THERE is the saying, “Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver, the other gold.” As the calendars display Decem ber 2022, there is quite a lot of excitement and talk about Guyana’s new economy-earning sector of oil and gas. But it is important that this ex citement does not cause Guyanese to look away and apparently abandon and forget about the coun try’s foreign exchange earnings with agriculture and forestry products, which have been so for well over a century. If that happens, our commod ities like bauxite, gold, diamonds, rice, sugar, fish and timber, among others, could be regarded as “has-beens” as far as foreign-exchange earn ings go, even though those products continue to gar ner much for the coun try’s fiscal power-house.
As you have already observed from the attached photograph, I have practical experience over time in liv ing in the forests of Guyana since I was a youngster - during my pre- and teen years, for that matter - and have learned to respect forest workers, including
managers and the forests themselves. The products the forests of Guyana have faithfully produced over the centuries have been a means for hundreds of jobs at any given time. That is also true for how our forests have con tributed and kept the Guyana economy consistently buoy ant over the decades.
In more recent decades, Guyana’s positive response in keeping our forests as intact and as pristine as possible, to contribute to stemming the ongoing climate change challenges of recent decades, has gained much respect from International organisations and other countries, which place climate change and related issues paramount on their agendas.
Somehow, since the pre-independence era, Guy ana has earned itself the un enviable reputation of being referred to as a “poor coun try”. On many occasions, it has even been twinned with Haiti. That is something that all patriotic Guyanese detest and reject in all sincerity.
Unfortunately, there are just too many people - Guy anese and non-Guyanese alike - who are always so ready to latch on to the neg ative things and constantly repeat them without think ing. For example, there are many Guyanese who so often say that “Guyana is below sea level”; what a misstatement! The reality is, “The coastland of Guyana is below sea level, at high tide.” That is a three-part statement-of-fact, which must be kept as such. To withhold any one of the three parts would make nonsense of the FACT. Therefore, it should always be regarded as a three-part statement, which together constitutes one fact. That is the reality.
Just pause for a moment and consider all of Guyana being below sea level per
manently; what then would be the purpose and functioning of the scores of kokers on the coastal belt located East between Corriverton on the Corentyne Coast and Anna Regina, West on the Es sequibo Coast? Considering inland areas of the country, how would the mighty Kai eteur Falls plunge 741 feet in a sheer drop, from the top to the gorge below if all of Guyana was below sea level all of the time? Where would the Pakaraima and Kanaku mountain ranges-which are thousands of feet above sea level- be in terms of the to pography of our beautiful country? In doing some re search, I have discovered that the Friendship area on the East Coast of Demerara, is likely the lowest area in Guyana; however, that needs to be certified by the profes sional and competent author ities. Nonetheless, it has been noted, the regularity in which the Buxton/Friendship com munities suffer from flooding during the rainy seasons.
What is certain, is that all of Guyana’s forested re gions are well above sea lev el. Nonetheless, they some times suffer from shorter periods of flooding when there is excessive rainfall within a short period. For those Guyanese who were born on the coastland and have never ventured into the country’s beckoning hinterland, it is somewhat difficult, in some cases, to have a meaningful conver sation about this topic, espe cially with those who do not have open ears, or an open mind. For those coastland ers who have had the ex periences of spending time in our hinterland, either working or touring, sharing experiences is almost always a pleasant exchange with those who have had the op portunity to spend periods
in our forests.
In closing, two mini-earn ing foreign exchange items, which are hardly ever men tioned recently, are pet fish and pet birds. Guyana sup plies quite a wide range of attractive fish for aquariums. There is also an extensive range of birds, including par rots and macaws, which are sold abroad. While most of us know pretty little about these two areas of Guyanese for eign exchange earnings, they do exist, albeit in a minute way, and have dedicated op erators who have established foreign markets for these products.
While oil and gas are the welcomed new “Kids on the Block” so to speak, let us not turn our backs on our old and reliable friends, timber, gold, diamonds, bauxite, rice, fish, coconut products and others. Mean while, we can use them to boost our fledging Tourism industry. Just recently, a group of journalists made a government-organised and sponsored fact-finding tour to Yupukari in the North Rupununi, Region 9, to observe, at first hand, how that thriving community is developing its tourism product. While I was not on that particular team visit, I have been to Yupukari and other villages in the Rupununi, Region 9, on many occasions, and have a wide experience of the development of most of the villages over a period of fifty and more years. What is ob vious in Guyana is that For estry, Mining, Agriculture and Tourism, continue to contribute to the country’s Foreign Exchange earnings.
IN pursuing a “balanced approach” to education, Camille’s Academy Inc. is gearing up to introduce its Life Skills and Men tal Health Training Pro gramme when the new school term begins in Janu ary, targeting Grades seven to 11.
Proprietor Camille Deok ie Gorakh is adamant that academics alone will not cut it for her children and based on feedback the school would have received from the business community, she’s now even surer that certain intrinsic skills and qualities must be taught in concert with the academic side of things.
As such, earlier this year, the school sought to strengthen its team capacity with training as it prepared
idly changing future without data on these fundamental life skills?Our 2023 new year’s resolution is to con tinue to promote happy, healthy children with good moral values and ethics to contribute meaningfully to society.”
The 12 skills that have been identified as the most needed are:creativity, critical thinking, prob lem-solving, cooperation, negotiation, decision-mak ing, self-management, re silience, communication, respect for diversity, empa thy and participation.
“What I’ve realised over the years… yes, we produce
a lot of kids, build them academically, but they’re not well rounded. What we have found as they go out, some basic skills are lacking and we realised that there’s so much more work that we need to get done to help them adapt to the working environment, and build resil ience,” Camille shared.
For one thing, she ob served that it’s necessary for them to have the men tal stamina to cope with the world of work. Based on feedback from workplaces, however, she said some stu dents quit as soon as they are under a little pressure.
“We realised that giving
them the 10-15 CXCs is not enough; there are so much more intrinsic qualities that we need to build in them.
school,” Camille added.
Coming out of COVID, she said a lot of work had to be done to get the kids to adapt to the new norm. “Building their mental stamina was our number one priority as they re turned to school. So it’s not just pushing a curriculum; there’s quite a lot of work we had to do to get them to adjust.”
So far, her school has trained 20 staff members as mentors and has most re cently sent another eight for training. These individuals were trained to handle the students, conduct assess ments, and read and evaluate the results.
Meanwhile, in a pre vious interview, Camille called on parents to con tinue to instill good mor als, values and discipline in their children so that they can be good citizens of society. “We are their first teacher. Schools and organisations are just there to enforce what you have already built so you have to lay that foundation and al ways understand that par
itself to be the first school in Guyana to introduce the in ternationally rec ognised program in life skills, mental health and wellbe ing.
“Academics are important, but our school always ad vocates for a bal anced approach to education,” Camille shared in an inter view with Pepperpot Magazine, adding, “This is one of the many programmes which make us a leader in the edu cation Sector.How do we prepare our students for the rap
It’s a number of years now we have been watching and we realised that there’s a lot more we need to do as a
enting is work in progress; every day you learn some thing new,” she stated.
A brand new line - Lo tus Cosmetics, “designed to supply pure, clean and healthy beauty products,” has been launched here in Guyana by Founder Fenton Baijnath and his business partners Sayyid Ferouz and Sameerah Mohamed-Fer ouz.
Lotus Cosmetics is the sister company of Radi cal Cosmetics and Lotus Bio-Mineral in the United States, created by Baijnath and in operation for more than 25 years, having con tracted, manufactured and private-labelled for many different brands.
These brands have been sold in Sephora, Ulta and QVC. Some of the brands include 100 percent Pure, RMS Beauty, Subtle Beauty, Palladio, SkinLab, Skincare Cosmetics, Tarte Cosmetics and Fitglow.
With Fenton planning to bring his years of expe rience and technol ogy to the country, Lotus Cosmetics will manufacture colour cosmetics for Guyana, the Ca ribbean and Latin America.
The intended manufacturing fa cility will be man aged by Sayyid Ferouz, the Man aging Director, and his wife Sa meerah.
“The new man ufacturing facility is the starting point for Lotus. There are plans to branch out into various other areas of man ufacturing over the com
ing years. As a 100 percent
Guyanese-owned business, we hope to work along with the people of Guyana in or der to bring development to our country,”
meerah shared that Baijnath, a Guyanese, has been in the cosmetics industry for over 25 years and was also a for mer engineer at companies
in successful beauty and cosmetic stores such as Ulta and Sephora. He also holds several patents and received numerous awards for his work within the industry. As a Guyanese, he wants to share his work with the people of his hometown,” she mentioned.
