Pepperpot 2014 12 7

Meet Puranmati Singh…

“Now is the best time of my life!”

Page XI

Page XXI

All glam or Page XII De-glam: How do you like Anushka Sharma best?

Produced and Edited by C. Naipaul | Graphic and Layout Design by D. Prince

Van Vicker to star in his first Hollywood Page XIII movie

Guardian Angels

II

D

By Maureen Rampertab

amien slowly turned the pages of his sketchbook and smiled at the childish drawings and scribbled words. The pages were a priceless collection of a child’s sentiments. He closed the book and looked through the window, a glimmer of pain flashing across his face, a pain that had stayed with him over the years with every breath he took, every step he made.

Now a man, he could think with deeper understanding than the little boy who, on each page, had sketched the yearning in his heart. It had been hard for him to let go; he had been too young to understand why his mom and dad were not coming back home. How many days had he not looked through that window from his room of the small white house, hoping to see the two people most dear to him walk up the path, hand in hand. Often the little boy in his mind had begged in his mind, “Can’t I please hear my mother’s sweet laughter or my father’s strong voice?”

He had sketched cherished memories that kept them close to him, trying to blot the scenes of the car crash, like fleeting shadows, from his young mind. It had been a holiday weekend and they were coming home from a resort off the highway when tragedy, like a bad dream, screamed into their lives. Damien had been riding with his cousins in the car behind. It was a dark day; too hard to forget, even for a five –year-old child.

Many days after he had stood at the white picket gate alone, no soft hands to hold and no strong shoulders to sit on.

The shifting clouds above passed by without any words for the little boy, and the years slowly drifted on. His was a young life to live, like the spring blossoms; a world to explore, to conquer.

But it wasn’t a life that pleased his heart, nor a world he cared very much for, even though there was enough love and care from families of both parents. He could have followed great ambitions to become a scientist to help save the world or a doctor to save lives, but he chose instead to flirt with danger, and so became a motorcycle racer.

He wanted to be brave; not to be afraid of anything, and even though he won championships and his room was

decked with trophies, it drove deep fear in the hearts of his grandparents. But the spills and injuries meant nothing to him because he felt fate had robbed him of the most beautiful thing in his life. But prayers, once one truly believes, are always answered.

It was one of those moonless, quiet nights when he had pushed the bike, riding blindly, challenging the entities of disaster and tragedy. He felt the crash and the pain before darkness clouded his conscious mind.

In the next few seconds, something happened that defined his life.

He saw them both; they were angels.

His mother held his hand and whispered to him: “Don’t wreck your life son, we are watching you every day. You are our most beautiful treasure; let the good in you shine forth for in heaven your name is always on our lips.”

“We love you so much,” his father said. “You have a wonderful future awaiting you; you’re the jewel of this family.”

They had kissed him, their cute little boy now grown into such a strong, handsome young man, and the weak beats of his heart became strong. The thought of knowing they were still in his life rebuilt his shattered mind and lifted the burden of pain from his heart. He had opened his eyes and smiled; now he knew there was something in his life to live for.

Through the months of recovery from his injuries, he brought smiles and happiness to his grandparents; no more tears and worry. Now he understood the miracles on the race tracks and the roads, and the heart-warming feelings on his birthdays. He registered into college and began studies in medicine, wanting now to dedicate his life to saving lives, and stop flirting with danger.

Damien returned the sketchbook to the box and sighed with satisfaction. Today he stood tall and proud, a graduate embarking on a new phase in his life as a doctor.

He looked up and said: “Thank you so much, mom, dad, and if you can, stay with me a little while more for I still need you.”

A small gust of wind ruffled his hair and he smiled, a little song in his heart, knowing he had two guardian angels.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

maureen.rampertab@gmail.com

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

III

By Petamber Persaud

Welcome to Guyana 7 I t would be fitting here to give credit where it is due. The idea for this article came by way of my granddaughter rearranging, according to her three-year-old sensibilities, a few books in my library. As I attempted to replace the books, the following two publications caught my attention: ‘The Story of Georgetown’ and ‘Georgetown Journal’.

‘The Story of Georgetown’ by James Rodway was first published as a series of articles in the ‘Argosy’ during 1903, and later (1920), collected into book form.

The book was reprinted by the Guyana Heritage Society in 1997 and the project was well received. The Guyana Heritage Society was formed in the early 1980s ‘to promote the knowledge and the preservation of Guyana’s social and material heritage’.

‘The Story of Georgetown’ is divided into sixteen chapters which are further sub-divided into various subject areas, all guiding you step by step through the birth and development of Georgetown.

The reprinted issue carries a foreword by David Ford and a preface by J. G. Cruickshank. The illustrations (almost thirty) are treasures to behold and the notes affixed to some chapters are elucidating.

A very helpful index puts closure to the publication.

Allow me to rephrase that, the helpful index opens the interested to further adventure into Georgetown, Guyana, South America.

‘Georgetown Journal’ by Andrew Salkey was published in 1972. It is ‘a diary kept by the author during a visit to Guyana between Sunday February 15, 1970 and Sunday March 1, 1970’. The book captured the social and cultural life of the time. In this book you would find coverage of the two main events of the day namely the Caribbean Writers and Artists Convention and celebration to mark Guyana becoming a republic state. This status was a development from independence (1966) which marked the end to colonial rule.

The deliberations of the Caribbean Writers and Artists Convention resulted in the birth of regional cultural extravaganza – Caribbean Festival of Arts (Carifesta) and the staging of the event in Guyana in 1972.

‘Georgetown Journal’ featured the many bookstores of the time including Universal Bookstore, S. P. C. K., Michael Ford Bookstore, and the book shops in Booker and Fogarty’s – five bookstores within walking distances of each other.

At the beginning of the author’s sojourn in Guyana, the beginning of the journey from Timehri airport to

Georgetown, Salkey mentioned Zahra Freeth’s ‘Run Softly, Demerara’, labelling it a ‘silly and hostile little travel book’.

Just before the travelling party reached the city, you would find some elucidating notes on Wilson Harris’s novel, ‘Ascent To Omai’ to be released later that year.

That discussion took place as Harris with wife, Margaret, Sam Selvon and Salkey were passing through Albouystown, the setting of the novel.

Arriving in Georgetown, you would discover or re-discover, from the book, that the National History and Arts Council was set up in 1965, incorporating the History and Culture Council, the Council of the Arts, and the History and Culture Week Committees founded by the previous administration.

You would also find Martin Carter singing, ‘Where have all the flowers gone’ and Austin Clarke in African toga. You would learn about soft water (that the author was enjoying in Station Street) and hard water in a land of many waters where we show scant regard for the difference. Talking about water, he mentioned a most refreshing local beverage, ‘Puma’. Salkey also mentioned that local shoes to go on sale shortly, Cheddi Jagan’s revolutionary dress, the ‘sports shirt’, and the revolutionary dress of the time, shirt jac and dashiki.

The book also afforded you a tour of Sheik Sadeek’s home in Newtown and the home of Derek Bicketon in Bel Air Springs. Bickerton is more known for ‘Dynamics of a Creole System’.

These two books depict Georgetown at different phases of its development and offer you a key to the city.

What’s Happening • The book, ‘From ashes to Ferro-Concrete: A History of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 1914 -2014’ by Joanne Collins-Gonsalves, published by the Guyana Heritage Society will be launched on December 8, 2014, at 6.30 pm in the Church.

• Coming soon: ‘Love in the time of technology’ poems by Sasenarine Persaud. This is Persaud’s seventh book of poetry.

• ‘An Introduction to Guyanese Literature’ by Petamber Persaud is available at the National Library, Austin Book Service and the author.

(Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com)

James Rodway

IV

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

The Third Temptation

by Denis Williams Introduction by Victor Ramraj (Abridged) University of Calgary

T

he Third Temptation (1968) is the second of Denis Williams’s two novels – the first was Other Leopards (1963) – and it appears very different in thematic and formal preoccupations. Other Leopards, set in Johkara (a fictional version of the Sudan), explores the search for identity of a self-divided West Indian in an imperial-colonial context complicated by racial, cultural, and historical particulars. The protagonists and most of the secondary characters divide between those from the formerly colonising powers and those from the developing world. The Third Temptation, set in Caedmon, a seaside resort in north Wales in the United Kingdom, concentrates on moral and spiritual issues in the context not of colonial politics but of sensuality, passion and betrayal. The players, whether residents or visitors, are all Europeans. The differences in form are occasional instances of stylistic experimentation with poetic and stream-of-consciousness

Minute-by-minute drama of the war’s first torpedo…

WOMEN FIGHT FOR LIFE ON THE ROPE LADDERS A steward reached forward to take the child, but the she shrank back and screamed. That was sufficient to make Mrs. Clark realise she could never part without her.

“If we’re going, we’re going together,” she shouted.

Even as she said it she thought: “Maybe I am being selfish- I don’t know. But I’m going to hang on to her”.

Alta Magroon, a young Canadian who worked for a radio station was waiting to get into a lifeboat. Then she saw a young Protestant minister perched dramatically on a deck elevation.

He had his arms raised towards the sky, and he was

prose, the form is that of the conventional novel. The Third Temptation is highly experimental. Williams (who was as much a painter and anthropologist as a writer), impatient with the inability of the novel form to capture simultane-

Victor Ramraj

Denis Williams

ity (as the cinema or painting can do) and frustrated with this constrictive linearity, turns with a sense of liberation to multiple time sequences, multiple points of view, and multiple, fast-changing loci, presented with no immediately obvious cohesion, no apparently integrating connections.

The result is a work of fiction that challenges and may at times exasperate. But The Third Temptation, though it does not have the easy accessibility and the explicit postcolonial appeal of Other Leopards, is a work that rewards perseverance, deserving of recognition as a formidable achievement and one of the Caribbean’s relatively small number of accomplished avant-garde novels.

What initially appears to be the central incident in the three hours of a summer morning that frames the time sequence of the novel – the death of a young man in a traffic accident on Sweeley Street in the business district of Caedmon – turns out to be insignificant in itself. The young man remains unnamed and is barely portrayed. This accident is the means by which Williams introduces three contiguous relationships of unrequited and unfulfilled love.

praying aloud. People were kneeling on the deck around him.

There were stupid, selfish people. One woman asked stewardess Rogerson if she would do something for her.

“What is it?” asked Miss Rogerson. “I’ve forgotten my handbag” she said. “Would you mind getting it for me?”

Miss Rogerson’s voice was icily firm: “No, certainly not. I wouldn’t mind going down for a lifebelt –but I’m not going to risk my life for a handbag.”

On the bridge Captain Cook picked up the speaking tube and ordered Chief Radio officer Don to send out and S O S in naval code.

