Pepperpot e paper 08 27 2017

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

See inside:

1

Life of the ‘walking II sellers’ ► Page

The journey of a young doctor ► Page

VIII

The Astor Cinema just before being demolished

A Revival! ► Page

III

A theatre at Caribbean Cinemas Guyana

The evolution of cinemas and accompanying entertainment in Guyana

II

Editor’s note As the name suggests, the Pepperpot Magazine is often times home to a mixture of stories for a variety of readers. This week, you will find a particularly diverse mix in the stories that we have sought to tell. We focus on entertainment, and highlight and celebrate the work of some

artists in gospel, poetry and literature.

We also focus on the transformation of cinemas in Guyana, as Guyanese bid farewell to the historic Astor Cinema and continue to enjoy the state of the art theatres that have adequately filled the space of the cinemas of yore. Then there are

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017 the features which highlight the inspiring stories of persons right here in our homeland who are either battling with the everyday struggles of life, while trying to make an honest dollar, or who, on the other hand are trying to make a difference by helping those in need. We hope that you enjoy your Sunday reading, as much as we have enjoyed putting these stories together.

Life of the ‘walking sellers’ – ordinary Guyanese traversing communities to earn an honest and independent living

By Ravena Gildharie FIFTY-seven-year-old Narda Mohabir resides at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice, but she is almost a household name throughout various parts of Regions Four and Three.

For 40 years, she has traversed on foot, through even the most lonesome streets in the sweltering sun or heavy rains, selling food colouring from door to door.

“All of the people, the shop-owners and even the small children know me. When they see me coming, they would shout ‘the food colouring lady is here!’ I am well known and they expect to see me every week to do business,” Mohabir told the Pepperpot Magazine.

She is one of the scores of ‘walking sellers’ -- many of whom are women, some single parents -- who leave the comfort of their homes and communities and take to the streets on foot to market various items from ‘Walking-sellers’ can be seen all across Georgetown, selling various items to customers on the move

shouts of some of these sellers advertising their goods may seem annoying, but have we ever taken the time to recognise the strong will, struggles and perseverance of these ‘walking sellers’?

HONEST LIVING “I rather work and hustle for my dollar. I never liked depending on anyone when I can work

Samantha Lewis, a retail clothing vendor from Albouystown

and provide for myself and my children,” says 47-year-old Samantha Lewis, a mother of five from James Street, Albouystown. For 30 years, she has plied her trade in areas such as Bartica and sometimes the Essequibo Coast, where she sells men, women and children’s clothing. In earlier years, she marketed in Timehri.

She recognised that it was more lucrative

Narda Mohabir packaging her food colouring at home in Bush Lot

clothing, to pointer brooms, water, pillows and cleaning supplies among others. Difficult though it is, they muster the strength and determination to earn an honest living.

In Georgetown, the streets are populated with walking sellers, at almost each junction or traffic intersection, where they sell cold, bottled water, sodas, juices, sweets, foods and other items. Others traverse the roadways with various haberdasheries.

But in our communities, sometimes the

A ‘walking-seller’ who sells water at a traffic light hurries toward a customer to walk and sell instead of having a stationed make a to sale

shop and developed many regular customers by being mobile. But the years of walking bearing heavy loads on her shoulders have taken a toll on Lewis as she now suffers arthritis in her knees.

“I would fetch as much as 12 pairs of jeans in my bag at one time and everybody know how heavy one of those jeans can be.

Sometimes my shoulders does be sore when I done for the day. Plus, the doctor said my knees are not good and I does be afraid that it would give out on me when I walking, but I have bills to pay and it is an honest living,” Lewis said.

She has been in the business since she was 17 years old. Then, she would buy clothing from the city’s wholesalers and sell them retail while walking through Georgetown and her community. Later, she ventured to Timehri selling house-to-house. Bartica then became a weekly destination where the businesswoman stayed at a hotel for four to five days, starting her days at 09:00 hrs and retiring at 20:00 hrs to ensure she covered as many streets as possible. She would return home only after all of her stocks were sold.

“It is hard work. Walking in that hot sun is not easy. Sometimes I does take a rest until the sun cool down. At first when my children were small, I used to go alone, but now I does get my son or daughter to go with me. There were days when I felt sick, really bad, but I still had to get up and go, walking with my bags to earn my money,” reveals Lewis.

PERSONAL STRUGGLES Her eldest child is now 25 and her youngest, 10. Two of her children are still attending school and Lewis said she is the main breadwinner for her household. She lost a teenage son in the interior two years ago, a tragic incident that Lewis is still struggling to overcome, as she ponders the sacrifices and hard work she has endured to care and grow her children.

“Business is really slow these days, but I always put God in front before I go out and trust that he will guide and take care of me,” the woman said.

Like Lewis, Mohabir has her own personal grief and says, she sometimes finds it comforting walking through the streets selling her food colouring instead of being at home, grieving for her eldest daughter, Juliet, who was electrocuted nine years ago at Mohabir’s home. Juliet died one day before she would have observed her third wedding anniversary and also celebrated both of her parents’ birthday on November 20, 2008.

“The sad thing about it, I was not at home when it happened. I was out selling in Ann’s Turn to page VI ►►►

A Revival!

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

III

The evolution of cinemas and accompanying entertainment in Guyana

By Ravena Gildharie

MANY sentiments were shared earlier this month as Guyanese witnessed the demolition of the Astor Cinema, dubbed the last icon of movie entertainment from ‘yesteryear.’ It was felt that the decay of such facilities had negatively impacted society for some time, seeing that entertainment is a known player in building the moral fibre of society. However, as Astor ended an era of age-old cinemas, there is no denying that movie entertainment has regained its buoyancy in Guyana, but in modern styles, comforts and with added entertainment features ideally catering to the needs of all.

These days people of all ages, ethnicity, culture and diverse backgrounds from various areas converge in their numbers at the Caribbean Cinemas Guyana at the Giftland Shopping Complex, Turkeyen, and Princess Movie Theatres Guyana, at Providence. They are afforded the opportunity to view the latest movies from a variety of genres, intended for a wide audience.

Instead of a humid enclosure that dominated the style of age-old cinemas, patrons now enjoy the most comfortable seats in an air-conditioned atmosphere. The screens span from wall to wall with excellent and sharp quality utilised by digital projectors and outfitted with modern surround sound systems.

The movie experience is complemented by a wider entertainment package that features games for both children and adults, local cuisine and fast food outlets, shopping, outdoor amusement facilities and others, all provided in one safe, secure and sophisticated complex.

At Providence, the Princess Movie Theatres Guyana is accompanied by the Fun City and Fun Park centres, which has a total of over 130 different games that cater for all ages. Opened six years ago, this was the first modern cinema established in Guyana featuring a film-viewing experience on a 22×10foot screen with Dolby Stereo surround sound

The food court at Giftland Mall

imum capacity of 1,116 patrons. According to DEM?REL, the theatres enjoy well over 60 percent of attendance at each show, which translates into a daily audience of approximately 600 persons in the cinemas.

A theatre at Caribbean Cinemas Guyana

COMPETITION IN CINEMA INDUSTRY “Yes, I can safely say we see about 18, 000 persons passing through the movie theatres every month and if you include those who come to the Fun City and Fun Park, it can be as much as 30, 000 persons per month…

So we are pleased with the public’s response to our facility,” DEM?REL said. He and the Operations Supervisor Intiaz Wahab are currently developing an online ticketing system that would be accessible to customers via GTT app, Mobile Money Guyana (MMG).

Looking ahead, the manager said Princess is not worried about existing or emerging competitors. He highlighted the entertainment centre’s unique opportunities such and comfortable airline seats. The amusement park was added in December 2016.

During an exclusive interview with the Pepperpot Magazine, Regional Manager Hüseyin DEM?REL explained that Fun City caters for the younger children while the Fun Park provides for ages seven to 70. He said the entertainment is affordable, designed specifically to satisfy the needs of a very cost-sensitive Guyanese market.

He added that management constantly reviews and revises its operations and services to ensure that the standards are continuously improved for customers’ satisfaction. He pointed out that the price of movie tickets was dropped by 50 percent two years ago, and it remains unchanged as the response had been overwhelming with sold-out shows every weekend, from Friday through Sunday.

There are two movie theatres that offer an average of six shows per day and with a max-

One of the screens at Princess Movie Theatres

as its location catering for customers from mainly in and around Georgetown, along the East and West Bank of Demerara and West Coast Demerara. DEM?REL boasted too that the theatres have the latest technology and equipment, and customers have often complimented management on the facilities, especially the 3D films.

Wahab, who is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the theatres and entertainment centres, explained that there are about 60 full-time employees including managers, supervisors and gaming attendants.

There is constant one-on-one mentoring with each employee to improve staff/customer relations and ensure smooth operations. One of the main challenges facing the entertainment facility is limited, skilled personnel with experience to undertake technical repairs/ upgrades to the equipment and facilities in the projector room and theatres. There is one projector room that controls operations on both screens.

The movie schedules are changed on Turn to page VI ►►►

IV

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

FILES E S A C COURT

Biting in triangular love affair Biter got four months for wounding but, freedom, by Full Court THIS happened after Myrtle who allegedly bit another woman in a triangular eternal affair was unlucky to have a police constable testify to a magistrate that the woman had missed court attendance six times.

Without investigating further, the magistrate heard the matter ex parte and sentenced Myrtle in her absence to four

months imprisonment.

Myrtle appealed and the Full Court at the trial in1978 found on the evidence, nothing on oath to show that the defendant was disobedient to the court.

The appeal was allowed. The case against Myrtle was quashed.

The facts of the case disclosed that the Appellant was charged with wounding contrary to s. 30(b) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act, Cap. 8:02. Subsequent to the filing of the complaint there were six adjournments caused by the Appellant’s non-appearance in court.

There was an unsworn certificate of the constable’s return of service indicating that personal service had been effected. A warrant for an arrest was issued, but the magistrate did not wait for any return of service before the complaint was heard ex parte. The Appellant was therefore sentenced in her absence to four months imprisonment. She appealed.

Held: When the warrant of arrest was issued there was no proof on oath that the summons was duly served or that the defendant willfully avoided service. The constable’s certified return could not be considered as proof on oath. Further, the magistrate wrongly abandoned all consideration of the arrest warrant when he elected to proceed ex parte to the hearing of the case, without calling for or being supplied with any information as to what happened to it.

Appeal allowed.

C.M.L. John for the Appellant.

C. W. Weithers Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, for the Respondent.

C h i e f J u s tice Crane who delivered the judgment for the Full Court disclosed that a procedural point of some practical importance to magistrate’s decision arises in this appeal.

He added “The Appellant, Myrtle Perreira, was sentenced in her absence to

By George Barclay four months imprisonment at a Magistrate’s Court for the East Demerara Magisterial District.

She was charged contrary to s. 30(b) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act, Cap.8:02, with wounding a woman called Sandra Higgins on July 18,1978, by biting her on the face during a fight in an eternal triangle affair on the Clonbrook Public Road.

As gleaned from the record before us, the complaint was filed on August 17, 1978, and between that date and December 20, 1978, when sentence was passed, there were six adjournments caused by the defendant’s non-appearance in court, notwithstanding the unsworn certificate of the constable’s return indicating personal service had been effected on September 11, 1978.

The record also shows that the warrant of arrest was issued on November 29,1 978 but the magistrate did not wait for any return of service thereto before he proceeded to hear the matter ex parte.

The warrant was not produced as an exhibit in these proceedings, although it was conceded by the prosecution there has been no return to it. So the question arises, in view of what has transpired, whether there has been a proper adjudication in due form of law.

By parity of reasoning I consider that having decided to issue his warrant, when it was sworn before him, that the defendant was willfully avoiding service of the summons, the magistrate was in duty bound to await the result of the constable’s endorsed return to it, if he were to do justice to the case.

Had the warrant been executed and the defendant brought before the magistrate, he could have then and there proceeded to try the case in the ordinary way, but if the return of service were to the effect that the defendant was dead or could not be located, there could hardly be justification for proceeding to an ex parte hearing.

In my opinion, it was very necessary for there to have been a baliff or constable’s return to the warrant, and I am making that omission the basic point of my decision in allowing the appeal rather than the ground taken by Counsel for the Appellant, that “specific illegality substantially affecting the merits of the trial was committed when the learned magistrate proceeded to try the case, without an affidavit of service or evidence by the person who served the summons”.

Justice Crane had said “S.13 expressly confers on the court the discretion to adjudicate in only one or the other of three alternative situations.

On the clear wording of that section, it appears to me, it cannot have been the intention of the legislature that the court should adjudicate simultaneously under s.