Lotus Cosmetics offers 10 shades of lipstick, 10 shades of lip-gloss, one volumi nous mascara, one eternal eyeshadow palette, and one forever face palette that has four shades of eyeshadow, one blush, one highlighter, and four powder foundations. The team is also working on creating a liquid foundation as well.
“Our philosophy is to provide a natural cosmet ics line designed to supply pure, clean and healthy beauty products. All of our products are safe for our custom ers and environ mentally friend ly. We dedicate our resources to the clean beau ty culture, to re search and de velop the most innovative safe beauty products with the quality you have come to expect and deserve,” Baijn auth said at the launch.
best cosmetics in our labs to provide you with makeup that does not only look good but is good for your skin too. Free of parabens and toxic ingredients, our cosmetic products are rich in colla gen-boosting [extracts],” he further stated.
and supple.
Sugar Cane Extract: with healing properties to condi tion and moisturise, saccha rum officinarum, or sugar cane, will help give a bright, rejuvenated complexion.
Pepperpot Magazine a few days ago.
At the launch last week
such as L’Oreal, Revlon, Calvin Klein and Unilever.
“He has products featured
“Lotus Cos metics is dedi cated to provid ing products that are sustainable, eco-friendly, and non-toxic without compro mising efficacy and luxuri ous wear. We formulate the
The Lotus Cosmetics line includes the following smooth, brightening extracts:
The Bilberry Extract: this fruit’s tonic properties help cleanse, tighten, and strength en the skin. Rich in antioxi dants, this extract assists in combating premature ageing to help keep your skin young
Orange Extract: this col lagen stimulating extract soothes and protects the skin, giving a beautiful glow.
Lemon Extract: a skin conditioning agent full of antioxidants to brighten and tighten the skin.
Sugar Maple Extract: an anti-ageing plant extract that aides in the removal of dark spots and blemishes.
OVER the years, many young people have had difficulties coping with the challenges that life throws at them, wheth er daily or over time.
Some have looked to musical artistes, of various genres to provide them with a recipe for counteracting the punches.
The Pepperpot Magazine spoke exclusively with Elton Williams, better known as D J Saffie, who is working with lo cal artistes to create music that speaks about school dropouts, suicide and violence, among many other issues.
DJ Saffie, holds the view that music can be among many of the solutions that can curb these issues, having grown up finding solace in music in his own life. Now, he wants to work with musicians to do the same for others.
“We want to start a venture where we can do school tours. I am working with a number of artistes. There are songs that have been sung addressing life‘s challenges, including suicide, substance abuse and education. It, therefore, means that we are seeking permission from the Government to go into schools to address the prevalence of these issues,” the musical DJ told the Pepperpot Magazine.
According to the Guyanese entertainer, music is one of the vehicles that has revolutionised many young people’s lives, including his own.
“Music usage is showing the love and support, which will serve as a catalyst to deter persons from committing suicide and [will] certainly [reduce the dropout rate] across the coun try. Also, music can be used as an avenue for persons who would need counselling and guidance in areas that are critical in their lives,” Saffie said.
He revealed that, in this planned school tour across the country coming next year, he hopes that school-aged youths would be able to maybe seek help from well-known musicians and legends in the music industry, who themselves have been
through their fair share of challenges, struggles and issues.
“I think that there are avenues where the children want to speak out, knowing a person or persons from the streets,
The musical DJ expressed hope to re ceive support from Government and maybe private indi viduals who have a vested interest in re ducing the stigma at tached to young people. He intends to reach out to the Ministry of Education, updating them about plans to see what type of support he may be able to receive.
He believes that, through music and working with estab lished and local musicians will [bring] revolutionary changes to the minds of several young people, particularly in schools across the country.
“In school, there are children that intend to make music and singing not only their hobby but a career. When the tours are ongoing, we can ask the children who want to sing to show their talent and nurture it to bring pleasure to their families, the country and its development,” Saffie noted during his interview with the Pepperpot Magazine.
According to the local musician, who is responsible for coaching and influencing Mattick Queen, who won the recent ly held Carnival Competition, there is a genre of music with a positive message that will promote positivity and channel school-aged children on the right path. Additionally, the marriage between music and the advancement of educational opportunities is also a priority for him.
an artiste that, it is not someone from the Government or the Police, it is an ordinary tradesman, that exemplifies that we were once your age and we choose to stay out of that and to develop our lives,“ Saffie explained.
He believes that more needs to be done in the promo tion and support of Guyanese music both with regard to airplay on the radio stations and support from the Guya nese community.
TIME and time again, I’ve been emphasising the importance of creating safe spaces in every aspect of social life. When you think of a safe space, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Do you have any safe space or safe environment to turn to if you ever need one? As we open this discussion on what safe spaces are, I want you to ask and answer those ques tions. The term ‘safe space’ usually refers to a space or environment, where a group or category of people (or even an individual) can be themselves without any form of harm, harassment, or discrimination of any kind. A safe space should be diverse, inclusive, accepting, and welcoming for everyone.
While the term is usually miscommunicated or misused, the definition and idea of a safe space should always be used correctly with its intended purpose of protecting. A safe space is usually created for margin alised groups. Here, the group can share their common interests with each other—without fear or judgement. Safe spaces can be a physical space or a specific atmosphere or feeling that protects your inner peace and stability. I believe safe spaces should be created everywhere—in offices, your home, schools or universities, and even places of business.
Safety is important for many of us and it certainly affects our everyday mood, lifestyle, and productivity. Will you be able to be your best self if your house doesn’t have proper working padlocks? I think not. Safety brings comfort. Mental and emotional safety are just as important as physical safety.
Personally, my emotional safe space is where I create certain boundaries for various relationships in my life. I feel safe with those boundaries as they protect my mental well-being. If something or someone triggers my anxieties—I will know to stay away because that is what allows me to feel safe.
The definition of a safe space may remain the same but what we desire as safe and comfortable may be unique
to us as individuals. There are many physical sage spaces in our communities, such as support groups, child-friendly spaces, and even certain agencies/ organisations. At work, a safe space can perhaps be the break room where workers are allowed to com municate and interact without fear.
For children in school their safe space may be the library or play area. For you, it may be your bedroom, for someone else it may be a church. For domestic violence survivors it may be a safe house. For parents it may be the bathroom. Safe spaces are all around. In our com munities, our leaders are responsible for providing and assisting in developing safe spaces for all. Individually, we owe it to ourselves to protect our sanity, boundaries, and inner peace by acknowledging where our space is and how we treat it.
Acknowledge your sanctuary, claim it and rejuve nate from it—it should be your space to feel protected and secure. The world is already difficult to be in with the many social issues we face daily. On a community level, marginalised groups such as refugees, women, abused victims, indigenous groups, and members of the LGBTQI+—will have somewhere to call their own. On that same note, these safe spaces provided need to be main tained to effectively help the persons they are supposed to serve. If they grasp the concept of these community safe spaces, they will then more than likely be able to model that into their own lives and homes.
LAST week the Pepperpot Magazine visited the coun tryside village of Cromarty, Corentyne, Berbice, Region Six (East Corentyne-Berbi ce) to highlight the way of life of the locals.
Cromarty is an agricul ture-based community where the main economic activity is farming, and it comprises predominantly Indo and Afro Guyanese numbering just over 200 residents.
The village has a few
shops, a mandir, a nursery school and churches. There are about 70 houses with about five occupants per household.
There is a baker, a butch er and a few persons who rear and sell plucked chick ens. The nearest market is about six miles away in Port Mourant.
Cromarty is sandwiched between Wellington Park and Maida, then Kilmarnock followed by Philippi. It is a
close-knit village of families and family members who mostly live side by side and the people are humble and down-to-earth.
There are no all-weather streets in Cromarty except for alleyways and dams.
The village is situated on the public road where houses are on both sides, and this community has vast back and reef lands used for farming.
THE first resident the team met while visiting Cromar ty Village, Corentyne,Ber bice was Shelly Drepaul, a stay-at-home mother who has a small shop from her home conveniently located
The mother of one added that her husband is a chauf feur; he usually works in daylight hours and would be at home at the night.
Drepaul reported that things aren’t as before due to the rising cost of living, making it difficult to afford
upon completion, she will be relocating to escape the burden of paying rent.
Drepaul has been renting for the past five years and will be more than happy to be living in her own house rent-free and she is looking forward to that.