Alone in the radio room, a fairly large room just aft of the foremast, Don began tapping….

A RESPONSE Naval distress signals are answered only by Coast stations.

Nearest Coast station now was Valentia, in the south west of Ireland; call sign GCK Don found Valentia busy on war traffic, however, and it was 15 minutes before he could get through with his message: - “Athenia torpedoed- 56.42 North, 14.05 West.”

Captain Cook came on the speaking tube.

“Send it out in clear too.” Don tapped the key. This time he got an immediate reply

from a Norwegian vessel, she was the Knute Nelson, a 5, 000- ton tanker lying less than 40 miles to the South-West.

After acknowledging, the Nelson’s radio officer came back with this signal: - “The old man doesn’t believe you’ve been torpedoed – but he’s coming to your assistance right anyway.”

Don continued to tap out the S O S. Less than 10 minutes after the torpedo had struck the Athenia the emergency lights came on and as darkness closed in over the sea a searchlight on the bridge began to play about the decks and over the water, where boats were already bobbling about.

That was the scene which greeted Oberleutnant Lemp when he surfaced his submarine half an hour after the attack.

BUT WHY…?

Now the U.30’s radio was picking up distress signals from the listing ship, and Lemp was handed in a transcription.

A sturdy, quietly-elated figure he fingered the bit of paper. Then he read: “ATHENIA TORPEDOED 56.42 North, 14.05 WEST.”… (To be continued- (In the next Sunday edition of the Guyana Chronicle.)

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

WRITINGS, PUBLICATIONS and GUYANA

V

Terence Roberts

(Part 11)

By Terence Roberts Paraguay, where 'Guay' is the suffix, rather than the prefix.

The prevalence of the half-title 'Guay,' originates from a It is with the publication of Raleigh's book: 'The Discov- valuable and highly influential Native Indian tribe known as ery of the Large, Rich, and Beautiful Empire of Guiana,' the Warraus, but whose original name is really Guarau, or at the end of the 16th century, that several exaggerated, Guaranos, whose coastal villages stretched around the coasts yet also positively perceptive attitudes towards past and of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, present Guyana, began to emerge. The first, under Ra- Uruguay and inland Paraguay. Their shared native language leigh's writing, began to assert Guyana's fame as a place in colonial times was the second most necessary and used of sustained startling wild and unique natural beauty; of language after Spanish and Portuguese by ancient travellers fascinating original tribal Amerindians, and rare precious in these regions. The choice of the name 'Guyana' which sepminerals. Yet, it should be said, Raleigh never set foot on arates it from Latin American nations and relations, perhaps what would become known as British Guiana later, in the also expressed a desire to see Anglo-Guyana as distinct from early 19th century, and today's Guyana. Rather he was the other continental nations which often tended toward political colleague of captains from other ships he sent in that area despotism and dictatorship. between the Corentyne and North-West Barima Rivers.

Indeed, these captains never entered many of these rivers GUYANA"S EVOLUTION beyond their mouths, where Amerindian tribes answered

negatively about the presence of other Europeans deep in Is such information about a tribal indigenous South the terrain, when in fact records show that American-Guyanese people many of the first legendary tough Flemish/ relevant to the other five human Dutch pioneers of Guyana, men like Joost ethnicities of today's Guyana, ie: Van der Hoog, Jan de Moor, Pieter Van Africans, East Indians, Chinese, Rhee, Hendrickzoon, Matheson, Vyphuis, European, those of mixed race and later Groenwegen, were already livstock, and I should add, the othing deep inside Guyana and acquainted er Amerindian tribes of Guyana with the Native Indians, who protected today. Yes it is, if all the inhabitheir presence from others. It is recorded tants of Guyana understand and that the up-river harbour/settlement of accept that a concept of national Amenadina, the original name of the Baridentity should claim for itself tica region of today, had huge three-mast human roots that exist in the geNetherlander ships anchored and was a ography they inhabit at present, transient trading port for all sorts of Eurohowever 'primitive', pre-historic, pean utensils, which made it a fascinating pre-Westernised, or pre-modern attraction to the local Amerindians. those roots. One of the possibili ties non-fiction writing presents, LANGUAGE AND HISTORY is the suggestion, nurturing,

and development of nationality It is interesting that the issue of language rooted in the achievements of a plays an important part in preserving original Sir Walter Raleigh territory's 'First Peoples'. Such a cultural concepts which link Guyana to its concept of nationality has rarely continental South American geographic realibeen installed in the consciousty. For example, the early spelling of Guayana, which denotes ness of Guyanese via historical writings, since the written the Spanish area of the region, was even used after British values of various European travellers and historians (and later colonization of Guyana on maps in books penned by Robert even their local literary imitators), tended to see their present Schomburgk, who was appointed by the British Crown to location in the 'New World' of the Americas, as little more than report on the natural value of the territory they had taken a cruel historical aberration, a mistake, dependent upon native over in the early 19th century from its Dutch founders. This genocide, African slave labour, Indentured servitude, and word; 'Guayana,' preserved the link of today's Guyana to its subsequent diverse ethnic insularities with no vision of any Latin American continental neighbours, such as Uruguay and other evolving local culture, except the ethnic ones brought

by them from across the ocean in the 'Old World,' related to, and preserved through race and religion.

HISTORY'S POSITIVE LEGACY

The second attitude inherent in Raleigh's written account of his adventure in Guiana, injected his book with two useful values for future Guyanese; First is the example of 'free will', which both Raleigh and all the other sea-faring European adventurer-pioneers, especially the Netherlanders, exercised in their daring voyages and settlements in Guiana; second, is Raleigh's recognition of various Native Indian tribes he encountered, as Guyanese, the human and national root of all those who were to follow, since at that time there were no numerous Africans, East Indians, Chinese, Europeans, or mixed descendants of any of these races as yet. Does that mean that the only true Guyanese remain Native Amerindians? Not at all; since time and history do not stagnate in affecting planet earth.

On the other hand, Raleigh's flattery to his Queen, his jealousy of Spanish conquistadors and the gold they confiscated, his zealous, almost military excursions into Spanish territory which almost ended the much fostered peace between Spain and England, led to his eventual demise by the hands of his English crown. And yet his personal history offers another vital, if obscure truth about Guyana's historical foundation; In 1577 he left to fight for the Netherlands freedom from Spanish dominion (under Charles the Bold), and the great coincidence is that the man whose command he fought under was Prince William the 1st, of the Netherlands House of Orange. The actual original founder of what would become historical Guyana in the late 16th century.

VI

Implants are an excellent alternative to lost teeth but are relatively expensive There is no other functional part of the human body that is lost as widespread as the teeth. A high percentage of people lose their natural teeth during their lifetime because of accidents, tooth decay, gum and bone disease, or other reasons. Although there are numerous solutions for replacing several teeth, dental implants are an excellent alternative although they are relatively expensive. With missing teeth, even if the person is not aware of it, there is a collapse of facial form in addition to mal function with respect to eating and speaking.

Although not as severe as the facial changes caused by loss of all teeth, losing a few teeth also produces a sunken facial look and the appearance of a smile with a few missing teeth is considered unacceptable by most people. In fact, in most societies, people who present an appearance with missing teeth is either considered uneducated or poor. Depression around the mouth area makes one appear older than they really are.

When a few teeth are removed there is bone shrinkage and the supporting bone structure becomes smaller from then on, leaving a defect in contour in that area.

The result in reducing eating efficiency is directly related to the number of teeth lost. After removal of many teeth, chewing efficiency is reduced significantly although removal of one or a few teeth does not seem to cause a major loss of chewing effectiveness. The appearance of the smile is the negative characteristics caused by removal of a few teeth.

However, if for whatever reason you have had numerous teeth removed or otherwise lost, you have alternatives. These include Traditional Fixed Partial Denture (Bridge) which essentially attaches to the contiguous teeth remaining in the mouth. You cannot remove this type prosthesis. Then there is the traditional removable partial denture which rests on, but does not attach to, the remaining teeth in the mouth. You can remove this prosthesis at will for cleaning. It is simply called a removable denture and is the cheapest and therefore most common means of replacing lost teeth.

Then there is a more sophisticated and expensive partial denture. These involve implants which is basically a removable partial denture that rests on, and is retained by, implants and the remaining natural teeth. You can remove this prosthesis at will for cleaning. These dentures stay in the mouth mouth more firmly, appear more natural ( there are no wire clasps) and are usually removed less often than the regular removable dentures. Finally, there are fixed partial dentures that is attached to implants alone or to the remaining teeth. You cannot remove this prosthesis. They are referred to as bridges.

If you elect to do nothing to correct the problem of losing one or more teeth, your remaining natural teeth will continue to move, and your bite will usually collapse and degenerate further. This is not a good alternative in most cases for more than a short time.

Two situations exist after the removal of one tooth. An unsightly appearance is created when a front tooth is removed. When a back tooth is removed, the cosmetic appearance is not observed, and patients may not be motivated to have an examination of the affected area until certain changes have occurred. First the movement of surrounding teeth and collapse of bite occur rapidly. Often within weeks the surrounding and opposing teeth start to collapse toward the space that was created by the tooth removal, making an acceptable replacement difficult. The contacting areas of teeth near the space may open, and food may become impacted between the teeth.

Consequently, if you have one or more missing teeth, you have the following alternatives: 1. Traditional Fixed Bridge. A traditional fixed bridge attaches to the teeth adjacent to the space. You cannot remove this prosthesis.

2. Removable Partial Denture. A removable partial denture fills the missing teeth space and allows an improved appearance and nearly normal function.

3. Implant followed by Crown (cap). Place an implant, allow healing, and place a crown over the implant head, thereby creating near optimal function and appearance.

You cannot remove these.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

Dad Cheated, The Kids Know, His Parents Know Everyone Knows But His Wife

My Hands Are Tied

My oldest son has been married over 25 years. They have two girls, 26 and 24, and a son 13. He and his wife have substantial careers.

My son is wonderful to me and a good father, especially to his young son. Periodically I feel certain he has been unfaithful to his marriage. I suspect others in our family know yet look the other way. Deep down, I thought his wife had to be aware at some level.

Inadvertently, a text meant for my son made it to him and his son's phone. It was obviously about an affair. His son did not understand it, so he showed it to one of his sisters. She, in turn, sent a long text to the other woman telling her off and telling her to leave her dad alone.

This sister also told her other sister. Now all three children are aware of something.

My son offered to pay for the college tuition of the daughter who responded to the text, if she did not tell her mom. She hasn't. But the other sister, who works for my husband, recently broke down and told us the whole story.

We haven't said a word to my son. What should I do? I'm not okay with turning a blind eye. How do I approach my son, or would you advise me to mind my own business?

