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A Monthly Newsletter by
cx - aUGUST 2014
The Face behind the
xpression
wyatte on ‘‘agriculture vs politics’’
P2 - Caribbean Food
this month
P3 - Politics vs Agriculture
P6 - Faces of Poverty \ P8 - Health
P10 - Interview KU-J \ P12 - Arts
P13 - tourism \ P14 - Business
P16 - Sports
stay focus
cx - AUGUST 2014
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Caribbean Food and Cuisine
found throughout Caribbean.
Rice is a staple food throughout the
Caribbean, and each island has a unique
rice dish. On some islands, rice is specially seasoned or served with coconut. Yellow and brown rice is served as a side on
many Caribbean dishes.
In addition to rice, beans are a popular
food throughout the Caribbean. In Cuba,
beans are included in many dishes. Beans
are cooked and served in a variety of ways
depending on the country. Excellent conch
can be found in Belize and the Bahamas.
One popular way to prepare conch is to
season it, coat it in batter, and then to
deep fry it. This popular food is known as
fritters.
Steak, chicken, and seafood served in the Caribbean are cooked with distinct
spices and ingredients found
in the region. Well known Caribbean cuisine includes key
lime pie, barbecued ribs served
with guava sauce, chicken kabobs, jerk chicken, and coconut
shrimp.
Origins of Caribbean
Food
Food is a very important aspect
of many family traditions and
Caribbean culture. During holidays and other special events,
it is not uncommon for people
to spend many days preparing
food. Caribbean dishes are often comprised of indigenous,
European, American, Chinese,
and African influences.
Caribbean cuisine is influenced by Chinese, Indian,
Dutch, French, Spanish, British, and Amerindian food. Local
residents have also developed
distinct dishes.
A popular Caribbean dish
is seasoned jerk chicken. This
spicy dish is unique, but it
is similar to Louisiana Creole chicken. Chicken, goat,
and curry are popular foods
throughout the English influenced areas of the Caribbean,
particularly Tobago, Trinidad,
and Guyana. French food is
popular in the French influenced areas of the Caribbean,
Guadeloupe and Haiti, for example. Rice served with beans
and different sauces is a staple
food throughout the Caribbean.
In fact, people in the West Indies refer to rice as “peas.”
A traditional goat stew is
Montserrat’s recognized national dish and very popular in
St. Nevis and Kitts. This popular stew is made with tomatoes, dumplings, green papaya,
breadfruit, and goat meat. In
the British Caribbean, a popular meal is pelau, a mixture of
saltfish, beef, and chicken meat
with rice, pigeon peas, and
other vegetables. A prominent
African influenced Caribbean
dish, callaloo, combines leafy
greens with okra.
People living in the Spanish
influenced regions of the Caribbean eat a lot of spicy and
flavored foods. For example,
Cuban and Puerto Rican people
heavily flavor their food with
garlic and lime. Cinnamon,
ginger, and nutmeg are other
popular seasonings used in the
Spanish Caribbean.
Seafood is very popular in
the Caribbean. Each Caribbean nation usually has a unique
seafood dish. Shark, fish, lobster, and conch are common
dishes popular in different regions. For example, flying fish
is a popular dish in Barbados,
while fried shark and crab are
popular in Tobago. Western African influenced saltfish can be
Ackee
MORE IN september ABOUT
THE Caribbean Food Glossary
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cx - aUGUST 2014
agriculture vs politics 2014
August 29th is around the corner and
we are definitely experiencing a “political
hype”, as I would like to call it. As Editor
and Chief of Cultural Xpressions I thought
it only fear that I get the opportunity to
share my thoughts and views with you on
matters surrounding politics. Our focus
here at Cultural Xpressions is to bring vital
information to the communities through
culture, agriculture, health, community
development, sports, local business, arts,
entertainment, tourism, basically the factors that surround us. But today, I want to
change it up a bit and talk about politics
-give you my view on politics if I may. The
reason for choosing to share my political
views with you, lies behind the fact that,
amongst all the political hype that’s going
on -which has become more like a traditional show to me, our people are going
through some real drastic times and are
really in need of a change.
Politics, or if I may say “dictatorship” basically when you look at it it’s basically
the same thing - all leads at the end of the
road to the cost of democracy. We as St.
Maarten people have strayed away so far
from the fact that we choose to be comfortable with a lot of things that are going
on because of the pattern of the lifestyle
that we have lead over the course of time.
In my opinion, politics has become just a
hype, giving people what they want and
at the end of the day not really making
any beneficial changes for the people in
the end.
These days the talks is all about a new
hospital, about education, about finances, tourism, and economic-development,
which definitely is important. But one thing
that everybody is failing to realize is that
they are missing one more important sector along with all of those other sectors,
and that sector is AGRICULTURE. I will
break this down in simple terms: Agriculture plays the greatest role in each and
every one of those sectors. For example,
within education, if you have a healthy
eating lifestyle, you have a healthy functioning brain which then leads to having a
healthy functioning body, giving you more
physical ability in doing certain things.
Having a healthy lifestyle also enables you
to study better, relax and rise better to go
through the next day and so forth.
Now, as it pertains to the economic-development and social-development of a
country, agriculture also plays a great role
within the economy. Right now, we are
looking at a lot of people who are suffering, a lot of people who don’t have jobs,
and yet we choose to remain comfortable
at a certain status as we refuse to realize that poverty exist and is rising at high
speed. Even though it doesn’t exist to a
great extent as yet, it exists, it’s rising because of the fact that a lot of people are
not able to get jobs, or get educated properly because certain parents can’t afford
it. Our public schools limits children to a
Mr Denicio Wyatte is The Creator of Cultural Xpression and Man Dir of Spaceless Gardens.
Wyatte is currently busy with the development of the St Peters Community Garden and urges the
communities to get involved with Agriculture which ever way they can. Wyatte’s contact info on page 2.
certain amount of education etc, which results in some kids growing up still being
semi illiterate. Also not being able to received financing for studies abroad is another factor that some of these students
and parents are faced with. At the end of
the day we end up with the’’ Settle for what
you get attitude. Here is where agriculture
plays a great role because in the end agriculture will provide jobs and food security.
Additionally, agriculture provides that full
sector which is lacking in St. Maarten. In
the midst of all this political hype, we need
to think about where we are headed. We
are definitely going to vote for our favorite candidate, but who is really challenging
agriculture?
Now, within the economic- and social-development, people get together and
share a part of culture, which definitely
allows the economy to grow. Whether we
come together and share our ideas on how
–let’s say – we can get involved with social activities that benefit the community,
etc. agriculture plays a great role within
that sector. Understand when I say that
agriculture can get people together, it can
get people working, get people socializing.