“I honestly don’t like it here, at this location, and I am just living here before I have to, so when my house is finally finished, I will move there, at the back part of the community. I will be com fortable there,” she said.
She told the Pepperpot Magazine that Cromarty Village is a place of families and the home of farmers who either plant rice or cash crops and cultivate a lot of celery.
grieving mode following the death and burial of her beloved mother, who passed
from Albion but grew up in Cromarty Village, Corentyne and has been living there for
Street.
Koomar lives alone since his wife and three children are overseas and he is not alone because he has eight cats as pets and prepares meals for them daily.
on the public road.
The 62-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that the house she is occupying is rented, and her son, his wife, and two children are living with her presently.
basic food items, and they are trying their best to make it.
She explained that they are in the process of con structing a new house on ancestral lands owned by her father right in the village, and
Drepaul added that ex cept for the passing vehicles and loud quarrels among locals, the village is peace ful, and there is a mixture of Indo- and Afro-Guyanese people living together in the small farming village.
The team also met an other local, Shamwattie Bal gobin, who was still in the
away a few days ago.
She is a shopkeeper and a mother of six, who has been living in Cromarty Village,
most of her adult life.
She stated that the village is a quiet place with hard working people, who are
“My family isn’t with me, but I have a lot of com pany, the cats, they would look over things and they are good company often,” he said.
The cash crop farmer stated that in addition to celery he would plant pak choi and peppers and he would sell in the village, but the celery is mostly sold to wholesale buyers from out side the community.
Koomar told the Pep perpot Magazine that the alleyway has five houses, a mandir and a shop and most people residing there are related.
When asked how he would describe his life in Cromarty he said, “I make life worthwhile for me, no matter what”.
The farmer believes that since Cromarty is a farm ing village, more should be done to upgrade the drainage system to afford them better access to farmlands and to develop the reef lands used for farming.
Koomar disclosed that the lands in Cromarty are privately-owned and divided into two sections.
Corentyne, Berbice, for a long time.
The 60-year-old said she was the sole caregiver to her ailing mother until her death and is also tasked with caring for her elderly father, who is 93 years old.
Her late mother, Phillis Toolsie was 91. She was the mother of 14 siblings, a vendor at the school and a housewife.
Balgobin told the Pep perpot Magazine that she is
mostly farmers, and it is not a high crime area, but they do have a few instances of theft among the locals.
Balgobin added that she is a housewife and she has a shop from which she earns.
The team also met Jai paul Koomar, whose house and farm are located down a small alleyway called Mandir
According to the farmer, Cromarty was an English plantation and back in the days following slavery, most people were large-scale cat tle; the people sold the cow’s milk and planted cash crops for their living.
Koomar added that Cromarty derived from the plentiful gamma trees that were growing everywhere in the community.
“I love it here. This is my home, the very place I earn and I farm from right in my yard and everything that comes from the earth is good,” he said.
WORKING right where you live is considered con venient and not having to report to any boss is the perfect way of life for most Cromarty, Corentyne, Ber bice residents because they
assist in taking care of them during daylight hours when he is not working on the farm.
Jaundoo has a nice, wellkept home and surroundings and everything is in its place and he is also a lover of all flowers and plants which is
The 50-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that she is renting since they do not have their own house and things get a bit hard at times due to the increase in cost of living.
Mohan added that her husband is the sole bread winner of the home and in the rainy season he would be unable to farm and access the crops due to flooding and the mud dam becomes inac cessible.
“Right now the prices for all the things for farming is sky-high and it is a burden for us so we cannot plant on a large scale like before and we are not cultivating at this time,” she said.
are all farmers.
The way of life of the people of this rural village evolves around farming and they work long hours on their farm to cultivate crops despite many challenges to sell their produce to bring in an income to the home and their families.
Patrick Jaundoo is a farmer, who has lived all his life in Cromarty Village and today he works from home, he has utilised every space on his plot to plant cash crops.
He plants two main crops of peppers and tomatoes but has other crops but not on a large scale and he has season al buyers for his produce so going to sell to the market is out of the question.
The father of two enjoy his leisure time with his two grandchildren and he would
in his yard.
The farmer has a double plot and it is ideal for his farm and even has a space for his fireside and other outdoor things he would use that is within reach.
“I born into farming, my parents were farmers and before that my grandparents farmed too so here I am do ing my bit to keep the family tradition alive by being a humble farmer to safeguard our food security locally,” he said.
Sharon Mohan, the stay-at-home mother Sharon Mohan is also a resident of Cromarty Village, Corentyne, Berbice. She is a stay-at-home housewife of three children and is oc cupied with tending to her grandchildren these days.
Mohan prefers to stay within her home space and she doesn’t venture out un til it is quite necessary and would be at home doing many things to pass the time.
At 73 years old, Bijai Dolly Gopaul has a lot to be thankful for living in her golden years. She is still mourning the loss of her hus band but is surrounded by her children and grandchildren.
Following the passing of her husband, Gopaul has never been the same. She is traumatised by the incidents leading to the death of her spouse, whose medical con dition deteriorated rapidly.
Whenever she spoke of her husband, she would be reduced to tears since it was a painful time she had to face.
Gopaul told the Pepper pot Magazine that her late husband died three months
ago, and her daughter resides with her while her son lives next door, and they are taking care of his son.
She is originally from Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara and relocated to
farmers.
It was when her son was nine and her daughter was six years old that they moved to Cromarty to reside since her husband’s parents left for overseas and the house was
only getting old age pension afforded by the administra tion.
These days, Gopaul is taking things easy. She would use her walking stick and go outside to sit and enjoy the
Cromarty many years ago when her in-laws migrated and they came to live in their house.
Gopaul added that she lived in Pomeroon for more than 20 years and they were
empty.
The elderly woman re ported that although her hus band worked at many places and had made enough con tributions to NIS, he did not qualify for a pension and was
breeze. It was at this time the team caught up with her. She has a lovely garden of flowers, plants and trees and the yard is well-kept and very tidy.
LITTIE Chanmatia Ram narine is a stay-at-home mother, grandmother and wife who has a small busi ness of plastic chair rentals and selling pepper sauce, achar and pickles via a small roadside stand at Number 59 Village, Coren tyne, Berbice.
The 70-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that she has grandchildren to take care of and needs the financial boost because her husband is ailing and cannot work.
She decided to start a venture from home to earn, and it has been fair despite being a slow business.
Ramnarine also has a small shop selling confec tionery and cold beverages, among other items and the people of the roadside village supports the small business.
“After my husband took ill and could no longer work, I thought of what to do and after sometime I decided the best option was working from home via a shop and do some home-made pickles and sauc es to sell to assist in earning,” she explained.
The 70-year-old reported that she would buy fruits from the neighbours when in season and use it to make homemade pickles, then bot tle them for sale after the curing process.
Ramnarine would make mango, golden apple, goose berry and garlic pickles and have in stock mango achar and bird pepper, hot pepper sauces and lime sour.
The mother of five told the Pepperpot Magazine that back in the days they used to rear cattle on a large scale but when her spouse advanced in age he started to complain of intense pains in the feet.
She stated that he could not take care of tending to the cattle and they had to do away with it eventually as the task became unbearable for him.
Ramnarine said all her five children are grown and leading their own adult lives with husbands and wives but she has two of four grand children living with her and they are her responsibility.
“The most I can do for them is assist them to have a foundation in life, that is, education and they have a home and they get all their meals even though we are not wealthy, “she said.
Ramnarine also has three great-grandchildren.
She pointed out that life is not blindingly bright but can be considered fair because she is doing what she can with the resources at hand to earn.
Ramnarine disclosed that doing the right thing takes time, and it is usually a royal run-a-around to get her small shop licensed.
The elderly woman ex plained that she had to make several trips to New Amster dam to visit the High Court and then the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to acquire the paperwork for her small shop and she doesn’t even sell alcohol.
“At my age, it is hard as is to do the chores plus tend to the shop, take care of the grandkids and do whatever needs to be done let alone have to make the commute to New Amsterdam, miles from Corentyne where I live,” she said.
Ramnarine stated that she is hoping that the agen cies can become de-cen tralised so she can visit the Corentyne office rather than having to make the journey to New Amster dam, which is grossly in convenient for her.
At this juncture, Ramna rine is doing her outmost to contribute to the lives of her loved ones and she is utilising her inbred skills to do just that, all form her home even as a senior citizen.
