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Kaieteur News

Sunday August 05, 2012

Sunday August 05, 2012

WHO PACKED YOUR PARACHUTE? Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.

Charles Plumb, a US Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”

“How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb.

“I packed your parachute,” the man replied.

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man grabbed his hand and said, “I guess it worked!”

Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb kept wondering what the man might have looked like in a Navy uniform. He wondered how many times he might have seen him and not even said good morning, how are you or anything, because you see, he was a fighter pilot and the man was just a sailor.

Plumb thought of the many hours that sailor had spent in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he did not know.

Now Plumb asks his audience, “Who is packing your parachute?” Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day.

Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down. As you go through your week, month, and even New Year, recognize the people who have packed your parachute and enabled you to get where you are today!

Kaieteur News

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Bandits shoot businessman, 74, escape with $2M The 74-year-old President of the Guyana Volleyball Federation Lenox Shuffler is recovering well after receiving a gunshot wound to his left ankle when bandits attacked him on Friday afternoon.

The robbers also relieved Shuffler, the General Manager of Toucan Industries, of a bag containing $2M, just as he was leaving his Water Street, Kingston business place around 17:15 hours.

Police in a press release yesterday said that Shuffler had closed his office and was on his way to join a motor vehicle which was parked outside the premises when he was confronted by two men on a motorcycle, one of whom was armed with a handgun.

The businessman told this newspaper yesterday that

Linden protest…

President Donald Ramotar has once again indicated his willingness to go to Linden, but remains resolute that the blockages to the roads placed by protesters – effectively shutting down the area - must be removed.

This assertion was made last evening during an interview with media operatives. Providing an update on the situation in Linden, the Head-of-State said that it is unfortunate that the thoroughfares are still blocked.

“I have been asking the security forces to open the way and to ensure that persons could go about their businesses unobstructed, but unfortunately things have not yet come back to normal,” Ramotar said.

On July 18, residents of Linden began what was intended to be a five-day protest against intended electricity tariff increases. It now includes a call for justice in relation to the killing of

the two men emerged suddenly from behind a parked vehicle.

“I had about eight of my staff at the front, so I was fairly comfortable coming out of the office.

These men came in the blink of an eye and I immediately realized what was happening,” Shuffler told this newspaper during a telephone interview.

One of the men placed his gun to the businessman’s right thigh while the other man grabbed at a bag that he was carrying at the time.

“They said nothing to me, they just grabbed the bag,” Shuffler stated.

According to the police, Shuffler resisted and was shot to his left ankle, after which the perpetrators took away the bag with the cash and

escaped.

Shuffler said that he was lucky that he had not entered the car since he believes that the gun might have been pointed to his chest instead of his thigh.

“I turned and the gun mouth slipped away and then the guy fired, the bullet hitting my ankle. I stayed down,” the businessman explained.

The driver of the motor vehicle that Shuffler was about to enter pursued the robbers, but they managed to evade him through traffic.

Shuffler was briefly treated at a private hospital shortly after the incident.

“I am thanking my lucky stars. If that bullet had damaged my leg, at my age, I could have been laid up.”

The businessman is of the

Lenox Shuffler view that since the men timed their act to perfection; they had to be monitoring his operations for a while.

No one has so far been arrested and Shuffler is confident that he will be back at work tomorrow.

Ramotar visit still hinges on blockade removal three men, allegedly by ranks of the Guyana Police Force.

Days into the protest, and criticisms by many of Government not meeting with Linden residents, Ramotar had planned to visit the community on July 28.

However, he canceled his visit after residents defied security forces order of removing blockages from the roadways.

According to Ramotar, Government is trying its best to ensure life comes back to normal for Linden residents.

He pointed out that amidst all that is happening, it is the people of Linden who are suffering the most.

He emphasized that those responsible for the current situation in Linden are doing great harm to the community.

“The world we live in today needs a lot of resources and investment in the different areas. Linden has some unique advantages because of its geographical location, but what is taking place today I suspect will do a lot of harm

to Linden as a destination for investment,” the Head of State opined. “These actions could inhibit investment, job creation, wealth generation and an overall better life for residents.”

N e i g h b o u r i n g communities, such as mining districts, are affected by Linden ‘shutdown’ and the criminal elements that infiltrated the protest. The absence of a proper alternative to enter Mahdia and surrounding communities has renewed calls for the ‘Cassandra Crossing’ Bridge

along the Bartica to Mahdia route to be rehabilitated.

Ramotar related that Government has a general programme for infrastructure.

“We will be looking at all our bridges, and now that we have this kind of situation it really shows that we should be looking at all these things even in a more urgent way,” he emphasised.

Ramotar said that, recently, resources were deployed to Sherima Crossing to rehabilitate areas that were dug up by persons to prevent alternative access.

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Kaieteur News

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KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210

Editorial

Which university?

Recently there was a desultory and defensive response to our editorial “Higher Education at UG?” in which we had bemoaned the dearth of research in our sole tertiary institution.

We questioned whether those agitating for change had given much thought to the ‘raison d’etre’ for higher education which we proposed was ‘the creation of knowledge’.

Even more disappointing was the action of some who claimed to be concerned about the university yet focused totally on the issue of control. Control to do what?

The phrase ‘idea of the university’ goes back to a seminal period in modern university history, the reforms of Wilhelm von Humboldt in Prussia. Starting with the University of Berlin, founded in 1810, the ‘Humboldtian’ university became a model for the rest of Europe, and by 1914 German universities were generally admired as the best in the world. It was the Humboldtian model that shaped the research universities of the United States, which head the international league today.

The central Humboldtian principle was the ‘union of teaching and research’ in the work of the individual scholar or scientist. The function of the university was to advance knowledge by original and critical investigation, not just to transmit the legacy of the past or to teach skills.

Teaching should be based on the disinterested search for truth, and students should participate, at however humble a level, in this search. Hence the classic view that the university was a community of scholars and students’ engaged on a common task. Humboldt’s influence is still felt in the assertion that research must be an integral part of every university’s activities.

But in the Humboltdian vision, research was still seen as ancillary to teaching. It was in the 20th century that research came to be seen as a vital activity in itself, indeed as the primordial purpose of universities, contributing to industrial progress, military strength, and social welfare, and requiring collaborative rather than individual effort. The union of teaching and research reflected the social mission of the elite university. It was based on the assumption that the subjects taught in universities had a corpus of theory and knowledge which needed to be kept up to date by current research.

In 1963, when the University of Guyana was launched with the assistance of academics primarily from the UK, a seminal reassessment of higher education in the UK was also released.

The early founders of UG were obviously influenced by the report of the Robbins committee, which proclaimed the ‘Robbins principle’, that university places should be available to all who were qualified for them by ability and attainment.

The report also discussed the nature of higher education, and defined four ‘objectives essential to any properly balanced system’.

The first objective, a utilitarian one, was ‘instruction in skills’; but universities must also promote the ‘general powers of the mind’, to produce ‘not mere specialists but rather cultivated men and women’.

Thirdly, while the balance between teaching and research might vary, teaching should not be separated from the advancement of learning and the search for truth, since ‘the process of education is itself most vital when it partakes of the nature of discovery’ through research. Last came ‘the transmission of a common culture and common standards of citizenship’. The present UG would fail on all four goals.

Now all of this is not to say that a university should not be autonomous – but it should deliver of its goals. The Humboldtian ideals were reaffirmed in the Bologna declaration of 1988, signed by the heads of most European universities, and described as ‘the Magna Carta of the European universities’.

The first Bologna principle was that the university is an autonomous institution, with the distinctive mission of embodying and transmitting the culture of its society. Second came the principle that teaching and research must be inseparable, and third that ‘freedom in research and training is the fundamental principle of university life’. Finally, the charter declared universities must transmit a common culture – in their case European humanism.

What are our university’s ideals?

Sunday August 05, 2012

Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

A Commission of Inquiry into the Linden unrest will bear no fruit DEAR EDITOR, History has a way of repeating itself. The Wismar disturbances of 1964 saw the resignation of Janet Jagan in June, 1964; as minister responsible for the police.

History has it recorded that she complained that the Commissioner of Police, one Mr. Owen and his men set hard test papers for rural recruits and easy test papers for city recruits so as to create a racial imbalance in the police force. She also accused the Police at Wismar of standing by and allowing Indians to be murdered.

What we had recently in Linden was a President, A

Home Affairs Minister and a Commissioner of Police standing by and allowing Africans to be murdered.

The sad thing is that the President has stood beside his Home Affairs Minister and has not called on him to resign: A little learning is a dangerous thing and we are seeing the manifestation of this in the Home Affairs Minister.

We have seen so many Commissions of Inquiries being set up over the years in Guyana with no real result.

A Commission of Inquiry into the recent disturbance in Linden will bear no fruit. The President and his entire

Cabinet should resign immediately.

There are so many witnesses to the Linden murders that there is no need for any further corroboration.

In 1964, a Commission of Inquiry into the Wismar disturbances was formed with Harold Drayton, acting Head of the University of Guyana, Mrs. Rajkumarie Singh and Queens Counsel JOF Haynes.

This Commission was barely formed when in July, 1964, a motor launch, the ‘Sun Chapman’ was blown to pieces on the Demerara River.

The People of Guyana must know also that in 1964

one Fairban called Batson was arrested by a party of Policemen headed by an Assistant Superintendant.

At the Brickdam lockups, it is said that Fairban was beaten and as a result nine police officers were charged with assaulting him.

As a result, two officers were called on to resign. They were Mc Grill Smith and Superintendent Randolph Lambert. Likewise, the officers responsible for the shooting and killing of innocent persons at Linden should be charged and tried in a court of law.

Kenneth Chance

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox What qualifies this man to be the Chairman of Guysuco?

DEAR EDITOR, Recently, it was reported that Mr. Raj Singh is the Chairman of Guysuco and travels to Guyana on a monthly basis with all expenses paid, enjoying a lot of succor on the backs of the Guyanese people; editor, I wonder when the PPP government will come to their senses and stop this largesse to friends like Singh , who definitely does not deserve it.

And furthermore, Raj Singh was a partner in the New Global Consults which was the main entity involved in the famous law books scam in New York some years ago a deal which saw a lot of Guyanese taxpayers money go down the drain.

By the way, the person who signed that dubious deal on behalf of the Government of Guyana was Hydar Ally, now an “advisor” to the President and an avid defender of majoritarian rule in Guyana.

Mr.Raj Singh is also a close friend of Ed Ahmed, a man who has been indicted by the United States government on a number of serious charges and faces years in prison if found guilty; as a matter of fact, ”Prof” Singh brought Ed Ahmed into the political fray in New York as a contact person for PPP fundraising!

What qualifies this man to be the Chairman of Guysuco?

Is it because he’s been the head of the Association of Concerned Guyanese(ACG)a PPP group in New York for the longest while, which has had a history of keeping Guyanese of African descent out?

What business company has he been Chairman of before in the USA because he has never run anything here?

How can he be Chairman of Guysuco when he does not live here? How good a friend is he of former president Jagdeo and he was put there

by Jagdeo and sat there while Guysuco fell apart? Why should Guyanese taxpayers feed him when there are much more qualified persons right here in Guyana?

Editor, the more I live in Guyana , the more I am amazed at the brazen attitudes some people have towards the Guyanese people.

Doesn’t Raj Singh have a conscience and fess up that he ‘s really not qualified to chair any corporation anywhere and at anytime; this man is showing us sheer “eye-pass” and for Guyanese to accept nonsense like this is beyond me.

We all expected real changes with Mr. Ramotar but when one looks at Raj Singh and the “sweeties” he’s getting , we can see the same old patterns of rule Continued on page 6

I welcome this decision

by Govt. and the GGDMA DEAR EDITOR, Once again I wish to comment on the recent discussion between the government and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association, GGDMA regarding the future of Guyana’s mining sector.

From the onset, I would like to congratulate the Government and the GGDMA for engaging in constructive dialogue resulting in a common understanding that will positively impact on the lives of miners and sector as a whole.

The decision by President Donald Ramotar and Minister Robert Persaud to meet with the GGDMA is a true reflection of the Government’s recognition and importance of the gold mining sector. The GGDMA had a feeling of being neglected and wanted some attention and the recent meeting is a step in the right direction to transform the sector to address the global challenges ahead. I do hope

that the GGDMA is bent on continuing business as usual, but rather continue to work from the head ways made from their meeting with the President and the Minister.

Additionally, the GGDMA needs all the support of the government as the price of gold is still reasonably high and more persons will continue to get involved the mining and the need to monitor and regulate mining activities will be greater.

Hence, there is a greater need to protect an industry and resource that belongs to all Guyanese.

Finally, I must state that many miners, including those persons that supply fuel, ration, transportation and other services to mining camps are now optimistic under this new dispensation of collaboration between the GGDMA and the Government to objectively address the concerns of all stakeholders.