13 (1) (a) and (13) (c). I so consider because it is not reasonably permissible for the learned magistrate to have pursued more than one course of action under s.13 (1) at one and the same time, and until there was a return to the warrant he could not properly do so. I may illustrate what I mean by way of example: suppose the magistrate had thought it fit “to adjourn the hearing to some future day”, as well he might under s. 13(1) (b), clearly it would have been impermissible to call up the case on an earlier date and proceed to an ex parte hearing, if proof on oath became available before that “future day” had arrived.”

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

V

#SupportCreativity

By Subraj Singh

Iowa City’s acceptance of the artist

First impressions, International Writing Program 2017 THE International Writing Program, which is hosted annually at the University of Iowa, is one of the oldest and largest Residencies in the world for Creative Writers. Each year, 30-35 writers, from various parts of the world are brought together and given the time and space that is conducive for writing, while also taking part in various literary activities and engaging with a variety of new and different cultures over the course of the twelve-week duration of the programme.

The first week of this year’s Residency is now over, and from the moment I set foot in Iowa City, I have been overly conscious of the many first impressions that I have given, and those that have been given to me, as I begin what should be a truly astounding journey of navigating a new city, in a new country, in a continent I had never visited before. And that is what brings us to the point where I must discuss the first of the several first impressions that have been impressed upon me: that is, my first impression of the place/space – Iowa City – and my initial reaction to it. Even though I have only just begun to leave my footprints on a few of the streets, amid the early-fallen leaves and the shadow-prints of hundreds of college students hurrying through the best days of their lives, the place has certainly made an impact on me, with several aspects that one can only hope that Georgetown will, one day in the near future, aspire to aim for.

It is said that Iowa City is the only place in the world where, if someone asks you what your job is and you respond with: “I’m a poet”, you would not be laughed at, nor mocked, nor questioned or put down in any way. Being a writer or being involved in the arts in some way in Iowa City is as normal as going to the seawall on Sunday afternoons are in Guyana. The driver who brought the writers

A Section of the Audience who Welcomed the Writers of this Year's International Writing Program

A View from the Iowa River

to the hotel is a writer. The day after arriving I met a young woman who works in administration who also turned out to be a playwright. One night later, I met a lawyer who was a poet. Writing and literature are an important part of the culture of Iowa City and it is beyond refreshing to be accepted as that which you identify yourself to be without bringing forth contempt or a dismissive attitude from others.

Sometimes, in comparing Guyana to the United States, an argument is put forward that America is what it is because it can afford to be that way and that Guyana is an incredibly poor country and, therefore, it is unfair to compare the two. However, how much does acceptance cost? What is the price? Is Guyana so poor that writers and artists cannot be afforded the free reins to do what makes them happy?

How much does supporting an artist with encouraging words or buying a ticket to see a local play take out of someone?

Is Guyana so poor that we must blame even this on the state of our poverty?

Sometimes, there are valid excuses. Yes, Guyana lacks the resources possessed by the United States and, for that reason, we are far behind. But in other ways, there is no blame but the blame within us – the blame that stems from an ignorance where we refuse to compromise beyond what we know, beyond our own beliefs, regardless of if they hold someone back or not, and

artists do not thrive when they are reined in or suppressed.

As I type this in a hotel room on the University of Iowa campus, I can hear beautiful singing streaming through my window. The singer’s voice is accompanied by instruments. A group of college students has set up a small band by the Iowa River, no doubt, and they are enjoying themselves and enjoying their art.

Tai Chi and Yoga are done on the lawns.

There are paintings on bridges. Men play their flutes in the evenings just because.

And every other person you pass on the streets is either a writer or a supporter of a writer. How much do these things cost?

And, again, is Guyana really so poor?

VI ◄◄◄ From page III

Thursdays after Wahab and DEM?REL have reviewed the releases, ratings and agreed on a programme that caters for a wide cross-section of patrons. The movies are secured through two film-licensing companies based in Trinidad.

CARIBBEAN CINEMAS Meanwhile, at Caribbean Cinemas Guyana, the movie schedules are compiled in Puerto Rico, according to General Manager Rawle Alleyne. Opened two years ago, the movie complex has eight screens, four of which are designed with ‘stadium seating,’ while the others are ‘ground seating.’ The stadium seating can hold up to 220 persons to view on a 40 x 20-foot screen that utilises digital projectors and surrounded by Dolby Sound Systems.

“We can take as much as 1200 persons per show, and we have eight screens with three to four shows each per day. We offer a unique experience and an organisation like no other…Our projectors are all digital and we have other modern equipment, and our seats are soft leather, all for the comfort and convenience of our customers,” Alleyne outlined.

He said management prides itself in delivering a high level of service beyond comparison with competitors and is always working to improve its customer service relations.

Just last month, the cinema hosted a training workshop for its staff, while another would be done shortly. There is a staff of about 40-50 employees at the cinema complex.

FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT “I would say our customer service is about 95 percent, but we are continuously working

on it…Aside from the training, we would have one-on-one talks with the employees on the slow days to see how we can make operations better. Every day though we are observing and coming up with ways to address the loopholes,” Alleyne stressed.

Pleased with the response to the cinema, Alleyne noted that the shows are always sold out during the weekends and he is often heartened by the diversity of the audience, including groups of teenagers, couples, families with young children and senior citizens of all backgrounds and from all parts of the country.

With over 10 years in management service, Alleyne said this is the first time he is employed in the cinema industry and is delighted with the opportunity to be part of the historic and transformative experience as he reflected on the change from days at cinemas such as Astor, to modern entertainment complexes as Caribbean Cinemas, which is supplemented by an extensive food court and shopping complex. There is also a small gaming arcade inside the complex and an outdoor amusement centre. For many, the food court is an ideal meeting spot for families, friends, workmates and others.

Sherry Zaman of Farm, East Bank Demerara, enjoys the experience at both locations.

If she wants to see a movie during the week with her family or workmates, she chooses Princess which is more affordable and conveniently located close to home. On weekends, she heads to Caribbean Cinemas with her family, drawn to the extended shopping experience and large food court.

“Both locations, I think, are good entertainment venues for everyone and especially the family, where you don’t have to worry about security and the place is clean and com-

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

Princess Movie Theatres Operations Supervisor Intiaz Wahab and his staff outside one of the screens

fortable and even the behaviour of others is up to a standard.

People are not using abusive language or drinking and behaving badly or anything like that,” Zama said.

She remembers going to the Starlite Drive-in Cinema years ago, and feels that movie entertainment is now more conducive, especially with the added features catering for each individual.

Felicia Persaud, a mother of two, ages 11 and five, said Princess is more appealing to Kids enjoying a movie at her family especially for the Caribbean Cinemas Guyana children, who enjoy the games.

It is also convenient since she lives in Diamond on the East Both women agreed that it is good to have Bank of Demerara. options, especially in a country where there “For people who don’t have their own are limited entertainment opportunities. transportation, Princess cinema is just a stop With the MovieTowne complex under on the way, even if you are using public trans- construction at Liliendaal, expectations are port, and after the movie, it is easy to catch a high for more options as Guyana’s cinema bus and head home,” Persaud explained. entertainment continues to evolve. ◄◄◄ From page II

Grove and Enmore. I leave home early that morning and I talk to my daughter before I left…After selling whole day, I went back home just before night and then they tell me what happened. Whole day while I walk through the streets, selling house-to-house and gaffing with people, my daughter was dead and I didn’t even know,” the grieving woman recalls, harbouring feelings of guilt that she was far away when her daughter died.

The dead woman left two young children, who suffered yet another tragedy three years ago, when their father died in a vehicular accident. Their paternal grandfather also committed suicide a while back leaving them in the care of their paternal grandmother. Mohabir helps to care for the children, financially and otherwise.

“I developed a business sense since I was around 10. My mother had 12 of us and she provided for us, sewing and selling in the village…After I got married around age 18, I started my own buying and selling to provide for myself and later my children,” Mohabir relates. She began buying geera, masala, cloves, ground dye, and spices in bulk quantities from suppliers at Skeldon market. She packaged these at home and retailed it around her community and at the Mahaica market.

Looking to grow the business, she expanded to Mon Repos market and Georgetown.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES “I didn’t know town then, I was a country girl and I didn’t even know what the streets were named, but I took a bus and jump out at the big market, and started walking all over and sell,” Mohabir said, chuckling, clearly proud of her marketing capability that grew her business.

She later expanded to the East Bank of De-

merara, West Bank and West Coast Demerara and Parika, securing robust markets, which she still maintains.

“Around the 1990s, I used to go out every day. My husband used to keep the children at home…I would leave around 06:00hrs and sometimes I does reach back till night and every time, up to now, me and my husband does get big quarrel for that,” the seller stated.

She also utilised small-business loans from the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) on several occasions to aid her business.

At 57, Mohabir agrees that the task is hard to walk such long hours in the most adverse weather, but she remains committed to earning a living, independently maintaining herself and family, and fulfilling her customers’ demands.

“I sell yellow, red, orange, green and blue and my buyers depend on me to stock up back their supply. Now I go out every other week, but when I don’t go out, I am at home packaging the colouring for them,” says Mohabir.

Donna Harper is a 27-year-old single mother of four children from Victoria, East Coast Demerara, who walks and sells pointer brooms.

She purchases her stocks from the Bourda Market and retails house-to-house along the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara.

“I’ve have been doing this for 10 years now. Sometimes I don’t have the money to buy the brooms in the morning, but I does talk to the people that selling to get a hold-over, and I does go back to pay when I done sell out,” she explains.

“I like to work and take care of my children. I rather do that than beg or depend on anyone to give me or my children anything.

No matter how hard it is, I always believe in honest work,” the woman said proudly, as she pushed her cart through the streets in search of her next customer.

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

VII

Teeth mirror diet OF the more than 125 medical schools in the U.S.A., only 32 have a required course in nutrition for graduating physicians. This dismal situation is even worse in dental education programmes. There is a very strong perception that diet and nutrition are unrelated to the teeth – but this could not be further from the truth. You brush, you floss, you see your dentist, but do you eat with your oral health in mind?

Many people now realise that they must be responsible for figuring out for themselves just what is proper nutrition.

But, these days there are so many conflicting viewpoints that it is hard to decide what constitutes healthy eating. Every10 years it seems the so-called experts flip-flop their position and tell us to eat exactly what they told us not to eat before. First, butter is bad and margarine is good; then butter is good and margarine is bad. What do you do?

In Alaska, the Amazon, Australia, Europe, the South Pacific and many other areas, it is consistently found that those people who remained on their native diets experienced almost no tooth decay or periodontal disease, and that degenerative disease, in general, were virtually non-existent. However, when the so-called “white man’s “civilised diet, including refined sugar and flour, was introduced, tooth decay and other degenerative diseases began appearing with sudden and alarming frequency thus revealing the most dramatic proof of the link between diet and health.

Studies note that the new diet brought about remarkable

changes in physiognomy. Bodies actually became narrower and taller. The dental arches became narrower, causing tooth crowding. Women’s pelves also became narrower, making childbirth more difficult.

One photo essay of two brothers indisputably illustrated these changes. The first brother stayed on the family farm and continued to consume the traditional native diet. The second brother had moved to the city and switched to a typical modern diet. The brother on the farm had no tooth decay whatsoever, while the city brother had now developed rampant decay.

What is truly remarkable, though, is that when the city brother moved back to the farm and resumed his native eating habits, all decay ceased.

Based on this study, following a genetically appropriate diet would lead to optimal health. This does not make for highly practical advice, however, as native genetic lines are for the most part completely blurred. Most of us do not live in isolated tribal communities, marrying into our own genetic pool. How then do we apply these insights to our modern dietary needs?

A handful of potato chips or even a whole wheat tennis roll can be just as damaging to your teeth as a chocolate chip cookie. All carbohydrates break down into simple sugars, which are ultimately converted by bacteria in the mouth into plaque, a sticky residue that is the primary cause of gum disease and cavities.

Black and green teas contain polyphenols, antioxidant plant compounds that prevent plaque from sticking to your

teeth and help reduce your chances of developing tooth decay and gum disease. Tea also has the potential for reducing bad breath because it inhibits the growth of the bacteria that cause the odour.

Most soft drinks, sports drinks, and juices contain either citric or phosphoric acid. In fact, many Americans use Coca Cola or Pepsi Cola to clean their toilet bowls claiming that these are more effective or is just as effective as the relatively expensive toilet cleaning solutions sold in supermarkets. So these beverages can erode dental enamel- even if they are diet or sugar-free versions. Sipping acidic drinks through a straw positioned toward the back of your mouth limits their contact with your teeth and helps preserve the enamel.

Vitamin C is the cement that holds all your cells together, so just as it is vital for your skin, it is important for the health of your gum tissue. The average person needs at least 60 milligrams a day, which is contained in a regular-sized orange or six ounces of orange juice.

Finally, about 99 percent of the calcium in your body is in your bones and teeth. Dietary calcium- available in foods like cheese, milk and yogurt- strengthens the alveolar bone in the jaw, which helps hold your teeth in place.

