Guyana Chronicle Pepperpot E-Paper15-01-2023

Bringing it all together

Dr. Navindranauth Rambaran – as the new Director of Medical and Professional Services (DMPS) of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) – promises to deliver a hands-on approach to improving the quality of services being offered in several departments of the hospital. Not only will he be looking at staff training, but special focus will be placed on the resources needed for workers to deliver better services. “I have a reasonably good idea of how to fix the shortfalls and that’s one of the advantages of coming up in the system.”

– Dr. Rambaran (Photo by Delano Williams)

- GPHC’s new Director of Medical and Professional Services committed to ensuring efficient functioning of hospital

Guyanese Rapper dedicates prestigious award to late grandmother

IT was traditional for rapper KeyshaFreshh to take all of her numerous awards or magazine covers to her grandmother at her nursing home in Toronto. However, this time around, her granny wasn’t there to share in what Keysha described as “the biggest achievement so far in my career.”

One week after her grandmother, Guyanese-born Alvena Chance quietly passed away at the ripe old age of 96, in December, Keysha was presented with the certification (Arts &Culture) from the Town of Ajax, House of Commons and from the Province of Ontario.

Still in mourning, Keysha pointed out that she was really contemplating not going to the awards ceremony, held on December 14, “but I’m grateful I did,” she explained.

Remembering her adorable grandmother, Keysha declared, “this one is for you. She didn’t make it. She passed away peacefully Sunday morning. Because even though rap music wasn’t yourthing, you were supportive of me because it was MY thing.”

According to Keysha, “grandma loved us all uniquely. Truly will be missed. She had so many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her love knew no bounds, not just for us, but for our other cousins on our other sides of the family, for any half-sib-

lings, for any friends of ours, she cared for every single one the same.”.

In September, Keysha was among a trio of entertainers of Guyanese heritage who performed at the inaugural Legacy Awards in Toronto.The oth -

ers were Deborah Cox, who was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame lastMay and Melanie Fiona.

Canadian musician and broadcaster Odario Williams, who was born in Guyana and raised in Winnipeg, introduced Freshh, who was the opening act of the 90-minute show.

Freshh, who started writing music and rapping at age 11, is the daughter of Guyanese journalist Ron Fanfair, and event planner Dessie Fanfair.

The popular rapper, along with other family members, paid a visit to Guyana last November, the third for Keysha who visited previously in 2014 and 2016, where they were special guests of PresidentIrfaan Ali at State House.

A proud product of Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology (2010 – 2011), Keysha graduated with a Diploma in Independent Music Production

Keysha poses with her Arts &Culture award.

Keysha with Guyana’s President Dr Irfaan Ali during her visit to Guyana last November.

Keysha with her late grandmother Alvena

Bringing it all together

THE new Director of Medical and Professional Services (DMPS) of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Dr. NavindranauthRambaran, knows exactly what needs to be done to improve the efficiency and manage the gaps within various departments,having already devoted some 20 years of his life so far to working at the hospital.

The office of the DMPS has directly to do with the quality of medical care that is offered at GPHC through its professional staff. It entails monitoring performances, enabling the hospital staff to perform as best as possible, and optimising proficiency levels in several departments.

“I have a reasonably good idea of how to fix the shortfalls and that’s one of the advantages of coming up in the system…I know how it functions; what functions well and what doesn’t,” Dr. Rambaranshared in an interview with Pepperpot Magazine.

The 48-year-old, who has been a surgeon for just under 15 years, has reportedly left a trail of success in all of his previous posts and hence could not be more convinced that he’ll once again find success in his new office.

As Chairman of the Med-

ical Council of Guyana for the period 2016-2024, Dr. Rambaran was also Head of Department of General Surgery at GPHC in 2016; Consultant, General Surgeon Department of Surgery in 2015; University of Guyana Council for 2018-2019, 2021,

2022; and Associate Professor in Surgery at the University of Guyana in 2017.

His work so far has all been in keeping with one of his career goals which he said is “to promote improved surgical care in Guyana and the Caribbean by providing the best possible care for patients within a setting of evidence-based practices and continued research.”

Dr. Rambaran, who attended the University of Ottawa in 2010, also has in hand a Post Graduate Diploma in General Surgery, MBBS(Credit) from UG’s Medical School, and a Diploma in Medical Technology.

“GPHC is the only premiere tertiary institution in Guyana and it consistently offers the best level of healthcare. We have many areas of specialties and general services in medicine that offer services to thousands of patients. One audit had shown

several years ago that we have a million patient contacts per year, so it is a lot of patient interaction and offering of services at different levels.

In those departments, where we have the specialist care and even the ones that we offer general care, my aim is to ensure that these departments are functioning as efficiently and as successfully as they can,” Dr. Ramba -

ranexpressed.

As such, he’ll pay close attention to the resources that staff are working with, the training they are receiving, and the support system they have in place so that the hospital can offer its services smoothly.

Where there are identifiable shortfalls, these will need to be studied, he offered.

Reflecting on what made him join the medical field in the first place, Dr. Rambaran said it was pretty much the thought that he could make a greater difference in people’s lives.

Regarding his latest post, he explained: “It’s a lot of paperwork but it has a lot to do with the professional services that are offered through the hospital. When I operate on a patient… I still do; I still have a clinical practice but when I operate, I operate singly on a patient but if I work administratively to better the systems that treat these patients, then overall, many patients will benefit.”

Dr. Rambaran also finds satisfaction in another aspect of his work where he gets to help trauma victims; those with gunshot wounds, stab wounds, motor vehicle accidents, falls, industrial accidents, etc. “Sometimes you operate on someone who has a near-severed limb or a gunshot to the abdomen or chest, and they’re bleeding….you operate, stop the bleeding and you save a life. It’s usually very rewarding.”

For the younger folks considering a path in healthcare and medicine, Dr. Rambaran is encouraging them to have a sense of what they need to do regarding schooling and university. “There are specific criteria that are required with regards to grades and so on, so know right up front that this is something that you have to focus on and work hard towards; keep the goal in mind while you’re working hard. As you work and cross those bridges of success, you’ll see they’ll

-

GPHC’s

new

Director of Medical and Professional Services committed to ensuring efficient functioning of hospital

New DMPS, Dr. NavindranauthRambaran

Dr. Rambaran demonstrates the use of a Laparoscopic instrument to a nursing colleague

Conducting a surgery workshop for medical students

Dr. Rambaran with his wife Pheona and daughters Alliana, Amisha, and Annabelle

‘Having a dream without a plan isn’t going to work’

BORN in Trinidad to Guyanese parents, Alex Downes-Amsterdam, Ronald Amsterdam and Dr. Rei-Launya Amsterdam moved and settled with her parents in Guyana at three years old.

Dr. Amsterdam attended the New Guyana School, Concord Academy, Queens College and Nations University. She then went on to the University of Guyana, where she majored in Bachelor of Dental Surgery.

The surgeon explained that she did pharmacy for two years before she got into dentistry: “I applied for both the dentistry and medicine programmes at the same time and got through with both.”

Rei-Lunya continued to explain that in the months leading up to whether she would have gotten a positive response to her application or not, she had a dream, a reoccurring dream, of being in a dental office, being seated in a chair and introducing herself to her patients as Dr. Amsterdam. “I had the same dream for about 10 nights straight and when I got the acceptance, I immediately said yes. They saw that medicine was my first choice, and they asked if, given both

choices, I would have still stuck with dentistry and I said yes, and I haven’t regretted it since.”

According to the doctor, there is a combination of standout moments in her career, most of which occurred at Georgetown. “I have been privileged through my work to touch all of the administrative regions in Guyana and one of the things that I’ve enjoyed through the outreaches that are hosted by the ministry and other organisations like the US Embassy and the Guyana Medical Relief Board is just seeing how we can make a difference in someone’s life. Someone who may not have access to care like we do in rural areas. We take those things for granted, but they mean everything to the ones in rural areas who are less fortunate,” she explained.

