Pepperpot 12 24 2017

See inside: Recollections of Christmas Past III â–ş Page

Rising from the ashes, Christmas after a fire â–ş Page

This vivid painting by Barry Braithwaite depicts part of the Christmas Story. Here, Mary and Joseph sit with the new born Jesus as an angel watches over them. May we always remember the true meaning of Christmas.

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II

Editor’s note TOMORROW, those who celebrate Christmas will all spend a day with their families sharing presents, stories and spending quality time while honouring the birth of Jesus- the true meaning of the Holiday. On this occasion, Guyanese around the world try

to keep alive those things that make the holiday truly unique. ‘There’s no Christmas like a Guyanese Christmas’ as they say, and many of us can concur. So while you indulge in your family time and partake in all the practices- old and new- we bring you

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

a collection of stories built on reminiscing the years past; thoughts on new traditions and Christmas celebrations all across the country- and even by Guyanese who are abroad.

We hope that this special Christmas edition of the Pepperpot Magazine helps to contribute to that wonderful feeling that comes at this time. Merry Christmas!

Christmas in the Ghetto Part 2

By Michel Outridge

The residents of Broad and Lombard Streets engaged in a friendly game of dominoes

The 33-year-old mother added that during the festive season some kind-hearted citizens usually disCHRISTMAS is different for all of us. For tribute toys to the children in the area. “At Christmas, those with plenty, it can be a time of extravait is not bad or good it is just the same except it brings gance, filled with fancy gifts and an abundance togetherness and we try to have a ‘good time’ in this of food. But not everyone is so lucky. Tucked community,” she said. away in several forgotten corners of our counAshana Nester will be making pepperpot for her try, there are many persons who often times son who related to her that he would like to have a lot observe this festive season with the little that of toys. And even though she may not have a Christthey have, yet, they have no choice but to make mas tree this year, she will gift-wrap his toys and the best of it. put it in the stove where he can find it on Christmas.

Last year we visited the John Fernandes HousThe 19-year-old mother said this year they will ing Scheme and got a taste of what Christmas is celebrate Christmas just like any other village where like for residents there. This year, we show you there is love and unity among the people because what Christmas is like for a handful of residents they share whatever is prepared. living in a makeshift settlement at Lombard and She too, is hoping to relocate to Mocha/Arcadia Broad Streets, Georgetown. where she will move into her new Christmas for these residents, is just like any house sometime in 2018.

Shian George in her home other day. That is, it is all about the ‘hustle’ but Another resident, Nakada Thom(Photos by Delano Williams) it is also a time when they come together to share as told the Pepperpot Magazine that food and drinks. she doesn’t really like Christmas but According to Henry Collins, much people don’t pay attention to the she will be spending the holidays at folks living in the ‘ghetto’ but they do get by since most of them are her in-laws place this year where she gainfully employed as construction workers, tradesmen, stevedores is sure there will be food and drinks and other professions. to observe the occasion. She noted Henry has resided at this location since he was 15 years old when that this Christmas her house will be he lived with his grandmother. Life for him hasn’t been easy but he clean, decorated and illuminated with admits that he has to ‘hustle’. Henry said that Christmas time is the best fairy lights as it is every year. time for him because it is the season to be The area houses more than 50 resijolly and it is all about sharing and making dents, some of whom will be relocated merry in their simple ways. to other areas across the country in He stated that though they live in the 2018 through a housing drive initiated ‘ghetto’ they can still have a good time and by the Ministry of Housing. during their celebrations, everybody would This was the same area which bring a bottle of something to drink and suffered a massive fire on August 17, whatever food is prepared would be shared.

2011, which rendered several persons The 42-year-old added that once there is homeless. It was chaos when the blaze food and drinks everything is ‘nice’ and that erupted at Lots 17, 18 and 19 Broad and Lombard Streets and ripped is what they have around the festive season through several of the makeshift wooden houses (shacks). but in that small area which is made up of Reports are that shortly before 07:00hrs a resident identified as “Phillip” or “Chicken mostly makeshift houses it is like a ‘party’.

Chest” began breaking down parts of one of the houses.

“We make do with whatever we have.

This was apparently in response to the planned demolition of the structures there by the The adults are always working to get an Mayor and City Council (M&CC). The Council had planned to demolish the structures on extra dollar to spend for the holidays and the same day. this year it would be no different since they It was reported that minAshana Nestor need to ensure things are on the table,” utes after the man had comHenry said. menced his breaking down He related that some folks were allocatone of the houses, persons ed land elsewhere and with the New Year they would be relocating to other areas but for him, began to smell burnt wood he will see what 2018 brings. and noticed a fire coming Collins stated that the ‘ghetto’ is nice to live once you work and at Christmas, it is like one from one of the other houses. big party with disco lights, music and plenty to eat and drink.

Persons in neighbourMeanwhile, Shian George has been living at the spot for the past 17 years and for her it ing apartments began to is ‘home’ but she wants to enhance her life mostly for her three children. She is hoping to be panic as the fire quickly relocated to her new house in 2018. took over the bottom flat She told the Pepperpot Magazine that at Christmas she cleans and decorates her little of the house and quickly house just like everyone else, bakes and cooks as normal and tries to bring smiles to the faces ripped through several Some of the houses at Broad and Lombard Streets of her children. edifices.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

III

Christmas Past Recollections of

By Gibron Rahim

would be on their way.

Christmas time for Bibi meant going to the market to sell.

She recalled that in her younger days she and her siblings would visit her mother’s uncle who would have presents for them. She explained that her father was an alcoholic and

“What is the Guyanese Christmas?”

The chances are that posing the above question to individual Guyanese will garner quite different responses.

Given the potpourri of cultures that Guyana is home to, it is not surprising that our Christmas traditions reflect this diversity. This is especially true since holidays incorporate different customs over time. Conversations with our elders can give us valuable insights into how Christmas present is different from, and also similar to, Christmas past.

To learn more about how Christmas was celebrated in Guyana in the past, the Pepperpot Magazine visited Demerara Paradise Inc. where the staff kindly facilitated conversations with some of their elderly residents. Through these conversations, a clear picture of the Black cake – essential for Christmas of yesteryear could Christmas then and now be painted.

The first resident this publication spoke to was Jean W. She eventually, when she was older, she was able to buy a house described how in her younger days she and her family would where she raised her younger siblings. She kept a stall in exchange presents during the Christmas season. Her mother Bourda Market and there is where her customers would expect used to bake cakes and prepare delicious dishes for the family, her to be at Christmastime. with the aid of other family members. There would also be a Resident Jean L. also sat down with the Pepperpot MagaChristmas tree. Notably though, she explained that the season zine. Christmas was a time when children looked forward to was not one filled with activities – it was quiet time for fami- receiving toys and balloons. They would run around showing off what they received.

When asked about the dishes her mother used to prepare for the holidays, she smiled and said “too much”. Among them would be goja, made from flour and having a coconut filling.

There would also be gulgula.

She herself learned to prepare these sweetmeats by observing and helping her mother prepare them. Jean opined that nowadays not many people take the trouble to prepare these. The older ones who used to prepare these dishes are all gone and, Drumming try as they might, imitators cannot replicate their flavours. ly. She came from a large family that was 11 members strong. Neighbours and relatives would visit and would bring along At Christmastime, they would receive visits from friends. sweets that they had prepared to share. There was much soFor Agnes, another resident, the first activities surround- cialising between families on Christmas. ing Christmas were cleaning the house and the furniture.

She and her family would have almost completed ChristThere was a lot of scrubbing and polishing. The meat for mas cleaning at the time this publication visited Winifred, Christmas Day would be prepared the night before, on Christ- another resident, noted. The preserved fruits for the cake mas Eve. On Christmas Day she and her family would have needed to be readied. She laughingly recalled the necessity of pepperpot and garlic pork. During the course of the day they sampling the cake before it was baked. Ginger beer she said would also bake cakes. A lot of work was involved when was a must. They would go to the market and purchase the Christmastime came around she reflected. “But you enjoyed meat which would then be washed, seasoned and marinated. doing the work,” Agnes clarified.

On Christmas morning they would wake and say prayers. She Friends would visit the family. They would have drinks, recalled that they would also sing carols. Pepperpot and cooksing, dance and just have a happy time together. Then they up rice would be on the Christmas day menu. “And everybody would move on to another house. Agnes recalled that mas- would just be happy”, she reflected. queraders would come around and perform for money. The Caroling door-to-door was a practice at that time. After receptive audience would throw money for them and then they caroling in the neighbourhood, they would have breakfast and

a period of rest. Winifred noted too that, in Mahaicony where she is from, there was conga drumming at Christmastime. “If you could have heard them coming down the road, singing and keeping noise and wishing you ‘Happy Christmas’,” she said.

Kaitoon’s family came out from an estate. They would give their neighbours the ingredients to make cakes for Christmas since her mother, who was from India, did not know about cake baking. She recalled that she would decorate for Christmas when she grew older and had a family of her own. She recalled that she would buy at least 15 yards of cloth to use in decorating. She would have to get her Christmas preparations done early because she would need to go to the market to sell. She does not know to prepare black cake so sponge and fruit cakes were a part of her family’s Christmas tradition. Metemgee was an essential part of her and her family’s Christmas Day. Christmas in days past she said was “too sweet” and all 15 of her children would really enjoy the holiday.

From speaking with the residents of Demerara Paradise Inc. it became apparent that the Guyanese Christmas has undergone some changes over time, at least in some ways. It is essential that these stories of Christmas past be preserved for they are a part of Guyana’s history. By so doing we can ensure that key Christmas themes of family and community that are characteristic of the holiday continue to endure.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

FILES E S A C COURT

Two convicted robbers freed

by Appellate Court 1953 TWO tried for robbery with aggravation –Samaroo and Ezaz- were convicted by the jury and sentenced by the trial judge.

But on appeal, the Supreme Court of Criminal Appeal, constituted by Chief Justice Peter Bell, Justice Frederick Boland and Justice Joseph Wills, freed the alleged robbers after finding that the alibi defence was not adequately put to the jury by the trial judge.

That Appellate Court held: It is of paramount importance that the judge in his summing-up must fairly put an accused’s defence to the jury and as that had not been done in an otherwise careful and meticulous summing-up the conviction and sentence must be quashed. Appeals allowed.

B .O.Adams for Appellants.

G. M. Farnum, Solicitor General for Respondent.

At the conclusion of the arguments the judgment of the Court was delivered by Chief Justice Bell.

Judgment of the Court: The Chief Justice said: These appeals, which were heard together are appeals against convictions and sentences.

The appellants had appeared before the judge and jury on charges of robbery with aggravation. Learned counsel for the appellants argued a number of points. He abandoned two of the points recorded in the grounds of application for leave to appeal.

We are against him on two other points ,namely, that there was no proof of what the grounds of appeal call ownership, and that the possession of the stolen goods , the money, was not fully established . We are against the appellants on those two grounds.

The main grounds argued were that the learned trial judge failed to include in his summing-up the defence as led, and that the learned trial judge failed in his summing-up to deal fully with the evidence of the prosecution, particularly with the cross-examination of the witnesses. We have had the benefit of considerable argument by learned counsel for the appellants, to which the learned Solicitor General replied.

Now, it is clearly settled law that it is of paramount im-

portance that the summing-up must fairly put the case for the defence , whatever it may be . No matter how trivial or stupid or unlikely defence may be, it is of paramount importance that the judge in his summing-up must fairly put that defence to the jury. If authority were needed for that proposition , there is plenty of it in the books; for instance , the cases of Totty (1914) 10 C.A.R.; Immer (1917) 13 C.A.R., and Dinnick (1909) 3 C.A.R., and Dinnick 3 C.A.R. But while it is settled law that the summing-up must fairly put the case for the defence, there is no need for the Judge to go into every detail of the case, nor is there any need for him to put the defence in technical language. For instance if the defence is an alibi , there is no need for the judge to put the defence to the jury under that name, or to use any technical names for the defence offered. There is no need, as we understand the law that the judge should put the defence at any particular stage of his summing-up.

He can deal with it as he deals with the witnesses for the prosecution, but there are obvious advantages of emphasis and orderly arrangement that the judge should put the defence story to the jury after he has finished with the story for the prosecution, and that is the mode that we would certainly recommend.