Terence William

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Kaieteur M@ilbox

Why did Rohee not act as the Home Affairs Minister did in 1962?

DEAR EDITOR, I wish to join those who have mourned in public the loss of three precious lives, and to join those who have denounced the opening of deadly fire on citizens protesting for whatever reason.

I was in Guyana for my brother’s funeral when on December 6,2011 the police, under the same Minister, opened fire with rubber bullets and pellets on non violent protestors.

“Our actions are usually in the interest of the maintenance of law and order in its statement, according to Caribinsight.

O n e Vo i c e C a n W i n reported that the Home Affairs Ministry and then Police Chief expressed regret. No one was able to claim that the marchers were violent. This healthy attitude of the marchers should have been the big news that week. In fact the discipline seemed to scare those who squat on the top of society.

During that December week, a newspaper Stabroek News, questioned me about the post- election situation and reported my opinion fairly. My sense was that the people were ready for big things.

People of all races, mainly Guyanese, had helped us to afford the visit home. Staying in Buxton, I noted that the great majority of the people I talked with, the young men who held me at a night spot, the visitors, were opposition supporters, with a majority of one in the elected assembly.

There was not the usual postelection hostility in the air. I heard not a word of bitterness.

The elected

representatives and the Ministers of the minority government set about their various duties as they thought fit, or as they were able. Seven months after December, 2011, on July 18, citizens of Linden announced a week of protest and began on the first day.

It was near midnight Pacific Time, when I heard the sad news that “four or five” Lindeners had been shot dead. I chose the smaller number and sent out a private alert that “four” had been killed. I correct myself publicly; thankfully, not four, but three had fallen.

The Police Commissioner of December, then a felony suspect, had his Day and his Way in court and is gone.

The Minister in July, 2012 is the same person. He denies being in touch with the situation at Linden on July 18. Had he not heard from the subject Minister, the Prime, Mr. Samuel Hinds?

Was the protest nothing to them?

Why did he not do like the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. B.S. Rai, in 1962 during the Kaldor budget protest marches? It is written, and not denied: “During the conversation Rai was surprised to learn that the Commissioner had given the order to open fire on the protestors.

Rai: Commissioner, you are the Commander of the Police?

Commissioner: Yes Rai: And I am the Commander in Chief?

Commissioner: Yes Rai: I am countermanding your order.

Commissioner: Very well, Sir.” (Ramharak:

Against the Grain) Mr. Rohee might consider Mr. Rai a person of incorrect ideology. What about his example on a day of city -wide crisis?

There was no firing on protestors in 1962. Five alleged looters, not reported as protestors, were shot and killed. One man, sitting on his bike at a major road, fell from a shot, an innocent bystander.

Is there a lesson from these July sacrifices? They did not result from interethnic violence. They were not due to the acts of secret vigilantes.

Private agents of the State were not the actors.

The deaths were the result of a disagreement between the State and its citizens in part of Region Ten. I am sure that the groups concerned and those that concern themselves, and the workers Union will get about an answer to the electricity rates. But there is a wider crisis of how the people share in the government and governance. No book by

any genius gives a direct answer.

We should begin with the election results. Avoiding the voice of the people in the accepted election results is just beating about the bush.

“The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.” Article 2, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 If that declaration, is binding on Member countries of the UN, then Guyana may be once again among the outlaws..

(Dedicated to the newest people’s martyrs, Shemroy Bouyea, of Silvertown, Allan Lewis, of Wismar Hill, and Ron Somerset of Wisroc, to their mothers and loved ones, to all who live in the dwelling places of the poor and insecure everywhere.)

Eusi Kwayana

Page 6

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur M@ilbox

The Deception of Minister Manickchand These two police ranks DEAR EDITOR, I need to bring to the public’s attention the utter deception in the reply of the Minister of Education (“Sunday editorial failed to publish pertinent facts,” Tuesday, July 31, 12) to the editorial of the Stabroek of Sunday, July 29 that dealt with the new composition of the UG Council as chosen by Minister Manickchand While the 1995 amendment to the University of Guyana Act empowering the Minister of Education to choose eight members of the Council was in itself an undemocratic policy, it does not necessarily mean that the Minister has to choose party people. This is what the amended Act did. It gave the power to the Education Minister to choose a representative from the farming sector, Amerindian community, women rights groups, medical community and from among practicing lawyers. But it states that the Minister would choose such a representative that in the Minister ’s opinion best represents that sector What the previous Education Ministers have done, including Dr. Henry Jeffrey, was not to select the obvious choice but a party person. It is like a law that states that the Sports Minister must give a house lot to a cricketer that in the Minister’s opinion must have served Guyana’s cricket in an outstanding way and the Minister picks someone who never even represented Guyana at the regional or

played at the international level Since 1995 the PPP Government has gotten away with this rotten policy of selecting a farmer, Amerindian, lawyer, doctor etc for their PPP status rather than outstanding contribution in their respective field. The outgoing Vice Chancellor, Professor Lawrence Carrington, days before he left Guyana, gave a public interview to Mr. Yesu Persaud on “Eye on the Issue” and he told the funny story of how an attendee at a Council meeting informed the gathering that he was from the Minister of Education but was corrected there and then when he was informed by another Council member that he represents the Amerindian community My friend Gino Persaud told me that Dr. Nanda Gopaul asked him to sit on the Council as the nominee of the legal profession. The same Gopaul, while he was Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President, represented farmers on the Council. Wasn’t that a fat, juicy joke? At the moment, PPP Parliamentarian Bibi Shadick represents the legal profession on the Council.

This is not only a travesty but a circus. Which person in their right mind sees Bibi Shadick as being a lawyer that has an outstanding career? The doctors in Guyana do not know that they have a representative on the UG council. That spot at the moment is held by Dr. Gancham Singh who

remigrated two years ago. He is the son of Dr. Nanda Gopaul. Ms. Gail Teixeira at the moment sits as the nominee of women rights groups. Like in the case of Bibi Shadick, this is not only a farce but a masquerade What Minister Manickchand did not state in her letter and in my opinion this was deliberate, is whether in choosing the new Council, she consulted the real women groups in Guyana and Red Thread obviously comes to mind. Did she have dialogue with the Guyana Bar Association and the Guyana Medical Association?

Manickchand would have shouted it from the roof top if she did. And I don’t believe she did. What we have then is the same old story of a Council dominated by PPP personnel. I have been a Council member for four years and never, I repeat never was there ever a Council meeting with more than ten voting members being present. And on every occasion, the PPP appointees were in the majority. They go to meeting just to vote along party lines I think it is time to stop the nonsense of selecting people from sectoral communities to sit on the Council. You need to have competent people who had or have experience in administration, higher education and have made a significant contribution to their country in their irrespective fields. If Parliament wants to retain a position for the farmers Amerindians, women rights groups etc then

commonsense dictates that such persons must be competent and have some background in administration and education As a matter of urgency, the University of Guyana Act must be amended to take the jurisdiction out of the hands of the Education Minister to choose about ten Council members. If you want to retain that power, then the Minister’s selections must be done transparently by a decent level of consultation with the respective stakeholder groups. If that was done before, I know for a fact that Bibi Shadick would not have been the choice of the lawyers and Gail Teixeira that of our women groups Finally, Minister Manickchand said on Benschop Radio that termination of my contract was a unanimous Council vote. She knew very well that wasn’t so because just as she read the SN editorial on UG, there was a similar one when industrial action broke out after four of us were terminated. All angles of my dismissal were ventilated in the press. These were the persons that voted for termination. Bibi Shadick, Gail Teixeira, Indra Chandarpal, Nirmal Rekha and Prem Misir.

Those voting against were the Vice Chancellor, my Dean, the PNC rep and the student president. The Chancellor, Compton Bourne did not speak on the issue. If I was invited to the meeting and the TUC rep was there, it would have been a tie. I lost my job at UG because five persons from the PPP decided on that.

Frederick Kissoon

What qualifies this man to...

From page 5 which we hoped would change. The opposition parties should have a closer look at Raj Singh and he should be made to appear before a select committee to answer personal questions and to relate his qualifications for this all important job as Chairman of Guysuco; Parliament should also examine his monetary package and expenditures on his behalf by Guysuco-I bet there’s a crocodile under the carpet and Mr.Jagdeo placed it right there.

Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr.)

are terrorizing Albouystown residents

Dear Editor, I write to draw to the attention of the public and those in authority a pattern of abuse towards the residents of Albouystown by two police patrols headed by Cadet Officers (names given) which, if left unchecked, could further tarnish the image of the Guyana Police Force and the reputation of the hard-working and honest members of this law enforcement body. It is lamentable that this type of indiscriminate behavior comes at a time when the force is striving to rebuild the trust it lost in citizens of communities such as Albouystown and also at a time when the cooperation of law abiding citizens is needed to combat heightened criminal activity.

The former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran was spot-on when he noted (Stabroek News 2012-05-14) that “young men in their twenties and thirties who drive motor vehicles, especially if they are new cars, SUVs or pick-up trucks” and those also “riding motor cycles” are being targeted by “rude, power hungry policemen.”

From my own personal experiences this seems to be the case with these cadet officers. If the former speaker’s son (also a member of the legal profession) could be treated in such a manner by these ranks, who by their own admission are acting without the fear of recrimination, then one can just imagine the abuse hapless residents of this community are being made to endure.

One such incident which immediately comes to mind is the brutality meted out against Gregory ‘Bird’ Payne in full view of at least 50 persons on May 27 by one of the cadet officers and his squad. Payne was searched and taken out of a yard, then repeatedly stomped about his body. One rank held unto a GPL lamp pole as Payne lay on the ground in an effort to better position himself for the assault. He also had his bicycle thrown on him in the police van.

This happened even as onlookers who were warned against filming the incident berated them, only to be told ‘alyuh could tell who the (expletive) ya’ll want’. Payne who was later charged for possession of a firearm and 4 matching rounds of ammunition had his initial ‘guilty’ plea changed to ‘not guilty’ after he related his ordeal to the presiding Magistrate. Video evidence

depicting some parts of the assault was provided along with this letter.

Payne’s case is by no means an isolated one as another member of this community and her brother were similarly brutalized. A female resident as assaulted and insulted when she tried to rescue her brother from a “sound thrashing” by the other cadet officer and his men.

The woman later said she believed the policemen “stormed through the area with the intention of killing someone.” Similar stories of abuse, extortion, harassment and brutality by these ranks can be heard at almost every corner throughout Albouystown.

My most recent encounter with this rank and his men happened on the evening of July 3rd when a relative of mine parked his motorcycle on our bridge and proceeded to a friend’s home a few corners away. The rank made some enquiries as to the owner of the motorcycle and even though the owner’s location was pointed out and an effort made to have him provide the necessary documentation they still took possession of his motorcycle after becoming very abusive, issuing threats and charging “ya’ll cud call who eva ya’ll wan”.

Enquiries were then made at the Ruimveldt Police station about the location of the seized motorcycle and my relatives and I were shocked when we initially learnt that no one was aware of its location. A rank that recognized me from an earlier visit I made at the behest of a senior police officer than radioed the cadet officer who turned up by himself to say that the seized motorcycle was at police headquarters, Eve Leary and that a verification of the authenticity of the documents will take several days, thus it will remain impounded.

Over the past two months or so residents of Albouystown have had to suffer a host of abuse at the hands of patrols headed by these two ranks who are yet to be confirmed as officers.

The level of disdain and disrespect shown is alarming and even more so is the fact that these guys act as though they are beyond reproach. I was told that one of these ranks has at least four disciplinary matters currently pending before the police OPR. It is time that serious action is taken against this rank and his like-minded colleagues.

Name provided

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Iran tests short-range missile with new guidance system DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has test-fired a new, more accurate short-range missile capable of striking land and sea targets, it said yesterday, a show of strength that underscored its ability to hit shipping in the Strait of Hormuz if attacked.

Israel has said it is considering military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites if the Islamic Republic does not resolve Western fears it is developing atomic weapons technology, something Tehran denies.

Iran says it could hit Israel and U.S. bases in the region if it comes under attack. It has also threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, the neck of the Gulf through which 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil exports pass.

“With the fourth generation of the Fateh 110, the armed forces of our country are able to target and destroy land and sea targets, enemy headquarters ... missile seats, ammunition sites, radars and other points,” Defense Minister Ahmad

Vahidi said in quotes carried by the official IRNA news agency.

The missile has a range of around 300 km (180 miles), meaning it could strike Iran’s immediate neighbors and might also be able to hit Hormuz shipping, as well as energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and the U.S. fifth fleet in Bahrain.

Such moves would risk a military response from the United States.

“Using new guidance methods, target-striking systems were installed on the missiles and during the flight test ... its ability to hit the target without deviation was proven,” Vahidi said, according to IRNA. “In future programs, all future missiles built by the Defense Ministry will be equipped with this capability,” he added.