SONDRA Sondra, the world becomes more grey as we age.

Raising children the message is, this is right, that is wrong. Children get other rules, too.

Do your homework, turn down the music, tie your shoes, your hair is too long, you are not going out of the house looking like that. It's only natural children will turn that same critical eye on their parents. There is nothing gray in a kid's life. They are not allowed to think, "I can get a little drunk..."

But as people get older, the world becomes grey. With the burdens of work and income, children, insurance, house payments, car payments, college funds, rising prices and retirement accounts, not to mention the inner turmoil we have as we age, a feeling grows.

Where is my life?

So some people do things they shouldn't to get by. Corners get cut. Lies abound. An adult may think: I work hard. I get to do things my kids should not do.

Perhaps your son felt his wife forced him into the marriage because she got pregnant.

Perhaps he thought, "I was paying for the foal, I might as well live with the mare." Perhaps that's the way he felt for most or all of the marriage.

There is right and there is wrong, but wrong has a thumb on the scale. Wrong has "but" on its side. But she's so hot, but I want that job, but I can use the money. As we get older, all our buts get bigger.

You assumed your daughter-in-law knew. Maybe that was self-defense on your part. If she knew, you did not need to act. But you've jumped out of that camp because your son's bribe to a daughter proves his wife does not know. Your excuse has vanished.

It is inherent in cheating that the person you cheat with may expose you to your family.

How much worse will it be when your daughter-in-law learns everyone in the family knew the secret but her. She will feel betrayed by everyone.

You don't get to blame the other woman. She has no ties to the family, and you don't know what your son might have said to her. Even if she knew he was married he may have found a way to work on her emotions.

Your son has given you no choice. You can't let him make you an accomplice to his duplicity. Tell your daughter-in-law what you know.

WAYNE & TAMARA

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

VII

Defendant loses land action before magistrate Full Court sets aside magistrate’s decision

IN 1976 an Essequibo Magistrate ignored a point of law relating to a bona fide dispute as to title of land. He found defendant Sase Budhoo guilty of trespassing on disputed land and damaging a fence and wrongly granted judgment in favour of plaintiff Budhai Singh.

Appellant/defendant Sase Budhoo appealed to the Full Court which ruled that the magistrate ought to have ruled that the defendant had successfully raised a bona fide dispute as to title to immovable property.

The appeal was allowed and the decision of the magistrate was set aside with costs to the appellant (defendant) Sase Budhoo.

The Full Court comprised Chief Justice Harold Bollers and Justice of Appeal Aubrey Bishop, (who later became Chancellor of the Judiciary.)

Attorney-at-Law, Mr. K. D. Doobay appeared for the appellant while the respondent conducted his own defence.

The facts of the case disclosed that the plaintiff Budhai Singh and defendant Sase Budhoo were adjoining land owners.

In the Magistrate’s Court, the plaintiff sued the defendant for trespassing on land which the plaintiff allegedly bought from one Verwayne, but the title had not yet been perfected in him.

The allegation was that the defendant trespassed by digging a drain on the land causing the plaintiff’s fence to fall and become damaged. In the course of the hearing the dispute between the parties centered on the existence or non-existence of an inter-lot drain between their respective properties at lots 35 Section B and 36 Danielstown , Essequibo.

The plaintiff said there was no drain between the properties when he bought the land from Verwayne and went into possession.

The defendant and Verwayne, on the other hand, spoke positively about the drain, on the defendant’s side of the fence in question, and the existence of two palls in line with which the fence in dispute was positioned. These palls were later found to be missing.

At the conclusion of the hearing, it was submitted by counsel for the defendant that the court’s jurisdiction was ousted by reason of the existence of a bona fide dispute as to title to land. Nevertheless, the learned magistrate gave judgment for the plaintiff on his claim. Section 3 (3) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Petty Debt) Act Chapter 7:01 provides, inter alia, as follows: “The Court shall not have cognisance of any action in which any incorporeal right , or the title to any immovable property, is or may be in question.”

On appeal to the Full Court of the High Court held: (i) That there was a genuine dispute about (a) the existence or non-existence of the drain on the defendant’s side of the fence (ii) (b) the true position of the palls delineating the boundary between lots 35 B and 36 , and (c) the actual position of the fence; (iii) That it should have been apparent to the magistrate that though there was no reliable evidence before him as to the boundary line and the existence of the drain, there were nevertheless competing claims as to ownership of the strip of land undefined though it was, in the vicinity of the existing fence. (iv) That some evidence ought to be taken by a magistrate to ascertain whether he is possessed of jurisdiction to entertain the claim within Section 3 (3) of Chapter 7:01. He must ascertain whether an incorporeal right or title to any

immovable property is in question or may be in question, and if he has a doubt whether such right may be in question, he should decline jurisdiction; (v) That the appeal will be allowed because, on the evidence ,the magistrate ought to have ruled that the defendant/ appellant had successfully raised a bona fide dispute as to title to immovable property.

The appeal was allowed and the decision of magistrate set aside with costs.

In its judgment, the Full Court had referred to 19 cases.

Justice of Appeal Bishop, who delivered the judgment of the Court, noted that the main ground argued by counsel for the appellant (defendant) was that: “The Magistrate’s Court had no jurisdiction in this matter, objection to which was formally taken before the decision is that the jurisdiction of the Court was ousted by operation of Section 3 (3) of the Summary jurisdiction (Petty Debt) Act Chapter 7:01, as there was a bona fide dispute as to the land and the fixtures thereon, the subject matter of this action.

Continuing, Justice Bishop said that it should be noted that the appellant (defendant) did not in his defence ”plead’ this objection to the magistrate’s jurisdiction being ousted, but through his counsel, did so at the close of the case. The learned magistrate unaware therefore that such an objection would be raised proceeded to hear evidence and in due course gave judgment for respondent (plaintiff) on his claim.

In para 5 of his complaint, the respondent (plaintiff) averred that between January 26 and February 2, 1975, inclusive of both dates, the appellant (defendant) unlawfully and maliciously trespassed upon his land, dug a drain thereon and as a result caused 233 feet of the respondent (plaintiff) said fence to fall down and become damaged. He specifically claimed as damages, $350 for the fence and $150 for the land but the learned magistrate did not indicate any apportionment under the two sub-heads.

During the trial it emerged however, that the respondent (plaintiff) bought lot 35 , Section B, Danielstown, Essequibo from one Francis Verwayne, on February 2, 1973, with the building thereon and the surrounding fence. In support of the said sale, the respondent (plaintiff) tendered the agreement , Ex. “A.” He also testified that he had been living on the land prior to the sale, and had paid Verwayne no rent since the purchase. The respondent (plaintiff) complained that though these were the facts, Verwayne had refused to formally convey the property to him.

When Verwayne gave evidence on May 20, 1975 he said that Lot 35 B and the surrounding fence were his property and denied , inter alia, signing the agreement or receiving the purchase price of $3,000 acknowledged therein. In short, he denied selling lot 35 B Danielstown to the (plaintiff) but conceded that the respondent (plaintiff) had discontinued paying him rent in 1973 ,and held up his son for picking coconuts on the land.

Above all, Verwayne admitted that he had taken no action against the respondent (plaintiff) to recover any rent. The learned magistrate assessed Verwayne to be an inveterate liar and found that he had sold the property to the respondent (plaintiff), Nonetheless, it appeared to be common ground that Verwayne had erected a fence separating the respondent (plaintiff’s) land from the appellant (defendant’s) Verwayne said.

After recounting this and other instances including the bona fide dispute, the appeal was allowed and the order of magistrate set aside with costs to the appellant.

By George Barclay

VIII

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

UNDER HEAVY GUARD C raigville was a new and developing housing area. Many new home owners had bought land and built their homes. Some had already moved in. The houses were at different stages of construction, while many were yet to begin. There was no electricity, water or telephones available as yet.

Soon problems began to surface. Building materials were disappearing regularly. Someone was stealing from others to build his own. Whenever sand, bricks concrete blocks or steel were bought and stockpiled in preparation for the start of construction, a mystery unfolded. As soon as night set in the stocks would dwindle steadily. There seemed to be no answer to this.

Norman had bought his piece of land and started to develop it. When he bought his first load of sand, half of it was stolen. The same thing happened to his concrete blocks. The latter went bit by bit. Angry and frustrated, he vowed to do something about it. This resolve saw him visiting an Obeah Man. After listening to Norman’s predicament, Papa Giddings recommended that a Spirit Guard be placed on Norman’s property. The client readily agreed. The price for the services was thirty thousand dollars. The next night they both visited the burial ground and a special ritual was performed. Next day an excited Norman headed for Craigville. Nobody was going to steal his material any longer. He smiled to himself in satisfaction.

Sean was a hustler/ junkie. He stole and sold anything he could get his hands on. Aged thirty -five, he had been to jail several times for breaking and entering and larceny. If you wanted something in particular, all you had to do was ask Sean. Many of the new builders wanted cheap material and buying from Sean was much cheaper than any hardware store. His services were in constant demand. Sand, bricks, cement, fittings, nails and zinc sheets were procured and sold for a ‘small piece.’ He stole from stockpiles or stripped unattended new

houses. Sean was making a good living in this trade. That is, until tragedy struck.

He got a large order for sand, bricks and cement. Sean immediately went to work. He had earlier noted a new stockpile of these materials.

It was as if it had been placed there especially for him. That night the thief decided to start with a quake of bricks. Filling his container, he put it on his head and moved swiftly away.

He was a strong man and accustomed to this type of work.

As he walked into the dark night, he heard voices nearby. Two people were chatting. He stopped in the shadows and waited for them to go by. Nothing happened. Puzzled, he continued on his way. Again the two voices started talking.

He paused and looked carefully around him.

There was no one there. He shrugged and started walking. Somehow, fetching these bricks was harder than he had anticipated. It just seemed to get heavier and heavier.

The voices were back but now they were laughing. What shocked him was that they seemed to be following and laughing at him. The more he walked the heavier his burden grew.

Soon his neck and head were throbbing under the unusual stress. He decided to rest. Sean found to his horror that he could not put down the burdensome quake.

He started to tremble and sweat. Although he was a thief and an opportunist he knew a few

things about spirits. Sean realised that he was

in big trouble. If the bricks fell so would he. He racked his brains for a solution. Then it hit him.

He would take the bricks back and hope for the best.

The return journey was like slow torture. At last he stumbled back to the stockpile. He dumped the bricks back where he had found it.

“Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” Sean spun quickly around. Two dark shadows were hovering near the sand.

CRACK! PLOW! Bricks hit him from every conceivable angle. He stooped and protected his head and face.