It is also quite clear that it is sufficient if the defence is put substantially, that is to say, if it emerges from an examination of the summing-up as a whole that the issues in the case were, in substance, put to the jury by the judge.

Now, as regards this particular case, we have come to the conclusion that in an otherwise meticulous and careful summing-up by the learned trial judge, who is careful and meticulous , it cannot fairly and reasonably be said that the defence of either of the appellants was put to the jury clearly or in such a way that their attention was sufficiently and emphatically drawn to the nature of that defence.

It cannot be enough, we feel, merely to assume that because the jury have heard both sides of the case they are cognisant of the defence which is put forward. Something more than that is necessary. Something must be done to emphasise

By George Barclay

to the jury the defence which an accused person is offering.

Now, unquestionably, throughout the learned trial judge’s summing-up he did make reference to statements which had been made by the two appellants, but we are of the opinion that he did so for purposes other than the purpose of putting the defence to the jury in the way we feel it ought to be put.

It would not be enough, we feel to say: ”Well, when these statements were being dealt with by the learned trial judge it must have been apparent to the jury that the statements raised the defence of an alibi in each case,” Something considerably more than that was required in our view, so we are left in the result with the view that at no stage can it be said that the defence, as put forward by the appellants, was sufficiently, clearly and emphatically put to the jury and we are forced to the conclusion that that very vital principle has been infringed.

It must be, we feel, the duty of this court to ensure that judges trying cases with juries do not overlook that important principle. We would reiterate that it is the function of the court to make sure that a judge sitting with a jury never loses sight of the fact that of some stage of his summing-up and in some language and method he must alert the jury to the defence which mental duty which we, as a Court of Appeal, would fail in if we did not emphasise it.

Now, we have given very earnest consideration to the question whether the proviso to the Criminal Appeal Ordinance should be applied in this case and after that careful thought and consideration we have come to the conclusion that it would not be a proper case in which to apply the proviso. We have been unable to satisfy ourselves on the principles laid down in the cases of Haddy (1914) K.B, Stirland (1914) and R.v. Farid, that had there been proper direction the jury would have come to the same conclusion as they did , which is really the test that we must apply. For these reasons, we feel that the appeal in each case must be allowed and the convictions and sentences quash That being so, we direct the discharge of the appellants Appeals allowed.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

V

Christmas of yore in the Cinderella County

Tripping down memory lane with Wendella Davidson CHRISTMAS is a time when shopping is the order of the day; a time when decorations adorn the halls in our homes, and every door or passageway is bedecked with a new blind or curtain, even if unnecessarily.

I grew up in the countryside, at Danielstown on the Essequibo Coast, and just walking down the streets here in the city and hearing all the festive music and seeing the masqueraders with the `Bad Cow’ or‘Mad Cow’ and ‘Mother Sally’ or ‘Bam-Bam Sally’ prancing around, has vividly brought back memories of what growing up on the Essequibo Coast was like in my time.

I must admit that even now, the adrenaline flows whenever I hear the masquerade drums through the streets, or even from a distance. Oh, how I love to see the flouncers with their intricate moves to pick up money from the ground, especially the coins!

The sweet music from the flute is uniquely upbeat and evokes childhood memories. And, I especially remember my late sister, Wilhelmina, when she spent one Christmas here years after migrating to Trinidad, where she and husband had set up house.

We were downtown, browsing around on Regent Street when, fortunately for her and bad luck for me, a masquerade band was making its way in our direction.

Lo and behold! As the flouncers reached us, my sister found herself in the middle of the road, prancing away just like the dancers, much to the amusement of the reasonable crowd that had by then built up around them!

I had a hard time restraining her, and you could hear persons saying: “Let the girl enjoy her Guyanese Christmas, yeah! Al’yuh can’t see! She is a country girl and she missing this fun where she living now!”

A COMMON FEATURE In Essequibo where we grew up, the ‘Bad Cow’, as we popularly called it, was a common feature back then. And the big hype was on Boxing Day, December 26, when nearly the entire village, young and old, would head to the public road to view them, as they wended their way along.

It only took the voice of one villager to announce, “Bad Cow coming up the road!” and the villagers would abandon everything to view them. It was a common sight to see young and old of both sexes unable to resist the urge to join in the merriment and doing their `ting’ stride for stride with the flouncers. By the time the band/s had reached our village, they would have already travelled between three and six miles and would eventually end their journey at Anna Regina, some three miles further away. It always amazed me how these guys never seem to get tired or worn out. Maybe it was because in every village they passed through they had samples of cake and ginger beer. It was a must that the flouncers had to have their little `tups’(liquor) to `wet’ the palate and which they claimed was the reason for the extra energy and spring in their steps.

The most feared masquerade bands were the ones that originated from Dartmouth Village or Devonshire Castle, because those ‘Bad Cow’ were generally very fierce. I vividly recall the encounters some people, both old and young, have had with those manmade animals, since they had no qualms about giving someone a ‘trench bath’. That was pure fun! And if anyone, unfortunately, had one, they never, ever, got annoyed instead, you were then joke for that moment!

Then there was the occasional boy or girl who had misbehaved, and if a parent happened to just utter a complaint, the ‘Bad Cow’ would become the disciplinarian and run after them, even if it meant having to collect that ‘bad’ child from under the parent’s bed.

It was sheer fun to see some children literally in tears, with `snot’ running out of their noses as they promised to be good.

Yes! I still remember those good old days! And am sure many other Essequibians share the same memories, and will also agree that Christmas without the ‘Bad Cow’ on the Essequibo Coast is no Christmas at all.

Masquerade celebrations are also common in villages such as Henrietta, Onderneeming, Queenstown, Charity and Supenaam. Playing was not only just for fun, as each masquerade band benefitted from monetary incentives they collect as they play, which is usually split up among the players.

VERY BUSY Christmas Eve was, as usual, very busy at every household, and the community shops are normally crowded. At almost every home, one can inhale the refreshing aroma of freshly baked bread or cake which were mostly done in box ovens that were skillfully made, sometimes by one of the males of the household. There was also the smell of the traditional pep-

perpot as it boiled most times on a coal pot or a mud fireside; the smell of fresh paint or varnish; ginger being ground to make ginger-beer, and not forgetting the sounds of constant nailing. Also in some homes one can hear the sound of a sewing machine as there was the last minute hurry to finish sewing the curtains or blinds. It was then customary in my village for the color and style of one’s Christmas curtains to be `top secret’ from neighbours until Christmas morning.

And how can I forget the tedious job given to us younger ones in each family, as we were tasked with washing the salt out of the ‘salt butter’ that made the cake. I remember how our faces would brighten up when the basin/s in which the ingredients for the cake were mixed was passed on to us. Sometimes a minor tussle would erupt just because one of the bowls given to one person would have more of the leftovers than the others. At that time mommy would have to intervene to end it all. Believe, you, me, that uncooked mixture tasted so good!

Christmas Eve night, it was fun to see children having fun and sometimes one or two elders even joined in, as they dressed in their parents’ old clothes and don masks made from cardboard with the hope of concealing their identity as they move from house to house singing carols. The accompanying music, most times, was from hitting a pots or bottles with either a fork or spoon, but it was much fun because the reward was cake, ginger beer and sweets.

During that time too decorating of the house was in full swing and one can inhale the beautiful smell of new plastic which was then popularly used as a tablecloth.

Amidst all of this, no child would forget to hand up the roughly-sewed made most times from an old vest to ensure that Santa Claus, when he visited as we were told and verily believed, can leave toys which as soon as we awaken would anxiously run to check out.

Christmas Day is usually a time for family; a time when all the delectable treats – pepperpot, baked chicken, the black, fruit and sponge cakes would be enjoyed as family members, relatives and friends would spread good cheer, with music of their choice while the children would be busy with their new toys. And in the midst of it all is the Guyanese liquor or a homemade concoction.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

Christmastime Street Vending

By Gibron Rahim

come around and levy monetary charges against the vendors to allow them to continue operating. “Some days you don’t make anything much,” Bowen said. Sometimes at the end of the day, the money earned is only enough to buy food, she explained. She said there would be no improvement in the situation unless the government intervenes to protect local small business owners. She said that the President, whom she expressed faith in, should take appropriate measures.

Proceeding along Regent Street, the Pepperpot Magazine observed different approaches to street vending. Some vendors had stalls while others spread plastic on the pavement on which they displayed their goods.

The ups and the downs

THE Christmas season brings with it the hustle and bustle of shopping. Perhaps nowhere in Guyana is that more evident than on Regent Street at the height of the season.

Every year, street vendors come out in their numbers to take advantage of the sales to be made in the days leading up to Christmas.These vendors continue to persevere despite the challenges they face.

The Pepperpot Magazine visited Regent Street to speak with some of the vendors and observe the ebb and flow of shoppers. Anyone who is familiar with Regent Street will be aware that it is usually crowded with shoppers who flock the stores and fill the pavements as they seek out their quarries among the many stores that occupy its length. It was a sunny afternoon on the pavement of Regent and Wellington Streets. From there it was a steady walk in the direction of Vlissengen Road.

The goods on sale along the pavement varied. Available for purchase were clothing, footwear, Christmas decorations, toys, utensils, just to name a few. Their assortment created a rich mix of colours reflective of the Guyanese Christmas. Also visible were the crowd of early Christmas shoppers, some carrying bags filled with the goods they had purchased. Yet, it was by no means Christmas shopping as usual on Regent Street.

This publication approached several street vendors along Regent Street to try to get a feel for the business atmosphere this Christmas. Quite a few declined while others spoke on condition of anonymity. None agreed to be photographed. One of the first vendors approached was in the process of creating a floral arrangement. The vendor, Pamela Bowen, was initially hesitant to speak. However, she relented and this was fortunate as she expressed many of the concerns facing her and her fellow vendors.

Business along the pavement this Christmas, Bowen said, is not so good for local Guyanese. She asserted that this is due to the presence of bigger businesses operated by foreign nationals, such as the Chinese. She said this makes it difficult for small business owners to earn a living. According to her, these business owners are able to get their goods into the country at little to no cost, without tax being levied. She questioned the quality of these goods being sold, noting that their low prices attract customers. “I’m very upset about it,” she said. “And the government is not doing anything about it.” Those born in Guyana and who have spent all their lives here are having a very difficult time surviving she said.

Growing visibly upset, Bowen questioned how working mothers with families and rent to pay would be able to survive. Then, she noted, members of the City Constabulary periodically

'FINE PICKINGS' Upon crossing the street, this publication came across the small stall of Hulda Bovell Nedd.

She graciously agreed to take some time to answer some questions. She noted that she and her fellow vendors had just been getting a few “fine pickings” so far. She said that she had been turning out to work after 12:00hrs every day as she is the sole operator of her business.

Goods laid out for sale on Regent Street

Bovell Nedd noted that she had been vending over the last 25 years in various locations, with six or seven years spent in her current location. “This is the worst year I’ve ever faced,” she said. Shopping for the Christmas season used to begin in October, according to her. Now the vendors have to rely on the few days of business before the holidays. She explained that to take full advantage of the few days of shopping some vendors overnight at their stalls to receive business from early morning customers. She noted though that she is contented with the business that she had been able to do.

The Pepperpot Magazine spoke to another street vendor selling her goods in the vicinity of M. Phagoo and Sons General Store. The vendor, who declined having her name published, explained that she and her husband used to come out to sell at Christmastime around the same spot she was sitting at. Her brother-in-law has helped her to sell ever since her husband passed away in 2015. Occasionally, as was the case that day, she still comes to sell. She also noted that there had not been much business so far.

As this publication was preparing to make its departure, the clouds began rolling in.

The skies darkened and the wind picked up as the vendors rushed to protect their goods from the heavy rain that would follow. At the same time, this was happening, young masqueraders accompanied by drummers could be observed dancing right there on the street. Like street vending, masquerade is a Christmas tradition that has been in decline.

Yet, the determination of the masqueraders and the street vendors are indications that all hope is not lost.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

VII

That Christmas toothache IT is a scientific fact that Christmas is also toothache season. During a session of light banter with a few dental colleagues, two of them disclosed that their first (and worst) toothache was experienced on a Christmas Day. Many may be able to testify to similar experiences. But what is the point here? The point is that there is a distinct relationship between the ingestion of sweet and tooth decay.