“One of the things I told myself after being exposed to those environments was that I really needed to continue to work to try to bridge the gap between those remote areas and our main city.”

Now that Dr. Amsterdam has assumed the position of the education officer or dental officer who is in charge of

oral health promotion and education, she noted that “one of the main aims of my programme is to bridge that gap so that persons have access to care early or at least education so that they can make better decisions surrounding their oral health.”

Even though Guyana is home to the dental surgeon attached to the Ministry of Health, she enjoys travelling, but more than that, she loves nature and believes in the practice of yoga, which she claims keeps her centred and grounded in life.

- Young doctor and entrepreneur Dr. Rei-Launya Amsterdam

The young professional is also a part of two non-governmental organisations (NGO): the Global Shaper Community, which is a World Economic Forum Initiative in Georgetown and Voice, which is a literacy group that promotes literacy and oracy amongst students between the ages of seven and 14. To top it off, she is also a lecturer for the Ministry of Health Dental Auxiliary Training Programme and a part-time lecturer at the University of Guyana School of Dentistry. “Even though I am quite busy, I try to find the time to indulge in the things that I love,” she said.

FINDING ALTERNATIVES

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rei-Launya related that “for dentistry, we weren’t sure what the way forward was going to be because this disease was in the upper respiratory track and of course we deal with the nose and mouth. So, work had basically stopped in 2020 and we were just screening patients who had emergencies.”

Because of that downtime, Rei-Launya decided to work on her personal project, which is making skincare products.

According to the doctor, she has been making skin care for multiple years only to give to friends and family, but she has decided to monetise the idea. Amsterdam explained that she was inspired after visiting the women in business expo that was held at the Pegasus in 2017. “It was a moment that I will always remember,” she said.

“I saw so many people taking small ideas and turning them into something big. I look at where those businesses were then and where they are now, and I was motivated to start one.”

After considering every-

thing she knew, Dr. Amsterdam decided late in 2020 to launch her brand Eden Clay in February 2021. Rei-Launya believes in planning ahead now that the world has returned to some semblance of normalcy. “At any given mo-

ment, something can pop up at work; my schedule is unpredictable, but I’ve learned to plan ahead in order to perform at my best in dentistry as well as managing my business.”

Eden Clay is a “one-woman show” that is run solely by Rei-Launya Amsterdam. She has created systems that have allowed her to streamline the processes. “There are times that I get overwhelmed, but I remind myself that I am just one person who is trying to do the best that she can. I set little goals and strive to achieve them and that motivates me to keep going. There are times when things don’t go as planned and I sit and wallow because I feel like I am letting the people who are depending on me and enjoying my brand down.

“I was able to put my all into it in 2021 and even though 2022 was challenging because of time, I am grateful that my customers stuck with me, continued to be loyal and I didn’t have to worry about the sales. The Christmas season has been phenomenal, more than I could have hoped for and I am thankful,” she said.

Eden Clay-Packaged Products

A variety of products by the Eden Clay brand

Physiotherapy receiving increased recognition since the pandemic

“Physiotherapy has been important, however as people become more aware of its benefits in recent years, physiotherapy now has greater demand.”

These were the words of Paula Alexander, a Guyana Physiotherapy Association member, during an interview with the Pepperpot Magazine.

Alexander further outlined that during the COVID19 Pandemic, when everyone created virtual working areas, there was an increase in electronic devices.

She further noted that one of the major downsides of this development is that many people have learnt the importance of good posture when using electronic devices.

“Immediately, after the Acute phase of the pandemic, many people sought help, for example, for moderate to severe neck, low back and wrist pain, among others,” Alexander noted during her interview.

Most Physiotherapists, according to Alexander, encountering such persons would advise them that while receiving physiotherapy would help relieve their discomfort,they needed to make some, often simple, adjustments to their work

areas,thus positioning their electronic devices and their

- Local Physiotherapy Specialist says

part of physiotherapy. A physiotherapist may administer a full treatment without doing a massage.

Alexander, during her interview, noted that physiotherapy comes in various modalities, including heat or ice, therapeutic exercises, and advice, on necessary lifestyle and postural changes the patient will have to make to achieve full effective functional rehabilitation.

She also noted that many athletes have been shortchanged and, in some cases, harmed by people who assume they know some massage techniques.

November 28, 2021 in the Guyana Chronicle that the association has been impactful in, these include: Creating opportunities for continuing education of its members (physiotherapists), both professionally and personally; Advocating and promoted efforts towards the establishment of a legislative body –the Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC).

own posture, to get long-term relief.

Alexander noted that physiotherapy is now even more important partially due to the increased number of foreign industrial companies.

“Employees at these companies will inevitably suffer industrial accidents and their employees would require that they return on the work site, optimally healed, as soon as possible in order to ensure optimal production of the affected work site,” Alexander

noted during her interview.

It, therefore, means that injured employees who are taken to Doctors after they would have received their optimal healing would receive recommendations to go to Physiotherapy for full rehabilitation.

The Benefits of Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy can significantly help a wide variety of conditions.

These include sportsin -

juries, neuromuscular conditions, post-traumatic injuries and postural defects.

Although it is not so common in Guyana, physiotherapy is beneficial to pregnant women through the antenatal classes and even when gynaecologists require a reference for their patients who maybe suffering from a few gynecological problems.

Alexander clarified that physiotherapy is not a cure for all, nor is it a massage, as some mistakenly think.

Massage forms a small

“There is a walk-in sports clinic at the National Aquatic Centre, where athletes can go and get professional physiotherapy done, fromqualified and professional physiotherapists free of charge,” Alexander disclosed .

The (Guyana Physiotherapy Association) GPA is affiliated with the World Confederation on Physiotherapy (WCPT) and a member of the North American Regional Caribbean (NACR) arm of the world body.

Past President of the Association IshaUrlin had outlined in an article dated

This body is responsible for the registration and licensing of not only physiotherapists but all other allied health professions to be protected under the laws of Guyana, in their practice; promoting efforts to encourage physiotherapists to perform at the highest level with high ethical standards; Supporting the establishment of training physiotherapists at the University of Guyana and participating in the international body – World Confederation of Physical Therapists (WCPT) and is a part of the North American Regional Caribbean grouping of that body.

‘Nah back de list’

- Residents share how East Coast Village

LAST week the Pepperpot Magazine visited Nabaclis Village, East Coast Demerara to highlight the way of life of the locals.

At first glance, going through the main access

condition of the main access road, the most pressing issue highlighted and the need for it to be upgraded.

As you enter the village via the main access road, Middle Walk has canals on

The village has one main access road and several internal streets and cross streets connecting it to neighbouring villages via bridges.

Nabaclis is sandwiched

The main access road, Middle Walk, Nabaclis

‘Nabaclis’ got its name

The story behind the name

Residents shared quite an interesting story behind the origin of the village’s name. According to local recollection, the village was named

list”, hence the eventual name, Nabaclis.

More about the village

The village comprises of a population of more than 1,000 people,

the Disciplined Services, nurses, a doctor, teachers and some self-employed

road, Middle Walk, it is safe to say it is the home of mangoes, sapodillas and many other fruits, which were in almost every yard along this pot-holed road filled with large puddles of water in which some men were fishing, the day the team visited.

The people of Nabaclis Village are very friendly and accommodating and even took the team around the village to walk around and meet ordinary people, who had a lot to say about the

both sides of the road which go all the way down to the back dam area.

There are houses on both sides of the road and there are many small alleyways, mud dams and tracks leading to dwelling houses in this community which can be considered fairly large in size.