Engaging Guyana’s diaspora A WEALTH of resources, from political and economic to human capital, offered by the Guyanese diaspora serves as a boost to local development through trade, partnerships, investments and philanthropy. In its own engagement of diaspora communities, the Government of Guyana therefore considers the importance of enhancing both its related national policy and its preservation of individual social and cultural ties. Accordingly, the Government is extremely mindful of the value of this crucial group to national development efforts, especially looking forward to the country’s achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals -- Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations Resolution A/RES/70/1 of 25 September 2015).

Recently, focus has been placed on commencing cultural heritage activities, specifically aimed at youth, and on implementing additional efforts to harness available skills and expertise to bolster the soon-to-be-finalised Guyana Diaspora Engagement Strategy and Action Plan. The effort to establish sustainable relationships within the relevant communities is one of the driving forces behind the strategy. It was featured during the recently held Diaspora Engagement Conference organised by the University of Guyana last July in Georgetown.

Speaking at that event on behalf of the Honourable Carl Greenidge, Vice-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the

ministry’s Head of the Diaspora Unit, Mr. Michael Brotherson, outlined the Government’s approach. Noting that the majority of Guyanese resided abroad, he stated that, consequently, it had become even more necessary to define a structured policy that attended to their concerns and provided a platform for mutual communication and information-sharing.

As Foreign Minister, Greenidge has stressed, “The voices of these groups of Guyanese will certainly influence the future of the country.

“The Government of Guyana remains dedicated to strengthening the infrastructure that facilitates partnerships and deepens mutual commitment with the diaspora,” he said.

Both President David Granger and Minister Greenidge have travelled extensively to engage with diaspora communities in a number of countries, most recently in April in the United Kingdom with those keen to invest and to be otherwise engaged in their mother country. Moreover, there are several ongoing initiatives of the afore-mentioned strategy that focus on mobilising resources

within the diaspora for the development of Guyana.

ONGOING DIASPORA ENGAGEMENT Activities to include those in the diaspora in Guyana’s ongoing development have attracted qualified nationals to lend their service and expertise to help build capacity within various sectors. These individuals are based in diverse entities throughout the country and are keen to contribute to the further development of Guyana.

One of these persons who have returned after working and living abroad for more than 20 years said, “I have always been committed to returning to serve my native land. While at times it has been difficult as transition is not always an easy undertaking, the sense of fulfilment and joy that I have experienced as Guyana balances on the cusp of economic transformation transcends any setback or deterrent, which can be presented on both the human and general resettlement fronts.”

Meanwhile, key government agencies have been collaborating to improve the ease of doing business in Guyana by increasing visibility and access to local businesses. Earlier this year, in

May, the Government launched its very first “Go See Visit,” a pilot project under the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Effective and Sustainable Diaspora Engagement for Development in the Caribbean (ESDEDC). This collaborative effort between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the IOM brought 10 entrepreneurs from Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States to Guyana to especially explore the possibility of establishing local businesses and increasing employment opportunities in low-income communities.

Additionally, the Government continues to provide incentives to aid in the smooth transition of remigration to Guyana.

Another aspect of the diaspora strategy seeks to expand the human resources capacity at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, through the establishment of staff positions responsible for diaspora outreach and engagement, as well as at the Foreign Ministry by establishing dedicated desks in all of its overseas missions and increasing staff presence at headquarters.

While these initiatives are testimony to the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the approach to diaspora affairs is holistic and the institutional framework for improved engagement is accordingly buttressed, they are by no means exhaustive.

As the Diaspora Engagement Strategy and Action Plan moves towards finalisation, it remains open for comments and suggestions from Guyanese at home and abroad. The Government welcomes the feedback and will continue to engage all relevant stakeholders in the period leading up to its completion.

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

The journey of a young doctor

Dr. Chandrawattie Bissoon’s passion for the profession

By Gibron Rahim A CAREER choice in the medical field requires a certain kind of determination and dedication. Doctors undergo years of training to equip them with the required skills which later lead to them spending a lifetime honing these skills and questing for the delicate balance between their personal and professional lives. Dr. Chandrawattie Bissoon is among Guyana’s new generation of doctors. Dr. Bissoon has chosen to dedicate herself to a career that she loves and one that she finds very rewarding.

Dr. Bissoon, a native Essequibian, has always wanted to help others. She also explained that her becoming a doctor had been one of her mother’s dreams for her. “She said I could help people,” she told the Pepperpot Magazine. After she graduated from Anna Regina Secondary in 2007, it was only natural then that she applied for a scholarship to Cuba, so that she could further the dream.

STUDYING ABROAD Adjusting to living and learning in a new environment was difficult at first. Since Dr. Bissoon moved directly from secondary school into university life, she had to grow accustomed to the expectations of a tertiary institution. She also had to get used to a

different climate. As time went by she was able to adjust and thrive. The experience is also very much a part of her. “It wasn’t bad.

I don’t regret it,” she said. “All of that helped me to be who I am today.”

Dr. Bissoon admitted that it was not always smooth sailing though. There were many times she questioned whether to continue. She explained that she would sometimes worry about her family since she was so far away from them and communication was oftentimes difficult. She was able to visit them only twice during the course of her studies.

Sometimes she would even miss things as simple as food from home. She revealed that she occasionally felt disheartened and did not think she could continue. “You feel like water just covers you till up to your forehead,” she said. The support of her family was a crucial part of her motivation to continue.

“I remember when I used to call home and I talked to my family and they’d be like ‘You can do it’,” she recalled. “You feel motivated all over again.”

Eventually, Dr. Bissoon and her batchmates returned to Guyana for their final year of study. She was placed at Suddie Hospital on the Essequibo Coast. She found it scary at first, since she and her batchmates were not yet doctors. Being part of the hospital meant that people had certain expectations of them.

However, working at the hospital and gain-

ing practical experience helped her to gain confidence. She learned much from shadowing the Government Medical Officers (GMOs) at the hospital.

These days, there is a marked change from the apprehension of those early experiences. Dr. Bissoon revealed that today she finds herself missing work on her days off. She could not imagine her life without it.

SETTLED IN Dr. Bissoon’s work has currently taken her from her native Essequibo Coast to Mahaicony where doctors were needed.

She has not had any difficulty adjusting to her new community, owed in part to how welcoming everyone has been.

The hospital environment is certainly a different one, however. She now works alongside specialists. Mahaicony has a diagnostic centre, rather than a hospital and that is undeniably a change of pace. She and her colleagues treat the patients that come in with cases that do not require complex interventions.

This has allowed her the opportunity to meet the people of the community.

Dr. Bissoon admitted that it was somewhat hectic when she and her colleagues first arrived. There was an initial shortage of doctors and this necessitated them working night shifts every three nights. This challenge was dealt with when doctors who had been on leave returned and relative calm has prevailed since then. Currently, she explained, “you work once a week on the night shift which isn’t bad.” She re-emphasised that the transition to the new work environment was not difficult, because of how helpful and friendly everyone around her has been. If she finds that she needs any sort of help she can easily call on a consultant or colleague to offer it. “It’s not like you’re all alone,” she said.

FINDING BALANCE Doctors ply the delicate thread between personal and Dr. Bissoon in her coat and poised to help professional lives. When posed the question of whether she and may still have to face along the way, finds it difficult to balance these two, Dr. Dr. Bissoon remains committed to her Bissoon replied, “All the time!” She works profession. Her compassion and dedication six days a week from 08:00hrs to 16:00hrs. shine through her work. The best part of She uses the remaining day to accomplish being a doctor for her is seeing the smiles tasks such as shopping. “Sometimes I even on the faces of her patients after she has forget to call my family,” she said. By the helped them. “For me it just melts my time she returns home in the afternoons she heart, knowing that I helped someone at finds herself tired from work and travelling the end of the day. At least I know I did and there really is not much time or energy to something well and doing something good get too much done sometimes. But she would for someone [else] makes me happy.”Pic not trade it for anything. saved as Bissoon1 caption: Dr. ‘Chan’ Despite the challenges, she may have Bissoon (All photos courtesy of Chanfaced on the journey to becoming a doctor drawattie Bissoon)

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

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Implementation of Tobacco Act should not be delayed

IN the last week there arose two important consumer concerns which required us to revisit them. The first was the Tobacco Legislation and the other was the Parking Meters. In this offering, we will look again at the Tobacco Legislation.

We would again like to emphasise that the Tobacco Control Bill 2017 which Parliament recently passed is among the most important pieces of Legislation which the Guyana Parliament has passed in the last 30 years. It offers protection to the health of a sizable portion of the population; with a healthier population, economic productivity of the country would increase; it would save the Government billions of dollars which would have been expended on the care of thousands of victims of tobacco-related diseases; and it would place Guyana among the progressive and respected nations of the world which have effective tobacco control legislation.

At one of the Annual General Meetings (AGM) of the Demerara Tobacco Company (DEMTOCO), chaired by the then Regional Director of British American Tobacco Co, (BAT), Madame Amanda Cavill de Zavaley, a shareholder asked how she would deal with the growing anti-tobacco sentiment in Guyana and the threat of strong tobacco control legislation. She confidently replied that DEMTOCO’s parent company, BAT operated in several countries where such problems had arisen and was well-prepared to meet such eventualities.

Now that the eventualities have indeed arisen, DEMTOCO’s effort at delaying the Act from coming into force by demanding that it be thrown over to a Joint Select Committee of Parliament, is probably an element of the preparation Madame de Zavaley spoke about. If that were to happen, the Bill would likely be subsumed by the other business of Parliament and die as had happened to a similar Bill under the watch of Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy. And, it would have to be tabled again and years would have passed by. Another element in the armoury of DEMTOCO against the Legislation seems to be to virulently criticise influential personages who are advocating the Legislation, such as the WHO/PAHO representative and even the Government of Guyana itself, as being undemocratic.

DEMTOCO’s objection to the Act as Parliament passed it rests on seven grounds. From the consumers’ perspective those grounds are neither cohesive nor cogent enough to warrant delay in enforcing the Legislation. And in any case, if rectification is necessary, this could be achieved by Regulations, Licensing procedures and Interpretation.

As an illustration, we will consider at random some of the seven objections made by DEMTOCO and their relation to Regulation, Licensing and Interpretation: DEMTOCO objects to the requirement that anyone who may wish to apply for a Government job, should disclose whether he/she was employed in the Tobacco

Industry within the last five years of the application. DEMTOCO thinks that such a requirement could apply to persons who may have worked at supermarkets and gas stations which sold cigarettes.

The general tenor of the Act refers to those persons who are applying for senior or important Government jobs and not to messengers or gardeners. And further, supermarkets and gas stations could never be considered branches of the Tobacco Industry. In any case, the Act in no way indicates that persons who had been employed in the Tobacco Industry would have been debarred or precluded from Government employment.

DEMTOCO thinks that the term “workplace” in the Act could be interpreted to include private homes, if such homes employ a gardener or housekeeper.

We consider this rather far-fetched since it is unthinkable that any administrator or court would regard a private home as a “workplace” simply because of the employment of domestic help.

DEMTOCO is of the view that the ban on smoking in bars, hotels and restaurants gravely discriminates against smokers.

DEMTOCO advocates that the Legislation be amended to make provision for the establishment of OUTDOOR smoking areas in such restaurants, hotels and bars.

This objection could be addressed during the licensing of such establishments by using similar criteria to the requirement that all restaurants must have restrooms with toilets. In any case, competition would force those which do not have outdoor smoking facilities to provide them.

DEMTOCO seems to be of the opin-

ion that the majority of cigarettes sold in Guyana is in single sticks, but there is no country in the world where the majority of cigarettes sold is by single sticks. DEMTOCO’s assertion is therefore open to question. The confining of sales to packets of 20 would certainly help in the curtailment in the use of cigarettes and it would be quite easy to identify those who sell single sticks in contravention of the Law. All of DEMTOCO’s objections could be taken on board and satisfied when the Act comes into force. There is thus no need to suspend or delay implementation.

It is preferable to begin making Guyana a healthier country than to delay this process to solve six or seven considerations of comparatively minor importance.

DEMTOCO has written His Excellency, the President, asking him to delay the implementation of the Tobacco Control Act until its seven objections are addressed. The Guyana Consumers Association, on its part, would have written the Hon. Minister of Public Health expressing its support for the quick implementation of the Act. Before we end this article, we think it is apposite to say a word on the “Tobacco Industry”.

The Demerara Tobacco Co. (DEMTOCO) has been generally termed the “Tobacco Industry”. DEMTOCO at one time produced its cigarettes in Guyana and was even beginning to cultivate its tobacco on a plantation basis at Laluni.

Some years ago, it closed its factory and abandoned its tobacco cultivation and became a mere distributor agent for its parent company’s cigarettes.