It can also get people to understand the
greater aspect of their culture that they
have been lacking for so long. We call ourselves a country, but how much of a country can we be if we can’t even feed ourselves at the end of the day.
Agriculture also affects finance. We are
always talking about government not being able to balance the budget. We talk
about the financial crisis being caused by
this and that. We talk about taxes being
raised in certain sectors, which doesn’t really benefit the people but more put a burden on their shoulders, as a result the people suffer greatly. The high bills that are
being paid through government entities
such as G.E.B.E. and the sort. As long as
we are trying to figure out how we can put
a sort of ease on the people’s stresses and
strains, agriculture can step in once again
and offer that relief. Agriculture can make
a huge impact within the financial sector
as there are numerous possibilities. On a
yearly basis, we import millions of dollars’
worth of food products, What if we decided
to grow one or two of these particular food
products on a commercial scale? We could
say: “Ok, we’re not allowing these products to come here anymore. We will supply
our country and possibly go into exporting
goods.” This could definitely generate an
enormous amount of money for government to put into the coffers of the Ministry
of Finance which could in turn help balance
off certain budgets.
We got to look at tourism as well. Tourism is something that we on this island
thrive on., yet the tourist dollar doesn’t
reach the small man within the communities. We basically look at it as the main
source of income to this economy. At the
same time, we got to ask ourselves: “Why
do the tourist leave their country?” And if
I may answer that question, I would say
they leave their country because of the fact
that they want to come and experience another country’s culture, another country’s
way of life, another country’s way of living.
They come because they want to see what
that country has to offer. But, while they
are coming here to St. Maarten, we just
keep developing and developing buildings,
without reminding ourselves that these
people leave a country that’s full of buildings and skyscrapers to come and enjoy
our nice sceneries, country sides, beaches
and culture.
Now, agriculture can play a great role,
when we take a look at the economic benefits of Agro - Tourism. We can think on a
project, for example, like that of St. Kitts.
If we decide to use a property like Emilio
Wilson’s Park, and look at the proposal
Mr. Richardson wrote sometime back, a
plan like that can generate about 10 million dollars a year and create over a 1000
jobs.
continued on page 4
politics vs agriclture...
Kyshanna Piper, the daughter of Denicio Wyatte along with her
cousin Jayden Wyatte spend some time picking spinish out of their
back yard garden.
If the harbor is a government-owned entity, then they
should be able to channel traffic from the harbor to this extravagant park for example.
The zoo would be involved, the
museum, maybe a small library
and historical artifacts. The development of agriculture, animal-husbandries and fisheries
would come to life on a commercial scale in an area like
this. In all, it would become an
excursion of some sort, something really exquisite to want
to visit and see. By having an
ex-amount of passengers passing through per year we might
just be able to get 10% of those
passengers to spend about $20
a piece. We would be able to
generate quite a sum of money
while providing a lot of jobs, a
lot of social activities, and definitely a lot of –let’s say- food
security and sustainability. St.
Maarten would then be able to
give the people that come here,
something to be enticed about.
We only brag and boast about
our beaches, but that’s not really offering much to our tourists because now we have more
tourists coming in on cruise
ships than those actually staying overnight. We have to find
where imbalance is. We ‘kinda’
want people to stay a bit longer even though it’s ok to have
them come and stay by the
mass for one day, but by them
staying a little bit longer, they
spend a little bit more money
which could then be trickled
down to the local communities
as they get familiar for the time
that they are here.
We can also get into programs where our local people,
having a standard class of living, can open up their homes to
tourist who would then have
an exquisite experience by
living at this certain person’s
home while experiencing the
realities of local life, –having the local kids around, local food, etc, will grant these
tourists a close-up experience
of the SXM culture. The ideas
can go on and on.
Agriculture plays such a
great role in all of these sectors, yet we’re failing to realize that by us not taking a
grasp at it now, we are losing out in the long run on a
lot more important things
that’s needed -and not wanted. All the good ideas about
the hospitals and the bridges
and all that is good if we get
Agriculture in place would just
make them stronger. What
would happen to us here on
St. Maarten, should a disaster
strike? We do not have anything to strive on. So, at the
end of the day -after watching
and hearing all the candidates
and everybody talk about their
views on how to make change
in this country- I still see a
repeat in the things that they
have been talking about. They
have literally been talking the
same way over a span of 20
to 30 years. I suggest now,
that somebody starts talking
about Agriculture because
Agriculture would definitely
bring about a total change in
everything. Once people start
to understand that what they
eat contributes to their health,
it would mean a lot less headache and hassle at the hospital, a lot less stress on our
SZV taxes and different things
like that. So at the end of the
day, agriculture does play one
of the greatest roles in helping
cx - AUGUST 2014
From page 3
our economy. If we don’t take a
grasp at it now, it will be too late
by the time we’re ready to catch
up.
Take a look at countries like
Guyana and Jamaica, for example, these places are so rich, but
their mindsets are so influenced
by government that they actually value the dollar more than the
their Islands, country or continents resources. I mean, how
can Africa be so poor with so
much wealth? It doesn’t make
sense! The few people that govern and have a certain amount
of authority over a certain people are the ones taking advantage of these people by keeping
them uneducated about certain
factors that they are being deviated from. So here we end
up having the same problem all
around the world.
We get comfortable with
the fact that St. Maarten is the
friendly island, Tourism, yes we
had a booming economy, but
things are changing, things are
not the same like before. Kids
nowadays are not growing up
to be dumb anymore, youths
are basically saying: “Boy life is
messed up like this…..” and resorting to whatever’s necessary
to try and survive. At the end
of the day, again, it’s all about
the “miseducatio or making people feel secured’’. The proper
education is not coming from
the parents, because basically
these parents are never home
to guide their children. Instead,
they have to work two to three
jobs in order to provide for the
family, so it’s a sad situation that
we’re facing and our kids pay
P4
the price, to be later be called
the bad egg.
So, with this whole election
hype going on, I would like to
acknowledge three people who
came to me at my house and
actually sat down and conveyed their appreciation for
the work that myself and others have been doing within agriculture. They also acknowledged that although not having
much knowledge and direction
on the subject, they definitely knew that it was something
that needed attention. These
persons stated their interest
clearly in gaining more information on the subject of agriculture and are enthusiastically
willing to offer their assistance
in whichever way possible. I
should also add that this took
place quite a ways ahead of
election period, which, for
me, shows a different character about these individuals. I
think that these three persons,
namely Ms. Tamara Leonard,
The Honorable Minister Maurice
Lake and Mr. Lenny Priest, really challenged my view on the
political lack of interest in agriculture. Fortunately, all three
are running for politics, which I
find to be a pretty good thing.