It is indeed a ‘green village’ with a rich history and is set in a legacy left by the ancestors, who made farming a priority and were self-sufficient.

between the villages of Golden Grove and Cove and John (Plantation John) and it is a place where the locals find many things to do to earn, and it has a few roadside small businesses.

Freshly baked pastries, black pudding and other local dishes can be sourced from this community and it is one of those villages where you simply cannot go hungry due to the abundance of fruit and vegetables grown there.

after residents opposed a list comprising the names of leaders who were in charge of it in colonial days.

In expressing their resentment towards the list, residents chose to encourage each other to “nah back de

mostly of African descent and a handful of East Indians and people of mixed races.

The main economic activities are small businesses, farming, and employees from both the private and public sectors, members of

folk. Almost everyone in Nabaclis is related either through blood or kinship and the village was once a cotton plantation, but villagers also

Locals on the move despite the rainfall that day

The Haslington/Grove NDC building

Nabaclis Nursery School

Residents hopeful for development of Nabaclis Village

By Michel Outridge

JOSEPH Jacob is a miner, but he is back home in Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara moonlighting as a poultry farmer.

The 55-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that he used to be in the interior full-time working for months at a time and he would return home every quarter, but things became hard in the bush.

Jacob stated that one year ago he exited the backdam and is yet to return and is trying his hand at poultry rearing.

In addition, he has some creole fowls and ducks and would ensure his meat birds are fed and has enough water.

Due to the rainy weather, the father of six related that the pen must be cleaned often.

Delon Elcock, the snackette owner

The team also met Delon Elcock, a small business owner of a snackette in Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that things are normal except the road and the prices for his snacks of pastries, curry and roti, puri, foods and cold beverages are reasonable “ghetto prices”.

The father of six added that the shop opened its door two years ago and it is his

only source of income and even though things are a bit slow, he is surviving.

Elcock’s father, Brian Elcock is the retired head teacher of Alleyne’s High School in the city and he served for 21 years before he hung up his teaching gloves.

These days he is at home finding things to occupy his

time and enjoying retirement.

Compton Accra, the farmer

Compton Accra is a farmer and resident of Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara, whose livelihood is threatened due to constant flooding.

He reported that his pigs, ducks, chickens had to be re-

located to higher ground and he lost his cash crops.

Accra added that only some fruit trees survived the flood water, which is still on the land in the backdam section of the village and is yet to recede.

He is hoping for some relief and is not sure how much longer he will be able to sustain his farm.

Magazine also met Derek Cort, a father of four of Bristol Street, Nabaclis Village, whose

The

Derek Cort

Pepperpot

street is impassable due to the muddy conditions. He had to come out to

Joseph Jacob, the poultry farmer/miner (Delano Williams photos)

Brian Elcock, retired head teacher of Alleyne’s High School

Neil George

Compton Accra, the farmer displaying a video of the flooding in his yard

Derek Cort

Neil George hoping for a catch.

There is no other place like Nabaclis Village

By Michel Outridge

DESPITE being physically challenged with only one hand, Akini Cameron, is a construction worker, he specialises in tiling and whenever he gets a day job or two, he is ready to go.

The 42-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that he had an accident a year ago and his hand was amputated.

He was looking for work back then and when none was forthcoming, he had established a small shop from

to the rain and he isn’t the kind of person to sit idly by.

He is a resident of De Souza Street, Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara.

“Even if I have to go till to Diamond for work I would go but things are not happening recently so I wouldn’t fight it,” the father of eight said.

The pickle mango vendor

Coreen Elias is a happyto-go kind of person and these days, hardly anything

outside her daughter’s residence and she sells deliciously favoured pickled mangoes.

The elder used to sell a lot more things, but due to the pandemic and other hardships, she stopped doing so and is only selling pickled mangoes.

Elias told the Pepperpot Magazine that she was a cook with the Guyana Police Force at Eve Leary, Georgetown, for many years and also cooked at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for 31 years before she retired.

She added that she stays with her daughter until she is ready to move into her own house.

Elias is the mother of three and the grandmother of three, who used to reside in Sophia.

Randolph Melville, the overseas-based Guyanese

Randolph Melville is a Guyanese who resides in the United States of America and is often back home to invest in the projects he is part partner of.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that he is a city boy but moved to Golden Grove as a boy and left Guyana for the US at age six years old.

a lovely home and an equally fancy fence which surrounds the property.

Melville reported that during the holidays he didn’t get to contribute to society and will, however, go to an orphanage to make donations of goodies and other things he has in barrels coming to Guyana soon.

“Guyana is my home country and nothing will prevent me from coming back here and I will make my mark locally because I want to give back,” he said.

Pierpont Morgan, the small business operator

For Pierpont Morgan, the daily hustle isn’t his style but running a small business is more like him as he is very supportive of his spouse,

High School in the city after he exited the school system.

in Nabaclis Village, which has a rich legacy of farming left by their fore-parents.

“Back then,Nabaclis was the place where people from all over came with empty baskets and would leave with full baskets of mangoes, coconuts, bananas and other fruits to go and sell and that was how they made their living,” he said.

Morgan explained that the legacy died when a lot of people left the village, but they still welcome strangers in the community.

his home in Nabaclis.

These days that small business no longer exists but he would use the spot for some much-needed recreation like playing music and taking a drink.

Cameron stated that he was not working that day due

will upset her because she is contented with life.

However, she is looking forward to her 62nd birth anniversary in November and is in the process of acquiring her house lot.

Elias has a small roadside stand in Nabaclis Village,

Melville added that with the few dollars he saved up during his working days, he would use it for local investments such as importing trucks among other things.

He stated that he will construct another house on the lot he has and already has

whose roadside snackette he is a part of.

The 59-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that he is a native of Dochfour, also on the East Coast Demerara but relocated with his parents at Nabaclis.

Morgan added that he was schooled at the primary level at the Hindu School and went on to Alleyne’s

He worked with the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

The father of four stated that he later worked with Demerara Woods as the Forest Inventory Crew Chief.

Morgan related that his mother passed away when he was only 12 years old and he has four siblings.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that he likes living

Morgan added that the snackette was his wife’s vision and he was in place to assist her to get started and he would often be in the kitchen assisting her while, they have a permanent staff who was off that day to celebrate the birth of her sister’s baby.

He reported that the snackette was inherited from his wife, Aleiro Morgan’s parents and they make all local snacks fresh daily and would do white and black puddings on weekends.

Randolph Melville

Coreen Elias displaying her mango pickle for sale

Randolph Melville’s pet

Pierpont Morgan at their roadside snackette

Nabaclis, the home of mangoes

By Michel Outridge

WHEN they say you are finally benefitting from the fruits of your labour, the same can be said for Mark Elias, a resident of Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara, a mango vendor with more than a dozen mango trees on his property.

That day, the team caught up with Elias when he was picking some ripened mangoes from the trees that had a bountiful bearing despite the rain.

At the time, he was ably assisted by a friend, Carlton Johnson, also a local of the village, who braved the rain to get some mangoes into a large tub from the trees via a long bamboo with a makeshift basket.

to transport the load of mangoes to Georgetown and thereafter, he would return to the village.

His agreed price was between six to 10 mangoes for $200, a very pocket-friendly price.

The Nabaclis resident reported that it was not his first picking of mangoes from that particular tree which is massive in size, a spice mango tree which had an abundance of fruit hanging from all branches.

In Elias’ yard, there are more than a dozen mango trees with various species from Buxton spice to long mangoes and when the fruit is in season his harvest is bountiful. As such, it is too much to consume and he would have to sell it.

Shonnet Williams

The team also met Shonnet Williams, a local of the backdam area whose punishment revolve around the muddy dam she has to access to her house, one of a handful of residents there.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine quite hesitantly that there are five families residing at the location where the dam leads to the vast back lands area and due to the condition of the road and the dam, they are facing a lot of hardships, basically access.