During this festive season of Christmas, there will be at least a 10 per cent increase in the incidence of dental caries among Guyanese. The simple reason is because of the higher sucrose (sugar) ingestion combined with the transient neglect in maintaining oral hygiene concomitant with the disruption in routine personal activities.

Cakes, sweets, jellies, chocolates and dried fruits are the most cariogenic (caries producing) foods in existence and they are eaten indiscriminately at this time of the year. Although sugar by itself cannot affect the teeth in any way, the bacteria of dental plaque ferment these substrates (sugars and starches) most readily to produce the acid that erodes the enamel causing tooth decay. It only takes bacteria a matter of seconds to convert sweet to acid.

People have always liked a sweet taste. The ‘sweet tooth’ of primitive man was satisfied by fruits and other sweet parts of plants which were supplied by nature. All over the world people have used honey, a natural sugar concentrate as the source of additional sweetness. In Australia, Cuba, England and the United States of America, each citizen consumes more than 100 pounds of sugar a year, however, in China, the most popular country in the world, less than five pounds of sugar a year is consumed by each citizen. As a result, the Chinese have fewer caries than most.

The modern approach which is designed to circumvent the

deleterious potential of sugar on dental well-being is to substitute the carbohydrate with artificial sweeteners. However, universal use of these would result in disarray for countries

whose economies depend on sugar cane cultivation. Presently, mainly diabetics use artificial sweeteners. It is academic to note that the scientific community is contemplating whether it is more prudent to develop a vaccine against the Streptococcus mutans, the chief culprit responsible for tooth decay.

So, caries do not result from a nutritional deficiency involving the formation of a dentition which is predisposed to decay. Rather, it is the net result of a variety of local influences in the environment of the teeth involving the biochemical events in dental plaque which follow the intake of each item of the diet. The high sugar content and the sticky consistency are predominant factors for cariogenicity. Tooth decay also depends on the amount and type of carbohydrate eaten, the food acidity, the length of time between intakes and swallowing, enamel toughness from fluorides and how freely the saliva flows.

What then can be done on an emergency basis if a terrible toothache should strike suddenly? Note that a toothache may strike suddenly but certainly not without prior warning. First, wash out the mouth thoroughly. Then mix a strong solution of baking soda and water. Flood the affected tooth with the solution as long as possible, changing it. If that does not work, pulverise a clove in a drop of edible oil and place it in the cleaned out, dry cavity. See your dentist at the earliest opportunity. HAVE A HAPPY AND CARIES FREE CHRISTMAS!

Our Pepperpot A Guyanese Christmas tradition

By Gibron Rahim THE chances are high that you will wake up to the smell of pepperpot this Christmas. Much like garlic pork, black cake and sorrel drink, pepperpot is an essential part of Christmas in Guyana. It is true that the origin of the dish’s association with the holidays is obscure. Yet, pepperpot’s importance to our celebration of Christmas in Guyana is undeniable.

The history of pepperpot in the Guyanese Christmas is difficult to uncover. We can say with certainty that the dish had its beginnings with the Indigenous peoples of the land that eventually became Guyana. The tribes separately discovered the amazing preservative properties of liquid extracts from the poisonous bitter cassava root. The other tribes discovered the liquid which is called “kada” or "kadakura sauce”. This sauce is used to make the dish known as “tuma pot”. On the other hand, the Arawaks discovered the liquid we now call “cassareep”.

Cassareep is fundamental to the pepperpot formula. There are two varieties of cassava root – sweet and, as previously mentioned, bitter. Cassareep is made from the bitter cassava root. The Arawaks originally discarded the liquid that was extracted from the grated cassava that they used to make cassava flour. Eventually, it was found that the dark brown liquid that resulted from the liquid being left in the sun was a natural preservative. The usefulness of such a substance was immediately evident to the Arawaks and the stage was thus set for the dish that has become pepperpot.

The Pepperpot Magazine spoke with Bridget Walcott, a cassareep producer from Wakapoa. She was able to give an outline of the process involved in making cassareep in the present day. Many similarities remain. The bitter cassava is harvested and grated then placed in a matapee. The liquid is collected in a pail. Walcott explained that a hundred pounds of grated bitter cassava yields roughly a pail of liquid, depending on how dry the cassava is. Each pail produces a single bottle of cassareep Walcott said. She noted that the liquid is allowed to

Guyanese pepperpot (Photo by: Lynette James)

settle for one hour and then strained before it is boiled. Boiling is a crucial part of the modern process as bitter cassava root contains the poisonous acetone cyanohydrin which becomes the highly toxic hydrogen cyanide on contact with water.

Fortunately, hydrogen cyanide is quite volatile and rapidly evaporates upon heating.

Walcott said that about half a gallon of the liquid is boiled to create the cassareep. Boiling is done on an open fire and she explained that the boiling time depends on the positioning of the firewood on the fire. At a steady boiling temperature, making the actual cassareep takes about two hours she noted.

The finished cassareep has the consistency of molasses and a sweet flavour. Spices, including cloves, cinnamon and salt, may be added to enhance its flavour.

The processes of making cassareep and kadakura sauce are related. This was explained to the Pepperpot Magazine

by Michael Patterson, owner of Tuma Sàlà. The restaurant specialises in Indigenous cuisine, including tuma pot. The main ingredient in tuma pot is the kadakura sauce. As he explained, the dish is made from the liquid that is present before boiling breaks the liquid down into cassareep. While the

liquid is simmering, he said, there is a frothy broth that forms on the surface of the boiling liquid. This broth is scooped up and placed in another pot to boil. Eventually, layer by layer, a sauce is formed that is used in tuma pot. The sauce usually has a cream or lightly golden colour. The tuma pot created from this sauce may use fish or meat.

Given the importance of pepperpot, it should not be surprising that manufacturing cassareep can be a source of income, especially at Christmastime. Indeed, one of the best illustrations of that point is the current presence of bottled cassareep on supermarket shelves. Bridget Walcott makes an income from selling the cassareep she makes. She takes orders and then, every fortnight or so, goes to Charity on market day to sell the cassareep. Sometimes she supplements her supply with cassareep she buys from other makers. This becomes especially necessary during the holidays when the demand for cassareep spikes.

The method utilised when making pepperpot depends on which chef one asks. Some boil the meat with the cassareep before adding water, some add the cassareep and water after the meat has boiled. The chosen spices that are added to the stew vary. The original pepperpot would have included wild meat. It still does sometimes. It is generally agreed though that beef is the meat for pepperpot. Chunks of beef, bones included, are thrown into the pot. Cow heels and ox tails may also be included. There is not much orthodoxy with pepperpot though.

Chicken or pork can be used. Even tofu can work in pepperpot. The diner may choose cassava bread to accompany their pepperpot. They may also use freshly baked or store-bought bread. There are many variations and none of them are wrong.

It is its variation that marks pepperpot as a cultural reflection of Guyana. Just as our preferences vary in terms of pepperpot, so too do we as Guyanese vary. Pepperpot combines the past and the present. It is a reminder of our Indigenous people who have shared their culture with us.

So on this Christmas day, as we dine on our pepperpot, we would do well to reflect on how our differences can make us richer, much like delicious pepperpot gravy.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

THE JOYS OF CHRISTMASTIME

TODAY is the beginning of Christmas Week and it is also Christmas Eve. The Christmas Season will continue until the end of the year, and with some families even until Twelfth Night, that is on January 6.

There is so much to enjoy and so much to be thankful for during this season.

For one, there is the weather which, this year so far has been sunny. At this time the days and nights are cooler with the refreshing Trade Winds fanning the entire coast.

The sun sets much earlier than say, in August, and the sunsets are not the brilliant orange and bright colours of that month. The sunsets are cool orange, turquoise, blues, slate, shreds of yellow(gold) and purple and the combination and merging of these present a unique beauty which will never recur, and the dusks are longer moving from the russet and gold-tinted light into the opaque blue which subsumes the landscape before nightfall. Each day offers its own unique treat.

The vegetation has a lighter shade of green and there may occasionally be a little mix of spring green and the flowers - bougainvillaeas of many colours, yellow buttercups, oleanders, queen of flowers, poppies and hibiscuses - are in bloom in the yards, the fences and hedges.

The skies are of a softer blue and the silver of the clouds seem to be brighter. Older Guyanese used to call this time "the Christmas weather".

Christmastime offers an inclusive spiritual dimension in which adherents of the

other two National Faiths- Hinduism and Islam - could participate with Christians.

The Nativity story and the moral and spiritual teachings which go with it have a universalism which transcends all religious differences. Guyanese people could again be spiritually refreshed as they had done at

there are colourful decorations including colourful lights and children encounter ingenious toys and games. Most shoppers, these days, never even glance at the decorations but if adults would allow themselves and their children to enjoy the decorations, they would find some of them very artistic and beautiful and find added pleasure from their shopping expeditions.

In enjoying the decorations, children would begin to learn the meaning of colours

past Christmases. The moral and spiritual aspects of the festival complement and enrich the commercial and purely secular and offer a deeper joy. Charles Dickens did this for the 19th century England and indeed, for the English-speaking world.

The commercial and other secular aspects of Christmastime loom largely. The shops are well-stocked, sometimes with novel gadgets and new items which are being introduced for the first time. And everywhere

since each Christmas colour has its own mythology and meaning, and their artwork at school would very likely improve. In being confronted with attractive stocks of goods, do not succumb to "compulsive" buying. The commercial aspects of Christmas should be enjoyed but do not be overwhelmed by them.

Though many of the parties and dances of the season have a sameness about them, attend them, participate and enjoy since many of them turn out to be occasions which would

leave pleasant memories throughout life.

At Christmastime there is special music not usually heard at other times of the year. Such music range from the works of Classical composers like Mozart and Bach to Christmas carols and secular Christmas songs. Such music is evergreen and to older people, it awakens nostalgic memories which could be as cathartic as Scrooge being able to recall his past life by the help of the Spirit of Christmas past. Children listening and learning such music would be laying the foundation of future pleasant memories.

Certain special foods and drinks are prepared at Christmastime and children and adults should savour them since their association with Christmas always evoke nostalgic memories. Such would include pepper pot, garlic pork for those who eat pork, various types of baked meats, curried chicken, Dutch cheeses and so on and drinks such as jamoon and rice wines, and ginger beer and sorrel and heavy fruit and black cake.

The Guyanese character is generally caring and generous unlike in many other countries where people feel it is the responsibility of the State or humanitarian organisations to assist the poor or less able people. During the season, we have visited downtown Georgetown and saw how much goodwill people felt for the old, the decrepit and generally less able. We would not give examples of the many kindnesses being proffered to the less able since it would take up too much of our allotted space. But helping the helpless or those in need would bring much joy and happiness to all.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

#SupportCreativity

James Tissot’s Journey of the Magi FOR those unfamiliar with the subject, The Adoration of the Magi, in visual art it is the name typically given to the Nativity scene that features the three kings who followed the Star of Bethlehem to baby Jesus and his mother, Mary. Following the procession and subsequent discovery of the newborn saviour, they laid before him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to honour his arrival. In some cases, an ox or donkey is pictured in the scene and in other cases it’s not uncommon for Joseph to be pictured as well. Those details vary from artist to artist and sometimes the amount of “artistic freedom” taken is dependent on the period in which the artwork was created.

Last year I wrote about Albert Dürer’s interpretation of The Adoration of the Magi, one of the few interpretations I’ve come across

that presents one of the three kings as someone of African descent.

This year, however, I wanted to focus on the journey leading up to the “adoration,” as portrayed by the French painter James Tissot.

While the “adoration” is usually the focus of paintings about this subject, the arrival of the Magi is often shown in the distant background of a Nativity scene or sometimes (as in this Tissot painting) a separate subject, the Journey of the Magi. In this case, they are presented as the most prominent figures in the picture plane, occupying about half of the width of the canvas, and it is implied that they are following the Star of Bethlehem since it’s not actually pictured.

Prior to the creation of this work, Tissot had made a successful career for himself painting the stylish leisured class of the late-nineteenth century. But it

James Tissot, Journey of the Magi, oil on canvas, c. 1894

wasn’t until much later in his career that his more religious body of work, particularly illustrations of the life of Christ, became popular.

In fact, these works (estimated to number at around 700 in total) are considered his greatest achievement. Journey of the Magi, in particular, was created after Tissot’s second trip to the Middle East.

