Pepperpot 04 30 2017

Joey France

80

and ‘still strong’ ► Page

II

80 and ‘still strong’ II

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

Joey France

By Rawle Toney

BRING UP the topic of bodybuilding and weightlifting in Guyana and the name Joey France will come up. In fact, he’s one of few who excelled both locally and internationally in both versions of the ‘power sport’.

The late Sydney Paul, called the ‘God Father’ of weightlifting in Guyana, chronicled that the sport was introduced in the then British Guiana by the Bacchus family, who resided in Queenstown, Georgetown, in 1936; one year before France was born.

“I was just 16-years-old when I got into bodybuilding, going to the Catholic Youth Organisation (CYO) Club in Robb Street. Cycling was really my hobby, but I couldn’t afford it” France explained.

France celebrated his 80th birthday

recently, and took time to reflect on the two sports that brought him national recognition and becoming a community hero.

By 1955, France felt that he was ready to make his debut in bodybuilding, competing at the Muscle Beach Competition and surprised himself with a second place finish.

“It was an Easter Monday, and back then we used to have the Muscle Beach competition by the Seawalls. I went out there, and did my thing, came second, which was a surprise because like I said, it was just an exercise for me” France highlighted with sparkling 80 and still going! Joey France and wife during his 80th Birthday celebration (Colin Bess-Nelson photos) smile.

The charismatic 80-year-old recounted his 1956 junior Mr. Guyana competition and three years later (1959) his participation in the Senior Mr. Guyana where he was triumphant.

It was in 1959 where he then switched to weightlifting, stating: “I was strong. My body Turn to page III ►►►

Joey France competing at the Central American Games

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

III

STEM Guyana team ready to participate in inaugural Robotic Olympics in the USA

First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, today, met with the group of young Guyanese at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, who are currently fine-tuning their robotic project in preparation for the inaugural Robot Olympics in Washington DC, USA in July. Minister of Public Telecommunications, Ms. Catherine Hughes, Director of the Sports, Mr. Christopher Jones and a number of private sector sponsors were also present when the group presented their progress report and relayed some of the challenges that they have encountered to date.

The First Lady informed the students that the Ministry of Education as well as a number of other agencies have committed to supporting their participation in the upcoming championship. “Robotics is an important area of study. This is going to govern agricultural, social, educational and economic develop-

ment and I am very happy to see how young people are just glomming on this initiative and running with it,” she said.

Meanwhile, Minister Hughes issued a call to corporate Guyana to get on-board and support this group of young, vibrant and creative Guyanese, who are set to represent the country at such a major platform. “We need to be able to fund this trip and so we are asking everyone who can step forward and make a donation, to consider it your national duty to do so,” she said.

More than 150 countries from around the world are expected to participate at the Robot Olympics. This initiative is part of the wider Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme, which was started last year under the aegis of the First Lady’s Office. It is being spearheaded by Ms. Karen Abrams, an overseas-based Guyanese.

◄◄◄ From page II

American Games in 1967.

Joey, as he’s more commonly called, until he migrated to the USA with his wife in 1971, was one of, if not the strongest in his division, but he highlighted that it was not an easy road.

“Food? Boy we use to have to do everything for our self. We didn’t have sponsors like I see some of the guys getting now. In the colonial times things were better, because remember it was British Guiana, so we used to get everything. But after Independence, things changed for plenty of us” France said.

“I used to work at Booker’s Garage as a Serviceman and while they used to give me time-off to train and stuff, they never used to give you money to support you. So it was hard having a family and still doing the sport,” France recalled.

It was while living in the USA, France decided to call it ‘quits’ on both bodybuilding and weightlifting, stating “I couldn’t do it anymore. We had kids. We had to work both day and night. My wife and I used to take turns looking at them as well, but I loved those days. We had real sportsmen then. In fact, I think we played more sports than now. Every day or most weekends, all those grounds used to be full, but not now.”

looked a certain way because I was in the gym all the time.”

Holding a photograph of him participating at the 1966 Central American Games, France, with a smirk and his wife on his side, reflected “those were the days boy! Those days we did everything for the love of the sport; we didn’t get nothing but I like when I’m riding through the area, people use to look up to me and let me know they’re proud of me.” France grew up on ‘Pakoo Dam’, Werk-en-Rust, where he was considered the community ‘idol’.

“Back in those days we had men like Ernest "Marvel" Williams, Roy Cox and Roy McArthur, so competition used to be real stiff, but I was still able to do my thing” said France.

Sydney Paul described France as a world class middleweight, while chronicling the history of weightlifting in Guyana.

France, at the 1966 Central American Games gave Guyana a silver medal for Independence and later the same year was again the silver medallist at the Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica.

France added another silver to his trophy case with the second spot at the Winnipeg Pan

Family Moment! Joey France with his grandchildren.

First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger chatting with the group of young innovators

The STEM Guyana team giving Minister of Public Telecommunications, Ms. Catherine Hughes (first, right) a full run-down of their project

IV

Constitutional motion by appellant dismissed STEVEN asserted that the was compulsorily retired.

But seven years later he sought a declaration from the High Court that he was wrongfully dismissed, and claimed damages. His action was dismissed as being statute-barred.

He appealed to the Court of Appeal, was allowed and the matter was remitted to the High Court to be heard de novo.

The High Court again held that the action was barred by laches and dismissed it.

A second appeal to the Court of Appeal was also dismissed.

On August 8, 2001, the appellant filed a constitutional motion in the High Court seeking a declaration that he had been compulsorily retired and the enforcement of his right to money due to him as salary and superannuation benefits.

The motion was dismissed on the ground that the appellant having waited 20 years to bring the action, and offering no explanation for the delay, was guilty of negligence or unreasonable delay, in seeking to assert or enforce a right and that the motion was an abuse of the process of the Court.

On appeal.

Held: (i) The Court found no basis for interfering with the finding of the trial judge that the institution of proceedings 20 years after compulsory retirement constituted unreasonable delay and an attempt to abuse the process of the Court; (ii) The doctrine of res judicata did apply to the appellant’s claim because, unlike the first claim which was for damages for wrongful dismissal , the present claim was for the enforcement of property rights under article 142 of the Constitution.

Appeal dismissed.

Benjamin Gibson for the Appellant.

Doodnauth Singh,S.C, Attorney General for the Respondents.

Justice of Appeal Ian Chang delivered the judgment: He said: On the 22nd March, 2007, this Court orally dismissed this appeal. On the 27th April on application , the appellant obtained the leave of this Court to appeal its decision to the

Caribbean Court of Justice . The decision of the Court delivered orally on the 22nd March 2007 is now put in writing.

In March 1980 the Appellant, while holding the public office of Deputy Registrar-General , Births and Deaths was criminally charged with the summary offence of Corrupt transaction by agent , contrary to section 105 (2) (a) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act , Chapter 8:02 . However, that charge was dismissed on the 20th January 1981.

Held his action a letter dismissing him from the Public Sercice with effect from the 19th September 1981.

On the 7th July 1988, seven years later, in an action

by Writ of Summons, the appellant sought from the High Court a declaration that he was wrongfully dismissed and claimed damages. The High Court held that his action was statute-barred and dismissed it. However, on appeal to the Court of Appeal the Court of Appeal allowed the appellant’s appeal and remitted the matter to the High Court to be heard de novo.

After the matter was remitted to the High Court the Respondents in that action (who are the same Respondents in this appeal) were granted leave to file an Amended Defence to include laches, acquiescence and delay by the Appellant.

On the 6th December 1996, the High Court Presided over by Justice Burch-Smith upheld the Respondents’ submission that the appellant’s action was barred by laches and dismissed it. For the second time, the appellant appealed to the Court of Appeal. But, on that second appeal, the appellant failed and his appeal was dismissed.

On the 8th August 2001, the Appellant filed a Constitutional Motion to the High Court in which he sought the following reliefs: (a) A declaration that he was compulsorily retired from the Public Service on 19th day of November 1980. (b) An Order for the payment to him of the sum of $200,289. (c) An Order directing the payment to him by way of superannuation as exparte payment and pension. (e) Costs.”

It is instructive to note that in his Motion, the Appellant was not claiming damages for

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

Court Case Files

By George Barclay wrongful dismissal but rather a declaration that he was compulsorily retired and the enforcement of his right to money due to him as salary and superannuation benefits.

The trial judge in dismissing the Appellant’s Motion stated.

“The Applicant has waited 20 years to bring this action which is for arrears of, superannuation and pension benefits.

He is surely guilty of negligence or unreasonable delay in asserting or enforcing a right.

I agree with the submission that this Motion is now an abuse of the process of the Court, which the High Court has an inherent jurisdiction to prevent. No explanation for this delay has been offered by the Applicant by way of affidavit or otherwise.”

The Court is unable to interfere with the finding of fact made by the trial judge that, in filing his Motion 20 years afte his alleged compulsory retirement from the Public Service, the Appellant was guilty of unreasonable delay in asserting or seeking to enforce his claim to property rights in court. As such, this Court cannot set aside the decision of the trial judge to dismiss the Appellant’s motion for abuse of process on the ground of undue delay.

The appeal is accordingly dismissed on the ground that this Court finds no basis for interfering with the finding of the trial judge that the institution of the proceedings 20 years after conmpulsory retirement constituted unreasonable delay and was an attempt to abuse the process of the Court.

m l i F

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017 #SupportCreativity

By Subraj Singh

William Shakespeare’s

Julius Caesar (Part III) LAST week marked the 453rd anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, and while all around the world this event was marked with celebrations, it is unlikely at all that many people in Guyana, even teachers and other literary people, knew that it was the date of the birth of one of the greatest writers who ever lived. It is a pity, because events that highlight Shakespeare’s plays and poems in the week of his birth would have been extremely beneficial not only to the populace as a whole, but especially so to the students who will be writing the CSEC Literature exam in a few days, where they will have to answer questions on Shakespeare’s work, specifically Julius Caesar.

This final article in the Julius Caesar series that I have been writing over the past weeks will focus on the important themes of manipulation and persuasion, going hand in hand with the other themes of politics, power, and pretense, that emerge as some of the most important in this particular play.

Naturally, the first instance of manipulation that comes to mind, is the extended dialogue in the beginning when Cassius plants the seed of the conspiracy to murder Caesar in Brutus’ mind, but there are other kinds of manipulations to be found in the play. There is Anthony’s persuasion of the Plebians that stands as another noteworthy example. However, two of the most important scenes of persuasion in the play involve the two women: Calpurnia and Portia, who are two important characters whose purpose in the play often

become lost in the masculine-packed Julius Caesar.

The women in the play have interesting roles, particularly when it comes to the idea of persuasion. Calpurnia, Caesar’s superstitious wife, has a terrifying (and symbolic) dream of Caesar bleeding, with all of Rome smiling and washing their hands in his blood, and she is convinced that he should not go out of the house on the day the Soothsayers warned him about. Calpurnia knowing her husband’s confidence and high sense of self, initially persuades him to not go out of the house by appealing to the side of him that does not wish to be painted as being weak or scared. Note when she says, “Do not go forth today. / Call it my fear / that keeps you in the house, and not your own.” This is a subtle, but strong, persuasive technique Calpurnia uses, shifting the appearance of fear and weakness over herself instead of Caesar. However, the ruse does not work and Caesar is eventually lured out of the house by Decius, who himself is also a great manipulator in the play.

Similarly, Portia, Brutus’ wife, uses her skills of persuasion on her husband and, like Calpurnia, she also fails to get what she wants.

Portia is very much aware that something troubles her husband (the plot to kill Caesar) and she tries to get him to tell her what is affecting him so, all to no avail. Note when she uses her beauty and her status as his wife to inveigle the truth out of him: “And upon my knees / I charm you, by my once commended beauty, / By all your vows of love and that great vow…” Note also when that

fails and she uses her prominence, her lineage, her status, to persuade him to tell her the truth: “I grant I am a woman, but withal / A woman that lord Brutus took to wife. / I grant I am a woman, but withal a woman well reputed, Cato’s daughter.” In the end, none of her techniques of persuasion work and she is once more turned away.

Perhaps, the way Shakespeare allows the persuasions of the women (well-intentioned and likely to have the changed the course of events were they adhered to) to fail when compared to the way the manipulations of the men succeed can be read as a comment on the patriarchal nature of politics and the way women’s views and opinions are often disregarded even when they are right.

V

VI

WHENEVER one hears about the protection of animals, as a traditional response, one thinks of the “Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals” (GSPCA) at present led by Mr. Oliver Inshanally.

The Guyana Society was established over a century ago in the early 20th Century and it attracted all the main veterinary surgeons and important persons in Colonial Guyana. At this time it was known as the Royal Society

(RSPCA) and was affiliated to the RSPCA in England and membership was something of a state of symbol. Today, the society is less high profile, but its good work has continued and even expanded.

This concern with life as a whole and the protection of animals is a comparatively new ethical position in Western Societies. In Eastern Societies, it was deeply rooted long before the Christian era and was a notable teaching in their religions. In Buddhist Countries, as

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

early as 300 or 400 years before the Christian era, there were animal hospitals, as for example in Emperor Asoka’s Empire. In the 18th and 19th Centuries, European Civilization made rapid advancements and their understanding that all life is One and that animals are relatives of man became common place.

The 19th Century education systems inculcated this idea and in the school readers such as Royal Readers children were socialized into loving, respecting and protecting animals.

Since Guyana was a British Colony, the English education system and Royal Readers were transferred to Guyana and institutions such as the RSPCA were established. This was a Great Civilizing force in Guyanese society.

During the Centuries of Slavery, severe and cruel violence was regularly employed to enforce discipline or merely to drive fear into the plantation slaves to prevent them protesting and rebelling. When slavery was abolished, the Freedmen continued the system of violence since they knew no other and regularly beat up their children and spouses.

They also had regular fights over the slightest quarrels with neighbours where cruel violence was meted out to each other.

In the 19th Century into the 20th Century, all transportation was done by animal-drawn carts or cabs. Donkeys and mules drew the carts and mules in particular did the transport in the sugar industry. The Cabs (Buggies) transported persons. The donkeys and mules were very often cruelly beaten and it was only when the RSPCA began functioning and prosecuting the cart-men that some relief was brought to the animals. Over the last two generations, the public’s attitude to and treatment of animals have improved but there are still far away from the levels of other countries

such as England.