My hope is that people would
give one of these candidates a
chance. There are a lot of those
in Government, who seemingly
do not realize the importance
of agriculture, so for someone
to acknowledge that [hey] agriculture is needed -we don’t
know a whole lot about it but
we definitely want to get into
it a little bit more to see what
we can do- is definitely a start.
I give thanks for that because
at the end of the day it takes a
start to keep moving. Without
continued on page 5
Hot Peppers grown in an Aqua Ponics System at Spaceless Gardens
www.stmaartenagriculture.com
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cx - aUGUST 2014
ics vs agriclture...
polit
...From page 4
a start, you can’t reach anywhere, so I would give these
three candidates a tip of the
hat. To the rest of the candidates, I would wish them luck
yes, but I wouldn’t be so supportive simply because of the
fact that they are not willing to
challenging the real important
issues.
In my opinion the most important issue right now is agriculture; I always like to hold on
to this saying: “If you control
the food supply, you control the
people” –Henry Kissinger. And
the following is not said on a
racist level but our people have
to accept that the Chinese and
Indians are in control of us,
after all they control the food
supply. But we cannot blame
them for doing business, it’s all
they know to do, this is what
they do. But I will say this, if
we don’t get into that business,
if we don’t get into agriculture
and start producing our own
food, then we will lose out on
one of the greatest factors. If
one day the Chinese should decide to close down, for that one
day, and you were lacking baby
food, then that would mean
your baby doesn’t really eat for
that day., this is just placed in
a simple context.
I would like to encourage everyone to open up your minds
to agriculture and understand
where it holds its place, we
have to eat to stay strong, alive
and healthy. As a result of hunger we won’t be able to have a
vision or have the strength to
build or develop anything. So
at the end of the day, agriculture is something that is greatly needed and should be shown
a lot of attention to.
I know I said this before, but
I’d like to repeat myself once
again: The only three people I
see in the political arena that
has been showing some interest in agriculture is Ms. Tamara
Leonard, The Honorable Minister Maurice Lake and Mr. Lenny Priest. So if I do decide to
vote, one of those will get my
vote, that’s for sure. Should
you choose to give one of them
a chance, I know genuinely
that even though they may not
know as much about the subject, they will try to take an initiative to want to know and get
familiar with agriculture. For
that I would tip my hat to them
once again.
I give thanks for having this
paper basically to share positive information with you. This
paper will never be negative, it
will always be straight up, but
it will never be about bashing
anyone. All I want is provide
you with is another opinion
from a simplified perspective.
In this way we can understand
what our roles are in making
decisions. It’s always being
said during elections that despite the fact that we vote for
a particular candidate that candidate might still not end up
being elected. So chances are
who you vote for might not end
up in office. So this is why I say
let’s start turning to ourselves
-as a people- and start making
certain decisions amongst ourselves that’s going to benefit us
and the communities we live
in . We have to stop depending on others to make decisions
for us. So this election make
the right decision. Even after
election, take the initiative to
get involved in agriculture, in
your back yard, for yourself.
Learn the health benefits of
certain plants and other products of agriculture which would
then help you to stay out of the
hospital and cause less money having to be spent by you
where insurance is concerned.
At the end of the day you’ll be
a healthier, stronger and more
focused you. You would definitely be satisfied and proud of
being part of something that
would have a grand impact on
your life and on our future generations to come.
“I give thanks for you be-
ing here with me and leave you
with some promising words:
Just stay focused in life; Make
the right decisions; Common
sense is always your leader, so
never get thrown off track; You
have a conscience and once
your conscience starts to feel
funny, it means you’re doing
something wrong. Some of us
can blindly do that, but in the
end there’s always Karma and
she’s a pretty, very pretty lady,
but she treats you just as you
treat her, so blessed love to
everybody -and focus.”
-Denicio Wyatt.
The faces of poverty pt2:
cx - AUGUST 2014
P6
Margret Tuitt: I would love to buy a new dress sometimes, but I can’t afford it
Cultural Xpression editor Denicio Wyatte reviewed a
few stories about people living
in poverty here on St Maarten in
the Local News Paper Today.
Even though we may think that
we live on The Friendly Island
, recent actions have showed
that their has been a rise in
crime. ‘‘Poverty’’ is a word that
we may try to avoid thinking
that we may not be living in
this situation, but untill you understand what is poverty and
those that it affects around us
, only then can we try to find
a solution... There are a great
deal of people right here on St
Maarten living in poverty. Here
is another one of their stories,
that the Today Newspaper had
allowed us to share.
GREAT BAY – Yesterday, this
newspaper published the first
of a series of stories designed
to give poverty in St. Maarten a
face. Today the second installment – the story of Margret, a
retired cleaning lady.
Margret is 70 years of age.
Like many other pensioners,
she also frequents the Come
Retired cleaning lady Margret. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar
Center opposite the Vlaun garage on Long Wall Road on
Wednesdays for a spiritual
word, a meal, companionship
and games or handicraft.
Margret used to work at the
New Amsterdam store as a
cleaning lady. The store does
not exist anymore, it closed
down after Hurricane Luis hit
the island in 1995. “My start-
ing salary was 400 guilders
per month,” she recalls. But I
was good at my job and the
store-owner increased my salary later to 600 guilders, then
to 700.”
Minimum wage around the
time Luis hit was 500 guilders
a month for household personnel and cleaners, so in a way,
Margret was doing at least for
some of the time a bit better
than the absolute minimum.
After the New Amsterdam
store closed, Margret was out
of a job. She held no more
regular jobs and filled in every
now and then for other cleaners who were on sick leave.
The Labor Office offered her
2,000 guilders in severance pay
after the store closure. She still
is miffed about that offer: “I
had worked there since 1980,”
she says, adding that she did
not only work as a cleaner, her
employer also trusted her with
taking money for the business
to the bank.
One day, a man got wind of
this and he went to the store
to inquire whether Margret
was there, apparently to get
acquainted with her and to rob
her of the money later on. Margret smiled at the memory, because she received him. “I told
him Margret was not there,”
she says. The man came back
several times but never found
out that Margret was very cleverly fooling him. Margret, in
turn, never became the victim
of a robbery.
These days, she is living
alone in Dutch Quarter. The
house is her own, she says.
The Christian Fellowship helped
her build it. Unfortunately, the
house has problems: the foundation is going down and as a
result the house gets flooded
during heavy rainfall. “I am not
able to pay the repairs,” Margret says. “To prevent the water
from getting into the house, I
need some blocks to construct
a wall behind the house.”