Williams was at the time returning home after taking her daughter to school and had to return because the child’s uniform was wet from the heavy rainfall that morning.

leave this village due to the road because it is hard to get in and out and buses don’t come here and the taxis don’t either, so one has to walk more than a mile in this pot-holed road with large puddles to the public road to get transportation,” she said.

Williams related that they

are desperate for an upgrade of the road and with that, it will improve their lives significantly.

She stated that her main issue is access and for this reason a lot of people left the village and a lot of people quit farming in the backlands because of the impassable

access dam. Getting produce out is difficult and a tall burden.

Williams added that the village is rich in agriculture and produces a lot of fruits, especially mangoes and it is sad to see it go to waste without being harvested due to access.

For a lot of locals, there is nothing sweeter than enjoying a ripened mango that is freshly picked and it is one of those fruits that is simply irresistible.

The 56-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that the mangoes he picked that day would be transported to Bourda Market, in the city and would be sold based on current market prices.

Elias explained that a vehicle would come for him

He is also a farmer who has a few cows, some ducks and chickens with a spacious yard with lots of fruit trees including, sapodillas.

These are not ordinary trees. The mango trees in this village are huge, the biggest ever seen and there is a landmark tamarind tree in Middle Walk, which serves as a ‘chill spot’ for the locals and one of the biggest sapodilla and cashew trees was also observed in this community.

She was tasked with taking a fresh set of dry clothes for her and related that she would have to despite the rain that day.

The mother of four added that as long as she can remember, the road has been in a terrible state and it has gotten worse over time and it is a place where the taxis refuse to go, so walking is the only option.

“My cousin, who is a doctor, a neighbour had to

Mark Elias and his friend, Carlton Johnson picking mangoes (Delano Williams photos)

Mark Elias with his freshly picked mangoes ready for sale

Shonnet Williams

Community leader talks life in Nabaclis Village

By Michel Outridge

KENRICK Wickham, better known as Fabulous,is a resident of Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara, who is doing his utmost to create a safe space for locals in the community.

He has a recreational park at the back dam section of the village, which he used his own money to create and he has maintained the area since its establishment.

Wickham told the Pepperpot Magazine that he wanted to create a safe space for the locals and five years ago, he spruced up the back dam area by cleaning it and then sand-filled it.

Wickham also constructed wooden benches, a swinger, chairs and tables, erected a shed and tent, and a small shop selling cold beverages, chicken, and fish and chips mostly on weekends.

It is a place where you

can relax, swim, play games, or simply unwind after a long week of work.

The canal is right there and filled with black water, cool and inviting for a quick dip or leisure swimming.

“I am not getting the support as I should due to the bad state of the road. People don’t want to come with their vehicles, so I only do cutters and cold beverages on weekends for the few people that would visit the location,”

he said.

Apart from being a small business owner, Wickham is a poultry farmer and he is rearing 600 meat birds in the back dam where he has a pen but plans to expand with another chicken pen if the road is fixed.

Wickham related that the Haslington/Grove Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) is doing their best with the resources at hand to upkeep the drainage network in the village but the community is low-lying as such, it is prone to flooding.

He pointed out that Nabaclis Village is fairly

large with five cross streets and six internal streets running from north to south, all mud dams with no paved roads in this community.

Wickham added that he is the Chairman of the Water Users Association of Nabaclis and it covers the area from Wire Gate to Crown Dam for 120 farmers.

He related that flooding, the road, access to the farmlands and other challenges caused a lot of farmers to leave the village and most of the cash crops don’t survive the flood waters so most times farmers operate at a loss more than gain.

Wickham used to be a farmer too but had to quit having lost more than 2,500 pepper plants, 1000 watermelon plants and a lot of cash crops. As such, he could no longer cultivate any crops.

He added that the village also needs some street lights and there is a need for a drainage pump to be re-installed in the village.

Wickham reported that many years ago they had a drainage pump but it was removed and not replaced and since it is a farming village their needs should be accessed.

Kenrick Wickham called Fabulous (Delano Williams photos)

Kenrick Wickham’s shop

Kenrick Wickham’s recreational park in the back dam at Nabaclis Village

‘Nah back de...

FROM PAGE VI

used to cultivate sugarcane in the ancient days.

The quietness and the fact that the village is virtually crime-free were the two features most residents allude to as the reasons they were happy living there.

Thecommunity is served by the Dr. CC Nich-

olson Hospital. The hospital was established as a medical center in 1994 with funds from the London-based Cyril Charles Nicholson Foundation.

The government began upgrading it in 2003 to give residents of Nabaclis and nearby communities an alternative to going into Georgetown for treatment.

The artist Emerson Sam-

uels was born and brought up here, studying at the Golden Grove Methodist School. Also born here was conductor Rudolph Dunbar.

There are many shops, roadside snackettes, and stalls selling fresh fruit juices, foods, snacks and other eatables’ and it is highly agricultural-based with many farmers of cash crops, poultry and livestock.

Nabaclis Village is a lovely place to live and it is that village you can see cows, ducks, chickens, pigs, sheep, and goats walking freely on the road going from one place to the next with no apparent care or fear of anything.

The ducks made use of the rain that day and was observed swimming in the canals as people went about their daily routine depicting the true country life.

Residents hopeful for development ...

FROM PAGE VII

meet the team and stated that his wife is home for the holidays and due to the bad state of the street, she cannot come out to go to church or anywhere else.

“One time she had to come out and I literally had to fetch her out the street as you can see the condition of it,” he said.

The 59-year-old stated that life has become bother-

some as a direct result of the village’s road and streets, and it is time they get an upgrade.

Lindon Kingston

Lindon Kingston told the team that life is fair in Nabaclis Village, but his major issue is the road which needs to be all-weather.

The 56-year-old added that as a boy growing up they always had bad roads, and to date, it has gotten worse

by far and it is difficult for locals to traverse.

“There are elderly people stuck in their homes because they cannot come out and we have resorted to filling the potholes with coconut shells,” he said.

Meanwhile, another resident Gavin Wood reported that there is a real need for the people of the community to benefit from good roads and streets because it will enhance their lives rapidly.

The 52-year-old stated that apart from that, everything else is good in the village; they are a close-knit village with hardworking people.

The team also met Neil George, a Guyanese living abroad, who is back in his

home village of Nabaclis to spend some time.

He related that for the past two weeks, he hasn’t been enjoying himself as he should due to the state of the road and he and some friends were fishing in the huge potholes on the main access road

during the rain.

George, 54, noted that the community is thickly populated and there is a need for infrastructure to be upgraded because since his last visit in 2019 nothing new has happened for the village.

The animals of the village, in the streets as normal

Delon Elcock’sSnackette

TORN PETALS

SARAH sighed with a satisfied smile as she wrapped up the afternoon session with high school students.

She was part of a team of Army personnel assisting in a week-long tour of selected schools for career discussions. It was an initiative launched by the Ministry of Education for all ten regions and she was assigned to region four.

The one-on-one talks were a way to guide and help students build their self-confidence, and self-belief and to note areas of concern where further assistance can be taken into consideration. She was impressed and sometimes touched by some students’ passion for success, their ambitions, and dreams and others with doubts and fear of failure.

As a young female rank in the army, she exuded confidence, courage and a calm personality that had a positive impact on the female students. Her talks with them helped to dissipate their nervous and uncertain thoughts about their choice of careers. That was one of the satisfying aspects for Sarah in her profession as a soldier that she could inspire other young people to pursue their goals and a hands-on approach to help.

She too had needed help as a traumatised fifteen-yearold whose eyes could have only seen a bleak future. A God-sent intervention had, step-by-step repaired her damaged self-esteem and built her self-confidence to make her the strong, assertive woman she was today.

“Thank you, dear Lord,” she whispered as she had done every night since then to now and closed her eyes to sleep.

Tomorrow she and her team would be at schools on the East Coast for another long day.