Iran has made “robust strides” in developing its ballistic missile capabilities, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies wrote in a

God grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change, the COURAGE to change the things I can, and the WISDOM to know the difference.

Ahmad Vahidi 2010 assessment which also said that Iran’s arsenal suffered from poor accuracy.

All of Tehran’s ballistic missiles would be capable of carrying a nuclear payload, the IISS said.

Last month, Iran said it had successfully test-fired medium-range missiles capable of hitting Israel, and tested dozens of missiles aimed at simulated air bases.

It conducted what it called the “Great Prophet 7” missile exercises at the start of July as a European Union embargo on Iranian crude oil took full effect.

Page 7

Truckers fearful of traversing Linden to Lethem trail

Drivers of cargo trucks are fearful to traverse the Linden to Lethem trail, owing to criminal elements, resulting in increased prices for fuel and food in neighbouring mining districts.

The flow of traffic in and out of mining areas, such as Mahdia, has been difficult since the protest in Linden started on July 18. The protest originally targeted electricity tariff hikes and was expected to last for five days. It now includes a call for justice for three men who were allegedly killed by ranks of the Guyana Police Force on the first day of protest.

Its end is uncertain and criminal elements have infiltrated the protest. To avoid being robbed of millions many businesses in Mahdia are utilising alternative means- air and the Bartica to Mahdia route - to transport cargo.

According to a Mahdia businessman, transporting cargo via air and the Bartica to Mahdia route are expensive. As such, wholesalers are forced to increase their prices. The price for fuel was reduced on Thursday, but news of disturbances at Rockstone on Thursday evening sent the prices back up.

“We want to reduce our prices but drivers are fearful to traverse the area. It is unsafe, nobody wants to lose millions. Look at that businessman Adams who lost millions,” the man stated.

He stressed that despite the

high cost, Mahdia residents and miners are accessing food.

Villages along Miles 47 and 58 are not so fortunate.

“Those villages are between Linden and Mahdia and with nothing going and coming they cannot access food items. They do get some stuff from time to time when trucks are coming out of Mahdia, but now vehicles hardly going out,” he said.

Currently, a drum of diesel costs between $65,000 and $75,000 and one litre of gas costs between $3,000 and $3,500. Prices for food items are soaring almost daily as supplies are costly to transport by air. In addition, the power outage has caused meat and fish to spoil.

According to the businessman, the Mahdia

Power Light Company has shut down its operations.

Many businessmen have approached the company to assist in providing fuel to power its operations but the power company has refused this help.

According to a female resident, the situation in Mahdia is dire, especially for single parents. The woman emphasized that preparing a ‘pot’ for five amounts to $4,000. She added that a plate of food is being sold for $1,500 on Mahdia Landing.

“Things in Mahdia really rough, imagine a pound beef is for $700, $800 per pound chicken, $800 per pound butterfish and even a pound ochro cost $400…It really hard for single mothers,” the woman stressed.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday August 05, 2012

Tropical Storm Ernesto heads toward Jamaica ROSEAU, Dominica (AP) — Tropical Storm Ernesto blew across open waters yesterday on a projected path that would skirt Jamaica and hit Mexico after dumping

heavy rain on islands in the eastern Caribbean.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Ernesto was expected to roll south of Jamaica as a

Deosaran must answer Trinidad Guardian Former head of the Public Service Reginald Dumas said chairman of the PSC Prof Ramesh Deosaran and other commission members must tell the country whether the ex gratia payments made to Gibbs and Ewatski were part of their original contracts when they assumed their respective roles. Dumas also agreed that the resignations of the Canadians have created more questions than answers.

The role of the commission and Parliament have also been brought into question, Dumas said. “It is a question that can be reasonably asked: what is the role of the commission and the role of Parliament. It certainly puts question marks over the role and independence of the commission. “Why wasn’t the announcement of the resignations made in Parliament rather than at the Prime Minister’s residence?”

Dumas questioned.

He said from all indications the ex gratia payments were made so that Gibbs and Ewatski could leave in a “good frame of mind.” Fixin’ T&T has added its voice to the growing concern regarding the manner in which Gibbs and Ewatski resigned from office. The organisation’s president Kirk Waithe Thursday said the move was not in keeping with good industrial practices.

Waithe, however, said he was happy that Gibbs and Ewatski were leaving the country and returning to Canada. “Fixin’ T&T’s position on CoP Dwayne Gibbs and DCP Jack Ewatski has been well documented, consistent and clear. While we are happy to see them leave our shores for reasons previously stated, the circumstances under which they appear to have demitted office cause us grave concern.”

hurricane Sunday evening.

The forecast would carry it into the coastal resorts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday.

The storm forced Dominica to close its airport for two days, and St. Lucia ordered shops to close for several hours, but no damage or flooding was reported on islands affected by the storm.

The hurricane center said Ernesto had maximum sustained winds of about 50 mph (85 kph) yesterday afternoon. It was about 270

miles (440 kilometers) south of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and was moving westward at 18 mph (30 kph).

Meanwhile, a new tropical storm, Florence, formed further out in the Atlantic. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was about 415 miles (665 kilometers) west of the Cape Verde Islands.

The National Hurricane Center said it was not expected to reach hurricane force as it marches generally westward.

Golding says Dudus betrayed him Jamaica Gleaner FORMER PRIME Minister Bruce Golding said he felt betrayed by Tivoli Gardens gangster Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.

Golding, in an interview published in American newspaper, The New Yorker, said that as the member of parliament for West Kingston, it was difficult to manage the relationship with Coke.

“In December of 2007, I received information that there were persons the police were seeking ... who were hiding in West Kingston ... .

Now, Coke had sufficient influence that these persons were not likely to be in Tivoli Gardens without his knowledge.

“And, I sent an emissary to him with very clear words that if these persons are being harboured in the community, it would put the entire community at risk, because, if the security forces were to

enter the community in search of these persons, there is the possibility of confrontation and there is the possibility of innocent people being killed.

“The message I got back from him was, ‘No, there is no such person being harboured in West Kingston.’ The police conducted an operation sometime afterward, and in that operation, I think, some of the persons were found, some of the persons were seen, some of them escaped.

“I felt betrayed, because I was seeking to protect the residents, and it seemed to me that he was seeking to protect these criminals who came from outside. And because of that ... I basically cut him off, I basically said, ‘I will have nothing to do with him and his operation, because, if I cannot secure compliance on a simple matter that is intended to protect the citizens of the community, then I would have nothing to do with him.’

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Govt.US$85M Parliamentary request…

Page 9

Dem boys seh

Finance Minister’s latest demand Kwame gat fuh walk now fuh meet dem li’l ones disrespectful – Carl Greenidge

By Gary Eleazar The Guyana Government, through its Finance Minister, has submitted two supplementary requests for monies to be advanced from the Consolidated Fund to meet unforeseen expenditure, but the request on the face isn’t sitting well with Shadow Finance Minister Carl Greenidge.

The request, to the tune of some $13B (US$85 million) which will be debated for approval on Thursday, is being seen as almost disrespectful on the part of the opposition coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

This publication spoke with Dr. Ashni Singh’s shadow counterpart, Carl Greenidge, who informed that a legislative requirement is unanswered.

This requirement, according to Greenidge, obligates the Minister to provide clearly defined details as it relates to the request for the expenditure.

“There is a general feeling of being disrespected by the Finance Minister as a result of the repeated submissions of Financial Papers, despite the demands for the accompanying information not being adhered to.

Another glaring revelation in the request made by the Finance Minister was some

APNU MP, Carl Greenidge

Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh

$5B to be used as capital expenditure.”

Greenidge says that it was mere months ago, the 2012 expenditures were presented

by Dr. Singh and that had accompanied a $6B request to subsidize the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL).

The APNU MP pointed with incredulity to a brand new request for some $5B which GPL sought through the Prime Minister ’s Secretariat.

“How could the Minister not have known about this large capital expenditure being requested now?”

While indicating that the $600M plus request to cater for the increase in old age pension will receive “unequivocal” support, Greenidge questioned the

boldness of the resubmitted requests for agencies such as the State Planning Secretariat.

On this specific agency, he noted that it does not even exist anymore and wonders why the Government would want to allocate monies for something non-existent.

In relation to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), which the court had ruled should receive its money, and the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit, Greenidge says that the question is about the placement of the money.

He explained that the cuts made to the budget were meant to have the administration abide with the recommendations of the Auditor General over the years as it relates to

how the money should be allocated.

To this end, Greenidge argued that the court has no competence to pronounce on the structure in which the money is allocated.

He said that should the Finance Minister not satisfy the obligatory requirements by the time the matter comes up for debate and a vote, then the fate will remain the same.

During the past week the Finance Minister tabled in the National Assembly the first two supplementary financial papers for 2012 totaling some $13B (US$85M).

An additional amount some $5.3B - is being requested to go to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat for the provision of a “26 megawatt power plant,” in addition to several sums that were gutted out of the 2012 Expenditures.

Dr. Singh, in his tabling of Financial Papers One and Two for 2012, is also asking for monies for the Government Information Agency (GINA) and National Communications Network (NCN) The House will debate whether to approve the expenditures from the Consolidated Fund this Thursday before taking its scheduled recess.

Some people name does tell wha dem is. Tek de name Ali. When dem woman miners check pun some Chinee who wukking dredge in de bush de people tell dem that Ramzan Ali bring dem fuh wuk. Well dem boys want fuh know since when people got to bring in Chinee fuh operate dredge in de bush. Guyanese de doing that all de time and when dem did want fuh expand dem call de Brazilians. But this man bring Chinee.

People want fuh know if he and Irfaat is family. But then again it could be Irfaat heself who bring dem Chinee, because he don’t have no shame. He is not de only one who don’t have shame.

Bharrat Jagdeo don’t have no shame, too. De man put a really fancy package fuh he pension just before he lef de government.

One man who write a letter to de press seh that Bharrat is not a shameless person, he is DE shameless person.

On de other hand Joe Singh is a man wid pride and shame. He wukking wid de telephone people and at de same time Ohh Pee hire he as an adviser. When a man ask Parliament how much money dem contract worker does get, Joe Singh name come up.

Joe send a letter fuh explain that although dem got he name pun de pay sheet, he never tek a cent from Ohh Pee. Well dem boys want fuh know who does collect he money when de month come.

But Bharrat Jagdeo is another kettle of fish. He not only tek de pay as President, he also mek arrangement fuh tek de pay when he lef de wuk. He put together a package that giving he money fuh security, fuh lights, fuh telephone, fuh drivers, fuh maid, fuh gardener and money fuh travel. And de same Bharrat Jagdeo lef some pensioner wid $10,000 a month and dem got to pay dem own light and water and telephone bill from that. De man ain’t got shame. No wonder a mayor had to call he gutter rat. Without shame he go back in time and change de law fuh he friend collect de Santa complex after de Waterfalls paper expose de lawlessness.

Today he got people wasting time in Parliament fuh review de package. A foreign Finance Minister wife get ketch wid nuff money.

De Minister resign because he shame. Not like Kwame. He never had shame, not wid de lil pickney dem, not with anything. He car get seize by the bank. Dat mean he gat fuh walk now fuh meet dem li’l boys. And he had de gall fuh cuss dem bank people. He learn from de Rat. De two ah dem shame out all dey shame.

Talk half and don’t shame fuh lef de other half.

Page 10

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 05, 2012

CJ orders reinstatement of cop dismissed for owning, operating minibus His name was on the registration of a minibus as the co-owner and he was involved in an accident while driving a minibus, but Chief Justice Ian Chang has ruled that the Commissioner of Police had no right to fire Detective Constable Mark Kendall.

Kendall was given marching orders on June 7 last year on the grounds that “having without the consent of the Commissioner of Police, (he) operated mini bus BKK 7580 for hire, contrary to Section 32 (1) (a) of the Police Act Chapter 16:01…”

His discharge was not preceded by any departmental charge or hearing and Kendall stood to lose his benefits such as pension benefits after 15 years of service.

After examining the facts of the matter, which were presented by attorney at law Patrice Henry, the Chief Justice in his written ruling, found that the Commissioner of Police had no power under Section 35 (1) of the police act to discharge Kendall from the

force on the basis of a breach of Section 32 (1) (a) of the said act.

He ordered that Kendall be forthwith reinstated into the strength of the Guyana Police Force and that he be paid his salary retroactive from June 7, 2011.

Kendall, who joined the Guyana Police Force in 1995, had sought damages in excess of $300,000 plus his benefits in the wake of his dismissal from the Force.

However, the Chief Justice ruled that the court had seen it fit to order reinstatement rather than the payment of damages because “this is a case of the Commissioner purporting to exercise his power of discharge under Section 35 (1) of the Police Act when the factual basis giving rise to the exercise of such power did not at all exist.”

The Chief Justice said that the exercise of the discretion of the Commissioner was therefore jurisdictionally misconceived rather than procedurally misconceived.