Many are still unclear in their minds as to why we should protect animals and not wantonly harm them. There are several reasons, the most important being the following: 1. When one kills or ill-treats an animal, this harms one’s psyche and makes it easier for one to carry over the same behaviour to humans, including children and spouses. Such result in societal discord, including increases in violent crimes.

2. Secondly, it is now more and more realized that all life is one and no Man is an island as John Donne the metaphysical poet intuitively perceived. The analogy of one small flame lighting a thousand candles is that the same flame exists in them all just as the same life exists in all living beings. To harm or kill other living beings like animals is ultimately to harm one’s self.

3. Thirdly, all animals have mates and young ones whom they protect and raise to adulthood. One may note, for example, that birds go about in pairs. To kill or harm, say, a bird would leave the bait alone to die from isolation and grief or may even orphan young birds who would die since there would be no parents to feed them. This harm meted out to animals, whether one recognizes it or not, will have a matching reaction bringing retribution on the wrongdoer. But no one knows what form such retribution will take until it unfolds itself. This process is known as Karma in certain philosophic systems. It is therefore in one’s self interest not to harm animals.

We began in this article by mention of the GSPCA and will close by reminding that over the years, it has offered voluntary, high-grade veterinary services to the public, inexpensive medicines and a large variety of pets from which to choose. And all this is basically without charge.

THIS WEEK’S PREVIEW: May 1-7, 2017 Dog buy rum, cow drink am, hog in sty get drunk. Should Catalina keep silent about Simon?

On Labour Day Sonny tells Catalina that he’s labouring in the shop but she’s not prepared for the mouthful that Bibi gives her.

Why are Denzil and Alexis fighting over her phone?

What is on it that she doesn’t want her brother to see?

It’s Lunch for the Seniors on Arrival Day but what is displayed among Aunty Myrtle, Sis. Patsy and Simon is anything but exemplary for the Youths.

Shelly is suspicious of Simon. Is he a flirt? Will he be unfaithful to her friend Catalina?

What will Shelly do? Will she warn Catalina?

Don’t miss this week’s episode!!!!

You can also listen on www.merundoi.org.

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Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

VII

New film reveals...

Whitney Houston was ‘bisexual’ WHITNEY Houston's long-rumored secret romance with her best friend and assistant, Robyn Crawford has been detailed in the new documentary, ‘Whitney: Can I Be Me’, which had its world premiere on Wednesday at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Among never-before-seen footage taken

By the end of the 1999 ‘My Love Is Your Love’ world tour, tensions between Robyn and Bobby had reached a breaking point.

throughout the legendary singer’s tumultuous life, both on stage and behind the scenes, the film offers a sensitive, trenchant examination of the star’s relationship with Crawford, long a topic of innuendo.

While it appears Crawford herself was not directly involved with the new documentary, the work features new and archival in-depth interviews from family members, friends and those closest to Houston, and points convincingly to signs that Crawford’s relationship with Whitney was more than platonic, and that her eventual exile from Houston’s life was an overt factor in the singer’s undoing.

“I don’t think she was gay; I think she was bisexual,” Houston’s longtime friend and stylist, Ellin Lavar says in the film.

Lavar adds: “Robyn provided a safe place for her, in that Whitney found safety and solace.”

The film shows that the late Houston, who first met Crawford as a teen in East Orange, New Jersey and was later married to Bobby Brown for 15 years from 19922007, was often in the middle of a contentious relationship between her husband and Crawford.

for Houston. “They were inseparable; they had a bond, and Bobby Brown could never remove Robyn. He wanted to be the man in the relationship.”

“Bobby Brown and Robyn Crawford were like fire and ice; they hated each other,” says David Roberts, Whitney’s former bodyguard, on whom ‘The Bodyguard’ was loosely based.

“They’d battle for her affections. Bobby and Robyn had some physical altercations, and there were times where he wasn’t always the winner,” he said.

“But then, Whitney would always come and pour oil over troubled waters,” he adds.

After the tour, Robyn left. And that’s when Houston’s “downfall” began, according to Lavar. “That was the downfall of Whitney.

Robyn was the person who was keeping her together,” Lavar recalls.

Houston was found submerged in the bathtub in her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 11, 2012, a day before the Grammy Awards, and was pronounced dead at the scene soon afterward. She was 48. The cause of death was deemed accidental drowning, and an autopsy showed she had various drugs in her system.

INSEPARABLE, LIKE TWINS “Robyn and Whitney were like twins,” says Kevin Ammons, who worked security

EXCLUSIVE OBIT Following Houston’s death, Crawford wrote an exclusive obituary for Esquire, in which she described the superstar as “a loyal friend” who “looked like an angel”.

“I loved her laughter, and that’s what I’ll miss most,” she wrote.

In 2013, Whitney’s mother, Cissy Houston told Oprah Winfrey that it “absolutely” would have bothered her if her daughter was gay.

Cissy also wrote for the first time in her 2013 memoir, ‘Remembering Whitney’, about her daughter’s relationship with Crawford.

“I just didn’t want her with my daughter,” she wrote. “I know nothing about a romantic relationship; that’s what everybody said, but they didn’t know either.”

The film is co-directed by documentarians Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal, with the latter having documented Houston throughout her career.

During a question-and-answer period following Wednesday’s premiere, the directors admitted receiving heavy legal pushback about the content of the film, but did not disclose who it was that disapproved.

When asked what he made of Houston and Crawford’s relationship, having known them personally, Dolezal told the audience, “I think that Robyn was probably the only person, at least that I met, who completely understood Whitney.

“Whitney trusted Robyn 100 per cent; she was her confidante, and that was the source of the friction and dilemma Whitney was in with now having a husband.”

VIII

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

CAUTION!!! It may be Hazardous EVERY day, society produces large volumes of different types of waste. Some of these wastes are actually dangerous and can cause serious damage to our health, that of other living organisms, as well as, the environment. This week we will examine some ways in which hazardous wastes can be safely managed.

DID YOU KNOW SOME COUNTRIES DISPOSE OF THEIR HAZARDOUS WASTES IN OTHER COUNTRIES?

The Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, emerged as a result of companies from developed countries, paying less-developed countries to take their hazardous waste. Often the government of the importing country was not even aware that a private landowner had negotiated payments in exchange for storage of the hazardous waste.

Most of the landowners accepting the waste were ill-equipped to safely store it without risking contamination to the environment and surrounding communities. Another way that companies and developed countries disposed of their hazardous waste was to sink it in the ocean, in in-

ternational waters! This method also caused contamination. The Basel Convention restricts the transport and storage of hazardous waste across international boundaries.

WHAT MAKES WASTE HAZARDOUS? What is hazardous waste? Waste, of course, is anything that is no longer useful.

Hazardous waste is something that is no longer useful, and which could be dangerous to humans and the environment if improperly disposed of or stored. Hazardous waste can come from industrial activities and household products. One way to know whether or not the waste is hazardous, is to look at its label.

Any product labelled WARNING,

CAUTION, POISONOUS, TOXIC, FLAMMABLE, CORROSIVE, REACTIVE or EXPLOSIVE should be considered hazardous. There are five main categories of hazardous waste.

FLAMMABLE These are materials which could ignite easily. When stored in a normal landfill or warehouse, these materials could spontaneously combust or explode from friction, moisture or chemical changes and would burn for a long time. Often the smoke from these fires is toxic adding pollution to the already considerable threat from fire. Can you think of any such materials? Some examples are solvents, thinners, cleaners, adhesives, paints, waxes and polishes.

CORROSIVE Materials that are corrosive to human tissue or containers are in a second category. This kind of waste usually has a pH of less than 2 (very strong acid) or greater than 12.5 (very strong base). These materials may burn skin, eyes or internal organs if a worker comes into contact with them. They may also corrode metal or plastic containers. Examples of corrosive hazardous waste are ammonia (window cleaners), bleach, drain openers and oven cleaners. Batteries from electronics such as cell phones, laptops and tablets as well as small batteries used in flashlights, cameras and clocks contain acid that is corrosive. Old car batteries are also corrosive hazardous waste.

REACTIVE These wastes have the potential to react with air or water in a dangerous way. Explosives, gunpowder and ammunition are examples of reactive waste and should not be put in the landfill.

TOXIC Toxic waste is the largest category of hazardous waste. Anything that is strongly toxic to humans or other living organisms would be included here. The danger with toxic waste is that it could leak into the soil or groundwater, contaminating sources for domestic and agricultural uses.

Pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals and many household chemicals are all toxic. Radioactive waste is not covered by the Basel Convention because it is addressed in another treaty.

INFECTIOUS These are known or reasonably expected to contain a pathogen e.g. bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi) or other

agent that can cause diseases in humans or animals. Infectious wastes are usually found in hospitals and health clinics.

Hazardous waste is a problem in Guyana because profitable businesses create hazardous waste. Most household waste is disposed of in landfills where toxic and corrosive waste can leach into the soil and groundwater.

In our current situation, we should concentrate on reducing our use of poisons and hazardous chemicals in our homes and businesses. We can also use rechargeable batteries and avoid disposing of cell phones, tablets and laptops as long as they can still be used.

According to the Basel Convention, countries are not allowed to transport their toxic waste across borders to store or dispose of in another country except in specific circumstances. For example, a country with the capacity to recycle some kind of hazardous waste could accept shipments from other countries. The Basel Convention also restricts sinking containers of hazardous waste in the ocean.

WHO REGULATES HAZARDOUS WASTE IN GUYANA? The Environmental Protection Hazardous Wastes (HW) Management Regulations, 2000, authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to monitor HW and establish guidelines for the proper disposal, treatment, storage, transport and any other activity related to the handling of HW. Proper management of Hazardous Waste involves; 1. Registration with and Authorisation by EPA, 2. Having an emergency preparedness plan, 3. Proper storage and transport system 4. An environmentally sound disposal system Guyana is a signatory to the Basel Convention, and the EPA is the National Focal Point in the country for the Convention. This means that the EPA will be the lead Agency in coordinating national actions in Guyana towards meeting the obligations under the Basel Convention.

C/O Environmental Communication, Education and Awareness programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, tele; 225-5467-9, facebook; Environmental Protection Agency- Guyana or email us at: eit. epaguyana@gmail.com

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

IX

Lisa Punch is unafraid

– to be ‘Perfectly Imperfect’

By Tamica Garnett THE emotions on Lisa Punch’s new EP, “Perfectly Imperfect” goes from heartbreak, to “totally in

Lisa Punch (left) with designer, Mwanza Glenn at her EP listening party last Saturday

love”, to “straight up get up out my face before I catch a case”. And she does it all in just four songs.

But whatever you think of the musical collection, what’s certain is that Punch is definitely stepping up the game in the quality of her music.

The Rising Star alum proclaims that the collection is about letting the world know that she’s not perfect, and that she doesn’t want to be.

“I can never be who everyone wants me to be,” she said. “I don’t want to be; it’s too hard living up to people’s expectation of who I should be.

“I’m simply Lisa Punch, and that’s what the album

tells everyone,” the former Miss World Guyana told The Buzz.

“This EP,” she said, “started as a therapy for me because of some stuff I felt the need to get over.

“I was trying to live up to everyone else’s expectation of me, and forgot that

my dreams are still valid. Therefore, I’ll let everyone know that I’m perfectly imperfect and I don’t mind.”

Punch recorded the EP at DP Records, coming up with the lyrics on her own for all of the songs, except “Trap Queen”, which she put together with the help of her sister.

Turn to page XII ►►►

X

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

Appreciating Guyana through backpacking THE BEAUTY of 83,000 sq. miles is often overlooked, not because of the absence of a patriotic spirit, but the limited opportunities to absorb and appreciate the social, cultural and environmental elements which make this society a unique one.

Indeed, in an era dominated by technological advancement and the phenomenon of globalization, it is rare to see someone casually pack a haversack and embark on a journey for a few days; entirely by foot. However, it is not non-existent, at least not in Guyana.

Backpacking has been around in Guyana for quite a number of years. It is a form of lowcost, independent travel, done primarily by foot. It includes wilderness adventures, local travel and travel to nearby countries, where travellers carry their possessions on their backs in a backpack.

Though tedious and physically demanding, the experience is worth more than the sacrifice.

And no one knows this better than Roberto Tewari, who started backpacking in Guyana last year.

Despite being a newcomer, Tewari has managed to walk from Georgetown to Mahaicony (54.4km or 34 miles); Georgetown to Parika (43km or 27 miles); a shorter distance of Tuschen to Parika (8.4kim or 6 miles); and the entire Essequibo Coast, from Charity to Supenaam (65km or 40 miles).

According to the backpacker, this hobby has provided him with the opportunity to generate a greater appreciation for this country and its fascinating culture and scenery, which are often take for granted.

“Walking allows me to see places that I usually drive past quickly every day in a slow motion way. I get to pay attention to so much more details about the surroundings. Even though I would pass these places routinely, walking made me realise how much I was

Local backpacker Roberto Tewari, during his backpacking trip from Charity to Supenaam

Equally important, he continues, is having basic travel necessities such as water and snacks and extra clothing if there is need to change. Should the trip be an overnight one, Tewari says that the necessary gear becomes a lot more. Added to that short list would be things such as a hammock, tent or sleeping bag, repellant and flashlights among other stuff.

However, he noted that the trick is to pack the haversack with its weight in mind, since it would have to be carried on the back throughout the journey. Therefore, the lighter the backpack, the easier the journey and the faster you are able to travel.

He revealed too, that another trick if you are going to overnight, is to start looking for somewhere safe to sleep as early as in the afternoon. This is due to the fact that it might be difficult to assess the safety of an area when it is dark and this could be a security risk.

That aside, the adventurer believes that the experience is one on which a price tag cannot be put. He describes it as “easy and fun” and suggests that newcomers begin with short distances and gradually increase the distance they walk.

He credits his exposure to backpacking to his friend, Ric Couchman, another local

missing out on. It’s like you are able to capture every single detail one step at a time” he passionately shares.