“YO PLAYING YO HAND FAST!” Sean admitted to himself that it was true. He also knew another part of his body that was even faster; his feet. With both of them pumping like pistons, he raced away from Craigville, away from construction and far away from stealing.

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Meet Puranmati Singh…

“Now is the best time of my life!”

By TeleshaRamnarine MEET 72-year-old Puranmati Singh, well known as ‘Nanny’ and in the past, ‘Kero Lady.’ Born and raised at the corners of Curtis and James Streets, Albouystown, Ms. Singh is now relaxing and enjoying life, having worked quite hard in the days gone by.

Born on May 26, 1942 to parents Shiwdayal (Lil boy) and Sanchara (now deceased), Ms. Singh has five siblings-Phagu, Kubare, Daleep, Ivy Pahrun (Bee) and Dori, all of whom are still very much around with the eldest being 80 years old.

Her father was well respected and very popular in the community due to his kind and industrious nature. In fact, to this day, people would recognise his family members only when they mention his nickname.

where she spent six years sterilising bottles and filling them with whatever the company produced. She worked the entire week for $55, which was greatly appreciated but still insufficient.

To make ends meet, she started a small trading business in the 1980s. On Fridays, she would travel to Suriname, purchase goods that were hard to get in Guyana, and then return on Sunday. At times, she even went to Trinidad.

Eventually, though, she started to sell kerosene at home in Albouystown where she continued living. The business was good for her because in those days, kerosene was not being sold by many shops. Later though, she opened a shop and began selling other items.

With her children Doodie, Lully and Indira

Ms.Puranmati Singh competent academically after leaving. In fact, she is still as sharp as a sword in this regard.

While still at home, her job included cooking on a ‘fireside.’ “The old man (her father) used to cut the wood with an axe in the yard and me and Kubare used to fetch it up. We got joy from doing that.”

Thanks to the ‘fireside’, Ms. Singh said the family was always in for a nice, hot meal that somehow tasted better than one cooked from a kerosene or gas stove.

Mr. Shiwdayal managed a large shop and each member of the family helped out; the children, whenever they were at home from school. Back then, everyone in the community lived as a family and no one at the shop was taken by surprise when a neighbour might ask for something to cook but had no money. Mr. Shiwdayal, in his goodness, would not object.

According to Ms. Singh, life was very easy back then and things were affordable. “At that time everyone lived as one,” she said.

THE ‘FIRESIDE’ Ms. Singh attended Mr. Ross School and later pressed on to Freeburg School where she spent seven years. She did not get a chance to write the ‘School Leaving’ examination. Her two older sisters got married and so she was the only girl left at home to assist the family. “In those days, parents hardly sent their girl children to high school.

My brothers went to Tutorial,” she recalled.

Not being able to write the exams, though, hardly made a difference to Ms. Singh, as she made good use of her years at school and hence was quite

GROVE CINEMA Ms, Singh started her married life in 1961 and had three children, Doodnauth (Doodie), Ramdularie (Lully) and Indira. But it was not too long after that she became a single parent. “I had to raise the three of them on my own and so it is not one work I used to do. It was hard. I had to pick up my own work,” she expressed.

Ms. Singh rode her bicycle to Grove, on the East Bank Demerara, to sell plantain chips and salted nuts to the shops in that area. She recalled how she would stop at the cinema there and then work her way down.

She later gained employment at ‘Rics and Sari’ Ms. Singh surrounded by her grandchildren some years ago

Ms. Singh worked hard in the early days to make ends meet

NOW IS THE BEST TIME Ms. Singh, grandmother to eight and great grandmother to five, is now a pensioner and greatly appreciates whatever money she gets from the government each month. “Back then, I had to hustle because of the children. Now, I am relaxed. I don’t take on any stress and I don’t have any type of sickness. No aches and pains.”

Ms. Singh would only get the bus or a taxi when she really needs to, such as when she has heavy bags. Otherwise, she prefers walking. And this, she believes, contributes to the good health she is enjoying. “Now is the best time of my life! I know when the month come I will get a lil raise and so I just have to relax.”

With her two sisters

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

I slapped Gauahar Khan because I wanted to teach her a lesson, says attacker Akil Malik Malik slapped the Bigg Boss 7 winner on the finale of India’s Raw Star Gauahar Khan was slapped on the sets of India’s Raw Star . The Bigg Boss 7 winner who has been hosting the show since its inception was hosting the grand finale on the day of the incident.

Reportedly a rowdy person from the audience started passing lewd remarks on Gauahr’s outfit. The attacker Akil Malik then jumped on to the stage and tried touching Ms Khan inappropriately. When Gauahar protested, the man slapped her.

After Malik was arrested, he told the police that he slapped Khan to teach her a lesson. While talking to NDTV, Akil said that he was “sexually attracted” to women who wore short skirts.

The attacker was working on the sets of India’s Raw Star for three days. He was present on the sets for the last few days and did not like the outfits worn by Gauahar. A police official from the Aarey police station said: ” He (Akil Malik) said short skirts got him attracted to girls and damaged other youngsters’ minds as well.”

All glam or De-glam: How do you like Anushka Sharma best?

The PK actress was recently spotted sporting a no make-up look…

Anushka Sharma doesn’t believe in garish outfits or make-up. Be it her promotional looks or her film roles, the actress likes to keep it minimal barring her 35 kg gown for Bombay Velvet!

Recently Anushka was spotted in her car in a de-glam look. She wore a polka-dotted sheer top and a long chain.

She even wore cute grey nail paint but barring some kohl in her eyes, there wasn’t any make-up on Anushka. We would liked for Anushka to wear some lipstick or lip balm because her lips looked parched. But barring that the look sat well with us.

He role of Jagat Janani in PK also has a girl-next-door feel which is what her outfits and make-up reflect. With a public outing in a de-glam avatar perhaps Ms Sharma wants her fans to get pumped about seeing her in a similar no make-up look in PK. So tell us guys, Anushka with or without make-up, what works best?

Is Barun Sobti putting an end to his marriage?

A crazy fan of the actor proposed him for marriage recently. So did he accept?

Fans and their obsession with Bollywood is something we can never ignore. Joining the list of actors with crazy fan following is TV’s pin-up boy Barun Sobti. His first film Main Aur Mr Riight is set for release and the actor as we know has a humongous fan base, thanks to his role as Arnav Singh Raizada in Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon.

And according to sources, he just got the biggest surprise of his life, when a fan proclaimed her love for him.

A young girl from a small town came all the way to meet her favourite star and proposed to Barun. In fact, the girl even got a huge bouquet of roses, a photo frame of the two and a handmade card to gift Barun.

An onlooker said, “Barun was completely taken aback with the girl. He made sure he accepted her gifts and gave her a hug also returning her love with a small gift.” From what we hear, the girl was totally star-struck refusing to take a no from the actor, only when Barun explained to her that he is really happily married, the fan agreed.

Barun broke quite a many hearts when he married his childhood s w e e t h e a r t Pashmeen

Exclusive: Aamir Khan to host special screening of PK for Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan!

After King Khan and the Kick actor patched up very recently, it seems all is more than well between the former and Mr Perfectionist too…

That Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan danced

together and shared a warm hug at Arpita Khan’s wedding is no new story. We all know the two warring Khans are back to being friends. But yesterday something even more interesting happened.

Dabangg Khan, SRK and

Aamir Khan came together for Rajat Sharma’s popular Aap Ki Adaalat. The famous show has completed 21 years and a special episode was being shot in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan last night. That’s when the three ruling Khans

of Bollywood took the center stage and got clicked in a single frame. But we hear a lot happened when these three superstars came together.

Our khabroo says at the star studded event, which was attended Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Sonakshi Sinha as well, Kiran Rao’s hubby was heard saying that he would be organizing a special screening of his much-awaited film PK for Salman and Shah Rukh.

Looks like too much bonding is happening between the Khans, hai na?

So while we would be waiting for PK to hit the screens, Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor and Gauri Khan’s hubby dearest would be the lucky ones to see this year’s highly anticipated film before the rest of world. In that case, we are going to keep a tab on Salman and SRK’s Twitter account.

Because we are pretty sure they would tweet about their friend’s film!

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Van Vicker to star in his first Hollywood movie Ghanaian celebrated actor, Van Vicker, After many years in the movie industry has finally gotten the opportunity to star in his first Hollywood movie titled ‘Skinned’ with Hollywood actress /Director, Lisa Raye McCoy. In the film, set to premiere in 2015, Van Vicker takes on the role of a businessman who only has an interest in light-skinned women.

He marries a woman who deceives him to believe that she’s light skinned, but it turns out she’s been bleaching. She tries to hide her embarrassing secret by lying that she suffers from vitiligo, hiding her baby pictures, and even goes so far as to not wanting to give birth to ensure no one finds out.

Van Vicker, who is currently in America, said that he has been very active shooting in different countries that was why he has not been too stable in Ghana, “I have been very active shooting in different countries and also attending different programs. That’s why I have not been too stable in Ghana, but now I am in America shooting a Hollywood film for the first time’ he said excitingly.

Nollywood Cinema Series kicks off in USA After over a decade of tremendous growth in the Nollywood film industry, and thousands of movies released but primarily delivered to Western viewers by VCD/ DVD and low quality web streams, a new breed of movie makers, who are committed to bringing the rich African stories to cinema audiences around the world, are emerging.

Movie lovers in the USA, Canada and the Caribbean can now enjoy Nollywood in American cinemas, courtesy of SnapFlix Incorporated, a distributor of African media content.

The New Nollywood films are shot exclusively for cinema by award winning Nollywood producers and directors, using state-of-the-art cameras and equipment. The Nollywood Cinema Series is an ongoing showcase of new Nollywood in cinemas across major cities, including Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, DC/Maryland, Toronto and Kingston, Jamaica.

The series takes off with the premiere of award-winning movie, Two Brides and a Baby, on April 14, 2012 at the Hill auditorium, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street NE. Two brides and a baby, a romantic comedy starring Stella Damasus, Kalu Ikeagwu, Keira Hewatch, O.C Ukeje, Chelsea Eze, Okey Uzoeshi and Blessing Egbe is written and produced by Blessing Egbe and directed by famous Nollywood director, Teco Benson. The movie received 5 awards at the 2011 Best of Nollywood Awards and several nominations at the Abuja Film Festival 2011 and AMAA 2012.

According to SnapFlix founders, Deji Eniojukan and Jide Akanbi, they are meeting the entertainment needs of Africans and lovers of Africa in the diaspora, a need for a cinematic presence of Nollywood movies in North America.

Chika Ike Announces Divorce

Nollywood actress, Chika Ike, has announced to her fans that she is now officially divorced.

In a Facebook post on Sunday night, she wrote, "Hi Fabs! Thank you all for your love and support over the years.... It's been an emotional journey and I want to officially announce to you guys that the court has granted me a divorce....