Her strength and refusal to give up is quite admirable, and kudos to Aunty Littie as she is referred to for all her efforts to have a good life.
Hancia Mursaline, the home-maker
While passing #48 Vil lage, Corentyne, Berbice it is difficult not to notice the huge decorative plant pots adorn the fence of a lovely house that sits comfortably on the public road which belongs to Hancia Mursaline
and her husband.
Mursaline told the Pep perpot Magazine that she likes nice things, so she bought seven of the unusually large and colourful plant pots to put on her fence, making it quite a sight, a vision of loveliness.
The 67-year-old added the new feature to her fence about a year ago and she has no regrets about overdoing things to make her living space a bit more pleasing to the eye.
The mother of one stated that she loves plants, flowers and trees and makes every ef fort to get newer plants to add to her flower garden, which is an entire plot of land.
The plant pots isn’t the only unusual thing at the home of Mursaline, she also has a newly acquired rickshaw, one of four in the country and registered as CL 5001, red in colour and used for family outings.
ANNIE Pestano is a resi dent of Cromarty Village, Corentyne, Berbice and a councillor attached to the
Pestano, a local of Cromarty, a farmer and they have five children.
Pestano told the Pepper pot Magazine that Cromarty is a small agricultural-based
and some people no longer have a lot of cattle.
The 61-year-old ex plained that when she first moved to Cromarty she had very little and they had a
very dedicated to the family and has given so much of himself to them.
Pestano added that it isn’t a high-crime village and they do have some disturbance, but it is nothing overbearing like any other village. They have a few ‘bad apples’ that make trouble and take things that do not belong to them.
“I like it here because no matter how little you have in terms of resources, you can make a meal. You can go catch fish and you can plant since there is space
would do the same so we live well mostly and there are no strangers in this village and it is safe,” she said.
perpot Magazine that the village needs a health centre, a police outpost and a fire station since the population is
Madia-Tarlogie Neighbour hood Democratic Council (NDC) and has been living there for the past 37 years.
She is a native of #37 Vil lage but after marriage, she relocated to Cromarty Vil lage to start her married life. She tied the knot with Jerry
community with reef lands utilised for rice and cash crop farming.
She reported that in the earlier days, the locals used to rear cattle and livestock on a large scale but due to time and change, a lot of the elders have since passed on
little house and after she got her children, they assisted her in building a better house.
Pestano disclosed that her son, Kelvin Pestano, is the pillar of the home be cause he assists herself and her husband at the farm. He is also a pastor, who is
and almost everything is available in the village,” she said.
Pestano added that they
She stated that the schools and health centres are in nearby villages and they would go to Port Mourant
growing and to access basic services, they have to exit the village to do so.
She explained that there are a lot of elderly people in the village and that commut ing to hospitals and health centres is difficult since some cannot walk.
Jerry Pestano is a farmer and he also works at another job up to half-day and assists his son on the farm after work.
They have one employee who goes to the farm three times per week to assist with the crops and the farm is located in the back lands of the village.
have people who would de liver chickens and a lot of lo cals’ rear their own and there is a butcher in the commu nity and most of the people there are farmers who plant, sell and share their produce among residents.
“This is a place the peo ple cooperate and they give of what they have. If I plant pumpkins, I will share with my neighbours and they
Market to get essentials.
The Pestanos are farm ers of tomato, peppers, pumpkins, boulanger and watermelon, and they would usually sell to whole sale buyers.
Presently, they have to harvest watermelons but can not bring it from the farm due to the rains which has caused the access dam to become impassable.
Pestano told the Pep
Pestano told the Pepper pot Magazine that it is safe to say she has a comfortable life surrounded by family members, including her chil dren and grandchildren and she would lend support to the community in the form of a councillor.
She stated that Cromar ty is ripe for infrastructural development and it has a lot of potential as a farm ing village, a budding food basket of the country.
FROM PAGE VI
Cromarty is the home of celery, among other produce and almost every space in the yards is utilised for planting cash crops.
The people are old-fash ioned and set in the traditions of their fore parents, who have long passed on, but they continue to farm and engage in skills-based activities to make a living.
Most locals have lived all their lives in Cromarty Village and do not wish to relocate even though things can be a bit slower in that part of the country.
The people of Cromarty eat fresh and have a farm-to-
table concept andthere are a lot of senior citizens who are blessed with longevity.
Kelvin Pestano, the farmer/pastor
The team also met a very enterprising and hardworking young man, Kelvin Pestano, a farmer and pastor.
He is the father of one, works on the farm alongside his father, and is a part-time worker.
The 31-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that he is also a supervisor attached to the Maida-Tarlogie NDC Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP) and he is from a long line of farmers in his family.
It is a family tradition to be a farmer and he is quite humbled by the prospect of living off the land since there are not many other jobs read ily available.
Pestano’s farm is located about a mile from his house and is on the third reef in the back lands area.
He related that during May/June they are directly affected by the heavy rainfall due to flooding and the loss of crops.
Pestano is the elder lead er at Cromarty Full Gospel Church and has been a con gregation member for the past seven years.
“I followed my heart, a true calling to become an
elder leader in the church and the journey has been fulfilling so far,”
The Cromarty Full Gos pel Church has 65 members
and he considers himself to have a good relationship with God and has the full support of his family.
Pestano described life
in Cromarty as being good once hard work and hon esty is part of everyday life things will remain positive.
RECEIVING the 28COE Beauty and Fashion Award in Ghana was a fitting tribute to my celebration of 25 years in fashion. I travelled from South Africa to Kenya to Ghana and I will always remember what emotions I felt when the plane touched down at Kotoka International Airport in Accra. The invitation to receive an award from 28COE was significant but not the only reason I was experiencing these feelings.
28 Credentials of Entrepreneur “28COE” is a platform for world entrepreneurs, and I believe it ought to be hosted globally. It is an Entrepreneurial Platform to Network, Brand and Leverage. With its head office in Malaysia, it is one of the largest communities of entrepreneurs and professionals across 70+ countries.
The objective is to help aspiring entrepreneurs Network, Leverage and Brand. 28COE works to make a healthier start that creates more entrepreneurs, educate individuals accelerate innovation and strengthen economic growth and create ecosystems that lead to cross-border collaboration and initiatives among investors, policymakers, researchers and entrepreneurial support organisations.
28COE is the world’s most influential community of entrepreneurs. It also encourages its members to become mentors to young Kidpreneurs and Teenpreneurs who aspire to realise their potential in business and professionally.
Its mission is to cover those untold success stories and its vision is to provide exceptional service and VAS to fellow entrepreneurs.
My friend Alize Utteryn nominated me for this award because she believes my contribution is beyond fashion and beauty. Many people would think this should have been the highlight of my trip to Ghana, but if you were reading this
column, you would realise that visiting Elmina Castle was my biggest highlight.
Although I had the continent of Africa on my vision board for 2023, I started thinking that it was possible after Princess Tshepi Motloung, who came with the Royal Delegation, told me about African Women in Trade, then I received an
invitation letter from Oliver Fortune to participate.
The event was at Cape Town City Hall, Cape Town, South Africa. Themed: “Building Strong and sustain able Value Chain”, this event was meant to raise awareness on the importance of tailored transformational education geared to grow women and Youth businesses, building participation in Intra–Africa Trade, promoting collabora tions and meaningful partner ships with global markets and investors as well as support for women and Youth entre preneurship in Africa.
The conference included keynote addresses from ex perts and well-experienced speakers. Panel discussions, entrepreneur fair, cultural events, networking opportu nities and concluding with Award Gala dinner. It was an honour to be among the esteemed lineup of speakers at the dinner, including genius minds like Dr. Akanimo Odon, Afri ca’s Business Strategist, International Education & Research Expert, Knowledge Exchange & Sustainability Professional, Multi Award Winning Author, Producer and Poet, Internation al Speaker and Career Coach.
Over the few days, I met entrepreneurs from many coun tries on the continent and discussed possibilities of partner ships and collaboration. I was able to discuss the Women in Business Expo in Guyana and was able to invite some ladies to the event in March. I received a wonderful welcome in Capetown, which set the tone for the other legs of my trip. Latoya Barton, who has been part of the Women in Business EXPO, was already there when I arrived because Delta air line’s lateness made me miss my connection. I was happy when she decided to join because the invitation was extended to all the other exhibitors too. Many wanted to participate, but the time frame made it difficult, but there will be many other opportunities in the near future. I love attending these events because you can have meaningful connections that develop into a lasting business and professional relationship like Princess Tsepi and me.