This, unfortunately, is the reality for many Guyanese.

Quite often the rich social and cultural ingredients that make Guyana a melting pot are overlooked. But according to Tewari, backpacking provides an appreciation for country by connecting people to the surroundings and detaching them from worldly obligations.

“All my troubles seem to be a distant memory when I hit the road. I am able to appreciate the skill of a coconut vendor shaving a coconut, while inhaling the fresh Atlantic breeze. I can observe trees dancing in the wind without music. I am able to see the patience and calmness of men catching fish in a nearby trench. These are the things which foreign countries and the developed world cannot offer us and we usually take it for granted,” the traveller says.

But more than just appreciation for country, backpacking offers health benefits, both mental and physical. Tewari explains that the journey on foot is physically demandRic Couchman’s book ‘Following the Blue Morpho,’ ing, but what is also necessary which gives an insight into backpacking in Guyana for a successful trip is mental strength to continue when one backpacker who has travelled greater disfeels like giving up. tances across Guyana. Couchman, who has a “It puts the body through tremendous wealth of experience in backpacking, is curpressure, especially if the journey is very rently in the process of writing a book titled long. You need to keep yourself hydrated “Following the Blue Morpho,” which delivat all times. Even if you’re walking through ers an insight into backpacking in Guyana. the rain, your body needs to be hydrated.”

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

XI

CRIME, A PREDICTOR OF POVERTY – The impact of crime on the individual, the community, the society – Taking a look from the flip-side of the coin

By M Margaret Burke IT is widely believed and with much statistical data to support the point that poverty is a major causal factor of crime. These statistics have been derived from much researched work –- in many cases from reputable bodies to support the work done over many years. These are undisputed facts that no one should try to argue over.

On the contrary however, is the fact that crime is also a contributory factor to poverty.

Maybe the most under-discussed subject matter, when looking at the social issue of ‘crime and poverty’ is that ‘crime causes poverty’, not that the reverse is not true, for it has been proven over the years, but enough is not being discussed on the effects of crime as it relates to causing poverty.

There is the old saying that “crime does not pay” and in this sense impoverishes the victim, the criminal and the community.

Mr Andrew Hicks of UG High-crime areas discourage businesses and their customers, as well as residents; high levels of crime at any level tend to stall or discourage growth and development, be it within the home; within communities, and the nation in general.

WHITE COLLAR CRIME Senior Lecturer of the University of Guyana, Mr Andrew Hicks, in an invited discourse stated, “It is customary when looking at the relation of crime and poverty in society, to treat crime as the dependent; that poverty is the predictor of crime and not very often it is viewed as crime being the predictor of poverty.

“In the context of white collar crime -- tax evasion and all those kinds of things, where governments are responsible for providing public goods and services and one such good has to do with health; education… and those are social sector services that are aimed at socio-political, cultural and sometimes economic transformation.

“Through education we may be able to transition from one level of the class spectrum to another, but if as individuals and as companies we are not engaged in paying our fair share of taxes, then what in fact we are doing is impoverishing the state and by virtue of impoverishing the state we are impoverishing every other citizen and in the circumstances you are creating some disabilities within the state that limits the state’s capacity to provide meaningfully, in terms of the dispensation of public goods and services, for example in education and in health.”

Mr Hicks, who served the university as Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Head of the Department of Sociology, is of the view that, “If we cannot provide an acceptable quality of education, then what it means is that the citizens are going to be under-educated and therefore they are going to be without the capacity to contribute to the economic transformation or economic development of their respective economies of scale, whether it be at the level of the family, whether it be at the level of our regional constituencies or at the national level.”

In reinforcing the point of crime being a predictor or poverty, Mr Hicks noted that Sutherland (Edwin Sutherland is an American criminologist) did speak about the whole isTurn to page XIII ►►►

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Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

◄◄◄ From page IX

THE OTHER LISA One thing’s for sure: Fans who tune in to the songs will definitely see a side of Punch that may not live up to the Soul and R&B mould that the 24-yearold has been somewhat typecast in over the years. Several fans and supporters got a chance to hear the songs and rub shoulders with the singer at listeningparty-meet-and-greet at the Gizmos and Gadgets Roof Garden last Saturday.

The EP does contain a lot of R&B though, with songs like “Let Me Show You” and “Fool for Ya”, which are all about love; or “For A Moment”, which just bubbles with emotion as she croons about always keeping someone in her heart, even though they’re gone.

But then there’s the expletive-riddled “Trap Queen”, where Punch seems over-the-top intent on shaking the sweetlittle-girl image. Can’t help wondering if she’s ready to jump in the ring with Nicki Minaj and Remy Ma! Says Lisa, “I’m sweet and loving, but I’m also raunchy and loud at times. I’m not that little girl anymore; I’m a beautiful, sexual being.

“Trap Queen is the Lisa I can never be publicly, but the woman I admire. Everyone close to me says I’m too trusting, and too nice, and can never say ‘no’ to people.

“Trap Queen is the me I wish I was sometimes, especially to persons I know don’t like me.”

OVER THE SHOCK Once you get over the initial shock of hearing the star Guyana’s little darling being foul-mouthed though, you really start to get into the rhythm and appreciate the development that Lisa has made with these tracks.

The tracks are the kind you don’t like at first, but then the more you listen to it, the more you fall in love with it. And before you know it, they’re at the top of your “go-to” playlist.

Obviously, the focus of the EP, “Trap Queen”, reminds one of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”. And you definitely get the feeling that Lisa is coming into her own, both musically and personally.

Quite the distance from her seven-track debut album, “The Evolution of Lisa Punch”, it’s obvious that the evolution is still evolving.

For now, Punch is working on promoting her EP, which is available for sale on Itunes and Google Play.

She’s also headed on a tour of Europe and the US to give the EP as much limelight as possible before she drops her next album, which she’s already working on.

“My new album will be out this year, and will be promoted bigger than the EP for sure,” she said.

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017 ◄◄◄ From page XI

sue of ‘white collar crime syndrome’, “and so my argument therefore is that those of us who perpetrate various forms of white collar crime are in fact contributing to the perpetuation of poverty, because we are robbing citizens of an opportunity for government to meaningfully invest in their socio-cultural development and by extension an investment that speaks to their personal empowerment and transformation.”

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Mr Hicks has over the years been paying special attention to the family structure, youths, peer education and counselling stated, “If we look at domestic violence as another form of crime, then clearly, we can also find that there is a relationship between crime and poverty.”

He noted that while this view makes a departure from the traditional liberal economic perspective, he believes that this is a perspective that is still valid; in the context of economics, there is a tendency to evaluate production and development from the perspective of the GDP as a determinant of the

A mother working in her kitchen garden

levels of collective wealth that is earned by a nation, Hicks noted that just as white collar crime contributes significantly to the reduction of national wealth, “…similarly in the context of domestic violence, the continued maiming of our women; abuse of our women, contribute significantly to the perpetuation of poverty.

WOMEN AND SOCIAL REPRODUCTION And I hasten to say this because in its classical sense, women have been the main contributors to what is called social reproduction and when we speak about social reproduction, we are talking about the amount of time and resources that are required to make a new member of the society develop into a functional individual, who is capable of making a valuable contribution to the development and sustenance of that society.”

Hicks noted that women do this by substituting their own economies of scale in the context of income within the family; they help to engender substitutes by reducing the spending on unnecessary imports; by ensuring that the members of the family have the necessary nutrients and so on. He said that women, particularly our rural women, tend to have kitchen gardens, domestic birds that they rear, as a means of substituting family income, “and so in that context women are involved in what is called social production and social production is an informal economic arrangement, which is employed essentially by women within the context of their family systems to generate incomes as a means of substituting the economic needs of the family to guarantee sustenance; to guarantee social reproduction to make a newborn functional adult.”

Therefore, he said that while the conventional economic system does not account for these contributions, we still cannot ignore the contributions of women in this context. “And so when we injure our women; when we abuse them, what in fact we are doing is inhibiting their capacity to substitute the income of the family in the context of social reproduction… creating a gap within the family system, and you are creating forms of economic hardship that are the result of domestic Turn to page XX ►►►

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XIV

Support your children’s dreams

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

THE MONTH of April certainly re-energised me and to think one of the reasons is because I was hanging with a lot of super talented young people with vision and not forgetting family time.

Sometimes we need to be reminded that what they do with their lives will determine this country’s future. People who are familiar with things I am passionate about, know how I feel about working with the young talents.

A few months ago I received a call from Mrs. Peters who wanted us to meet. We met and she introduced her talented daughter, Halima, to me.

She said she was listening to one of my interviews and I was talking about lack of support for the creative sector and some parents even discouraging their kids, so as to not get involved. She admitted to being one of those mothers but decided

to support her daughter's dream from that day. Halima wants to be a designer, so I chatted with her for about an hour and even went through her book, which had many of her sketches, so I challenged her to produce one of the outfits.

A few weeks later they came by my showroom with a red dress and a model to showcase her design.

I gave her my opinions and advice on the outfit and we chatted for a while.

She has a teachable spirit and hungry to learn. She now she has another challenge.

We have to continue to encourage our youths to dream BIG and know one day that the dream with be a reality if they are willing to do the work.

We need to have a ‘want to do’ mindset rather than a ‘want to be’ because in the doing, you become.

Talking about doing brings a name to the forefront, one of my favorite legal minds is Ms. Ayana Mc Calman.

This young Attorney is revolutionary and I know in a few years, because of her doings, Mc Calman and Company will be a household name in this country.

Ayana, Gary Thompson of Global Marketing and I had a powerful mastermind meeting a week ago and this is something

I will encourage people to do.

I really enjoy working with these young people who are global thinkers and that was one of the reasons I attended the Startup Grind (Guyana chapter) when I was invited by Svetlana Marshall. Although my day was hectic and I was a bit exhausted after a day of many activities, including Unleash your promise and Potential Women's Conference at Georgetown Club.

This impressive young group (Startup Grind) hosted a dynamic fireside chat and networking forum as we join the world in recognizing Girls in ICT. The interview with Norma Daniels, owner of CSR COMPUTERS GUYANA was brilliant. Her company employs a large percentage of women because she is on a mission to have more females join the ICT world. Congrats to Director Hilary Benjamin-Bayer and hard-working team for thinking out of the box.

Love the energy and what they stand for and I pledge my support to this initiative because it will add value to others.

These young leaders give me hope for our beautiful Guyana.I left WE OWN SPACE (love this venue) so energised and hopeful. I heard about this venue and how many opportunities they are offering because of the reasonable rental prices. I took to the opportunity to chat with the founder, Eldon Marks.

He won the first hackathon in Guyana and is also the CEO of Version75 Solutions I am convinced that young man is going to go in the major league because of his leadership abilities, not to mention his GQ good looks. Lol He is humble, which is important for elevation. Mr Marks has vision and is not afraid to take risks and I love that. That space he created will be the launch pad for many great initiatives which will contribute to the development phase for Guyana Will leave you with one of my favorite quotes and wishes for the week ahead as we continue this beautiful journey called life beyond the runway.

"Press on – nothing can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Perseverance and determination alone are omnipotent" - Calvin Colidge

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

XV

Alcohol/Drug Interventions Hello Everyone, I HOPE this week has treated you well.

Last week, I spoke about the harm that substance use/abuse causes to the families and friends of the abuser. I spoke about what they can do for themselves and where they can get help and support. As promised, today I will write about what you can do for the abuser in the circle, specifically, how to conduct an intervention.

WHAT IS AN INTERVENTION? It is very difficult to convince addicts to break their habits, especially if they are not ready to. However, watching them struggle with their addiction is just as challenging, even more so if they are in denial. This is why interventions were created.

These are planned talks or behaviours by the family and friends of substance users -- pretty much anyone who is affected by their use. They all gather together in a safe, non-confrontational environment to speak to the addict about his/her use.

It is a structured way for addicts to accept their situation, obtain motivation to seek help, all the while feeling fully respected and supported. There is no screaming, foul language or violence. The user should not feel judged, threatened or a burden. Please keep in mind that interventions are not only used for alcohol or illegal drugs, but any addiction including prescription medication, gambling or even eating disorders. If it is substance use, do your best to plan the intervention during a time when the user is least likely to be under the influence.

HOW IS AN INTERVENTION TYPICALLY CONDUCTED? Professionals such as social workers or drug counsellors are usually present during these sessions in order to present the facts of addiction as well as what help is available. They are especially needed if the addict is in denial about the situation. However, taking into consideration the limited resources available within our community, I believe the family and friends can properly educate themselves and host an intervention on their own. However, this does not apply to those that are dealing with a violent and dangerous addict -- you must always seek help.

For the others, hit the library, internet or nearest health centre for information. This brings me to the first step of any intervention.

STEP 1 PLAN It is not wise to go into an intervention without a clear plan of when and where you are going to do it, who will be there and what specific issues you are going to address.

Again, the environment should feel safe to the user and anyone who is personally affected by their use can be in attendance. However, I do

not recommend that you exceed six persons.

If you feel someone should be included, but they have anger issues or might create a problem, have them write a short letter before-hand and read it aloud during the intervention. Note that it can take up to several weeks to plan an effective intervention-- take your time. It is supposed to catch the user off guard, which means you do not tell them if/ when it is going to happen. Rehearse one before actually doing it and see how it goes.

STEP 2 EDUCATION/ INFORMATION It is not wise to go into an intervention without knowing the harm the specific drugs do, how to come off of them and where exactly the user can obtain help. This means what

ing. Remain calm at all times -- even if the user is not.

STEP 4 MAKE THE ALTERNATIVES CLEAR This goes for both the user and the support system. It should start with the support system explaining what will happen to the addict if he/she does not stop their habit. I don’t believe in giving someone something to run away from, but rather something to run to. Instead of saying ‘you will die if you don’t stop’, I believe it is best to say ‘if you stop, you will be able to see your grandchildren more often or ‘you will be able to finally have a functioning relationship.’

Each person present at the intervention should also state clearly what they will do if

a plan has been set in place. Does the user understand that he/she has a problem? What would they like to do about it? When does recovery officially start? Where would they like to go? Who would they like to go with them?