Her pension was recently cut
from 635 to 600 guilders. “They
said I was getting too much.”
The government supplements
her old-age pension with 400
guilders onderstand (welfare).
“I go shopping once a month,”
Margret says. “And then I spend
between 200 and 300 guilders.
I mostly buy canned goods, because they have to last for the
month.”
For cooking she uses small
gas bottles, the large ones are
beyond her financial reach. Of
her income, 200 guilders goes
for light and water, 73 guilders
is for her only form of entertainment – cable TV. The tight
budget leaves little room for
extravagancies and hardly any
room for buying necessities
that others might consider normal. “I would love to buy a new
dress or some underwear every
now and then,” she says. “But I
cannot afford it.”
Help from family is not forthcoming, the Montserrat-born
cleaning lady says. “My son has
his own family to care for.”
Going to the Come Center
then, is one of her weekly outings. “If I don’t come here, I am
sitting home alone.”
And yet, while money is tight
and the government and the
community do not seem to be
ready to offer some real relief,
Margret’s eyes are full of life
and determination. The world
may have dealt her a bad hand
in the twilight of her life, but
her message remains optimistic
and resilient: “Don’t treat people bad,” she says.
In the coming weeks, Today
will publish more stories in the
series The Face of Poverty.
By Hibert Haar
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MORE TIPS IN september EDITION
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P8
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The difference between happiness and health ... or sickness, depression and medical bills.
The market for organic foods
in the United States continues to rapidly
grow, while it is relatively mature in other
areas, particularly in parts of Western Europe. The EU actively promotes growth of
the organic sector (Dimitri & Operholtzer,
2005). Government subsidies and industry
promotion have lowered price premiums
(Thompson & Kidwell, 1998) and there is
a higher level of consumer awareness than
that found in the United States.
Grunert and Juhl (1995), Land (1998),
and Wier and Andersen (2003) investigated organic purchase motivators in Denmark. Grunert and Juhl found willingness
to pay for organic foods to be directly related to attitudes about, and behaviors reflective of, a concern for the environment.
Land found consumers chose organic food
because of associations with better health
and improved taste, and that consumers
considered “pesticide free” to be an important attribute of organic foods. Wier
and Anderson found organic buyers to be
mainly concerned about health and considered the absence of chemical residues
to be the most preferred product attribute
of organic food. Animal welfare, food origin, and environmental issues were also
found to play a role in organic food purchasing decisions.
Hack (1993) identified the two primary
motives for purchasing organic food products among Dutch consumers to be health
and beneficial impacts on the environment. Four major impediments to the consumption of organic food were identified.
Organic food was less familiar to consumers, generally not as available as its conventional counterpart, much more expensive, and perceived to be of lesser quality.
Bugge and Wandel (1995) investigated purchasing motives for organic food
among Norwegians. The main purchasing
motive for all users was health concern.
The primary constraints were identified
as insufficient information, availability,
and price. Among consumers in the Unit-
ed Kingdom, Latacz-Lohmann and Foster
(1997) found health and food safety to be
the two primary motivators for consumption of organic food.
Hill and Lynchehaun (2002) found
health to be the (overwhelming) reason
consumers were using organic milk. Taste
and the perception organic production is
better for the environment were also important. Makatouni (2002) also found the
perceived healthfulness of organic food
to be the main contributor to purchase,
followed by the perception that organic
food promotes a higher degree of animal
welfare. Consumers were also concerned
about negative environmental impacts
when artificial fertilizers and chemicals
were used in food production.
McEachern and McClean (2002) identified the top three purchase motivators for
organic dairy products in Scotland to be
taste, food safety, and health benefits. Respondents also noted environmental benefits and ethical considerations. As in other
studies, price was identified as the primary deterrent to organic food purchases. A
number of studies have considered organic
food markets and how demographic characteristics influence likelihood-of-purchase
and willingness-to-pay for organic foods
in the United States (e.g., see Thompson
& Kidwell, 1998; Huang, 1996; Byrne,
Toensmeyer, German, & Muller, 1991; Misra, Huang, & Ott, 1991). Those reviewed
here have also considered purchase motivators.
Goldman and Clancy (1991) found that
organic food purchasers frequenting an
up-state New York cooperative were concerned about pesticide residues and the
effects those residues may have on their
health. Their primary reasons for purchasing organic food were food safety, protection of the environment, and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices.
Jolly (1991) found that California consumers buying organic food were concerned about health and how it may be
jeopardized by the presence of pesticides
in their food. High prices and poor availability were two stated obstacles. These
same obstacles were also identified by
Buzby and Skees (1994) among Kentucky
consumers.
Byrne, Bacon, and Toensmeyer (1994)
and Groff, Kreidor, and Toensmeyer (1993)
surveyed Delaware residents. Byrne et al.
concluded that consumers wanted organic produce because of its perceived safety
and higher nutritive value, because associated with it were fewer harmful effects on
the environment, and due to a desire for
an increased level of societal control over
the quality of the food supply. Groff et al.
found the most important factors affecting
organic food consumption were freshness,
healthfulness, flavor, nutrition, and food
safety. Swanson and Lewis (1993) found
organic food purchasers in Alaska to be
primarily motivated by environmental and
personal safety concerns. Organic food
purchasers were more concerned about
pesticide residues than non-purchasers.
Overall, organic produce was perceived to
be more expensive and less visually attractive.
more in Septermbers edition
P9
cx - aUGUST 2014
9 Herbs for Healthy Eyes
Q. Are there herbs that can
help support healthy eyes?
A. Sight is one of our most
cherished senses. We read,
appreciate art, observe nature
and connect with loved ones by
gazing into these “windows of
the soul.” We spend good money on cosmetics to enhance the
eyes’ natural beauty, and it just
makes sense to promote our
eyes’ health as well.
Easy steps include wearing sunglasses and hats outdoors, eating well, maintaining
a healthy weight, managing
stress and avoiding cigarette
smoke. Some medicinal plants
also might be worth incorporating into the routine.
Herbs for Eye Health
Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) has long been a folk remedy
for the eyes. Most natural food
stores contain teas, tinctures
and homeopathic eyedrops
made from this herb. A South
African study found that eyebright eyedrops hastened recovery from conjunctivitis (redness and discharge caused by
irritation of the outside lining of
the eye). Extracts lower blood
sugar in diabetic rats. Whether
the same effect holds for humans isn’t yet known. (Diabetes raises the risk for several
eye diseases—see our sidebar
“For Eye Health, Control Blood
Sugar.”)