“I met Sonia Noel in Guyana in July 2022, when we were invited for the Emancipation Day celebration, by the Chairman of the Guyana Reparation Committee.
On our welcoming dinner, we met a number of very interesting people, but with Sonia and a few others, we just magnetically gravitated towards each other.
We took photos and got to know more about the busi nesses we are involved in and right there and then, I knew I wanted to discuss more business collaborations with her.
The fascinating thing about Sonia is her Fashion sense. Her very distinct outfits make it easier to start the conversa tion.
Needless to say, we made a positive connection which was sealed by a gift of one of the books she authored together with other great women from other countries. The book is ti tled “Women Across Borders”. When she handed me the book
THROUGHOUT hu man definitions of hostile and concluded dangerous groups of humanity, therein rests an origin of what we term ‘The Root ideals’. I have always termed that Roots have an origin, and it does. Exploring the origin can often expose the social challenges responsible for cultivating a root disposi
thus, history and justifying records should be inclusive in propositions towards group cases, but seldom is. Proposi tions are ideas, fact or fiction, that groups construct using religion, history even science as belief-based arguments, towards, what can be termed an identity meaning, out of which is derived anassumed self-confidence, coupled
Street, including Leopold street across Durban was then called Santapee Ally, but the term also included other wards, including ‘Tiger Bay’.
One evident fact is that poverty, especially driven by marginalization and outright joblessness,originated the Santapee movement. Thus, to poverty, the reaction is the evolution of necessary sub
significant 1905demonstra tions as being led by “women of the street” and blamed them for the attacks on peace ful citizens and the sacking of stores. When such statements filtered the London Morning Post, the English Public was informed: “the rioters were largely composed of half-civ ilized Amazons, and idle ruffians calling themselves
dered at the supineness of the government in permitting so many men to go on existing without any visible means of livelihood.” These hustlers also extended their territorial dominance to cultural areas. I could remember stories of Santapee masquerade bands and the popular characters like ‘Freddy Bandula’ and, much later ‘Goblet Joe’ these bands were armed with the usual reliable Hackia knock stick and the dangerous Bar ber razors. They would block off certain areas and by force exit other masquerade bands who were outside of their ward, survival was and is still brutal. Thus, the wards of Georgetown that are in most cases today viewed as subject to criminals, bad men, and virago women have paid the price of being vocal and physically defensive to strangers, were shaped by what they understand to be the indifference of the too dis tant, and the external threat of promises. In most cases,
they will retreat as nature guidesto the opportunism of the hunter.
Recently I had a discus sion with a friend whom I’ve not seen for some time. We discussed some areas and folk known to us fo ryears and explored the concept’ that where you are placed by fate determines how you constitute yourself to survive. If you are in an areawhere want is obvious, then toughen up or be a victim. Eventually, a victim can become a damaged re venge snitch, dangerous in a world of harsh survival. But what is true, is that each environment has its creeds that define its possibilities, good or bad, driven by pres ent or past unseen social and cultural forces that are invisible to the quick conclusions of any current observer. Thus, the lesson is that justified need was the origin of the Santapee roots, which still lingers today.
tion towards survival and an attitude towards the ‘other’ based on a collective definition rather than an individual one. Most like ly, mythologies and their extended storytelling will include the necessary prej udices that can interpret what is essential for contin ued survival or acceptance, thus, the propositions for group coherence.
This formula will unravel most, but not all, of the so cial positions and theirgroup arguments based on entitle ment beliefs. Entitlement is unavoidably, in most cases, rooted in perceived substance allotment against the other;
along in some cases, another selected group as underdogs.
The above paragraph will help develop a broader ap proach to what by gossip and casual discussion provides a quick interpretation of a more complex situation, requiring time-consuming exploration towards a more definite un derstanding of the subject. The subject in this case, re volves around the Santapee movement that existed in urban British Guiana, around the 1850s to the early 1900s or even later. They were de scribed as a movement of young and not-so-young in rebellion against the imposed poverty of their day. George
cultures that creates their own philosophy and behavioural interpretations, rules and cov enants towards a world view of its own survival universe.
The poverty of Colonial Brit ish Guiana has never been discussed or portrayed in drama or storytelling, which are the cultural platforms of preserving areas of history, that would help define aspects like this article’s case study.
The Santapee Gangs, popu lated by out-of-work young men and tough young wom en, themselves even more out of employment. The media of the day did not help, Rodney quotes the Georgetown Daily Chronicle,whichdescribed the
centipedes” (Santapees). At this point, the allegations lost all touch with reality. The Santapee movement were hustlers shaped by the lack of the colonial structure to address the social issues in a real way in respect to gainful employment. Up until 1905, the government offered no solution beyond arresting “Satapeeds” and “Cheefa” gamblers. { Cheefa is a Chi nese gambling game compa rable to the numbers game in the U.S. -Rodney. One cor respondent in the then press indicated that the colonial authorities were not exercis ing any social responsibility. He stated: “I have often won
‘And so it’s the time of the year, of goodwill and cheer, Jingle bells and Christ mas trees, the magic and the splen dor, that’s the Christmas Sea son.’
‘Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum On my drum?’
BEAUTIFUL songs of Christmas, sparkling co loured lights, and festive
decors, a wonderous spec tacle that’s simply magical in the Christmas season.
Aaron stood in front of the Courts shopping plaza on Main Street and stared admiringly at the awesome light-up of that section of the road. He was not a young boy anymore, but even as the young adult he was now, the festivities of Christmas still enthralled him.
He breathed in the fresh, warm air, a luxury for him. No snow and cold, just the
warmth of this tropical coun try where there is always music, laughter, and food with a Caribbean flavour.
“It’s so good to be home,” he exuded more to himself than the many people walking around, and they answered cheerfully, “It sure is.”
He laughed, a feeling of joy in his heart, as he greeted strangers, sang a few lines of Christmas carols with a group nearby, then went back to his hotel.
Tomorrow he would visit his boyhood home on the East Coast.
“It’s been a long time since I was home,” he mused as the taxi drove along the embankment road the next day, passing the breathtak ingly beautiful pink and white lilies in the waterways that bordered the roadway.
He remembered the sweet water nuts he used to eat as a little boy when the big boys in the neigh bourhood brought him there sometimes to fish.
“Fun days those were,” he said to himself.
The car neared his desti nation in Cummings Lodge and he said to the driver, “Stop by the house with the huge genip tree.”
Aaron stepped out of the car, his heart rejoicing, for he was home after sixteen long years. But the scene that greeted his eyes dampened his enthusiasm as he stared at the empty land. The house wasn’t there, just a pile of old wooden material and some rusted zinc. The genip tree that had grown old was leaning on the fence, holding onto life, and his grand mother’s prized fruit trees, the sorrel, carambola, and cherries that had once pro vided tasty local drinks, were now dying from neglect.
“Where did my grand mother’s house go?” he asked quietly, trying to keep a calm mind.
It had been his home since he was a toddler until he was seven when his moth er came and took him away. He had never forgotten his grandmother’s tears that day and the last words she had said with a quivering voice, “God’s blessings be with you, my angel boy, until I see you again.”
He had cried all the way to the airport and for months, he was sad in his new home in America. He missed his grandmother, her loving care, kind voice, and cozy, freshly scented home. But his moth er would not send him back so the years passed on one after another. He had prom ised himself that when he came of age and had earned enough money, he would
return home.
Today was that day, four days before Christmas, but there was no house and no one. He shook his head in deep despair.
“Dear God,” he ex plained silently, “What hap pened here? I waited so long for this day.”
He pushed open the old gate that was hanging on one hinge and stood in the middle of the yard, looking around, an ache in his heart, afraid to ask that one question about what happened to her. He sighed deeply, knowing he had to face the truth, and after a long while, he went to inquire from the neighbours about his grandmother when someone called out to him.
“Young man.”
He turned around and saw an old lady standing at the gate, looking at him curiously.
“Are you looking for someone?” she asked.
“Yes, I’m looking for my grandmother.”
The old lady looked at him for a long moment, maybe reflecting on some thing because he spoke with a foreign accent, then she gasped, “Sweet Jesus, it’s little Aaron!”
She clapped her hands gleefully and announced loudly, “It’s Aaron!”
He remembered her then, one of grandma’s close friends and as other neigh bours came out to greet him, expressing their amazement at how big he had grown, Aaron felt a little happy feel ing rising in his heart, but not for long, for they had a sad story to tell him.