It was another successful day with students and listening to their ambitions and concerns that, once again, helped to break down the barriers of uncertainty and open communication. It was just after lunch and as Sarah prepared to begin the afternoon session, a young male student took his seat at her desk.

“Good afternoon, ma’am.”

“Good afternoon,” she responded, looking up at him and drawing in her breath a little sharply.

He had a close resemblance to someone from the dark memories of her past and a strange feeling pulsed through her being.

“What is this?” she wondered and shrugged the feeling off to begin her session.

“Your name?”

“Aryan Malhotra.”

The pen froze in her hand at his surname, a name that had driven fear in her mind as a young girl but then more than one person could have that name, so taking a deep breath, she continued.

“Your address?”

As he read it out, she wrote, her fingers trembling a little for it was a place she knew and by the time she had written the father and mother’s names, her face had become pale. The boy noticed the change in her expression and he asked a little concern, “Are you okay?”

She got up and said, “Excuse me a minute, please.”

Sarah went to the girl’s washroom, washed her face, and leaned over the sink taking deep breaths.

“Oh, god this can’t be happening.”

A LOOK BACK AT 2022

THANK you for joining us once again as we count the days into the year 2023.

The Environmental Protection Agency takes this opportunity to reflect on some of its major accomplishments during what can be deemed as a rewarding 365 days in 2022. Despite some challenges, we have seen great improvements. From major developments to its monitoring capabilities, such as the use of equipment and Online tools to the reintroduction of the “Green Walk” in celebration of World Environment Day, the Agency has much to be proud of.

Let’s reflect on some of those key events:

EPA’s Executive Director participates in HSE Panel Discussion

The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Kemraj Parsram participated in a panel discussion on Health, Security, and Environment (HSE), which was organised as part of the Guyana International Energy Conference, held in Guyana from February 15-18, 2022.

During this discussion, Mr. Parsram reminded the audience that the environment is as important as health and safety, and therefore warrants the same attention. He also pointed out that while the EPA is improving its capabilities to monitor development and respond in the event of environmental emergencies, operators are likewise expected to ensure that their staff are trained, and have the necessary equipment and skills to respond adequately to any emergency.

EPA Monitoring Air Quality

In February 2022, the Agency received five Air Visual outdoor sensors from IQAir, with capability to measure the presence of fine particles present in the air. The equipment is being used to monitor ambient air quality by continuously monitoring Particulate Matter (PM) - PM2.5, PM1, PM10, and Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

Each sensor unit has the ability to cover a radius of 20-25km, and has a performance accuracy of 82%. The sensors indicate Air Quality Index (AQI) in the following catego-

? The purpose of the EIA;

? The legislative background; and

? The procedure for their conduct in Guyana.

Through this engagement, the Legal Department and, by extension, the EPA were able to promote and encourage a better understanding and appreciation of the Regulations that guide the Agency’s mandate to protect the natural environment.

Green Walk and Exhibition

A Green Walk and Exhibition was organised in celebration of World Environment Day (WED) on June 05, 2022. The Walk commenced at the Umana Yana and concluded at the National Park. This activity attracted the participation of approximately 2000 persons from various strata of society, including Government Agencies, Schools, Non-Governmental Organisations, and Civil Society. At the end of the walk participants were treated to a WED ceremony at which Ministers of Government and members of the Diplomatic Corps delivered remarks. The feature address was delivered by HE. Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Alli, President, Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Following the featured address, the Agency also collaborated with the United Nations Office to launch a Wall Art in the National Park.

Complaints management

Whether authorised or unauthorised, operations during its process will release unwanted materials into the environment. It is the EPA’s duty to take a number of steps to control pollution within the environment, including conducting investigations and inspections to ensure compliance with the Environmental Protection Act and regulations. The Complaints Unit and the Communications Department at the EPA provide information and education to the public regarding the needs for and methods of protection of the environment. During the year 2022, the following statistics provides an image of the work produced by the Agency’s complaint department.

Particulars

Amount

Total Complaints Received by Agency 518

Total Complaints Received by Complaints Unit 366

Total Complaints Received at Regional Offices 108

Total Complaints Received by respective sectors 44

Total Complaints investigated by Complaints Unit 263

Closed (including referrals to NDC and Guyana Police Force) 156

Particulate Matter of a certain size, e.g. PM2.5 and PM10, are of primary concern to health; the smaller the particle, the greater its potential impact on health. The five sensors have been installed at Central Georgetown, East Bank Demerara, Corentyne, Berbice, Linden and Region Two.

Since installation, readings for PM2.5 have so far been below that of the WHO Guidelines for air quality. Data on air quality allows the Agency to understand contaminants of concern, possible sources of contaminants as well as proposed appropriate mitigation action to reduce emissions of harmful air contaminants.

The Guyana Police Force and EPA sign MoA to tackle noise nuisance

The Agency on April 13, 2022, met with the Commissioner of Police (ag), Mr. Clifton Hickens to discuss a strategy for sustained noise management in Guyana in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force (GPF). The team would have discussed matters such as the response to noise complaints from bars and music sets, training of Police Officers in noise management, more collaborative enforcement efforts, and mechanisms for information sharing and reporting. The discussion resulted in the two authorities signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) cementing the partnership to effectively manage noise in Guyana, and the formation of the Technical Task force between the Agency to address key problematic issues that warrant urgent attention by both Agencies.

EPA’s Legal Department delivers a public lecture to the University of Guyana

The Legal Department of the Agency on May 31, 2022, delivered a public lecture to the University of Guyana, Department of Biology students, on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in Guyana. The lecture covered:

Active Cases 107

Prohibition Notice Issued 9

These are just a few of our major achievements during the past year; we encourage you to continue to be engaged with the Agency through our media programs to learn more about the work of the EPA.

You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O Communications Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

ries: Good, Moderate, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, and Hazardous.

Protecting the environment, and revereing nature result in a happier life

CONSUMER advocates, worldwide, have always lent their support to environmentalists and their programmes. Indeed, many of their programmes coincide with those of consumerism. Accordingly, we endorse the New Year ‘green’ resolutions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and refer to them in this article.

The first environmental concern we would highlight is the urgent necessity of saving the soil of the planet. For thousands of years until the last two centuries, human beings comfortably sustained their livelihood by cultivating the soil of the planet. Indeed, all ancient civilisations recognised the earth as the greatest living organism, and deified and revered her. Over the last two centuries, however, with the growth of the Scientific Revolution and the belief in Materialism, the earth was regarded as inert, and reverence for it waned, and the ancient wisdom of returning to the earth the organic matter which had been taken from it was ignored. The earth was cultivated and exploited with insensitivity, and became exhausted. Less vegetation and trees grew naturally, and rivers began to dry up, and desertification began to occur. An example of this was parts of the American Midwest, which became a dust bowl, as was recorded in the great novel, ‘The Grapes of Wrath’.

In those areas which were wealthy enough, chemical fertilisers provided relief, and good crops were reaped, but food produced with chemical fertilisers was not as wholesome or safe, and food produced by normal organic earth and the continuous dependence on fertilisers was not only expensive, but never allowed

the soil to recover, and it became thinner.

The way of saving the soil is simply to feed back into it the organic matter which had been derived from it, such as animal excrement, leaves, skins from milled grain, food waste, and so on. The use of compost in gardens is an example of this. Another way of saving the soil is by the rotation

drainage, and bags are eaten by birds, turtles, and other aquatic animals, destroying their digestive systems and causing them to die a painful death. Often, fish harvested for human consumption have plastic bags in their stomachs, with dangerous bacteria or even poisons resulting in a danger to human health. The only answer to the plastic bag question is to

old Georgetown, for example, the main streets were tree-lined, and most yards had fruit trees and small flower and kitchen gardens. Georgetown was known as the Garden City of the West Indies. In the Guyana countryside, trees were planted everywhere, with farms growing food crops in addition to sugarcane and rice. Trees store carbon dioxide, and help to control warming. In the new year, every family should be encouraged to plant trees in their yards and surroundings, so that, once again, people would

have fresh fruit and other food such as breadfruit. This could be done in the ten-foot minimum reserve between houses. Birds will once again return,a nd the nation would once again be securely on the environmental rails.