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
improves blood flow to the retina (the light-sensitive tissue
at the back of the eye). Preliminary research suggests extracts improve vision in people
with glaucoma. It is also antioxidant and protects nerve cells,
including those in the eye.
Coleus
(Coleus
forskohlii) contains forskolin.
Forskolin eyedrops have been
shown to reduce the production
of fluid within the eye, thereby
reducing pressure. Therefore,
it may have relevance in the
treatment of glaucoma.
Cannabis (Cannabis sativa)
contains
cannabinoids,
which, among many actions,
reduce pressure within the
eye in people with glaucoma.
The first studies were done in
people who smoked marijuana and showed that the pressure reduction lasted three to
four hours. Subsequent studies
have tried different methods
to deliver cannabinoids (intravenously, oral or inhaled).
The downsides are side effects
(dry, pink eyes; reduced blood
pressure; alterations in mental
state and behavior) and legality (unless you live in a state
that has legalized medical cannabis). However, the identification of receptors for cannabinoids in the eye has raised
interest in the development of
eyedrops.
Green tea
(Camellia sinensis)
contains antioxidants, which
mop up free radicals—substances that create the socalled oxidative damage underlying many chronic diseases,
including glaucoma, macular
degeneration and cataracts.
Furthermore, lab studies show
that treating retinal cells with
green tea’s polyphenols protects them from damage from
ultraviolet light.
Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) contains potent antioxidant
flavonoids called anthocyanins.
Its American botanical cousins
blueberry and cranberry also
contain such chemicals. During
World War II, Royal Air Force
pilots reported that eating bilberry jam improved their night
vision. While initial studies
supported such claims, more
recent trials have not shown
that bilberry benefits include
a significant improvement in
night vision. Most studies have
used healthy volunteers with
normal or above-average eyesight. Whether or not bilberry
extracts might benefit elders
with deteriorating night vision
remains to be seen. One recent
study did find that anthocyanins from another berry—black
currant (Ribes nigrum)—hastened adaptation to the dark
and also reduced eye fatigue.
Preliminary studies in humans from the 1980s suggested promise for managing cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic
retinopathy. Studies in laboratory rats show extracts may
defend against cataracts and
glaucoma.
In other studies, extracts
protect nerve cells in the retina, strengthen blood vessels,
improve circulation, and block
the formation of new blood
vessels, a process involved in
diseases of the retina such as
diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. Leaf and
berry extracts also have an antidiabetic effect—a relevant action, given the high risk of eye
diseases among diabetics.
Many herbs, fruits and vegetables have antioxidant power. Garlic (Allium sativum) is
one. Preliminary lab research
suggests it may help prevent
cataracts. Turmeric (Curcuma
longa) contains the potent antioxidant curcumin, which has
been shown to protect against
cataract formation in rats, both
alone and in combination with
vitamin E.
It’s important to note that
most of the eye conditions discussed here come on so slowly
that people may not develop
noticeable symptoms until the
disease has become severe.
The best strategy is regular
eye examinations. Early detection and prompt treatment can
prevent significant visual loss.
Common Eye Diseases
Cataracts are so named because opacities in the eyes’
lens create the effect of looking
through a waterfall (aka cataract). Risk factors include advancing age, diabetes, smoking, exposure to sunlight,
excessive use of alcohol, poor
nutrition, chronic stress and
long-term use of corticosteroids.
In glaucoma, an imbalance
in the production and drainage
of the fluid within the eye builds
pressure, compressing the optic nerve and causing tunnel vision and, eventually, blindness.
Macular degeneration affects
a specialized part of the retina.
Activities such as reading become steadily more difficult.
Genetics play a role, but there
are other risk factors, including
advancing age, smoking, high
blood pressure, obesity, inadequate nutrition and exposure to
sunlight.
Thank You
for your support
cx - AUGUST 2014
Cultural Xpression,
IN DEEP WITH “MR. PERFECTION -KOOL UNBREAKABLE JOE”
Freedom Fighter Band
Member & all rounder MUSICAL MAN.......Ku J!!
It’s a perfect day for an
interview, weather is great,
the scenery happens to be
pleasing to the eyes as we
sit and breathe in the aroma
of The Ital Shack’s healthy,
delicious food. Imagine
that......traffic happens to
be on a constant flow, it’s
a bit noisy but we can always work our way around
that and be grateful for this
beautiful day on SXM.
Here we are, relaxed and
ready as he walks in, introductions are formal but
over with quick as everyone
settles in.
Ku J humbly gives “thanks
and praise for the new day”
and we get straight into the
interview. All I can do is express how grateful I am that
he took time out to be here,
while letting him know the
questions I’m about to ask.
So
we
want
to
know.....”Who is Ku J”? I
ask......(his humility unfolds
as he answers).......
Well...... alot of people
know Ku J as Jawara Joe son
of The Legendary Ras Bush
Man and others know me as
Ku J the musical reggae artist, composer, rhythm builder, song writer & performer
(with The Freedom Fighters
Band). Ku J is an all rounder
when it comes to music.
“Mr Perfection came out
with a different energy &
sound”!!
Now of course I dig a little
deeper and let him talk to
me about “What inspired
the name Ku J”?
Aaaha, Ku J is basically
an abbreviation for “Kool
Unbreakable Joe, my title is
Joe, He exclaims.....through
all tribulations I remain
mellow & cool”. In order to
define a different character
he spelt Cool (abbreviated)
with a K (as in Kool), Nice
touch!!
You know, we have actually seen Ku J’s music
video
in circulation “Mr.
Perfection” : How it was
going thus far? He says:
“Mr. Perfection” has been
doing very good, it’s been
released on Vevo because I
have a Vevo account now &
it has had over 60,000 plus
views. It was also on YouTube but it was removed
(reason not clearly known)
but I uploaded back, so its
back on YouTube”.
As I bring my questions
forth I want to know “What
has Ku J been up to lately?
And are there any new mu-
sic videos in the making”?
Ku J lets me know, that
there’s no recording or video making at the moment
but mostly song writing.
He’s trying his best to work
on a new style and vibe.
Did you know that before
“Mr. Perfection” Ku J had a
song called “Customs Officer”?
Both songs are quite
different from each other
based on style, vibe and
composition.
Ku J is working on a album and plans to later release a single from that album but nothing has been
confirmed yet.
As we get in depth with Ku
J we realize that his strong
sense of style and independence allows him to admire
certain artists for what they
are about and how they portray themselves yet he sees
none as idols, his stand
point is merely for observation and intake of progress.
Ku J says: “If you have
life within you, music should
make you move to music
because music itself is life
just a different frequency
for each human being”. His
words are inspiring to ev-
P10
eryone in general, all ages
alike, as he tells me his
plans to go back into school
and how he would like to
study music, he wishes to
dedicate himself to music
itself instead of just the
musical career.