His grandmother had grieved for him so much she had fallen ill but with the help of caring neighbours and prayers, she had recov ered and continued her little food business just outside the yard, shaded by the genip tree. But as she grew older, she became weaker and fam ily members who visited her now and then always wanted something, always taking things from the house. She became so ill that she had to be taken to a home because no family stepped up to take her to their home. The house
started to deteriorate; one night after heavy rains and high winds, the little house collapsed.
She had no house to go back to, and no family to care for her, so the home for the elderly became her new home.
Bitter tears rolled down Aaron’s face at the story of her suffering, of leaving the only thing of value she had, her house, his boyhood home, that held so many precious memories.
“This is so bad,” he said, a fiery determination in his eyes to correct all of it, and though there was an ache in his heart, he felt a deep sense of relief that she was still alive.
“I am coming to get you, grandma,” he said.
As he headed back to the city, he questioned himself, “How did this happen?”
Often he had asked his mother about his grand mother, giving her little post cards to send and wanting to know how she was doing. He had been giving money to send her from his savings and was always told she was doing fine. She sends her love.
Aaron had joined the army at a young age and being deployed to different countries had made it diffi cult for him to make contact, so he had trusted his mother to do so.
“Such heartless lies,” he said to himself, “How could you have done this, mother? Is it because she’s my fa ther’s mother?”
The elderly home stood forlorn on an avenue where the Christmas spirit seemed to have flown past. As he walked in, the look on his face was a reflection of sad ness and anger for all the years of her love, kindness, and selfless sacrifices that had come to this sad and lonely life.
Someone was singing a soulful tune on the old, worn piano in a dimly lit sitting area and Aaron saw her sit ting in a corner, a Bible in her hand.
FROM PAGE XII
that she signed, the other part of me wanted to show my excitement, but then I remembered, ooppss I am in Guyana as a guest, so I better keep my composure. It was one of the great moments of our visit to Guyana.
Fast forward, in October, we met again in my country South Africa, Cape Town. She made it to the confer
ence.
Remember I mentioned earlier about her magnetic personality? Aha! As soon as she arrived at the conference at the City Hall, I thought one of the celebrities had en tered the room. Alas! It was Sonia working her signature Modelling Walks, with an outfit that was sweeping the floor behind her assisted by long blonde hair braids that were ankle length. Did I
mention the very intriguing Clock Handbag? Yes... All of this made her the centre of attraction and at this time I just had to be the Camera person as people wanted some photos with this tower ing, beautiful woman.
Sonia, made great busi ness connections in all the three cities that she toured while in South Africa. One thing for sure is that this was the beginning of great
...
things with this collaboration of Naledi Ya Tshepi (Pty) Ltd and Sonia Noel Inc and other businesses joining the two continents. The future is exciting!”
You rarely have a re al-life Princess that is as humble as my sister Tshepi. Many people do know where
Guyana is, although we are receiving more publicity because of the oil discov ery and I am happy I could have shared info about my country.
Whether you have an official title as an ambas sador, we all are in a way because when we travel,
whatever we do reflects on our country. I cheer for the many more collaborations and partnerships that will benefit many between the two continents as we cel ebrate this journey called life BEYOND THE RUN WAY.
IF you have been following the grim local crime reports this week, it should be obvious why I am writing this col umn. I must admit that even though I have worked in the local media for six years, I never truly recognised elderly
abuse as a widespread issue. Last weekend, however, the gruesome murders of two elder women signalled to me (and I imagine to many others) that elder abuse is indeed a serious issue.
Of course, the two situations, perhaps, were significantly different. On the Essequibo Coast, it is believed that, 73-yearold Agatha Gamell, from Charity on Essequibo Coast, was murdered by her granddaughter, who reportedly experienced post-partum depression. This spotlights other concerns, par ticularly about mental health. Then, there was 85-year-old Sumintra Sawh from Bushlot, West Coast Berbice, who was allegedly murdered in a plot to steal her money and house.
Different circumstances, certainly, but both cases of elder abuse. Because investigations into both cases, up to the time I am penning this column, are still ongoing, I’d share my general thoughts on elder abuse.
First, for context, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines elder abuse as “... a single or repeated act or the lack of appropriate action occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person.”
The WHO acknowledges that many strategies have been tried to prevent and respond to the abuse of older people. Those include caregiver in terventions, which provide services to relieve the bur den of caregiving; money management programmes for older adults vulnerable to financial exploitation; helplines and emergency shelters; and multi-disci plinary teams, as the re sponses required often cut across many systems, including criminal justice, health care, mental health care, adults protective services and long-term care. These are all factors to consider.
In addition to those strategies, though, Minister of Hu man Services and Social Security Dr. Vindhya Persaud said greater community support is needed for the elder folks in Guyana. Speaking days after the two gruesome murders, she emphasised that more people need to report instances of abuse instead of ignoring what happens around us (and the 914 hotline is a good mechanism to do so). She also believes that more people need to be supported in accessing the services and facilities that were created for them.
I agree with her. More support is certainly needed. But there is more to consider, particularly if we want to ensure that our older family members and friends can live meaningful lives where they feel loved, appreciated, and supported. We must not just see them as vulnerable, helpless people because of their age.
It is not just about visiting those older folks in our fami lies or communities now and then or giving them a call ever so often just to ensure that they are alive and well. These are easy things to do (I am guilty of relying on myself), but they are certainly not enough. For me, it is also ensuring that they are living meaningful lives- not necessarily by the rigid capitalist standards we are often confronted by (that is, forcing ourselves to be productive at all times) but by what is meaningful to them.
What does that look like? I am not necessarily certain because “meaningful” has different meanings for different people. But there are some things for us to consider.
Years ago, in 2018, there were reports of a new National Policy on ageing being created. This policy, inter alia, would see more senior citizens integrated into national development priorities- be it through the formal workforce, mentorship, community development initiatives, or other initiatives. Not much has been heard of that policy or any policy specific to older folks in Guyana but perhaps, considering ways in which we can engage our senior citizens can help us understand what is meaningful to them.
Another consideration is that we guarantee that those
LAST week I wrote about the stress that comes with the holiday season, hoping that everyone keeps an eye on their potentially elevated stress and can healthily manage it. I received several emails on specific requests such as man aging substance use, family conflict, etc. I will get to those before the season is over, but I would like to focus on time management techniques, as quite a few asked about some tips within this area.
It can be frustrating as we all know someone or many others who get so much more done in a day than we do - those people who make us feel like we don’t do enough. They do not have more hours in a day than we do. They simply use their time better. What may not be obvious is how to do this. Many of us have a wide variety of responsibilities- familial, employment, educational, social - most of us even have all at the same time. Considering all our duties and the fact that time management is a crucial factor for our mental health, I hope that you all practise these skills and do further research on other types that may be most beneficial and applicable to you.
If we plan our time well, we not only get more done, but we are more efficient, satisfied, and motivated; we are also less likely to procrastinate over time. We experience less stress and simulta neously build more self-confidence and self-esteem. We find stability and reach our goals. I think we would all appreciate a life where we feel we are getting everything done at the appropriate time and still have time for adequate self-care. What are some things we can do to better manage our time?
Firstly, it is important to identify your obstacles, which keep you from your desired goals. Is it procrastination? Dis interest? Distraction? Forgetfulness? Knowing this will allow you a starting point and the knowledge of the true reason you don’t manage your time well. If you do not know the answer to this, a suggestion is to document your time for a few days to identify how productive you are, at what times, and what typically interrupts this.
Write a to-do list of what needs to be done. Start with the most to least important. This means that the most essential things will be completed at the very least. After you have done this, it is time to organise and prioritise. Disorganisation often leads to procrastination and unproductivity. Keep your spaces clean and your tasks easy to find and do. Prioritise base on your values. Sometimes we won’t get everything done, but your day has a good ending if we get the right things done. Your to-do list must be a realistic one. Visual progress fuels
motivation. If you see yourself ticking things off throughout the day, it will provide the push to continue and complete more. However, if the list is unrealistic and you don’t get it done, it will have the opposite effect and de-motivate you for the following day.
Break the items on the list down. It becomes easier to do when it’s easier to read, decide and execute. For example, if you have a report to write over the next three days, decide on what day you are doing research, writing, proofreading, etc. It’s much less overwhelming this way.
The to-do list also creates a schedule that allows a high chance that our day will go as planned. Also, remember that when doing a task, it is more likely to be completed if you devote your entire focus to it.