According to a senior police officer, the Chief Justice’s ruling could have a significant bearing on the attitude of ranks and the Force’s administration, since it is a well known fact that many officers, including senior ones, are engaged in “outside business”.

In Kendall’s case, the main bone of contention is the police’s position that a rank must secure the consent of the Commissioner to engage in any other business.

In this case, the Commissioner of Police, who at the time was Henry Greene, had contended that Kendall had breached the police act by operating a minibus for hire.

According to facts presented in the case, prior to his discharge, Kendall was a detective for 14 years and during that time, he underwent several courses.

In his affidavit, he disclosed that he was instrumental in cracking several high profile murder cases, including two which were before the High Court, in which he would have to testify.

Kendall was also rewarded for solving a case involving the kidnapping of

A mini health check is the first step to donating blood

Commander George Vyphuis

Attorney-at-law Patrice Henry

Chief Justice Ian Chang

a child. He had no job-related problem. He testified that in December he was written to

by Divisional Commander George Vyphuis who required him to write a statement showing cause why he should not be discharged from the Force.

In his response to Vyphuis, Kendall denied that he had ever operated minibus BKK 7580 for hire.

“Please be advised that I merely assisted Denise Fredericks in the purchase of the said mini bus and she chose to include my name on the registration of the bus,” Kendall had responded.

The vehicle’s registration showing Kendall to be a coowner of the bus was tendered in court.

The Detective Constable contended that Fredericks was his reputed wife.

Under cross examination, Kendall admitted that in 1999

he was driving a minibus when he was involved in an accident.

But under re-examination, he denied that he was operating the bus for hire when he was involved in an accident and added that he never operated it for hire. In fact, he claimed that his reputed wife, Fredericks, would operate the bus for hire using a driver and would collect the money.

In his ruling, the Chief Justice noted that the mini bus was registered in the names of Kendall and Fredericks on August 29 2007.

However, Kendall got married on April 2010, not to Fredericks, but to another woman. The letter from his Commander asking him to show cause why he should not be dismissed was dated eight months after the marriage and long after he had ceased his association with

Fredericks and the bus.

“The discretionary power of the Commissioner of Police to discharge the plaintiff from the Force was based on prior finding that the plaintiff did carry on a business or trade involving the use of the said bus….”

The Chief Justice questioned whether the fact that Kendall admitted to driving the bus at times and that he was the registered coowner, gave sufficient rise to reasonable finding that he was involved in using it for hire.

“I think not,” the Chief Justice stated, adding that it does appear that it was not open to the Commissioner of Police to reasonably find that Kendall himself was using the bus for hire, or to put it in the words of Section 32 (1) (a), that he was carrying on “business or trade” in using the bus for hire.

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 11

Ramjattan new AFC leader, Hughes Chairman The Alliance For Change (AFC) has named attorneyat-law Khemraj Ramjattan as that party’s new leader following elections at its Third National Conference yesterday.

This was following an address earlier in the day by Raphael Trotman who indicated that he will not be contesting the elections after being at the helm that the party since its formation prior to the 2006 General and Regional Elections.

However, Trotman, the Speaker of the National Assembly, made it clear that he is not retiring or leaving any time soon. He will continue serving as a Committee Member.

Prominent attorney-atlaw, Nigel Hughes, will be the party’s new Chairman. Both Hughes and Ramjattan would have run unopposed during the conference held at Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara. Ramjattan was the former Chairman.

Former top-ranking member of People’s Progressive Party, Moses Nagamootoo, is the new ViceChairman.

David Patterson is the party’s new General Secretary after a close contest with Sixtus Edwards.

…as Trotman exits

New Chairman, Nigel Hughes Also elected as Committee Members were Cathy Hughes, Dominic Gaskin, Gerhard Ramsaroop, Sixtus Edwards, Cindy Sookdeo, Valerie Lowe, Veerasammy Ramayah, Trevor Williams, Dr. Rohan Somar, Denise Walcott and Michael Carrington.

Ramjattan, Trotman and Sheila Holder, who passed away last November in the US, were founders of the AFC, which in its coming out party in 2006, snagged five

Parliamentary seats.

In November, last, the party bettered this by two and together with the 10-party coalition, A Partnership For National Unity (APNU), currently holds a one-seat advantage over the ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic.

Hughes is a prominent attorney known to be outspoken on the political scene and has been a close advisor to the party since its formation.

Ramjattan in his short address to the delegates called on government through the Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, to own up for the July 18 shooting deaths of three Linden protesters.

During his remarks at the conference yesterday, the outgoing leader, Trotman, explained that his heavy work as Speaker of the House was the main reason he has decided not to run again.

“Firstly, I believe that I cannot provide the strong and steady representation and leadership that the executive and members need whilst performing and fulfilling my duties as Speaker

From left: Outgoing AFC Leader, Raphael Trotman, new Leader Khemraj Ramjattan and Vice-Chairman, Moses Nagamootoo because of the nature of that office and its unending demands on me.

Secondly, I am of the firm conviction that a political party and moreso the

Alliance For Change, like a living organism, must grow, must adapt, must evolve continuously if it is to remain relevant and connected to its members and the wider

society as a whole,” He urged for training of young soldiers within the party to prepare for national elections which may come before 2016.

Page 12

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 05, 2012

Race against time for aging Harbour Bridge…

APNU says... A

new bridge more important than Marriott

The recent shocking collapse of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, which left thousands stranded and severe losses to especially farmers and businesses, should be a wake-up call for government to immediately re-prioritise its projects.

And, according to the main Parliamentary Opposition, A Partnership For National Unity (APNU), finding the money should be simple – go to the same source where monies were found for the planned Marriott Hotel, the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project and the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

At around 07:00 hrs on July 23, a temporary pontoon at the westernmost end of the bridge sank after it broke loose from its connections causing the structure to buckle at its linkages.

A minibus filled with passengers headed for Georgetown was barely steered from rolling backwards into the waters that covered the spans.

The bridge was closed for three days…three days in which the country’s vulnerabilities regarding the uses of that critical link were glaringly exposed.

The bridge is the main link between West Demerara and

APNU Parliamentarian Joseph Harmon Essequibo to the city, airport and eastern section of the country. Thousands of persons, including farmers and city workers live in the West Demerara area.

Not only was the decision to abandon and allow the Vreed-en-Hoop and Georgetown Stellings to fall into disrepair rued during those three days, but the bridge’s closure struck home the hard reality that an alternative will have to be found sooner than later.

Police were called out to control the confusion at the Vreed-en-Hoop speedboat stelling and hundreds of workers were forced to use

that as a means to get to work or to conduct urgent business.

Government was forced to allow speedboats to work through the night as bridge workers toiled to bring the aging structure back into operation.

TOP PRIORITY According to APNU’s Parliamentarian charged with Pubic Works, Joe Harmon, building a new, modern bridge should immediately be placed at the top of the government’s agenda as far as infrastructural projects are concerned.

He noted that while Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn, had signaled that there will not be an inquiry into the collapse, the very operations there call for one. Specific mention was made into the mysterious theft of a maintenance pontoon several weeks ago, which was taken away in the dead of the night and later found partially submerged in the Mahaica River. No one has been held accountable for that.

“There were man-hours lost, produce lost and generally serious losses to commerce,” Harmon pointed out.

“APNU is considering now an inquiry into not only the bridge failure, but of other bridges, roads and sea

The calls have been increasing for a new bridge across the Demerara Harbour Bridge. defences. Why are they failing us? We were at Kumaka (Mabaruma) Region One, and people have described works on a revetment on the waterfront there as a travesty, with people even questioning whether government knew what it is doing. These are issues that affect people’s lives.”

Harmon noted a case earlier this year in which a teenager was killed after a car he was in struck a bad spot on Cemetery Road, and the vehicle ended up in a trench.

“I think it is time the bridge be replaced, it is too important an artery for us, providing a crucial link between East and West Demerara and Essequibo. I am aware of some preliminary work done for a modern bridge by a company and that is at the Public Works.”

The Parliamentarian recalled reports where former President Bharrat Jagdeo had made a surprise inspection of the bridge and after finding it in a bad state, ordered the release of hundreds of millions of dollars for the

replacement of aging deck plates.

“Now they’re spending and spending money like crazy. I have seen some estimates for works by contractors and it is a lot of money. When the bridge collapsed, the state-owned NCN blamed it on a vehicle accident. The first inclination by the government is to cover things up. But people were on the bridge and know different.”

According to the APNU official, a modern Guyana must take into account a new bridge across the river.

NOT MARRIOTT HOTEL “Some people are afraid to even drive on it now. To me, it is a more urgent development and should take priority over a Marriott Hotel.

This (new bridge) is what the people need, not a Marriott Hotel. That is not an urgent priority…it is not a luxury…people’s lives don’t (Continued on page 53)

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 13

Parliament’s quiet victory this past week

By Gary Eleazar Parliamentary Sessions in recent months have been very intense and bitter at times, with verbal banter taking on no holds barred connotations.

Members of Parliament do enjoy immunity when speaking on the floor of the Chambers, and this is sometimes abused, but sometimes every so often there is consensus on a burning issue, and those from opposite sides of the aisle, would come together in the interest of the people they serve - which is the Guyanese populace - across the country’s 83,000 square miles.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall has had no honeymoon from the day he took office as there was firstly the cloud hanging over his head that he was no Senior Counsel.

I have know the Attorney General for some time now, precisely from the days when he a mere lawyer. Be that as it may, this young Attorney-atLaw had a healthy ambition, one of which was to have a section of Guyana’s Land Law amended.

He had abhorred the “Archaic Land Law that facilitates fraud.”

This past week I smiled as the debates got underway in the House and it was time to address the matter of the Deeds Registry (Amendment Bill).

A very unassuming name for a landmark piece of legislation as had been intimated by the Attorney General as he rose to make his presentation.

Truth be told, he even paid attention to the young to make his case for the law to be amended even as he indicated that he would require some time to fully explain the magnitude of the changes he was looking to make.

Words like ‘mischief’ and ‘fraud’ were used to describe arrangements facilitated as a result of the “Archaic Land Law” he was looking to reverse.

Basil Williams of A Partnership For National Unity, on behalf of the coalition, signaled support for the amendment to the law, but with one request.

This request was repeated by Alliance for Change (AFC) Chairman, Khemraj Ramjattan who also supported the Bill which was seeking to prevent further ‘mischief.’

The Members of Parliament regaled the House with experiences of the Law in action and learned practitioners wondering how for hundreds of years the

...AG finds Opposition support targeting ‘Archaic Land Law’

AG and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall piece of legislation could have remained on the books unchanged.

The similar request that found favour with the Attorney General was that of having the Amendments to the Law be put before a Special Select Committee.

Ramjattan urged that this be done to facilitate input from at least few senior counsel, some of whom he would have been in contact with.

Nandlall acquiesced to the request, and as such the Bill has been committed to a Special Select Committee to report back to the House for debate, and passage no later than December 31 this year.

The House will meet on Thursday after which time it will take a scheduled recess and reconvene on October 10.

Four years ago, in conversation with Nandlall and another young attorney in his Chambers, Manoj Narayan, I learnt of their plan to wage a campaign aimed at

updating the Local Land laws.

The primary component that is believed to be missing from the current legislation is the principal of “vested interest” in the face of an agreement of sale of land.

Guyana’s Land Law as has been explained by Nandlall on numerous occasions is inherited from the ‘Roman Dutch’ system and does not cater for equitable interest of land.

Under this system, land is owned via a titled document known as a ‘transport.’ This transport confers upon its holder absolute ownership.

Under English Law, a title holder, once he enters into an agreement of sale, the purchaser in that agreement acquires an interest which is called an equitable interest in the land which the purchaser can sell, dispose of, mortgage or alienate.

Under English Law, the titled owner of the property, after entering into an agreement of sale with any other person, “cannot deal with that property as he sees fit…every subsequent dealing with the property is subject to the purchaser’s equitable interest.”

Under the Roman Dutch

System, there are mechanisms in place to protect the interest of the person entering into an agreement of sale with the transported owner of the land.

These mechanisms, however, are viewed as inadequate, “based on experience” to protect the potential purchaser of the land.

Morally, the persons selling the property, once having entered into an initial agreement of sale, ought not to enter in another.

“But this is happening,” the AG asserted.

Technically, under the present system, every conveyance from one owner to another must be advertised in the Official Gazette, so that a person who has an interest in the land has the opportunity to oppose the passing of the conveyance on the grounds that the person

already has an interest in that land, which is the agreement of sale already entered into.

“Once that opposition is filed within the prescribed time then the conveyance would not pass.”

However, the problem that this poses is that very rarely would a person who enters into an agreement of sale check with the Official Gazette.

It was noted, also, that the availability of Official Gazette has also been a problem. (This too is a move that Nandlall has successfully sought to correct, with an amendment to the Gazette Laws, now making it available online).

