The Tribune
Friday, September 23, 2016
art books theatre film fashion music pageants fitness gaming
Weekend
zombie run Page 12
Cooking by the Cay Dining at Nassau’s best kept secret Food, page 7
02 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, September 23, 2016
gaming
Old-school arcade fun reimagined at Joystick Bahamas
Kids and young adults gaming at Joystick Bahamas By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net
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he operators of the gaming attraction Joystick Bahamas have set themselves the goal of covering international eSports, hosting various competitions, and one day expanding to the Family Islands. But for now, they are satisfied with bringing the fun of an old-school arcade gaming back to Nassau, but with a 21st century twist. Owner Michael Cooper said it gives him great satisfaction to see the joy on each of his patrons’ faces while gaming at Joystick Bahamas. He recalled experiencing the same fun growing. “I have been a gamer since the Atari and Nintendo glory days of gaming.
As a kid I used to visit the local arcade in the mall, I think it was called the Jedi Club, and it was my favourite place to go after school or on weekends. Once it closed down, I felt the need to bring that vibe back with a modernised twist,” said Mr Cooper. The positive feedback received from new and returning visitors is the motivation that keeps him moving forward. From the players commenting on the comfortable environment to parents entrusting them with their kids, Mr Cooper said these are all reasons for future growth and expansion. Joystick Bahamas, located in the Leevan’s Plaza on Prince Charles East, caters to young adults and kids who enjoy video games; offering over 100 games on popular consoles like the Playstation 3 and 4, the XBox One and 360, and the Nintendo Wii-U. The managing team offers a monthly mem-
bership programme for all gamers who love to visit on a daily basis. Joystick Bahamas also plays host to multiple events each month, including local competitive games known as eSports, and featuring games like NBA2K and Street Fighter. The young patrons can also enjoy the option of a featured movie showing every Friday evening. “Our target age group are as young as seven years to as old as 35. What makes us unique is that we cater to non-gamers and gamers, male and female, who are looking for a place to go for digital entertainment, where players are amongst their own kind and where meeting a player offline is more fun than just online,” said Mr Cooper. “We also have a school programme for all students that get good grades and reward them with free game-
play time, and we even give student discounts.” Taking the eSports scene very seriously, Mr Cooper said the Joystick team aims to assist in taking pro players to the next level. “We have very talented Bahamians who have the skill set to compete with other international players from around the world. Huge competitions such as the Evolution Championship Series in Las Vegas or CEO in Orlando, Florida, have made players make a career out of gaming. We know now it is the time to open this door up for Bahamian gamers,” he told Tribune Weekend. To keep up with tournaments, events and new additions to Joystick Bahamas, visit the company’s social media pages: “joysticbah” on Facebook and “jostickbahamas” on Instagram.
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Friday, September 23, 2016
Inside Weekend Interview
4-5 Cara Hunt talks with iconic straw designer Barbara Knowles-Jesubatham
My perfect Bahamian weekend Tanya Smith-Cartwright Journalist, television producer and columnist
Food 7 Art
Entertainment 11 Food & Culture Company offers international experience
Fitness 12 Zombies descend on Fort Charlotte for a Halloween obstacle course run
Pageants 14 -15 The new Miss Universe Bahamas Cherell Williamson is ready to take on the international stage
Theatre 17 Shakespeare in Paradise to be an unexpected treat this year
Books 18 Nardo Dean presents his new self-help book, “The Trilogy of Fitness”.
Television 19 Bahamas stars in new CBS drama “Bull”
Film 20 - 21 The latest releases reviewed Literary Lives 22 - 25 Nancy Mitford’s very English view of class Forgotten Facts 25 Paul Aranha on the pleasure of reminiscing Puzzles 26 Animals 27 A Pearl Island party for the BHS, plus Pet of the Week
Gardening 28 Jack Hardy on planting cabbages
Q: Beach or sofa? “Most def the beach. It’s right in the front of my house.” Q: Wine, cocktail or Kalik? “Kalik for sure.”
Palm Cay offers comfort and culinary creativity 8 - 10 Haitian-Bahamian comic book artist goes “Supernova”, plus artists ask the public to ‘let’s go fly a kite’ for a good cause
Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday brunch? “Always Saturday breakfast with friends, or sometimes I provide breakfast for the indigent.”
Q: One thing you can’t live without? “I can’t live without assisting someone in need. That would hurt me a lot, believe it or not.”
“I can’t live without assisting someone in need.”
Q: Weekend away, where would you go? “Harbour Island or Atlanta, Georgia.”
Things 2 Do this weekend Saturday • The Potcakeman Triathlon 2016 Time: 7.30am Venue: Jaws Beach The distances are 750m swim, 21km bike, 5km run. Participants can compete in the entire race or part of a relay team doing one or two legs each. A kids race follows with the distances of 100m swim, 5km bike, 1km run. The swim will take place at Jaws Beach, the bike will be an extension of the Albany loop, and the run will be on the Clifton heritage trails. Olympic distance athletes will do two laps. • Blood Drive and Health Expo Time: 10am - 3pm Venue: Mall at Marathon Presented by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the event seeks to encourage donations for the PMH blood bank. The expo will offer a biometric station hosted by the Bahamas Medical Centre, a booth by the Health and Wellness Clinic and a wellness division by Atlantic Medical. A backyard gardening consultant and dietician will also be on hand. Free BTC phone cards while supplies last. • The 242 Caribana Music Festival
Time: 12noon Venue: Botanical Gardens Under the theme “Raising Awareness on Violence Against Women”, the music festival will feature Haiti’s former President Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly, as well as performances by D-Mac, DeMarco, Fresh #1, Fresh Music Revolution, Mr “Professional Drinker” and DJ Zoe. Call 427-2678 or visit www.242caribana.com for more information. • Ailey II – The Next Generation of Dance Showcase Time: 2pm (matinee) and 8pm (evening gala performance) Venue: Atlantis Theatre, Paradise Island Ailey II, one of the most celebrated young dance companies in the US will present its world-class showcase here in Nassau. Tickets are $75 for the matinee and $125 for the gala performance. They can be purchased at the Dance Bahamas School on Nassau Street. For ticket information call 328-7588 or 698-3993. Profits generated after expenses will go to Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group and the National Dance School of the Bahamas.
• “Draw With Me” Time: 5pm Venue: Balmoral Club Artist Willard Cunnigham hosts a workshop on the basics of drawing. Participation is $25. For more information about the artist call 395-6816 or e-mail cunninghamsartistry@hotmail.com. • Squirt 242 Water Gun Party Time: 6pm - 2am Venue: Fort Charlotte The team behind the “Festival of Colours Jouvert” and the “Soca Mi Love Glow Fete” are back with a new event. There will be free shots all night and Kalik bucket specials. Julien Believe will be performing. Additional entertainment will be provided by Studda & Mix-a-Lot, J-Mac, Muggles, and others. Tickets are $20. • Bahamas Bridal Show’s 3rd Annual Girls’ Night Out Time: 7.30pm - 11.30pm Venue: SuperClubs Breezes Resort & Spa The ultimate party for women only; no men allowed. There will be a cash bar. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
04 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, September 23, 2016
interview As a child growing up in Long Island, Barbara KnowlesJesubatham was taught the art of collecting palms and plaiting them into straw. This week, Cara Hunt hears how a pastime became a life-long passion for a designer whose bags have travelled the world and who is now using 21st century technology to pass on all she has learned.
Barbara Knowles-Jesubatham
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nyone who spends a few minutes in Barbara Knowles-Jesubatham’s presence notices how her face glows when she talks about the art of straw work. It’s the kind of passion a person develops when something has been a part of their life for as long as they can remember. Growing up in Mangrove Bush. Long Island, Barbara was exposed to the creative arts from an early age. Her father, Willard Knowles, was a musician, sailor and fisherman, and his family was known as some of the country’s best boat makers. Her mother, Merrith, learned the art of straw plaiting from her parents and passed it on to her own children. “My mother plaited for 74 years before her death,” Barbara told Tribune Weekend. “She and my grandmother had a shop and the plaiters would come and barter the plait for groceries. Then she and my grandmother used to take us with them when they came to Nassau to sell plait to the straw vendors.” The plait is measured in fathoms – a unit of measurement which constitutes roughly the length of an adult’s outstretched arms. “Sixteen fathoms equalled a roll and each roll sold for about ten cents,” Barbara explained. “As children we learned how to do it as well, so it’s always been a part of me.” Her youth was also spent sewing – she even took sewing machines apart and rebuilt them – and drawing. “We had English teachers who really focused on creativity, and so we would
have to go outside and draw whatever we saw the school, the trees,” she recalled. Little did she know that these childhood activities would pave the way for her future in straw design. As a young adult, Barbara moved to Nassau where she met and married Ravi Jesubatham, a senior charter accountant from Sri Lanka. The couple would have three sons together – Julian, Jeremy and Matthew. “We moved to Rock Sound, Eleuthera, for my husband to work. I was just looking for something to do with my time and I was invited to make some items for a local shop called the Almond Tree, owned by the late Heneritta Knowles,” said Barbara. “She asked if I would make a straw bag, and honestly, I had never made one before, but she encouraged me to try and that was the very first bag I made – a little shopper. And when it got sold that was how I started in the bag business.” Originally, Barbara supplied bags to local stores in the Family Islands as a way to supplement the family’s income. “We had moved back to Nassau and my youngest son was only three months and I made dozens of bags to sell for stores in the Family Islands, and that is really how I learned to perfect the process of straw work,” she explained. Eventually, she decided to start her own business and sell her items herself. “And that is how what started out as a hobby turned into a home-based business,” she said. That hobby also turned Barbara into a cultural icon of the Bahamas. She has
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Friday, September 23, 2016
Photos/Tim Clarke
won numerous awards at various Bahamas International Cultural Festivals, and in 2008 the Zonta Club named her a Living Legend in the field of Cottage Industry and Craft for her innovative and pristine straw work. She was the first designer to introduce blended leather to straw design and to combine black, brown, and tan coloured straw. Her bags have been given as gifts to persons all over the world and she has an intense and loyal customer base, many of whom will only patronise her business when looking to purchase straw bags. In particular, her customers look forward to her annual show. Held during the Christmas season, the event provides her customers with their pick of dozens of her designer bags, place mats, tablecloths, napkins, Christmas ornaments and decorations, and paintings. The event also allows her to showcase another talent – her love of baking and cooking Bahamian cuisine. “I decorate the yard and invite my customers to come in and mingle. I really go all out for them and they appreciate the hospitality. It’s a great time where people can run into old friends,” she said. Although it is only September, Barbara is already hard at work for this year’s event. In fact, she noted that she is behind schedule at the moment. “Every year I say that I will start early and it doesn’t happen. This year I actually did manage to start early, but 40 of the bags I had made have already sold so I am behind again,” she said, noting that she is not complaining. For Barbara it is more than just a business. It is a calling, and her customers have kept her going for the past several decades. “I truly love what I do. My husband and my kids have said, ‘Why don’t you slow down. You don’t have to do so much.’ I have tried three different times to retire, but my customers won’t let me. And honestly, I don’t want to stop; I get excited about making bags.” She also gets excited about passing on to others what she describes as a slowly dying art form. “Most of the plaiters in Long Island who I buy my plait from are getting old, some are in their 80s, and so it is so important that I pass what I have learned down to the next generation, the same way it was passed onto me. So I have YouTube tutorials and a website and DVDs. My son tells me all the time, ‘If you teach 10 young people, at least one of them will pick it up, so it won’t be in vain’.”