I am now officially divorced. Thanks."

Chika Ike's five-year marriage ended abruptly due to what reports said was sustained domestic violence.

She was allegedly beaten regularly by her husband and sustained varying degrees of injury.

In an interview, she had explained that she decided to end the marriage because it was no longer working.

She had said, " “Well, you will get to a point in your life when you have to stop lying to yourself. You have to come to terms with your person and tell yourself the truth.

"If it is something that is working, it is working and if it is not, it is not. I believe in something, I believe happiness is everything to me so I just had to take that decision, because it wasn’t working and I just had to tell myself the truth.”

Other female celebrities with crashed marriages include Kefee Obareki, Monalisa Chinda, Funke Akindele and Eucharia Anunobi.

(Source: Nollywood stars news.com)

“No Amount of Money Would Make Me Go Nude”- Martha Ankomah Playing sex roles in a movie is difficult for MOST actresses, but not the moment’s promising actress, Martha Ankomah.

“I can effectively play any role in a movie but movie directors call on me for

sex roles because they know I can play it best” Martha told Hi Newspaper when she recently visited our offices.

But knowing she’s the role’s best player in the industry, Cinekrom asked to what extent she would

go with sex acts, “I would never play a role completely naked for any amount of money”. “Usually I take such roles for their daring nature and not necessarily because of the money, she says. I always want to do

what the next hot actress cannot do”, she said.

However, she warns, “Sometimes don’t believe all the hype, because not all you see are exactly acted between the sheets, there are very good camera and

editing people who can make everything possible”.

On her biggest news so far, Martha Ankmoah said she felt honored being nominated as the most Promising Actress in Africa at the AMAAs.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

How Modern Browsers Work A Behind the scenes look

Web browsers are the most widely used software. In this primer, I will explain how they work behind the scenes.

We will see what happens when you type google.com in the address bar until you see the Google page on the browser screen.

The browsers we will talk about There are five major browsers used on desktop today: Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Opera. On mobile, the main browsers are Android Browser, iPhone, Opera Mini and Opera Mobile, UC Browser, the Nokia S40/ S60 browsers and Chrome–all of which, except for the Opera browsers, are based on Web-Kit. I will give examples from the

• Home button that takes you to your home page Strangely enough, the browser's user interface is not specified in any formal specification, it just comes from good practices shaped over years of experience and by browsers imitating each other. The HTML5 specification doesn't define UI elements a browser must have, but lists some common elements. Among those are the address bar, status bar and tool bar. There are, of course, features unique to a specific browser like Firefox's downloads manager.

HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY PLAY STATION The PlayStation gaming console wrapped up its second

open source browsers Firefox and Chrome, and Safari (which is partly open source). According to Stat-Counter statistics (as of June 2013) Chrome, Firefox and Safari make up around 71% of global desktop browser usage. On mobile, Android Browser, iPhone and Chrome constitute around 54% of usage.

The browser's main functionality The main function of a browser is to present the web resource you choose, by requesting it from the server and displaying it in the browser window. The resource is usually an HTML document, but may also be a PDF, image, or some other type of content. The location of the resource is specified by the user using a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier).

The way the browser interprets and displays HTML files is specified in the HTML and CSS specifications. These specifications are maintained by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) organization, which is the standards organization for the web. For years browsers conformed to only a part of the specifications and developed their own extensions. That caused serious compatibility issues for web authors. Today most of the browsers more or less conform to the specifications.

Browser user interfaces have a lot in common with each other. Among the common user interface elements are: • Address bar for inserting a URI • Back and forward buttons • Bookmarking options • Refresh and stop buttons for refreshing or stopping the loading of current documents

decade on Wednesday, and Sony celebrated by looking to the past.

The Japanese tech giant announced that a limited edition 20th Anniversary PlayStation 4 will be released soon. The console will be gray, like the first PlayStation released December 3, 1994 in Japan. It will include other imagery like the iconic four-color PlayStation logo that harks back to the

system's history.

"The mid-'90s were an exciting time for game developers, driven by the explosion of powerful but affordable 3-D graphics rendering hardware and the birth of many young and adventurous development studios. The original PlayStation

was meant to embody that sense of adventure and discovery, that sense that anything was possible."

The PlayStation sold a then unheard-of 100,000 units in its first weekend and hit 1 million units in six months, according to Sony.

Only 12,300 units of the 20th Anniversary PS4 will be released, according to a video on the blog post.

Driverless cars set to be tested in four English cities The four English locations picked to test driverless cars have been named.

Greenwich, in south-east London, and Bristol will each host a project of their own, while Coventry and Milton Keynes will share a third.

The decision was announced by the quango Innovate UK, after George Osborne's Autumn Statement.

The chancellor also announced an additional £9m in funding for the work, adding to the £10m that had been announced in July.

The businesses involved will add further funds.

Bristol will host the Venturer consortium, which aims to investigate whether driverless cars can reduce congestion and make roads safer.

Its members include the insurance group Axa, and much of its focus will be on the public's reaction to the tech as well as the legal and insurance implications of its introduction.

Greenwich is set to run the Gateway scheme. This will be led by the Transport Research Laboratory consultancy and also involves General Motors, and the AA and RAC motoring associations. It plans to carry out tests of automated passenger shuttle vehicles as well as autonomous valet parking for adapted cars.

In addition, a self-drive car simulator will make use of a photorealistic 3D model of the area to study how people react to sharing the driving of a vehicle with its computer.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

from Leo Tolstoi “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” *********************** “Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced. ” *********************** “A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. ” *********************** “And all people live, not by reason of any care they have for themselves, But by the love for them that is in other people. ”

Leo Tolstoi

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*********************** “One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between Man and Nature shall not be broken.” *********************** “True life is lived when tiny changes occur.” *********************** “If there existed no external means for dimming their consciences, one-half of the men would at once shoot themselves, because to live contrary to one's reason is a most intolerable state, and all men of our time are in such a state. ” *********************** “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” *********************** “It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.” *********************** “Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold.”

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Understanding

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

… from a teen’s point of view!

Being prepared

By Vishani Ragobeer Hello there! How are you this week? I’m great!

Anyway, today I’ll be discussing “Being Prepared”- especially being prepared for this rainy season!

Thankfully this rainy season did not affect me a lot, however I am sorry Vishani Ragobeer for those of you greatly affected. For this reason, it is absolutely vital that we all be prepared and take the necessary precautions to ensure that the rains will not affect us again. It cannot be more stressed that we need to keep our environment safe, as these rains WILL bring mosquitoes-which will cause Chikungunya, they WILL damage items in your home- which, might I add, are very expensive and they WILL spread other diseases and cause you to become extremely sick!

So we all know that we need to keep our surroundings in ‘tip top’ shape; i.e. we will try to keep our drains clean so that the water will flow, keep your yards and immediate surroundings clean and garbage free and keep up to date with the current weather forecasts In addition to being prepared for the rains, I am imploring all to have this attitude for your upcoming exams- which should be starting soon if not already started. This term we will all do extremely well! And finally, we should all start preparing for Christmas and the New Year!

* Quote for the Week: (by Unknown) “It never rains; but boy when it rains- it pours!”

That’s all for this week! Take care until I see you again next week at your favourite and best newspaper!

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Jesus and the devil Jesus and the devil were arguing over which one of them was the better computer programmer.

"I am!" Jesus shouted.

"No, I am!" the devil countered.

"I am!"

"I am!"

"Me!" "No, me!"

"EEEEEEENOUGH!" God bellowed, and the whole universe disappeared into darkness. When the lights came back on, two computers were sitting in front of them.

God said: "Now, whoever makes the best computer programme in twenty minutes wins."

Jesus and the devil sat down typing and clicking furiously.

This went on for about 15 minutes, but then there was a power failure, and everything went dark. When everything came back up again, the computer screens were both blank.

The devil tried in vain to get back everything he had lost.

He came up empty-handed.

Jesus pressed one key and it all came back.

The devil looked at him in astonishment. "No way! How did you do that?"

Jesus turned to him and smiled, and said "Everybody knows Jesus saves." *************************************

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

Memory gone bad My memory has gotten so bad it has actually caused me to lose my job.

I'm still employed. I just can't remember where. *************************************

Back on my feet

The doctor said he would have me on my feet in two weeks."

"And did he?"

"Yes, I had to sell the car to pay the bill." *************************************

Bubbs the bragger Bubba was bragging to his boss one day, "You know, I know everyone there is to know. Just name someone, anyone, and I know them."

Tired of his boasting, his boss called his bluff, "OK, Bubba how about Tom Cruise?"

"Sure, yes, Tom and I are old friends, and I can prove it." So Bubba and his boss fly out to Hollywood and knock on Tom Cruise's door, and sure enough, Tom Cruise shouts: "Bubba! Great to see you! You and your friend come right in and join me for lunch!"

Although impressed, Bubba's boss is still skeptical. After they leave Cruise's house, he tells Bubba that he thinks Bubba's knowing Cruise was just lucky.

"No, no, just name anyone else," Bubba says.

"President Clinton," his boss quickly retorts.

"Yes," Bubba says, "I know him, let's fly out to Washington."

And off they go. At the White House, Clinton spots Bubba on the tour and motions him and his boss over, saying, "Bubba, what a surprise, I was just on my way to a meeting, but you and your friend

come on in and let's have a cup of coffee first and catch up."

Well, the boss is very shaken by now, but still not totally convinced.

After they leave the White house grounds, he expresses his doubts to Bubba, who again implores him to name anyone else.

"The Pope," his boss replies. "Sure!" says Bubba. "My folks are from Poland, and I've known the Pope a long time."

So off they fly to Rome. Bubba and his boss are assembled with the masses in Vatican Square when Bubba says, "This will never work. I can't catch the Pope's eye among all these people. Tell you what, I know all the guards so let me just go upstairs and I'll come out on the balcony with the Pope." And he disappears into the crowd headed toward the Vatican.

Sure enough, half an hour later Bubba emerges with the Pope on the balcony. But by the time Bubba returns, he finds that his boss has had a heart attack and is surrounded by paramedics.

Working his way to his boss's side, Bubba asks him, "What happened?"

His boss looks up and says: "I was doing fine until you and the Pope came out on the balcony and the man next to me said: "Who's that on the balcony with Bubba?"

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Cornelia Ida - A closely knit alcove where residents promote the positives of life

By Alex Wayne The bus ride was long and tiresome as the ‘cork ball’ (very old minibus) chugged in and out of traffic, belching acrid black smoke, much to the annoyance of other road users.

Matching their steamy protests with blunt obscenities of his own, the elderly driver continued to pick up almost every passenger by the roadside sending me into uncontrollable fits of anger.