It is important to keep in mind that not all interventions are successful. The user may reject any help or treatment plan or may walk out the room the second he/she knows what is going on. This is when the promised changes become a must. You should do what you claimed you were going to do in this situation. Keep in mind that even a ‘failed’ intervention is beneficial for the friends/ family members, as it allows for education on addiction as well as provides a space for them to share their own concerns and stresses. It also forces the user to accept that his/ her family has a problem or is worried about their addiction. . It can no longer be ignored once out in the open.

A properly and peacefully done intervention will allow the user to feel loved and cared for. It actually promotes selfcare and self-love for both parties.

Please remember to do your research on what is available. Here are some viable options.

Inpatient (live in) options Phoenix Recovery Project 90 Block C Mon Repos 220-6825 Salvation Army Guyana 6 Water Street, Kingston 226-1235 Outpatient options Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings Brickdam Presbytery Tuesdays: 7:30pm-9pm Fridays and Sundays: 6:30pm- 8pm Narcotics Anonymous Meetings Phoenix Recovery Project Sundays 6:30pm- 8pm

is available within our community.

STEP 3 PLAN PARTICIPATION It is best to have one point person in charge to make sure everything stays on track-- this person should be voted by the majority. After that, everyone (one at a time) will have a chance to tell the user how their addiction has harmed them specifically.

Everyone must have a story planned. This could be anything from their child claiming that they feel unsupported to a co-worker expressing their frustration about the extra work they have to do to cover for the addict. Provide specific examples of harmful behaviour conducted by the user.

It is very important that no one interrupts anyone or argues. This more often than not results in the user becoming angry and leav-

the user doesn’t stop. For example, it could be said that they will not feel comfortable around them anymore, separation, divorce, financial cut off and so on. Do not threaten to do anything if you believe you cannot actually follow through with it.

STEP 5 PRESENT TREATMENT PLAN During this phase, the support system should provide all help available within their community to the user. He/she should have a say in how and where their recovery starts.

You should not force any one place or strategy on them. They may be ready to seek help on the spot, you must be prepared for that.

STEP 6 MAKE A DECISION Do not leave the intervention area unless

Cocaine Anonymous Meetings Phoenix Recovery Project Thursdays 6:00pm -7:30pm Next week, I will speak about what happens after someone decides to go into recovery, as that is still only the beginning.

Thank you for reading and please send in any topics to caitlinvieira@gmail.com. Also please remember when you can come see me.

Georgetown Public Hospital :MondayFriday – 8am- 12pm Woodlands Hospital: Outpatient Department Drug and Alcohol group meetings Mondays 4:00pm Good mental health group meetingsWednesdays 4:00pm Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!

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Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

#SupportCreativity

Andrew Sampson:

Master of his many trades A FEW weeks ago I sat down with artist and designer Andrew Sampson to discuss his burgeoning career as a creative entrepreneur. It had been quite a few years since I last spoke to him about his work and it was evident that there had been significant developments in his practice since.

The last time we spoke back in 2008 he was the best graduating student for that year at the E.R. Burrowes School of Art, exhibiting his ceramics and graphic design work at

Ceramic light bulb covers

Artist and graphic designer Andrew Sampson

A collection of wall light covers

the Umana Yana.

Sampson explained that after completing his studies in 2008 he went on pursue a few courses at Global Technology to supplement the handson experience he had gotten at the art school.

Shortly after that he began working at a printery in Eccles for a few months before migrating to the British Virgin Islands (BVI), a venture he explained was made possible with the help of the art school and particularly the school’s ceramic tutor Mr. Everly Austin.

Sampson admitted that although his move to the BVI was hectic, he managed to settle in and got to work teaching ceramics to children and adults at Bamboushay Virgin

Islands Arts.

“I did it for that year and the next year.

Then surprisingly the government stopped sponsoring the art program. After that the company had to transform it into something like a business for us to make money. We ran it for another two years or so. But then because we had to do the program ourselves we had to add certain costs to it.

Parents started to complain. So we broke down the price year after year. Then one year came and the accountant called a small meeting and said, ‘We’ve been looking at the books and this program teaching pottery to people is not making money. So we’ll have to make a decision to cut the program.’ Unfortunately that was done and the program was dropped.”

After the cancellation of the program Sampson transitioned into ceramic pottery production, sales and marketing for the company. It was around 2014 that he eventually took a break from the job and came back to Guyana for a few months.

“During that period I was still in the valley of decision as to if I should go back or stay here and teach. Teaching has always been my passion and so has owning my business. I applied to the ministry for a teaching position, the school board secretariat to be exact.

That was an extraordinary experience Turn to page XVII ►►►

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017 ◄◄◄ From page XVI

for me because I applied for the teaching position and at the same time I started receiving correspondence from the company saying they needed me to go back. So I was trying to weigh the scales to see which was better and which one I wanted more. In the long run I took up the offer to go back.

years down the line is that I must be an artist that anyone can come to and anything they want in the line of art I must be able to give them. I must be able to fit anywhere.

If potential is there why limit yourself to just one or two areas? Why not burst out into your full potential and make yourself marketable?”

When asked about the changes he would make if he

A ceramic sign for the High Point Villa in the British Virgin Islands

Initially they said I was going to work for three months because our responsibility as a company was to make ceramic light covers for all of the lights on this cruise ship pier. You’re talking about at least 800 lights. It was a big project so I decided to take it and then come back to teach.

I went there and it wasn’t as I thought. Things were set back. We had to do another project for Oil Nut Bay Resort, which lasted about a month and a half. The contract was then extended to four months but I said I would work it out and come back in August.

August came and I was still there working. So I said I would come home in December. December came and I was still there. Eventually it went on to one year and when that year came I knew I had to make a decision. At that time the cruise ship pier was completed and I was back to production work for small clients. So I told myself that I would try to start my dream of having my own business.”

Once again, he moved back to Guyana, this time to invest in building his own small business. He has since been actively expanding his list of clients even as he continues to experiment with new graphic design techniques. While his fine art production has decreased over the years, it has not completely stopped.

He still produces the occasional piece upon request and has entered works in last year’s Guyana Visual Art Competition and Exhibition. For the most part however, his main creative output has included t-shirt printing, screen-printing, heat transfers, sublimation printing and vinyl work, most of which he learned on his own.

“Screen-printing I learned at Burrowes. Heat transfers, sublimation prints and vinyl transfers I learned on my own.

I spent a lot of time researching, looking at Youtube videos and learning all of the details.

I remember my days at Burrowes. Ms. Valz would always say, ‘Sampson, don’t be a jack of all trades and a master of none.’ But in my mind I saw myself as a fine artist. Fine arts entail everything. My vision for myself ten

XVII had the authority to influence the development of the local creative industry, Sampson emphasized the importance of getting the private sector on board. He noted that hotels and big businesses already have the framework necessary to ensure sustainable careers for local artists, both emerging and established.

“I would also push for us to have a deep-water harbor. I’ve seen what having that can do in other Caribbean countries and I’m speaking from my own experience in the BVI. When you have three cruise ships a day coming in to your country, business is booming. If we had a deep-water harbor and a cruise ship terminal with smaller cruise ships coming in with 1000 or 500 tourists imagine how business would boom.”

His final words of advice for aspiring creative entrepreneurs: “Have a plan and stick to it. There are lots of avenues where you can access loans and grants, make use of them.

There’s IPED, the commercial banks, the Small Business Bureau etc. For me, I was probably a step ahead because I was able to work, save and use that money to invest. For some it might not be that way. If you’re fortunate enough to acquire the funds somehow, focus, have a plan and don’t let anything distract you. Yes you will have obstacles but stick to it and work through it.

My boss’ wife is a prominent lawyer in the BVI who runs a few businesses and while I was there she gave me a lot of advice about business. Her advice to me was ‘Business is never easy. Within the first year or two you’re going to lose a lot. Don’t see that as a deterrent.

But a few years later once you’ve marketed yourself right and put yourself in the right position with the right clients, you’re going to make it.’ So that would be my advice to any young artist whether they’re coming out of high school, Burrowes or any other institution.”

A collection of t-shirts printed by Andrew Sampson

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Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

Biological ways of controlling the

Red Palm Mite THE red palm mite (RPM), Raoiella indica, has continued to be a predominant and invasive pest of coconut and other palm plants in Guyana for the past three years after its first discovery on the island of Wakenaam (Guyana) in 2013.

Ranking the third most important economic crop in Guyana’s economy, the coconut palm serves a multi-functional role in the agricultural sector. While the red palm mite’s potential impact on the coconut industry in Guyana is not yet known, it has been recorded that yields can be reduced in excess of 50% with crop losses ranging from 70-90%. For instance, in Trinidad, coconut production decreased by 70% within one year after the introduction of the invasive pest red palm mite.

Control of RPM has become challenging for farmers since their only means of control is chemical application of miticides either by injecting or spraying onto palms. Agrochemicals have serious implications on both human and the environment; also pests are becoming resistant to these chemicals. Thus, the need for not only alternative but sustainable methods of control is necessary.

Biological control is an alternative to the

use of chemical pesticides. Biological control entails the use of predators and parasitoids (natural enemies/ biological control agents) to control a targeted pest. They feed on, compete with or otherwise inhibit pests and their population growth and spread there by, keeping them under the threshold level.

Biological control has been around for decades and has been one of the safest method of control for insect pest. They are target specific, economically viable in the long term and most importantly are sustainable and environmentally friendly. Based on literature, two species that have been found to have the potential for use as biological control agents for the Red Palm Mite are identified as the green lacewing, and a mite which feeds on the RPM: Amblyseius largoenesis.

Experiments are ongoing to test the effectiveness of both of these natural enemies on the RPM. Likewise, biological fungicides may act to suppress the population of the pathogenic organism through competition. Entomo-

pathogenic fungi that infect insects have received considerable attention by scientists for their potential for biological control of pests. Some pathogenic fungi have restricted

host ranges while other fungal species have a wide host range. These entomopathogens have contact mode of action in most cases. It contacts the cuticle, forms appresoria, penetrates into the insect, proliferates, produces toxins and ultimately kills the insect. The insect host shows reaction of reduced or increased feeding, behavioural fever, aberrant mating, and changed ovipositional preferences.

Since this form of control is inexpensive, sustainable, environmentally friendly and easily available, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) seeks to test the effectiveness of the entomopathogenic fungi against red palm as an alternative method of control to chemical.

This fungus was used in Texas to evaluate its effectiveness against whiteflies and the results were positive, likewise in Africa this fungus has had the same success in the control of flea vectors of the plague. As such NAREI is using this background data as a foundation for their research.

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017

Aries You are well intended when you ask pointed questions today, but people might think you are overstepping boundaries. However, the sensitive Cancer Moon connects you to the moods of others, and you could overcompensate in an attempt to smooth over an awkward situation. You may be so eager to make things right that you appear to be someone's champion. Nevertheless, assuming responsibility for another person's emotions leads you down the road toward co-dependency issues and power struggles. Take a deep breath and be a good friend without attempting to run the entire show.

Taurus Your positive outlook may be hiding a deeper set of concerns. Your strategy of sharing lots of personal information could be a smokescreen to lure others off track.

However, this tactic won't likely work now as instant karma lurks in the shadows, ready to strike if you overdo your evasive manoeuvres. Although revealing your vulnerability is challenging today, it's still smarter to acknowledge your shortcomings instead of sidestepping them. Keeping your words simple and to the point paves a road to happiness.

Gemini You're searching for your groove today, and it may be a rough ride until you find it.

Thankfully, once you discern what works best for you, it's easier to focus on your skills instead of denying your weaknesses. But overbearing Jupiter is in the picture, so you must pay attention to how much energy you expend. Knowing when to call it quits can make the difference between success and failure, especially since your overconfidence sets you up for disappointment. Don't blame others for letting you down; accept the responsibility for expecting too much from them.

Cancer Your moodiness can be quite overwhelming now that the emotional Moon is visiting your self-protective sign. Luckily, you're able to overcome lingering insecurities and pursue whatever is in your heart. But you could inadvertently stir up unnecessary trouble by demanding more than you need. Instead of focusing on what's missing from your life, count your blessings; expect nothing and appreciate everything.

Leo You might know exactly what you want and how you're going to change the dynamics of the day to work in your favour. Unfortunately, reality isn't necessarily following your script. Instead of digging in and preparing for a fight with anyone who blocks your progress, try a different approach. Rather than isolating differences, adapt to the needs of others. Once they are at ease, you can find your way back to your original intentions. It's counter-intuitive, but sometimes the most direct route isn't as effective as the scenic one.

Virgo You grow tired of ferreting out people's hidden agendas and buried emotional pains today. Ultimately, you may decide to refrain from engaging in games of hide and seek, but your withdrawal sends its own message -- especially since everyone assumes that you Virgos analyse a situation to death before making your move.

Don't let your impulsive actions burn any bridges that you might want to cross in the future. Author Henry Boye wrote, "The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway."

Libra Your ambivalence about a significant relationship reaches a critical turning point today. You're eager to put your life back on track and will do nearly anything to earn the approval of those you love. However, you're tired of being the one who carries the weight and does the work no one else offers to do. Whatever you decide, you might end up wishing you took the other course of action. Fortunately, the solution is simple: keep busy in your pursuit of success without expecting too much from others. Take responsibility for your own happiness without depending on anyone else.

Scorpio You want to benefit from the wisdom of your friends and family, but everyone appears to be giving you different advice. Finding the most effective balance between trusting your own conclusions and learning from others is tricky now. Rather than seeking another perspective, you can best see what's around the corner by relying on your powerful intuition. Although it's often advantageous to obtain an outsider's point of view, your own perceptions count more today than anyone else's Sagittarius You are known for your enthusiasm and it's as contagious as ever now. You are an inspiration to others as you tell them about a pet project of yours that's in the works. Although the reactive Cancer Moon squares optimistic Jupiter to magnify your confidence, it's also an all-too-familiar trap that makes everything seem better than it actually is. Fortunately, there's no reason to be overly concerned if you're willing to act with a well-considered plan tomorrow rather than with urgent abandon today. Be unrelenting in the pursuit of whatever sets your soul on fire.