Keep in mind that time manage ment is not about doing everything that needs to be done, at all costs but rather using appropriate time effectively. For example, forfeiting sleep, eating well, or exercising to get other things done will ultimately result in added stress and additional issues. Spread out tasks that are sources of stress. We can often predict the tasks that cause us large amounts of stress. If avoidable, try to do only one of these a day. If you try to do multiple or all, it may result in burnout where nothing is done.
Turn important tasks into scheduled habits. Research shows that even the most mundane tasks become easier to do when made a habit. For example, whether it is cleaning your house or responding to emails if you schedule a certain time to do these every day or week, they become habitual rather than stressful.
Learn to say no and delegate. If you already have lots to do, it is okay to say no to other people. On the other hand, if you have too much to do, it is okay to pass some on to the appropriate people. You do not have to do everything yourself.
Finally, remember to take a break and know your capacity for stress. Overworking is counter-productive and more often than not results in burnout. One research study I found showed that the most productive and efficient an individual can be is when they work straight for 52 uninterrupted minutes, then take a break for 17 minutes, go back to work for 52 minutes, and so on. I’m aware that many of us do not have the luxury to do this, but the moral of the story is that short but frequent breaks allow for more and better work to be done.
It doesn’t matter what the tasks are. Learning to better
manage your time to do them will result in less stress and more focus, productivity, efficiency, and (in the end) relaxation.
Thanking you for reading. Please keep sending any topics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail. com
RECENTLY, Dr. Ashni Singh, Senior Minister of Finance, was interviewed on the T V programme “The Narrative” and he outlined a fresh, compre hensive, innovative, and easily understood economic and social development programme for Guyana over the next several years. He brought a seamless realism to the elements of development and, in his uniquely polite man ner, quietly unravelled the negative myths that those who are adversarial to the Guyana Oil Industry have been propagating. The two or three most well-known of these myths are that the Oil Industry would be dangerous and destructive to Guyana’s Environment and Biodiversity; that it will infect Guyana with Re
source Curse or the Dutch Disease; that the oil reve nues, as they are at present, are so massively enormous that they could afford to give immediate grants of millions of dollars to every man, woman, and child in Guyana.
Every industry engenders some environmental damage and oil does so more than most. Accordingly, those involved in the industry ex plore every way environ mental damage could be controlled or eliminated. The alternative to an Oil Industry for a country like Guyana is to remain in un derdevelopment and poverty. The environmentalists who pontificate on the dangers of Guyana’s industry have never criticised the oil in dustries and oil explorations that are currently occurring
in several developed and underdeveloped countries.
Guyana’s environmentally friendly measures are in ad vance of many. In any case, the Guyanese population would prefer to have an oil industry than to continue in underdevelopment.
With the advent of the oil industry, underdeveloped countries experienced sudden and unprecedented wealth. This often leads to the neglect of other traditional industries that begin to die, leaving oil. When oil prices dip or oil re serves diminish, hardship and poverty soon overtake the country since other sources of income would have dried up. This syndrome is called Resource Curse or Dutch Disease. The Dutch Disease would be further exacerbated if large monetary grants were given to the population since
this would result in people ceasing to work and when the Dutch Disease strikes, their suffering would be intensified. In parenthesis, it should be mentioned that if the proposal of granting every person in Guyana $ 5 million, the total oil rev enues would not be enough to cover such grants. The advocates of such grants are unwittingly advocating that the country be turned into one analogous to the Land of Lotus-eaters which Odysseus encountered in his travels.
Dr. Singh rejects the concept that Dutch Disease is inevitable or determinis tic in developing countries that suddenly become oil producers. He knows that economic expertise and re alistic Management would avoid such a syndrome and his remark encapsulates this: “while the petroleum sector continues to grow and generate economic op portunities, the non-oil sec tors must be developed to create a sustainable source of wealth . . . We have seen many examples around the world of countries which became entirely dependent on oil and if the oil price dips or oil production dips for one reason or another, the country finds itself in trouble”.
Dr. Singh refreshingly points out that the oil reve nues are modest considering Guyana’s social and eco nomic developmental needs. He dispels the illusion that there is a great surfeit of money waiting to be spent
or given away and brings citizens to the realism that funds are limited and must be carefully deployed to cre ate sustainable prosperity.
“Commencement of oil production,” said Dr. Singh, “presents the opportunity to remove the historic imped iments to Guyana’s com petitiveness and sustainable growth in the long term. So we are using this period to address precisely those im pediments to ensure we lay the foundation for long-term growth and broad-based growth far beyond oil and gas”.
Among these impedi ments which have started to be addressed is the establish ment of first-class connec tivity countrywide with the transport sector being revo lutionised. Drainage works, roads, and bridges are being built, connecting the Interior with the more populated and developed coastal regions and the capital city and ma jor marketing centers are being connected. There are advanced plans to build a bridge over the Corentyne River and an all-weather road to Brazil opening up increased trade and tourism. An important spinoff of this connectivity is the integra tion of the Amerindian com munities of the Interior and equalising access to social and economic opportunities.
Expensive electricity has always inhibited the growth of the manufacturing sector. The construction of a gas pipeline from the rigs to West Bank Demerara would greatly cheapen the cost of
electricity thus stimulating the growth of a substantial manufacturing sector. There would also be a slew of so cial benefits, such as cheaper cooking gas and affordable air conditioning and food preservation.
A competitive and multi-faceted Agricul ture Sector is being creat ed which would cheapen the costs of food and bring more varieties to the mar ket. Linkages with CAR ICOM have been established and Guyana would share in supplying the US$6. Bil lion Caribbean food import market.
ICT is being developed to improve the efficiency of business and governmen tal activities and overall to bring Guyana fully into the modern world.
Sizable deployment of funds has begun to be made in the social sectors such as Health, Education, Housing, Water, pensions, and social assistance. The salaries of Government employees are being kept under review.
Dr. Ashni Singh has been the architect of laying the secure foundations of a sustainable social and eco nomic future for Guyanese and improving the quality of life. In this ongoing process, the Oil Industry is an important factor, employing thousands of Guyanese from all parts of the country and supplying essential revenues, but it will be working in tandem with the other sectors of the economy as they grow into full sustainability.
FROM PAGE XVI
older folks live in safe spac es -that is, in their homes or the homes, we entrust to care for them. In those spac es, they must have access to the services they need and want. If they do not exist in such safe spaces, it is very easy for criminals to prey
upon them and, as seems to be the case of Ms. Sawh, murder them in their own homes.
Whether we think about any of these considerations or consult with each other and think of better initia tives, I am sure that we can agree, at least right now, that much more attention needs
to be placed on the welfare and well-being of the elderly in Guyana.
If you would like to connect with me to discuss COVID-19, this column, or any of my previous works, feel free to email me at vish14ragobeer@gmail. com
SOIL is of utmost impor tance as it contributes to growing food, reduces biodiversity loss, and se cures energy. Due to the loss of soil and the ongo ing phenomenon faced by the world, such as climate change, the United Na tions saw the need to raise awareness of the impor tance of soil loss. World Soil Day is officially to be celebrated on the 5th of December every year.
World Soil Day 2022 is being celebrated under the theme “Soils: Where food begins”; this campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by ad dressing the growing chal lenges in soil management, increasing soil awareness and encouraging societies to improve soil health.
Soil nutrient loss is a major soil degradation pro cess threatening nutrition and is recognised as being among the most important problems at a global level for food security and sus tainability all around the globe. Problems like defor estation, bad agricultural practices, and pollution cause soil degradation and erosion.
World Soil Day 2022 “Soils: Where food begins” aims to raise awareness of the importance of main
taining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing chal lenges in soil management, increasing soil awareness, and encouraging societies to improve soil health.
Soil is like a world that is made up of organisms, minerals, and organic com ponents that provide food for humans and animals through plant growth.
Just like us humans, soils need a balanced and varied supply of nutrients to be healthy. Within the agricul tural systems, nutrients are lost during each harvest. If soils are not managed sustainably, fertility is pro
gressively lost, and soils will produce nutrient-deficient plants, which directly affect crop production and impact economic growth.
Soil nutrient loss is a ma jor soil degradation process threatening nutrition. It is recognised as being among the most critical problems at a global level for food security and sustainability all around the globe.
We can work to correct this global phenomenon!
* Apply fertiliser during selected periods to prevent storm run-off
* Select fertilisers that do not have a high phosphorous and or nitrogen content
FROM PAGE XIV
“Grandma…” he called to her softly.