Branded an Evil Birth – Died an Angel of Mercy

By Abdool Aziz

HER young mother died in childbirth. Baby Kamla was branded by her dad as evil. He had preferred her death, rather than his beloved wife. She was the world to him. He placed Kamla in foster care.

TRAGEDY AGAIN The broken-hearted father took to the ‘bottle’ and lived recklessly. In the back dam he drove his tractor drunk. The vehicle pinned him to death. They all blamed Kamla. No one in the family showed any interest in her welfare and condemned her as an evil omen.

FOSTER CARE But her foster mother, Be-

atrice Agard, a retired nurse/ midwife, had no time for superstition. All babies are born pure and angelic. There is no such thing as a bad omen in a child’s birth. But the stigma stuck on the innocent child. Even at school, they ostracised her, deeming her a devil who ‘killed’ her parents.

Miss Agard taught her at home.

At age 16, she began training as a nurse and social worker. Miss Agard treated her as her own child and found her to possess great virtues. Serving people was her vocation. She was simply human and caring.

ANOTHER TRAGEDY At the hospital, she met a male nurse and they fell in love and got married. He was dying of cancer. She wanted to love and

care for him for whatever time he had left to live. After two years he died. Everyone blamed her for his death. He left her an insurance policy. She cashed it and opened a charity in his name for cancer research. She also renovated her foster mom’s home and began to care for her as she suffered a stroke.

THE PATIENT She was on duty that night when they wheeled him in, she had to administer saline and to her shock, it was her uncle `Bish’, who had inherited her father’s estate. He tried to hide his face and she saw his shame. But she consoled him by saying “Uncle Bish, What’s wrong?” He was suffering from an acute Urological Disorder, his kidney was shutting down

and he needed a kidney. This was same the uncle who banned her from her birth home and dropped her father’s title from the birth certificate. He scandalised her name, this time for revenge. Oh no! Time for forgiveness, she must also uphold the oath of her profession.

DONATION OF LIFE All efforts were made to secure a donor. Much money was offered. No match was found.

The patient was dying. She took the test, she was a match. She will donated one of her kidneys, not for the money but to save a life of a blood relative. That complex transplant took place at MT Sinai Hospital in Trinidad and was successful. Uncle Bish made a financial contribution to her cancer

charity and became very kind and loving. All the relatives showered her with love and praise and a Deed Poll reinstated the father’s title. She was family again. They called her ‘Angel of Mercy.’

COMPLICATIONS The recipient of the kidney progressed well. But Kamla began to suffer complications. Sadly, she died from Renal Failure. All cried for the lady with a ‘golden heart’.

Once condemned, now a heroine, she died to save another – the ultimate price. She was buried near to her mom and dad in the family cemetery. On her tomb it said: ‘An Angel at Sleep.’

The world can condemn – know thyself. There is good in all of us. Do not submit to superstition!

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

The new Guyana/South Africa connection

By Francis Quamina Farrier FOR those old enough to remember, Guyana had a very strained relationship with South Africa for many years, during that country’s white minority government and its brutal policy of apartheid, in which the majority Black population was treated less than human beings for the better part; many, including children, were murdered mercilessly by that brutal minority racist white regime.

For those not old enough to have known, the then all-White minority government of South Africa kept the majority Black population of that nation in abject poverty and suppression, and not full citizens in the country of their birth. Blacks had to have identification documents with them at all times and were subjected to random checks of their person at any time by members of the security forces. In the 1970s, the population of South Africa was 22 million. The present population is now over 55 million During White minority rule, Black South Africans were not permitted to participate in the political process of their country; they were not permitted to vote or to seek public office, and for that and the many atrocities, including the Sharpeville massacre of March 21, 1960, in which 69 men, women and children were shot and killed by police using sub-machine guns, while demonstrating against the government’s oppressive Pass Book laws, most of the Free World turned their backs on South Africa.

In present day South Africa, March 21 is observed as a public holiday in honour and to the

official, he was given the status of “Honorary White.” However, while in South Africa, Braithwaite would make visits to the Black communities and gather firsthand information of their lives under that suppressive system of apartheid. The outcome was the book “Honorary White,” which exposed much of the suffering of the Black South Africans to the rest of the Free World, as reported by that well-respected international au-

Ambassador Dr. Kenrick Hunte with President David Granger, just before his posting to South Africa.

Farrier with a South African Theatre Colleague, while on a Popular Theatre Exchange Workshop in Sydney, Australia

International, Author, Educator, Fighter Pilot and Diplomat Dr. ER Braithwaite, author of, “To Sir, With Love” and “Honorary White”

memory of the Sharpeville martyrs. That and for the many other vile acts committed on the Black majority, South Africa was expelled from the British Commonwealth of Nations, as well as from the United Nations. Many countries severed diplomatic and trading arrangements, Guyana foremost among them.

During the 1970s, the Guyana government banned all trade with South Africa and gave financial and other tactical support to the Freedom Fighters in a number of the countries in Southern Africa; Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa of course.

In 1975, the Guyana government erected an African Liberation

ism, imperialism and discrimination were no more”, he continued, “we had to work on building democratic institutions that included everyone with the freedoms that would ensure progress and self-determination.”

Asked what were the key issues he had to prioritise when he took office, the ambassador spoke of making connections with the people in the mining and education sectors, Reserve Bank, and other Government and private agencies.

Ambassador Hunte, who was once the General Manager of the now defunct Guyana Agri Bank and a professor at the Howard University in Washington, DC, also told the vast radio audience of an airservice agreement that was signed by South Africa’s Minister of International

Monument in the compound of the Umana Yana in Georgetown, in solidarity with the African Freedom Fighters who were fighting bravely for their freedom, thousands of miles away.

The Burnham government also instituted an economic, cultural and sporting boycott of South Africa, as well as with Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe. What is hardly known, is that Cecil Rhodes, the White founder of the former African colony of Rhodesia in Southern Africa, located immediately north of South Africa, was a relative of Guyana’s own retired News Anchor on the Evening News, Tommy Rhodes. For while one section of the Rhodes family migrated from Europe to Africa, another -- the ancestors of Tommy Rhodes -- migrated to the then British Guiana.

Let’s now fast forward 26 years after the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa in 1991, to what pertains in that country in 2017. Guyana’s first Ambassador, His Excellency Dr. Kenrick Hunte, arrives in Pretoria, the capital, and is accrediated as Guyana’s Ambassador to that democratic republic.

He also meets with the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma. He gets down to work establishing the presence of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to as many South Africans -- both Black and White and others -- who make up the 55-million population.

There were two specific occassions when Ambassador Hunte was able to make some important clarifications as regards Guyana’s role in working with others to help dismantle the cruel apartheid system in South Africa. On the occasion of Guyana’s 51st Independence Anniversary, the new ambassador, in a feature address, mentioned two Guyanese of international repute, who made special contributions to helping to bring apartheid in South Africa to an end.

The first was the World War Two fighter pilot, Educator, author and diplomat, E.R. Braithwaite.

His popular book “To Sir, With Love” was previously banned by the white minority South African Government, but the ban was subsequently lifted. Braithwaite then decided to pay a visit to South Africa. But since apartheid was still

Some of the graves of the 69 men, women and children killed in the 1960 Sharpeville massacre in the minority white-ruled, apartheid South Africa

thor, E.R. Braithwaite.

The second Guyanese individual which Ambassador Kenrick Hunte spoke of publicly, was Eddy Grant, whose hit song “ Give me Hope Johanna,” like a hawk zooming between the intimidating South African fighter jets, did much damage to apartheid. However, what Ambassador Hunte discovered, was that most South Africans -- Blacks included -- were of the view that Guyana’s Eddy Grant was a Jamaican. That misconception was set right by the ambassador.

Since his arrival in South Africa, Ambassador Dr. Kenrick Hunte, has participated in a number of radio interviews, promoting Guyana and its role in assisting with the liberation of South Africa, as well as the present growing friendly relations between the two countries.

“Our diplomatic relations focus on strengthening pathways for human development, and ending poverty,” the ambassador said in a recent interview on Ubuntu Radio in Pretoria. “Our backgrounds are similar; we had to ensure colonial-

Relations and Cooperation, Luwellyn Launders, and Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge. The ambassador mentioned the recent discovery of commercial quantities of oil and gas in Guyana. He also alluded to the work in progress of trade agreements between the two countries.

In response to a question regarding tourism between the two countries, the ambassador spoke of the lack of direct air connections between Guyana and South Africa, which makes a vibrant tourism not possible at this time. However, it is already known that a grownig number of Guyanese who are based in North America and Europe, are visiting South Africa.

Since his arrival in South Africa, Ambassador Dr. Kenrick Hunte has visited Cape Town, Robben Island, where President Nelson Mandela had been incarcerated for 27 years, Mandela’s home in Soweto and a few others, in order to get better firsthand knowledge of the country and its people.

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

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Gratitude and happiness THIS week I am going to continue to talk about what makes us genuinely happy. I thought I’d focus on gratitude today as it has helped many of my clients, as well as, improved my own quality of life.

Mountains of research have determined that gratitude is directly linked to overall life satisfaction and happiness. I ask all my clients (especially those in drug recovery) to make gratitude lists and every week I watch them smile a bit more, appreciating the small things and letting the even smaller things go.

the possibility of developing mental illnesses. A 2006 study conducted on War Veterans found that those who wrote gratitude lists were less likely to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than those who did not.

Research also shows physical symptoms of gratitude. Those who make gratitude lists and therefore experience those wider range of positive emotions have overall better immune function.

Specifically, there have lower rates of high or low blood sugar, blood pressure, heart or coronary diseases as well as the outcome of cancer treatments.

WHAT IS GRATITUDE? Gratitude is simply an appreciation for what you have. It is about being thankful for what you were given rather than being resentful for what you were not. It makes us more optimistic, less materialistic, and less self-centered while increasing our self-esteem, confidence and empathy.

Gratitude helps us to experience a wider range of positive emotions, allows us to reminisce on good memories, improves our relationships, and both mental and physical health.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO BE MORE GRATEFUL IN LIFE? This is a really simple process. It is about taking a few minutes to be thankful for what is good in your life, rather than complain about what you don’t have or what you want. You can be grateful for absolutely anything. From your family and friends to the water on this earth.

Start a gratitude list right now with just three things you are grateful for. Every day, write one new thing and then re- read the entire list. Every day! This really allows us to literally count our blessings.

You can also keep a full journal jotting down

HOW CAN BEING GRATEFUL HELP US? Studies show that people who report being grateful for their health (of any kind) are more likely to take care of it. They are more likely to eat, sleep and exercise well, more so than the rest of the population. In terms of mental health, gratitude minimises jealously, envy, anger and regret. Instead, it promotes self-esteem and confidence as it reduces social comparisons. If you are grateful and satisfied with what you have, you take nothing for granted and are more likely to be happy for those around you.

This, of course, further benefits our relationships. A specific study showed that couples who express gratitude to each other are less likely to get divorced. This is due to the appreciation of course but it is mainly because if one expresses gratitude, the other is more willing and patient to listen to criticism as well.

For working relationships, supervisors who express gratitude to their employees report harder working, motivated and focused staff.

Students who express gratitude in journals are more likely to have better grades, play a team sport and have a wider social circle and support system. Findings also prove that gratitude improves goal achievement. Participants were asked to write a list of short-term goals they would like to achieve over the following two months. Only half were asked to write daily gratitude lists. Those that did write the list were more successful in accomplishing their goals.

Gratitude can even minimise

good events that happened throughout the day.

This develops positive mental health through good memories and appreciation.

Write thank you notes expressing your appreciation for anything special anyone has done for you. I know we are in the digital era and texting is more likely but there is just something wonderful about old fashioned notes. Showing appreciation for others allows us to easier show it to ourselves.

Pray to whatever higher power you choose.

People commonly use prayer to develop and nurture gratitude.

Develop and stick to a practice. When you are having dinner with your loved ones, make it a habit of everyone saying one thing they are grateful for. Guyana doesn’t celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday but if you do this, every day can be Thanksgiving.

A good way to encourage gratitude is to imagine our lives without what we have. We have to remember that there will always be someone who has less and more than we do. Put things into perspective.

Gratitude is also increased when we stop complaining. Complaining is natural to us as human beings (for me especially I believe), but it doesn’t have to be. We can pay attention to our words in

an attempt to improve them and subsequently our mood and self-esteem. Replace it with a more positive/ optimistic out-look. Example, if your bus is late one day and you’re late for somewhere, rather than complaining, maybe be grateful that it only happened once that week. All complaining does is allow us to relive the situation as well as the stress and frustration that came along with it.

It is helpful to view gratitude as a very successful coping mechanism. It doesn’t matter where the stress is coming from- family, school, relationships, work etc, gratitude can help them all.

