 Welcome to NationBeat, I am Jacques Kingston Compton bringing you this brief on the pulse of our nation and highlights around the heart of St Lucia. St Lucians are urged to keep an eye on the revived Tropical Storm Kirk. Students are armed to combat the biggest crime perpetrated in cyberspace. Remote polio's influence on the denry segment is revealed. And helping improve the cottage industry, one pastry at a time. Tropical Storm Kirk has re-emerged in the Atlantic and is barreling towards the Windward Islands. Consequently, a Tropical Storm warning was issued for St Lucia. Kirk is moving toward the west, near 18 miles per hour. On this forecast track, the centre will move over the lesser Antelese on Thursday night. Residents and interests in and around St Lucia and the rest of the eastern Caribbean islands are strongly advised to continue monitoring the progress of Kirk. The National Emergency Management Organization is urging the public to review their emergency plans. Communications manager Kuren Xavier says emergency supplies must be checked and vehicles fuelled before any eventuality. Buildings, windows and loose outdoor objects must be secured. When a warning is issued, as is the case for St Lucia, we ask persons to activate that plan which they created ahead of the storm. And do certain things. For instance, start storing drinking water. Turn the refrigerators and refrigerators to the coldest settings. So if in case electricity is lost, the food is going to stay much longer. During the passage of any system, especially weather-related systems, we ask persons to remain indoors. That is the safest place for them to be. Then we always ask them, and that's the most important aspect, is to monitor their radios, monitor the media and listen to advisories only from the Nemo Secretariat and the Met Office. Residents in low-lying areas are asked to exercise caution as flash flooding and mudslides can pose a danger. The Ministry of Education and the Department of Public Service are collaborating on a cybercrime prevention program for students benefitting from the Government Islandwide Network or GI NET project. As we hear from Anisia Antoine, the team made another stop on its roadshow. The Royal St Lucia Police Force in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Department of the Public Service continues to educate students on cybercrime prevention. This initiative is as a result of the newly installed Government Islandwide Network made accessible to the primary and secondary school students. The cybercrime prevention training sessions are focused mainly on child soliciting, malicious software, cyber harassment and cyberbullying. We know the environment we're living in right now and the dangers that exist. People may not be aware we all use smartphones, we all online, we all use social media. This initiative is intended to sensitize, starting with the young people, on the dangers that exist in the online world. And to be more proactive, ensuring that they secure themselves, their belongings, their assets, everything, their money. Just being aware that cybercrime exists and what measures they could take to protect themselves. According to Sergeant Joshua Kami, the most common type of cybercrime in St Lucia is identity theft. The students of the Viewport Comprehensive School received Level 2 training on computer misuse and cybercrime. With cybercrime, we had levels that affected younger children as compared to the adults. So I remained focused on the areas that affected those students from 8 years, 7 years, up to about 10 years, 11 years. Whereas with the secondary school, we're dealing with people from 12, 14 years up until 15, 16, 17 years. So the content was different, right? Although the objectives, the focus were the same, the content was different. And I also gave them better means, more advanced means of protecting themselves so they will not be cybercrime victims. This included changing the passwords to strong passwords, avoid putting too much personal information on websites, especially when creating emails. The final sessions for the Cybercrime Prevention Initiative will be held at the MECU Primary and Secondary Schools on September 27. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. The timeframe for the completion of the Denry Poly Clinic has changed. The SOD Turning Ceremony for the construction of the Denry Poly Clinic took place on Thursday, March 8, 2018, at Wa Jolie. According to technical experts on the project, there was a long period of preparatory works that included site identification and preparation, detailed architectural designs, and a protracted international bidding and procurement process. The project was expected to be completed within a period of 18 months. However, officials have indicated that due to recently surfaced challenges, the completion time will be lengthened. One of the critical issues that has brought us to this stage is that during the excavation of the foundation for the buildings, we recognized that there are two or three ravines which pass through the site. This, of course, meant that we would need to undertake some sort of redesign of the structure. This was one of the pieces of information that the contractor requested. Having requested that information, we now had to provide the clarification for the contractor. Clarification could not be provided by ECMC, the supervising consultant, and we obviously asked the client, the Ministry of Works, to undertake to prepare that information. Currently, we have a number of RFIs requested for information that have remained unanswered. And as a result of that, the Ministry is forced now to seek alternative services so as to get the redesigns or designs or modifications of the structures so as to move forward. According to officials at the Ministry of Infrastructure, all efforts are being made to provide feedback for the requests for information. However, the various entities are finding difficulty in doing so. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Infrastructure, Ivor Daniel, cited that despite the challenges, some good has come out of the project. We are the Department of Infrastructure. We've been attempting now to respond or to answer those requests for information. And it has proven very difficult for me as Permanent Secretary, as the Accounting Officer. It has caused us not sleepless nights in a sense, but many hours of discussion and deliberation at the Department of Economic Development. And it has caused us as agencies and along with the Department of Health to bond together as a team. Normally, you find ministries operating in silos and they don't come together. But it's been able to bring us together as three critical agencies. And it has caused us to understand, even our consultant, how we operate and how we execute is mandate. The Ministry of Economic Development has indicated, however, that work is ongoing to redesign the project and define solutions to the many challenges which persist. But we're working assiduously to have it done in the shortest possible time. Maybe a range of six weeks to three months. I mean, don't hold me to it. But we're looking at having the design modifications completed in the shortest possible time. And from there, we'll be able to determine the cost. The Paula Clinic, which forms part of the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project, funded by the World Bank before the redesigned thrusts was estimated to cost over 5 million EC dollars. This is Nation Beat. Coming up, Ramo Paulio's influence on the Denry segment. The children, how chemicals and GMOs are not the solution. Use organic and join. Excessive agrochemical use, additives and genetically modified foods are harmful to health and the environment. Join the Good Food Revolution. Grow, buy and consume organic. A message from Rise St. Lucia and the Ministry of Sustainable Development with funding from the GEF Small Grants Program, UNDP. Good Food Revolution. Welcome back. A new Ecosystems Management Project in Forse Jacques Souffre aims to improve sustainable land practices over the next few years. The initiative is entitled Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States. Aretha Dashville, the National Project Coordinator, says the project was initiated as a response to the vulnerability of small island states to climate change. IWECO is a project funded by the Global Environment Facility and implemented through the UN Environment. It is a regional program and it actually, it's genesis stemmed from the fact that small island developing states are affected more by climate change than other areas in the globe. Hence governments in the region have to ensure that communities and ecosystems must be resilient. Dr. Donafian Gustav, Research Officer in the Forest and Lands Department, says government's aim is to build such resilience by educating communities about the importance of conservation. What we really want to do is to get the partial cooperation of GEF, the Global Environmental Fund, to empower communities to do conservation. And IWECO, the main function is to partner with them to empower communities to make the decisions. Ultimately, the project seeks to improve the livelihoods of farmers. In St. Lucia, it's very targeted. It targets the Upper Souffre watershed, which is really for the Jacques, and it seeks to mitigate the poor biophysical conditions really caused by unsustainable land practices, but that affect the livelihoods of farmers. The Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management Project commenced in October of 2017 and will end in October of 2020. The Department of Transport is moving toward creating an environment of compliance on the nation's roads. Minister for Economic Development, Housing, Urban Renewal, Transport and Civil Aviation, the Honourable Guide Joseph has announced that government is negotiating the establishment of an impoundment lot. Minister Joseph says motorists who fail to obey and practice the basic rules of driving will have their vehicles towed and held in the pound. If you take right here in front of the government buildings, double yellow lines and cones still do not stop people from packing at the entrance of the government buildings. And we are saying that as a country, this is unacceptable. We are sending the wrong signals when it comes to the basic things that needs to be followed. And if the rules are not going to be followed, where the administrative head of government is, and we drive in here and I'm sure you come in and you see it all the time. People drive up on the sidewalk, they pack their vehicle halfway on the double yellow line, there are cones on the other side and there's always congestion in this area. What we are doing is once the terms of setting up the pound is completed, a couple of records will be hired and what would happen is that when a vehicle is badly packed, it would be towed away and it would be done at the expense of the individual because these are basic rules that we must be able to abide by. Minister for Economic Development, Housing, Urban Renewal, Transport and Civil Aviation, the Honourable Guy Joseph. Home-based bakers who operate commercially have completed training facilitated by Caribbean grains. Geraldine Beset-Joseph has details on the outreach program by the company. Caribbean grains, View Fort, held another successful baking training session in September, this time for commercial bakers who operate from home. The company's continuing program of training is part of a pledge to not only sell a range of flour to the local market, but to also pass on professional techniques to enable bakers to get the most out of products. Director of Sales and Marketing at Caribbean grains, D'Costapier said home-based bakeries were crucial to the baking industry because they produced a variety of pastries and cakes for sale to the public. Ideally, our goal is to develop the baking industry and we have noticed that home owners play a critical role in baking. Baking from home and all cakes and various pastries, they sell to various institutions and they also cater. We believe that in developing the industry taking a wholesome approach, working with bakers or home owners who bake or also working with professional bakers is the way to help in developing that industry into what we want it to become. Improvement as we have noticed throughout the training that we have extended to various bakers and customers of ours, that you see a better quality, a better finished product, a better tasting product, the customers are able to calibrate or measure and ensure that they are able to maximise on the usage of the tools that they are provided with, which is the flour, the yeast and everything of that sort. Trainee Gail Regi of Artisan Pastries, which operates out of Union terrorist castries, said she was