The Bible fell from her hand as she looked up at the young man standing before her but she did not recognize him. Aaron picked up the faded picture of a little boy that had fallen from between the pages and knelt in front of her. A sparkle shone in her eyes as recognition dawned, and holding his face with trembling hands, she whis pered weakly, “Aaron, my
angel boy.”
He nodded, too overcome with emotions to speak and she embraced him, crying, “What took you so long?”
She wiped his tears gen tly, saying, “It’s okay, my child. God was watching over me for he knew you would come back one day.”
“I will thank God for the rest of my life,” Aaron said, “And now that I am here, life will be like it was.”
“Our home is gone,” she said with a distressed look.
“Don’t worry,” Aaron comforted her, “I will build
you a new house but for now we will celebrate Christmas.”
The piano struck a more cheerful note and true to his word, in just a couple of days, Aaron had transformed the elderly home from a place with better conveniences, lights, décor and a festive at mosphere, for these were also people without homes, who needed that little extra care.
The old neighbourhood and the church, he also brought Christmas cheer to, celebrating the reunion of grandmother and grandson –the magic of Christmas.
* Reuse crop production waste as fertilisers for the land
* Use vegetative buffers which work as filters around surface water
“Did you know that there
are more living organisms in a tablespoon of soil than people on Earth?”
(#WorldSoilDay)
You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O Com
munications, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGE TOWN, or email us at: eit. epaguyana@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
When I was one-and-twenty I heard a wise man say, “Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away.”
A.E. HOUSMAN (1859-1936)
Dear Student, Welcome dear friend. It is important to develop careful word usage for effec tive writing (and speaking) for it greatly puts words at your disposal. ‘Dic tion’ which is the choice of words for expressing ideas is important to everyone. “Choice of words” implies that you should have many words to choose from. Have strategies or standards to help you choose the best
word in a given context. Among all else, pay attention to the characteristics of good thinking. Be wise.
Love you.
THE PASSAGE
Read the following ex tract carefully, then answer the items on the basis of what is stated or implied.
The earth’s atmosphere helps to support and protect life on earth. The atmosphere contains water which is pres ent, although it is invisible, in the form of vapour. The wa ter vapour in the air is called humidity. Warm air holds more water than cold air.
All over the surface of the earth, to a height of about 28 kilometres above sea level, several gases are present. They include oxygen, which makes up about 21 per cent of the gases and which is needed by all living things, nitrogen makes up about 78 per cent, and all other gases make up about one per cent.
The earth’s atmosphere helps to control the amount of heat that reaches the earth from the sun. It protects the earth from the rays of the sun during the day by keeping out harmful rays. At night it keeps most of the heat from escaping. If the earth had no atmosphere it would experi ence temperatures like those on the moon. The moon’s temperature is around 1000 Celsius during the day but drops below zero during the night.
The atmosphere also pro tects the earth from meteor oids, pieces of rock which travel through space at very fast rates. When meteoroids come into contact with the atmosphere many burn up completely and fall as harm less dust before they reach the surface of the earth. A burning meteoroid is called a meteor. Some people call meteors ‘falling’ or ‘shooting stars.’
Something to Do
1. What is humidity? Give about five synonyms than you know can fit in for that term.
2. What usually happens to meteoroids when they enter the earth’s atmosphere?
3. What does the atmo sphere contain that is neces
sary for life?
4. Name three nitrogen gas applications or uses that you know of.
5. Tell why temperatures on the moon are so high?
6. Beyond a height of 28 kilometres from the earth, do you think the percentage of oxygen increasers or decreas es? Why do you think so?
7. Which word or phrase in the passage helped you to choose your answer to question 6?
8. What sort of writing is this?
A.. descriptive B.. narrative C.. explanatory D.. factual
9. At which of these tem peratures is the water vapour in the atmosphere likely to be greatest?
A. 280 Celsius B. –200 Celsius C. 100 Celsius D. –380 Celsius
Understanding terms: fact and opinion
A statement of fact can be tested to prove if it is true or false. Try the following measures for this purpose:
1. Take a measurement. 2. Check official records.
The following are state ments of fact. They can be checked for whether true or false.
1. The Anglican kirk is taller than the Congregational church building.
2. Our forests are the most preserved woodlands in the Caribbean.
Opinions cannot be checked by taking a mea surement or by official re cords. Opinions are beliefs. An opinion statement can use words such as believe, think, fee, seem, should, worst, most, and best, for example: Miss Caribbean 2018 is pret tier than Miss North America 2019.
Read the following sen tences. Which are statements of facts and which are opin ions?
1. This bottle holds more than that pint cup.
2. These cats are the nois iest in the street.
3. Mangoes are far better than apples.
4. My mother was born in December of 1930.
5. The bus has place for eighty-five passengers stand ing and sitting.
6. All Christmas puddings are black and bitter.
Read the following poem carefully and then answer the items based on what is stated or implied.
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?
No time to stand beneath the bough
And stare as long as sheep and cows.
No time to see in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beau ty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
(W.H. Davies, “Lei sure”)
1. When the poet says “full of care” (line 1) he means a life full of (A) anger (B) hap piness (C) anxiety (D) duties
2. The poet implies that we need leisure in our life for it to be
(A) profound (B) worthwhile (C) meaningful (D) crucial
3. “Streams full of stars, like skies at night,” (line 6), is an example of
(A) rhyme (B) simile (C) onomatopoeia (D) repetition
4. “No time to turn .... her eyes began.” (lines 7-10), is an example of
(A) simile (B) person ification (C) onomatopoeia (D) pun
5. In which of the fol lowing lines does the poet answer the question asked in lines 1 and 2?
(A) Line 3 (B) Line 5 (C) Line 9 (D) Line 11
SOMETIMES patients only want to ask their dentist a question because of a problem they currently encounter. Logically, why should they visit the dentist, pay consul tation fees and wait, and occasionally for up to an hour, just for simple information which they can utilise to decide a course of action or have an idea of the dentist’s diagnosis and treatment plan ahead of their scheduled date? Hence, this column today seeks to answer some common questions posed by patients.
I feel pain in some of my teeth. I checked it out with my dentist and am still having mild pain and irritated by it. I want to extract those teeth. Why is my dentist refusing to do it?
A less common condition is an atypical toothache. The pain is chronic, and usually, no obvious cause exists. Ex tracting the teeth usually does not solve the problem as the pain tends to stay because the complexity of the problem can even include psychological implications. Symptoms generally consist of a distressing continual pain condition from a tooth or teeth which stays longer than four months while the tooth/teeth and surrounding gum and bone look normal.
I suffer from spontaneous sharp, electric-like pain on my face. This can be several times a day, of very short du ration. So far, the condition has not improved and can even happen when I wash my face or mouth. Is this common?
This could be an uncommon condition of the nerves that tends to affect older age groups. The most common disease in this group is called Trigeminal Neuralgia. The features are sudden pain of varying intensity on the face or jaw which is triggered by jaw movements or touch and is of short duration. This can recur several times a day and can be very severe or throbbing but often comes and goes. The definite cause of neuralgia has never been proven, al though it is commonly taken to be due to nerve instability. Medication is the treatment of choice. However, imaging of the head may be recommended to rule out any brain lesion.
I have had very severe pain, ulcers, and bleeding gums for the past three days. My whole mouth is sore and I cannot eat properly. My spouse tells me I have bad breath. What could I be suffering from?
The condition you described is termed Acute Necro tising Gingivitis. The general symptoms involve ulcers on the tips of the gum between the teeth and along the gum line. The gums also bleed with sudden onset, pain, increased saliva foul odour, and a metallic taste. Repeated infections lead to bone loss or periodontitis, with additional features including enlarged gum margins and triangular gaps between the teeth. The teeth sometimes appear lon ger. Factors that increase the likelihood of this infection are poor oral hygiene, smoking, systemic diseases e.g. Diabetes, and stress. Treatment consists of proper tooth brushing and mouth rinsing, professional cleaning of gum areas, antibiotics, oxidizing antiseptics, and gum surgery.
I have had pain and gum swelling near my tooth for the past few months. It lasts for a few days and then dis appears. Why is this so?
What you have is a gum abscess, commonly referred to as “gum boil”. Most gum diseases are without symptoms. However, acute periodontal abscesses can predominantly feature pain. In these cases, we observe localised gum swelling, red and tender to touch and this appears suddenly. Then the tooth shakes and can be tender on biting. There is soreness at the site resulting in throbbing pain, pus discharging from the gums, and loss of supporting bone (Detectable from X-Rays).