I’m amazed that though
he does not do many collaborations he still decided
to collaborate with Natisha
Hansen, so that’s a little
treat to look forward to in
the near future. Artist such
as Versatile (Versatwizy),
48 entertainment, Redeye
Crew (to name a few) are
artists whose music he enjoys.
In his own words - he
says:
“St. Maarten has so
much talent but everyone knows that, I don’t
have to say that”
I’m a man that believes in growth, one
must grow, one must
evolve........
I don’t really believe
in evolution where one
must evolve as a person,
you must grow, YOU
MUST GO FORWARD!”
I want to study the
continued on page 11
P11
cx - aUGUST 2014
Photos Ziggi Recado - Kwakoe Festival Amsterdam, Netherlands
Ziggi Recardo and the Force at Kwakoe Festival 2014 - Get the Therapeutic Album
today on ITunes
ku-j interview...
sound department of music
itself and use
all
opportunities
available
to bring it to
St. Maarten to
show
people
there’s
more
to music than
just singing and
more to sound
than just dancing”.
“When
you
focus too much
on your musical
career,
you don’t really have much
room to grow....
you’re more focus on paying
this one and
that one and
focus on this
one”...........
I guess you
can say that I
didn’t just get in
depth with Ku J
but I also got to
know him as a
person his moral
view and character will get him
where he wants
to be, the traits he
needs to succeed.
With that being
said, this beautiful island of St.
Maarten, (which
we call home)
has so many up
and coming artists, proudly we
call them HOMEGROWN as Ku J
From page 10
himself is one of
the many that
we look forward
to in hearing his
musical
releases, attributes and
adventures on his
Journey of Sound.
‘‘to be released this september ’’
If you would
like to hear more
of Ku J check out
his videos on YouTube or reach out
to him on twitter
itskuj@twitter
cx - AUGUST 2014
P12
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5 Tips for Gett
Artis, Producers and Dj’s
ung Slade
r-old son DJ Yo
Lil Jon’s 12-yea
Creative professionals
everywhere struggle with the
challenges of getting things
finished. Successful creative
professionals beat those challenges. This is a sentiment that
should resonate with the bedroom producer. With the rise
of affordable music equipment
there has been a flood of people trying to get into this field
and the competition is fierce.
But music production is just
one of the more recent career
fields to face these battles, as
they join artists everywhere
who must learn the skills of
self-motivation to survive in
these competitive fields.
To address this issue we
have compiled five rules you
can use to ensure you’re playing the game well enough to
find some success. These tips
are a good list to turn to when
you need a kick in the butt to
get started and feel serious
about succeeding in music pro-
duction. 1. Show up!
Mark Twain was once asked
if he had to wait for inspiration
to come before writing. “Yes, I
do,” he replied, “but inspiration
always comes at 9am sharp,
every weekday!”
To succeed, you have to turn
up. When you’re a solo producer, maybe doing it part time,
it’s doubly important, because
nobody else is making you do
it and you’re busy anyway. But
if you don’t put the hours in,
the rest of it comes to nothing.
Professionals do; wannabes
just think about it.
The best way is simply to
plan a certain number of hour
for production into your days,
weeks and months, and stick
to it. Jobs have set hours, and
this is a job. If you’re physically there, ready to start, you’ve
already won half the battle. 2.
Fight resistance
Novelist Steven Pressfield
wrote a seminal book on cre-
ativity called The War of Art.
In it, he identified the devil on
your shoulder that stops you
producing creative works, and
gave it a name: Resistance.
Resistance is what makes
you sort through your sample library recategorizing all
of your loops and hits, instead
of working on your tune. Resistance is what makes your
hand move towards the Facebook bookmark to check your
fan page, instead of working
on your tune. Resistance is
what makes you suddenly decide to rearrange your studio to
put the speakers in a different
place, instead of working on
your tune…
In short, resistance is what
makes you do something else
that feels important but that
actually isn’t, at the expense of
doing what you’re really meant
to be doing – creating. It’s particularly insidious because you
feel like you’re working, but in
fact you’re actively looking for
anything but your important
creative work to do!
A simple way to trap this
creeping disease is to log exactly what you do for a few production sessions, and see how
much time you actually spent
producing. Once you’ve identified the apparently urgent
but really unimportant stuff,
the “instant gratification” tasks
that you’ve been doing instead
of the real, painful, worthwhile
job of creating, you can start
doing something about changing your habits. 3. Finish what
you start, then start again
How many times have you
had somebody tell you excit-
edly about an amazing new
tune they’ve made, right up
until the point that you ask
to hear it, at which point they
shuffle uncomfortably, muttering something like “it’s not
quite finished yet…” or “I need
to master it first…”. How many
wannabe producers do you
know who never seem to finish
anything at all?
Signed bands traditionally had little choice but to finish their records on time, with
obligation-ridden
advances,
studio time booked, and record company execs breathing
down their necks. Even then,
there are legendary stories of
albums taking years to finish
(or never getting finished at
all). If “real” bands sometimes
never finish their work, what
chance do effectively self-employed producers have?
You have every chance, as
long as you set yourself deadlines and stick to them – come
what may. Tasks tend to expand to fit the available time.
Deadlines are your friend. Professionals produce, release,
and move on. Wannabes procrastinate and spend more
time coming up with excuses
than delivering and getting going on the next project.
Dj Young
P13
cx - aUGUST 2014
Toursim and Culture Change
4
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In the relations established between
the tourist and local resident, there is a
transfer of cultural elements. This exchange may be beneficial or detrimental,
it is a process of acculturation, situation
that occurs when two or more groups with
different ethnic identities, coexist in the
same physical space; in these cases certain cultural elements pass, as a loan from
one society to another, either mutually or
with the subordination of one of them.
In many places diverse heritage elements are changing in terms of tourism.
We have an example in the restoration of
old urban areas, being a clear evidence
of heritage directed activation generally
made, to cover tourism offerings, some of
these projects do not produce the expected results.
We also found that the implementation
of numerous cultural programs to the tourism sector do not get the desired effect.
But good planning and political will achieve
activation of urban spaces, symbolic monuments, dances, traditional songs, crafts,
etc. The activation of certain patrimonial
elements as crafts, with only touristic purposes would result in structural changes in
the product, modifying the manufacturing
process, transforming crafts to industrial
products or in seriate, which could lead to
its rejection.
The object made using traditional methods, fundamentally handmade and excluded from industrial processes, is loaded
with cultural characteristics of exclusivity.