As a result of the conundrum with the current land laws many people lose their deposits, are ousted out of the transaction, and a great miscarriage of justice occurs, because the land is then sold a second time to a third party and transport is passed to that person without the knowledge of the original purchaser.”

There are many

documented instances still pending in the local courts, and as such, the injustice continues unabated on several Guyanese who on a daily basis lose their hardearned money because of an archaic law.

“Under the local Deeds Registry Act, a transport confers upon the holder absolute ownership subject only to certain interest therein lifted,” exclusive of an agreement.

The Attorney General is seeking among other measures to have an agreement of sale included under those provisions as a registered interest, making it mandatory to have the agreement registered at the Deeds Registry and endorsed on the transport, hence barring any subsequent agreement of sale without involving the purchaser in the original agreement of sale giving that person a real opportunity to oppose the sale, because he would have a registered interest in the land in question.

Page 14

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 05, 2012

Parliament to start review of homosexual, death penalty laws this week The Guyana Government has apparently decided on its first step to dealing with the matter of the Death Penalty, Lesbians, Homosexuals and the issue of Corporal Punishment.

The matter has surfaced as a motion on the Order Paper of the National Assembly and is slated for commitment to a Select Committee.

This week, however, when the matter came up on the Parliamentary Agenda the Government’s Chief Whip Gail Teixeira, informed the House of the desire to have the matter deferred to this Thursday.That motion is in the name of Prime Minister Samuel Hinds.

The motion is labeled “Guyana’s follow-up to commitments made to the United Nations Human Rights Council with regard to holding consultations on matters (the abolition of corporal punishment in the schools, the abolition of the death penalty and the decriminalization of consensual adult same sex relations and discrimination against lesbians, gays, bi-

sexual and transgender persons).

In that Motion, Hinds who also serves as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs indicated that Guyana had appeared before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) during the first cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in May 2010 and again in September 2010.

He reminded that at the conclusion of its review, Guyana received several recommendations from the UN and had and committed itself to consult on the three main matters “that may be considered controversial in Guyanese society” According to Prime Minister Hinds, “public consultations with target groups and in geographic regions have commenced on these matters as well as public discussions in the media and amongst civil society organizations.”

He indicated that the Government is of the view that parliamentary consideration of the three matters would enhance the national examination

procedurally by being the subject of a Special Select Committee which would organize the national consultations in a complimentary, credible way.

As such when the motion is set to be debated, the Prime Minister is looking to have the House resolve to firstly have a “Special Select Committee established for that purpose.”

In that Special Select Committee, Hinds indicated that the Government is looking to have assessed; “the attitude of Guyanese, especially parents and children, to corporal punishment and its possible abolition; the attitude of Guyanese, particularly the families of victims, criminologists, and professionals, on capital punishment and its possible abolition, and the attitude of Guyanese to any changes in the legislative provisions and criminal code regarding consensual adult same sex relationships and discrimination, perceived or real, against Lesbians, Gays, Bi-Sexual and Transgender persons.”

ImmigrationTALK

Beware of Immigration Service Providers who are not Attorneys

By Attorney Gail S. Seeram Many people offer help with immigration services.

Unfortunately, not all are authorized to do so. While many of these unauthorized practitioners mean well, all too many of them are out to rip you off. This is against the law and may be considered an immigration service scam.

Many providers refer to themselves as “Certified Immigration Specialist” or “Certified Immigration Provider” but there is no educational program in the U.S. to certify anyone as an immigration specialist or provider.

Under the U.S. laws, only an immigration attorney, I repeat, attorney, can give you legal advice on an immigration matter, explain immigration options and communicate on your behalf to the immigration agencies. Also, only an immigration attorney, I repeat, attorney, can represent you in matters pending before the U.S. Embassy, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (Immigration Court), and the Board of Immigration Appeals. In limited c i r c u m s t a n c e s ,

representatives accredited by the Department of Homeland Security can assist individuals with preparation of petitions.

There have been many instances of immigration service providers, who are not attorneys, charging high fees for services they are not authorized to perform. In many cases, using a service provider instead of an attorney leads to delay in application/petition processing, high unnecessary costs, and possible denial. It is advantageous to use an attorney since the attorney is well trained in the law and clients have legal recourse against attorneys who are licensed by the bar.

Further, beware of on-line websites that claim they can prepare and submit immigration forms for you and guarantee a fast result. Note, all immigration forms are accessible on the government website at www.uscis.gov.

10 TIPS TO AVOID IMMIGRATION SCAMS: 1. Before you sign an immigration form make sure that you understand it and that the information on it is true and accurate.

2. Never sign blank forms.

3. Make sure you get a receipt for any payment you make to an attorney or especially an “immigration service provider”.

Gail S. Seeram 4. Keep copies of all forms and other documents that you file.

5. You will receive a receipt after your application is filed. Make sure to keep the receipt for your records.

6. If you are unsure whether your “immigration service provider” is giving trustworthy advice, do not hesitate to seek a second opinion. When doing so, always work with a licensed attorney or accredited representative.

7. Make sure the person who prepares your petition or form signs in the designated area.

8. Pay your filing fees with a check so the cancelled check serves as an additional receipt.

9. Report any immigration scams to the attorney general’s office or nearest U.S. Embassy.

10. Notarios or notaries are not authorized to provide legal services relating to immigration.

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

This week, we introduce you to 21-year-old Vanda Yahya. She enjoys modeling and drawing. Her advice to young women like herself is to “be strong, have faith and think positive� when in adversity.

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Sunday August 05, 2012

Peer educator and fitness enthusiast, Eli Hazel, is a 'Special Person' E

By Leon Suseran

li Hazel is a community l e a d e r , a fitness/sports enthusiast and a role model for young people - something that society needs a lot these days. Whether it is walking from Corentyne to New Amsterdam; re- enacting slaves being shackled and walking long distances in public for a significant, or even balancing a football for a lengthy period, he has done it with purpose.

His love is keeping fit and participating in sportspromoting events and activities, and is quite conscious about moulding youths and keeping them occupied in meaningful activities. He is a fitness, aerobics and gym instructor too.

Eli Zachius Hazel was

born at Kildonan Village, Corentyne, to Vernic and Radcliffe Hazel, both farmers. He attended the Kildonan Scots School.

Eli was fond of sports from a very early age, with football, cricket, table tennis and swimming among his preferences. He used to play cricket for the Central Corentyne area. Soon after

Service (GNS), where he gained valuable experiences, which played a very important role in shaping the young man whom he was to become.

GUYANA NATIONAL SERVICE He was amongst the first batch of persons to enter the GNS at Camp Papaya in the

“My principle in life is that people must do positive and uplifting things for themselves… make yourself somebody and be dedicated to whatever it is that you do.” high school, he began to work at age 17 at the Guyana Rice Board as a sweeper then later drier-operator at Mill 220 at Johanna, Black Bush Polder.

He spent around eight months there and decided to enter the Guyana National

Posing with his fitness certificates and a trophy

Nort h West District in 1973.

“In those days, as a country boy, you decide to leave to go to see if you can get greener pastures”.

He described those days (at GNS) as some of the “best times of my life”.

“We met people there from all walks of life...all parts of the country and everyone was scattered for the first, but within six months everybody became one, and we celebrated every holiday--- Diwali, Phagwah, etc”.

“At GNS, they had the best teachers there for you, even Spanish, every language and who couldn't read, they taught you to read, but at the end of it, they ensured you became somebody.”

“Those are the days I developed the likeness for being a fitness man.”

He spent one year.

“I wasn't short of nothing at all because the people there made you feel at home.

Physical fitness played a major role in people's lives in the National Service… that is the reason I became involved in sports.”

Eli Hazel

The GNS helped him in many ways and upon completion, he recalled, “one had to choose a trade and I chose the military”. He praised such an initiative since “it shapes a person and makes them into a wellrounded individual ready for life in any society”.

“It is one of the places that have people who care about others and people who ensure that you do work the way it is supposed to be done. One of the hardest things was when you had to leave the camp to go to Georgetown on the Great March…everyone cried.”

Hazel then became a young Prison Officer at age 18. He worked at the Georgetown Prisons and was later transferred to the New Amsterdam facility. He recalled attracting much attention while going to work as many persons were somewhat surprised at such a young person as a prison officer.

“I guess it looked strange, so I didn't walk where the people could see me and after spending five months, I decided to come off the job. I was too confined, because you got to be locked in and all of these things.”

He subsequently joined the Guyana Police Force in the 1980s and was posted at Eteringbang, along the Guyana- Venezuela border, during relatively tense relations with respect to that area.

He vividly remembers those days when he and the other Guyanese officers were more than prepared to give their lives for the nation.

“That was very, very scary at first...we were at the front- point. However, the Venezuelan soldiers, were

very, very friendly and we enjoyed cordial relations.

We exchanged rice wine and we used to get soap, cigarettes, etc. They were very fond of rice wine and they used to come across {the border}....and they liked Tequila and Guyanese soldiers liked to smoke.

Our motive was to protect our country, even though we were not that equipped-- no surrender, no retreat and nobody had any intentions to leave there because Guyana was our country--- we were prepared to die”.

Hazel was later transferred to the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) and followed that by working in 'A' Division and Albion, Reliance, Fort Wellington on General Duty. He then worked as a Judge's Orderly- the very first such-- at the New Amsterdam High Court.

He learnt a lot during all those experiences having had to accompany the judges at court trials, giving evidence, etc. He left the police force for personal reasons and became employed in 1993 with the G u y a n a Te l e p h o n e & Telegraph Company as Internal Security Officer, a designation which he still holds today.

FITNESS ENTHUSIAST Fitness was a passion, and Hazel started up the “Melt the fat and stay in shape gym” in New Amsterdam at the Church View Hotel. He then began to organise walks in and around the town since he believed that people could be united by sports and fitness activities. He organised the Unity Walk in 2003 from

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POLITICAL PLURALISM AND THE COLLECTIVE WILL OF THE MAJORITY

T

here was a scheduled follow-up meeting between the government and leaders representing Region 10, APNU and the AFC. This meeting was to continue the process of finding solutions to the crisis in Linden.

Even before this meeting, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) had met separately with the government. It had also met separately with APNU about the situation.

The PSC is a major stakeholder in Guyana. It may not throw its weight around, but it is a heavyweight when it comes to wielding influence in this society and given that some of its members were affected by the situation in Linden, and given their concerns about the situation deteriorating, it was only natural that they should wish to try to be part of the solution.

W h e n t h e representatives from APNU and the Region turned up at the meeting, they reportedly objected to the presence of the PSC. One of the grounds advanced for the objection was that the presence of a new entrant into the talks would have broken the tone which had been set in previous engagements. The leaders were therefore not in favour of the PSC being present.

This is a fairly understandable position.

The presence of a new party to the talks could have diverted the discussions and changed its tone.

So the explanation was clearly justifiable and legitimate.

Another explanation and this may have been the one that the PSC may have heard -was that the leaders wanted not just the private sector but also the labour movement present.

In fact it was later said that the leaders were willing to meet with a broad crosssection of stakeholders in a separate engagement.

The PSC felt slighted. Its ego was bruised and it issued a statement which confirmed that it felt miffed by what took place.

The statement ended with the following sentence. “We should not confine our discourse on national issues to the political will of a few.�

This statement has led to a reaction from some journalists, and in turn from some leaders of the political

opposition, suggesting that the combined opposition was not a few, but in fact represented the majority.

That, of course, was not the inference that the PSC's statement intended.

However, in Guyana it is not unusual that statements can be spun away from their original meaning.

It is clear what the PSC intended. It was saying that national discourse cannot be about a few persons or groups. That it used the words political will was meant to infer the political intentions of a few individuals prevailing in discourses.

It could well be that these few individuals may feel that they represent the majority.

If they do, then they are surely not operating within the context of political pluralism, but are misleading themselves into believing that because the majority of the electorate elected them to parliament, they speak on behalf of all those who voted for them on every issue.

This is outmoded thinking. The system of representative democracy today, simply means that those elected to parliament do so on the basis of the support they receive from the electorate. But the electorate is too diverse a grouping of interests to have these elected representatives speak to these varied interests.

Within this electorate, there are various classes, there are various groupings to which the people belong, there are various professions with their own interests, etc.

There are a wide variety of interests and therefore there is a need for these various interests to have a say and for their views to be represented through a system of political pluralism.

In such a system the various groups to which the electorate belong - be it women's groups, youth, business, professions, etc can be used to promote the interests of their members.

In fact, the whole political process is now one in which political parties are actively seeking out various interest groups so as to win the endorsement of these groups.

These groups in turn expect to be treated as important stakeholders and to be consulted and involved in the political process.

APNU and the AFC, the combined opposition, must

not therefore confuse themselves into believing that because they won, collectively, barely over fifty per cent of the votes, they speak for the majority in the country.

