatest joy at the end of the day is hearing people say, ‘I real enjoy my meal, I love my meal’.
She added: “When people come for vacation, here is their first stop and this is a wonderful feeling.”
On a daily basis 150 to 200 customers pass through the business and on Fridays and Saturdays, even more.
Nasrudeen said: “We are known for our dhalpuri. Also, this is not a boring shop. Something is always happening. And we are happy that some of our workers have been with us since we opened 25 years ago.”
Preparation of meals is done in a very spacious and clean area with lots of natural light.
After sampling some of their specialties there was no doubt that they do have a taste that is truly wonderful.
A stop at Sylvie’s Roti Shop on Back Chain Street, San Juan, saw three of Sylvie’s daughters in charge of operations. In the forefront are Anjanie and Radha Jagdeo, who boasted: “What is special about us is the taste of the curry. It is actually different and taste different from all the other roti shops in the country, because we use three different mixtures of curry to get that taste.”
The shop is open Monday-Saturday from 9 am-5 pm, and that day there was a heavy flow of customers seeking out that special rich curry flavour. 
Source:  T&T Newsday, March 17.

​Trinidad and Tobago has been named the “happiest” Caribbean country to live in according to the United Nations (UN).
The country ranked 38th happiest country in the world based on the 2018 World Happiness Report released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations.
Trinidad and Tobago maintained its spot from last year at 38th out of 156 countries after climbing up a couple spots from 43rd in 2016.
The next-highest-ranked Caribbean country on the happiest scale was Jamaica, which placed 56th in the world. Haiti was at 148.
Finland took the top spot for being the happiest place in the world. Second was Norway, followed by Denmark and Iceland.
The report which was released six days before World Happiness Day on March 20 ranks countries on six key variables that support well-being such as income, freedom, trust, healthy life expectancy, social support and generosity.
This year’s World Happiness report featured data about the happiness of immigrants in their host countries. It found that the 10 happiest countries also scored highest on immigrant happiness, which suggests that migrants’ overall well-being was tied to the quality of life in their adopted home.
This is the sixth World Happiness Report published, which is in support of the UN High Level Meeting on happiness and well-being. It is also considered to be the proper measure of social progress and the goal of public policy.
Top 10 happiest countries, 2018
1. Finland
2. Norway
3. Denmark
4. Iceland
5. Switzerland
6. Netherlands
7. Canada
8. New Zealand
9. Sweden
10. Australia

QRC from an old postcard.  Wonder if it has changed much on the outside?

Black Panther actor Winston Duke is not the only success story from his Tobago family. His sister, Cindy M. Duke, is an MD/PhD trained Physician Scientist working in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A Gynecology and Obstetrics (Gyn/Ob) specialist and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) sub-specialist, she is the founder and director of the Nevada Fertility Institute which provides diagnostic and treatment options for women and men.
In 1995, at age 17, Duke migrated to the United States with nine-year old Winston and their mother, Cora Pantin.
Their mother, in her desire for a better life for her family, sold everything she owned to invest in her children's dreams.
From a studio apartment in Brooklyn, Cora let Winston follow a creative path and Cindy persue her dream of becoming a doctor.
Winston attended the University of Buffalo and Yale School of Drama. He is today the breakout star in the historic blockbuster movie, Black Panther.
Cindy M. Duke earned her medical degree at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, NY, where she also gained her PhD in Microbiology & Immunology. She now operates the Nevada Fertility Clinic.
Dr. Duke's Clinical and Research Interests include Oncofertility, Fertility Preservation, Investigating the Role of the Microbiome in Reproduction and Eliminating Disparities in Healthcare Access and Delivery for Treatment Infertility.

According to the history books, the indigenous population of the Caribbean felt the full force of the first Spanish invasion in the 15th century. Within just 30 years – or so it has long been said – the Taíno people were wiped out by disease, slavery, and the brutal practices of the occupying Europeans.
But new molecular evidence is rewriting this history. While many Caribbean communities have long insisted that they are in fact descended from the “extinct” Taíno, science can now finally back them up. Researchers have sequenced the first full ancient genome of a pre-European Caribbean, and found that the genes of these “extinct” people still persist to this day within many native islanders.
“It's a fascinating finding,” said Dr Hannes Schroeder, who led the research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Many history books will tell you that the indigenous population of the Caribbean was all but wiped out, but people who self-identify as Taíno have always argued for continuity. Now we know they were right all along: there has been some form of genetic continuity in the Caribbean.”
The genetic analysis of the early inhabitants of the Caribbean was only made possible through the discovery of skeletal remains in a cave on Eleuthera, which is part of the Bahamas. Archaeologists were actually searching for evidence of the first European settlers, but as they dug through the layers of the cave, they came across objects dating to the first indigenous communities to have lived on the land, including a few burials.
The team then compared this genome from the Bahamas to that of people living on Puerto Rico, revealing that they were actually more closely related to this ancient woman than to any other indigenous South American group. While this initial study only looked at one modern-day group of people, the researchers are fairly confident that the same will be true of other Caribbean communities.
What is more, the ancient genome can also shed light on how people first came to inhabit the archipelago, which is thought to have been the last part of the Americas to have been settled some 8,000 years ago. The genetics show that the indigenous Caribbean islanders are most closely related to other groups from northern South America, and can potentially trace their origins as far back as the Amazon and Orinoco Basins.  Source: IFL Science

Trinidad and Tobago model Naomi Chin Wing continues to make waves in the fashion industry as she made an exclusive catwalk debut for Alexander Wang at NYFW Autumn/Winter 2018 collections on February 10.
She later walked for nine other brands including Calvin Klein Marc Jacobs Coach Victoria Beckham Prabal Gurung and closed Carolina Herrera's show. 
Chin Wing was selected to showcase the iconic Venezuelan designer's finale garment as she closed an eponymous career spanning many decades.