By introducing the craft in the commercial
dynamics of the tourism chain, the object
is transformed and consequently in some
cases may lose their traditional role by acquiring new meanings for both producing
society and to the receiver. For example if
we take a ceramic bowl initially developed
for everyday use in a community, this object can be transformed into “a souvenir”
for tourists, changing their use and meaning. The concept of handicraft product, is
transformed. This conclusion is based on
Crafte creator and vendor
the idea that anthropological heritage is a
living set of identifying features of a society (cultural elements in permanent transformation) . We’re talking about culture
and culture is built every day.
By working with tourism societies that,
logically, establish ongoing relationships
with outside groups, we notice that cultural change processes are usually rapid.
The approach to tourism in its economic
and industrial aspects, brings this market
relationship established between heritage
objects and tourists.
In the evolution of crafts we see a clear
example of how this contact, but is necessary for us to distinguish the craft object
and the serialized object made for tourism
(a souvenir), although both can be purchased by visitors as a souvenir of the trip.
Regarding the craft that preserves more
functional structures, formal and traditional production, we can say that there is a
kind of consumer looking for that unique
piece, provided with a unique aesthetic
and different from the object produced by
the serial work. We must clarify that the
traditional craft in relation to cultural tourism is also produced solely for the visitor,
leaving aside real or social use.
Traditional handicraft production and
with meaning must be differentiated from
another addressed to mass tourism (which
complies with the requirements of being
small, easily portable and economical).
The two types of production should reflect
the culture in which they are produced,
also responding to what the potential buyer, usually ignorant on traditional crafts,
think and expect to find in the area.
cx - AUGUST 2014
The Advantages of Owning Your Own Business
P14
purification tool that is being used to provide safe drinking water to millions of people.
So okay, changing the world is a pretty
ambitious target, but changing just a piece
of it for the better is still a worthwhile effort that can be deeply satisfying.
It strikes me that I’ve written a whole
book-load of articles cautioning would-be
self-employed types about the pitfalls of
starting their own businesses, but written
almost nothing about how great owning
your own business is.
One article certainly won’t right the balance, but for the benefit of those who are
thinking of plunging into the self-employed
lifestyle and opening small businesses of
their own, here is a summary of the best
advantages of owning your own business.
When you own your own business:
1) You’re the one in control.
Yep, the be your own boss thing is pretty
great. I should lie to you and tell you that
that means that no one tells me what to
do, but people (customers, suppliers, government workers) still tell me what to do
all the time (and on bad days, might even
tell me where to go, too).
The good news is that when you own
your own business, you don’t have to do
what they tell you (most of the time). You
have choices and you get to make the decisions.
2) You get to build something.
From one kid who loved Legos to another, you know how satisfying that is. Want
to become a multi-national exporter? Or
create a program that increases numeracy among children? Or turn people’s yards
into truly beautiful spaces? When you own
your own business, you get to shape and
flesh out your dreams.
3) You get to help people.
In the TD Canada Trust Small Business
Survey 2011 ninety-six percent of small
business owners said that being able to
help their customers and clients was one
of the top benefits of owning a small business. Small businesses also help people by
creating jobs in their communities and being good community citizens.
4) You may have the option of a
more flexible lifestyle.
For women, especially, owning your own
business can give the lifestyle flexibility
necessary to raise a family and still have
a successful career. BMO Bank of Montreal calls “mompreneurs” a growing trend;
Statistics Canada estimates that women account for 80 percent of new business owners, and a large percentage of
these women are moms. But it’s not just
young(ish) women who can benefit from
this advantage to owning your own business; people who are close to retirement or
already retired may find owning their own
businesses gives them both the chance to
keep their hands in and to do something
satisfying.
5) You might change the world.
You certainly don’t have to think back very
far historically to come up with the name
of a business owner whose enterprise has
changed the world. Mark Zuckerberg anyone? Bill Gates? And your business doesn’t
have to become the next Facebook or Microsoft to be the agent of powerful change.
Ten years ago, for instance, Torben Vestergaard Frandsen came up with the idea of
the LifeStraw, a personal, low-cost water
6) You might make more money.
Some businesses make truckloads full of
money. Some don’t. Most successful small
businesses provide their owners with a living, not a fortune. But the point is, owning
your own business opens up the possibility
of making more than you could possibly
make as an employee.
Working on the assembly line that produces cat clocks will bring you in a certain
wage but what if, for example, there’s a
huge surge of demand for cat clocks and
the company’s profits soar astronomically?
As an employee, you won’t share in any
of those profits. Businesses generally have
much more opportunity to make money
than individuals do.
Other Advantages of Owning
Your Own Business
The advantages of owning your own business that I’ve listed above apply to all
businesses with the caveat that those who
choose to run retail businesses will find it
more difficult to create a flexible lifestyle
because of the demands of retail trade.
But people who are self-employed rather than employed by someone else also
have other potential advantages. They
may be able to enjoy income tax breaks
not available to employees, such as hiring
other family members and income-splitting. They might be able to work from
home. Best of all, owning your own business can have you waking up with a smile
on Mondays eager to start work rather than dragging yourself in to someone
else’s business.
P15
cx - aUGUST 2014
Being fit for sport
Whilst training for any sport it’s essential you stay strong, fit and flexible.
Here are five top tips to help you move
in the right direction… Train in all planes
of motion to improve sport-related movement. A multi-directional lunge works out
your frontal and sagittal planes, for rotation (or transverse plane) use exercises
such as a medicine ball woodchop.
Use dumbbells to promote stabilisation
of joints and functionality. Try a dumbbell
chest press on a stability ball instead of
a chest press machine. Work on your balance by training in an unstable environment. Instead of a standing bicep curl try
the same exercise standing on one leg
and see the difference that small adaption
makes. Train for strength, power and endurance. These aspects are paramount in
all sports but, more importantly, changing your workout regularly will insure your
performance will be kept to an optimum.
Prevention over cure. Keep those niggling injuries away by incorporating a flexiblilty program into every workout. Your
warm up should take into account movement actions in your upcoming workout.
After you workout, stretching tight muscles will keep you at the top of your game.
Being fit for health
In today’s stressful environment it’s never
been so important to keep yourself fit and
healthy. It’s a cliche but it’s true: healthy
body, healthy mind.
Here are five top tips to improving your
wellbeing…
A healthy core is the key to a healthy
body. Using stability balls, dumbbells and
medicine balls will keep your core muscles
and joints strong.
Eat a good balanced diet, including
breakfast, which is the most important
meal of the day. Keep yourself hydrated.
It’s thought that a 2% drop in body water
can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, difficulty focusing and daytime fatigue.