They certainly are not speaking for consumers throughout Guyana when they promote the idea that Linden must not pay a cent more in electricity tariffs.

What is ironic about this posture of the combined opposition speaking for the majority is that the

constitution itself does not demand a majority in order to win the seat of government.

The constitution, in fact, accords to the party that wins the most votes in the election that right, because Burnham had the foresight to know that one day it may be possible for the PNCR to sneak in to power without gaining a majority of the votes.

What is even more ironic is that APNU itself is a creature of political

pluralism. APNU was conceived as an open partnership, not just of political parties, but also potentially of civil society groupings and individuals.

So APNU is built upon a model that emphasizes the involvement of all the varied interests and groups to which the people of Guyana belong.

The leaders who objected to the presence of the PSC at the meeting had reasonable and justifiable grounds to do so.

But when it comes to their understanding of just who they are representing, they are off the beaten track.

Societies are much too complex and stratified to have two political parties having a monopoly on the majority will of the people on every issue.

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Ravi Dev Column

Police, Riots and Protests In the wake of the unfortunate killings of three protesters in Linden there are calls, once again, for ‘reforms’ of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) – most recently by the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA).

Not too surprisingly, the GHRA did not demand the composition of the force be proportional to the population of the country.

It’s not surprising, because even through before independence we had committed to creating a Police and Army that was ethnically proportioned, there has been a studied refusal to comply.

We can go back to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) 1965 directive that mandated 75% of all future police recruits be drawn from the Indian-Guyanese community until the

Guyana is in dire straits because of a protest. Things are going to move from bad to worse because people are not accustomed to seeing their investments go down the drain. They are going to try to attack the protesters at the western end of the obstructions.

In fact, it will not be an attack as such. It will be more of a retaliation but things can do get ugly over something trivial. **** Sometimes people do get mad when they appear to be in control of an object.

imbalance was rectified.

Ashton Chase, a founder of the PPP – and a perennial insider - speculated that the party, “allowed these recommendations to go abegging for fear of being stigmatized as an ‘Indian’ party.” In light of persistent reports of mutinous rumblings within the forces, it’s also possible the PPP has been paralysed by the possibility of a military coup.

After riots greeted the PPP’s electoral victory in 1992, the B.O. Adams Commission of Inquiry recommended that “the Police Force be more ethnically balanced and that the Government have a riot response plan to contain any future recurrence.” Nothing, however, was done, and by 2003, Indians were still not more than 10% of the force

(also the army).

We had advocated the rectification of the ethnic imbalance for the same reason that Dr Jagan had done so in the 1960s.

The preponderance of African Guyanese in the disciplined forces led politicians from that community to believe they could advocate extreme behaviour, even violence, without sanctions.

The latest overt expression of that sentiment was Tacuma Ogunseye’s “riot act” speech before the 2011 elections.

But the refusal to acknowledge the institutionalised discrimination against Indian parity in the forces formed the basis of the wider rot in the institution. In the sixties, the Inquiry into the Wismar

This is why there is so much domestic abuse. It is a case of control.

Some young men are going to be in control of a car and this is what is going to initiate another round of madness. The crash would be

most senseless. **** After the recent fire many business places are going to be jittery. There is suddenly going to be a flurry of no-smoking signs but they have not taken the faulty electric wiring into consideration. But this would have nothing to do with the house fire that is going to occur in the eastern part of the country. Arson would be suspected and the fire service would be hard pressed having to respond to a brush fire, one of many to come in the next few days.

ethnic cleansing detailed how the police and Volunteer Force Units stood by as atrocities were committed.

In the eighties, the kickdown-the-door-bandits were generally servicemen or used their weapons. The epicentre of the 1998 riots in Georgetown, in which hundreds of Indians were beaten and molested without police intervention, was the Stabroek Market area – just a stone’s throw from the Brickdam Station.

Most police know that ultimately they are living a lie, a lie that is transmuted into all sorts of unprofessional behaviour.

Whatever the reasons for the inaction on proportionality, the contradictions arising from de-professionalised forces did not disappear: violence rose to unprecedented heights – and unexpected breadth – after 1998.

Today, we do not hear a word of Inquiries into the hundreds of innocent civilians, mostly Indians, who were murdered by ‘bandits’ and ‘resistance fighters’: just about those killed by a t h o r o u g h l y deprofessionalised police force in which elements were ‘for hire’.

In 2003, under direct Constitutional mandate, a Disciplined Forces Commission (DFC) took submissions across the country on how to professionalise the Forces.

They submitted their recommendations in 2004 to Parliament. On the matter of ethnic representativeness

they declared: “The Commission…is of the view that the allaying of ethnic security fears which stems from the predominance of Afro-Guyanese presence in the GPF must be addressed…but to ensure, in so doing, that no similar insecurity fears are caused in the Afro-Guyanese community.”

Exactly as we had proposed in our submission, the DFC recommended, “It should be an aim (of the GPF) to achieve a Force representative of the ethnic diversity of the nation without employing a quota system.”

The DFC’s Report was buried in Parliamentary Committees for six years and finally approved by Parliament in 2010. We’re still awaiting news as to whether the ethnic imbalances have been addressed.

David Granger had claimed after the pelletshooting of the GECOMcount protesters in Georgetown that the police did not shoot at Indian protesters at Albion in 2001.

This lie was repeated by the Region 10 Chairman after the unfortunate killings of three Linden protesters.

The lie was nailed when a letter-writer pointed out that Mohammed Shamshuddin had been shot and killed by police fire from the Albion Station. There was never an Inquiry into this canecutter’s murder. Ironically, the people of Albion had been protesting lack of police protection from bandits.

As for orders to shoot

Ravi Dev

protesters, I share this anecdote.

After Shamshuddin’s murder, I was at the head of a very large group of protesters marching towards the Albion Station.

As we approached we were confronted by a squad of “Black Clothes” Police. They all had automatic weapons, each with an extra cartridge strapped to their guns.

The head of the detail called me forward and told me they had orders to ‘shoot to kill” if we marched on the Public Road in front of the Station. I had no reason to doubt him – there were no teargas or pellet shotguns in sight, just automatic weapons.

I persuaded the riled up crowd to march in the street behind the station. I would be interested to find out what the Inquiry will show the leaders at Linden advised the protesters about blocking the bridge and what orders the police had.

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Sunday August 05, 2012

The secret life of Guillermo Martinez - A nine-year-affair is exposed after a gruesome killing But that still leaves the missing part of the puzzle: What pushed Martinez over the edge?

Here are some theories.

Was it possible that Uswattie Persaud found out something about her Cuban husband; something so upsetting that she confronted him with it? Was that evidence on the laptop? Did she perhaps threaten to expose him to officials at the Cuban Embassy so that he could be expelled from his adopted home?

Did Martinez, in a fit of rage and desperation, attack the Guyanese woman he had secretly married, and only realised the trouble he was in after the deed was done?

Like I said, the motive is the missing piece of this jigsaw puzzle, and it’s a piece that may never be found.

By Michael Jordan I guess you can call it a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces.

We know the killer. We know his victim.

But there are things that we may never know.

Like what, if anything, did a water-submerged computer have to do with this unusual case?

And what drove a ‘quiet’ middle-aged foreigner to butcher his lover?

So let me tell you the tale of Mr. Martinez’s secret. And I’ll tell you what I think started it all in that apartment some two years ago.

The secret began to unfold on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, when 47-year-old Uswattie Persaud told her mother that she was going to the High Court in Georgetown to tie up a legal transaction and to purchase items for their shop. Persaud lived at Lot 21 Main and St. Magdalene Streets, in New Amsterdam, and was the common-law wife of businessman Hemnauth Ramdatt, owner of the Cycle Store Mara and Sons Grocery, Cycle Shop and General Store.

According to reports, Uswattie’s mother, who had a heart ailment, also travelled to Georgetown, since she had an appointment with a doctor.

Some time between 11:30 hours and 11:45 hours the mother called Uswattie to inform her that she had completed her session. The mother then headed back to Berbice on her own.

Later in the afternoon, one of Uswattie’s sons called to enquire where his mother was. It was then that the family realised that she had not returned to New Amsterdam. They became worried when they were unable to reach her on her mobile phone.

The following day, Uswattie’s son travelled to Georgetown. He went to the Brickdam Police Station where he reported her missing.

Now, family members were accustomed to Uswattie’s travels to Georgetown.

Some of the woman’s visits took her to the Lot 136 Eping Avenue, Bel Air apartment of 59-year-old Cuban physiotherapist Guillermo Valintin Martinez Stable. The Cuban had lived for many years in his adopted home and was popular with his patients.

But on Thursday, March 4, 2010, some of the occupants of the two-storey house at Eping Avenue began to sense that something was not quite right at the Cuban’s apartment.

Patients were turning up to see Martinez. But there was no sign of the Cuban, Eventually at around 14:00 hrs on Friday,

Guillermo Martinez March 5, 2010, after more patients turned up and failed to see Martinez, a man who lived in the building drew back one of the window blinds in the Cuban’s apartment.

He was assailed by an unpleasant smell and saw something that made him summon the police.

The detectives entered Martinez’s apartment. They were immediately overwhelmed by the stench of death.

A woman’s decomposing body lay on a blood-soaked mattress in the hallway. She was nude, and someone had stabbed her at least ten times. The wounds were to the throat, chest and stomach.

There were also defensive wounds on her arms, where the victim had tried to ward off the attack.

The detectives located a passport which identified the woman as 47-year-old Uswattie Persaud. The policemen then proceeded to the bedroom. The bed inside had no mattress, and the decomposing corpse of a middle-aged man lay on the bare bed-springs.

He was quickly identified as physiotherapist Guillermo Valintin Martinez Stable. His body bore no marks of violence.

However, the dead man’s mouth was filled with an unidentified liquid. Scouring the apartment further, the investigators retrieved a blood-stained kitchen knife. They were puzzled when they found a laptop computer submerged in water in a washing machine.

Uswattie Persaud Investigators surmised that Martinez had murdered his friend, Uswattie Persaud before taking his own life. That appeared to be clearcut. What was unclear was why?

They decided to delve further into the victims’ lives. A few days later, Home Affairs officials discovered that Martinez had applied for Guyanese citizenship.

In the application, Martinez stated that he was married and identified Uswattie Persaud as his spouse. Investigators then unearthed a General Registrar ’s Office marriage certificate, which stated that Guillermo Valintin Martinez Stable and Uswattie Persaud became man and wife around February 2000.

It meant that Uswattie was married to Martinez while living in Main Street, New Amsterdam, Berbice, with her common-law husband.

According to police sources, the fingerprints on the bloodstained knife matched Martinez’s prints.

But the investigators still wanted to know what had caused Martinez to go berserk.

They were certain that information on the computer from the physiotherapist’s apartment held clues to the motive.

But the water-soaked laptop had been irreparably damaged.

Martinez was buried a few days after the gruesome discovery and police reortedly declared the case closed.

If you have any information about this or any other unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown office. Our numbers are 22-58458, 22-58465, 22-58482 and 22-58491. You need not disclose your identity.

You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address:mjdragon@hotmail.com

SEEKING HELP TO LOCATE RELATIVES OF EIGHT CHILDREN KILLED BETWEEN 1969-1970 Michael Jordan is trying to contact relatives of eight children who were murdered between March 20, 1969 and June 1970, by Harrynauth Beharry, also known as Harry Rambarran, Charles Bissoon, Charles Pereira, Anant Persaud and Maka Anan.

Some of the victims are Basmattie, an eight-year-old schoolgirl from Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara. David Bacchus, 15, of Tucville, 11-year-old Mohamed Fazil Nasir, of Number 78 Village, Corentyne, Mohamed Faizal, of Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Jagdeo Jagroop, Mohamed Nizam Ali; Paulton of Hogg Island, Essequibo; Orlando Guthrie, of Grove Village, East Bank Demerara.

Please contact him via his email address mjdragon@hotmail.com., or on telephone numbers 22-58458, 22-58465, or 22-58491. HeI can also be contacted on 645-2447.

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

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== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==

After Nigel Hughes, who is next?

My conceptualizations of people, places, events and things are graphically told in black and white; in other words they are in print. No one can say that I was the last to say this or that. No one can accuse me of evading comment on this and that. You can find my attitude on a mountain of subjects stretching back to 1988 when I became a columnist with the Stabroek News because they are in the hard copies of the newspapers and on the internet.

Looking back over the decades, so many persons of straw, opportunistic mischiefmakers, depraved characters, political charlatans, civil society hypocrites, betrayers of the Guyanese people, fake crusaders of human rights, artificial fighters for the poor and powerless and unsuitable human beings I have described, and have been the first to do so. Over the decades when I look back, I see how right I was back then, but I don’t beat my drum. I don’t shout it from the rooftops, I don’t demand acknowledgement.