Capricorn An emotionally needy person may show up on your doorstep today. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to manipulate your feelings while the clingy Cancer Moon is traveling through your 7th House of Partners. But you don't like the possibility of someone toying with your heart. Attempting to reach a compromise raises the stakes on a developing power struggle. Luckily, you have the capability of changing the parameters of the game. Choose the high road and disengage from the conflict. Taking a few steps back might be the most effective strategy of all.

Aquarius You might seek refuge from an emotional tug of war today by taking a more intellectual approach to the situation. You naturally excel when moving in conceptual realms, but the sensitive Cancer Moon is blown out of proportion by the magnifying lens of Jupiter, pushing you out of your comfort zone. Avoiding the immediate urgency of your feelings sounds like a good idea when it's really a distraction from the work at hand. J.K. Rowling wrote, "Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve."

Pisces Ironically, your imagination frees you from fear, anxiety and other emotional constraints today. Your drive to express what's in your heart overpowers any concerns you might be harbouring as the reflective Cancer Moon in your 5th House of Creativity teams up with dreamy Neptune. Your unbridled fantasies can carry you on the wings of song, taking you nearly anywhere. Why dwell on all the things that could go wrong when you can visualize your life anyway you want it? Eleanor Roosevelt said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

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XX ◄◄◄ From page XIII

violence, but is separate and apart from the direct effect of the violence,” he posited.

Mr Hicks pointed out that what we are speaking to here is the indirect effect of the violence, in that it means that our women no longer possess the inherent competencies to fully nurture members of the society and oftentimes when they are injured; when they experience incessant abuse; there continues to be the production of, “mal-socialised; malnourished; mal-equipped; and mal-prepared children, who are incapable of contributing meaningfully to the system of economic organisation, social organisation, political

development and as a whole, societal development.”

SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR TO POVERTY “Domestic violence again is also a significant contributor to poverty because not only are we undermining the socio and economic capacities of our women, but we are also undermining the potentiality of the newborn and therefore that newborn member of the society is unable to fully develop as a result of the poor opportunities at socialisation and therefore becomes mal-productive or a counter-productive new member of the society. In

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fact, they oftentimes become dependent on the society as a result of the experience of violence in the society,” Hicks said.

He noted that beyond domestic violence as a crime, there is also a social, as well as an economic cost and as the sociologist would always say, from a functional perspective, that to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. For example, when women continue to be maimed and injured, not only will their nurturing competencies and capacities be affected, but other demands are also being created in terms of the health of our women because obviously if women are injured, whether mentally or physically as a result A battered and traumatised woman of domestic violence, it produces poverty, Mr Hicks offered. means that government has to find additional resources to respond to He said that clearly the literature tells us what is considered the increasing phenomena and that means that if government has to pro- and affirms that given the fact that crime and vide more resources to help with the repair of poverty share a positive correlation, there is the health of women; the children – boys and a clear indication that when crime increases, girls, it means that less resources are avail- poverty also increases and vice versa…that able to provide for the funding of education; is fair evidence that crime impacts poverty.

This takes us to Part Two – dealing with to provide for the funding of micro-enterpriscrime and the criminal justice system, as it es; to provide for investment opportunities.

“So in fact, the answer again is very relates to crime as a predictor of poverty.” clear, that domestic violence (as a crime) mercilinburke2017@gmail.com

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Deputy Crime Chief retires

Credits discipline, hard work for his successful career SENIOR Superintendent Hugh Jessamys who joined the Guyana Police Force on July 31, 1982 has retired. Reflecting on his stint, Jessamy said after nine months of training at the Felix Austin Police College, he was later transferred to the East La Penitence Police Station for his first assignment - Christmas Policing. He thought it was bitter-sweet since he was away from his home and his family for the first time ever. And he was enjoying his first job.

Mr. Jessamy recalls that he was transferred as a uniformed rank to ‘G’ Division on the Essequibo Coast as a General Duties constable. It didn’t take long for his colleagues to recognise that he had a good future in the Force. He was very disciplined and so he became a Court Orderly and as he expressed “being a Court Orderly in those days you were expected to be trustworthy, a confidant and much more. In fact, the constables used to see you above them even though we were all the same rank”.

Jessamy was stationed at the Court Superintendents’ Office for several years before completing the CID Induction Course and began his journey as a CID Field Detective.

He continued to work in ‘G’ Division and in the year 1992 he was promoted to Corporal and seven years later he became a Sergeant.

However, he was promoted Inspector after which he served as the Divisional Detective Inspector for the Essequibo Coast and it became a trend that wherever he went thereafter he toured as either the Officer or the Deputy.

Jessamy was transferred to ‘D’ Division as the Officer In-charge of Criminal Investigations in every Division within the Force as an accomplishment that only a few persons in the Force have achieved.

come a time when a bottleneck will exist in the organisation and those with character, discipline and tertiary education will be pushed through and rise to the top.”

The things that drove him to success, were tremendous discipline and the knack to

Senior Superintendent Hugh Jesemy

He also worked in ‘A’ Division where he was most challenged even though he excelled from an Inspector to Senior Superintendent.

He recalls sleepless nights and taking crime reports in the mornings as early as 3 a.m and still having to be at work on time. Onto this day, even in retirement Jessamy still is awake in the wee hours of the mornings.

“Discipline has a face”, he reflected. “I would have loved to have a tertiary education. Words of the wise are worth more than a million dollars “I can only implore on the ranks to be of good character, discipline and when the opportunity presents itself get a good tertiary education because there will

always seek knowledge. “Discipline builds character, you can rise to the highest point in this organization and you can be ridiculously intelligent, but once you don’t have discipline Turn to page XXII ►►►

XXII ◄◄◄ From page XXI

(character) you will fall. In fact you may not even rise at all. So being disciplined is what I believe in, even though I would have loved to have a tertiary education to build this character”.

The road is never easy for someone who spent 35 years in the Force and Jessamy did reminisce on his hardships while being a serving member but he was able to use those hardships as stepping stones to become the person he is today, using his experience to counsel other ranks who believe in leaving the organization and think they may find something better. But he posits that “ the Force is like a family you have the comradery and the brace that no other place can give and even after spending 35 years even more that you would have spent with your birth family, day by day the Force creates that supporting and nourishing environment where the ranks become your brothers and sisters”.

“My reason for joining the Guyana Police Force was because I was actually among 12 siblings in my family and I left school at the age of 17. So I was at home for a while doing a lot of reading, there wasn’t a G.T. Edson, W. Moore, Louis Sanders, Lobsang Rampa and many others that I didn’t read, so my grandmother asked me this question: Are you going to be reading your life away?

You need to get a job. Life was not easy for me as a child, each class had a Jessamy or sometimes two and poverty was at its zenith and I just wanted to get out from that life. My first shot at getting out was at the Burnham Agriculture School in North West. I stayed there for one year because I wanted to be away from the poverty stricken place called home. I was then offered a job as a teacher to teach in Karasabai and Sand Creek and I

didn’t even know where to find such place so at that time I returned home with my farmer’s certificate”.

After a few months a friend came to me and said: “Listen you know you could be a Police.” “I said:“ Nah man, me nah police” but the pressure was holding me down so I called my friend and I followed him to Eve Leary and as I reflected, when I reached the Stelling I saw the big clock as we started to walk. When we arrived at the Training Institution I did the exams and I passed and when I came out to tell my friend the great news he had already left. My training had commenced and time had passed and I was placed to work at Rabbit Walk and that was my out.

I started walking that night with my bags bearing right until I saw the clock. I caught the boat and made my way home. The following day a police vehicle pulled up at my house and took me back. The facts are, I never wanted to join the Force but poverty was the force that compelled me and so I stayed and grew to love it and here I am today.”

“I do not believe that people who inculcate evil do so through poverty, I think it’s a choice,” Jessamy said while noting that he went through many things and never decided to commit crime to earn a living.

“Most times such evil ways and practices are supported by parents but they have a consciousness.”

His words of advice he would like to leave with his fellow colleagues and members of the Force are “hard work, education, and discipline”. With no elaborate plans for his retirement but to spend quality time with his family, however, he plans on exploring other job opportunities.

“I would love to remain in the Guyana Police Force, but I have to retire since this creates an avenue and an opening for some-

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one who is aspiring to full my portfolio (Deputy Crime Chief).

“I must say that I am happy because some people for one reason or the other fell short.

But I will tell you the truth I have never wanted to be the Commissioner of Police, all I wanted was to be is a good policeman”.

Senior Superintendent Hugh Jesemy officially retires on Sunday, October 01, 2017. The Commissioner of Police, Officers and other ranks of the Force wish Mr. Jessamy long life and prosperity as he ventures into civilian mode, and may his transition be smooth and fulfilling.

The Deputy Crime Chief behind his desk contemplating his next move

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Consul General Cita Pilgrim lauds ‘Friends of Guyana’ for contributing to the rehabilitation of prisoners in Barbados GUYANA’S Consul General to Barbados Ms. Cita Pilgrim has lauded her fellow Guyanese for their display of community spirit having seen it fit to lend a helping hand to some folks in Barbados who drifted off course in life.

Ms. Pilgrim made these remarks at the Guyana Consulate when the “Friends of

Guyana” resident on the island handed over some carpentry equipment and tools to the “Prison Fellowship of Barbados” to assist in the training of Ex-Inmates of the Dodd’s Prison in St. Phillip. The equipment was a “Truper Table Saw” along with several pieces of hand tools.

She said that the gesture was worthy

Pictured are members of the Prison Fellowship Association and the Friends of Guyana, along with Consul General Ms. Cita Pilgrim and Dr. Nick Harewood, with the equipment and tools in the center

and commendable and the office of the Guyana Consulate was extremely proud to be associated with the gesture.

Ms. Pilgrim noted that Guyanese of all walks of life make their country proud in so many ways by excelling in so many areas of endeavor, hence it is heartwarming that the “Friends of Guyana” have chosen to help some of the most vulnerable in the society.

The Consul General further stated that many prisoners who have served the time for the crime continue to serve time after their release because of the stigma associated with incarceration.

Commending the Prison Fellowship Association for their work for over 40 years, she noted that they continue to provide the ex-inmates with skills to help them to be self-sufficient, which is a further display of love and charity – greater love has no man that this, she emphasised.

Bishop Mark A. Payne, Chairman of the Fellowship said that acts like those displayed by the “Friends of Guyana” is very touching, since they are contributing to the welfare of non-Guyanese.

He noted that the response to his organisation’s appeal for assistance was spontaneous, which is not very often forthcoming from locals.

Among the activities of the Fellowship, include hosting workshops for both inmates and ex-inmates to provide them with the necessary skills to enable them to become worthy citizens upon release from Prison. The individuals are also able to present their children with gifts at Christmas at a special event at Dodds.

Presenting the gifts to Bishop Payne was Ms. Comarie Mansour. Also in attendance was Mr. Mark Corbin, Chief Officer, head of Operations at the Dodds Prison.

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Iconic steel pannist still earning the credits

XXV

By Shirley Thomas ICONIC steel pannist, Rudy Bishop, Founder/ Director of the award-winning ‘Chronicle Atlantic Symphony’, the steel orchestra that shot Guyana to fame in the 1960s, brings greetings from the band, now based in New York, and would like all Guyana to know that it is alive and well, and doing great things.

Located in Flatbush, New York, the band with about 35 members, and with Rudy still at the helm, continues to thrill hearts, and has taken on the added corporate responsibility of rendering humanitarian service and mentorship of vulnerable young people of Flatbush through “The Young Acolytes of St. Stephen’s Church.”

The band which was constructed on Guyana’s Independence Day in May, 1966, 2016 celebrated its Golden Jubilee anniversary during which it awarded several members – both past and serving, for distinguished service, beyond the normal call of duty.

At a special Golden Ju-

bilee Awards ceremony held in Flatbush in May 2016, several persons were honoured with plaques and trophies. In December, of that same year, Bishop travelled to Guyana where he hosted another prize-giving ceremoy, this time to hon-

Ras Camo receives plaque from former Mayor of Georgetown and Sports and Culture enthusiast, Mr. Hamilton Green

our those pioneer members living in Guyana, and who were not present at the New York reception.

Meanwhile Godfrey Wray, remigrant Editor of the Guyana Chronicle, the first and long-standing Manager of the Band, was last week presented with his award by Bishop on a visit to Guyana.

Over the years, the Chronicle Atlantic Symphony travelled widely around the world, and throughout Guyana, staging concerts and touching the hearts of many, among other humanitarian initiatives, has been the recipient of many awards and citations.

The highest ranking of those is the United States House of Representatives ‘PROCLAMATION’ by Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke on October 1, 2011.

The Proclamation, cites among other things:

“Whereas, Rudy Bishop has been recognized with many awards for his work within our Caribbean Diaspora and his mentorship of The Young Acolytes of St. Stephens Church and Whereas, on behalf of the United States House of Representatives, I salute Rudy Bishop for his service and dedication to our community, highlight that his positive and legendary contributions are what make our nation great and

I bestow upon you, the Highest Honour as a Member The 112th Session of Congress … acknowledge with great honour and recognition on the occasion of the Health and Education Relief Organization, Inc. Fifth Awards Dinner and Dance.

Bishop was also earlier, the recipient of the Council of the City of New York ‘PROCLAMATION’ in recognition of his sterling humanitarian work in New York and the Sunshine Award.

Chronicle Atlantic Symphony’s Fourth Generation performing in Flatbush. The members of the band have all turned out to be graduates in various high ranking disciplines from Universities in the USA

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Developing Guyana through the strengthening of our Administrative Regions The economic viability of Guyana can be seen through the individual prospects of its ten administrative regions. Our Regions possess unique resources that can contribute to the prosperity of the country. It is therefore through the exploitation of their individual strengths, that they can become catalysts for economic growth. It is with this realisation that this administration has pushed to strengthen the potential of these re- Speakers at the opening of Berbice Expo and Trade Fair in August gions in order to trans- 2016- From left: Ms. Chief Executive Officer of Caribbean Containers Incorporated, Ms. Patricia Bacchus, Minister of Business, form their economies.