She debuted internationally in September 2017 at Paris Fashion Week for Yves Saint Laurent and is now based in London where she is represented by IMG Model Management.
Chris Nathan, founder of Coco Velvet, said secondary school students will have the opportunity to pursue international modelling careers this summer as CVI will host its annual fashion workshop from July 1 leading up to the Grand Finals of Top Model Trinidad and Tobago on October 14 at NAPA.
Source: The Loop, February 2018

International Women’s Day – dedicated to honouring the achievements of women – is being observed today.
And the United National (UN) International Women’s Day Committee in Canada will honour 50 women who have made a positive social difference in the community. The awards recognise prominent Canadian women who have made a positive social difference in the community. The committee would recognise women who have excelled in their respected fields of Health, Sports, Science, Politics, Business, Arts and Entertainment, Media and Youth Empowerment.
Vashti Doorga, who has Trinidadian roots, would be among those women being honoured.
Doorga was born to Trinidadian parents and lives in Montreal, Quebec.
She single-handedly took on charity work in Canada and Trinidad and unfolded several Indo-Caribbean events internationally.
Doorga started her charity work with the help of her parents Bissundai Lalla and Bishai Doorga at the age of five dancing with diyas when she performed for a fundraiser for a children’s eye hospital in India and in the same year made the front page of the Gazette Newspapers at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Her first television performance in Toronto, Canada was also at the age of five.
She performed at various fundraising events and temple shows, and then went on to win a scholarship to study in India at the age of nine for dance. However, she was unable to pursue the scholarship due to terror attacks in India at that time.
Doorga started teaching dance with her mom for the Hindu Devotional Society of Montreal at the age of 14. And she soon began singing as well.
Doorga graduated from Dawson College and went on to Concordia and Mcgill University, and taught English as a second language to French speaking professionals.
“But doing all of this, I still felt there was something more I could do,” she said.
Doorga was selected to perform before an audience of 20,000 at the Air Canada Center with Bollywood stars Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor. She was also offered a position with Ram Mandir’s Canadian Hindu Heritage Center to teach dance where she developed a Bollywood, Chutney Soca exercise dance class for adults and seniors who never had an opportunity to dance when they were growing up, due to being married at a young age or very strict parents or some could not afford it.
“Seeing the joy and fulfilment of their souls made it all worthwhile. Seeing the little ones as young as two took patience, but experiencing their wonder and seeing them expressing themselves through movement was so satisfying,” she said.
Doorga soon became a household name and was offered radio programme at stations across the country. She moved from radio announcer to writing for a local newspaper. She was recognised for a documentary on Shakti Worship, a sect of Hinduism that was misunderstood, she said. “I travelled to India, Guyana, New York, Florida and Trinidad, to do research. I wanted there to be an understanding of these believers that were segregated from many groups and not respected for their way of worship and thought to be “crazy or possessed” and have a sense of inclusiveness. “Kali in Canada” and “Heaven on Earth” were produced privately and sold out as a fundraiser within weeks,” she said.
Doorga got the writing bug and never stopped. She became the editor of a newspaper and then started her own magazine. Together with her brother Amit Doorga, his wife Stephanie Dipnarine, and her mother she started Shuga Magazine. “It was my passion to spread knowledge and help the West Indian community, and there was nothing like it. I was able to cover the Summit of the Americas and was the only Indian women allowed in the Canadian Press conference because I was Canadian. I had artistes who sang about rum, writing about being sober, and prominent artistes talking about crime and things people were afraid to talk about, but wanted to know about,” she said.
But that project was shelved when she met Trinidadian journalist, Rene Cummings, who encouraged Doorga to return to her homeland, Trinidad. Doorga commanded the airwaves of Sangeet 106.1 FM. She also secured a job with then MP Winston Dookaran, to organize special events.
During her stint in Trinidad, Doorga developed a character called “Jalwa Rani” together with other members of the Sangeet team as she tried her hand at comedy. She was also a freelance writer with one of the daily newspaper.
Doorga became pregnant with her son, Aryan, and returned to Canada. As a single mother, Doorga focused on raising her son but it did not prevent her from realising her dreams.
“I wanted to continue in media and stay fresh in the entertainment industry, and being a single mother was challenging, especially with a child with medical conditions. Thanks to George Singh of Southex, who gave me a chance to do a live broadcast from Canada while I was six months pregnant was able to stay in the game, and three months after giving birth was back hosting shows, taking breaks to nurse my son backstage,” she said.
Doorga hosted the Chutney Soca Monarch in Trinidad on two occasions and the Divali Nagar celebrations. She was responsible for sending delegates from Canada to participate in the Divali Nagar Queen competition and the recently held Kishore Kumar competition.
Today, Doorga is working on the relaunch of Shuga Magazine which takes place this month. “It is a network of over 20 of the most powerful, influential West Indian Women in North America and the Caribbean united to empower women through their craft and knowledge, sharing personal experiences to help others grow, promotes peace and to make this world a better place, one person at a time,” she said.
Doorga, however, is well-known for her extensive charity work through Save Abee Foundation. Children from New York, Orlando, Toronto, Trinidad, Guyana and the West Indian have benefitted from this venture.
She recently launched a movement called #IamOman - #Strongyul-#DatIsOman to put together an educational video message empowering young girls and boys to respect each other for schools in the Caribbean.
Doorga recently visited Trinidad, where she assisted Members of Parliament to aid flood victims.
“I do everything to set an example for my son Aryan, and now newly born niece Veda and to be a positive influence to them. I hope to inspire others to follow their dreams, and never underestimate themselves. You can do anything, as long as you believe in yourself, the power lies within you,” she said.
​Source:  Daily Express, March 2018