“I have tried three different times to retire, but my customers won’t let me. And honestly, I don’t want to stop; I get excited about making bags.”
This desire to keep straw art in the Bahamas alive is also what inspired the book she penned about the craft – “Bahamian Straw Craft - A Guide To Making Native Straw Bags.” “I really just woke up one morning with the idea that I needed to write everything in me down,” she said of the book that came out two years ago. “It took about 18 months off-andon to complete, and when the printers called me to tell it was finished, oh that was a happy day,” she said. “I dedicated the book to my parents and it was bittersweet when I had to write the words the ‘late’, because all of this happened because of them.” The book features a step-by-step
guide to making 20 different handbags, tips for working with straw, and also gives a detailed history and guide to the various palms that are used, such as silver top palm and sisal. “Getting the palm is an art in itself,” she explained. “The palm grows near the beach and only comes out at certain times of the month depending on the moon. It is collected – called going for tops – and then cured. The method of curing will determine the colour of the plait. And there is a lot of pride by the people who collect the tops and plait. That is why I only use Long Island plait; it is smooth and straight,” she said. It is also why she said it is hard to place a monetary value on genuine quality straw products. “If you consider the effort that they have to make to collect the palm, cure it, plait it, and then the effort to sew it into a bag, if I priced that fairly no one would buy it, because it would be too expensive. I want to share this with others, not kill them with the prices, and that is how you get a clientèle that will always support you. That is why I say that you have to do it for the love of doing it. Always work with a smile on your face. The secret of joy in work is contained in one word: excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it. Hard work pays off.”
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Friday, September 23, 2016
section
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Friday, September 23, 2016
food PHOTOS/SHAWN HANNA
Culinary creativity and comfort at Palm Cay By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net
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ucked inside the gated community just off Yamacraw Hill Road, the Palm Cay restaurant is one of Nassau’s best kept secrets. “Is it members only?” is a question asked by many, but Anjanicka Davis, food and beverage manager at the Palm Cay Marina & Beach Club, wants to assure the public that everyone is welcome at their establishment. With an ever-expanding menu, the restaurant offers dishes like chicken or shrimp fettuccine in a thick creamy béchamel sauce; the Palm Cay fresh grilled beef patties topped with bacon, caramelised onions and mushrooms; the Caribbean surf and turf with marinated chicken and shrimp kabobs; chicken breast stuffed with spinach and goat cheese, and served with seasoned rice and garden vegetables, and the coconut cream lobster bisque. These dishes can be paired with popular drink options such as the strawberry mojito, the Heavenly Sin Martini, Rum Old-Fashioned, and white wine sangria. Chef Shawn Moss, the head chef at the Palm Cay restaurant, said he loves the fact that he gets to create new dishes and incorporate a lot of his experience from his travels around the world into the menu. He said the pleasant atmosphere and satisfied guests also make his job much easier. “I started working over Paradise Island about 25 years ago and worked myself up. I spent 13 years there before working at Sandals, where I got to travel to places like Jamaica and Philadelphia and trained with international chefs. Other places
you would have to go by their standard menu and recipes, but here at Palm Cay I get to use creativity and make new things. The sky is the limit and I love that,” he said. Chef Shawn said the restaurant focuses on using fresh ingredients and fresh meats at all times. He calls this “cooking with love”. “When I started in this industry, I started at a very young age. I wasn’t really into cooking, but after a while, when I started creating things from scratch, it became like a science to me, and that inspires me to push further in this career. I had a gentleman the other day that sent his plate back empty and told me he enjoyed everything. The monetary tip wasn’t important, but the fact that he took time to tell me he enjoyed everything was important. My love comes from satisfied guests,” he said. Ms Davis said the three-storey clubhouse is designed to give off a warm and welcoming vibe. She said guests can enjoy the restaurant as if they were in the comfort of their own homes. “We do have a lot of frequent guests who are becoming members now because they like the environment, but the restaurant is not only available to members only. We have a variety of feedback, but most of the people love the menu, and that is why we are trying to expand more because we have a lot of requests for different types of food,” she said. The Palm Cay restaurant currently hosts live music acts and happy hour specials from 6pm to 8pm on Fridays, and is looking to offer other special events throughout the week. “We are now going to be doing Italian nights on Thursdays, offering a variety of those dishes. We are also going to be adding sushi nights on Sundays, allowing people to come in and enjoy the theme,” said Ms Davis.
08 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, September 23, 2016
art
Haitian-Bahamian comic book artist goes “Supernova” Debut graphic novel deals with sexism, xenophobia and classism By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
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aving been born to impoverished immigrant parents from Haiti who came to the Bahamas in search of a better life and losing his mother at a young age are experiences that have shaped the artist Maz Joachin is today. Mindful of his parents’ sacrifices, Maz is constantly at work to elevate his position in life by striving to blaze a trail and make an impact with his artwork. And he is using what he has learned over the years to offer his Bahamian au-
dience a unique take on the traditional comic book story. Maz first showed a passion for art when he was six years old, around the time his mother died. Her tragic death was the spark that led him to pick up a pencil and begin drawing. “I grew up in a very impoverished household, and being of Haitian descent has helped make me humble and mould me into a person of great character as I am today,” he told Tribune Weekend. As he got older, Maz delved into illustration and graphic design, but his favourite medium is sequential art, also known as graphic narrative art. “For the folks at home who don’t know what that is, well, it’s really just a fancy way of saying. ‘I draw comics’,” Maz said. “The thing I love about doing comic books is how limitless it is. You can create whatever scenario you want and breathe life into characters to deal with (different) issues. You can take your readers on adventures with you, page after page. I find it to be fantastic.” The artist let his imagination run wild during the process of creating his first graphic novel called “Supernova”, which he published under his Steaming Kettle Studios label.
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Friday, September 23, 2016
“Seeing a black female lead character in a comic book isn’t something you come by often, so I also want folks to really feel proud of being black and their heritage, but also see the message in each chapter. Life is only truly full when each and every person is treated fairly and decently.”
“The thing I love about doing comic books is how limitless it is. You can create whatever scenario you want and breathe life into characters to deal with (different) issues. You can take your readers on adventures with you, page after page.” Supernova” tells the story of a world where women are superior to men
“Supernova” tells the story of a young woman trying to find her little sister. The book also covers topics such as sexism, xenophobia and classism. The story was first printed in 2013 in the YeaBey! comic magazine, which was founded by Staniel and Nadia Russell. The goal of the magazine was to get young artists who were interested in comics to see that their craft can actually be taken seriously. The YeaBey! magazine lasted for about two years, and when it went on hiatus Maz knew it was time to work on Volume 1 of “Supernova”, which could stand alone as a publication. The artist said the first edition of the novel has been in the development stages since 2015. “I really wanted to add content I didn’t in the original publication of YeaBey! It was also good to fix a few mistakes I made,” he said. “‘Supernova’ was inspired by a few things, one being a film I saw way back called ‘Children of Men’. In that film, women had stopped being fertile. The world basically then descended into madness. With themes of nationalism, xenophobia and terrorism, it made me think of how the world depends on women so much but yet in many countries, including our own, women are often treated as if they’re of lesser value and with less regard than most men,” Maz said. “So I wanted to create a story where women had become superior to the men in their world. Amazons with glorious powers, yet they still face the same problems as they do in real life. I found that concept interesting. How blatantly obvious it would be that with their aid life would be easier.” A successful book signing and meet-and-greet with the artist was recently held for “Supernova” at Starbucks in Harbour Bay, and Maz said he is already working on Volume II. Maz told Tribune Weekend that he hopes people have fun reading his graphic novel. “Seeing a black female lead character in a comic book isn’t something you come by often, so I also want folks to really feel proud of being black and their heritage, but also see the message in each chapter. Life is only truly full when each and every person is treated fairly and decently,” he said. Interested persons can e-mail the artist at Mazjoachin@gmail.com.