Thank You for reading. Please keep sending any topics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail.com , or come in to see me at: Georgetown Public Hospital: Psychiatric Department: Monday- Friday – 8am- 12pm Woodlands Hospital: Outpatient Department Drug and Alcohol group meetings - Mondays 4:15 Good mental health group meetingsWednesdays 4:15 Suicide Prevention Helpline numbers: 2230001, 223-0009, 623-4444, 600-7896 Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

#SupportCreativity

‘Resonance’

celebrating the region’s creative dynamism SIX years ago the Fresh Milk Art Platform Inc. was launched in Barbados as a non-profit, artist-led, interdisciplinary organisation with the aim to promote social, economic, and environmental stewardship through creative engagement with society.

Since its establishment in 2011, Fresh Milk has grown in its capacity to provide much-needed support in the region, evolving into a kind of “cultural lab” that connects creative disciplines and generations of creative practitioners across the Caribbean. At the core of the platform’s mandate is the provision of space for contemporary individuals to discuss ideas

and share works through local and international residencies, lectures, screenings, workshops, exhibitions, projects etc.

In a recent statement, the organisation explained how they have transitioned from a modest beginning to become one of the more consistently active creative spaces in the region.

“When Fresh Milk began in August 2011, it was an experiment based on the hypothesis that there was a need for spaces in Barbados where contemporary artists, writers, thinkers and makers could come Turn to page XIII ►►►

Ronald Williams, Out of Sync, 2017. Photo by Kraig Yearwood

Simone Asia, Isolation, 2017. Photo by Kraig Yearwood

Raquel Marshall, (re)conditioning, 2016. Photo by Kraig Yearwood

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017 ◄◄◄ From page XII

to conduct their own creative investigations. Six years later, the experiment continues to grow organically, locally, and throughout the Caribbean, constantly being fed by the artists that we engage with.”

To celebrate this milestone, Fresh Milk welcomed patrons to their most recent undertaking titled `Resonance’, an exhibition of works currently on display at their St. George’s location. The

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exhibition, designed to coincide with the CARIFESTA celebrations happening island-wide, includes works from Barbadian artists as well as artists from the region, all of whom would have worked with the organisation at some point during their six-year run.

Providing more insight into how this latest exhibition was conceptualised, Fresh Milk had the following to say: “Resonance plays on the phonetically similar

Cherise Harris,_A Lesson in How to Grow your Mind, 2015. Photo by Kraig Yearwood

(From left) For Your Viewing Pleasure 2, 2017 by Shanice Smith (Trinidad) & Dominique Hunter (Guyana); How to Kill a Soundboy, 2017 Leasho Johnson (Jamaica); and A Bit of What you Fancy, 2017, detail of a still from video by Oneika Russell (Jamaica). Photo by Katherine Kennedy

Kraig Yearwood, Ghetto Moon, 2017. Photo by Kraig Yearwood

word ‘residence’, taking this opportunity to celebrate our local artist in residence programme among other innovative projects, as well as regional residency initiatives. There is also synergy with the definition of the word; each of the creatives that have been involved with Fresh Milk has enriched the platform, their presence and contribution continuing to impact every new endeavor we undertake, and reinforcing our desire to foster prolonged relationships with artists. This showcase is less about following a theme, and more about recognising the dynamic trajectories of the participants’ varying practices.

It’s our pleasure to feature works by Barbadian artists: Simone Asia, Evan Avery, Cherise Harris, Versia Harris, Raquel Marshall, Ronald Williams, Anisah Wood and Kraig Yearwood. Additionally, we are excited that this show coincides with CARIFESTA XIII in Barbados, and are

pleased to be able to include works by regional artists Dominique Hunter (Guyana), Leasho Johnson (Jamaica), Oneika Russell (Jamaica) and Shanice Smith (Trinidad) – each of whom have also been part of the Caribbean Linked residency programme coordinated by Ateliers ’89 in Aruba, Fresh Milk and ARC Magazine. We look forward to maintaining our connections with each of these artists, the many others that we have worked with in the past, and those still to come in the future.”

Resonance opened on Saturday, August 19th and continued from August 21st to 23rd. After a short break, the exhibition will continue tomorrow, August 28th, until August 31st from 10:00 hrs and 16:00 hrs. For more information about Resonance and to view submissions from their recent call for art for the Fresh Milk Art Board visit www. freshmilkbarbados.com.

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

Empowering women through music

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Amanda Peters is on a mission

By Jamall Adams

AMANDA Peters is what many Guyanese have described as “the voice of gospel music in Guyana.” She’s bold, competitive and God-fearing. With her amazing voice, Amanda uses her music side by side with her dedication to empower women, and it is this dedication which also allows her to live her dream on a daily basis, having received the opportunity to perform in front thousands of Guyanese, both as an entertainer and competitor, throughout her career.

Amanda’s passion for music began during her childhood when she was living in Queenstown, Georgetown. Her passion grew when she attended church with her mother and this led to her fascination with the performance of the church choir. This fascination led five-year-old Amanda to emulate what she witnessed in church by the choir to her family when she was home.

This encouraged her to practise daily with high hopes that one day she would become a singer.

The hard work of practising which formed a major part of Amanda’s childhood finally paid off when she and her two sisters formed a singing group called ‘The Peters Sisters.’

THE MESSAGE OF EMPOWERMENT The Peters Sisters group lasted for some years, however, even after they spilt, Amanda continued to pursue her dreams and became a solo performer. It was during this time of her singing career that she became more aware of the daily struggles women were facing in society.

This encouraged her to use her musical platform to spread the message of empowerment.

The decision to empower women through her music had opened tremendous doors for her singing career. It also landed her the opportunity to perform at one of the biggest gospel shows in the country, which headlined international gospel

competing in the Jingle competition gave her a bigger buzz than she anticipated. This buzz attracted numerous news interviews and many requests for features from other local artistes. Even though Amanda was being celebrated by many fans and other musicians, she remained humble and continued to work on her music. In March 2016, she dropped her debut album, ‘Wake Up’.

‘Wake Up’ was the name given to the album because of the message of empowerment. This included seven special, featured tracks dedicated to female listeners. The name was also chosen over many other choices since it represented the solutions to

artistes such as Papa San, Prodigal Son, DJ Nicholas and Chevelle Franklin. After her magnificent performance, Amanda was encouraged by her family, friends and her fans to enter the GTT Jingle competition, which she eventually did.

In 2012, Amanda signed up on the GTT Jingle Competition where she showcased her talent to Guyana and the rest of the world. Even though Amanda did not win the competition, she said, “The Jingle competition was an effort to gain popularity within the Guyanese community and at the same time, a chance for me to test my self-confidence.” She added that the experience taught her the importance of being competitive and consistent, which led her to release her first single immediately after the competition. Amanda further stated that even though she did not win the competition she felt like a winner, since the experience she gained from competing has helped her to become a better artiste.

DEBUT ALBUM Amanda, through her passion for music, continued to record more singles. These singles and the popularity that she gained from

the many problems women face. The track list includes features from well-known artistes such as Trenacia Esseboom, Solid Youth, Allan Petty and Eddie Neblett and focuses on positive subjects aimed at providing an uplifting message.

‘Wake Up’ is available for purchase at every major music store in Guyana and is also available through Amanda Peters on Facebook.

Asked about her drive to motivate women, Amanda said, “Empowering women is a self-instilled obligation of mine, not because I am a woman, but mainly because I see myself in every woman.”

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

CARIFESTA XIII in Barbados and Sonia Noel Designs HAVING so many creative personalities in one arena from across the Region is electrifying. I am sipping some Lipton tea, listening to the waves and deciding which of the many moments I should mention in this week’s column.

I spent most of my time at the grand market because when you are an exhibitor, you need to be at your booth most of the time. Interacting with people I have not seen for years was euphoric, and hearing people shouting your name from across the hall and running with open arms for hugs was thrilling. From interacting with my favourite Barbadian media personalities like Jewel Forde, Arturo Valentino, Malcome X and Tesha Hinds to the cute little girl who did not

want to leave my side and told her grandmother she wants to live with me; it was great.

Some of my favourite designers, Courtney Washington from Jamaica and Michel Chataigne from Haiti were there. I spoke with clients I have had for over a decade, who gave testimony of how much they enjoy wearing the timeless Sonia Noel Designs and how they have been following my progress over the years and how proud they are of my achievements.

The first hour at my booth started with Alex Martin who is a Jamaican designer who lives in Barbados. She told me even if she does not sell anything at Carifesta, she would not be disappointed, because she finally got the chance to

meet her mentor.

Over the years my work has inspired her and every time she feels down she goes and listens or reads something I said or wrote. I felt so honoured to learn that I am such a big inspiration in her life. We need to continue to inspire each other for a better world. Mrs Loiuse, who is a new client, bought an outfit one day at the exhibition and came back the next day to share a testimony.

She said she was impressed with my designs and my energy, so she mentioned it to someone and was even more pleased with herself for making the purchase, because the person heard about all the philanthropic work I am doing. This is one of the expe... Inspiring lives through fashion riences that confirmed that I am achieving my objective of not only adding something special to forward to his upcoming event in Trinidad and the fashion palette, but also adding value to lives with the phenomenal Josanne Leonard by his not only in my country of birth. side and the creative direction of Richard Young, My design brand must be more than cover- it could only be top-of-the-line. ing nudity and beautifying the exterior, but also One of the highlights was also being seto enhance the inner you. Tavia Hunt, who is lected as one of the 10 designers to showcase a popular dance choreographer from St Lucia, in a private show for Italian fashion experts acquired her first Sonia Noel outfit during this Antonio Franchesini, Roberto Corbelli and week and she got me so emotional when she Seniela Cattaneo. This event was organised came back to see me and tell me that when she by CARICOM for Carifesta. tried the outfit that evening that it did something Carifesta had some frustrating moments, to her inner soul. She further said her intention is but I decided to focus on the positives. I got to make a difference, but now she is more com- some opportunities for collaboration which pelled to do so. I feel so blessed to be living my are the new currency and sometimes the only purpose with a God-given talent I don’t take for currency that works. granted. It was a pleasure meeting the legendary Send us your feedback to beTrinidadian Andrew Ramroop who had made yondtherunway@gmail.com and visit a name for himself in London. Various celebri- our Facebook page as we continue on this ties, including Michael Jackson and the stars of beautiful journey called life BEYOND Manchester United wore his suits. I am looking THE RUNWAY.

Beyond the Runway with Dr. Sonia Noel

folklore

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

TELL–TALE TRACKS By Neil Primus THE hinterland community was small but the homes and other buildings were neatly built with material collected from the surrounding jungle. There was a large community benab built at a central point. All the other homes were located along tracks through the foliage.

It was the hot season. This lasted most of the year except for short, heavy rainy periods.

School was closed for the July-August vacation so the children were running and frolicking all over. Even the village pets seemed in high spirits.

The macaw screeched with deafening regularity. The turtle plodded from step to step. The anaconda hung from a tree waiting on its expected meal. As for the two black scorpions whose tail tips were removed, they climbed and crawled all over the children who were having much fun at their expense.

Bernadette had just arrived at the Forest Bend by aircraft. She followed the youths to the small village. They were carrying her luggage to her new home. She was the teacher and would be working there for the new term.

Sweating and puffing from the walk, she entered the village and headed for the house of the Chief. After introductions she sipped some Piwari then headed for her hut. It was

her first posting away from the city and she knew it would be a challenge.

Arriving at her small hut she began putting her stuff away. It was noisy outside, something she did not expect. Children were running, laughing and shouting. Animals were whistling, screeching and croaking. The trees swayed in the strong, hot breeze.

She had been briefed by the village chief about some unusual occurrences. He had indicated that a Masakura man had been encountered near the village. One member of the community had been taken by this evil spirit. Domestic animal bodies disappeared and one child was killed.

It had been difficult for her to keep a straight face. All that she heard had only amused her – she did not believe or subscribe to such ridiculous superstitions. She was not going to start now.

The boys were having a rollicking time.

They chased each other, hunted the turtles and captured many invisible enemies. The game became more intense when one of the boys made two stills out of branches. This was used by the person chasing the others. It added a fresh dimension to their play.

Bernadette finished her unpacking and decided to go for a walk in the sandy community.

The sand made it even hotter and she longed for a bath. Walking along the track she headed for the school hut. She entered and inspected her new working environment. It was a small space with a small blackboard leaning against the wall. She was expected to teach all grades.

She had zero equipment. It was going to be quite an interesting term come September.

Reuben was the creator of the stilts and was chasing after the others when his mother called him. He turned and headed home stilts and all. His mother had cooked a delicious meal of Tuma Pot. She put some in a bowl and gave him this to take to the new teacher.

He headed for the teacher’s hut, striding high on his stilts. When he arrived at the door he got off and knocked. No response. He called, same results. She was out. Pushing the door open he put the food on the tiny table.

Then he went back outside. Shutting the door he moved away then climbed on the stilts. It was back to fun and games.