Keep your aerobic levels high by using cardio equipment. Incorporate movement-based exercises such as skipping
alongside brisk walks and bike rides. This
will go a long way to keeping off those extra unwanted kilos. If you drive to work,
park further away than usual and walk the
rest at pace. You’ll be surprised how much
this wakes up the mind and you might not
be so desperate for that first coffee in the
morning.
Keep yourself as flexible as possible by
incorporating a stretch program into your
day. In your lunch break, spend 15 minutes stretching your tight muscles. You’ll
notice the difference in both mind and
body for the afternoon ahead.
Recovery and rest is as important as
exercise. Give yourself rest days and at
least 8 hours sleep a night.
Once these tips become a habit, they’ll
revolutionise your daily lifestyle leading to
a new you.
Increasing your strength
Has your strength training hit a wall? Maybe you just don’t know where to start. Here
are five top tips to help break down that
wall and put you on the road to a stronger
you… Variation is the key. Your body will
eventually adapt to all exercises so make
sure you change them regularly.
Exercising using your own body weight
is key to improving your strength. The
many variations of pull ups and press ups
will keep you on your toes.
A strong core equals a strong body. If
abdominal exercises are a major part of
your workout you’ll notice improvements
in all other muscle groups.
Find yourself a training partner. Someone motivating you through your exercises and helping you with the last couple of
reps will give you massive improvements
in a short space of time.
gain their strength. Do not get confused
about physical activity and rest as contributing factors to strengthening your musculoskeletal system. You see, as you expend the capabilities of your muscles and
bones, they get tired too. To regain their
strength, get them to rest. It is as simple
as that. There is nothing really complicated
about it. Musculoskeletal degeneration just
comes up when you have total physical inactivity. And so, it is important to balance
activity and rest for body strengthening.
and integrity. It can make your muscles
and bones grow strong, lessening the
chance of physical injuries from basketball. Moreover, calcium supplements are
way better than those milk products that
contain it. The reason behind this is more
on the physiological response of the body
involving enzymes, or hormones, which
would help the absorption of calcium in the
body. To ensure better absorption, opt for
calcium supplements.
Injuries take some time to heal. It can
have you wait from months to years before
you can play back in the game. For any
player, you do not want to be stuck in one
corner and watch you team win or, worst,
lose ball games. The least thing you can do
is to play smart basketball.
six tips to prevent ....From page 15
are just watching players do the game, it
is as if you can feel the pain when they experience heavy falls. And the worst part is
that they put their careers and their lives
at stake with this kind of sport.
Players must understand his capabilities and limitations. Before making fancy moves, they should think about their
safety first. Making fancy moves that can
cause you too much pain and suffering are
not worth taking the risk for. However, it is
impossible to stop players from doing such
moves at some situations. The least you
can do is to advise your players to limit
taking those ones.
5. Take enough rest
Rest can help your muscles and bones re-
6. Take calcium supplements
Since we are talking about preventing injuries here, I cannot help but include calcium in this topic. As what I have explained
above, calcium gives the bone its strength
cx - AUGUST 2014
P16
six health tips to prevent Sports Injuries
Injuries are the most painful thing
that can happen to players. They can take
out a player’s chance to play the game he
has always love to do. On the other hand,
injuries place an additional burden to
coaches, especially when the injured player is their key player.
But there are ways which can help players prevent the occurrences of basketball
injuries. All they have to do is to play responsibly in accordance to those ways in
order to get rid of such possible injuries.
Yes, you read it right. In juries are always
possible in any basketball game. However,
the good news is that you can find interventions to limit and prevent such injuries.
Let’s look at some of the things you can
do to prevent basketball injuries:
1. Exercise and work out every
day
Exercise and work out are the foundations
in establishing a physical being that can
hardly be beaten by injuries. Strength and
conditioning program falls in this category. The purpose of having this program, or
routine, in every sport is to minimize the
occurrence of injuries. You see, with the
physical demands of the sport itself, you
can be sure to experience uncomfortable
muscle and bone pains.
As what I have explained, the purpose
is to minimize only. It is impossible to stick
to the idea of directly, or literally, saying
to prevent such injuries because they are
probable to occur in any event of the game.
The thought of minimizing its incident can,
thereby, support its idea to prevent its occurrence as well.
And so, how exactly can exercise and
work out prevent the incident of basketball injuries? The simplest explanation
would be this: these physical activities can
help strengthen the muscles and bones,
making them less vulnerable to tears, or
breaks. The more you use your muscles,
you give them the opportunity to develop
and get stronger. Otherwise, inactivity can
lead to muscle atrophy, also called as muscle wasting, causing the muscles to lose its
size and strength. On the other hand, constant physical work out and exercise can
help strengthen the bones. It can stimulate the body to produce more calcium the
more you do physical exertion. Your calcium is vital in maintaining the integrity of
your bones.
AugCouupsontEd2iti0on 14
These are the reasons why players
must do exercise and work out before they
get to play in the actual ball game. Give
special importance to this, and you can be
assured that you can have the strength to
overcome easy collapse of your musculoskeletal system.
2. Execute proper body mechanics with movement
At some point, basketball injuries can
result from faulty body mechanics from
certain basketball moves. A player might
have twisted an ankle, or arm, too badly
which causes an intense pain from possible
tear of certain muscle groups, or possible
break of the involved bone/s. On the other
hand, a player might have positioned his
hands inappropriately for a rebound, resulting to some finger injuries. These are
just some of the examples on how players
can acquire basketball injuries from faulty
body mechanics.
The only way to prevent injury with
these instances is to have proper exe-
cution. Work on your footwork more to
prevent leg injuries. Practice doing your
pivot and jump moves. Have the appropriate way of catching the ball when rebounding, or even catching it from a pass.
Proper body mechanics can be very crucial
to stick away from unwanted muscle and
bone tears.
3. Avoid too much exhaustion
Vulnerability to injuries can also result from
too much exhaustion in the ball game.
Even though you have physically prepared
for the heavy competition, you still have
your limitations as a human being. Do
not go beyond your limitations. Your body
might get too tired, and then eventually
gives up which can cause the rise of many
physical injuries.
Do not push yourself too hard on every
basketball game. You must learn to discipline yourself with regards to taking breaks
in order to give your body the chance to
redeem its strength, and then get back to
the ball game. Bear in mind that over exhaustion of your muscles and bones would
make them vulnerable to injuries.
4. Limit making fancy moves
This is another problem for some basketball players. Admit it. Some players get to
experience injuries due to making fancy
moves. Either they do such moves to show
off or just experiment a little with their
skills, they are still responsible for the incident of such injuries. Even though you
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