10 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, September 23, 2016
art
‘Let’s go fly a kite’ Artists team up to raise funds for a good cause
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his Saturday, the Outside the Lines (OTL) Project returns to downtown Nassau under the theme “Fly”. Nine Bahamian artists have been invited to add their own creative expression to delicate Japanese style bamboo kites which will be available for viewing and purchase at Hillside House Art Gallery on Cumberland Street. The inaugural event, “Freestyle: Outside the Lines”, held last year in Pompey Square, was a successful collaboration of artists and musicians to raise funds in support of local charities including the Art Supply Drive Initiative along with the young rake n’ scrape musicians of the Rhythm N’ Youth ensemble. This year, through the sale of artistmade kites, the OTL Project hopes to again aid in the efforts of the Art Supply Drive – a non-profit which annually coordinates the purchase and donation of art supplies to three public schools throughout the nation and grants students the opportunity to work with materials that would normally be inaccessible to them. In 2016, the Art Supply Drive will make donations during October to S C McPherson Junior High School, C I Gibson High School and NCM Major High School in Long Island. The brainchild of both DJ Ampero and artist Allan P Wallace, the OTL Project does not focus solely on the visual arts, but on music as well. In addition to the Art Supply Drive, the duo plan to make a donation to the String City Violinists of the Bahamas whose mission it is to expose “young music lovers to the beautiful world of playing the violin through creativity, self-expression and dedication.” Along with Mr Wallace, visual artists June Collie, Jodi Minnis, John
Artists and members of the public will be able to design kites and let them fly over Pompey Square.
Artists participating in last year’s Outside the Lines event. Paul, Bernard and Jackson Petit, celebrity artist Jamaal Rolle, Trevor Tucker and Lemero Wright have all lent their talent to this effort. However, at the event, members of the public are also invited to join in the festivities by decorating their own kites and reconnecting with the pure sense of joy that comes from experiencing their kite
take flight. Recently, DJ Ampero has been dedicated to developing a soundtrack to which artists can contribute recordings in a series called “Music to Create To”. Special musical guests will also be performing throughout the “Fly” event, including “The Chill” artist, DJ
Kuda, and singer Rashad Leamount is slated to close out the evening with his new single, “Aphrodite”. The event will be held at Hillside House on Cumberland Street between 11.30am and 7.30pm. For more information contact Arthol Gibson at heydjampero@gmail.com or call 426-9504.
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Friday, September 23, 2016
entertainment
Bringing the world’s cuisine to the Bahamas By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
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new business venture is seeking to give Bahamians the feeling of being whisked off to a different country by letting them experience other cultures through their unique cuisines. The Food & Culture Company recently hosted its inaugural event, dubbed “The Hangover Brunch”, at Hillside House Gallery and Studio. The event is expected to be the first of many socials. Sponsored by Pink by Yellowglen/ Bristol Cellars, Popstop242, Paradise Salads, Limeaide Bahamas and Hillside House, “The Hangover Brunch” offered a relaxing atmosphere in which guests were served brunch and treated to unusual drinks. The founder of the Food & Culture Company, Nicholas Mitchell, said the food social showcased the “culinary arts and cultural expressions presented on a plate, in a glass, or with a skewer through it.” “The Food & Culture Company is a lifestyle brand for the explorer with an appetite, the culturally astute and globally curious. A meal is more than sustenance, it’s a social tradition found in every culture around the world, and though the concept of communal dining is consistent, each culture has its own unique cuisine and prep methods,” he said. A self-proclaimed foodie and aspiring chef who travels frequently, Mr Mitchell said he was inspired to the start his own company after coming across many unusual yet delightful dishes during his trips. “During my travels I am always trying different cuisines no matter where I am, no matter how strange it is. I just like to try things that are indigenous to a particular country. What I wanted to do was bring the experience to
Guests enjoy the first “Hangover Brunch”
Nassau or to the Bahamas, I suppose, by having people try things that are outside of the norm of what you would find. We don’t really have a food event culture, so the idea of the company is to develop that and just continue to be innovative with what we present,” he said. Although the company is fairly new, Mr Mitchell said there will be two other food socials before the year is
out. “The Food & Culture Company is designed as a lifestyle brand for people who want to travel the world through food essentially,” he said. “But for the long term, it will be parent company of the first restaurant that I open. But for right now we are going to continue doing food socials.” So far, the event has received positive feedback from the those who have
“The Food & Culture Company is a lifestyle brand for the explorer with an appetite, the culturally astute and globally curious.”
went on the journey with the Food & Culture Company. “People seem excited about it. I think it brings something new to the social dynamic and it has been well-received. The idea is for it to be intimate, so we didn’t want to attract a large body of people. We wanted to keep it small; we wanted to keep it curated so as to not lose consistency or quality of the food,” he said.
12 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, September 23, 2016
fitness Zombie apocalypse descends on Fort Charlotte Chickcharney Chirren present glow obstacle run By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
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HIS Halloween season, you might just find yourself running from zombies and braving a haunted house at Fort Charlotte. The Chickcharney Chirren, who sparked the current enthusiasm for obstacle course runs in the Bahamas, are back with a new unique event. Though not as difficult as the obstacle courses they are accustomed to staging, the upcoming Zombie Glocr run will still require grit and endurance for competitors to make it to the end, while also giving the entire family a wholesome activity to engage in. Club One Fitness has partnered with the Chickcharney Chirren for the Halloween-themed event. The Zombie Glocr – a glow obstacle run – is being touted as a “milder” course and takes place at Fort Charlotte on October 29 beginning at 6pm. Chester Robards, Chickcharney Chirren CEO, told Tribune Weekend the event will be the group’s best to date. Zombie Glocr will feature about 12 obstacles over a distance of about a mile and 3/4. “We didn’t want to make it too long as we wanted everyone to be able to participate. The obstacles will take on a Halloween feel, with the zombie apocalypse as the theme. This will be our best event yet as we have partnered with Club One Fitness in order to truly make this a fun, world-class event,” said Mr Robards. “We have always wanted to diversify our obstacle course challenges and we figure what’s more fun than trying to traverse an obstacle course with zombies who want to grab your flags. Zombie runs have been popularised in
The Chickcharney Chirren sparked the current obstacle course run trend with their signature event, the Chickcharney Challenge.
Chester Robards, Chickcharney Chirren CEO the US and we wanted to bring a similar event here. For our event, however, we have added a fully glowing obstacle course run that will be our apocalypse zone.” As both Club One and the Chickcharney Chirren share the same motto – making fitness fun – it was natural fit for the groups to partner for the Zombie Glocr. “The aim of the event is to allow people to do something fun with their fitness. As I have always said since starting the Chickcharney Challenge, lots of people go to the gym, but when do they really get to test their fitness gains? Well, the Chickcharney Challenge is one of those events that allows that to happen,” said Mr Robards. “And now we have diversified the
challenge and added a fun theme that everyone will love. The course will not be as difficult as a Chickcharney Challenge because we want parents to bring the kids out to run the course. Encouraging our younger generation to stay active is so important.” Mr Robards said for those who don’t want to run the zombie apocalypse zone, there will be an amazing activity area with vendors like Pop Stop, Bounce Houses and other fun things for the kids. But the highlight will be the haunted house in the underground tunnels of Fort Charlotte. “This will be the most fun event people have experienced in Nassau in a while. The weekend before someone is having an event similar to the Chickcharney Challenge in the same park
where we started the obstacle course run fad. The weekend after, the zombie glow run is another obstacle course run put on by an insurance company. It’ll be a tough three weekends for people who love obstacle course runs, but ours will be the most unique and fun by far,” said Mr Robards. “We never leave out our beneficiary, the Bahamas National Council for Disability, so we have invited some of their members to come out and be zombies if they don’t want to participate in the run itself. We look forward to having them participate and to giving back to them when all is said and done. We like our participants to know that some of their money goes back into a too long forgotten sector of our community.”
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fashion
PART I With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt
SPLIT
HIT
FAIL
HIT
HIT
Regina King “American Crime”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus “Veep”
Gaby Hoffman “Transparent”
Tracee Ellis Ross “Black-ish”
Karin says: “The colour is gorgeous on her, but the dress looks like it doesn’t fit her properly. It’s all rumpled at the bottom because it’s too long. Sure, some dresses have trains that trail on the ground, but that doesn’t seem to be case here. Beautiful dress, but it needed to be tailored to her size.” Cara says: “I like the dress, but I don’t like that wrinkly material. The colour, however, is lovely. I personally would have gone with a necklace that made more of a statement. But I guess the Emmy she won later that night was probably statement enough.”
Karin says: “Normally, I would say this is a drab, boring dress for the record-breaking Emmy winner. But considering she was in mourning for her father, she completely gets a pass from me. It’s a miracle she showed up at all. No one could expect her to be sporting a bright, exciting colour.” Cara says: “She had me in tears when she got up and gave her acceptance speech. Her dad died the Friday before Sunday night’s awards show, and the fact that she is out in public and looking so stunning is amazing, I know I would not have been able to pull it off. Good for her.”