Teacher Bernadette headed for home after taking a good look at the school. She was not feeling particularly optimistic. This was going to be one heck of an achievement if she could pull it off. An elderly woman stopped her and warned her about walking alone. Kanima could be anywhere, anybody.

“Jus careful, yo hear.”

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“Kanima, my foot. Utter nonsense” She strode away from the startled woman.

As she neared her new hut she noticed strange tracks in the sand. Something with weird looking tracks had approached her home and possibly entered. She stood silently drinking in this new bit of information. It was the nature of the tracks that began to worry her. The weird tracks had come from the nearby forest. It had moved towards her hut. When it got near to the door the tracks changed to human foot prints.

These had entered her hut. The footprints had emerged, walked a short distance then changed back to the unusual tracks and re-entered the forest.

By now her stunned brain was back in action. Believe it or not, she had just been tracked by Kanima. All the things the old woman had just told her flooded her conscious mind. The Kanima was a spirit capable of changing from human form to that of an animal and vice versa. She did not know what animal the tracks represented, all she knew was that this called for decisive action, and that was what she did.

When the village welcoming party arrived to meet the new teacher they were surprised to find her bags missing and her tracks heading away from their small, quiet village far, far, away.

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‘Writing for survival’ Writer Peter Jailall helping to build Guyanese culture, identity

By Ravena Gildharie EASILY identified as one of the Caribbean’s most prestigious writers and poets with several successful publications to his name, Peter Jailall is a proud Guyanese, influenced by his rural upbringing along the East Coast of Demerara. Guided by fond memories of swimming in canals, picking fruits in the guava bush and playing ‘pitching marbles’, Jailall uses his experiences of nature, unity and hospitality to create masterpieces of literature, adding life to the Guyanese culture and identity.

It is no wonder that many of his poems are decorated with colourful use of deep Creolese, and he remains an ardent advocate for its use as a form of language, unique to Guyanese, and which he believes is a powerful mode of expression that can be utilised in schools as a method to teach standard English. His published books include This Healing Place (1993), Yet Another Home (1997), Sacrifice and When September Comes (2003).

Jailall currently resides in Mississauga, Canada, with his wife and two sons. He was born in Guyana and attained his early education here.

He graduated from the Government Training College for Teachers in Guyana in 1965 and has been an educator for 52 years. After he retired from full-time teaching in Canada, he has returned periodically to Guyana to teach children and train teachers as a member of the Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO) team. He continues to write and read poetry in Canadian schools as a member of The League of Canadian Poets.

“Teaching for me has been rewarding and satisfying,” Jailall told the Pepperpot Magazine, adding, “it has been also an important aspect of nation-building and character formation. My main achievement as a teacher is the satisfaction I experience in observing children’s joyful faces as they engage in the learning process. Also, the trust and positive relationships I have built with my students over the years give me a feeling of accomplishment.”

As a young man growing up in Guyana, Jailall was inspired to become a teacher by role models such as Miss Ainsworth, Miss Perry, Miss Fraser and Miss Abrams who taught him at the Ann’s Grove R.C. school.

At the teachers’ training college, he gained a deep admiration for Fitty Miller, Joyce Trotman, Sam Small Archie Moore and Blanche Duke.

“Our teachers were like our second parents,” says Jailall, who grew up in what he

Guyanese poet/writer Peter Jailall

Peter Jailall with his latest publication

termed the ‘ABCD villages’ along the East Coast of Demerara, as he refers to the Ann’s Grove, Bee Hive, Clonbrook and Dochfour villages.

“As villagers, we cared for each other.

We shared fruits and vegetables, swapped stories and broke bread together. We talked, we laughed and we cried together. We were family…The children in the ABCD villages belonged to all the elders. We were expected to attend school regularly and punctually.

No child dared curse before an elder,” the poet said.

LIFE IN RURAL GUYANA Jailall’s father was a farmer who grew rice, citrus and ground provisions and taught his son to love nature and to till the soil.

“I grew my own kitchen garden,” the now achieved poet boasts, as he recalled his days watering the plants, feeding the fowls and fetching water before attending school

in the mornings.

“I read books and completed my homework before bedtime.

Our parents and grandparents told us bedtime stories. We did not have television and cellphones in those days. We made our own toys, such as bats from coconut branches and marbles from ‘awara’ seeds which we scraped with our sharp white teeth,” he continued.

“We were a happy bunch of children from different racial, religious and class groups.

We were friends who played, ate and slept at each others’ homes,” Jailall highlighted, proud of his Guyanese identity.

He has been returning to Guyana since 1985 and enjoyed teaching in many areas such as Mabaruma, Bartica, Santa Rosa, Mahdia, Shell Beach, Anna Regina, Leguan, Demerara and Berbice. He listens attentively to the dialects and speech patterns of all the children he taught and used the Creolese that they spoke to teach them standard English.

At Tagore Memorial High in Berbice, Jailall encouraged students to write freely in their own language, and he was impressed by the students’ ability to creatively express themselves with Creolese.

“If only their teachers and school administrators would refrain from categorising the Guyanese Creole as a debased form of English, their language skills could improve,” Jailall observed.

He is mostly recognised as an Indo-Caribbean writer and poet, and while he says he is proud of his Indian heritage, Jailall acknowledges himself first and foremost as a Guyanese writer. He also feels that there are many young writers in Guyana who need

Peter Jailall’s Sacrifice: Poems on the Indian Arrival in Guyana

mentors and opportunities to get their work published.

Jailall’s latest publication is entitled ‘STOP! STOP! Don’t Be A BULLY’, a book that has been well received in Canadian schools. He is currently collaborating with another famed Guyanese writer, Ian MacDonald, on a poetry book titled ‘Guyanese People.’

“I write for my own survival. Writing for me is therapeutic. I write to change the world and make it a better place,” Jailall said.

Peter Jailall at a book-signing event

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

Equitable and quality education for all Guyanese – Part 3 GUYANA has a long way to go in order to realise much-needed improvements in the education sector.

After years of neglect, the current Government came to office to find poor examination results at both the primary and secondary levels, which has a direct impact on tertiary performance. There is no overnight fix and while there have been some improvements, there is still a long road ahead before we can call ourselves an education nation.

EVERY CHILD IN SCHOOL (ECIS) POLICY One of the significant areas impacting access to education has been the inability of many parents to be able to get their children to and from school. Recognising this, President David Granger in July 2015 made a call for private companies and individuals to invest in means of transportation to get children across the country to school, whether by highway, rivers or otherwise, effectively launching the Buses, Boats and Bicycles + Books and Breakfast or Five Bs programme.

During a commissioning ceremony for three more 35-seater buses to serve students in Georgetown, President Granger said his Administration sees education as the gateway to the ‘good life.’ “Over the last 23 years, we have been seeing what happens to Guyanese children when we campaigned and went up the creeks, rivers, highways and byways, we saw children who were not going to school because they couldn’t afford transportation. We saw children dropping out because they could not afford transportation.

This was what was happening to our children. They belong in school, not at home and liming, and we made a pledge that once we got into Government we would do everything

President David Granger meeting with some Grade Seven students in one of the classrooms at President’s College

possible to ensure that every child has a place in school, ECIS, Every Child in School,” he said.

Supporting the President’s vision, Minister of Social Protection, Ms. Amna Ally, who has been instrumental in coordinating the Five Bs programme, described education as a human right. “We are cognisant that education empowers people with the knowledge, skills and values they need to build an economically sustainable nation. Through our investment to access to education, we as a nation will be able

to empower our boys and girls. We will be able to safeguard our children from exploitative and hazardous labour and sexual exploitation, promote human rights and democracy and protect and manage our environment via sustainable measures,” she said.

Minister of Education, Ms. Nicolette Henry, further says that quelling the dropout rate is a critical component of the ‘every child in school’ policy. “We have and will continue to implement a series of measures to address the issue of school dropouts. These include the provision of school uniform vouchers and the school-feeding programme, which are very long-existing programmes… In addition, we have home visits and truancy campaigns that are conducted with the intention of keeping children in school. Parents are made aware of sending children to school regularly…

Parents are made aware of the consequences of not sending their children to school… Special coaching and counselling sessions are also implemented,” Minister Henry said.

However, getting every child to school is just one side of the coin. The other critical aspect is the equipping of the sector to provide a quality education, which matches the developmental needs of the country, such as science and mathematics. It means also that more emphasis has to be

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

President David Granger in July 2015 made a call for private companies and individuals to invest in means of transportation to get children across the country to school, effectively launching the Buses, Boats and Bicycles + Books and Breakfast or Five Bs programme

placed on churning out graduates from the secondary-school level, who are employable or who have the skills to start their own small and medium-scale enterprises. Guyana has seen an increase of 0.46 percent in its pass rate at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations. However, Minister Henry said that Government is still concerned about students’ performance, particularly in the core subjects. She said, “We have a lot of work to do.

There is room for improvement in most of the subject areas and as a ministry, we recognise that and we have to work towards ensuring that it is reflected next year, the other year and many other years to come, so that we can really see an upward movement, particularly in the areas of Mathematics and English.”

Chief Education Officer, Mr. Marcel Hutson, said that a National Subject Committee has been established to identify weaknesses in the education sector and how these can be effectively addressed. “In relation to Mathematics, we have noted that we have enjoyed a one percent improvement; but that by no means is where we want to go. So we have several things going for us including Subject Committee meetings.

We have the Guyana Secondary Education Improvement Programme [GSIP]… We are looking currently at the appraisal of our teachers, which brings to bear a greater level of accountability at the level of the classroom,” he said.

The Ministry of Education plans to put greater focus on management and supervision at underperforming schools, since the Government’s mandate is to ensure all students succeed. Continuous professional development sessions are being conducted at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) for teachers attached to those schools.

TERTIARY EDUCATION Secondary schools can prepare students for tertiary-level education, which falls in line with the infrastructural development, food security, energy generation and environmental needs of Guyana’s economic growth agenda. The country’s premier tertiary institution, the University of Guyana (UG), is critical to helping Guyana to fulfil its ‘green’ state agenda, which is being advanced by the Government. This was emphasised by the Head of State during the university’s inaugural Diaspora Engagement Conference, held on July 24, 2017. The President said, “The university, this university UG is central to fulfilling the scientific and technological objectives, which the ‘green’ state requires. The university must drive the intellectual processes of ‘green’ development by becoming the incubator of technology and the nurturer of skills and tactics. The university must establish institutions to educate students to advance our ‘green’ development.”

Guyana’s ‘green’ state agenda seeks to promote an in-

XXI crease in investment in biodiversity, coastal zone and solid waste management, ecological and environmental services, eco-education and eco-tourism and of course, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the generation of renewable energy. Therefore, transforming UG into an institution that has the capacity to churn out graduates, who are equipped to move Guyana faster along the ‘green’ development pathway, is a top priority for the Government.

Curriculum reform in the Sciences and Technology at the University of Guyana is critical to the development of the ‘green’ state the President envisions, since it will give students the opportunity to learn and develop new skills to harness the country’s natural resources for economic development. Courses in areas such as zoology, biology, engineering, technology, geology and agriculture, some of which are now being offered by the university, the Head of State believes will lead to the achievement of this goal. Professionals who can protect human habitation from the effects of climate change are also needed to meet the needs of the ‘green’ state. Additionally, President Granger has outlined a plan to improve road and bridge networks, which will link the hinterland and coastland and improve the overall physical infrastructure of the country. This means that skilled personnel, who can construct and maintain modern infrastructure such as aerodromes, deep-water ports and stellings are in high demand.

To fulfil these objectives, UG will soon be embarking on Turn to page XXII ►►►

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an initiative geared at integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, together with the Arts (STEAM).

And even as Guyana prepares for the emerging opportunities in the oil and gas sector the university, in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources, will be building its capac-

ity to offer relevant courses to better equip young professionals for employability in that sector.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith said, “We

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

“Through our investment to access to education, we as a nation will be able to empower our boys and girls.”- Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally

passed a new Associate Degree in Mining and Geology.

We are starting a programme in Agro-Business. We will be starting a Master’s programme in Psychology. We passed a post graduate programme in Health Sciences and Radiology. We have a new Environmental Sciences Bachelor’s [Degree].”

UG has also boosted its ICT connectivity on all its campuses through an agreement that was signed in April, 2017 between the university and the Ministry of Public Telecommunication.

The Government’s role is vital in the creation of employment for young people.

President Granger has said that this role is, particularly, based on sound education systems, which is the best possible start any Government can give its young people: to ensure that

they get to school and receive the type of education that can ultimately prepare them for the world of work.. With regard to adult education, outside of the traditional structures, President David Granger has recognised that vocational training and other educational opportunities targeting out-of-school youth and young adults is critical if a qualified work force is to be created at all levels. The aim is to ensure that the nation’s youth are employable or have the capacity to be their own bosses and in turn become job creators.