I was on my way to the well established village of Cornelia Ida on the West Coast Demerara where I was told that folks reside in calm, basking in glorious waves of rich camaraderie With latitude readings of 6.8500° and Longitude at 58.2667° this village is flanked

by Hague to the east and the somewhat larger, Anna Catherina to the west. With a population of over 3,000 according to residents, the village is divided into two areas namely the Road Front and the Housing Scheme locations.

This village is largely populated by East Indians with notable sprinklings of the other races.

The village is also sectioned off into smaller little alcoves by streets like Exchange Road, Barber Shop Street, Entrance Road, Buttercup Entrance and many others.

This week my every intention was to scrutinise, investigate and discover the somewhat intriguing and very serene aura that seems to envelope this small village located almost fifteen miles from Georgetown.

It is always a distinct craving for me to feature in this column villages which display a certain refreshing bond of ‘jovial harmony’ amongst ethic bodies, and the very pleasurable spectacle of high strong affection and content made evident by the jolly laughter and pleasurable disposition of its inhabitants.

CULTURE OF THE VILLAGE The culture in Cornelia Ida slightly resembles that of the Indian immigrants who crossed the Atlantic Ocean over 150 years ago. Even though well over 85% of the population are Indo-Guyanese - a small group of Chinese, Negroes and Amerindian families are the minority - the culture is very similar

to that of the rest of the British Caribbean, but with, according to the locals, an enticing East Indian flair.

As history would suggest, in the beginning, the culture of this location resembled very much that of the mother country, India, but as African and Chinese came to the village a slight variety was added. The residents there, Indo-Guyanese, Afro-Guyanese and Chinese brought their foods, traditions, religion and customs with them, thus contributing to the rich cultural diversity present there.

Over the years, the population of Indians has lost their mother tongue completely, and although Indian music remains very popular, the English language, with a slight Creole touch,

For example, few weddings are ever complete without the ceremonial rubbing of the dye; an old Indian wedding custom that is accepted among every religion. Holidays like Christmas and Diwali are examples of occasions where the entire community celebrates together in a congenial integration of faith.

OUR ARRIVAL

As we landed in the village I almost doubled over with laughter as taxi drivers operating on the roadside tumbled over each other as they sought to be the first to pounce on the passengers soliciting transport to various areas of the village.

And they indeed created quite a fuss as they strived to see who would be the most Welcome to Cornelia Ida fluent, or better mannered driver to be able to entice a journalist to have him use their car for the tour around the village.

On arrival we were told that the village is divided into north and south locations so we decided to explore the north first. What was noted is that this location seemed not to house the stateliest buildings and businesses, but however showcased many classy houses that were pleasing to look at.

It was the housing scheme area that boasted fabulous buildings and a few spanking businesses that catered for the everyday needs of the people.

We were greeted by smiling women in their hammocks, some enjoying hot spicy lunches, which they seemed to be enjoying using their fingers. One very peppy grandmother, Sarsattie Pertab explained that she certainly enjoyed mashing her food around her plate and putting into her mouth has taken complete control. No one really speaks Hindi any- with her fingers. She claimed it was a traditional practice that more and some said it is considered an almost dead language was enjoyed by person in many homes in the village. in the village.

“Bai, me does really enjoy me food with me fingas. Is suh The religious beliefs of the people have gone through a we does eat since we ah lil gals, and trust me, you does really major transformation as well. Even though the composition enjoy de food more. De food does taste moh sweet, when yuh of the population remains the same for ‘donkey years’ the down, yuh can lie down and relax bettah” religious beliefs have changed somewhat.

The other side of the village was actually the area that proHowever, regardless of religious conviction every holi- duces a hub of activity that gave it its ‘developing’ appearance. day-social or religious is celebrated and respected. Many of the customs that are objective and foster public life are comINTERACTING monly organised by community leaders at home and abroad.

Many of the original religious customs and traditions that Stopping to chat with residents at a taxi base by the have not been lost were modified over the years and vestiges of an East Indian heritage appear in a number of the festivities.

Continued on page XXII

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Cornelia Ida

roadside, a few males raised questioning eyebrows but the two standing by, were all welcoming smiles. Instantly my soul LIVELIHOOD was at ease and with responding warmth I went into detailed explanation of the reason for my visit. Hearing this, the males Cornelia Ida is primarily an East Indian populated village seemed to get excited and two of them readily smoothed and where pleasant and jovial residents reside in perfect harmony. fixed their apparel, and made ready to share information about Villagers depend almost entirely on the nearby Uitvulgt Sugar the village.

Estate to provide ready employment, but that aside there are ‘Boyo’ as one called himself lamented on the fact that teachers, vendors, drivers and shopkeepers there too. their job as taxi drivers had become dissatisfying since hardly Some persons have taken up employment outside of the anyone seemed to be shopping for the Christmas holidays. village in areas as far as Parika and Georgetown.

“Bai dis wuk slow up bad. Normally at Christmas time Others reared poultry which provided eggs and meat for we does get nuff wuk, but this year like people nah ah really consumption whilst a few strived on the rearing and sale of shap, and most ah dem ah do wan maja shapping since them their very healthy cattle. nah want walk up and down wid nuff money pon dem. Things really ah get hard fuh we car drivahs”.

Constraints in the village How I marvelled at the ‘spic and span appearance’ of what appeared to be white washed surfaces under the houses as I Villagers have lauded the fact that the Government today walked around the village. Investigations revealed that the has made it possible for them to enjoy proper electricity, earth beneath the houses is actually daubed with a mixture of fairly good drainage (as compared to a few years ago when cow dung, water and a special type of mud to avoid cracking. the village flooded easily) and a well maintained public road.

When this dries the appearance of the earth is so inviting, that However, there are calls by residents for better mainteone might feel lured to lie down and curl up on the surface. nance of the four small playfields in the village, which flood And believe when it dries, this mixture has a strangely al- easily and are over grown with bushes in some areas. luring scent that seemed to inflict a ‘cozy magic’ on the senses.

Some villagers are lamenting the fact that there are several Even as we drove around the village our tummies rumbled house lots there which has been unoccupied for many years in anticipation at the appetising aromas of either deep fried and are now sporting towering bushes. Some claimed that or stewed fresh vegetables that bubbled on stoves and ‘cackling firesides.’

Vegetable farmer, Sugrim Sawh shared the little he knew about the location. Residing there for over forty years, he indicated that what is now the quaint little village was once sprawling pastures and dense bush and foliage in years gone by.

Like many other countryside villages, he said it was discovered by curious farmers that found out the land is rich in soil nutrients. He said persons began to target the land firstly for small scale crop cultivation, but this he claimed dwindled with the changing hands of time.

According to Sawh, persons soon began purchasing land plots in the area and gradually the village took on its appearance. He said that as far as he knows the village was always a very quite location and the rich camaraderie which is still present among residents was always there since The Zara/Saraswati Vidya Niketan the olden days.

A cheery Lilouttie Singh who spoke to us from an open window on the bottom flat of her two -storeyed home explained that she was home alone while these lots seemed not to be owned by anyone and as such are her common-law husband Sunil Singh was out plying his trade hoping that the authorities can sort this out and have the lots as a taxi driver at the nearby public road. given to persons who are more than ready to make positive She noted however that while his profession can be tedious use of them. and very competitive at times, it however brings in a sizeable I will have to agree that of all the villages I have visited, daily dollar that somehow manages to take care of their needs this one really appealed to me the most with its somewhat in the home. serene simplicity. At some homes mothers busy flipping roti “Everybady does do either wan jab or anotha in this on their ‘tawahs’ or readying sweet smelling stews for lunch, village. Because everybody have to survive somehow or the indicated they would be particularly happy if all their access other. Me husband does go out there everyday fuh mek ends treed can be paved since many are continuously are badly meet, and some days he does comeback with almost nothing damaged by vehicular traffic. because is plenty taxi deh out deh. But we does be thankful Husbands chomping on ‘float bakes’ or ‘sada roti’ and fried and try fuh mek ends meet regardless ah de situation”. salted fish, lamented the fact that students are still allowed to According to Ms. Singh who has been residing in the attend a school in the village even though they are major renvillage for over twenty five years, the village was indeed a ovations happening there. They explained that the children are very beautiful and peaceful location where residents lived in often covered in dust and cement, while some fear that falling harmony and great camaraderie with each other. objects or a sudden accident can cause chaos at the institution.

The complaining voices of young men in the streets tugged at my heart strings as they voiced the need for recreational opportunities in the village, claiming sports oriented youths have no proper facilities to develop their skills and talent.

A few elderly women complained bitterly of the fact that young men who are often seen gambling at the Pro-line Barber Shop would often make them gruesome targets as they called them ‘horrible names’ and make lewd suggestions with their tongues and ‘middle fingers.’

ENTERTAINMENT There are only two sports bars in this village and as such villagers depend on occasional weddings and birthdays from the many households to twitch their hips and roll their bellies.

Some would however travel to the next village Anna Catherina where they can unleash their entertainment fantasies at the Caribbean Temptation Nightclub on weekends.

That aside, villagers eagerly anticipate the celebration of a birthday and most times wedding which allows them to have several days of ‘non-stop sporting’ until they are all engulfed by alcoholic beverages.

ETHNIC HARMONY Any rumour of ethnic differences existing in Cornelia Ida should be treated as nonsense and be crushed under foot. If there is any truth to such tales, that maybe would have existed years ago, but with time has evaporated, and has been replaced with a ‘racial harmony’ so rich in its intensity that it awakened my very being and sent joyful tremours up my spine.

We had not properly braced ourselves for the impact of such ‘indulgences of the races’ that it just left us with our jaws open. Affirming the fact again, that one should not listen to ‘hearsay and fabrications’.

It was quite a pleasant picture to see men liming in the streets, and with housewives catching up on the latest news before jumping into buses and heading to different villages. Very often peals of laughter will ring out as they slap each other on the back mouth as they enjoyed their girlish chattering.

It was so soothing to the soul to see young Shawn Bharrat who said he journeys from Lenora almost every other day to chat and have a good laugh with his elderly male friend Mahesh Persaud whom he encountered a few years ago while making purchases from a fish vendor in Conelia Ida. The two had struck up a merry conversation and have remained close friends since then.

“He is such a sweet old man. About two years ago I was purchasing a fish on the public road and it totally amazed me how he greeted me and struck up a pleasant conversation.

Since then we meet up from time to time to ‘gaff,’ and trust me I have learnt a lot from him. He has never disrespected me”.