Karin says: “OK, we get it, she wanted to be different and edgy. Still no excuse to be wearing her granddad’s old nightgown on the red carpet. Weirdly enough, the nightgown’s material is quite nice, all shimmery, but just so shapeless. And believe me, the clunky, velvet green shoes are not doing this outfit any favours either.” Cara says: “It’s a Victorian nightgown...it’s a recycled window curtain...it’s...just plain ugly. In another universe, the shoes might be cute. But really, this is not the way to express your quirky sense of style.”
Karin says: “So simple, so clever, so beautiful. I love this understated white dress on Tracee. No unnecessary frills or bling; just pure elegance. She could pass for a Grecian goddess in this ensemble. Love the hair pulled back and the big earrings as well. Fantastic look!” Cara says: “Gowns with cutouts are still hot on the red carpet and I have to say the ‘Black-ish’ star rocked this white Grecian-styled gown. It’s so elegant with the pulled back hair and the statement earrings. Love it.”
Viola Davis “How to Get Away with Murder” Karin says: “This is some wild, bright fuchsia Viola has going on here. The cut of the dress with the embroidery detail is gorgeous. And I do enjoy seeing some bold colours at events like this. It’s almost a tad too neon for me, but the more I look at it, the more I love it. And Viola is sure rocking the look.” Cara says: “Wow, this pink is shocking, and you know what, I am here for it. She looks stunning. I love the embroidered detail at the neckline and her hair and make-up are on point as well. Two thumbs way up for Viola.”
AP PHOTOS
The Weekend Fashion Report Weekend Fashion Report – 68th Primetime
SEE PAGE 16 for more
16| The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, September 23, 2016
fashion
With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt
AP PHOTOS
The Weekend Fashion Report Weekend Fashion Report – 68th Primetime
PART II
HIT
SPLIT
FAIL
SPLIT
Kerry Washington “Scandal”
HIT
Amy Poehler “The Awesomes”
Claire Danes “Homeland”
Anna Chlumsky “Veep”
Kristen Bell “House of Lies”
Karin says: “I love this! The dramatic train, the hair, the cut-outs on the dress! This is an immediate attentiongrabber. Kerry’s style is not always on point, but this was a great and unusual choice. The whole ensemble is just styled to perfection.” Cara says: “Kerry’s red carpet choices always leave me a lil’ baffled. When I saw her walk on stage I hated it, but looking at close-up pics now I see why people all over social media were saying she slayed it. It’s so different from the usual flow-y, safe maternity sack. It’s like she said, ‘I have a bump and I am not afraid to show it’. Love the black tuxedo nails as well and the wild hair.”
Karin says: “Did Amy have her 70th birthday and I missed it? Because otherwise there is no excuse. The unusual green is pretty (not sure she pulls it off) and I like the sparkly material. It’s a fine dress... if you’re a senior citizen. It’s basically a fancy, probably very expensive muumuu. Not a good look.” Cara says: “I like this dress, although I have too say it’s a bit too old for her. It has that slight mother-of-the-bride whiff about it. So it’s not a fail for me, but I wish she had chosen something edgier or that I could find a picture of how it looked without the cape.”
Karin says: “Holy spray tan! She is fluorescent orange! What went wrong at the tanning salon, Claire? As for the dress, it’s pretty, if a bit 1980s soap opera diva-ish. But she could have been wearing the most amazing dress ever and it would still have been overshadowed by her nuclear glow. How did her stylist let her leave home looking like that?” Cara says: “I don’t know what hurts my eyes more – the over-the-top spray tan or the over-top-gold sequined dress. Don’t get me wrong, the dress itself is pretty, but that gold is really obnoxious.”
Karin says: “And the award of the most bizarre choice of the night goes to...Designer Christian Siriano said not everyone would get it, and boy was he right. It looks like a sea amoeba, or like she’s emerging from some kinda alien cocoon. The worst part has to be that balloon hem.” Cara says: “The idea behind this dress is she wanted something loose-fitting and comfy because she just gave birth a few weeks ago. The dress looks a million times better from the back. If she had done without the bubble hem and taken in the sides just a bit more it would have not been so bad. Still, more power to Anna for not being stale and rocking something different.”
Karin says: “I’m not the biggest fan of prints on a red carpet of this nature. Solid, bold colours always make more of a statement, I find. That said, this is not a bad print; it actually quite pretty. The halter top and flared skirt are to die for, but just imagine how much more stunning this would have been in a bold blue colour.” Cara says: “I straight up adore this dress. It was my favourite of the night. That is all – I have no complaints. The flower child in me is swooning. I noticed the skirt on TV from across the room and was like, ‘Ohhh, who is this?’ I disagree with Karin on print vs colour though. We have seen bold colours on the red carpet, but very few floral prints have managed to hit it out the park like this one.”
The Tribune | Weekend |17
Friday, September 23, 2016
theatre
Shakespeare in Paradise to offer ‘unexpected treat’ this year By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
F
or the eighth year in the row, Shakespeare in Paradise returns with a showcase featuring quality plays from international and local playwrights. Organised by Ring Play Productions, the festival is set for September 26 to October 8, and will feature 27 performances at the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts. The event is held each year to expose Bahamian audiences to the works by William Shakespeare, as well as Bahamian, Caribbean, African and AfricanAmerican playwrights. This year’s event is particularly special because April 23, 2016 marked the 400th birthday of the Bard, and October 8 would have been the 75th birthday of Bahamian cultural icon Winston Saunders. This year’s showcase will also honour the late Jane Poveromo, who appeared in several Shakespeare in Paradise productions and recently lost her battle with cancer. Organisers have chosen seven shows – including Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and Winston Saunders’ highly acclaimed play “You Can Lead A Horse To Water” as the signature productions. Philip Burrows, the festival’s artistic director, told Tribune Weekend that patrons are in for an unexpected treat. “This is not your father’s Shakespeare,” he said of the festival’s adapted version of “Macbeth”. “The script that we are using is based on the script written by the late Rosanna Seaborn. It was originally performed in 2001 at the Colour of Harmony at the College of the Bahamas. When we decided that we would do ‘Macbeth’, my wife Nicolette tweaked the script.” The new version has replaced Macbeth with a Bahamian MP for Long Island who has set his sights on becoming prime minister. The three witches in the play have been cast as rapping radio talk show hosts, and the play is set to the music of the British rock band Queen.
Performances start on Monday, September 26 A new take on Shakespeare’s “MacBeth” and Winston Saunders’ “You Can Lead A Horse To Water” are this year’s signature productions.
“It is still the same tale of struggle, politics and power, but we want to make it more accessible to the audience by telling the tale with a different perspective,” Mr Burrows said. The other signature performance, “You Can Lead a Horse to Water”, is being performed in tribute to it’s playwright. The play tells the true story of a man on trial for the murder of his mother. “This play is the most critically acclaimed Bahamian production. It has had a six-week run with an American cast in San Francisco and a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, at the Grand Valley State University
in Michigan and at CARIFESTA in Trinidad,” said Mr Burrows. The other performances scheduled for Shakespeare in Paradise include special student matinees of Dr Ian Strachan’s “Gun Boys Rhapsody” and the one-woman play “Zora”, which tells the story of acclaimed writer Zora Neale Hurston and will be performed by Kim Brockington. There will also be a concert segment presented by the Dicey Doh – Dicey Doh Spence Inspired – honouring the spirit of Bahamian folk music icon Joseph Spence. Then the one-man play “The World Is My Home – The Life of Paul Robeson” will be performed by Stoggie
Kenyatta. Prior to that performance, renowned soprano JoAnn Callender will perform a concert entitled “Not Just the National Anthem”, featuring songs by Timothy Gibson. “It will be an exciting year,” said Mr Burrows. “It has been a lot of work, but we are now down to the wire and excited.” Tickets are available at the Dundas box office for $30 per performance, or patrons can purchase a season pass that allows them to see four productions for $100. The first performance of “You Can Lead a Horse to Water” will be the gala performance, with tickets priced at $75.