He visited the region three times between the years 1886 and 1896, taking photographs and making sketches for a more accurate portrayal of this subject. For him, this research component represented a crucial part of his creative process since it allowed him to study the people who lived there, the type of garments they wore and the unique topography, as well as the colour palette of the region. This alone, in my opinion, underscored his unwavering commitment as a creative practitioner to accurately representing both his subjects as

well as their homeland.

Journey of the Magi emphasises the influence of photography on Tissot’s striking composition. His almost obsessive attention to detail is immediately evident. Tissot spares no detail in the rendering of the mountains, the figures and the animals in each plane (foreground, middle ground and background).

The shimmering, golden yellows; soft purples; and rich browns all work together to create a finished work of art that would encourage any viewer to spend hours marvelling at the mastery of his techniques. The interplay of highlights and shadows, his beautiful use of colours and his expertly structured composition, easily make this my favourite painting of this genre.

Tissot’s brilliant positioning of the Magi in this painting is successful in a number of ways: it creates the feeling that although they might be en route to baby Jesus,

the Magi could also be approaching the viewer, almost moments away from stepping off the canvas entirely. If we close our eyes to the distractions of our current realities, we could certainly feel them brush past us, garments flowing behind as they do. This kind of cinematic quality proves yet again just how attuned he was to the photographic techniques of the time.

His treatment of each King is also interesting to observe. While he suggests different ages by the colour of their beards, these men are certainly not melanin-deficient. In fact, their dark faces are in stark contrast to their golden robes and, strange enough, are among the first observations of the painting that are typically made. And, although each King is presented on exactly the same plane with no clear indication of hierarchy, you do get the feeling that the central (and perhaps wiser) figure is flanked on either side by younger but equally important figures.

And of course, it would be remiss of me to neglect the camels, the only type of animal featured in this painting. They are many and they are indeed strong, having withstood the sweltering heat and intense dryness they would’ve no doubt experienced up to that point of their journey. It certainly would’ve been a difficult task but they were not painted in a manner to suggest that they were overwhelmed by either climate or cargo.

The long trail of men on camels extends far beyond the mountain range and disappears into the distance, suggesting baby Jesus and his mother Mary were to expect quite a few visitors.

Having examined most of the qualities that elevate Journey of the Magi to the top spot in my book, I sincerely hope you enjoy this painting as much as I do!

Regardless of your religion, if you celebrate the holiday or not, it is certainly a great time to spread love. Make a daily practice of it. With that said, all the best for the season and the New Year ahead!

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

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Happy Holidays!

TO all those celebrating today and tomorrow - I wish you the very best that the days have to offer. To those who aren’t, I hope you are using the day to relax and spend time with your loved ones anyway.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have always been my favourite days of the year.

Most importantly, how I feel about it and what I enjoy the most have evolved and grown as I have. When I was a child, nothing made me happier than to see the gifts pile up under the tree, like most I’m sure. Now, I get a quarter of the presents I once did but the same excitement comes from the simplest of things. I feel genuinely happy when I hear my sister sing her favourite carols, I feel instant joy when I see Christmas decorations and I get almost too excited when I smell Pepperpot and Christmas cookies.

I would like to acknowledge those that may be suffering from mental health issues and therefore, are not in the ‘Christmas Spirit’. As much as I love the holidays, I am aware of the added stress, pressure and overindulgence which may negatively influence so many.

If you feel this way, I want you to know that you’re not alone and I hope this piece can provide some sort of relief and maybe even joy.

When we think of Christmas, many things such as holiday leave, indulgence, family time and presents enter our mind.

While these have their faults, like anything else - they also have wonderful benefits.

For the lucky ones, family traditions come out at Christmas. Whether it is opening presents while eating breakfast together, watching ‘Home Alone’ or carolling together, family traditions unite all generations and create memories that strengthen the family unit.

This happens as most people are in a better mood during this holiday season. I am certain that I smile and laugh more at Christmas than any other time of the year. This is great as my research shows that a good belly

laugh lowers blood pressure and stress while increases mood and general immune system functioning.

The season encourages socialisation. We actually see most of our friends and family face to face rather than on a screen. This type of communication drastically improves our mental health and physical well- being.

The season is also a baby booming one – my research shows that contraception sales double in December. Slightly inappropriate I know but completely true.

I also love Christmas as it keeps me in the now. Very often, when I’m out having a good time, I tend to think of what I have to do or what I should be doing. I notice that I do not feel that way during the holidays- I enjoy my time off, I enjoy every conversation and I enjoy the present moment. More importantly, Christmas encourages generosity, gratitude, kindness and forgiveness. You do not have to conduct scientific studies to come to the conclusion that giving and receiving gifts come with an emotional high.

Forget receiving for a second, the selfless act of giving strongly correlates with happiness and has uncontrollable benefits. We all know that feeling of giving someone special a gift that we know they will love. I believe that money cannot buy happiness unless you spend it on other people. Kindness and giving are contagious. When we give, we aren’t only giving to the immediate recipient but we are creating a ripple effect of kindness and generosity that may reach even hundreds of other people which we have not yet met.

Be a part of that chain!

If you are still worried about how you’re going to get through today, tomorrow and the remainder of the season, here are some simple tips for keeping your Mental Health good and stable.

1. Get proper sleep and rest!

2. Keep eating and exercising well. If you haven’t been at all, do it. Both release good endorphins as well as keep you happy and energetic. Also, considering the amount of

food and alcohol one might consume, it couldn’t hurt.

3. Decide which events and activities are the most significant and only do those. Try not to overexert yourself.

4. Have realistic expectations of what these events are going to be. Some people aren’t nicer with the season.

5. Take some personal time and relax.

6. Practice gratitude.

7. Speak to a professional if needed.

I believe that we all want to feel happy, loved and at peace and what better time to push for that than now, when the feelings of joy and appreciation are everywhere we look – the decorations, the joyful words and songs streaming through our radios and television? Do your best to remain positive

and hopeful.

Thanking you for reading. Please keep sending any topics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail.com Or come in to see me at: Georgetown Public Hospital: Psychiatric Department: Monday- Friday –08:00hrs - 12:00hrs Woodlands Hospital: Outpatient Department Drug and Alcohol group meetings Mondays 16:00hrs Good mental health group meetingsWednesdays 16:00hrs Suicide Prevention Helpline numbers: 223-0001, 223-0009, 623-4444, 600-7896 Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

Rising from the ashes

Christmas after a fire

By Michel Outridge FOR 78-year-old Ovid Stewart, Christmas this year will pass him in a sombre mood due to a fire which destroyed his rented apartment at the corners of Da Silva and De Abreu Streets, Kitty, Georgetown on the evening of October 18, which caused him to be displaced.

Ovid had lived in that apartment since 2004 and had even invested in renovating the building using money saved from his pension, but the building and all of his personal possessions all vanished on that fateful October night.

“I didn’t want to move around a lot, I was comfortable at the corners of Da Silva and De Abreu Streets, Kitty but that inferno took away my home and everything I worked for and at my age I need stability,” Ovid told the Pepperpot Magazine.

But despite losing everything, Ovid has since moved on and is now renting an apartment in Benn Street, Georgetown where he says he is comfortable and prefers to live alone like he did in Kitty.

“I can go back at any time to the US but Guyana is my home country and here is where I want to retire and spend the rest of my golden years doing the simpler things in life,” Ovid said.

At his age, he still does all his chores,

Ovid Stewart

ities on the job and I was rewarded for my dedication at the Hyatt,” he said.

Stewart told the Pepperpot that he worked five years straight without calling in sick and now he is spending his retirement in his home country as he wanted.

After moving into the apartment on Da Silva and De Abreu Street, Ovid invested some $1.5 million to make the place feel like home. These renovations were so efficient that the place withstood the 2005 floods which had otherwise inundated various parts of the city.

Presently he is awaiting the insurance pay-out since the fire but says life goes on as

The house after the fire (the green house) Ovid Stewart was residing on the lower flat

cooking and shopping but there is a problem since all his household appliances were also destroyed in the fire.

For now, cooking is not possible, but he is hoping to change this so that he can move on and continue with his simple life, even as Christmas is upon him.

HARD WORK Ovid returned to Guyana after working in the United States (US) for more than 17 years as the Purchasing Clerk for the Hyatt Hotel.

By that time, and having reached of age, Ovid moved toward retirement and decided to build roots in Guyana once more.

Before Ovid migrated he did all kinds of work and in 1987 he left these shores then spent almost 18 years working in the hotel industry.

He talked about being a rice farmer in his home village of Zeelandia, Wakenaam where he worked as a boy and it was until he married he came to Georgetown where he stayed.

“I am not very highly educated but I had the willingness to learn and work and I got extra money by taking on added responsibil-

unfortunate as it may be. He also hopes that he will soon receive his security deposit from the landlord to help him with his expenses.

THE FIRE On October 18, 2017, fire believed to be arson was started at the neighbours’ house during a domestic dispute at about 22:00hrs.

Stewart in an initial interview with the Guyana Chronicle said at about 10:30hrs, he was in bed and heard what sounded like squibs and thought that the children in the neighbourhood were up to no good. However, he opened his eyes after hearing sounds outside his window and saw the conflagration next door.

The re-migrant added that he could not save anything but his own life by rushing through the door as the fire was spreading very quickly with the house next door being totally engulfed.

Stewart said his landlady, a mother of three, Adunni Orderson and her mother resided in the top flat of the house and they too lost everything.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

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This classic Christmas story teaches us that material things are not what are most important at this special time of year

The gift of the Magi

By O. Henry

ONE dollar and eighty-seven cents.

That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty- seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.

There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl.

So Della did it. This instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.

In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name "Mr. James Dillingham Young."

The "Dillingham" had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called "Jim" and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good.

Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far.

Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling--something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honour of being owned

by Jim. There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier-glass in an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception

of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art.

Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its colour within 20 seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Young in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair.

Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window someday to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.

So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her.

And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.

On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.

Where she stopped the sign read: "Mne. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds." One flight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the "Sofronie."

"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.

"I buy hair," said Madame. "Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it."

Down rippled the brown cascade.

"Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand.

"Give it to me quick," said Della.

Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor.

She was ransacking the stores for Jim's present.

She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation--as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The Watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim's. It was like him. Quietness and value--the description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried

home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch, Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain.

When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason. She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to

love, which is always a tremendous task, dear friends--a mammoth task.

Within 40 minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully, and critically.

"If Jim doesn't kill me," she said to herself, "before he takes a second look at me, he'll say I look like a Coney Island chorus Turn to page XXII ►►►

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

Edge of Existence The US dream is oh so elusive

By Godfrey Wray

IT was the day before Christmas Eve Day 2015. Jeffrey North left the bank on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn in a bad mood, as foul as the weather that greeted his exit.

The overdressed clerk had rudely denied his request to change 400 pennies into dollars and quarters, advising him that the coins were improperly put together. She gave him a look that incredulously suggested: You got to be a madman to come in today of all days, with all those coins.

He graciously retrieved the eight cylindrical wrappers with their coins, and the clerk ungraciously bade him “Happy Christmas.” He could almost hear the silent addendum: “And don’t

come back to me.”

“Whatever!” he muttered, flushing with embarrassment, as a suck-teeth and a snigger echoed from the customers’ line.

Confronted by the unalterable fact that he was broke, without even a bus fare, North’s mind fought to forestall a guilt-driven paranoia. A friend had planted the seed of bankruptcy in his head, and it was taking root daily. That day it began to sprout limbs.

Unhesitatingly, he began walking along Utica Avenue heading toward Avenue D, where he would put on a plaintive Senior Citizen face, display his gray hairs and beseech the B8 bus driver for a free ride to Flatbush Avenue.

An icy wind slammed past the protection of over-coat, ignored the pull-over, crept under the long-sleeved woolen shirt,

sneaked past the thermal underwear, and bit hungrily into his upper body. The lower part was already without feeling, since he had just sneaked a touch to see if his privates .were still there.

The street was awash with people of all descriptions…a multi-cultural gaggle in perpetual motion. A West Indian woman with a purloined American accent, a gender-less figure swishing down the sidewalk, gesticulating wildly while remonstrating with an equally mystifying companion; a loud-mouth yelling into a cell phone; an obese woman with giant yellow curlers in straw-red hair; an angry father slapping an agitated teen, as only Caribbean people still dared to do.