A significant means Mr. Dominic Gaskin, President David Granger, President of the CCCC, Mr. Mohammed Raffik and Regional Chairman, Mr. David Armogan of strengthening the regions is through an effecnomic growth. These are large regions tive local government body. This administration’s revival of but they are also rich regions. None is the country’s Local Government Elections after 19 years’ ab- desert. None is tundra. None is swamp. sence is therefore a clear demonstration of Government’s push Each region is blessed with natural and to ensure that the economies of the regions are strengthened. human resources, which can be exploitPresident David Granger’s aim is for the Local Govern- ed for the benefit of its people.” ment Elections to lay the foundation for a new partnership Since this administration took between central government and local government. The office, Mabaruma in Barima-Waini, President has also announced his aim to create Capital towns Bartica in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni and within each region with an emphasis of promoting business, Lethem in the Rupununi have been driving economic development and giving leadership to the made into Capital towns while plans to regions. The President has said that the regions “must no create a municipality in Mahdia in the longer be viewed as mere administrative appendages of the Potaro-Siparuni region are on the way. central government. Our regions must become motors of eco-

President Granger at at the Linden Trade Fair and Expo in March, receives a demonstration on the workings of a solar panel from an exhibitor

Even as government continues along these lines, administrative bodies and other stakeholders have also taken up the mantle to promote the resources of their regions. These efforts are made manifest through initiatives such as Trade Fairs and Expositions which in the recent past have been hosted in Regions across the country.

President Granger has ensured that he is present at every opening thus far, as reinforcement of Government’s commitment to ensuring that the regions receive the encouragement, support and empowerment needed to contribute to the development of their region and, by extension, their country.

The residents of the East Berbice –Corentyne Region, have for years promoted the

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resources of their region through the Annual Berbice Trade Fair and Expo. In August, last year, at the opening ceremony of the 12th Berbice Trade Fair, President Granger highlighted the need for economic diversification, promotion of entrepreneurship, focus on technical education, greater security, transitioning to a green economy and business development in the region. The President also encouraged the development of a comprehensive action plan that will provide necessary information for entrepreneurs, including: investment trends and opportunities, markets, technological and scientific developments and new business horizons.

The plan must also address the issue of innovation which will enable local entrepreneurs to better compete in the global marketplace. Additionally, the plan must take into account, the

President David Granger sitting with proprietor of Bunny and Sons, a household furniture and fixtures store in Region Five at the Region Five Trade Fair and Expo in April

issue of investment, which is essential for the creation of small and medium-scale enterprises and which will in turn lead to job creation and a vibrant entrepreneurial culture. “East Berbice-Corentyne needs to start planning if it is to translate the economic potential of this great region into economic prosperity, you need a Corentyne action plan and the stakeholders must work together to produce that plan to transform this region, a resource-rich region, which paradoxically is a production-poor region. Corentyne you can enjoy sustained growth and you can give your people a good life if you are prepared to examine your tremendous potential and put your resources to work for you,” the President said.

Minister of Business and Tourism, Mr. Dominic Gaskin said that over the years, the Expo has provided an opportunity for persons from all across Guyana to promote their products and services while enjoying the atmosphere, thereby serving as a form of domestic tourism, which his Ministry would like to see encouraged.

Regional Chairman, Mr. David Armogan said that while the importance of diversification and entrepreneurship are an absolute must for Berbice, the contribution of rice and sugar-

the region’s main means of income - to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), foreign exchange and employment, must not be overlooked. “We have to explore new ways of keeping these two industries alive and today I want to make a special appeal to the President to see whatever help he can continue to give these two industries to keep them going until our economy has alternative ways of dealing with employment

XXVII and other contributions that these two sectors make to the Berbice economy and the national economy,” he said.

In March this year, the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region hosted the Linden Trade Fair and Expo for the first time as a separate event from the previous Linden Town Week Activities. Organisers felt that the event should be given more attention, having seen the need to emphasise the development of small businesses in the Region. At that event, President David Granger urged that Linden must fulfil its mission as a capital town by driving the development of the Region through investments, infrastructure and information technology.

Regional Chairman, Mr. Renis Morian said that the hosting of this event represented a powerful expression of confidence in the people of Region 10 by the coordinators. He said that he looks forward to such events creating a positive impact in the Region.

Later in April, the Pomeroon-Supenaan Region hosted its second Annual Trade Fair and Expo under the theme ‘Essequibo means Business’. There, President Granger called on the Regional Administration, the Anna Regina Town Council and other stakeholders to partner with Central government to work towards economic development to further improve social cohesion and to ensure that the goals of the Region are achieved.

“We are aware that the Region faces challenges, but we have to work together to overcome those challenges. One of the challenges is [that] of political collaboration. Another challenge is of social cohesion. These are not challenges, which we cannot overcome if we work together… We have to find a way to work together to unleash the potential that the region has… We have to find a way to collaborate and to cooperate Turn to page XXIX ►►►

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Four Special Saturdays in my Life

By Francis Quamina Farrier THERE ARE those times when journalists write feature articles which are exclusively about their own personal experiences. This feature is one such example. In this feature, I am sharing my experiences of "Four Special Saturdays in my Life". So, as the song in the musical "The Sound of Music" states, "Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start."

Saturday March 12, 1938; I was born at Broad Street, Charlestown, Georgetown in the then British Guiana. My father Franklyn, who was from Grenada in the Caribbean, came to British Guiana, where he met and marry my mother, Stella of the Baker clan on Broad Street, Charlestown. They were residing two blocks away from the principal Baker hub on Broad street, where I was born.

I was the second child of their matrimonial

union. My understanding is that my maternal grandmother, Mary, who was temporarily in-residence during the run-up to my arrival, was taking special care of my mother - and me, yet unborn. The story is that my grandmother had slipped out to go to the grocery shop to make a few purchases when I arrived.

It was a Saturday, and it seems that I wanted to be ready for Sunday morning mass the next day, so by the time Grannie Mary returned from the shop, I was there to greet her with my screams. I suspect that those screams were heard all the way to the Government House (now State House), where Governor Sir Wilfrid Francis Jackson was in office. I can't say for certain whether I was given the name Francis because the governor of the day had that name. No one at that time had any idea that there would have been a Bishop Francis in Guyana while at the very same time, there would have been a Pope Francis in Rome. In school, I was taught English history which included the adventures of Admiral Sir Francis Drake who was a pirate and slave trader, and was knighted after successfully circumnavigating the globe. I was also taught

of another well-known Englishman with that name; Viscount Francis Bacon, a philosopher and scientist. However, it would be more acTurn to page XXX ►►►

Chronicle Pepperpot April 30, 2017 ◄◄◄ From page XXVII

with each other,” President Granger said.

The President commended the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce for organising the event and urged the region to continue to host the event as a means of showcasing their productivity to the rest of Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean.

Regional Chairman, Mr. Devanand Ramdatt highlighted the Regional Administration’s support for both regional and national development.

Most recently, the Mahaica-Berbice Region hosted its Region Five Trade Fair and Expo under the theme “Building a diversified economy”. At this event, the President called on the Regional Administration, the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, members of the business community and civil society to work together with the Central Government to ensure that the challenges to the Region’s development are solved.

But more importantly, the President took that opportunity to reassure the residents that the Blairmont Sugar Estate is among those that will likely be preserved as Government looks to secure the future of the sugar industry while aiming to produce sugar that is competitive on the world market. “We are not working to destroy the [sugar] industry… Guyana is trying to preserve its industry. That is why there will be a Blairmont and that is why there is going to be an Albion and we will preserve as many of our plantations and estates as possible. Uit-

vlugt will remain but we have to deal with the problems of cost,” he said.

Speaking on the need for partnerships, the President called on all elected officials to forget party loyalty in the execution of their duties and focus on the development of the Region and the country for all Guyanese.

He declared that all stakeholders must work together to ensure the development and implementation of a Regional Economic Action Plan (REAP).

Meanwhile, President of the Region Five Chamber of Industry and Commerce Mr. Imran Saccoor acknowledged that the sugar industry, which he described as the economic backbone of the Region and by extension Guyana, in its current state, is a “threat to our national treasury”. However, he commended the Government for preserving the Blairmont Estate, which is the single largest employer in the Region.

President Granger has lauded the Regions that continue to host these Trade Fairs and expressed the hope that all regions will have them, in order to attract visitors from other regions and to promote regional development.

This administration is committed to empowering our regions to generate their own wealth. Moreover, through focus on infrastructure, investment, innovation, and information and communications, our regions can become leaders in their own right, and transform them into becoming the future powerhouses which they are capable of becoming.

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President David Granger listens as Mr. Frank Blair, Project Manager of the Region Five Democratic Council's Multi-purpose self-sustainable farm describes the elements of the model to him

XXX ◄◄◄ From page XXVIII

curate to say that I was given the first name Francis, for the venerated Italian St. Francis of Assisi. So growing up, I was very proud of my first name, Francis.

Number Two: Unfortunately, I can't recall the exact date of this special Saturday in my life, but it was in 1949, when I was eleven years old. I had entered and won the First Prize primary schools national essay-writing competition. It could have been for the first Traffic Safety Week. It is a pity that I do not have the fine details. However, I clearly recall that special Saturday. The result of the Essay-writing competition was announced at

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the St. Ann's Anglican school where I was a student, much to the joy of the teachers and the jubilation of the other students. There was also jubilation not only in the Farrier household, but the entire Villages of McDoom and Agricola. I lived in McDoom and next-yard Neighbours Rojan and her husband Bierwah, as well as Neighbour Nellie and her Bajan husband Archibald, all showered me with praise and congratulations. That was the first of a number of other prizes I have won in the ensuing years, including the First and Third Prizes at the official Independence Playwriting competition in 1966.

In those colonial years, all the back streets in McDoom village (now a part of

Georgetown) were unpaved - mud streets. So, already well dressed, I had to wash my feet at the public standpipe on the Public road, polish down my feet with coconut oil, and complete my special dressing. Then in company with my older brother, Michael, we headed down to the Town Hall (City Hall) where I was to receive my prize from the wife of Governor Sir Charles Woolley.

At that time, the City Hall building was one of the most picturesque and glorious

structures in the "Garden City of the Caribbean". It was a very special Saturday in the life of this pre-teen country boy. It was a very big deal for my name to be mentioned at the packed Town Hall, not only in the presence of Lady Wolley, the wife of Governor Sir Charles Wolley, but the privilege of shaking her hand and receiving my Prize for winning the First Prize in the Essay Writing competiTurn to page XXXII ►►►

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Bishop’s Exhibition depicts CARICOM origins

By Shirley Thomas THIRD Form students of Bishop’s High School on Friday staged a CARICOM Exhibition, graphically showcasing their knowledge of the three first Caribbean countries to have signed the Treaty of Chaguaramas on July 4, 1973, for the establishment of the Caribbean Community and Common Market, later known as CARICOM. A Bishop’s tradition introduced just over ten years ago,

students of Forms 3A, B and C, are required to design replicas of the countries and portray all they know about them, Class Teacher for Form 3A outlined.

The first three Caribbean countries to sign the Treaty of Chaguaramas were: Guyana, Barbados and Jamaica, followed by Trinidad and Tobago. The signing took place in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago….. A revised Treaty of Chaguaramas establishing the Caribbean Community, including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) was

Harrison’s Cave

signed in 2001.

Form 3A pulled Guyana – the Land of Many Waters; Form 3B pulled Jamaica – The Land of Wood and Water and Form 3C pulled Barbados – the Land of the Flying Fish.

Hence, those were three CARICOM countries being featured in the Exhibition.

Guyana portrayed a replica of the Umana Yana on the wall of which was presented an imposing framed photograph of His Excellency President David Granger and a rich display of items of craft and cultural pieces, among other things. Displayed on a table in the centre of the benab was a huge iced cake on which was emblazoned the Golden Arrow Head. Meanwhile, outside of the benab was an immaculate Turn to page XXXIII ►►► ◄◄◄ From page XXX

tion. My prize was a state-of-the art toy car which was the envy of all my peers. At that time, toy cars were wound up and let go, to go which ever way gravity took them. My prize car had an extension cord which controlled the direction in which it goes. A big deal for sure.

Saturday Number Three; that was April 29, 1967 when got I married to the brilliant and beautiful Patricia Bernadette Blackmore of South Cummingsburg, Georgetown. She was a Civil Servant attached to the Deeds Registry which is located on the ground floor of the High Court. I was a senior sales clerk at Wm. Fogarty's, "Your Friendly Store" on Water Street, Georgetown. My wife Patricia and I first met at the Theatre Guild Playhouse. She was a member of the Georgetown Dramatic Club which had members such as Vibert Parvatan. The club house was at the location of the Critchlow Labour College. The club had a special production and staged it at the TG Playhouse on Parade Street, Kingston.

My function was Stage Manager while Patricia Blackmore was at Front-of-House. Somehow, although functioning at two different areas of the Playhouse, Destiny was already writing the script of our lives together as man and wife. We got engaged a year later and on Saturday April 29, 1967, we were joined together in Holy Matrimony at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Brickdam. My wife Patricia, is ranked by me, as one of Guyana's greatest secretaries - up in the league with great secretaries like the late Ms. Celina Harewood, who served as Confidential Secretary to Presidents Desmond Hoyte and Cheddi Jagan, as well as to Catholic Bishop Francis Alleyne, OSB. Saturday Number Four; On Saturday April 29, 2017, my wife Patricia and I, had the first event of our planned year-long FIFTIETH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY celebration. This first event was attending Holy Mass and renewing our Marriage Vows. There were hundreds of Saturdays since my birth on Saturday March 12, 1938, but those four Saturdays related in this feature, have been the most special Saturdays in my entire life - so far.

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Mouth-watering Jamaican dishes on display

The physical design

TAG Director, Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh shows keen interest a craft item ◄◄◄ From page XXXII

replica of St. George’s Cathedral, the world’s tallest Wooden Building, and an enlarged national flag bearing the head of a jaguar emerging from behind, and symbolic of protection for the nation.