Consumer advocates and environmentalists are always concerned with the provision of clean and safe water for all communities for drinking, cooking and sanitation. The provision of such water incurs a heavy cost; if such is to be made available and sustained,

consumers must learn to conserve it. Water should be used when necessary and should not be wasted, leaking pipes should be immediately repaired and taps should not be allowed to run aimlessly. Rainwater could be harvested, especially in the countryside and Interior for use in washing and other household chores.

The key to sustaining a healthy and pleasant environment is to realise that all life is one and interdependent and that if any segment of life is harmed, human life will ultimately suffer.

of crops, and allowing land to lie fallow with a green covering, and the planting of trees. One of the greatest modern advocates of saving the soil is the Indian mystic, Sadhguru, whose talks can be found on the Internet.

PLASTICS NEVER DISINTEGRATE

The next environmental problem we highlight is the indiscriminate use of plastics, which has now become an integral part of modern life. Plastics never disintegrate, and never eventually reintegrate into the soil as wood or metal or glass do, and this characteristic makes them, in many ways, deleterious to human life. Plastic bags and plastic bottles are cheap and very useful, making them an indispensable part of human life. It has also resulted in millions of these items being discarded and thrown into the environment every day. These eventually find themselves in waterways, where plastic bottles block or impede

curtail or stop using them, and to substitute alternatives made of paper, bamboo, cloth, glass or metal, such as tote bags, paper cups and plates, or even glass and metal utensils.

The excessive waste created by modern societies is among the greatest environmental problems, and this is due to the “throwaway culture”, where perfectly usable clothes, furniture or other items of household and personal use are discarded and thrown into the environment, thereby creating health hazards, since such cannot be easily and quickly removed. Electronic waste is a good example. Curtailing waste could be achieved if citizens could give full usage to the items they throw out, and find other uses for items they wish to discard. Curtailing waste could, therefore, be a money-saver and an environmental plus.

Modern life has witnessed the elimination of trees and other greeneries in towns and cities. In

When ‘the darkness’ never leaves, nor the choice of ‘the guardian light’

PARENTING is a parallel experience that must be tempered with our own experiences, inherited wisdom and that of the social world in which we live. For instance, is the new year alight with bright things or only the continuation of all that the last year ended with? The latter is more the reality, though not the conclusion, as the task ahead always rests with wrestling with the angel for the blessing of courage

to fill the space within that is left empty of effort or resistance against the depressing whispers heckling on our fears, daunting our confidence to confront the realities we must shape into our likeness, against the obstacles that marred the entrance and exit a mere twelve months ago.

The priority of parents is to find a way so that our children must not be concealed from the environment of human nature. For exam-

ple, I attempted to console a friend recently on the collapse of a relationship both of us thought would last a lifetime. The sad fact was that the difference in our upbringings determined our different

responses to the question he was facing. I was schooled to the rugged openness that there is deceit; people damaged during their upbringing, and people who will naturally feign affection.

I approach everything with trust, hope and caution with a ‘Plan B’, so I’m a little paranoid. My buddy thought that love, church, and honesty would automatically generate the same response, but it didn’t happen. No! In many cases, it doesn’t, and I blame the formula of his upbringing. My reason for coming to that conclusion rests with paying attention while growing to adulthood. Another example rests with my preschool teacher’s son a few years ago. This was a no-nonsense lady with sound principles that she passed on to her son, and her not-so-obedient preschool students. I had moved from the area for over 40 years when I read that he had committed suicide. They were staunch church people, and Christianity does not endorse suicide, as far as I know.

Then I met Regina, aka Raj, another slightly older schoolfriend whom I admired from afar. Raj told me she was informed that our schoolmate had misused some church money, and a young lady seemed to be in the shadows of that temptation. The church had involved the police, and the world around our schoolfriend collapsed. Before he

was even arrested, he had committed suicide. This brother had adopted a world that didn’t leave room for human error, serious reconciliation and redemption which enshrined the philosophy he was raised in. His act certainly conflicted with the very religious beliefs that he was expected to nurture and pay attention to and advocate. Somehow, the essence of forgiveness and redemption escaped his adopted worldview, regrettably, when it came to his challenge.

I am grateful for my youth-era conversations about Demons and Devils in the context that I was introduced to this area. The parents and guardians in the ‘60s & ‘70s, even to this day, did not possibly have the literature or had experienced the education to understand the cultural damage of social systems, along with mental deficiencies such as sociopaths, psychopaths, narcissism and the list of other human personality disorders that affect humans, and other related taboos revolving around adulthood and sexuality. Into those important talks were current religion and the past (more ancient) religious doctrines that we today refer to as folklore and myths, that inserted the notion that ‘The darkness and light of past lives exist in the present’ and thus never leave, but but can be invited in or inherited.

Today, we realise that there may be some truth in these old stories, since there are arguments through studies that indicate that ‘culture and genes’ are presumed to incorporate influences on orientations to certain skills, and also sustain innate prejudices over timelines. (See the outline of study ‘Is there a genetic contribution to cultural differences? Baldwin M. Way and Matthew D. Lieberman’ and other related publications.) This area is a serious exploration that can impact the theme of this article, ‘When the Darkness Never Leaves’ because the theme reflects fears from the intensity of fears planted that may prevent people (outside of medical, psychological problems) faced with difficult social situations to seek solutions without understanding the entire origin of a situation and its workable options, which would empower the best means for the solutions to conclude.

But with the darkness dwells the positive opposing light that also never leaves, as the old Folk Religions implore, and the current Religions, their offspring; endorse, it not what is preached, but what honourable works are done that exalts the soul, and pays tribute to grand Father’s and Mother’s sacrifices, easier said in a world of desperate opportunism propelled by the predominant order of conspicuous cultic flamboyance.

How to redeem time

IS it just me, or is this year moving at an even faster pace than last month? My intentionality of making my 24 hours more meaningful has heightened. A few days ago, I was on a zoom call and after 10 minutes, the main person was not on the call, so I decided to leave to attend to something that would not waste my time. I received a message two minutes later that she was ready and I replied that I was already engaged in something else. She expressed disappointment because we had allotted one hour for the meeting. Imagine someone thinking that because one hour is allotted for a meeting, it is okay to wait? I explained to her that time is the most valuable of all resources and I value every second of my 24 hours, and it will not be squandered. My cousin Clemency gave me a unique bag with a working clock on it and it was not given because I am late, but for the uniqueness. Too many people squander time, even without realising the value of it.

I read an article by Myles Munroe that will help us to redeem time:

“Literally, to redeem time means to buy back time. It is like getting back time or holding time back and stopping it from passing by. If you look at it at face value, that is impossible.

However, that’s not true. The concept of redeeming time originated from the Bible, and there, “redeeming time” does not imply bringing back our past years.In this article, I have highlighted 10 simple and actionable steps you can take to redeem the time of your life. Doing them will help you make your time worth more than it would have done. It will increase your productivity and help you achieve more in lesser periods.

These steps are both applicable to specific timebound projects, and your

life’s purpose in general.

How To Redeem Your Time by Myles Munroe

1. Document a plan

If you must make the most of your time or make your time worth more than it currently does, you must identify goals and plans that you would like to achieve with your time. If you don’t have a goal, then a plan, there is no measure to how you have been able to maximise your time.

So the first step to redeeming your time is to determine what you want your time to be worth.