On July 20, 2017, President Granger, accompanied by Minister Henry, went on a fact-finding visit to the Kuru Kuru Training Centre (KKTC) located on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway to meet and interact with students and instructors, with the view of ensuring that the programmes being offered at the facility are adequately tailored to the developmental needs of the country and improve the employability of young apprentices.

President Granger said, “This is all what education is about, this is all what the Ministry of Education is about. We have had some disappointments, but your minister is committed to finding out where the bottlenecks are; to find out where the obstacles are; to remove those obstacles, so that all Guyanese could be fully educated. We are not interested in a partially educated nation.” On January 1, 2018, the Government will also be launching the Guyana National Youth Corps to offer opportunities for self-development for young people across the country.

Director of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), Mr. Sydney Walters, during a recent interview with Government In Action, said that the Council is in the process of modernising TVET education.

Institutions such as the Government Technical Institute, the Guyana Industrial Training Centre, the Carnegie School of Home Economics and the Sophia Training Centre, will benefit from the introduction of competency-based education and training to ensure that the students can perform both nationally and internationally.

“These new programmes are part of the modernisation Strategy. In addition to that, we are also looking at the ‘greening’ of TVET. There is a need for us to ensure that ‘greening’ of TVET is introduced in each and every programme in our institutions. We are looking at the introduction of entrepreneurial studies in the post-secondary institutions as part of the individual occupational programmes,” the director said.

With oil and gas coming on stream, Senior TVET Officer, Mr. Jerry Simpson, said that the Council is focusing on curriculum restructuring to match the technological and practical skills needed in this field of work. He said, “In order to modernise the programmes we need to put in place both educational and training resources that are of up-to-date technology and that are being used by industry and employers so that the graduates of the system have the necessary competence in the use of the technology, so that when they are employed they are competent and ready to carry out the tasks that are assigned to them.”

Notably at this year’s CSEC, the Technical and Vocational Education cluster of subjects all recorded improved performances. Industrial Technology Building, Industrial Technology Electrical and Industrial Technology Mechanical all secured pass rates of over 85 percent.

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Welcome to another week of the EPA and you! Last week, we provided answers to some frequently asked questions about our roles and processes. This week, we continue with providing answers to other frequently asked questions (FAQs).

WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION PROCESS? The EPA uses the Environmental Authorisation Process to determine a project’s potential impacts on the environment. In the Process, these impacts are assessed and mitigation measures identified to prevent and, or reduce them. The Environmental Authorisation Process is required by law (Environment Protection Act, Part IV), and its main goal is to safeguard human health and the environment while still providing economic benefits for all.

WHAT IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION? The Environmental Au-

thorisation states the basis on which a project is being allowed to operate. It states specific conditions to which the project must adhere e.g. buffering noise; reducing dust and smoke; removing contaminants from waste water; avoiding spill of materials into environment etc., using recommended available technology.

Environmental Authorisations are usually valid for a period of between one to five years and are used as the basis on which the EPA monitors how projects comply with sound environmental practices.

DO I NEED AN ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION? If you are planning to set up any of the following types of projects, then you will need to apply to the EPA for Environmental Authorisation. ● Medium-scale/large-scale Mining, Logging and Agriculture ● Lumber Yard or Sawmill ● Body-work/spray painting facility ● Gas Station/Fuel farm ● Manufacturing of food products, animal food, vegetable and animal oils and fats, beverages, textile, cement etc.

● Agriculture , Forestry , aquaculture etc. - based on the scale ● Road Construction; a full list of projects that requires authorisation can be obtained from our office or website. ● Sewage, Waste and Water Treatment Plant ● Airport ● Funeral parlour ● Hotel/Resort ● Establishment of park, nature trail and recreational facility This list is not exhaustive; for a full list you may call our office, or visit our website or Facebook page.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING AUTHORISED BY THE EPA? No doubt this question is at the top of the list of FAQs about the EPA! The answer is quite simple, operating an environmentally authorised business improves your public image of being: ● Environmentally responsible and conscious. ● Caring of both environment and human health. ● Business Smart– getting your operations right at the start. ● You will save money by avoiding the need for costly fixing of problems later. ● An Environmental Authori-

sation guides you to get it right! ● Ready to cope with market pressure to be green; this pressure is being driven by consumer awareness of environmental issues. ● Law abiding and sustainable.

What if my business is already operating – without Environmental Authorisation?

It is never too late to make a conscious and responsible decision to manage your business in an environmentally sound manner. Existing business operations are encouraged to submit an application for Environmental Authorisation to the EPA. WHAT DOCUMENTS DO I NEED TO PROVIDE TO THE EPA? What you need to submit to EPA varies with the

type of project you propose to set up. However, generally the requirements are: ● An application fee ( $50 USD/GYD equivalent); ● Completed application from; ● A valid form of identification; ● Any permit of licence received from other government entities; ● Business Registration; ● A detailed project summary (description of your business operations and functions); ● Site maps showing the internal layout of the operation; and ● Map showing surrounding land use of the area

Part II

Know More about the EPA

you propose to situate your project.

Join us next week again as we continue to give more information on our work at the EPA. Remember the environment is everybody’s business; get authorised today!!!

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

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Promoting social cohesion through agriculture development By: Dr. Oudho Homenauth THE National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute

(NAREI) has been doing its part in the promotion and enhancement of a socially cohesive Guyana, through the implementation of projects and outreaches that require bringing

people together, starting conversations and contributing to economic development.

To ensure these projects are successful, the institute has been engaging in training and demonstration activities. NAREI is actively involved in the provision of training to farmers and students throughout Guyana, with a consistent focus on hinterland communities. Extension staff work with farmers and students to ensure that they are equipped with knowledge of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). In addition, practical skills are enhanced through demonstration projects and farmers field schools. These aid farmers to achieve their full productive capacities and thus improve their economic status.

NAREI provides support for community-level economic activities focused on self-employed women and men. In fact, over 35 Community Development Projects (CDPs), which relate directly to crop production, are underway in Regions One, Two, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and 10. Importantly, nine communities in Region Nine are currently benefitting. These CDPs help to ensure that those more vulnerable are able to have a sustained source of income while promoting integration and cooperation.

Advice is regularly provided for these groups by extension workers, so as to ensure that they are sustained and beneficial to all farmers.

NAREI also promotes economic development through value-added production. The institute has established processing facilities in many areas in the hinterland, these include; the spice factory in Hosororo, Region One, and cassava processing in Regions One, Seven and Nine. NAREI also works in collaboration with other governmental agencies to promote agro-processing ventures e.g. the recent commissioned Sun Dried Tomatoes Facility at Paramakatoi, in Region Eight.

Community-based Farmer’s Groups and CDPs which are developed by the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affair (MOIPA) and NAREI, are great tools for social cohesion and economic development as they foster partnerships and promote small business development in these vulnerable communities. One such example is the Quarry Farmer’s Group which is currently receiving assistance from NAREI in the cultivation of cassava which will be used to supply the cassava processing facilities at Wowetta, and Moco-Moco.

NAREI, like the Government, is very sensitive to the need to manage and maintain Guyana’s natural environment. In this regard, the institute is engaged in many projects, particularly in the hinterland communities, that are geared towards the promotion of climate-smart agriculture and organic farming. Often, the inputs for and advice on the construction and maintenance of shade houses, raised-bed cultivation and biological control of pest and diseases are facilitated by NAREI; these are geared towards ensuring that the environment and livelihoods are preserved. These initiatives safeguard the natural ecology of the environment while ensuring that Food and Nutrition Security needs are satisfied.

In summary, the initiatives undertaken by NAREI, in collaboration with other agencies, help to promote social cohesion and economic development within hinterland communities, by helping to solve the issues of food quality accessibility and affordability which often plague these vulnerable residents; by reducing the ecological footprint; by ensuring the existence of viable economic opportunities and community resilience to economic crises; and finally, through the development of value-added production and related services.

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Young Guyanese performs well at CSEC in Barbados

By Shirley Thomas

HAVING received the good news of securing passes with Grade Ones in all nine subjects she wrote at the recent Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, 15-yearold Guyanese born, Pretha Smith, of Harrison College, Barbados, has reason to celebrate. Pretha who has spent most of her school life, Pretha Smith so far, in Barbados has returned home to Guyana with her mother and will continue her education here. An aspiring neurologist, Pretha hopes to attend Sixth Form at Queen’s College where she will prepare for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE). On completion, she will move on to further her studies at the University of Guyana (UG).

From a very tender age, the young girl proved herself to be a winner among her Barbadian classmates–from being amongst the top five students writing the Common Entrance Examinations at Wesley Hall Primary School, Barbados, in 2012, to emerging as one of Harrison’s top performing students at CSEC this year.

Pretha wrote Biology, Chemistry, Physics, General Math, Add Math, English Language, English Literature, French and Geography – and secured Grade One in all the subjects.

And to whom does she give the credit? “To God Almighty be the glory; great things he hath done,” Pretha told the Pepperpot Magazine during an interview.

Throughout her studies for Common Entrance and after settling into secondary school, she has always been consistent in her academic performance. Pretha’s mother, Petal Smith, shared stories of challenges they faced as the young girl was preparing for exams.

“It wasn’t easy. Times were hard, but we trusted God absolutely, as our Jehovah Jireh – our Provider, and we have seen him come through for us, and so we are eternally grateful,” Petal said.

HOW TECHNOLOGY HELPED But despite these difficulties, Pretha took advantage of the resources of the digital age to help her to achieve her goals; a step that she would advise other children her age to take.

She believes that students living and studying in resource-poor settings should get familiar with technology and make the best use of the internet, since doing so, helps you to access information even when you do not have the luxury of purchasing books, or hiring a tutor outside of classroom hours.

She recalls the initiatives she took while having to study alone and not attending extra lessons. “I must say Youtube was a great help for me because I was able to find some people online who would do study tutorials and outline how they manage their time,” she said. Some studied live with her, while others did broadcasting, so she could study along with them. “That was another form of help for me and made me feel that there was another person studying next to me. That also motivated me to study,” she said.

She remembers listening to podcasts in French; watching TV and doing practical past papers she found on the site. She also managed to find a lot of materials on a UK website on virtually all her subjects and topics.

WELL ROUNDED Throughout her schooling young student has consis-

tently been featured on the principal’s Honor Roll, but remains a rounded student with an active extracurricular life as well. “I have always been actively involved in the dance ministry at church in Barbados, I was part of my school’s orchestra, playing the Clarinet and I was a Student Tutor in the Fifth Year programme which was geared toward helping weaker students improve their grades in preparation for CXC CSEC examinations,” Pretha said.

In addition, Pretha said that she was a part of the School’s Cadet Corp for a brief period and the school’s ISCF group. “With God all things are possible. God helped me to manage my time wisely. It was never easy for me, but

with consistent prayers, persistence and total dedication to my work, I came through victoriously. I am giving all the thanks and glory to God,” she said.

Now, as Pretha moves on to advance her education, she advises that children in resource-poor settings make the best use of their technological devices, which make information available at their fingertips. “We live in a technological age but we usually have adults telling us that we’re spending too much time on these devices, but as long as we find a way to use the tool to benefit us (academically), there is nothing wrong with the use of technology,” the soft-spoken stellar youth advised.

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Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017

The inevitable enlarged prostate

By M Margaret Burke

“IN the aging population of men today, particularly in the Caribbean, any term associated with ‘prostate’ can be very dreadful to their mental state. An enlarged prostate is often incidentally found on routine ultrasounds for different pathologies. Men would defer medical visits for assessment of their prostate due to fear of digital rectal examinations, commonly known as the ‘finger exam’.”

These were the words of Dr Orissha Denbow, practicing physician at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Dr Denbow explained that at the end of many visits, despite extensive explanations by medical personnel, men seem to be misguided and misled in their opinions of the prostate, some may even inquire if this is an abnormal structure that was just discovered on routine examination, as they are unaware of the normal male anatomy.

PHYSIOLOGY OF THE PROSTATE Dr Denbow sought to explain the normal physiology of the prostate gland, as well as the pathophysiology of enlargement of the prostate gland; causes, complications, and treatment (medical vs surgical) in an effort to help the male to better understand themselves and the prostate that many of them encounter.

The prostate gland, she stated, is part of the male reproductive system, which lies deep within the pelvis, below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The normal prostate size can be compared to a small lime, which is approximately 20cc.

The function of the prostate is to secrete a slightly alkaline fluid, milky or white in appearance that in humans usually constitutes roughly 30 percent of the volume of the semen. She further explained that the prostate gland surrounds the urethra, which is the tube through which urine passes out of the body.

Dr. Orrisha Denbow (third from left in front row), along with the team with which she works at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica

She submitted that prostate enlargement occurs in most men as they age, which is also known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). The likelihood of BPH is approximately equal to the age of a man; men at 40 years of age have a 40 percent likelihood of BPH and men by age 80 have an 80 percent chance of BPH. This benign prostatic hyperplasia is essentially the enlargement of prostate, caused by the overgrowth of smooth muscle and glands which surround the urethra.