18 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, September 23, 2016
books
Bahamian author focuses on physical and spiritual wellness By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net
A
FTER years of committing himself to the work of the Lord, Nardo Dean is branching out and has published a new self-help book called “The Trilogy of Fitness”. As a Christian and a lover of sports, the author focuses on wellness from a physical, mental and spiritual perspective. The book’s topics include optimising the body’s potential, increasing spiritual awareness, and maximising mental ability and stamina resulting in the enhancement of the total being. “I have always been a writer, motivator and sportsman, and as I was blessed to have succeeded so well in the area of health, fitness and many other sports representing the Bahamas on various national teams,” he told Tribune Weekend. “I was led to do this book to help others realise the importance of the body, mind and soul working together to achieve total wellness.” Mr Dean said he is appreciative of the fact that the book was endorsed by the late Dr Myles Munroe and also by
Author and sportsman Nardo Dean concentrates on all-round wellness in his new book, “The Trilogy of Fitness”. Apostle Rick Dean, who is an advocate for sports, but more importantly, an advocate for Christians who are cognizant of the importance of treating their bodies like the temple of God. “We have many instructors and preachers, but few teachers who have a heart for not only changing people’s body but more importantly giving them the knowledge and motivation needed to touch their hearts and souls. Hence, bringing more balance to their lives, and thus a better state of health. I stopped getting satisfaction from helping people in gyms or otherwise from the physical perspective, realising that
they lacked balance in their lifestyles, which in most cases leads to poor physical well-being,” said Mr Dean. The writer has penned many articles over the years for local newspapers and churches, as well as lyrics to several songs, but this is his first book to be formally published. He has also released the workout manual called “Onix 101: The Five Keys To A Successful Healthy Lifestyle”, and is looking forward to releasing a booklet called “Five Keys to a Successful Fitness Lifestyle.” “I also published a 2016 calendar with photos and original, motivational monthly quotes of inspiration. So it really feels good to now that I am using the gifts and talents God has blessed me with to touch the hearts of lives of people,” said Mr Dean. He is hoping to get financial sponsorship and support to really promote the book around the world because he believes the content was divinely inspired by God. “I know he gave me the topics and the way of sharing it for a time such as this. Our people perish for the lack of knowledge, and it has to be presented in a way whereas they can appreciate and understand it wherever they are at in their lives. You don’t have to be a Christian, a book worm or a fitness
buff to read it, because the material is presented in a way that it reaches you no matter where you are in your life,” the author said. While he has not been set a date for the official launch of “The Trilogy of Fitness”, supporters can look forward to an event in the near future. “I have been busy preparing for the Central American Caribbean (CAC) Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships, working with the BBFF and the national team athletes, but I will plan to have a launch shortly after we return. I want the make a few formal presentations to some of our country’s leaders and also try to get the books to become a part of the reading material for all schools. We are losing so many of our youth because they lack the physical, mental and spiritual disciplines that give them the solid foundation they need to overcome life’s challenges,” said Mr Dean. He is also aiming to get the book into churches. “The Trilogy of Fitness” can be purchased at Wong’s Book World, the Ultimate Fitness Gym, Better Bodies Gym, Fitness Connection Sea Grapes Plaza, Club One Fitness, Iron Man Gym, McCartney’s Pharmacy, and at J-Line Fitness. It is also available on Amazon.
James Patterson’s new book has a killer title A NEW novel from James Patterson has a title that calls for a disclaimer and a spoiler alert: “The Murder of Stephen King.” “A work of fiction,” readers are assured. “All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of Stephen and Tabitha King, are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.” And, yes, the story has a happy ending. But still, that title. “I think it’s a good title,” Patterson told The Associated Press during a recent telephone interview. “It’s exactly what the book is.” Not exactly — the murder is only attempted.
“I guess we could have put in ‘attempted,’” he added. Patterson’s 150-page book, which comes out November 1, tells of an obsessed fan out to get King and of the detective (who happens to be named Jamie Peterson) trying to save him. The novel is part of his “BookShots” series of “pulse-pounding thrillers under $5 and 150 pages or less.” The prolific Patterson, who averages several best-sellers a year and openly works with co-authors, collaborated with Derek Nikitas on the King story. King, through an assistant, declined comment on Patterson’s book, but confirmed he has received an advance copy. In “The Murder of Stephen King,”
the villain’s motive is explained at the start: “He’ll write a tell-all book from his prison cell and be crowned the new King of Horror. All the readers will scream: The King is dead; long live the King!” Patterson says the novel is clearly a homage to the author, with praise for his work and for King. He notes that King has included crazed readers in his books, notably in “Misery,” and that Patterson has encountered his own share of “buzzing pests” and “scary kooks.” Patterson says he doesn’t know King, although he has heard he’s a “neat guy.” The book is entirely imagined, down to the King household, as seen by Detective Peterson. “Classic images come to mind: killer
clowns whispering from inside sewer drains, teenage vampires scraping their claws on your bedroom window, creepy twins in a hotel hallway, rabid dogs and undead cats and crazed prom queens drenched in pig’s blood. I’m about to meet the guy whose head it all spilled out of,” Patterson and Nikitas wrote. Patterson said those who know about his book have not objected to the title, and that some have even found it funny. And what if King were to write a novel called “The Murder of James Patterson”? “If Stephen King wrote it,” he said, “I would definitely want to read it.” HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer
The Tribune | Weekend |19
Friday, September 23, 2016
television
Bahamas stars in another primetime drama
T
he beautiful beaches of the Bahamas got more primetime television exposure on September 20 with the much-anticipated premiere of the CBS drama “Bull”. The episode’s Bahamas sequence was the prelude to the new series starring Michael Weatherly, the former costar of “NCIS”. His star power helped push “NCIS” beyond 16 million weekly viewers last season. As he departs that show, he begins a new role as Dr Jason Bull, who runs Trial Sciences Inc. The series is based on media personality Dr Phil’s early career as a trial services consultant. Dr Phil also co-wrote the pilot. The second scene of the pilot opened with the word “Bahamas” superimposed across the screen as locals took part in a game of volleyball. The beauty and energy of Junkanoo Beach in the heart of Nassau prompted many viewers to recall the highly-rated “Scandal” television show, which shot an opening sequence in the Bahamas. Similar to the scene in “Bull”, the first episode of “Scandal’s” fourth season opened with spectacular views of the Bahamas’ aquamarine waters and sandy beaches. Rhett Giles, the producer whose Master Key Productions coordinated both the “Scandal” and “Bull” scenes in the Bahamas, said his production
ON the set of Bull at Junkanoo Beach – Director Rodrigo Garcia, Bahamas Film Commissioner Clarence Rolle, first assistant camera operator Jay Looby and director of photography Igor Jadue.
company returned to Nassau because of the excellent first-time experience with “Scandal”. “It’s just been an easy process through Customs with the Film Commission, with the Tourism Commission, just everyone helping us out,” he said. Mr Giles said that the “Scandal” episode drew lots of attention in the industry for his company and for the Bahamas. “They actually thought we went to Zanzibar, to Africa,” he said. “Then they found out they doubled it here. There was a lot of talk, a lot of people
Kiefer Sutherland rises to power as ‘Designated Survivor’ KIEFER Sutherland, who spent a decade as action hero Jack Bauer in Fox’s “24,” is primed to show viewers a new side of himself as Tom Kirkman in the new ABC drama “Designated Survivor”. He plays a low-level cabinet member (and political independent) suddenly drafted as the nation’s chief executive after an attack on the US Capitol kills the incumbent president and wipes out Congress during the State of the Union address. “Designated Survivor” premiered on Wednesday at 10pm.
Kiefer Sutherland stars as Tom Kirkman, a lower-level cabinet member who is suddenly appointed President of the United States. “My character,” said Sutherland in his husky purr, “was an architect with an idea for low-income housing who became a member of the cabinet. He was never elected to anything. He
calling us to double that sort of stuff. The producer of this show saw that and was impressed,” he said. Clarence Rolle of the Bahamas Film & Television Commission said the “Scandal/Bull” dynamic demonstrates that delivering outstanding service to film crews can win future business for the country. He said scenes like those in the “Bull” television show also have incredible promotional value. The “Bull” scene, he said, can help to establish Junkanoo Beach as an iconic locale of the Bahamas. “In every country there is something
iconic about it,” Mr Rolle said. “If you were to go to Brazil, you would visit Ipanema or Copacabana Beach. In the United States in New York, you know to look for the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. Hopefully, with this television show, we are continuing to show people that there is a beach experience in downtown Nassau, Junkanoo Beach, and they will come here looking to enjoy the beach and experience that.” Television shows and films also help directly support the livelihood of many Bahamians, Mr Rolle said. Sarah Hamilton, a Bahamian production fixer – someone who clears logistic matters for productions coming into the location – said she and several others make a living based on the country’s ability to attract film or television productions. She was the fixer engaged on both the “Scandal” and “Bull” projects. She pointed out that the one-day “Bull” shoot required 62 Bahamian residents to be hired – 40 as cast members and 22 crew. “And this is just a real small shoot. It is just one day,” she said. Ms Hamilton said the “Bull” production was also contributing in significant ways to restaurants, hotels and super markets while on location in Nassau.
wears a tweed jacket!” Thrust into the Oval Office, Kirkland must resurrect a shattered government while marshaling the campaign to find its attackers. Meanwhile, he must protect what’s most important to him: his wife and their two kids. “The show covers such a wide landscape,” said Sutherland. “How does he get the country back on its feet? Who did the bombing, and what is the appropriate response? And what happens to a family that inherits the White House overnight? My character will get to navigate all of those things.” But not without support from his wife, Alex, played by McElhone (whose credits include the feature “Ronin” and Showtime’s comedy “Californication”). “Initially, Alex is more tough than he is,” said Sutherland. “She’s an attorney, aggressive, and much more of a
political animal. “She is the centre of his universe. Then he becomes president overnight, and by accepting it, he puts the one thing that matters most to him — his marriage — in jeopardy out of his sense of patriotism and duty.” Granted, this unsought mandate bears a save-the-world likeness to that of Jack Bauer. Yet Kirkman is anything but a lone wolf, and, also unlike Bauer, there’s no rock-’em-sock-’em to his style. “I always enjoyed the physicality of ‘24,’” said Sutherland, who for this interview was clad in jeans and T-shirt — no tweed! — that seemed to favour Bauer’s fashion sense. “But, like Kirkman, I’m a much better talker than I am a fighter, so I feel more at home with this guy.” FRAZIER MOORE AP Television Writer
20 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, September 23, 2016
film Warner Bros. Pictures via AP
Jasper, voiced by Danny Trejo, left, and Tulip, voiced by Katie Crown, in a scene from “Storks”.
review
‘Storks’ awakens a dormant baby delivery business storks running time: 86 mins
The question of “Where do babies come from?” has been answered, throughout movie history, with some unsavory characters. In the case of “Rosemary’s Baby,” a demonic neighbor was to blame. In “Knocked Up,” it was Seth Rogen’s doing. The truth can hurt.