And with a touch of irony, a drunk lay draped on the door of a newly-renovated church, muttering quotations from the Bible.

A fetid miasma of sweat emanated from his body.

Jeffrey North was 70 years old, but on that Christmas Eve Day, he felt much older. It wasn’t the physical demands, though they were many. It was the mental fatigue, the heavy wear and tear on the soul, the constant buffeting of the mind.

It was 14 years to the date of his arrival to take up residence in New York. At first, he would walk with head held high, eagerly looking on the horizon for the highly-touted American dream.

Now, so many years later, he had a more rounded back from scanning the sidewalks, looking for lost treasures.

He was slowly feeling the enervation of his life. Everything he had worked for, all the years of toil, and now it had boiled down to this uncertain existence.

An irreverent thought flashed through his mind. Why didn’t he just close the book…Go out quietly?

But he knew he was made of sterner stuff and no matter what, he would never make an inglorious exit.

It was not uncommon for him to walk and quietly recite passages from the Holy Book. The one that seems honed for him was Psalm 102: 11-: My days are like a shadow that lengthens And I wither away like grass.

NB: Christmas Eve Day 2017 found Jeffrey North in Guyana having a good time, singing lustily at Minerva’s Hang-Out on Bam Bam Alley (Orange Walk) accompanied by a mélange of discordant voices as the pushcart boom box belted out the ever-popular “Santa Looking for A Wife.”

And why was the re-migrant so happy?

He had just come from the supermarket, his ATM card having withstood the verification test.

GT was the place to be.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

folklore

THE CHRISTMAS DAD THE real Christmas celebrations for the Ramroop family began about eight years ago. One evening their dad Eustace Ramroop aka Raj arrived home with a Christmas tree and a few drinks below his belt.

And so their love affair with the Christmas season began.

His two children, 19-year-old Laleta Ramroop and Kemraj Ramroop, 21, together shared their memories and experiences at Christmas. They explained that most of the decorations are put up in November. This is done early in order to allow other important things to be taken care of closer to Christmas.

“On Christmas Eve we would light up the house. Mom would cook Pepperpot and on Christmas morning the balloons would be hung. On Christmas day, gadgets rule. The entire family comes together and gifts are exchanged. "The first thing we do when we awake is to head straight to the kitchen for the Pepperpot. After eating, we open gifts then spend time together. No one goes out that day. Despite this, gadgets are constantly in use especially the cell phone,” Laleta said.

“Our mom likes to try out new things for Christmas meals. Once she cooked pizza and another time she made lasagna. We assist

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By Neil Primus

her but mostly keep her company because she loves cooking and is an excellent cook.”

“Christmas is our dad’s favourite holiday.

He loves Christmas. He goes all out for this season. We don’t know what drives him but his Christmas mood ignites the Christmas joy in all his children. He does the decorating himself and does most of the shopping.

He is a perfectionist. Everything has to be just right. He is also old fashioned and does not use too many gadgets. If anyone makes a joke and ask him 'Raj what yo giving me fo Christmas,' he would buy that person a gift. That’s the type of person he is and the

kind of Christmas spirit he possesses," man's children related.

“On Boxing Day relatives and friends stop-by and the real fun begins. No alcohol is allowed on Christmas Day but on Boxing Day, its every man for himself. Drinking sometimes goes on all day: Adults only. Mom cooks for everyone. The children head for their friends to chill out and lime,” they said.

These two young people Laleta and Kemraj did not wish for any material things for the holidays. They seem content in the joy and unity of their family at this special time of year.

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Be 'Intentional' about this Christmas WHEN the kids were younger I was more into Christmas holidays with regard to the outer excitements. Now it's more the inner meaning that excites me. I am always engaged in events with women and two weeks ago I had a panel of women talking about challenges and living the intentional life. A few days ago, I decided to have a panel discussion with only men locally and internationally. My friend and media personality Merrano Isaacs, the innovative and energetic Dr. Rosh Khan and the unassuming and brilliant Dr. Quincy Jones were on the local panel at the We Own Space office. The international panel via webinar consisted of my best friend and Caribbean Fashion evangelist Richard Young, Jamaal Ali from Georgia who is a speaker and coach and my friend and businessman

from Holland, Robin Corte.

We had such an exciting, motivating, inspiring and empowering conversation. The content was solid and according to the viewers, many valuable nuggets were shared.

One lady messaged and said she was overjoyed to hear the guys express themselves, that she was listening in her car on her way to work and that she had so much energy when she got to work from the content.

Apart from the Caribbean viewers, persons were joining us from Brazil, New Jersey, Mississippi, Texas, New York, London, Belize, Bahamas and Nigeria.

Merrano shared with us where he came from and how he became intentional about his career as a radio broadcaster. His objective is to send uplifting messages through the airwaves

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

Beyond the Runway with Dr. Sonia Noel

... Inspiring lives through fashion that will inspire.

Dr. Rosh Khan who is a medical doctor but he decided to follow his passion and dive deep into the work of business but with the same heart for making a difference to humanity.

He said he took away some key points he can implement in his master class and his favourite chapter in LIVING WITH INTENTION is Focus because he found another F. He teaches the 4 Fs of life in his class, which are family, future, finance, and fitness and he said he now will be adding focus because he will be more effective with FOCUS. Dr. Quincy said the chapter Potential resonated with him because of where he is in life. He is also a medical doctor who does not practice but is behind the scenes adding so much to the health sector. He is mentoring a number of young health practitioners.

Jamaal mentioned that Potential and Focus resonated with him because he was a star athlete with great potential but did not have the focus to go to the next level.

Richard shared that he finally accepted his natural talent as a gift from God to add value to lives.

Robin shared on how his kids are the driving force that keeps him going and aspiring to greatness.

All these guys closed with messages for living a life with intention in 2018: Dr. Rosh Khan's advice to entrepreneurs is to make your business profitable but let profit have purpose.

Dr. Quincy Jones: Have a theme to guide yourself to stay on course Merrano Isaacs: Be the best you can be Robin Corte: Love like you have never loved before.

Jamaal Ali: Serve humanity in a greater capacity in 2018 Richard Young: Channel your passion into purpose.

A big thank you to this awesome panel of men who are all contributing significantly to society!

My advice is, don’t deprive the world of witnessing your invaluable contribution to humanity.

Be intentional about making this Christmas your best ever.

LIVING WITH INTENTION will be a great Christmas or New Year gift for friends and family.

It is available on Amazon in the Kindle version and hard copy You can be part of a free webinar by emailing us livingwithintention11@gmail.com Email us @ beyondtherunway1@gmail.com and visit our FB page beyond the runway as we continue to enjoy the beautiful journey called life BEYOND THE RUNWAY.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

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How we do it back in Nigeria

By Cynthia Ofokansi CHRISTMAS in Nigeria is characterised by a mass exodus of a majority of the population from the towns and cities to the villages. Many Nigerians living abroad, in such places as the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, also arrive in the country during this festive season.

The towns and cities in Nigeria and indeed most parts of West Africa, such as Accra (Ghana), Yaounde (Cameroon), Banjul (The Gambia), Conakry (Guinea), and Dakar (Senegal) etc. seem like ghost towns during this festive season, from a week before Christmas to just a week after the new year.

The return of the town and city dwellers to the villages is greeted with much anticipation and excitement by the vil-

Jollof Rice a traditional Nigerian Christmas dish

lagers. They often look forward to the financial benefits and moral support from these migrants.

Nigerians who remain in the cities usually do so because they believe they haven’t quite met their goals they set out to achieve, in that they may have had inadequate financial success or little achievement during the year that is just about to end.

A few of these Nigerians who remain in the towns and cities do so to take advantage of the mass exodus and unusually peaceful and quiet environment.

The streets are often so deserted in the towns and cities; one could walk down calmly in the middle of the road, whether day or night.

ABUNDANCE OF FOOD AND DRINKS In West Africa in general, as in the Caribbean, there is a great consumption of food and drinks during this festive season.

The food consumed differs from place to place in various parts of the country. However, unlike here the Caribbean, there is no noticeable consumption of pastries. In Nigeria, black, sponge, chocolate cakes and pies are hardly eaten during the Christmas season, but rather there is great consumption of assorted meats.

In the south of Nigeria for example, among the Yoruba, Ijaw, Efik, Edo Ibibio and Igbo tribes, to name a few, the main food consists of the following items: Jellof Rice (also called Jollof Rice in some places) with boiled beans, fried plantains, and a variety of stews made of either beef, chicken, fish, snail etc.

This ‘jellof rice’ is very much akin to cook-up rice, which

was introduced here during the heyday of the African slave trade.

Another favourite dish at this time of year is pepper soup made of fish, goat, or beef and sometimes eaten with foo–foo, which is `yams pounded to a paste in much the same way as Guyanese do with the plantain.

In the north of Nigeria, the dish ‘Tuwo’, a sort of rice pudding and stew with assorted meat, is often eaten, as is pepper soup, which is a favourite in the south.

The meats listed above are often bought live from the Turn to page XX ►►►

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

Christmas Fete at the Guyana Embassy in Washington, DC

By Francis Quamina Farrier THE weather was terrible in Washington, DC, on Friday, December 15, 2017. Earlier in the day, there was snow, then later rain and certainly some bone-chilling cold temperatures. However, when I arrived at the Guyana Embassy as a guest of the High Commissioner and staff, it was as though I had stepped into my native Republic of Guyana, located just above the equator, in warm sunny South America. As a tropical man, I am not that much a lover of the snow and cold. However, I have survived over the years whenever I just had to be in freezing temperatures, be it in North America or in Europe.

The first thing which attracted my attention immediately after entering the Embassy building in Washington, DC, at that 2017 Christmas fete, was the obvious social cohesion of the gathering. Here were Guyanese of all persuasions, mingling together - eating, drinking, dancing, chatting and most importantly, respecting and showing love for one another. It was a reflection of what Guyana is well-known for - our hospitality, and what should be a principal national objective. A national policy has already been enshrined in Guyana’s National Pledge: “...to love my fellow citizens...”

This annual Christmas fete at the Guyana Embassy in Washington, DC, has been held for many years now and is usually sponsored by a Guyanese Corporate Citizen. For the past 10 years, it has been sponsored by the Accounting and Security Firm, Federal Management Systems, Inc., which has a branch in Guyana.

Headed by Buxton-born Aubrey Stephenson, AA, Federal Management Systems has spon- Celebrity Guest: Veteran Artist, sored many Guyanese Stanley Greaves projects in the USA, as well as in Guyana. There is an upcoming ceremony in Georgetown shortly, at which the company’s President and CEO Aubrey Stephenson will officiate.

In his welcome address to the guests, Ambassador Dr Riyad Insanally thanked his fellow Guyanese for attending the function and wished them all the best for theNew Year, 2018.

Among the guests were a few Guyanese who were honoured for their special contributions in one field or another over the years. They included Dr. Doobay and Aubrey Stephenson.

The annual Christmas fete at the Guyana Embassy in Washington, DC, tends to bring out the best in Guyanese culture; in the music played, the foods and drinks served and most importantly, the well-known Guyanese hospitality. Guests interact with each other in the traditional Guyanese way; hugs, handshakes, kisses and genuine smiles! For the better part, conversations are void of depressing topics. A lot discussed is pleasant banter and reminiscing about how life was like, back in the home country during their growing-up years - some of those years, especially before independence, when “Life was slow, and oh, so mellow”.

Conversations would also be about Christmastime in Guyana. Some boldly say that there is no Christmas like Christmas in Guyana. The masquerade bands on the streets in particular, which are never seen in that cold Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia area of the United States, where most of those attending the fete reside.

I observed the attire of those in attendance and noted that most of the men wore formal suit and tie. Nonetheless, there were those who were attired in more casual, but warm outfits. The ladies, as would be expected, were in some of the latest fashion. While some of the designs were moderate, I observed a few which were a little daring, if you will. The gathering brought out some of the best in the Guyanese personality. It was indeed, a grand happy Guyanese gathering.

Much of the activities were recorded on camera phones. Some were by way of selfies,

Guyana’s Ambassador to the USA and the OAS, Dr. Riyad Insanally, at left, engages two of the guests in light-hearted conversation (Photos by Francis Quamina Farrier)

Two of the honoured guests, Dr Doobay and Aubrey Stephenson A.A.

others by the traditional way. But there were literally scores of photographs taken that night for the family album and a few for the media, and published along with this article.