I never once penned a line stating that I single-handedly stopped the false polls on Guyana by Vishnu Bisram. No one saw through Bisram. And even when I first exposed him, Stabroek News continued with him and most of all, the newspaper I write for, KN, continued to give him space.

Eventually, both papers stopped because I wasn’t stopping in writing about the fictional polls of Bisram.

Today there are no longer the Bisram surveys that tell us how popular the PPP is.

I was the only person that took on Joey Jagan. His miasma over Channel 6 was overbearing but none of us

wanted to publicly ridicule or dismiss him as a dangerous perambulator. Eventually I was proven right. Jagan crawled back into the PPP, campaigned for them during the 2011 election campaign and in the process said the nastiest things about the opposition.

And now the name Khurshid Sattaur of the Guyana Revenue Authority comes to mind. I remain the only commentator that wrote incessantly about his politically-driven decisions.

No one wanted to even mention a line about his politics. Sattaur sought revenge on me. He demanded to know how much KN was paying for my columns. Not one citizen of this land sought an explanation from Sattaur as to why he would want to single me out after I went public in writing about what he did. Sattaur then followed up his anger against me by demanding I fill in eight property tax forms. I went public with that again.

My point was why me and not the thousands of other public sector workers. Not one citizen sought to ask Sattaur if he was doing his professional work or trying to get at Freddie Kissoon.

The Alliance for Change has now issued a statement on Sattaur over the GRA’s singling out of Nigel Hughes for special attention. It was bound to happen. But two questions we must ask ourselves. Are we going to remain silent over what has happened to Nigel Hughes and after Nigel Hughes?

Who is next?

I return to my comments that could easily be found. I was the first person that wrote after the elections that the PPP Government will not

recognize the majority Parliament and will not democratize.

I was the first person to reject the usefulness of the tripartite talks. I had vociferous arguments with Gerhard Ramsaroop over the AFC’s participation in the tripartite talks. He is a witness to that. Gerhard would reply that talking to the government is one of several ways of struggling. But I thought and still do that it was a waste of time. It is interesting now to see how the AFC is going to

approach the resumption of the tripartite engagement after what has happened to Nigel Hughes.

The attention being paid to Nigel Hughes should not surprise any citizen for two reasons. One was the bitterness demonstrated for Mr. Hughes by then President Jagdeo. Jagdeo said during the election campaign that under his government and a Ramotar administration, Mr. Hughes will not receive the award of Senior Counsel.

Secondly, it is no

exaggeration to say that Mr. Hughes has become one of, if not the most influential opposition activists in Guyana.

Everywhere the attack on human rights occurs, Hughes is there. He was the force behind the Henry Greene exposure. He literally tore the Government apart in my libel trial. He was the lead lawyer for the treason accused and he got them off. He has helped to shape reaction to the murder of the Linden martyrs after they were killed

Frederick Kissoon on July 18. Nigel Hughes is the person that the PPP fears the most. Are we seeing the power of Jagdeo again? Should Guyana remain silent?

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Sunday August 05, 2012

Nagamootoo reminded of a proposal recently to pay cane cutters $800 per punt of cane when others were being paid more than 800 per cent above the average worker.

“It is disgraceful that Office of the President would be running a Dharm Shala for friends and cronies.”

SUNDAY SPECIAL JOINT SERVICES, PROTESTERS CLASH AGAIN Lindeners, ahead of a Presidential visit, last Saturday defied security forces, blocking a key entrance leading to that bauxite mining town and forcing Head of State, Donald Ramotar, to cancel a key visit.

to arrive, a small crowd of around 50 persons quickly swelled to around 500 at the Kara Kara Bridge which was blocked with logs.

Government workers, backed by police and soldiers, used a front-end loader to remove the large logs that had been placed across the bridge. The logs had been there for a week.

phrase ‘fat cats’ in reference to persons at Government agencies being paid huge amounts and while he was unable during the budgetary process to unveil them, he says that the information which has been now made public demonstrates that “Office of the President is running a Dharm Shala for friends and cronies.”

nothing.” Nagamootoo, during an interview said that it is clear as day to see that there are ‘Sinecure appointments’ (persons past political prime)” being paid by Office of the President as well as numerous Freedom House operatives.

He said that it is unfair of the government to be asking sections of the population

Fire razes four Regent Street buildings

Two Fridays ago, Office of the President through the Government Information Agency had announced that President Ramotar was heading to Linden. The President was set to arrive early and GINA announced transportation arrangement for the media.

A statement later said that the President decided to cancel the visit based on advice from his security heads.

The meeting was to bring an end to situation that has had far-reaching effects for especially the interior locations.

Lindeners are the hiking of electricity tariffs from July 1.

Three protestors were shot dead on the first day of the protest, July 18. Several persons were also hospitalized and treated for gunshots wounds. This raised tensions.

Last Saturday morning, as President Ramotar prepared

There was anger after one of the rails of the bridge was badly damaged during the exercise to remove the logs.

However, the Lindeners, defiant, despite the Joint Forces presence, blocked the front-end loader, with some persons lying on the ground and even lining the bridge.

‘DISGRACEFUL’OP OPERATING ‘DHARM SHALA’ FOR FRIENDS, CRONIES – MOSES NAGAMOTOO Attorney-at-law Moses Nagamootoo, who made headlines on Nomination Day when he defected from the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) and campaigned for the Alliance for Change, says that the latest revelation coming out of Office of the President has vindicated his position during the recent Budget Cuts.

Nagamootoo coined the

Nagamootoo said that it is clear as day to see that there are persons being paid by Office of the President “to do little or nothing, mostly

such as Linden to take on additional hardships while others are being rewarded for next to nothing with super salaries.

MONDAY EDITION WATER CANNON FINALLY SENT TO LINDEN The recently acquired $20M water cannon was finally transported to Linden atop a low bed truck.

According to residents, the cannon’s arrival was an “overnight operation” since they had been informed earlier in the day that it had left Georgetown.

At daybreak last Sunday the cannon was seen being brought out from Camp Soweyo.

“We hear it coming but we know from long that it was a waste of money. Kaieteur News skin them up long that it ain’t working.”

Annoyance soon turned to ridicule, as curious onlookers converged at the Kara Kara bridge, to view what one man called the ‘ugly monster’.

The water cannon’s presence on the bridge only served to further irritate residents, who once more ‘cussed out’ the police.

There were later reports that a trial test by the cannon was a dismal failure, ‘as all the water leaked out’, and the Linden Fire Service was later called to replenish the water from the nearby Kara Kara Creek.

GRANGER WINS PNCR LEADERSHIP The Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR) this year celebrates its 55th anniversary and Sunday’s 17th Biennial Congress concluded with Brigadier (ret.) David Granger emerging as the New Party leader.

It was not a typical PNCR

internal election usually characterized with boisterous bitterness being on full display.

Logistics did pose a problem as both Candidates for the Leadership post Granger and Carl Greenidge reportedly expressed concerns over the process.

Voting was delayed for a bit and contrary to reports that there was a ruckus, it proceeded fairly smoothly throughout the day, taking into account limitations on the part of the organizers.

The final result in terms of vote count was announced at 02: 00 h Monday.

Previous party leader Robert Corbin did not contest the post.

TUESDAY EDITION WATER CANNON IS REALLYAWATER CAN – FELIX The National Assembly reconvened Monday and members continued trading barbs across the aisle in the ‘Hallowed Chambers,’ sometimes descending into downright ‘bitter’ exchanges causing Speaker Raphael Trotman to intervene on a number of occasions.

By the scheduled end of the night’s exhaustive debate, the time had expired for the session with several speakers still to make a presentation.

Winston Felix, the former Police Commissioner, sought to give a track record of tragedies occurring under the watch of Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee.

He spoke of Bartica, Lusignan and Lindo Creek massacres as well as the torture of Twyon Thomas.

He pointed too, at the $17M purchase of a boat for the Guyana Police Force which has since been embroiled in its own controversy as well as that of the water cannon.

Addressing the issue of the water cannon, Felix recalled its dismal (Continued on page 37)

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My column

A worrying situation A few weeks ago there was a spate of robberies and at the centre of them was the now dead Randy Morris.

He seemed to be any and everywhere.

He was identified, and pretty soon, as soon as there was a robbery the law enforcers would say that they knew the perpetrator.

Morris is now dead but the robberies continue, albeit with lesser frequency. The other day the people at the America Street Digicel outlet took security for granted and they lost heavily.

The people almost walked into the building and cleaned it out. The security cameras were rendered useless because the perpetrators were bright enough to remove the necessary hardware.

No one was hurt because the place was burglarised when no staff was there.

This was not the case last week when three men entered a residence under the pretext that they were Customs officers. They killed one of the occupants in their robbery bid and as far as I know, they continue to elude capture.

I take a backward leap to the decision by the government to review the issue of the death penalty.

The United Nations wants to see an end to the death penalty because the purists see it as cruel and inhumane.

However, there are those who believe that it is a deterrent. When the issue was raised with Desmond Hoyte, the then President, he insisted that it was a deterrent because the person never killed again.

The United Nations pushed the thought that it was the ultimate, and if the person executed was in effect innocent, then that person had no recourse.

Both arguments hold water, but in Guyana there is the side of the argument that in the absence of the death penalty, people were in increasing numbers pushing the limits, because they know that come what may they may spend a few years in prison, even if the sentence is life imprisonment.

When people started kicking in the doors of their victims and not only robbing them but also killing them,

Desmond Hoyte made no bones about reinforcing the idea that a man’s home was his castle. He hanged the perpetrators and in a hurry the ‘kick down the door’ crimes ended. That was proof that the death penalty, when executed, was a deterrent.

But for all this, the Guyana Government is to engage in consultations with the wider society.

The reason is that there are organizations that promote the wishes of the United Nations so they quite vocally repeat the mantra, the death penalty is bad, it is inhumane, it robs an individual of his life and it is irreversible.

The result is that more people kill. The last time Guyana hanged anyone was way back in 1996. Since then, gunmen have killed many people, people have killed their spouses with alarming regularity, and young bandits have not hesitated to kill their victims.

There are those who say that these killings occur because the killers know that the likelihood of them being caught is remote. The

opponents of the death penalty say that the deterrent lies in catching the killers, but some argue that they are caught and that is how they are executed.

So we come back to what is happening in the society.

Undoubtedly, there is a lot wrong in the society. It cannot be that this country is a nation of copycats.

Indeed, Trinidad and Jamaica have high murder rates, much higher than Guyana. However, their populations are also much larger.

It cannot be that a weakened economy is the cause, because there are countries much poorer than Guyana, but there are not half as many murders. It has to do with the upbringing of the child and to equally good measure, the drug trade, which is a magnet for young, uneducated men.

The law enforcement agencies have done a lot to strangle the flow of drugs within the borders and have

even made numerous busts at the ports of exit. I happened to see sniffer dogs at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport the other day and the dog that I saw, Ike, seemed to know what he was doing.

It came as no surprise when two days later there was another significant drug bust at the airport.

After every bust there is usually a killing, because the person who suffers the loss is angry and he would want to blame someone. People have been known to squeal and when they are found out the inevitable happens.

The spate of killings in Guyana is worrisome and something needs to be done.

I do not have the solution.

What I do know is that the police may need to be even more mobile in order to respond to calls for help.

But then again when the attacks come, as was the case of the family who were attacked by the bogus Customs officers, the people had no time to call for help.

Adam Harris People have responded by grilling their homes. Over the past three decades homes have been made to look like veritable prisons, but even these are being breached. We may have to start living with large dogs in our homes, adding to the daily expense of living but then again, why must living be such a chore?

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Ministerial accountability and responsibility (An excerpt from an address by Hon. Cathy Hughes MP to the National Assembly – July 24, 2012) No matter how exhaustive the constitutional and international provisions in a democracy, that democracy will suffer irreparably when there is not an understanding by its political actors that there is something called unwritten conventions, which bolster and buttress such written provisions, and which ought to be adhered to so as to create confidence in the system.

At this point I wish to refer to Constitutional and Administrative Law by David

Pollard on page 117 under the heading “The individual Responsibility of Ministers” and I quote “…Ministers are accountable for their own private conduct, the general running of their departments and acts done, or omitted to be done, by their civil servants, responsibility in the first two cases is clearer than in others. A minister involved in sexual or financial scandals, particularly those having implications for national security, may have to resign because his activities will so attract the attention of the press that he will no longer be able to carry out departmental duties. Many of you will recall the John

Profumo affair.”

Political actors who master only the art of democratic centralism, party paramountcy and executive commandism, will never know anything about the convention of ministerial responsibility. Nor will they ever care to know. From all appearances, it was either the absolute ignorance of this convention, or an unabashed arrogance towards it, which may have been the reason why the Honourable Minister would mistakenly feel that he is not responsible because he was not there.