CORNELIA IDA IN TIMES GONE BY This village it appears in years gone by has always been

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014 The very contented Feona Manram and Dhaikar Dwarka hope to ‘make ends meet’ by opening their new vegetable and ground provision stall

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Maharamie Talmakune proudly showcases the plants she sells daily to earn an extra dollar

An impressive section of the village

The Cornelia Ida Primary School

An estate truck takes villagers to their jobs at the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate plagued with drainage and irrigation problems and as a result farmers would have been victims of major losses to their rice and cash crops as a result of flooding. Things have changed for the better now, but there is still room for improvement.

The very well established village we see today was not always there. Several areas were over grown with bushes and vegetation according to vegetable vendor, Maharamie Talmakune, but by the early 1980’s development in the some sectors were rapidly becoming visible. A few shops and other business sprung up as person invested their hard earned dollars.

As dictated by villagers, some persons through bank loans, savings and overseas assistance from relatives, rebuilt their other small and disintegrating buildings into sophisticated concrete structures.

Findings coming out of our conversations proved that while the majority loved the academic side of things, others could hardly wait for weekends to go frolicking in the rain or under the sun.

At dawn, as the last crows of the roosters faded in the distance, husbands and other male breadwinners trickled onto the public road to await transportation to their various worksites.

While some engaged in idle chatter, others seemed more concerned with accessing the first minibus or short drop car to worksites situated at various locations outside the village.

Soon the streets became filled with vehicles and villagers now converged in numbers as they hastily went about their various chores.

By now the golden sun was rising steadily above the horizon casting a jewelled dazzle on rooftops and the metal frame of steel fences. Soon after, the many small vegetable stalls that have sprung up are opened as vendors attempted to attract the

A vendor peddles fruit juices

eyes of early buyers.

SELF HELP INDULGENCE What struck me and was very pleasing to the eyes, is the manner in which villagers exuded a ‘ready to go attitude’, and seemed ready to ‘fix things’ in the village and not wait on the relevant authorities who sometimes seems to drag their feet on issues.

As we walked about the village, young men could be seen weeding drains, and yards overgrown with bushes, whiles others were observed mixing cement by the roadside to make repairs, and alterations to their homes.

We were very surprised when we were told that some of the more magnificent buildings in the housing scheme were actually built through combined family efforts. Sure it seemed, villagers are actually gifted tradesmen.

Upon visiting some places you eventually leave with a sense of reluctance, after enjoying hours of bliss of being all wrapped up in either its mirthful people, it’s sometimes crazy and remorseful issue, or simply lost and captivated by the merry attitude of its people.

You may just welcome the rush of its hilarious gossip, or the fascination of watching its inhabitants tussle and disagree over sometime frivolous issues. And sometimes it’s quite a thrill to be showered with welcoming smiles and the cocky stares of villagers. We had all this and more on our visit to Cornelia Ida. AMAZING BEAUTY This village does not feature majestic buildingd, posh

shops, fancy stores or elegant boutiques like many others, but what it may top the list with is its quiet existence, fuelled by the humility and charm of its residents and a softened beauty and simplicity.

The minute I stepped into the village I was swept up in a whirlpool of lush green foliage, surrounded by startling tropical ‘flower plant species’ thriving naturally alongside bubbling drains and small.

Pond flies and butterflies seemed to ‘dance meringue’ about my head making pleasant whirring sounds.

Healthy looking coconut palms waved lazily in the wind flowing from the nearby Atlantic, and in each yard there was a bright fusion of fruit trees. Some trees seemed to be groaning under their weight of ripened mangoes, while the branches of breadfruit trees were almost sweeping the earth with the weight of the large healthy looking fruits.

I almost swooned in delight and amazement as I passed a few yards where various flower plants bloomed in wild array filling the yard spaces with the striking hues and shades associated with the Caribbean.

Sheep and cattle grazed lazily in open fields, seeming savoring their afternoon meals with relish, assured that there was much to serve around for months to come.

This village was surely breath taking.

While we have decided to put a hold on showcasing Supenaam to bring you exciting features from the recent Essequibo Night festivities, we urge you to join us each Sunday as bring you the mysteries of our Guyanese villages as they unfold mystically on the Pepperpot pages.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014 Snack vendor, ‘Ramnarine’ earns a living by selling beverages and snack items to villagers

Villagers lament that negative elements would customarily use the Pro-Line Barber Shop as their hideout to verbally torment elders

Healthy looking cattle enjoy juicy green grass and shrubs

Villagers use the traditional bicycling as a means of transport

Lovely little cottage houses

Keeping the surroundings clean…

Taxi drivers lament the difficulties of plying their trade

Enjoying fruit juices and poulori

A cane cutter arrives home all tired and sweaty from his toiling in the cane fields

Come get your fresh fruits and vegetables Youths liming by the street corner

A playfield overgrown with bushes

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Robert Millikan (1868-1953)

-Made numerous momentous discoveries in the fields of electricity, optics and molecular physics Robert Andrews Millikan was born on March 22, 1868, in Morrison, Ill. (U.S.A.), as the second son of the Reverend Silas Franklin Millikan and Mary Jane Andrews. His grandparents were of the Old New England stock which had come to America before 1750, and were pioneer settlers in the Middle West. He led a rural existence in childhood, attending the Maquoketa High School (Iowa). After working for a short time as a court reporter, he entered Oberlin College (Ohio) in 1886. During his undergraduate course his favourite subjects were Greek and mathematics; but after his graduation in 1891 he took, for two years, a teaching post in elementary physics. It was during this period that he developed his interest in the subject in which he was later to excel. In 1893, after obtaining his mastership in physics, he was appointed Fellow in Physics at Columbia University. He afterwards received his Ph.D

(1895) for research on the polarisation of light emitted by incandescent surfaces - using for this purpose molten gold and silver at the U.S. Mint.

On the instigation of his professors, Millikan spent a year (1895-1896) in Germany, at the Universities of Berlin and Gรถttingen. He returned at the invitation of A. A. Michelson, to become his assistant at the newly established Ryerson Laboratory at the University of Chicago (1896). Millikan was an eminent teacher, and passing through the customary grades he became professor at that university in 1910, a post which he retained till 1921. During his early years at Chicago he spent much time preparing textbooks and simplifying the teaching of physics. He was author or co-author of the following books: A College Course in Physics, with S.W. Stratton (1898); Mechanics, Molecular Physics, and Heat (1902); The Theory of Optics, with C.R. Mann translated from the German

(1903); A First Course in Physics, with H.G. Gale (1906); A Laboratory Course in Physics for Secondary Schools, with H.G. Gale (1907); Electricity, Sound, and Light, with J. Mills (1908); Practical Physics - revision of A First Course(1920); The Electron(1917; rev. eds.

1924, 1935).

As a scientist, Millikan made numerous momentous discoveries, chiefly in the fields of electricity, optics, Please see page XXVII

Robert Millikan

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014 From page XXVI and molecular physics. His earliest major success was the accurate determination of the charge carried by an electron, using the elegant "falling-drop method;� he also proved that this quantity was a constant for all electrons (1910), thus demonstrating the atomic structure of electricity. Next, he verified experimentally Einstein's all-important photoelectric equation, and made the first direct photoelectric determination of Planck's constant h (1912-1915). In addition his studies of the Brownian movements in gases put an end to all opposition to the atomic and kinetic theories of matter. During 1920-1923, Millikan occupied himself with work concerning the hot-spark spectroscopy of the elements (which explored the region of the spectrum between the ultraviolet and X-radiation), thereby extending the ultraviolet spectrum downwards far beyond the then known limit. The discovery of his law of motion of a particle falling towards the earth after entering the earth's atmosphere, together with his other investigations on electrical phenomena, ultimately led him to his significant studies of cosmic radiation (particularly with ionisation chambers).

Throughout his life Millikan remained a prolific author, making numerous contributions to scientific journals. He was not only a foremost scientist, but his religious and philosophic nature was evident from his lectures on the reconciliation of science and religion, and from his books: Science and Life

(1924); Evolution in Science and Religion (1927); Science and the New Civilisation (1930); Time, Matter, and Values (1932).

Shortly before his death he published Electrons (+ and –), Protons, Photons, Neutrons, Mesotrons, and Cosmic Rays (1947; another rev. ed. of The Electron, previously mentioned,) and his autobiography(1950).

During World War I, Millikan was Vice-Chairman of the National Research Council, playing a major part in developing anti-submarine and meteorological devices. In 1921, he was appointed Director of the Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena; he was also made Chairman of the Executive Council of that institute. In 1946 he retired from this post.

Professor Millikan has been President of the American Physical Society, Vice-President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and was the American member of the Committee on Intellectual Cooperation of the League of Nations, and the American representative at the International Congress of Physics, known as the Solvay Congress, at Brussels in 1921. He held honourary doctor's degrees of some twenty-five universities, and was

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a member or honorary member of many learned institutions in his country and abroad. He has been the recipient of the Comstock Prize of the National Academy of Sciences, of the Edison Medal of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, of the Hughes Medal of the Royal Society of Great Britain, and of the Nobel Prize for Physics 1923. He was also made Commander of the Legion of Honour, and received the Chinese Order of Jade.

Millikan was an enthusiastic tennis player, and golf was also one of his recreations.

Professor Millikan married Greta Erwin Blanchard in 1902; they had three sons: Clark Blanchard, Glenn Allen, and Max Franklin.

He died on December 19, 1953, in San Marino, California.

From Nobel Lectures, Physics 1922-1941, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1965 This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and first published in the book series Les Prix Nobel. It was later edited and republished in Nobel Lectures. To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014 The Sun makes up 99.86% of the Solar System's mass! That means that all the planets put together (including Jupiter), as well as all the asteroids only make up about 0.14% of the Solar System's mass ******************************************* Jupiter's magnetic field is so massive that it pours billions of Watts into Earth’s magnetic field every day! ******************************************* A massive body 100km wide travelling at over 512,000km/h crashed into Mercury to form the Caloris Basin. The impaact was so great it sent shockwaves round Mercury creating its hilly lineated terrain. ******************************************* Just a pinhead of the Sun's raw material could kill someone up to 160 kilometres away! ******************************************* The length of a Plutonian year is 248 of our years! That means that one orbit of the Sun takes about 2 and a half Earth centuries. That's a quarter of a Millenium! ******************************************* Olympus Mons (on Mars) is the largest volcanic mountain in the Solar System. It is 600 km across and 27 km high! ******************************************* A supernova explosion produces more energy in its first ten seconds than the Sun during the whole of its 10 billion year lifetime and that for a brief period, it creates more energy than the rest of a galaxy put together! *******************************************The comet with the longest ever recorded tail is the Great Comet of 1843. Its tail stretched over 800 million kilometres!