Yes, it was a grand and entertaining 2017 Christmas fete at the Guyana Embassy in Washington, DC, but one has to admit, as was said so many times during the event, “There’s no Christmas, like a Guyanese Christmas”.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

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Christmas in

New York No comparison to Christmas back home – Guyanese

By Jasmaine Payne

particularly difficult, especially due to that popular saying: “There’s no other Christmas like a Guyanese Christmas.”

For this simple reason, you will find thousands of Guyanese returning to their homeland for that special time of the year just to get a taste of the true Christmas they know so well. But not everyone is so fortunate to be able

IT is Christmas Eve in Brooklyn New York, but for those of us who have grown up accustomed to the pomp and ceremony of this season, there is much to be desired in these streets. There are a few decorated houses with some scatterings of fairy lights and decorations here and there, but for many of Two women in Santa hats as they the Brooklynites, it is business as usual. There walk down the streets of Brooklyn is no “putting away” of the house; no blazing on a chilly day of carols in the street; no sign of Christmas, except the blistering cold that is characteristic of December.

Among all the normalcy, live hundreds of thousands of Caribbean natives whose accents can be heard as they pass and talk on almost every street corner, doorstep or in neighbourhood business establishments. For these persons, what they experience here at this time of the year is not Christmas at all, particularly in comparison to the Christmases they have grown to know and love- a time for family; a time for lots of merriment and colour and drinks and celebration; and even a time for Boxing Day- yet another beloved tradition that does not exist in this land of betterment.

If you’re Guyanese, this time of the year is

to escape and return, and as Christmas creeps ever closer, these persons express how much they long for Christmas back home.

For Jonathan (only name given), Christmas in Guyana is but a dream, since he has not returned to the country during the 29 years since he left those shores. “Christmas back home was lots of fun and celebration and I miss it so much- the food and the festivities leading up to it. Nobody basically works back home on that day except for the police and nurses. I don’t even celebrate Christmas no more- about five years ago I stopped celebrating Christmas because I work every Christmas day here,” he said. Once his financial situation gets better, however, Jonathan said that he hopes to return to Guyana at Christmas time to renew that joy he once felt.

“I prefer Christmas in Guyana- of course!”

Faadil Ally said. He has been living in the US for

Sarfraz Ragman will be spending Christmas in Guyana this year

Some persons still decorate their houses, though not as extravagant as you would see in Guyana

Faadil Ally will miss Christmas in Guyana, but will return home in time for Mashramani

eight years but remembers vividly just how (literally) warm and exciting Christmas was for him there. “You enjoy it more, you have time for your family, you have time for your friends. Here, you don’t have time, you don’t even have time for your kids, you have to be at work 24/7I am working on Christmas day,” he said. “In Guyana, we stop working on Christmas Eve and you have Boxing Day, there is no Boxing Day here, Christmas is more joyful in Guyana. I wanted to go back with my family this year but the ticket price – it is like US$1,500 now so I am going Turn to page XXIII ►►►

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

◄◄◄ From page XVII

markets of West Africa during Christmas. This is unlike here in the Caribbean where so many town dwellers and villagers buy from the supermarkets and small shops. There are sections in the public markets (both in the cities, towns) that are set apart for the sale of live animals, such as goats, cows, and chickens.

Many families normally purchase these animals live from the market, tie them up securely, (as they are always trying in their various ways to escape bondage and ultimately ending up in the cooking pot), and put them in the booths of their cars or taxis.

It is a commonplace occurrence during the festive season in Nigeria, whether it’s at the markets, bus parks or other trading/ transit areas to see goats or several chickens in full flight, having escaped from their ropes or chains, and being pursued by the owner, seller or bus conductors or drivers etc.

The drinks consumed are mainly alcoholic in nature.

The traditional palm wine obtained from the very tall West

Nigerian masquerade (acookingpotandtwistedtales.com)

African palm trees (similar to the palm tree here), is a great favourite among celebrants, especially at public events. Other drinks include either imported or locally assembled brews like the Guinness Stout, Premier, Star, Club, Rock beers, and Malt drinks. Many crates of locally made soft drinks such as Coca-Cola, Sprite, and Ginger Ale are bought and drunk mostly by children and women.

Unlike here in Guyana, Nigerians do not go in much for local fruit juices. Whatever juice there is, is often taken in straight from the fruit, as in the case of the orange, coconut, or cashew.

FESTIVALS Numerous festivals take place in the villages during the Christmas season. Some are coronation-style, as in the case of the Crowning of Chiefs and Heir to the Chief’s throne.

Others have to do with traditional marriages and baby-naming ceremonies. These events must be accompanied by dancing and singing to be a success.

There are also many masquerades around the villages and a few in the towns.

The most impressive displays are found in the villages, of course, though the town dwellers still try to put up a dancing show, which is somehow pathetic when compared to the town display Masquerades and dancing normally go hand-in-hand in West Africa This dancing display in Nigeria is very similar to what obtains in Guyana. It is often done right in the middle of the road in towns, and even on the expressways.

In the midst of all this festivity and dancing, there are still some cultural practices to be observed, such as the prohibiting of certain male masquerades from being seen by women, and for women passersby to close their eyes and remain still until they have departed.

Some masqueraders portray fearsome African Gods out to punish the people for their wrongdoings and carry whips to flog at random those who they consider having been bad for most of the year. Today, though masquerade flogging is outlawed by the government and carries a fine, in the villages and other remote areas, it is still very much alive and is still being practiced.

THE MAN ON THE LONG, HIGH STICKS This is a typical West African masquerade, which is also found in Guyana, very likely imported by the enslaved Africans to the Caribbean. No serious masquerade troupe is complete without it in West Africa THE DANCING TROUPES The dancers are required to be young males and females in their teens; each gender should have a leader, who is relatively older, in the troupe.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017 ◄◄◄ From page XX

The dancing girls are often quite attractive, and should be flat-bellied, with colourful short skirts and tight small tops. Their earrings and beads are also a colourful mix, and their hair is very attractively corn-rowed in different styles.

This attire is completed with the colourful loops around their waists that are constantly swirled.

VISITS FROM RELATIONS AND FRIENDS As mentioned before, those who migrate to the villages are those who have done well during the year that is about to end and return either from abroad or within the country.

In light of this, these successful visitors are visited by their less fortunate relatives.

Their visitors normally expect to be given financial assistance, though not immediately, of course. In the African tradition, you must give your visitor time to settle down before making any requests. Sometimes the assistance requested by the villagers or less fortunate relatives could be of a supportive nature, for example: To assist some young university graduate to find work in the town; To intervene in some boundary dispute in the town or village; To advise some rascal relative to behave more properly in the future.

FINANCIAL DONATIONS During the Christmas season in Nigeria, financial donations are made from the more fortunate to the less fortunate,

or from the higher class to the lower class.

This ‘gravitational’ flow of money is made not just in the towns, but in the cities and villages as well, but again relatively more in the villages; that is where the action is at this time.

Monetary donations during this season are even more the order of the day than the handing out of the customary attractively-wrapped gifts. These financial donations are made at private family parties and also extend to public parties, traditional title celebrations, and native marriages, for example.

The money does not always follow the normal passing on process, as in from hand to hand, but is sometimes even pasted on the sticky forehead of the celebrant that has been dancing and wining, working up a sweat.

Sometimes it is thrown on the ground at dancers in public events, in scattered disarray, by the very rich, to be scrambled for and collected by the less fortunate.

The use of money as a Christmas gift in Nigeria is so important that Banks often, because of the demand, print numerous smaller denominations of the Nigerian currency, the Naira, for easier distribution in the society.

With the approach of the new year, there is still a noticeable amount of the newly-minted smaller Naira denominations which often give the society a positive outlook for the future.

Cynthia Ofokansi is a Nigerian civil engineer currently living in Guyana.

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XXII ◄◄◄ From page XIII

girl. But what could I do--oh! what could I do with a dollar and eighty- seven cents?"

At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.

Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit of saying a little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: "Please God, make him think I am still pretty."

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He

looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only 22-and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.

Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

Della wriggled off the table and went for him.

"Jim, darling," she cried, "don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold because I couldn't have lived

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017 through Christmas without giving you a present. It'll grow out again--you won't mind, will you? I just had to do it.

My hair grows awfully fast. Say `Merry Christmas!' Jim, and let's be happy. You don't know what a nice-- what a beautiful, nice gift I've got for you."

"You've cut off your hair?" asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labour.

"Cut it off and sold it," said Della. "Don't you like me just as well, anyhow? I'm me without my hair, ain't I?" Jim looked about the room curiously.

"You say your hair is gone?" he said, with an air almost of idiocy.

"You needn't look for it," said Della. "It's sold, I tell you--sold and gone, too. It's Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered," she went on with sudden serious sweetness, "but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?" Out of his trance, Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For 10 seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction.

Eight dollars a week or a million a year--what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion will be illuminated later on.

Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table.

"Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me.

I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you'll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a while at first."

White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper.

And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.

For there lay The Combs--the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jewelled rims--just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair.

They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.

But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length, she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: "My hair grows so fast, Jim!" And then Della leaped up like a little-singed cat and cried, "Oh, oh!"

Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit.

"Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it.

You'll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now.

Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it."

Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands on the back of his head and smiled.

"Dell," said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present.

I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on."

The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger.

They invented the art of giving Christmas presents.

Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication.

And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017 ◄◄◄ From page XIX

later in January so I can spend Mashramani over there.”= The same sentiments were shared by Sarfraz Ragman.

In his 13 years since moving to the US, he stated that he has never experienced a true “Guyanese Christmas” even though his family is here. “It’s nothing like back home in Guyana. Normally here at Christmas, you have to work or you go out and have dinner. It’s just like a normal day though. Back home, as of Christmas Eve, you have a lot of fun with friends and family,” he said. But Sarfraz returns home every so often for the holidays just to make sure he keeps that feeling alive. His last Christmas visit was in 2016 and he will also be spending this year in Guyana-

something that he said he cannot wait to experience.

But the longing for being back in Guyana is not always the same for all Guyanese, as some who have settled here after a while, try to make the best of what they consider their new home. Annette is a mother of four and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two younger children. “I loved Christmas back home but I am here now so I try to make a Guyanese Christmas in America where we live,” she said. So she ensures that she does the annual cleaning as was the tradition in Guyana, and decorates her home as much as possible. She also tries to cook as many traditional dishes so that her children, who were born here, can get a taste of her home country. “You don’t always get all the ingredients, but there are places you can go to get some of the things and you can still make your pepperpot and so on. We make the best of it,” Annette said.

Meanwhile, Jairam, a mechanic who has been living here for 16 years said that he does not return home for Christmas because he actually prefers it here. “I like Christmas up here because you get something in your pocket. In Guyana the spending power is weak, you cannot buy what you want in Guyana, but you can do that here and you can send back to Guyana to make their Christmas merry,” he said. Nevertheless, he stated that while he lived in Guyana, he still appreciated those days because that was his home at the time, but now that he is here, he has gotten accustomed to the North American way of things and has come to accept and enjoy his new life.

So as you sit back in your homes in the warmth of Guyana, it is good to remember that for many, the grass is indeed always greener. And for those living in the cold and surrounded by work, work, work, the relaxation and festivities of a Guyanese Christmas constantly beckon to them- some can afford to answer the call, while others can only wonder when is the next time they will be able to return home.

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Greening your Cleaning IT'S almost Christmas! While many persons may just be putting in their last minute cleaning, some are still engrossed in the cleaning, getting ready to usher in the New Year. In this age of super-consumption, merchants have trained us to seek out detergents and other cleaning products that deliver excellent benefits. We purchase these items thinking, we are getting value for our money, which will somehow improve our lives. However, sometimes more is not more.

This week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would like to focus your attention on household cleaning products and ideas which are healthy and environmentally friendly.

No doubt, at this time of year, the use of cleaning chemicals is amplified. Many people hold the belief that ‘It’s not clean unless I can smell the chemicals!’ Thankfully, this is no longer the standard by which we measure the cleanliness of our homes.

Instead of opting for cleaning products that overpower every-

thing in their path (including our nostrils!), there are plenty of natural products we can either make ourselves and save money, or buy from our local shops. These methods will keep a house clean and fresh-smelling without the poisonous side effects.