But evading the query has its own lineage, too, and in “Storks,” the cop-out answer — one I suspect most toddlers don’t even buy — has been given the full animated movie treatment. “Storks,” at least, has the sense to tweak the old myth (the folklore of baby-delivering storks goes back before Hans Christian Anderson and runs all the way to “Dumbo”) and imagine the large birds more like Amazon delivery drones. The storks, from their remote island enclave, have given up the baby business to embrace the more lucrative line of online sales. Now they deliver things like new cellphones to equally expectant customers, a flock right out of Jeff Bezos’ own heart.
Daniel Smith/Paramount Pictures via AP
Pitt-Jolie divorce puts new spotlight on upcoming films The 12-year relationship between Angelina Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt has been neatly bookended on the big screen. They famously became acquainted while playing married assassins in Doug Liman’s 2005 action comedy “Mr and Mrs Smith.” And they didn’t star together again until last year’s “By the Sea,” a marital melodrama set on the French Riviera directed by Jolie Pitt and starring the couple as unhappy spouses. Pitt and Jolie Pitt, who filed for divorce Monday, don’t have any joint upcoming projects. But both have a number of films coming soon that will surely receive a little more attention in the wake of their separation.
A cutthroat corporate environment has also replaced a more natural habitat. Junior (Andy Samberg) is a company bird devoted to pleasing his suit-clad CEO (Kelsey Grammer). But his promotion is jeopardised when he fails to carry out an order to fire the place’s lone human worker, Tulip (Katie Crown), an orphan baby now grown and mostly wrecking the assembly lines. You’d assume a movie about storks would inevitably be about parenting, but the film, directed by Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland, is more about maintaining a work-family balance. Junior begins questioning his workplace allegiance while he and Tulip, having accidentally put the babymaking machinery back into action,
desperately try to deliver a wished-for baby. The baby request comes, by letter, from the lonely son (Anton Starkman) of an overworked realtor couple (Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell). In a nice touch, they work from home, a convenience that has nevertheless obliterated their home life. “We never stop” is their mantra, one countless parents today can surely easily identify with. Their boy taunts them: “I’ll be in college in the blink of an eye.” If there was more inquiry into this part of “Storks,” the film may have found its emotional core. But instead, the bumbling quest of Junior and Tulip takes precedent, as they elude things like a pack of baby-smitten wolves. (Their leaders are voiced by KeeganMichael Key and Jordan Peele.) Executive produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (“The LEGO Movie”), “Storks” has a lot of the ingredients for a playful, irreverent cartoon. One clever fight scene with penguins plays out in total quiet, so as not to wake the baby. But the movie doesn’t have enough to hang itself on; the premise is too flimsy and that old question of “Where babies come from?” remains oddly avoided, in even a child-friendly way. JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer
debut next month as the closing film of the New York Film Festival. Along with other numerous producing gigs, Pitt stars as General Stanley McChrystal in David Michod’s “War Machine,” a war satire. With a release planned for next year, Netflix acquired the film for a hefty sum, positioning “War Machine” as one of its boldest forays into original movies yet.
‘ALLIED’ The most sizable and immediate project upcoming is the Robert Zemeckis World War II romantic thriller “Allied” (opening November 23), starring Pitt and Marion Cotillard. The film, in which Pitt plays an intelligence officer in 1942 North Africa, is slotted for release smack in the middle of awards season.
‘FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER’ Jolie Pitt has spent much of the last year making “First They Killed My Father,” her fourth feature as director. The film, about the horrors
Marion Cotillard and Brad Pitt in a scene from “Allied”. of the Khmer Rouge, is based on Loung Ung’s memoir of living under the Cambodian regime in the 1970s. Netflix is expected to debut the film next year.
OTHERS Pitt narrates Terrence Malick’s IMAX documentary
“Voyage of Time” (October 7), a cinematic history of the life as viewed through the lens of the revered filmmaker. His production company, Plan B, is also behind one of the fall’s most acclaimed films, Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” (October 21). Another Pittproduced film, James Gray’s “The Lost City of Z,” will
SEQUELS Both have a pair of bigbudget sequels on the distant horizon, as well. Pitt is also prepping a sequel to his 2013 apocalyptic thriller “World War Z,” while Jolie Pitt is to return for the planned “Maleficent 2.” JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer
The Tribune | Weekend |21
Friday, September 23, 2016
film
review
‘The Magnificent Seven’ rides again, with more guns the magnificent seven running time: 132 mins
D
eciding to remake “The Magnificent Seven” with a fresh batch of movie stars is certainly no sin. John Sturges’ 1960 tome, itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic “Seven Samurai,” is a fun confection of star power and charismatic bravado, sure, but held in such high esteem probably more because of Elmer Bernstein’s iconic score than anything else. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy a ragtag group of outlaws banding together to defeat a powerful bully? But director Antoine Fuqua doesn’t exactly elevate that now well-trod premise in this dutiful and solid rehashing of the seven gunmen who attempt to save a terrorized town, even if he does up the shoot-em-up action (and body count). Bernstein’s score is given a few nods throughout the film, but saved in full for the final credits. Thus, it’s left to the actors to carry us through the over two-hour running time. You could do worse than putting it all in the capable hands of Denzel Washington, with some help from Chris Pratt. Washington, as the steelyeyed bounty hunter Sam Chisolm, is the de facto leader, the Yul Brynner of the group. His out-of-use heart starts beating again when the recently widowed Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) begs him to return to her small farming town of Rose Creek to save them from the terror of greedy industrialist Bartholomew Bogue, played with delicious, over-the-top menace by Peter
Haley Bennett and Chris Pratt in “The Magnificent Seven”
Denzel Washington stars in the role of Chisolm Sarsgaard. Bogue is running a mining operation nearby and wants their land, too. He’ll either pay the residents of Rose Creek an unfairly low price for it or force them to leave (already a less compelling idea than taking the food they’ve grown, but this “farming town” does very little farming anyway). Fuqua takes no time easing into the story, starting out with an all-out massacre in the town. For about an hour, things are fairly
fun as Chisolm recruits the other six. Pratt’s Josh Faraday is the first up — a bemused gambler with enemies to spare and a fondness for whiskey who signs up for the mission to try to win back his horse. They find a legendary Civil War vet Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke) and his blade-wielding buddy Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee) — who gets to put his own spin on the memorable gun vs. knife duel. There’s the bearlike, shell-shocked tracker Jack Horne (Vincent
D’Onofrio), the Mexican gunslinger Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and an exiled Native American, Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). It’s a delightfully diverse little group, but unfortunately the script, credited to “True Detective” creator Nic Pizzolatto and “The Equalizer” scribe Richard Wenk, doesn’t spend much time getting to know these men. What is there isn’t nearly clever, funny or insightful enough to make up for that. It felt like no one ever quite agreed on what the tone should be. Fun? Nihilistic? Folksy? Irreverent? Sincere? It’s all over the place and it’s not good. The actors do their best, but when even Pratt struggles to sell a joke, you know you’re in trouble. All dialogue, however, gets drowned out eventually as the movie gives way to the extremely long and frustratingly illogical final showdown with a Marvel-sized body count that nonetheless provides some exhilarating moments for Washington, Pratt and a few others. The pieces are there but never quite come together. By the time Bernstein’s score plays and the credits start rolling, it’s a little too late to do anything besides make you even more nostalgic for what came before. LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer
22 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, September 23, 2016
literary lives nancy mitford
A very English view of class
“An aristocracy cannot exist as a secret society. Nor must a lord overdo an appearance of destitution ... But the English lord is a wily old bird who seldom overdoes anything. It is his enormous strength.”