This is about the same distance the Earth is from Jupiter! *******************************************The energy in the sunlight we see today started out in the core of the Sun 30,000 years ago - it spent most of this time passing through the dense atoms that make the sun and just 8 minutes to reach us once it had left the Sun! ******************************************* Almost all of the heavier elements in your body (e.g calcium, iron, carbon) were made somewhere in supernovae explosions! ******************************************* Some rocks found on Earth are actually pieces of Mars! *******************************************

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Saturn has such a low density that it would float if put in water! ******************************************* Due to the fact that water expands when heated, the Atantic ocean increases in width by 3cm every year! ******************************************* Some volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io eject material at speeds of up to 1km/second!

This is about 20 times faster than the volcanoes here on Earth can manage it!

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014

Growing Culinary Herbs Part 4

By Clifford Stanley

Thyme is a popular culinary herb that is a main part of everyday cuisine not only in Guyana and the Caribbean but worldwide .

There are generally about sixty different varieties including French (common) thyme, lemon thyme, orange thyme and silver thyme..

Thyme is a delicate looking plant with a penetrating fragrance.

Most Guyanese are familiar with two varieties of the thyme plant: fine leaf thyme and broad leaf thyme.

There are quite a few who would also say that there is a third type of thyme: the Guyanese thyme though some vendors overseas call this oregano.

What may not be so well known is the medicinal properties of the humble thyme plant.

Available literature says that thyme has a long history Please see page XXXIII

Fine leaf thyme and broad leaf thyme

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Boys and Toys

I met the small boys, once small men, in the playfield, Where with child’s mind they plan strategies Vying for power to lead, playing with their broken toys, Occupied with nothing, forgetting that men be just mortals And gods even know that time ceases to be infinite for life.

Krishna Nand Prasad

Growing Culinary Herbs From page XXXII of use in natural medicine in connection with chest and respiratory problems including coughs, bronchitis, and chest congestion.

Scientific researchers recently pinpointed some of the components in thyme that bring about its healing effects. .

Thyme contains a variety of flavonoids which increases the plant’s capacity as an antioxidant- a substance that removes potentially damaging oxidising agents in a living organism giving the plant high standing on the list of anti-oxidant foods..

Thyme has been described as a Nutrient-Dense Spice being an excellent source of vitamin C, a very good source of vitamin A, and a good source of iron, manganese, copper and dietary fibre.

For thousands of years, herbs and spices have been used to help preserve foods and protect them from microbial contamination, Recent research found that thyme and another culinary herb basil contain constituents that can both prevent contamination and decontaminate previously contaminated foods.

Reports published in the February 2004 issue of Food Microbiology, stated that researchers found that thyme essential oil was able to decontaminate lettuce inoculated with Shigella, an infectious organism that triggers diarrhea and may cause significant intestinal damage.

In addition, washing produce in solution containing either basil or thyme essential oil at the very low concentration of just 1% resulted in dropping the number of Shigella bacteria below the point at which they could be detected.

Scientists have advised that it makes good sense to include thyme and basil in recipes, particularly for foods that are not cooked such as salads.

They say that adding fresh thyme and/or basil to your next dish will not only enhance the flavor of your fresh greens, but will help ensure that the fresh produce you consume is safe to eat.

(Next Week: Growing Thyme).

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Venous Skin Ulcer

By Dr. Kumar Sukhraj What is a venous skin ulcer?

A skin ulcer is a type of wound that develops on the skin.

A venous skin ulcer is a shallow wound that occurs when the leg veins don't return blood back toward the heart the way they should as a result of insufficiency. These ulcers usually form on the sides of the lower leg, above the ankle and below the calf. Venous skin ulcers (stasis ulcer) are slow to heal and often come back if you don't take steps to prevent them.

Some things can increase your risk of venous skin ulcers. These include: • Deep vein thrombosis, in which a blood clot (thrombus) forms in the deep veins of the legs.

• Obesity.

• Smoking.

• Lack of physical activity.

• Work that requires many hours of standing.

There are two other types of skin ulcers that can happen on the lower leg or feet. They are different from venous skin ulcers.

• Arterial skin ulcers are less common than venous skin ulcers. They happen when an artery disease is present (sometimes in combination with venous disease). These ulcers tend to be extremely painful. They are usually on the toes and feet.

• Neuropathic skin ulcers are also known as diabetic neuropathic ulcers. They occur in people who have little or no sensation in their feet because of diabetic nerve damage.

What are the symptoms of skin ulcer?

The first sign of a venous skin ulcer is skin that turns dark red or purple over the area where the blood is leaking out of the vein. The skin also may become thick, dry, and itchy.

Without treatment, an ulcer may form. The ulcer may be painful. You also may have swollen and achy legs. If the wound becomes infected, the infection may cause an odour, and pus may drain from the wound. The area around the wound also

Chronicle Pepperpot December 7, 2014 Dr. Kumar Sukhraj

may be more tender and red.

Treating a venous leg ulcer With appropriate treatment, most venous leg ulcers will heal within three to four months.Treatment should always be carried out by a healthcare professional trained in compression therapy for leg ulcers.

1. Cleaning and dressing the ulcer - The first step is to remove any debris or dead tissue from the ulcer and apply an appropriate dressing. This will provide the best conditions for the ulcer to heal.

2. Compression bandages -To help improve the circulation in your legs, your doctor will need to apply a firm compression bandage over the affected leg. These bandages are designed to squeeze your legs and encourage blood to flow upwards, towards your heart.The application of a compression bandage is a skilled procedure and should only be done by a healthcare professional trained in leg ulcer management.

3. Keeping your affected leg elevated whenever possible, ideally with your toes at the same level as your eyes, will also help ease swelling- You may find it helpful to put something firm – such as a rigid suitcase – under the end of your mattress, to help keep your legs raised while you sleep.

You should also keep as active as possible and aim to continue with your normal activities. Regular exercise, such as a daily walk, will help reduce leg swelling. However, you should avoid sitting without your legs raised or standing still for longer than an hour at a time.

4. Appropriate antibacterial agent – This is mainly for infected ulcers.

Looking after yourself during treatment To help your ulcer heal more quickly and preventing recurrence, follow the advice below: • Try to keep active by walking regularly. Sitting and standing still without elevating your legs can make venous leg ulcers and swelling worse.

• Whenever you are sitting or lying down, try to keep your affected leg elevated.

• Regularly exercise your legs by moving your feet up and down, and rotating them at the ankles. This can help encourage better circulation.

• Stop smoking, eat a healthy diet and moderate your alcohol consumption. This can help the ulcer heal faster.

• Be careful not to injure your affected leg, and wear comfortable, well-fitting footwear.

• You should visit your doctor once a week to have your dressings and compression bandages changed. They will also monitor the ulcer to see how well it is healing. Once your ulcer is healing well, you will probably need to see your doctor less often.

• Once you have had a venous leg ulcer, there is a significant chance another ulcer could develop within the next few months or years.The most effective method of preventing this is to wear compression stockings at all times when you are out of bed.

Please feel free to send an email to kumarsukhraj@yahoo. com or call 6228032 for further enquiry and discussion on the topic. Patient education plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of diabetes and any other illness.

Please look forward for a continuation of the discussion on common health problems in the next publication.

Reference "Varicose veins".in Health Encyclopaedia. nhsdirect. nhs.uk

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Chronicle Pepperpot November 23, 2014

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Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2014: Stunning Models, Taylor Swift & More From gorgeous models to show-stopping performances, the 2014 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was bigger and better than ever before!

The 2014 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at Earls Court in London on Dec. 2 proved to be one of the best shows yet. Not only did some of our favorite stars perform, (we’re talking about Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande!), but the models strutted their stuff down the runway, showing off one sexy look after another. The gals looked like they were having a blast on the catwalk as they worked it in lingerie looks, all while the performers at the 2014 show rocked the runway — it doesn’t get more star-studded than that!

2014 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show — Models, Performers & More: The show opened with the Gilded Angels section, and the models sported exquisite gold wings. Angel Karlie Kloss looked flirty and fun blowing kisses from the runway as she rocked a white lace bra and matching underwear.or the first time ever, Victoria’s Secret debuted not one, but two Fantasy Bras — and the crowd was so excited to see Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima strut their stuff in the stunning creations, (valued at $2 million a piece!). The models came out together while donning the embellished creations as Ed Sheeran performed.

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2014

Bill Cosby Being Sued For Molesting A 15-Year-Old Girl It’s not a good year to be Bill Cosby. The comedy legend is being sued by a 55-yearold woman, who claims the actor sexually assaulted her in 1974 when she was just 15 years old.

As each day goes by, more and more women continue to step forward, claiming they were sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby at some point in their lives. This time, a 55-year-old woman is suing the actor for sexually assaulting her at the Playboy mansion

in 1974, according to a shocking new report.

The woman, identified as Judy Huth, was just 15 years old at the time.

Bill Cosby Sued For Molesting 15-YearOld Girl: Woman Raped In Playboy Mansion The lawsuit filed at L.A. County Superior Court claims Judy and Bill met in a Los Angeles park, where he was filming a movie, and he invited her back to his tennis club a few days later, according to TMZ. When she and a friend arrived at the tennis club, Bill allegedly served her alcohol and presented a game, which would require her to drink every time Bill won, the site claims.

The lawsuit then goes on to say that Bill invited the girls to the Playboy mansion and told them to pretend they were 19.

Bill Cosby & Judy Huth: How He Allegedly Molested Her Judy claims she soon found herself in a bedroom with Bill, which is when he started to “sexually molest her by attempting to put his hand down her pants, and then taking her hand in his hand and performing a sex act on himself without her consent.”

Judy says she was emotionally traumatized from the incident.

It seems a bit strange that all these women waited so long to come forward, but Judy claims she was so scarred, that she only recently remembered the alleged incident.

HollywoodLife.com has reached out to Bill’s rep for comment, but we have not received a response.

Khloe Kardashian Mourns Her Marriage To Lamar Odom Khloe’s at it again! Even though she’s happily dating French Montana, the ‘KUWTK’ star appears to have posted another message for her estranged husband, Lamar Odom, on Instagram. See it here!

Khloe Kardashian‘s marriage to Lamar Odom ended in a very emotional way, so we’d never expect her to get over her estranged husband quickly. However, now that she’s dating French Montana, it’s surprising to see her still posting messages intended for Lamar. Her most recent one, posted on Dec. 2, mentions how they “almost” made it. See the rest of Khloe’s heartbreaking message here.

Khloe Kardashian’s Lamar Odom Message — She Mourns Their Marriage On Instagram The full context of Khloe’s message can be read below: “The saddest word in the whole wide world is the word almost. He was almost in love.

She was almost good for him. He almost stopped her. She almost waited. He almost lived. They almost made it.”