For example, I want to get a doctorate by the age of 25, or more broadly, I want to live a life that fulfills “this purpose.“

Once that is determined, you then document a plan that will help you accomplish that goal. A goal without a plan is simply a wish. A plan is the step-by-step actions you must take from where you are currently, to where you want to be.

Having a written-down plan saves you from waking up daily and wondering what to do. It also saves you from constantly trying to remember what you said you would do that you didn’t write down.

2. Establish your priorities

After documenting your plan, the next step to redeem time is to get straight what matters most to the fulfilment of that purpose, goal, or plan. Among the several things you need to do in following that plan, clearly define which are the most important and write them

down in order of priorities.

It is common that in trying to reach a goal we get ourselves involved in many activities that aren’t bad in themselves, but aren’t major contributing factors to the fulfilment of those goals. If you stick with those things, you will waste so much time

sion or high-value tasks.

Simple truth: you can’t do everything!

Although I have stated already that you set your priority straight, it is also important that what you are doing is worth doing in the first place. This step

or because everyone else is doing it.

For example, if you don’t pursue your passion, you might get tired along the way, and might need to start a new pursuit that can give you the feeling of fulfilment.

That will be a setback to redeeming time as against going after your passion (or other high-value tasks) from the outset.

4. Protect your plans and priorities

Except you are no longer on earth or you don’t have plans, distractions and urgencies must come. If you want to redeem the time, you must be very active in guarding and protecting your plans and priorities.

This will demand that you turn down several invitations: stay away from some relationships, and avoid certain conversations without guilt.

ever you don’t think you will want to stick all out with, should not even be accommodated in the first place. That way you can save up time and energy to focus only on your plans and priorities.

5. Identify your values

Values are guiding principles that guide the coordination of a life. They are self-set rules and regulations that define what is right, wrong, important, and worthy in your life.

To redeem your time or make the most of your life, your life must be guided by values personally set by yourself.

Your boundaries should be wide enough to include checks that keep you committed to your assignment, checks that will help you ensure you don’t get distracted, checks that will ensure you continually grow, and checks that will notify you when any area of your life needs attention.

and achieve less.

For example, setting up a business, choosing a brand colour and logo, and determining the perfect office layout, are all important steps, but aren’t as important as getting the product or service that will be offered to an irresistible state.

They aren’t as important as making sales, which keeps the business alive. If you spend all your time on secondary matters, by the time the primary matters are established, you might discover that you have to revisit the secondary matters all over again. That is wasted time.

3. Pursue only your pas-

is to now revisit your plan and priorities and strike out things that aren’t necessary.

In building a business, as we have considered earlier, if attending business club meetings is part of the items on your list, you will want to revisit it to see if it’s truly worth your time and contributes to the success of your business, or if it’s just one of those activities.

If it doesn’t, not only should it not be at the top of your list, it should be struck out completely. In your life broadly, you will want to ensure that what you are pursuing is what you should be pursuing and not just something you got into because it seems nice,

There is so much that can be achieved if we are focused– even more than we think. For the most time in life, people didn’t get success not because they didn’t have plans, but because they got distracted along the way.

Not every open door is an opportunity, and not every good thing is right for you. You must possess the ability to recognise distractions, and the strong will to say no. To help you keep up with this, there is a principle taught by Derek Sivers in his book, Hell Yes Or No, that says you should always say no to any invitation except your response is hell yes.

Meaning whatever you aren’t excited about, what-

Having values that guide your life makes decision-making easier and keeps you on safe ground. If your values are wide enough and cover all the necessary checks, you can be sure that whatever is not within your value system is something you shouldn’t opt-in for.

Sometimes you might have a reason not to take certain decisions, but forget when the time to take the decision comes. If you have built a value system, you don’t need to remember the reasons, you only need to remember your value system (restrictions) since they were built on solid principles.”

I will be sharing some more on this topic next week, because I believe it will be helpful because some of us are still fine-tuning the vision for 2023. I hope you receive value from this amazing content as we continue to celebrate this beautiful journey called Life BEYOND THE RUNWAY

Bringing it all...

FROM PAGE III

become more attainable. Once you’re focused and

Dr. Rambaran has worked at GPHC for 20 years and has been a surgeon for just under 15

hardworking and willing to make the sacrifices, anything is achievable.”

Some of his more notable achievements include the following: Being listed in the 100 Notables of CNIS (Canadian Network for International Surgery) 25 years of Sharing Skills and Saving Lives, 2020; Surgical Leadership Award-Paying it Forward Institute of Health SciencesEducation (IHSE), International Surgery Desk, McMaster University Ca.; Bud Lee Award for Best Graduating Surgeon at UG; Graduated top 2 MBBS at UG; and the Certificate of Commendation from the Bishops’ High School where he attended.

Dr. Rambaran is married to GPHC Laboratory DirectorPheona Mohamed-Rambaran, and they have three daughters: Alliana, Amisha, and Annabelle.

‘Having a dream without a...

FROM PAGE IV

ADVICE FOR YOUNG GIRLS AND WOMEN

The young, vibrant, accomplished dental surgeon and entrepreneur encouraged all girls and women, especially her fellow Guyanese, to get on board and put their creative ideas to work. According to her, “anything that you desire for your life is achievable if you create a plan to execute it.

Having a dream without a plan is not going to work; the world is bigger than what you see here in Guyana. Expand your horizons to believe that the things that you aspire to have for yourself are attainable and

you will see that as long as you work towards them, everything will fall into place for you.”

Dr. Amsterdam further shared,”Eden Clay has become something that brings me so much joy from the responses that I’ve received from my customers. Many people are of the opinion that because products are locally made, the quality will be substandard, but that’s not always the case. People are pleasantly surprised with my packaging, my product delivery and the results that they get from it.”

The entrepreneur said her aim was always to create a luxurious ritual with her products and she is proud that she could accomplish that.

TORN...

FROM PAGE XII

It took her a good while to compose herself, then she returned and sat down, her expression calm though there was turmoil in her mind.

The boy was still waiting, and he asked, “Are you fine now?”

“Yes, sorry about that.”

She continued the discussion by listening to his brilliant idea for a career as a scientist so he could help find cures for killer diseases. She could somehow feel his passion for his career choice, but there was something else he seemed to have on his mind that he didn’t talk about.

She had noticed the flicker of worry and she asked gently, “Is there anything else you would like to talk about?”

He looked at her, then looked away for a long moment, seeming to be battling with his thoughts then looking at her he said, “I don’t think it has anything to do with my career.”

“You never know, it might be related and could affect you in the future.”

He sighed and then said, “I am an only child and I have everything in life I could want yet deep inside

I feel like I am missing something.”

She didn’t say anything for a while, not sure what to tell him but she knew she had to say something.

“It’s something you will understand as you grow older, so you shouldn’t worry too much about it.”

“Thanks,” he said with a schoolboy’s charming smile, “It was great talking to you.”

“You’re most welcome.”

He got up and left and as she watched him go tears filled her eyes.

She left the sessions early, her mind too disturbed to continue her work and standing under the shower in her hotel room she cried

as she had done years ago. Later that night after she had calmed down, memories of that horrible and painful period in her life that she had tried to bury came back slowly.

“I never thought I would have ever seen him,” she said quietly, trembling in her voice.

The baby that had been taken away from her just after birth, the baby only whose cries she heard.

She saw him today and now she understood that strange feeling that entered her being though she didn’t know him.

She had been fifteen when he was born.

The pain and trauma of giving birth at such a young age had driven a deep fear in her heart for no one was there for her. Her mother, a poor, tired woman with three younger children to provide for alone, had taken money from the rich abuser to say nothing of her daughter’s pregnancy. The powerful, arrogant man wanted the baby for his wife could not have children.