Supported by Sterling Products Ltd. The presentation also had on display a wide range of powdered and liquid soaps and detergents; desserts such as yougart; locally bottled coconut water and a variety of attractive items. Additionally, on display were all the products used in the manufacture of the products. Manning that component of the display was Sterling Products was Ryan Allen, Quality Assurance Chemist/ Researcher, with responsibility for the detergents section, but with a knowledge of all of the sections. He said that as part of the CSR Programme Sterling Products partners with other businesses/persons who have produce, but do not necessarily have a market. Hence their part played in the marketing of the ‘Hydro 8’ coconut water they have been marketing over the last two years.

Barbados featured the famous ‘Harrison’s Cave’ , Jamaica featured the Jamaican Reggae Summer Fest – a presentation at the heart of which there was a delectable display of about 12 different flavourful and mouthwatering sumptuous Jamaican dishes, with the ‘jerk’ presentation noticeably missing.

Displayed on charts posted throughout the walls of the booth was an impressive display of “All you need to know” about the country.

Meanwhile, President of the Guyana Tourism Authority attended and inspected booths, at the Exhibition held on the ground floor and was later choicely entertained by the students representing the countries during their amazing display of cultural.

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TD Investment has big plans for expanding Coconut Production in the Pomeroon …but faces major security challenges

By Shirley Thomas WITH increasing demands for Guyana’s coconuts – both locally and on the North American market, coupled with President Granger’s continued call for agricultural diver-

sification, Trevor Daniels, experienced in the business of coconut production, is confident he can contribute meaningfully towards revitalising Guyana’s coconut industry.

This, he says, is on condition that he and his employees can be assured of peaceful and uninterrupted access to lands

on which to farm, and the assurance that they would not be subjected to intimidation and threats by gun-toting persons, as has been the practice over the last several months.

The 50-year-old Daniels, who was introduced to coconut production by his father, Walter Duncan at Phoenix Park, Pomeroon, has been engaged in the coconut production business for some 22 years, and is currently the owner of coconut estates at Greenfield and Barama Profit, Pomeroon.

Over the years he has provided employment for some 150 persons who were engaged in felling trees; drainage/

Farm Manager, Brian Trim at TD Enterprise

irrigation and preparation of the land; planting , caring for and picking of the nuts. As the coconut trees matured, there were also hired labourers who did (inter-crop) cash crops farming, growing bananas, plantains, and water-melons which generated additional income.

POMEROON COCONUT FARMER TO INVEST $700M COCONUT PRODUCTION With a sound and economically viable business plan, Daniels who has committed to investing close to $700 M for advancing the enterprise over the next five years, is eager to jump start the initiative, bringing some 3,000 acres of land in the Pomeroon under cultivation.

Enthusiastic about this project which he anticipates will yield billions in the ensuing years, he is optimistic that it will to create employment for the unemployed in the remote riverine areas in the Pomeroon and further afield. Already, persons from as far as Linden and Wakapao have indicated their interest in coming on board.

The investor envisions that at full operational capacity, the entire cultivation system, along with the related processing activities will employ at least 80 to 100 people. Daniels has to his credit, a reputation for producing top quality succulent water coconuts for drinking, as well as dried coconuts for the manufacture of edible oil and other domestic purposes. He has already submitted a Project Profile and is rearing and ready to go.

The Project essentially involves the acquisition of approximately 3,000 acres of land contiguous to existing coconut estates for expanded coconut cultivation.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT In the Short term, the Investor proposes to: (a) stimulate Turn to page XXXVI ►►►

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local production of coconuts through the acquisition of approximately 3,000 acres of state lands for coconut cultivation. (b) To create more local employment opportunities. expand current levels of coconut production capacity to satisfy the demands of both the local and overseas market.

Medium Term: (a) To strengthen Guyana’s local coconut production capacity to satisfy the demands of both the local and overseas market. (b) To develop viable and sustainable coconut production practices. (c ) To support the development of a coconut value chain centred on industries involved in the production of coconut-based products.

Long Term: (a) To support the diversification of Guyana’s agricultural sector, whereby the centre can make a greater contribution to national GDP and also stimulate the development of agro-tourism. (b) To foster the sustainable development of the Pomeroon Sub-Region.

But whilst experience has taught him that development could be a slow painful process, and that it is not a highway strewn with roses, Daniels, never for one moment anticipated what has actually confronted him and his workforce in a few months. It hit them like an avalanche, forcing them resulting in the destruction of infrastructure, produce cultivated and the forced evacuation

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project site related sordid stories of being stormed by gunmen who would chase them off the land; cause damage to the infrastructure and literally ‘flood them out’. One man related, “When these men appear, sometimes they would hide behind clumps of bushes and you only hear shots licking from left to right.”

Each time they repair the damage done and restart their operations, workers claim, the men would re-emerge on the scene, prompting them to say: “When you think its peace and safety, is sudden destruction.”

This practice they claim, has been ongoing for some time, and fearful for their lives, some employees would opt out Pupils of Grant Lilydale School gets kites from TD Enterprise s for the Easter abandoning their jobs.

Gripped by fear, the workof workers off his his bona fide lands. with snakes and other creatures. But all that ers who are family men and have several Hard work aside, farming can be fun. changed within a few months. children, reasoned that invariably they are Getting up work early in the morning and the only bread winners in the homes, and travelling sometimes more than a mile to get PANIC STALKS THE their families need them. Hence, they ‘clear to work on time; the fresh smell of garden COCONUT ESTATE produce and the aroma of the hot coffee with Trevor Daniels Investments (TDI) start- out’ of the area so as to get out of harm’s which workers might have opted to start the ed in January 2016, and its woes began last way.

Exposed to such sordid encounters, day on the farm. The camaraderie existing October, when a jealous competitor allegedly among fellow workers, occasionally cracking initiated disruption of the operations being allegedly at the hands of the ‘more afflujokes; bush cooking and literally looking out undertaken.

Turn to page XXXVI ►►► for each other in a terrain invariably infested The Consultant and employees on the

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ent’ and with no representation, the farmers feel virtually powerless.

Meanwhile, the Project Consultant claims having made reports to the police at Charity. The reports were recorded in the Occurrence Book, but no action has been taken and so the abuse goes on. For those who have opted to remain, it has only been a demonstration of faith and trust in The Almighty God, they claim. But resilient, Farm Manager Brian Trim is not giving up and affirms: “Once Almighty God is with us, we will come out victorious.”

And addressing the issue of expansion, the Consultant said: “We are asking government to consider making available to us, 3,000 acres of land to develop. We really need government’s assistance,” he implored. He said they started to push the Enterprise in January 2016, but soon ran into problems.

Giving an insight into what is at stake whenever they are forced off their legitimate lands, the Project Consultant said: “We have under cultivation in excess of 40 acres of produce at Barama Profit District; Green Field Union and Barama Profit where a lot of work is being done.”

There is a strong likelihood that, without such challenges, and given a chance to pursue this robust agricultural initiative, it will turn out to be an economic boon for both the investor and the nation at large.

Recalling government’s emphasis on the need for increased production of coconuts for export, the consultant

Coconuts under cultivation at TD Enterprise

noted too, that while the global demand for coconuts has increased by 10 per cent , the global supply was only increased by 2 per cent. This puts Guyana in a good position to capitalize on his market demand.

And according to the New Guyana Marketing Corporation, there are approximately 20 exporters of non-traditional crops, of which about 11 export coconut products (refined and crude coconut oil, coconut water, fresh or dried coconuts). From April 2015 to date, coconut water has been exported monthly, primarily to Trinidad. In 2015, the largest quantity of bottled coconut water: 27,591 kg was exported to Trinidad.

Similarly, to date, the largest quantity of coconut water: 20,000 kg was exported in May. During the last 16 months approximately 224,017 kg of coconut water has been exported. Guyana is reputed to be the largest regional exporter of (fresh) coconut water and dried coconuts.

Meanwhile, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), has estimated Guyana’s coconut production to be some 242 million nuts per year, yielded by trees cultivated on approximately 70,000 acres of land.

Albeit, the Institute (NARI) contends that there is potential for greater production and that this figure could safely be doubled to 500 million nuts per annum.

Humanitarian in nature, Trevor Daniels has taken on the corporate social responsibility of networking with the people of the Pomeroon, to bring relief where needed.

He has introduced a Feeding Programme for students of Grant Lilydale Primary School; has equipped the kitchen with utensils and each month, provides cash for the purchase of food items so as to ensure the children have a hot meal when attending school. More recently he has distributed kites to the pupils of the school, in an effort to add to the joy of Easter, and otherwise provides employment for a vast percentage of the neighbourhood.

Workers prepare to go home after a hard day’s work

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Forty-four complete Self Reliance and Success in Business workshop

FIRST Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, today, attended the closing ceremony of the Self-Reliance and Success in Business workshop in Mahaica-Berbice (Region Five) at the Regional Board Room, Fort Wellington, Berbice.

The First Lady, in her remarks praised the participants for committing to successfully completing the training and believing in themselves. “You are the people who make these workshops possible and successful. It starts with you believing in yourself first and in your capacity to do things and move on and develop [by] believing in lifelong education,” Mrs. Granger said.

Mrs Granger also noted the importance of having a recognised certificate backed by strong business entrepreneurial skills. “One of the benefits from this project is that Interweave stays with you… the certificate you have gained is a certificate that is recognised by the Small Business Bureau,

by IPED, and other institutions…and you will have their full support.”

Invited guest speaker, Ms. Janice Whyte who is an expenditure planning and management analyst attached to the

First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger is flanked by successful participants of the Self-Reliance and Success in Business workshop, Deputy Regional executive officer of Region-Five, Regional Officials and Facilitators of Interweave Solutions Incorporated

manage her business. Additionally, Ms. Odella Peters said “This workshop is very beneficial for us, since a lot of women in Region Five are not exposed nor fully equipped, this programme has helped us out a lot.”

First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger presents Ms. Ambrozine Thomas with a certificate of participation, after having successfully completed her Self-Reliance and Success in Business workshop

Regional Democratic Council gave the participants words of guidance on having a successful business by implementing what they would have learned during the course of the workshop. “Do what you know [and] do what you like best.

What you get out of your business, will be what you put into that business…Take what you do seriously and grow,” Ms. Whyte said.

Additionally, Mr. Yohann Sanjay Pooran, Facilitator at Interweave Solutions Incorporated, who gave a brief overview of what the workshop entailed, noted that a total of four groups have been formed between participants in the workshop.

Three groups plans to tackle social issues affecting their communities, such as unemployment, domestic violence and teenage pregnancy, while one group will focus on drainage and irrigation.

Mr. Pooran proudly spoke on the accomplishment of the participants. “I anticipate that there will be forty-four strong entrepreneurs coming out of this area… [You] have bright ideas and I’m sure that you will take those ideas to the next level,” Mr. Pooran said.

This event marks the fifteenth session of its kind; to date over 300 persons have been trained under this programme.

The training sessions are a collaborative effort between the Office of the First Lady, the Ministry of Social Protection and Interweave Solutions Incorporated.

The participants were eager to share their experiences having completed the training. “I realised that with my small business [and] the little that I gained here, I would definitely to improve my business,” small business owner, Ms. Ambrozine Thomas, said.

Mabelene McDonald who does knitting said that she plans on implementing what she has learned to successfully

The event was also attended by Member of Parliament Ms. Jennifer Wade, Deputy Regional Executive Officer of Region Five, Mr. Govind Singh and several other regional officials.

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Duty Calls Popular Shooter Back to World War II Call of Duty will return to its World War II roots when the latest title arrives this November, publisher Activision Blizzard announced on Wednesday. The franchise has been a steady hit maker since its 2003 debut. Various titles in the series have become regular staples in e-sports tournaments and Major League Gaming.

Call of Duty is one of the most popular series in video game history, selling a combined 175 million copies -- second only to Take 2's Grand Theft Auto franchise. The game has passed US$11 billion in total lifetime revenue.

Although the series has been a robust seller for Activision Blizzard, the critical response to recent titles hasn't been as

strong. In Call of Duty: WWII, the game once again set its sights on the military exploits of the Greatest Generation, including the D-Day landings.

The upcoming game will feature both a single player campaign, which will allow players to take the role of various characters at different points in the war, and an online multiplayer mode. The campaign will take place largely in the latter stages of the war, as the Allies liberate Nazi-occupied Europe.

Based on what has been announced so far, it seems that players will assume the role of Private Ronald "Red" Daniels of the American 1st Infantry Division. They can opt to fill the shoes of a British soldier as well, and even play as a member of the French resistance.

Sledgehammer Games, an independent but wholly owned subsidiary of Activision, is the developer of Call of Duty: WWII. The studio codeveloped Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with Infinity Ward, and it also developed Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

The game has not yet been rated.

EVERY BULLET COUNTS Sledgehammer Games has promised that Call of Duty: WWII will be different from other shooters, as it attempts to reimagine the traditional first-person shooter model. Notably, the game will have a darker tone that doen't shy away from the graphic horrors of war, and it apparently will ditch one of the genre's longstanding features, namely the health-regeneration systems.

This means every bullet could have the character's name on it, and while technically it won't mean "game over," it should change the gaming experience.

"This is going to be a more hardcore game, where the skill curve is greater and the challenges harder," said Roger Entner, principal analyst at Recon Analytics.

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make the violence seem even more intense," he told TechNewsWorld.

"However, we have to realize that this is a title aimed at mature gamers, and today the average age for those gamers is in their 30s," Entner added. "This isn't a game for kids, but gamers are more than kids today."

RETURN TO DUTY The original Call of Duty, which came on the heels of Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor and Battlefield 1942 titles, scored a direct hit when it launched in 2003. Gamers couldn't seem to get enough World War II action.

"The original Call of Duty was certainly helped by those other titles -- but really by the number of World War II movies that brought the conflict to the mainstream again," said Entner.

"It was the beginning of the war on terror, and the game combined elements of heroism and patriotism, and people wanted to play out the exploits of these heroes."

As the very real war on terror drags on without an end in sight, the modern conflict setting may have run its course, but the question is whether today's gamers will be interested in returning to World War II again.

Call of Duty won't be the first franchise to jump back to an earlier era. EA's Battlefield 1 last fall proved gamers may have interest in period pieces. That game was one of the top sellers of last year, suggesting that fans may be ready for something different -- but there are still risks.

"Games, like movies, have a huge upfront cost, and this is why we see so many sequels," said Entner. "At the same time, the sequels need to be more than just more of the same."