HOMEMADE SUBSTITUTES FOR HARSH CLEANING CHEMICALS • Baking Soda - cleans, deodorises, softens water, scours.

• Lemon - one of the strongest food-acids, effective against most household bacteria.

• White Vinegar - cuts grease, removes mildew, odours, some stains and wax build-up.

• Cornstarch - can be used to clean windows, polish furniture, shampoo carpets and rugs.

• Borax - (sodium borate) cleans, deodorises, disinfects, softens water, cleans wallpaper, painted walls and floors.

TIPS ON HOW TO USE THESE PRODUCTS *Remember to keep products labelled and stored safely All-Purpose Cleaner: Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) into 1/2 gallon (2 litres) water. Store and keep. Use for removal of water deposit stains on shower stall panels, bathroom chrome fixtures, windows, bathroom mirrors Air Freshener: Baking soda or vinegar with lemon juice in small dishes absorbs odours around the house.

Bathroom mould: Mix one part hydrogen peroxide with two parts water in a spray bottle and spray on areas with mould.

Wait at least one hour before rinsing or using the shower.

Carpet stains: Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray directly on stain, let sit for several minutes, and clean with a brush or sponge using warm soapy water.

For fresh grease spots, sprinkle cornstarch onto the spot and wait for 15 - 30 minutes before vacuuming.

For a heavy duty carpet cleaner, mix 1/4 cup each of salt, borax and vinegar. Rub paste into carpet and leave for a few hours.

Coffee and tea stains: Stains in cups can be removed by applying vinegar to a sponge and wiping. To clean a teakettle or coffee maker, add 2 cups water and 1/4 cup vinegar; bring to a boil. Let cool, wipe with a clean cloth and rinse thoroughly with water.

• Dishwasher Soap: Mix equal parts of borax and washing soda.

• Disinfectant: Mix 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar and 3 cups hot water. Wipe on with dampened cloth or use a non-aerosol spray bottle.

BENEFITS OF GREENER HOUSEHOLD CLEANING PRODUCTS Just don’t take our word for it! Research from the experts would tell you that when you switch to greener cleaning products you are making a pledge to protect the environment.

Most ideal green cleaning products are made using sustainable manufacturing practices and naturally derived, safe, non-toxic, and biodegradable ingredients that don't negatively impact the environment. It would also be safe for you and your family’s health as well as your pets. Symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, skin rashes, headaches etc., may “mysteriously” disappear once you stop using toxic cleaning chemicals. Choose: A Healthier Home; A Safe Environment; A better Air Quality; To save money; and Use Safe products.

Give these tips a try and let us know how it works or you can share your own ideas with us by following our Facebook and Instagram pages or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com.

Season’s Greetings from the Management and staff of the Environmental Protection Agency!

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

Garlic Pork Ingredients 3 – 4 lbs lean pork 2 pt apple cider vinegar (you may use regular vinegar; apple cider vinegar reduces the acidity) ½ lb garlic 1 bunch fine thyme 6 – 8 wirri-wirri peppers 4 – 6 cloves 4 tsp salt (or to taste) Instructions •Cut the pork into suitable pieces, say, 1 in long x ½ wide x ½ thick.

•Steep the pork in a solution of ¼ pt vinegar and water, then remove the pork pieces, and put in a large jar or bottle.

•Pound the garlic, peppers and thyme. Add to the rest of the vinegar with the salt and clove. Pour this mixture over the pork, making sure that

there is enough liquid to cover completely.

•Leave to soak for 3 to 4 days, or longer if possible. Use as desired.

•Preparation: In a pan, put the pork with very little of the vinegar liquid and leave to boil until liquid evaporates. Fry the pork, in the fat that was melted during boiling, until brown.

•Serve hot with homemade Guyana bread

By Recipe compliments of “A Taste of Guyana” – Dr. Odeen Ishmael.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

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US Fingers North Korea for WannaCry Epidemic

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

The United States on Tuesday accused North Korea of responsibility for a global ransomware attack that locked down more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries earlier this year.

The U.S. now has enough evidence to support its assertion that Pyongyang was behind the WannaCry attack in May, Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert told reporters at a White House press briefing.

Bossert made the same accusation in an op-ed published Monday in The Wall Street Journal.

If the United States has new evidence linking North Korea to WannaCry, however, it hasn't released any of it to the public, which could pose problems.

"Accurate attribution for cyberattacks is almost always a difficult task, and it's doubly so when the evidence leading to the conclusion can't be shared," noted Tim Erlin, vice president of product management and strategy at Tripwire.

"If we're going to have national security organizations delivering these types of conclusions on attribution to the public, we need to find a way to develop trusted output. The mantra of 'trust us' doesn't cut it here," he told TechNewsWorld.

THE PROBLEM WITH ATTRIBUTION Speculation has connected North Korea to WannaCry since June, when the NSA said it believed Pyongyang was behind the attack. The British government reached the same conclusion in October, and the CIA concurred in November.

While there is evidence indicating that North Korea launched the ransomware virus, that evidence isn’t definitive, maintained James Scott, a senior fellow at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology.

“It is important to understand that attribution is rarely definitive because adversaries can easily obfuscate their actions using technical anti-analysis maneuvers,” he told TechNewsWorld.

“They plant false indicators to mislead attribution,” he continued. “They leap-frog through multiple foreign networks and systems, they outsource layers or the entirety of their attacks to cyber mercenaries, and they utilize malware available to multiple adversaries from Deep Web markets and forums.”

LAZARUS CONNECTION One strong indicator of North Korea’s involvement with WannaCry is the malware’s connection to the Lazarus Group, which has been tied to Pyongyang, observed Chris Doman, a threat engineer at AlienVault.

There are two data points that link Lazarus to WannaCry, he told TechNewsWorld: a number of rare code overlaps exist in the programs; and Lazarus planted an early version of WannaCry on a Symantec customer.

“The U.S. government may have additional information, but the evidence provided at the time by the private sector was pretty strong,” Doman said.

The evidence linking Lazarus to Pyongyang is equally strong, he added. “There are a very small number of publicly assigned Internet addresses assigned to North Korea, and they pop up in Lazarus attacks. The attacks have dated back to at least 2007, and often contain other clues, such as North Korean fonts.”

THE GANG THAT COULDN’T CODE STRAIGHT Although the evidence is circumstantial, the case that North Korea was behind WannaCry is a good one, said Scott Borg, CEO of the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit.

“WannaCry was incompetently written and managed -- so we’re attributing to North Korea something that’s well within its capabilities, because it didn’t demonstrate a lot of capabilities,” he told TechNewsWorld. “Unlike some of the other things that have been attributed to North Korea, this is plausible and highly likely.”

A number of recent reports have touted North Korea as a rising cyberpower, but Borg disputes that.

“WannaCry is an example of North Korea’s limitations.

This was not a competently written piece of ransomware. The whole thing was badly bungled,” he said.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

P2P WiFi Plan Challenges ISP Dominance

Open Garden on Monday announced the launch of a new peer-to-peer service that allows users to share Internet connections and unused plan data for free, with compensation in a new Ethereum cryptocurrency as an extra incentive.

The company is offering the service through an app that can be downloaded from Google Play. The system requires no hardware other than an Android phone to participate in the Internet access sharing.

The typical customer will used the service for sharing a home or small business Internet service, or to connect with neighbors in next-door apartments or other residences within range of a WiFi signal, said Open Garden CEO Paul Hainsworth.

At another level of use, ride-hailing services will be able to share connections between drivers and passengers.

“Blockchain technology enables true peer-to-peer connectivity and transactions between people sharing their access and people paying for it,” Hainsworth told LinuxInsider.

“We’re explicitly trying to create a decentralized model so that nobody is the middleman between these consumers and providers.”

The Open Garden service uses FireChat -- which has more than 5 million users and allows free messaging and full Internet connectivity -- to help bootstrap the network.

UNDERLYING RATIONALE Open Garden currently is available as a beta app for Android. The company plans to release iOS, Mac and PC versions, as well as support for streaming set-top boxes, during 2018.

Project Open Garden, an open source effort, will allow developers to build new applications and hardware around the service. Municipal WiFi services, stadiums, shopping malls, restaurants and others can use the service to monetize their existing capital expenditures.

The idea of the service is based on the fact that millions of broadband users typically use only 20 to 30 percent of their monthly service, leaving huge amounts of data available.

Payments can be made securely using OG, which is an ERC20 token on the Ethereum blockchain, with no middleman required.

GENERATIONAL SPLIT The Open Garden plan could generate a lot of interest among millennials, but more mature customers likely will want to remain with traditional ISPs, said Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

“This should be especially popular in dense urban environments and at events where traditional WiFi capabilities are limited,” he told LinuxInsider.

Carriers may see this service as a major issue, he warned, particularly due to the service soaking up all the unused data found in unlimited plans.

“This is a case where you’re going to see wired and wireless carriers try to block or throttle content they deem as suspicious, and the effect of not having Net neutrality.

McGregor said.

Consumers already can share WiFi capabilities with others within range, noted Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies Associates.

It’s not likely that many feel the demand for a new system, he told LinuxInsider.

Unlike Napster, which pioneered peer-to-peer networking almost two decades ago, the Open Garden technology will have limited impact on traditional ISPs unless there is a radical increase in its capabilities and ease of use, suggested Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

“This kind of thing tends to be more of a science experiment in practice and the ISPs won’t care unless they see a significant increase in traffic, he told LinuxInsider. “Because they still largely control the phones, they’ll likely disable the capacity or tack on huge surcharges to penalize it.”

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

What a year for Bitcoin Rejoice everyone, it is that time of the year again. This week's edition of Tech Tent is our annual festive quiz and although I am writing this before taking part on one of the teams, I suspect that Bitcoin will feature among the questions.

What a year it has been for the crypto-currency, which started 2017 worth less than $1,000 and by last weekend had climbed to within a few dollars of the $20,000 mark. For all of that period, sceptics have been predicting that the bubble would burst and in the past 24 hours it has seemed at times that this was happening.

The price, which has been sinking all week, fell more than 10% in a matter of hours, dipping towards $13,000 before staging a partial recovery. Though as someone commented, it is moving so fast, any Bitcoin article is out of date five minutes after it is written.

What is worrying is that we are at the stage in a bubble where people have been rushing in without much thought and with little understanding either of how Bitcoin works or the risks involved.

Earlier this week while filming a report for the BBC News

at Ten, we visited a Bitcoin cash machine in a cafe at a London Tube station. I’d been here before when it appeared to be scarcely used but this time a steady stream of people - mostly young men - arrived to stick £20 notes in the machine and get a tiny fraction of a Bitcoin in exchange.

Most did not want to speak but one told me he had got about £10,000 invested in various crypto-currencies. When I asked what he would do if the bubble did burst, he insisted: “I’ll hold it. I have faith that it will go back up. Even if it collapses, I’m going to hold it.”

Over on Reddit on Friday, there was a sudden dawning of awareness that markets can go down as well as up: “Argued with my wife for months to buy,” wrote one man. “Finally get approval to buy $1,000 at $19,400.” This was followed by an expletive.

These wild swings in Bitcoin’s value are making it ever more evident that it is not really a currency - there are very few places that accept it and why would you spend it if you thought it would be worth more tomorrow? At our BBC editorial meeting, there was a discussion about whether we should continue to use the term “crypto-currency” when Bitcoin so clearly does not operate as a means of exchange - though we decided commodity or speculative asset did not quite do the job.£500 worth for a small fee. But actually getting that cash into my sterling bank account is far from seamless - so far I am a week in to what promises to be a two-week process.

Hardly the frictionless finance that was promised by Bitcoin’s advocates and if the rush to sell gathers pace there is a good chance that the system seizes up completely.

Let me end by wishing all Tech Tent listeners a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I expect the crypto-craze and the blockchain bubble will continue to provide us with stories throughout 2018.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

Apple faces lawsuits over slowed iPhones Two class action lawsuits have been launched against Apple in the US following the tech giant's admission that it slows down older models of the iPhone as they age.

Apple has said that it did this to "prolong the life" of the devices and maximise diminishing battery power.

The lawsuits were filed in California and Chicago

by groups of iPhone users representing others, who they claim have suffered "economic damage".

Apple has been contacted for comment.