They had taken Sarah to one of the houses they owned on the East Bank and when she went into labour a midwife was brought and paid big money to deliver the baby. They wanted no one to know of its birth because of her age nor to have to answer any questions on who the father was. They had a well-set plan on how the baby could legally belong to them with hardly any care for the poor young mother.

One week later they had given her some money and sent her to a faraway place, telling her to never come back.

Sarah got up and walked to the window, staring out into the night, not seeing anything then she smiled and said quietly, “Karma can be such a …”

She turned, walked into the bathroom, and looked at herself in the mirror, a determined glint in her eyes.

“I am not a frightened little girl anymore. I am a soldier, brave and strong and I will make them pay for what they did to me.’

To be continued…

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

On Wenlock Edge the wood’s in trouble; His forest fleece the Wrekin heaves; The gale, it plies the saplings double, And thick on Severn snow the leaves.

STUDY SUCCESS

Dear Student,

Welcome dear friend. When you quote the precise words of another writer, all the quoted words should be placed in quotation marks, just as you did on your note cards. There is an exception to this rule in cases of quotations that are four

January 15, 2023

lines or more in length. For such quotations, no quotation marks are used; instead, the quoted matter is indented a few spaces from each side margin and if typed, do in single space. Be wise. Love you.

sentable, and neatly tied into your careful proofreading.

EXAMINATION PRACTICE Sentence-Completion Questions

gests refined behaviour.

Directions: Read the following sentences and select the answer that best completes each sentence.

IMPROVING

WRITING Spotting original paragraphs – working with dialogue

The Spettle boys were told to help Lippy with the horse herd, and Newt, the Raineys and Irishmen were left with the drags. Call saw that each of them had bandanas, for the dust at their rear of the herd would be bad. They spent an hour patching on the wagon, a vehicle Augustus regarded with scorn. “That dern wagon won’t get us to the Brazos,” he said. “Well, it’s the only wagon we got,” Call said. “You didn’t assign me no duties, nor yourself either,” Augustus pointed out. “That simple,” Call said. “I’ll scare off bandits and you can talk to Indian chiefs.” “You boys let these cattle string out,” he said to the men. “We ain’t in no big hurry.” Augustus had ridden through the cattle and had come back with a count of slightly over twenty-six hundred. “Make it twenty-six hundred cattle and two pigs,” he said. “I guess we’ve seen the last of the dern Rio Grande. One of us ought to make a speech, Call. Think of how long we’ve rode this river.”

SOMETHING to DO

1. See if you can turn the above passage into its original eight paragraphs, seven of which contain direct speech. Remember that each new speaker deserves a new paragraph. No two characters should share a paragraph.

2. How many speakers have you found? Name them. How many times has each speaker spoken? Write these numbers down to guide you.

3. Do see that dialogue contains the dialect (speech patterns) of the character. Point out about two uses of dialect in the passage. How effective is this technique?

4. This exercise, if done faithfully, will help your writing to be perfectly pre-

The reading test questions require that you correctly answer sentence-completion questions. There are some strategies following, that will help you understand and answer these types of questions.

? Use the context and your own knowledge to predict which word would best complete the sentence.

? If the word you anticipated is not among the answers presented, look for a synonym of the word or other related words.

? Analyse the sentence meaning, decide if it is positive or negative, and eliminate choices that have the opposite sense.

As you go through the questions, try each word choice in the sentence to see whether it makes sense. Often, you can eliminate some of the choices because they are illogical, the wrong part of speech, or inconsistent with sentence meaning.

Something to Do

Directions: Look at these sentence-completion test items and respond to them by reading the sentences and selecting the answers that best complete their meanings.

1. When Samuel skipped two Spanish classes and two steel pan practices after months of perfect attendance, his friends wondered about his ------ behaviour.

(A) erratic (B) arrogant (C) slow (D) reasonable

2. Johnson’s mastery of formal etiquette was just one example of his ------ behaviour.

(A) suspicious (B) crude (C) temporary (D) refined

Now look at the answers and explanation for the above questions.

1. The correct answer is (A), because it is closest to the meaning of the sentence. Samuel’s behaviour is erratic, or inconsistent. The other choices are not supported by the information in the text.

2. The correct answer is (D). Formal etiquette sug-

1. Those who believe it is barbaric and cruel to keep large animals in captivity think that to visit a zoo is ------

(A) advisable (B) courageous (C) unfortunate (D) immoral

2. Although my good friend had ------ the movie, I was ------ by the weak plot.

(A) criticized; convinced (C) recommended; disappointed (B) proposed; frightened (D) enjoyed; impressed

3. Surprisingly, Sheldon London loved peanuts but found peanut butter ------.

(A) old-fashioned (B) exquisite (C) repugnant (D) creamy

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Self-revision of figurative expressions at your fingertips

In the following sentences, find and identify the figures of speech. Most of them are similes or metaphors. Some of the sentences have more than one figure of speech. Exchange papers with your study partners.

1. When Jim came out, only a handful of players was left in the locker room.

2. The events of the past week paraded before their parents’ eyes.

3. The young tourists stood still, feasting their eyes on the view.

4. Jane’s hair was like burnished copper after the hair rinse.

5. The sun smiled on the crowds as the big game began at noon.

6. Help me with this blue suitcase – it weighs a ton!

7. Sunlight sifted through the trees.

8. This flower has a not unpleasant smell.

9. Why hurry? We have oceans of time!

10. The grim visage of Danger stared Johnny in the eye.

11. Charlestown High slaughtered Lakeview.

Alternative toothache treatment

STATISTICAL information coming from the public dental service reveals that most persons visit the dentist because of toothache. They naturally expect that the offending tooth will be extracted. But just because you have a terrible toothache does not mean the tooth will have to be extracted. Root canal therapy can save an abscessed tooth or one with a damaged pulp (packet of nerves and blood vessels in the core) and should be the preferred procedure over extraction, obviously if the patient can afford it.

Incidentally, we need to remember even if a pain appearing anywhere in the mouth should go away by itself, it should not be ignored. Sometimes it could point to a serious condition. For example, heart problems may first

manifest themselves as pain in the lower jaw and teeth.

You may justifiably ask, “if I suddenly get a toothache what can I do about it other than going immediately to see a dentist (which is almost always unlikely)?” you may want to try any one of these as a temporary measure for alleviation.

First, take a double dose of the analgesic you normally would take for an ordinary headache. I usually recommend for immediate relief 600mgs of Ibuprofen (Motrin). Second, a tiny cotton ball soaked in clove oil and placed in the cavity invariably mitigates the pain immediately. If you cannot get clove oil, pulverise a few cloves in a drop of olive oil and use that instead. Third, apply a cold compress to the affected areas, especially if the corresponding cheek had

recently begun to swell. Cold is the only physical agent capable of subduing inflammation, of which the symptoms include pain and swelling. Occasionally, it may help if cold water is held in the mouth. But one should be careful when using cold or heat with aching teeth.

Fourth, an increase in blood pressure can cause toothache. The pulp chamber cannot distend to accommodate the changes in pressure because it is located in the centre of the tooth. The augmented pressure, therefore, compresses the nerves, which results in pain. Elevation of the head can decrease pressure. This method may be found to be useful when the toothache attacks during the hours of slumber. However, even if relief is achieved, the pain wakes you up at night; it is serious for

the tooth.

Fifth, tooth pain after eating sweets means the acid produced from the converted sugar is acting on the exposed nerve endings in the cavity. The way to resist this is to neutralise the acid. A home remedy is rinsing the mouth in the morning with a solution of baking soda.

Baking powder has some sodium bicarbonate, which can also be utilised. The sixth and final recommendation to achieve emergency relief from a toothache is to clean out the cavity (the direct application of alcohol in the cavity usually numbs it for a short while) and then plug it completely with sugarless

chewing gum.

It must be emphasised that these are only some temporary measures to get relief from a toothache. In every case of tooth pain, professional assistance should be sought for a permanent cure.