Cycle or bike? Sweet or pudding? Toilet or lavatory? Sir Christopher Ondaatje examines the novelist and biographer whose most recognised legacy was her identification with society language
N
ancy Mitford, the snobbish and devastatingly witty author, is best remembered for her books about upper-class life in England, but one of her more unlikely legacies is of an essay she published on the English aristocracy in the magazine “Encounter” in 1955. Actually, her essay was a response to a paper that Professor Alan S C Ross,
of Birmingham University, published in the Finnish Neuphilologische Mitteilungen in Helsinki entitled “U and non-U: An Essay in Sociological Linguistics.” Her article sparked off a public debate and considerable controversy, resulting in a book published a year later, “Noblesse Oblige”, which states that it is “An Enquiry into the Identifiable Characteristics of the English
Aristocracy.” The book contains four essays, including those by Nancy Mitford, Professor Ross, “Staix” and Christopher Sykes, a letter by Evelyn Waugh, and a poem by John Betjeman. The book itself propelled the expressions “U” (Upper Class) and “Non-U” (non Upper Class) to some prominence. Nancy Mitford has said that she wrote her article about her peers in
order to demonstrate that the upper middle class does not merge imperceptibly into the middle class. She also added that the differences of speech distinguish members of one social class in England from another. In 1955 she wrote: “The English aristocracy may seem to be on the verge of decadance, but it is the only real aristocracy left in the world today. It has real political power through the House of Lords and a real social position through the Queen.” Miss Mitford both agrees and disagrees with Professor Ross, whose essay on sociological linguistics states that the English class system is essentially a tripartite - an upper, a middle and a lower class. It is solely by its language that the upper class is clearly marked off from the others. In the past and Victorian periods this was not the case, but today a member of the upper class is not necessarily better educated, cleaner or richer than someone not of this class. There are, he says, only a few minor points which serve to demarcate the upper class - “the games of real tennis and piquet, an aversion to high
The Tribune | Weekend | 23
Friday, September 23, 2016
tea, having one’s cards engraved (not printed), etc ... Again, when drunk, gentlemen often become amorous or maudlin or vomit in public, but they never become truculent.” Miss Mitford points out that “the great distinction between the English aristocracy and any other has always been that, whereas abroad every member of a noble family is noble, in England none is noble except the head of the family. In spite of the fact that they enjoy courtesy titles, the sons and daughters of Lords are commoners - though not so common as baronets and their wives who take precedence after honourables.” The daughter of a Baron, Nancy Mitford was therefore an “Hon.” - honourable. “Knights, too, take precedence after honourables, except Knights of the Garter who come after the eldest sons and the daughters of barons, but before the younger sons. The descendents of younger sons, in England, have no titles and sit even below knights.” Furthermore, Miss Mitford points out that the younger sons and daughters of the very richest lords receive, by English custom, very little money from their families, barely enough to live on. “The sons are given the same education as their eldest brother and then turned out, as soon as they are grown up, to fend for themselves; the daughters are given no education at all, the general idea being that they must find some man to keep them - which, in fact, they usually do. This primogeniture has kept together the huge fortunes of English lords; it has also fortified our class system.” Miss Mitford then goes on to quote from Professor Ross and his 1954 paper, saying that he had invented a useful formula: U (for upper class) speaker versus non-U speaker. Such exaggeratedly non-U usage as ‘serviette’ for ‘napkin’ for example, he calls a non-U indicator. “He speaks of the U-habit of silence, and perhaps does not make as much of it as he might. Silence is the only possible U-response to many embarrassing modern situations; the ejaculation of ‘cheers’ before drinking, for example, or ‘it was so nice seeing you’, after saying good-bye. “After discoursing at some length on pronunciation, the Professor goes on to vocabulary and gives various examples of U and non-U usage: Cycle: is non-U against U bike. Dinner: U-speakers eat luncheon in the middle of the day and dinner in the evening. Non-U speakers (also U-
“Professor Alan S C Ross says there are only a few minor points which serve to demarcate the upper class - ‘the games of real tennis and piquet, an aversion to high tea, having one’s cards engraved (not printed), etc ... Again, when drunk, gentlemen often become amorous or maudlin or vomit in public, but they never become truculent’.”
Five of the famous six Mitford sisters: (l-r) Jessica, Nancy, Diana, Unity and Pamela, in 1935.
children and U-dogs) have their dinner in the middle of the day. Greens: is non-U for vegetables. Home: is non-U - “they have a lovely home”; U - they’ve a very nice house. Ill: I was ill on the boat is non-U against U sick Mental: non-U for U mad. Toilet paper: non-U for lavatory paper. Wealthy: non-U for U rich.”
Continued on page 24
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Friday, September 23, 2016
Asthall Manor in Oxfordshire, the Mitford family home between 1919 and 1926. It became the basis of many of the family scenes later portrayed in Nancy’s semi-autobiographical novels.
“The Pursuit of Love”, first published in 1945, is the first in a trilogy about an upper-class English family in the interwar period. Continued from page 23 To the above Miss Mitford adds: “Sweet: non-U for U Pudding. Dentures; non-U for False Teeth. This and glasses for spectacles, almost amount to non-U indicators. Wire: non-U for Telegram. Britain: non-U for England. Scottish: non-U for Scotch. Phone, by-bye and riding: (except a horse or a bicycle) are non-U indicators.” Ancestry has never counted much
in England, Miss Mitford says. The English lord knows himself to be such a very genuine article that, when looking for a wife, he can rise above such baubles as seize quartiers (coats of arms): kind hearts, in his view, are more than coronets, and large tracts of town property more than Norman blood. He marries for love, and is rather inclined to love where money is; he rarely marries to improve his coat of arms. (Heiresses have caused the extinction as well as the enrichment of many an English family, since the heiress, who must be an only child if she is
to be really rich, often comes of barren or enfeebled stock). Nancy Mitford then poses the question: “Does this apparent abdication of the lords in so many different directions mean that the English aristocracy is in full decadance and will soon exist only like the appendix in the human body, a useless and sometimes harmful relic of the past? “It would not be safe to assume so. The English lord has been nurtured on the land and is conversant with the cunning ways of the animal kingdom. He has often seen the grouse settle into the heather to rise and be shot at no more. He has noticed that enormous riches are not well looked on in the modern world and that in most countries his genus is extinct. It may be that he who for a thousand years has weathered so many a storm, religious, dynastic, and political is taking cover in order to weather yet one more. He must, of course, be careful not to overdo the protective colouring. “An aristocracy cannot exist as a secret society. Nor must he overdo an appearance of destitution ... But the English lord is a wily old bird who seldom overdoes anything. It is his enormous strength.” In Evelyn Waugh’s open letter to the Honourable Mrs Peter Rodd – Miss Mitford’s unsatisfactory 1933 marriage that led to divorce in 1957 after a lengthy separation – he comments on her final observation: “The English lord is a wily old bird you take as your text, and your theme is that he is enormously rich. He pays neither taxes nor death duties. He ‘glories’ in turning his house into a public
museum. He has given up London simply because he is not witty enough to keep a salon. He sells his pictures because he does not appreciate them. He prefers herbaceous borders and flowering shrubs to the formal patterns which require two dozen gardeners. His reduced circumstances are all a hoax. He is biding his time until the present craze for equality has passed, when he will re-emerge in all his finery to claim all his privileges, to ravish brides and transport poachers to Botany Bay.” Waugh’s words are unusually prescient. More than a third of Britain’s land is still in the hands of a small group of aristocrats, and those who believe that the landed gentry are a dying breed would be shocked to learn that blue-blooded owners still control vast swathes of the country with their inherited estates. Thirty six thousand individuals, or only 0.6 per cent of the population, own 50 per cent of rural land. Their assets account for 20 million out of 60 million acres of land, and the vast majority is actually owned by a wealthy core of just 1,200 aristocrats and their families. The top ten individual biggest owners control a staggering total of more than a million acres. Thus, not a lot has changed over the last 100 years. For the rich in Britain, the pursuit of land is still as important as it has always been. It is true that Nancy Mitford’s semiautobiographical post-war novels “The Pursuit of Love” (1945), and “Love in a Cold Climate” (1949) established her reputation, but her 1955 “Encounter” article, although intended as a joke, was taken seriously and Mitford was
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Friday, September 23, 2016
Forgotten facts Paul C Aranha considered an authority on manners and breeding for the rest of her life. Her later years in France, where she settled after the Second World War, were tinged with sadness and the success of her biographical studies of Madame de Pompadour, Voltaire and King Louis XIV contrasted with the ultimate failure of her liaison with the Free French officer Gaston Palewski. He became the love of her life, although they were never a formal couple. From the late 1960s her health deteriorated, although she maintained social contact with her many English friends through letters and social visits. She first found a comfortable apartment on the Left Bank in Paris, close to where Palewski lived. It was from there that she established a pattern that she followed for the next 20 years, her precise timetable dictated by Palewski’s variable availability. Mitford moved to Versailles in January, 1967, to a modest house which had a half-acre garden which soon became one of her chief delights. While confined in her house in Versailles after a series of illnesses she learned that Palewski had married the Duchesse de Sagan, a rich divorcée. She was deeply hurt by the news but affected a typical nonchalance. Her final biography “Frederick the Great” was published in 1970 to a muted reception. In April 1972, the French government made her a Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur, and later that year the British government appointed her a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), which would have amused her late friend and critic, Evelyn Waugh, who turned the honour down, considering it an “insult”. Sadly, she endured several years of painful illness before her death, aged 68, on June 30, 1973, at her house in Versailles. NEXT WEEK: Andrew Robinson’s terrifying new study into potentially devastating earthquakes • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is an adventurer and writer resident in the Bahamas. A Sri Lankan-born Canadian-Englishman, he is the author of several books, including ‘The Last Colonial’.
The cover art for Ronald Lightbourn’s book “Reminiscing II”
The pleasure in taking time to reminisce
H
aving read a few of these Forgotten Facts articles, a European visitor asked me what book he should buy to get an easy-to-read story of the Bahamas. The next day he was proudly showing off my friend Ron Lightbourn’s “Reminiscing II”, which I never tire of re-reading. The word “reading” does not do justice to his book. Its 266 pages contain an even-larger number of high-quality photographs. Some are taken by Ron, a retired professional photographer, but many by James F Coonley, who moved to Nassau in 1899 and opened his first studio on the corner of Bay and Parliament Streets, later moving into the Masonic Building. There are pictures by William Henry Jackson, who was commissioned by the Detroit Publishing Company to come to the Bahamas and take photographs. These photos, published in 1901, became the very first Bahamian postcards.
The McNamara Bros company out of Toronto, Canada, constructs sewers in Nassau.