pleasantly surprised to learn the new knowledge obtained. One thing that I learnt here and I think I will definitely implement is the fact that you need to let your dough rest, allow it to rest a lot more so we can get a better quality product. This is the first thing that I'm going to try. Jani Giroudi, who runs the home-based company, Jani's exquisite cakes of Moulashik Viewfort, said she came away with ideas and techniques, mainly in the baking of bread. I learnt different techniques of how to use the flour, how to make baskets, how to make different types of decorations with the bread dough, a lot of different things using flour, not only white flour, but we have rye flour, you had whole grain, you had all different types of flour, which was very informative. So far, baking training sessions by Caribbean Grains have instilled more confidence in participants about the preparations of ingredients to improve the presentation and taste of breads, cakes and pastries. Ali Madjahad, French baker, instructor, attached to Caribbean Grains, said the participants' involvement was great during the session. I had a great group. As usual, the way I direct my sessions is that, yes, it's work, yes, we have a goal to actually promote and use a product that is on the market to the institution, but I like the interest and obviously the involvement, the huge involvement of each participant. You always have one that gives a joke or is more happy than the rest, but today the session was just so delightful and for me it makes it even easier. Since commencing business in November 2016, Caribbean Grains has conducted baking training sessions for groups of community bakers, school students and hotel pastry chefs as part of its mission to provide solutions to the baking industry. For the Government Information Service, I am Jolien Bisset-Joseph reporting. The edutainment roadshow featuring the work of cultural icon Joseph Ramo Polio made another stop on Wednesday. This time at the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School. Students were not only introduced to the folk hero, but they were exposed to the link between today's popular music and the traditional songs. Here's Janelle Norville. The fourth edition of the initiative features St. Lucia's renowned folk musician Joseph Ramo Polio. The cultural group then embarked on an educational drive by sharing snippets of the experience with students around the island. Internative is at 12 schools and I must say that we are almost completed the 12 schools and we try to choose schools that are not normally, people don't normally go. We went to as far as Saltybus, Dennery, Miku, Viewfort, and now we're within the Castries base in Marsha, Methodist, to really heighten that awareness. And I think overall it has been well received and I think what baffles me every time. This is not something where literature is written on a board or it scrolls up on a screen, but they actually have to listen and how the students can recall all of those details and give the specific information where he was born, his name, his parents' name, what instrument that he played. And I think we want to show that transition into our folk traditions. Yes, we must maintain it and keep it, but we must also innovate and show the transition into a more contemporary form of culture where we embrace ourselves. What we're promoting is what is authentically sentient. A 20-minute presentation which includes music, song, narrative, and dance documenting the life of Ramo and the contribution to the arts were made to students throughout the various schools on the island. The schedule for Thursday 26 September 2018 included the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School, the Bonte Preparatory School, and the Montessori Center. The teachers and students alike gave some insight into their experience. Today was an experience for our theater art students to observe a theatrical production dance and drama and musical which focused on the history and the contribution that a cultural icon, Ramo Polio, has made to St. Lucia. And so it was, I think, an experience for them to learn about their country and themselves and to see contemporary as well as traditional music and elements within the cultural forms that they have been studying in a practical way. I think it was an overall good performance and I learned more about my culture and Ramo Polio. I learned that he was a very good icon and people looked forward to... Yeah, people looked forward to... They looked at him as an idol. Well, young people that are cultural litacles, how are their dances actually nice? I didn't expect it to be nice. I didn't even know they had more than one cultural form of that. I learned that although many of us are the youth today, we don't really gravitate towards the folk music. We more gravitate towards the denry segments and the American music. The folk music is really nice and the dances are, well, they're better in my opinion and I really enjoyed it. The cultural icon series forms part of Arts and Heritage Month. In previous years, icons who have been recognized include Virginia Alexander 2015, Maria 2016, Garth St. Oma 2017. These years showcase strings, songs and dance celebrating Ramo will take place on Monday, October 1 at the Bellevue Primary School courtyard from 5 p.m. Admission to the cultural celebration is $10. From the Government Information Service, I am General Norville. The Office of the Mayor will in the coming days assist in bridging the gap between the end of a child's school day and the end of a parent's work day when it launches its first ever after-school program. The program, dubbed PASS, Partners for After-School Success will offer free lessons in English and mathematics three days a week to disadvantaged students preparing for CXC. The after-school program was endorsed during a recent meeting with the Minister for Education, Innovation, Gender, Relations and Sustainable Development, Dr. Gail Rigobert. Speaking ahead of the launch, his Worship Mayor Peterson D. Francis notes that after-school programs have been proven to increase academic achievement as well as reduce financial stress on families. Interested persons can call 452-2121 for more information or register for the program at the Office of the Mayor, Painier Street, Cass Trees. And that's Nation Beat. Join us next time as we feel the pulse and heart of our community. I am Jackingston Compton.