In the California court papers, Stefan Boganovich and Dakota Speas, who both live in LA, cite loss of use, loss of value and the purchase of new batteries as reasons for compensation, claiming that iPhone owners never consented to the "interference".

APPLE ADMITS SLOWING DOWN OLDER IPHONES James Vlahakis, of the Sulaiman Law Group is representing the plaintiffs in the Chicago legal action.

"Apple's failure to inform consumers these updates would wreak havoc on the phone's performance is being deemed purposeful, and if proven, constitutes the unlawful and decisive withholding of material information," he said in a statement.

Mr Vlahakis added that in his view it would be a "direct violation" of consumer fraud-related legislation in Illinois, Indiana and North Carolina, where the complainants are based.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

English THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When mother’s relatives visited, delicacies were cooked. When father’s guests arrived, mother swelled and had a fit.

PUNJABI PROVERB, trans, by Gurinder Singh Mann STUDY SUCCESS Dear Student, Discussion, a group activity, helps you to form a clearer picture of your progress especially at this time. Should you use discussion to check your progress at regular intervals, you’ll find that your learning is faster than the person who studies in isolation and runs on self-checks. Explain things you’ve learnt, respond to probing questions, and listen to your partners’ contributions. Also respond to regular set dates for group activity, and you’ll soon enjoy confident work before your examination. Be wise.

Love you.

THIS WEEK’S SHORT NOTES 1… READING: Character’s Action Jason understood fully that he might actually be going to die like the man at his feet. And it occurred to him that, if he fell, all he was ever going to get out of life he would have already had. Nothing, then, ever could be changed; and nothing more – no last experience or pleasure – could ever be added to his life. He wished, then, that he had not allowed his wife to go off by herself tonight – and on similar nights. He thought of all the evenings he spent away from her, working, and regretted them. He thought wonderingly of his fierce ambition and of the direction his life had taken; he thought of the hours he’d spent by himself, filling the yellow sheet that had brought him here. Contents of the dead man’s pockets he thought with sudden fierce anger, a wasted life.

Questions

1) What did Jason understand fully at that point in time? a) his possible death; c) his alert brain; b) his missing wife; d) his pocket contents 2) What did Jason’s thoughts reveal about the kind of person he had become? a) neglectful; c) thoughtful; b) over-caring; d) handsome 2…Collecting Data Follow-up: Examine your sources critically You were told, a short while back, how to deal with collecting data for assignments and research.

This week you are given a little more information to become even more alerted to examine your data source(s) critically. What research topic are you presently persuing? Tell it to a study partner.

Note: Each source you use is written by someone with some kind of bias towards the topic of interest. The writer can have particular knowledge, and values concerning the matter. Pay special attention why you are using the source: note the writer’s angle(s); see whether the source is useful for your task.

Here are questions you can use to assess sources of interest.

1. What is the writer’s purpose in producing the programme, article or book?

2. Has new information been discovered since the source was written?

3. Are the writer’s views often under dispute by others knowledgeable on topics with which he/she deals?

4. Can what the writer say, be disputed by others from another culture, political persuasion, geographical location, military force, economic class, age group, religious group, or time frame, or any other area of interest?

3 a)…THE SHORT STORY - Style Refresh your approach with the following hints: ► A good short story touches the minds and emotions of its readers who need to feel and see its characters and setting, and to participate in the action. How often have you been able to touch your readers’ minds and emotions? ► A good reader-reaction to a story is a deliberate programming by its writer who knows how to use language well. He avoids using difficult and unnecessary words. He is able to write simply but effectively because he really knows the people, events, and passions among other aspects of his short story. How well do you know your characters, for instance? ► A good writer attracts readers by using opening sentences which are simple, orderly and sincere (essentials of good writing). He tells just enough to provoke a mental picture.

When last have you reviewed any of your opening sentences and wished you had expressed your thoughts differently?

3 b)... Review a Recent Story Re-read a short story you wrote recently. Have a serious consideration about its pieces of description. Have they been well-placed, well-worded, given at the right time? Have you considered colour, smell, and mood; if so, did they find a rightful place in your story? Can you now add words or phrases to help the reader imagine what you first imagined when you began to write? Check to see if some descriptive pieces need crossing out, and then cross them out.

Make jottings of what you like particularly about your short story.

4… GRAMMAR Quick Look at Verbals NOTE: Do not mistake verbals for verbs. Verbals are verb forms used as adjectives, nouns, or adverbs. Verbals cannot serve as the predicate of a sentence. Verbals are of three types: participles, gerunds, and infinitives. i). A participle (except when it is part of a verb phrase) is a verb form used as an adjective; that is, it modifies a noun or a pronoun.

Examples: Our village is surrounded (verb) by flowing (participle) trenches.

Ivan, having grown (participle) tired, had lost (verb) interest. ii). A gerund is a verbal noun. It, or its auxiliary, ends in ing.

Examples: Eating (gerund) excessively is (verb) a bad habit.

Being chosen (gerund) was (verb) a pleasure. iii). The infinitive is a verbal noun, adjective, or adverb. It consists of the preposition to, expressed or understood, and a verb or a verb phrase. The to is often understood after such verbs as feel, make, dare, see, let, hear, or help.

Examples: To retire (infinitive) now is (verb) unwise. (noun use) It is (verb) reason to rejoice (infinitive). (adjective use) Help (verb) Harry to paint (infinitive) the sign. (adverb use) Let (verb) him (to) go (infinitive). (to understood)

Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

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Bollywood news

'Kaalakaandi' kicks in some swag this holiday season is not an aggressive song — it's about how we should take ownership and be in control of our lives." 'Kaalakaandi',

The makers of 'Kaalakaandi' are all set to make you welcome Christmas and New Year with a new song from the film. Swagpur Ka Chaudhary, a break beat-meetsfunk rock track penned and rendered by director Akshat Verma and composed by Sameer Uddin, releases today.

The slick and psychedelic video of the track features the entire cast — Saif Ali Khan, Deepak Dobriyal, Vijay Raaz, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Akshay Oberoi, Isha Talwar, Shenaz Treasury, Shivam Patil, Amyra Dastur, Neil Bhoopalam and Sobhita Dhulipala (Miss Earth India 2013) — grooving to it.

The team is optimistic that Swagpur Ka Chaudhary will be the new catchphrase in town. Akshat says, "All of us have a Swagpur within us and this song is about how we should be the Chaudharies of this personal space. This

Shraddha Kapoor to record her statement in cheating case Shraddha Kapoor and the makers of her film Haseena Parkar will have to record their statement at the Amboli police station, following the order of the City Civil Court in a case filed by designers Ajay Mistry and Thea Minhas' firm. In September 2017, the firm had accused the actress and filmmakers of cheating and criminal breach of trust.

Reportedly, according to an agreement between the firm and the filmmakers, Shraddha was to promote their brand and store in return for the costumes the design firm supplied for the film.

Since they didn't keep their side of the commitment, the firm sent them a legal notice. Shraddha had replied through her lawyers after the firm's lawyers moved the court.

Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee, who represents the designers, states, "As the matter is subjudice, I don't want to comment on the facts of the case. However as the offences are compoundable, I hope that the matter gets settled amicably."

produced by Cinestaan Film Company and Ashi Dua Sara of Flying Unicorn, releases on January 12.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 24, 2017

Entertainment

Sylvester Stallone denies rape as police investigat Actor Sylvester Stallone has denied an allegation of rape after police in California opened an investigation.

Santa Monica police said they were examining a complaint of sexual misconduct dating from the 1990s.

The Rocky star said the allegation was "completely fabricated". His lawyer, Martin Singer, said a woman had filed a police report "alleging a rape that occurred 27 years ago".

"My client categorically disputes the claim," Singer continued.

Stallone, 71, received Oscar nominations for Rocky and Creed and starred in the Rambo film series.

'THOROUGH INVESTIGATION' Santa Monica police spokesman Lieutenant Saul Rodriguez said: "I can confirm we received an allegation of sexual misconduct involving Mr Stallone.

"The [alleged] victim came forward to report the incident in November 2017. The alleged incident occurred in the early 1990s in Santa Monica."

A "thorough investigation" will be made before the case is presented to the district attorney, he said.

Lt Rodriguez told the Reuters news agency the accusation could fall within California's complex statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions of sexual abuse.

Offences must generally be prosecuted within 10 years, Reuters said.

Stallone previously denied a separate allegation that he and a bodyguard sexually assaulted a 16-year-old fan in Las Vegas in the 1980s.

He is among a string of Hollywood figures to be embroiled in the scandal that erupted in the wake of producer Harvey Weinstein being accused of sexual harassment and assault.

The Shakespeare in Love producer has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.

Lady Gaga announces two-year Las Vegas residency Lady Gaga has announced a massive, twoyear residency in Las Vegas, starting late in 2018.

"The rumours are true!" she wrote Twitter. "I will have my own residency at MGM's Park Theater. Get ready for a brand new show!

"It's been my lifelong dream to be a Las Vegas girl, I'm so overjoyed!"

The initial run will include 74 dates, with the possibility of more. According to Variety, Gaga is making more than $1 million (£750,000) per show.

In a statement, the Bad Romance star promised: "I'll leave my heart on the stage every single night."

The 31-year-old has spent much of 2017 touring the US in support of her latest album,

Joanne, and is due to play in the UK early next year, having previously postponed dates to deal with “severe physical pain” arising from the medical condition fibromyalgia.

A chronic, long-term illness, its symptoms include extreme tiredness, muscle aches, difficulty sleeping and concentrating.

Explaining the decision to postpone her European tour, Gaga said “trauma and chronic pain” were “keeping me from living a normal life”.

Kendrick Lamar's Damn was the critics' favourite album of 2017

Kendrick Lamar's sparse and hard-hitting rap treatise, Damn, is music critics' favourite record of 2017.

The album, which explores the conflicts in Lamar's personal life, his faith and American society, has topped a "poll of polls" compiled by BBC News.

Second place went to SZA's sensual, intimate and partially-improvised R&B album, CTRL. Pop star Lorde came third with Melodrama, an exhilarating song cycle about the angst and ecstasy of youth.

Melodrama was co-written and produced

by Jack Antonoff, who worked on two other albums in the critics' top 20 - St Vincent's Masseduction and Taylor Swift's multi-million-selling Reputation.

The results were compiled from 30 “album of the year” polls, published by the most influential magazines, newspapers and blogs in music - from specialist magazines like Billboard and the NME to more mainstream outlets, such as Cosmopolitan and PopSugar.

Records were assigned points based on their position in each list - with the number one album getting 20 points, the number two album receiving 19 points, and so on.

There was a huge diversity amongst the critics’ picks, with 181 albums cited across the 30 polls surveyed by the BBC. Ed Sheeran’s ÷, which is the biggest-selling album of 2017, was only cited once - by People magazine, who put it in seventh place in their year-end list.

Critics also selected Charli XCX’s mixtape Number 1 Angel and Drake’s More Life project - which was marketed as a playlist

- amongst their choices, illustrating how albums are evolving in the streaming era.

But Lamar was the runaway winner.

Damn featured on all but two of the polls surveyed by the BBC, and took first place on 10 of them.

Q magazine called it “a flawless hip-hop masterclass”, praising the Compton-born rapper’s “pyrotechnical brilliance on the mic”.

The star’s gift is that he can “paint pride and agony with the same brush”, agreed Rolling Stone, singling out the seven-minute album track Fear as a highlight.

“Like Sigmund Freud meets Scarface, Lamar connects the dots from the sevenyear-old terrified of catching a beating from his mother to the 17-year-old terrified of being murdered by police to the 27-year-old terrified of fame.”

“It is the unimpeachable truth that Kendrick Lamar recorded the greatest album of 2017,” said Billboard.

Removing non-UK publications from the BBC’s “poll of polls” kept Lamar at number one, but propelled UK rappers J Hus, Stormzy and Loyle Carner higher up the rankings.

The 30 “best of” lists appeared in: Associated Press, The Atlantic, The AV Club, Billboard magazine, Consequence of Sound, Cosmopolitan, Dazed & Confused, Drowned In Sound, Entertainment Weekly, Fuse, The Guardian, The Independent, Line of Best Fit, Mojo, NME, NPR, Paste, People magazine, Pitchfork, Popsugar, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone, Spin, Stereogum, The Times, Time Magazine, Time Out New York, Uncut, Uproxx and Vice.