“Half of the men diagnosed with BPH will be asymptomatic [producing or showing no symptoms], while the other half will be symptomatic of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).

These symptoms include waiting long periods to pass urine, poor stream, having the sensation of incomplete emptying after urination, waking up many times at night to urinate, as well as going to urinate frequently during the day, feeling the

urge to pass urine, leaking or wetting oneself due to inability of controlling the urge to pass urine,” Dr Denbow explained.

She said that these symptoms are mainly due to the enlarged prostate blocking normal bladder emptying and also as a result of the muscle in the bladder getting thicker to compensate for the blockage, therefore causing the bladder to become irritable. Dr Denbow further explained that lower urinary tract symptoms can be progressive and so it can adversely affect the quality of life of men. LUTS is not BPH specific and having symptoms does not necessarily equal BPH. COMPLICATIONS AND TREATMENT Dr Denbow stressed that the goal of treatment, primarily by the physician, is to alleviate the bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms that result from what is called, ‘prostatic enTurn to page XXXIII ►►►

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largement’, at the time of presentation. “The main agents used include alpha blockers e.g. Tamsulosin, which help to relax muscles around the prostate; 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, (eg.

Finasteride) which shrink the prostate gland and provide the reduction of LUTS. She noted that other agents include anticholinergic agents and muscarinic agonists, which help to relax bladder; Phosphodiesterase inhibitors, which are commonly known as ‘Viagra’ is also used to relax bladder and muscles around the prostate, she said.

Dr Denbow, in further discussing the issues of an enlarged prostate, warned that the complications or failure of medical therapy will warrant the need for surgical intervention in BPH. Some of these complications include persistent urinary tract infections, the presence of bladder stones, blood in urine and worsening renal function. She said that various surgical interventions may be advised by the Urologist at the time of such complications.

THE CARIBBEAN In the Caribbean, common surgical interventions include Transurethral Resection of Prostate (TURP) and open prostatectomy, which would aim to remove the obstructing part of prostate and alleviate the bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms, Dr Denbow noted.

It is also important, Dr Denbow said, “to distinguish BPH from prostate cancer. Prostate cancer may present with similar symptoms as BPH, but it is associated with the malignant potential of the prostate and the ability to spread to the bone, causing lower back pain and fractures, renal failure due to obstruction of the kidney by an enlarged prostate and even death.”

Dr Denbow said that prostate cancer is the first most frequent cancer diagnosed in Caribbean men. She said the most common investigation used to screen for prostate cancer includes a blood test and a finger examination of the prostate to appreciate bumps or any irregularities of the prostate.

The blood test, she explained, is known as a PSA, which is Turn to page XXXV ►►►

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the abbreviation for Prostate Specific Antigen and is produced by the glands of the prostate, which is primarily a protein which helps to liquefy semen.

Dr Denbow further added that the normal PSA levels range from 0-4ng/L. She said that when it is elevated it can indicate prostate cancer or BPH, but the only way to make a distinction between the two pathologies is by aid of a prostate biopsy. Further, it is very important to know that not all diagnosis of prostate cancer deserves treatment, she said.

“When a male is diagnosed, the various options need to be discussed with a physi-

cian or private urologist depending on how advanced the cancer is and also the age of the patient and need for intervention,” Dr Denbow stated, explaining that these options include radiation therapy, surgery and hormonal therapy.

TESTING IN THE USA She noted that in First World countries, such as the United States of America, there has been a falling out of routine PSA testing due to their low likelihood of having aggressive prostate cancer. However, due to prostate cancer being so prevalent in our male Caribbean population, as well as being very aggressive, a correlation

cannot be drawn and routine PSA’s are recommended.

Dr Denbow said that currently, a database is being formulated to capture men in Jamaica over a 12-year period, who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and the various therapies which have been offered to them. “This study is driven by our Head of Department of Urology at University of the West Indies Mona Campus, Dr. Belinda Morrison, a pioneer in her field,” she said. This database will aid in the trends of prostate cancer in the Jamaican community, which can also be extrapolated to the Caribbean.

The information attained can also help to guide the establishment of health policies aimed at

XXXV reducing the economic effects of disability from prostate disease and also improve the quality of life of men, she told Guyana Chronicle.

It is important that the distinction is made between prostate cancer and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (enlarged prostate). In the AfroCaribbean population of men, routine PSA testing is recommended from age 40. It is also of great significance that the male population is able to make the distinction between an enlarged prostate and prostate cancer hoping that it will subsequently motivate the male population to attend routine follow up and maintain good prostate health, said Dr Denbow. (mercilinburke2017@gmail.com)

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English THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, In the strife of Truth and Falsehood, for the good or evil side.

JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL (1819-1891) The Present Crisis STUDY SUCCESS Dear Student, By now it should have occurred to you that a dialogue is a conversation between two or more persons, and that conversations can be used to advance a story. In narrative writing, good writers use effective dialogue to serve many purposes, such as to create a sense of time and place, tell about character, foreshadow possible trouble, move a plot along, and more. Yes, foreshadow. Have you ever linked foreshadow and dialogue when you write? Be wise.

Love you

FIRST PASSAGE A neighbour passed.

“Waiting for Packy?” said the neighbour, pleasantly, and he stood for a minute to take off his hat and wipe the sweat from his face.

He was an old man.

“It’s a hot day,” he said. “It will be a hard push for Packy on that battered old bike of his. I wouldn’t like to have to face into four miles on a day like this!”

“Packy would travel three times that distance if there was a book at the other end of the road!” said the widow, with the pride of those who cannot read more than a line or two without wearying.

The minutes went by slowly. The widow kept looking up at the sun.

“I suppose the heat is better than the rain!” she said, at last.

“The heat can do a lot of harm too, though,” said the neighbour, absent-mindedly, as he pulled a long blade of grass from between the stones of the wall and began to chew on the end of it. “You could get sunstroke on a day like this!” He looked up at the sun. “The sun is a terror,” he said. “It could cause you to drop down dead like a stone!”

(Mary Lavin, “The Story of the Widow’s Son”) About the Passage The story has two old neighbours in conversation. Their conversation is not too lively or its topic spectacular. It depicts their life’s interest and health, and shows genuine concern in what they say. In all of this, the writer did make her conversation perform some specific purposes including foreshadowing.

Foreshadowing is a literary device in which a writer gives an advance sign or warning of what is to come in the future.

Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story, or in an early chapter, and helps with reader-interest and development of expectations about the coming event(s). Foreshadowing in fiction never ceases to create an atmosphere of suspense in a story.

There are various ways writers create foreshadowing. A writer may choose to use: a) character dialogues to hint at what may occur in the future. b) any event or action in the story that may throw a hint to the readers about future events or actions c) a title of a complete work or a chapter title that tickles readers into figuring out what the clue is suggesting is going to happen.

What to Do 1. Read the passage again and look out for specific purposes of dialogue. Go on to point out a paragraph where dialogue is used for one of the following purposes. (They will not appear in the same listed order as below): a. A subtle foreshadowing; what is the trouble? b. A statement of deep pride in another character c. Another hint of possible danger d. Creation of a vivid sense of time and place 2. What reasons can you offer for the use of so many exclamations by the aged characters?

3. Find and examine some dialogue in a novel or a short story. With other study partners explore the purposes of the dialogue by saying what you think it reveals about the setting, the characters, or the plot.

4. Embellish a narrative of your own with purposeful dialogue. Revise it. Read it aloud to test whether it sounds like real conversation.

Keep on revising the piece until your characters’ words sound right for their purpose.

Listen to the comments of your knowledgeable study partners.

SECOND PASSAGE “He will have a good cool breeze on his face coming down the hill, at any rate,” she said.

The man looked up the hill. “That’s true.

On the hottest day of the year you would get a cool breeze coming down that hill on a bicycle. You would feel the air streaming past your cheeks like silk. And in the winter it’s like two knives flashing to either side of you, and peeling off your skin like you’d peel the bark off a sally-rod [willow twig].” He chewed the grass meditatively. “That must be one of the steepest hills in Ireland,” he said. “That hill is a hill worthy of the name of a hill.” He took the grass out of his mouth.

“It’s my belief,” he said, earnestly looking at the widow – “it’s my belief that that hill is to be found marked with a name in the Ordnance Survey map!”

About the Passage This comes from the same story as the one above. Here dialogue is used to add liveliness and realism. The old man without a name blossoms in lively personality. He is warm, friendly, and interested in people and places.

Realism is any effort to write about or portray life as it truly is. The above story writer does not write about imaginary characters like demonic dolls, child ghosts, sea creatures, and monsters. She writes about two believable aged humans who show interest in another real person. The male has real interest in things of the landscape, alongside other real aspects of life. Ordinary people and events are the writer’s center of attention.

What to Do 1. Find out lines of liveliness, practical view(s), warmth, friendliness, and interest in persons. Comment on their effectiveness.

Are you drawn into the character’s interest of nature? Why? 2. Write a short dialogue that depicts liveliness and realism. Put it up for others to read and comment upon.

THIRD PASSAGE When I finished the story, I waited. . . But Papa didn’t move.

“I see,” he said quietly. “They finally found you. Those cowards who don’t know us but hate us all the same. I know they hurt you, but what they did wasn’t meant just for you. It could have been anyone who is different.”

“I hate being Italian!” I confessed angrily.

“I wish I could have been anything else!”

Papa held me firmly now, and his voice had an edge of anger. “Never let me hear you say that again!” Italians make beautiful music, paint wonderful pictures, write great books and build beautiful buildings. How can you not be proud of being Italian? And you’re extra lucky, because you’re an American too.”

What to Do: Discuss the purpose(s) of this dialogue.

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Entertainment

Chronicle Pepperpot August 27, 2017 has denied any correlation, but it is a pretty crazy coincidence.

No matter who she's referring to, "Look What You Made Me Do" is the first of many diss tracks to come, and we're so here for it!

Plus, Taylor is dropping the "Look What You Made Me Do" video at the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday, August 27. From the looks of the 15-second teaser that she previewed on her Instagram, it's going to be a whole new Taylor.

Are Fans Missing The Old Taylor Swift? All the "Look What You Made Me Do" Theories and Social Reactions Taylor Swift is coming for...who exactly? The singer finally her do what. Could it be Katy Perry or Kanye West? "I don't dropped the first single off of her upcoming sixth studio album Reputation, and fans are decidedly torn on whether they love or hate it. The new song is called "Look What You Made Me Do" and introduces a whole new Taylor to the world, but not everyone is loving the change.

There are a lot of secret messages hidden in the song and no one is quite sure who Taylor is calling out or who made

like your tilted stage," Taylor sings, which could be a pretty clear shot at the stage Kanye used for his Saint Pablo tour.

Hmm...obviously Taylor's not commenting, buuut there are a few other reasons to believe she's throwing some major shade.

Reputation is due out on November 10, which is the the 10-year anniversary of Kanye's mom's death. Taylor's camp

Butterflap Ingredients All-Purpose Flour / Maida – 2 cups Instant Yeast – 1 ½ tsp Sugar – 2 tbsp Olive Oil – 2 tbsp Salt – ¼ tsp Warm Water – ½ cup (maybe little more, as needed) Butter – 2 tbsp, at room temperature Garlic – 4 cloves, peeled and finely minced.

Mixed Herbs Powder – as needed

Instructions: Making the dough: In mildly warm water (or milk), add sugar and yeast. Allow to sit for 4-5 minutes. The solution should begin to froth up and bubbles should appear on top.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and salt. Sieve together the flours and salt while you wait for the yeast to proof.

Add the proofed yeast mixture into the flour mixture, add the olive oil and combine together into a dough. Add extra water (or milk) or flour to make a firm yet sticky dough.

You can do this using your hands or a hand blender using the bread hooks.

Knead for a good 5 minutes and make a firm dough.

Grease the bowl with olive oil and sit the dough in a warm place where it can rise. Keep the bowl covered with a kitchen towel or a cling wrap. I keep the dough inside the microwave oven, with the power switched off. It makes for a perfect warm place to let the yeast do its work.

After an hour, remove the bowl from the oven and behold in delight as the dough would have doubled in size ??

Punch down the dough and knead for a minute more to remove any air bubbles.

Shaping the butterflaps: In a mixing bowl, combine together the butter and garlic paste.

Dust the counter with flour.

Pull out small balls of dough and roll out a circle about 10 cm in diameter.

Spread 1 teaspoon of butter garlic spread. Fold the dough into a semicircle and then fold again to form a triangle.

Smear some more butter on top and sprinkle some mixed herbs seasoning.

Repeat this processed with he remaining dough. The butterflaps are ready to be baked!

Arrange them on a greased baking tray and keep aside for for 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or till butterflaps turn a beautiful golden brown.