HISTORY VS. GAMING It's possible some people with an interest in history will be drawn back to games, thanks to this World War II setting.

"I did witness a spurt of WWII awareness during the original Call of Duty's popularity that I would attribute directly to the game," said John Adams-Graf, editor of Military Trader, a publication devoted to military memorabilia and historical re-enactors.

"While its release was about the same time as the epic WWII film, Saving Private Ryan, followed by the HBO series, Band of Brothers, the level of interest in WWII small arms that I witnessed at that time probably had more to do with the game than with Hollywood," Adams-Graf told TechNewsWorld.

The game could heighten awareness of the historical event as well.

"The depth of detail and in-game resources will give any gamer immediate access to more information about WWII, the men and women who served, and the weapons that were used," he added.

TOTAL WAR Even though this game promises greater realism, thanks to improved graphics and gameplay, Activision and developer Sledgehammer Games may be ensuring that it has something for everybody.

Few details were provided, but based on the trailer and the official website, Call of Duty: WWII could include the popular "zombie" cooperative mode. This has been a regular staple of the series since 2008, with the release of Call of Duty: World at War, appearing in the subsequent Call of Duty: Black Ops titles.

"This helps give the game a low barrier of entry, and promises to have something for different tastes," noted Recon Analytics' Entner.

"This is for those who are in a beer-and-pretzels mood and want silly fun," he said. "It is a way to get away from the realism that the other half of the game offers."

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The iPhone Model's Impending Obsolescence

It is easy to look back on technology changes and see that we had plenty of warnings that we clearly missed at the time. VCRs gave way to DVD players, which in turn have given way to streaming services. Brick cellphones evolved into flip phones, which were swapped out for two-way pager phones and then wiped out by the iPhone model. Tape players gave way to the Walkman CD player, which gave way to the iPod, which also ended up in the iPhone model.

Sometimes, trends that seem obvious fail to materialize.

Laser disks never got to critical mass before DVDs arrived on the scene, and 3D TV, which seemed so obviously next,

wasn't.

I think we soon will see another big industry shift, but some key elements are missing, so I don't want anyone to think that your smartphone will be obsolete this year. The change I'm calling may be closer to 2020 than 2017.

I'll explain why smartphones are becoming obsolescent and end with my product of the week: the thing that I think is a big part of what is to come.

SMARTPHONE PROBLEMS A number of issues with how we use smartphones need to be addressed. First, the things literally can kill you. I'm not talking about their catching fire, though clearly that has been a big issue. I'm talking about the fact that people want to use these things while walking and driving. This practice often ends very badly.

One of the scariest things on the road right now is looking in your rear-view mirror when you've stopped at a light, and seeing the driver of the car coming up behind you looking at a phone. You just pray the driver looks up before a motor lands in your back.

We've made using the phones illegal. We've charged people whose phone use has caused deadly traffic accidents with manslaughter, and given them drunk driving-like jail terms and financial penalties. It is pretty clear that for folks who are attention span-challenged -- or those driving, walking or bike riding on the same roads with them -- that smartphones are still killers.

If we want to save lives, we need to rethink how device can be used more safely.

TECHNOLOGY CHANGES Although smartphones have gotten bigger, display resolution and costs have dropped, so we actually could make displays smaller while still showcasing the same or Turn to page XLIII ►►►

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more information. This is important, because it means that in theory, we could place them closer to the line of sight, allowing users to see both the display and what is coming.

Military pilots have expensive rigs like this so they can see targeting and instrument data while remaining focused on what their planes and helicopters physically have in front of them. These rigs give them additional viewing options in low light, short of putting on night vision goggles that typically have far more limited fields of view. In other words, head-mounted technology has massively advanced over the last decade.

Voice command certainly has come a long way. Many of us now have Amazon or Google home tech products that we can order around, and some of us have them connected to other smart home functions so we can order around other things in our house.

Following on this tech are natural language interfaces that can better understand us without learning commands, tied to deep learning cloud systems that let us interact with systems more conversationally when we have the bandwidth. We are getting very close to the point where we'll simply be able to talk to our devices and have them not only follow our orders but converse with us, providing ever richer services and information without our having to type a single word.

This idea is tied to AI-based chatbots. We've already seen products like IBM's Watson begin to cut a relatively impressive swath through the initial opportunity for ever richer voice-enabled cloud offerings.

Tied to deep learning systems, we could have the equivalent of autocomplete for complex decisions and tasks. For instance, you could simply ask for a letter to be written to a sibling and then provide an outline of the content, which could include pictures, videos and even interactive elements, mostly pulled from your cloud digital history and apps.

A four-page letter could take you 30 seconds to summarize, with the cloud system doing the rest. Now apply this to business proposals, correspondence, or even thank you notes. The output, based on an analysis of your other correspondence, would look like it came from you -- but likely would have better sentence structure and punctuation, and no typos.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER What I'm anticipating is a multilevel solution with a head-mounted fully functional smartphone-like device with a screen below one eye. It would deploy when needed, kind of like a more attractive version of what Boba Fett used in Star Wars but without the helmet.

It would be a fully functional computer, likely based on the smartphone hardware and OS to get developers, size and connectivity right. It would be connected to a set of services that would provide the chatbot AI, deep learning and data connectivity it would need, and it would have a significant fashion element so folks wouldn't have a Google Glass moment when wearing it.

I expect it would have a camera, though, so it could gain context and provide capabilities like facial and object recognition, as well as warn you if you're too focused on the screen and about to walk into danger. I expect an option here would be a low light or infrared camera, so it also could help you see in the dark.

WRAPPING UP: ALL THE ELEMENTS EXIST Virtually all of the core elements to create this thing exist, but they don't exist in any one vendor. Those that have the client device capability generally don't have the back-end services or hardware yet. However, nothing says they couldn't partner to get there. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Lenovo and Alibaba have showcased resources in line with this kind of an offering, and people like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson have the vision and personal resources.

For me, the question isn't if, it is when -- and who will take the first risky step. Like every technology that proceeded it, the smartphone eventually will be replaced. I think it will be by a follow-on to my product of the week, tied to a service that slowly is being birthed in the cloud.

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English 2017-04-30

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A safe stronghold our God is still, A trusty shield and weapon.

MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546) Klug’sche Gesangbuch (1529). Tr. Carlyle STUDY SUCCESS Dear Students, A good paragraph in an essay shows the mechanism of composing which consists in “the ability to combine what follows with what precedes, all the while keeping in mind what is already written down,” says one famous writer and educator. This thinking/ writing process is one way of discovering what you know and what you want to say. It is a way of ‘form-finding’. Be wise.

Love you YOUR WRITING How to become a better writer There are three paragraphs below. Read each one and note all comments. Try to learn something that you always wanted to know.

Louie rushed and got ready for work, but, when he went out the door, he saw the snowstorm was very heavy. Therefore, he decided not to go to work. Then, he sat down to enjoy his newspaper. However, he realised his boss might be angry because he did not go to the office. Finally, he made another decision, that he must go to work.

So, he went out the door and walked to the bus stop.

This paragraph presents no grammatical mistakes, but it is flat. Flatness comes when you, the student, show mastery over the paragraph before proceeding to the essay. If at this stage, you still write this way, you are definitely trapped within the sentence.

When you write sentence by sentence, you worry about accuracy, you stop after each sentence and go back and check it for

inflections, word order, spelling and punctuation, maybe you even breathe a sigh of relief and then go on to attack the next looming sentence. The first sentence in a paragraph like the one above restricts you before you have even begun to develop your ideas.

The mechanism of composing an essay according to one experienced writer is about this: “The ability to combine what follows with what precedes, all the while keeping in mind what is already written down. … in thinking and writing at the same time without having one of the acts interfere with the other.”

Let’s think now about your own writing.

What should your writing have? a). a good beginning, b). felicitous phrases, c). pertinent word choice, d). smooth transitions, e). sound logic, f). humour, and g). realistic and lively detail Now let’s look at this other simply written paragraph.

Ever since I was a small child the magic of tricks always was mysterious to me. One person whom I believed was a master of it is Harry Houdini. He was the greatest, and his magic would live on as the greatest. If I was to meet him at my magic dinner, all my mysteries would be answered. Maybe he would even teach me a trick to amaze my friends.

I feel I’m the person who should find out the secrets that were buried with him.

Write down what you think can be done to make this paragraph sparkle. Maybe you

can ask questions such as: a) What did Houdini do that was so great? b) What mysteries does the writer want to have answered? c) What were the secrets that were buried with Houdini? d) Who else besides my teacher is reading my writing? e) Would I praise this paragraph if someone else had written it to hold my attention?

Look at this possible improvement upon the above effort: Ever since I was a child the magic of tricks always was mysterious to me. One person whom I believe was a master is Harry Houdini. All his escapes from chains and from jails shocked millions. His death in the water tank was a mystery. Some people think he did not know how to escape; others believe he suffered a bad cramp. I will find out at my dinner. I would like him to even teach me a trick to amaze my friends. a) This improved paragraph has much more than correcting errors; it has revision, which is much more than just correcting errors. b) It also shows a greater amount of facts, also exactly what Houdini died from.

So how would your composition shine according to the famous writer and educator? a) You should not lock yourself into producing your paragraphs one sentence at a time, and turn it a task of sentence making. b) You should write thinking of what you said before and what is to come, all at the same time. (Nurture the development of

composing abilities.) c) You should write with a reader in mind, and questioning what is written. d) You should be an expert of revision and not of teacher’s correction.

Something to Do Write an essay showing structures which show development of composing abilities as are expected of CXC students. Choose a composition topic in which you can point out to your study partner the following features, as best you can. (You also need to show scrap work to prove some features.) a) Form and content, b) Ideas and organisation, c) Syntax and meaning, d) Writing and revision, e) Writing and thinking.

Grammar: Future Tense at Your Fingertips The future tense to state, used to state an action or condition to come, can be expressed in many ways to enhance stories and descriptions.

Beside using shall or will with the base form, try using these other forms: √ going to with the present tense of be and the base form of a verb.

They are going to present certificates any time now. √ about to with the present tense of be and the base form of the verb.

Ingrid is about to send the package. √ present tense with an adverb phrase that shows future time.

Jerry flies on 1st July.

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Entertainment

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Chris Brown makes Red Rat’s day RED Rat says that his phone has been ringing non-stop since Chris Brown sampled his dancehall classic, “Tight Up Skirt”.

The song features on the new single, “Privacy”, that ‘Breezy’ released last month, which was produced by David Doman, who has been known to mix elements of dancehall with other genres. This time around, he went for the timeless classic, “Tight Up Skirt” which was released in 1997.

According to the dancehall veteran, he is happy for the exposure and the longevity of his music.

“Ever since Chris Brown was in the studio recording the song, ‘Privacy’ and posted it on social media, I have been getting many calls left and right from many people, asking me about my thoughts regarding him sampling ‘Tight Up Skirt’.

“And all I can say is, ‘Give God all the glory,’” Red Rat said. “I think that because Chris Brown, who is one of the biggest pop stars globally, is feeling the need to sample a piece of Tight Up Skirt only shows how much he loves and respects Red Rat and his catalogue.

“It also shows how much of a fan he is to the music.”

“Tight Up Skirt” was a huge hit in dancehall in the late 1990s. The track was produced by Andrew Bradford for the Opera House label, while Red Rat was still a newcomer to dancehall.

Following that hit, Rat went on to score a number of other hits, including “Big Man”, “Dwayne”, and a hit with Goofy titled “Little Youth”.

Entertainment

john Cena Wants Nikki Bella to Have a Wedding Day She'll Remember Forever (But He's Still Watching the Budget!)

John Cena hopes to keep making Nikki Bella's dreams come true.

While chatting with E! News at the The Wall premiere, the WWE Superstars dished all about their recent engagement at WrestleMania 33 and the wedding planning process. So, what's John's role in the big preparation?

"I'm kind of in charge of the budget, so we're keeping everything on dollar," he admitted. "But I just want the event to be fun. I really want the event to be fun."

The 40-year-old actor, who was notoriously resistant to the idea of marriage, then

explained how his future wife ultimately changed his mind.

"To be quite honest with you, Nicole has taught me a lot about what she believes the meaning of a union between two people is and she's made me a believer out of it and that's certainly why I did what I did at WrestleMania," he said.

"I know how important the day is to her, and that's not to say that it's not important to me, it's very important to me," he continued, addressing Nikki, "But I want it to be something that you'll remember for the rest of your life." Swoon!

However, there's still just one condition. "I'll just make sure it's done on the dollar," he added. "It's not going to. It's

not going to, but…"

"Yes, it is!" Nikki promised. "I'm going to be very good about that."

Amazing BBQ Ribs in the oven Ingredients 1 rack of ribs 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika 1 cup bbq sauce Method The first step is to remove the thin membrane on the underside of the rack of ribs (pull with a paper towel for traction). Now this is optional, but for the rub to really get into contact with the open flesh and do it’s magic.. yea remove the thin membrane.

Then is just a matter of placing all the ingredients (except the bbq sauce) in a bowl and give it a good mix. Now coat the ribs with this amazing rub you just made, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least a couple hours to marinate. Try to really rub it into the meat with your hands.

Set your oven @ 300 F and then get 2 large pieces of tin foil and wrap each piece of seasoned ribs (make sure you keep all that lovely rub on the ribs) and seal them into 2 packages. Place then on a baking tray (so if they leak you won’t have a mess in your oven) and set them on the middle rack of your oven. Have then go for about 2 hours and 15 minutes. By sealing the packages they will retain it’s moisture as they cook.

Remove from the oven (and tin foil) and place on a rack (if you have one) or a lined tray and hit them with a coat of your favorite bbq sauce. Set the oven on “BROIL” (basically high heat – above 450 F) and place the ribs back into the oven. NOTE: You will have to keep a close eye on these as the high heat will cause the sugars in the bbq sauce to burn. Give it about 3-5 minutes, then remove from the oven, turn over and slap on some bbq sauce and back in the oven for 3 minutes. Please repeat this 2 times so you get that lovely glaze combined with that sticky goodness of the bbq sauce.