Fred Armbrister and Doc Sands, a man from Rock Sound, were giants in the annals of Bahamian photos and postcards and no collection would be complete without photos by Stanley Toogood, who spent 57 years photographing all aspects of Bahamian life. And let’s not forget Freddie Maura. These are only some of them. Did you know that Nassau had a ‘water cart’ (pulled by a donkey) that drew water from a speciallyconstructed tank in Bank Lane and then drove along, watering Nassau’s unpaved streets, to keep down the limestone dust. John Saffrey George is long dead and buried, but the Saffrey Building, between East Street and Bank Lane, still carries his name, and Ron Lightbourn devotes chapter four –16 pages with 19 pictures – to his incredible achievements. For most of the first half of the 20th century there was only one bank in the entire Bahamas. The Royal Bank
of Canada opened on November 1, 1908, with a staff of three – manager, assistant and messenger. Once established, The Royal acquired The Bank of Nassau. By 1919, The Royal had a brandnew building, which is now known as their main branch, but until shortly after the end of World War II, if you said you were going to the bank, to that building is where you went. Those were the good old days when RBC was customer-friendly. You know of the sponge industry, but do you know where the Sponge Exchange shed was? Chapter 6 would clear up any doubt and, if you don’t know about the Harbour Chain, you’ll find it in chapter 7. I leave you, now, to admire the 1928 activity of trenching Bay Street, to lay Nassau’s first sewerage. There’s another in this series on page 167 and my father rides his bike, on page 166. • islandairman@gmail.com
26 | The Tribune | Weekend
section
*Calls cost 75p plus your telephone company’s network access charge.
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The Tribune | Weekend | 27
Friday, September 23, 2016
animals
Pearl Island party
I
t was the best of times…it was the season of light”, to paraphrase Mr Dickens. Those words are pretty accurate when applied to the simply wonderful end-of-summer fun day that Pearl Island put on to help raise some much needed funds for the Bahamas Humane Society (BHS) last Sunday. We met at the TNT Dock just west of the Poop Deck, where we were helped by some very friendly Pearl Island staff and loaded onto the “Lady Pearl”, a shuttle vessel of sorts to get guests to the island itself. There is a bar on board in case you are so thirsty you cannot wait to get to the island. The ride down the harbour was tremendous fun, so many changes in and on (and throughout) Paradise Island and Nassau. The most fascinating has thing to be the tightly regimented row of exotic palm trees lining a vacant lot on Paradise Island, just before you get to the Narrows. They are so perfect, so erect, so exactly the same, that I was tempted to ask if they were in fact real. Once through the Narrows you have a lovely view of our destination, Pearl island. A swift and easy docking, and we were on dry land again and headed up to the main area where the lighthouse is located. The operator of the island, Peter Rebmann, who has adopted potcakes from the BHS, was there to greet us, along with Adam and Elena de Souza (they have lots of adopted dogs too). The BHS was really made to feel very welcome, with lots of space to set up a sales table with our T-shirts, Tervis cups and car magnets. These items are readily available at the shelter in case you just realised that you don’t have any! Pearl Island had also organised a spectacular silent auction with fun prizes – a three-foot high straw giraffe, day passes for two with lunch on the island,, bracelets, dog supplies, paintings, woodwork, driftwood signs – all sorts of fun things to bid on. There was also a mini in-house raffle, All funds raised are earmarked for the running
PET OF THE WEEK
Unbreakable Bubbles By The Bahamas Humane Society
N
o, not the Powerpuff Girl, but still a fighter nonetheless. Bubbles came in to a BAARK! spay and neuter clinic but responded poorly to the surgery. For a while it was touch and go as to whether she’d survive. But Bubbles turned out to be stronger than expected – she rallied and pulled through! This six-month-old young lady is quiet and very affectionate She would love a home where she can settle in, relax, and spend time snuggling with her new humans. Do you have the home for Bubbles? If so, come in to the Bahamas Humane Society to meet her or call 323-5138 for more information. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Bubbles looks forward to meeting you. • Join the BHS at John Watling’s on Friday, September 30, for an endof-summer/Photo Contest/BHumane Awards evening! Tickets are $20 for
PATRICIA VAZQUEZ
Animal matters Kim Aranha
adults and $10 for children, available at the BHS or at the door. The Conchy Joe’s food truck will be there. The evening begins at 6pm, so come out and help celebrate!
BHS President Kim Aranha and son Scott Aranha enjoy the waters off Pearl Island.
BHS Shelter Manager and Chief Inspector Percy Grant with Amanda Myers, board member. expenses of the BHS shelter. We all enjoyed a very tasty lunch (oh my, the conch salad was delicious, fresh and huge), and the rest of the day was dedicated to drifting around in the pristine waters off one of the beaches, drinks in hand, having fun, talking, laughing, swimming and revelling in the splendours of the Bahamas. At the end of the day, the BHS will receive a percentage of the take from that day plus all proceeds from the in-house raffle and silent auction. It is a wonderful, kind and generous gesture of the operators of Pearl Island. Wow! If more restaurants and attractions set aside just one day a month for charity, what a fantastic thing that would be. Not saying give everything you make that day, but a percentage. And not saying give it all to us, but choose a different worthy charity each month. Think of how many places could be doing it, and how much money could be raised. The secret to raising money is that if everybody gave a small amount our cups would certainly “runneth” over, but alas, it is always the same generous people and businesses who dig deep and support charity. The BHS was very grateful for the well-organised event done on our behalf. We thank Pearl Island sincerely and profusely and we loved every second of it. Pearl Island is a beautiful, clean, friendly destination and I will certainly be back…I think many of us will be. Thank you Peter, Adam and Elena!
28| The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, September 23, 2016
gardening
Cabbages It’s cabbage planting season, and Jack Hardy explains how to go about giving your leafy greens their best start in life.
I
t is important that any vegetable that is transplanted from a seed bed to a pot, or from a pot to the garden, should be seated in soil that is richer in nutrients than the soil it was moved from. All plants should be encouraged to maintain steady growth because a pause in the process can cause a plant to stop growing for a while, sometimes permanently. This is very important consideration for crucifers – cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etcetera – because as a group they are gross feeders and require plenty of nutrition. At this time of year cabbages and their kin should be started in seed trays or pots containing potting mix that has had a little fertilizer added. Miracle Gro produces a good product. When the seedlings are well rooted they can be moved to the garden where somewhat more fertilizer has been applied and dug in than you may normally use. Heading cabbages need a minimum of 12 inches between plants and granular 6-6-6 fertilizer can be applied in that space every month until maturity. Water needs are moderate as the plants grow but the amount should
Cauliflower can be grown in a pot
Heading cabbages planted close together be decreased when the cabbages approach full size. Too much water – especially in the form of rain – could cause the heads to split. This is a loss for farmers but merely an annoyance for gardeners. Split heads can be used for slaw or soups but cannot be sold in markets. Before the initial planting of seeds you may wish to do some math and figure out what your cabbage needs will be. Can you handle a dozen cabbages or more at one time? You may find it judicious to plant one cabbage seed a week. If you do have more fully-grown cabbages than you need you can trim the roots with a machete or long knife. Holding the knife upright, saw into the soil in a circle around the base of the stem and cut through the root mass. The cabbage will still have roots to keep it nourished but not enough to cause splitting if an overdose of rain occurs. Do not make the same mistake I made two years ago. I bought seeds for a variety of cabbage advertised as “compact and handy”. All I got were comments on how poorly my cabbage crop had grown.
Broccoli remains very popular and is grown as for heading cabbage. The flower heads should be harvested while tight and closely bunched. The moment the flower heads loosen and show traces of yellow the crop is inedible. Most varieties of broccoli produce flowerets along the stems once the main flower heads have been cut. These are usually about two inches long and are the right size for including in stir fries and casseroles, for steaming or for eating raw. The flowerets should be picked every two or three days and stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until you have enough for a meal. Like the main flower head, the flowerets turn bitter once there is a trace of yellow – the flower petals. Kale seems to be the “in” green vegetable of the moment. I was brought up to consider kale as emergency sustenance for Scottish crofters who otherwise lived on oatmeal porridge. The very idea of charred kale being served in a classy restaurant or raw kale made into a salad is close to unthinkable. If you like kale, grow it as for cabbage and harvest the leaves early for (ugh!) tenderness and
flavour. But cauliflower I love. The creamy curds melt in your mouth and a smooth cheese sauce enhances an already enchanting flavour. Unfortunately, cauliflower is a little more awkward to grow than cabbage and broccoli because it is a distinctly cool weather plant. There are tropical varieties available that help the situation but I would wait until December before sowing cauliflower seeds, allowing the plants to mature in the coolest months of the year. Cauliflower leaves are long and once the head or curds begin to form the leaves should be tied in order to repel light and keep the curds white. Some cauliflower varieties claim to be ‘self-blanching’ but I would ignore this and tie the leaves. The problem here is that you must untie the leaves every two days and check for grubs that, if not removed, will destroy the flower head. Cauliflower heads should be harvested while they are compact. Once gaps occur and flower stalks become visible the cauliflower is inedible. Be vigilant; cauliflower heads mature very quickly. I also love Brussels sprouts but will not be growing any. Cauliflowers are marginal in The Bahamas and sprouts even more so. If you do not believe in global warming and figure the odds of a February frost are good, by all means plant some Brussels sprouts. When the sprouts appear and become the size of marbles, pull away the leaf stalks next to them but leave the very top leaves. Kohlrabi is rarely seen in supermarkets but is an amazingly versatile veggie. It grows well during our cool months and much resembles a green turnip. Indeed, kohlrabi is a cross between cabbage and turnip. The softball-sized spheres have to have the outer skin peeled and the edible interior can be julienned, cubed, cut into fries, quartered, halved or grated – according to how you intend to use the vegetable. Kohlrabi remains crisp and maintains its shape even after being cooked. Julienned kohlrabi can be used in stir fries and salads, cubes can be added to stews, raw fries can be used as crudites, and grated kohlrabi flesh can be cooked and pureed; such versatility from one humble vegetable that many gardeners have never grown.
• For questions and comments emailj.hardy@coralwave.com