The convention of individual ministerial responsibility fixes blame on a Minister for all failure of policy and administration whether the Minister himself is at fault or not, or if the failure resulted from d e p a r t m e n t a l maladministration. In other words, a Minister must take the praise for the successes of his department and the blame for its failures.

This is responsible Ministerial Government which we must strive to

perfect, or come close to. Now when the blame is grave enough, being directly as a result of an error or misjudgement or wanton unlawful conduct on the part of the Minister, such an errant Minister must be fired or tender his resignation.

Otherwise, the entire system becomes undermined; and a dangerous precedent set.

This precedent has been followed daily in several parts of the world, but let me bring it closer to home and look at official resignations in the Caribbean.

In St. Lucia - Richard Frederick, Minister of Housing resigned because his personal and diplomatic visa was revoked. Even though he said it was not necessary for his job this happened one month before the St. Lucia elections and was deemed unacceptable to him and the people of St. Lucia.

In Jamaica - James Robertson, Minister of Energy and Mining for the JLP resigned immediately when the news became public that his diplomatic visa was revoked by the US. This can

be compared to the former police commissioner in Guyana, whose visa was revoked in 2006 when he was appointed Commissioner of Police.

In T&T - Mary King, Planning Minister resigned because she failed to declare that she had an interest in a family company who received a contact from the Ministry she was responsible for.

Across the political spectrum in Jamaica on the PNP side - Colin Campbell, Minister of Information and also PNP General Secretary, resigned from both his position of Cabinet and party position over the question of campaign donations Once again on the PNP side – Carl Blight, the Minister of Housing resigned over corruption in awarding contracts.

Also on the PNP side – Kern Spencer, former junior Energy Minister did not only resign but was taken to court over the Cuban light bulb scandal.

Mike Henry, Transport and Works Minister resigned because of allegations of lack of transparency in the Jamaica

Development Infrastructural Programme which was related to road contracts.

And finally, former Prime Minister Bruce Golding resigned over the Dudus affair.

So Mr. Speaker, I call on the Minister of Home Affairs to stand and as an honourable man, to do the right thing. By his own admission he has stated in an interview on NCN that the use of bullets was discussed and he did not sanction their use. If indeed those are his words as reported, and if they are true, it is clear that he is unable to manage the Police Force and they have no respect for him, his orders or instructions.

This is totally unacceptable when the initial reports from the independent pathologists state that all of the men were shot straight through the heart, by bronzecapped rounds (not rubber pellets) two from the front and one from the back.

This does not happen if one intends to injure!

As the people of Linden have stated: Rohee must go.

I thank you.

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Holding up a Torch for Life: regulating weapons

By Sir Ronald Sanders Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries joined dozens of other nations in fighting for a robust and comprehensive Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) during negotiations at the United Nations headquarters in New York from 2 to 27 July, but their efforts were frustrated by President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign team.

The Caribbean countries have very good reason for wanting a strong ATT. In recent years, these countries have become the hapless victims of the illegal trade in guns associated with drug trafficking. There has been an overwhelming escalation in violent killings even in the smallest of the Caribbean countries; some of them directed at tourists. While the ATT is about the legal trade in weapons (and not the illegal trade), it is important because of the knock-on effect of the legal trade. Legal weapons get into the hands of illegal operators.

The global figures make alarming reading. According to Oxfam: armed violence kills up to 2,000 people every day; 12 billion bullets are produced each year, that’s enough bullets to kill every person on the planet twice; in Africa, about 95 per cent of the weapons most commonly used in conflict - derivatives of the Kalashnikov rifle - come from outside the continent; armed conflicts are estimated

to have cost Africa $18bn a year – about the same as global aid to the continent.

No wonder the majority of the 193 nations participating in the Conference on the ATT did so with an intense desire to adopt a treaty that effectively regulates this trade internationally, backed up by national law. There are no good arguments not to do so, although the governments of a handful of nations attempted to frustrate the negotiations. Among those were the governments of Algeria, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria and Venezuela. By reliable accounts, while China and Russia did not support a truly robust treaty, they did nothing to disrupt negotiations and, in the end, were ready to sign it.

The surprise came on the eve of the Conference’s end.

As the representatives of countries were preparing to sign the treaty, the US delegation, which had been helpful up to that point and had signalled to the Chair its support of the ATT, was given instructions to block it.

Reports indicate that the Obama re-election campaign decided the risk of offending the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the US was too great, particularly as President Obama had supported an assault rifle ban in the wake of shootings in Colorado. Two gun control actions in one week with less than 100 days to the

Presidential election were regarded as providing live ammunition to the Republican camp. Thus, not for the first time, national election considerations trumped international good.

The countries, that did not want the ATT, took advantage of the US position to demand that without consensus on the document, it could not be signed.

To the credit of Caribbean countries, they remained robust in their support for the treaty. Speaking on behalf of 91 countries (including Canada, all the CARICOM states, all the states of the European Union and major African counties such as South Africa and Nigeria), the representative of Mexico declared: We are disappointed this process has not come to a successful conclusion”. And the statement concluded: “We are determined to secure an Arms Trade Treaty as soon as possible - One that would bring about a safer world for the sake of all humanity”.

The Conference decided that its report with the draft treaty attached will be sent to the UN General Assembly this October. If over 100 countries co-sponsor a resolution to adopt the ATT as presently agreed, it could go through. With 91 countries already strongly supporting the draft treaty, it should not be difficult to get a further 20 countries on board, but intense and

consistent work would be required across nations, especially the US – a daunting prospect.

In this connection, the Commonwealth Advisory Bureau (CAB) in London noted that 32 of the 91 countries “were Commonwealth countries, and notably included the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as the Caribbean Community countries”.

The CAB director, Daisy Cooper, proposed that Commonwealth foreign ministers, who will hold their annual meeting ahead of the UN general assembly on September 29, should “publish a strong statement calling on all countries to agree a robust and comprehensive arms trade treaty at the general assembly in October”.

The foreign ministers already have an important agenda to consider, including the recommendations of an Eminent Persons Group on reform of the Commonwealth.

Nonetheless, there is merit in this proposal particularly as, if there is Commonwealth cohesion, 21 additional Commonwealth countries could be added to the group of 91 bringing their total to at least 112.

But, it would not be possible to get the US on board in October at the UN. Given its present concerns about signing the treaty and so providing the Republican Party with ammunition to fight it in the

November Presidential elections, the Obama administration would oppose such a move. And, for the Caribbean in particular, it would be crucial for the US to be party to the treaty and to reflect arms and ammunition control in its national law.

Therefore, another option – and one being considered by many governments and non-governmental organizations – would be to push for another ATT conference in 2013 when the US Presidential election is over. After all, much of the work has already been done on the draft treaty and many of the major hurdles overcome, even with the US. The world has a chance for a comprehensive treaty that, in the words of Oxfam, would “unambiguously stop arms transfers where there is a substantial risk they will be used in violation of international human rights and humanitarian law, or will undermine sustainable development”.

Sir Ronald Sanders Caribbean Community countries held up a torch for life in the ATT negotiations; they should continue to carry it forward proudly with their friends in the Commonwealth and the Organization of American States.

(The Writer is a Consultant and former Caribbean diplomat) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com

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Peer educator and fitness ...

From page 18 Canje Welfare Ground to New Amsterdam.

He then started an annual run from the Port Mourant Hospital on the Corentyne to New Amsterdam on Mother's Day “and I did it for the love of our mothers”.

And there was a midday run from Courtland on the Corentyne to N/A, “and this was for Father's Day and I started that because I felt that, as a father, you had to be strong and if you're not strong, it cannot work.

My aim was to do that midday run without drinking water and that took me about two to two and a half hours”.

His wife and sons accompanied him along the way. Many of his events were executed while promoting messages such as good manners and healthy habits.

“The Love of the Grandmothers” was another run he started. He performed this with his grandson. “I believe grandparents need to be recognised and respected...and I did the last run from Canje Turn to N/A during last Father's Day.” Hazel balanced a football on this run. “I dribbled the ball all the way and controlled it with my foot -- I couldn't pick

up the ball--because, as a father, you have to take control and he cannot be someone who plays...you've got to be strict and that is why I did what I did.”

Last year, he did a 'Shackle Walk' on August 1 for Emancipation from Canje Bridge to N/A. The idea behind such a venture was to “see for myself what the slaves were going through; what they felt, being shackled walking around the place and the masters, what they were doing to them (the slaves) and on completion, we went to the Mission Chapel Church yard, where the first group of African slaves in Berbice received their education and were taught Christianity”.

For this year, Hazel did “Messages by drums”, which he performed in the Mission Chapel Church, “to let people understand when slaves wanted to communicate they did so through drums. I always believed in doing things that people could be educated from. I wasn't interested in getting a crowd”.

“My principle in life is that people must do positive and uplifting things for themselves…make yourself somebody and be dedicated to whatever it is that you do.”

He would like to see sports administrators being put in places where they could perform to the best.

“Being an administrator means to not only administrate, rather you must be a part of what is happening.” He opined that today in sports, many administrators cannot motivate young people.

“The key is patience; you have to have patience and commitment and you've got to be you. You find some people involved in sports because of the good name they can get.”

Hazel has had training in numerous sporting disciplines including tennis, cricket, canoeing and other Olympic pursuits under the United Kingdom High Commission's Sapodilla Learning Centre training programmes, which he and many others completed a few years ago on the West Coast of Berbice.

When asked about the state of sports today in Guyana, more particularly Berbice, our 'Special Person' opined that “there is not enough for young people, at all”. He reflected that he was called to be a part of the Region 6 Sporting Committee with the hope of

helping in that area, “but the persons in this region doing sports are not qualified and do not have a clue as to what they are doing”.

“I was hoping that the region would have taken sports to a different level, but it's not working at all and nobody cares about anybody, but at the end of it all, I would like to dedicate my life to helping the next generation.” Hazel rises daily at 04:00 hrs and begins training and doing his fitness routines. He and his wife, Theresa, who accompanies him exercising around the town, do shuttle runs, etc.

He is also a Peer Educator having completed numerous HIV/AIDS and counselling workshops. He is the Former President of the Guyana Legion's Berbice Branch as well as Executive Member and Berbice Representative of the Postal and Telecommunications Workers' Union. He received the Sports Leader UK Award for Best AllRound Student in 2006.

He has earned several certificates including Certificate of Participation H I V / A I D S Wo r k p l a c e Education Programme; GTUC( Nov 2011); Sports Leader Certificate at

Sunday August 05, 2012 Laying a wreath, as a Guyana Legion member, at the Esplanade Gardens during a Remembrance Day ceremony

Sapodilla Learning Centre (Sept 2005); IDCE Course in Sports Management Administration and Marketing (Nov 2005); Certificate in National Referee and Volleyball Coach (Sept 2006); attended a Teachers' Volleyball Course at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in 2005 and Training Programme Certificate for Boxing Coaches in April

2011 and was graded as a LevelOneBoxingCoach.

Hazel also supervised popular swims across the Corentyne, Demerara and Berbice Rivers in 1999, 2001 and 2002. In concluding, he had these words for those in positions of authority in the local sporting front.

“Sports in this country call for commitment, we do not want talking, lip service, we want action. Enough of the talk.”

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From page 24 performance when it finally reached to the troubled mining town on Sunday. “It is a ‘Water Can’,” Felix said. I”f it were to cost $20M then it had to be from some rubbish heap from China and polished over.”

JOE HARMON CHALLENGES FIGURES PAID TO ‘FAT CATS’ The Guyana Government has paid to state-owned National Communications Network (NCN) some $8.7M between April 1 and July 18, this year for advertisements airing lamentations relative to the effects of the budget cuts. This information was supplied to the House by Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh.

He was at the time responding to A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s Joseph Harmon.

The APNU Executive Member requested the information of the Minister, by way of a Parliamentary ‘Question on Notice.’

Harmon responded to the Minister’s answers Monday, and told this publication that what had prompted the question was the fact that the government with alarming frequency had been lamenting the fact that there were people about to lose their jobs as a result of the budget cuts.

Harmon said, “We knew that this was not true and therefore I framed two questions.”

The first of the questions posed by Harmon, related to names, salaries and designations of persons that had their jobs terminated as a result of the budget cuts.

Harmon reminded that he had specifically requested the information pertaining to whose job had been terminated as a result of the budget cut.

He said that the information provided by the Minister on that occasion, provided a list of persons who had “difficulty accessing” their salary.

According to the APNU Executive, “I take that to mean that no services were terminated.”

Harmon lamented, too, that the Minister never addressed agencies such as CANU and the State Planning Secretariat.

He said that his second request of the Minister was to determine what level of State Resources was being used to “perpetuate an obvious lie”. He said that “in effect state resources, the people’s money is being used to perpetuate an obvious lie.”

Harmon said that while the Minister didn’t answer his specific question, the answers have made several startling revelations.

Kaieteur News

WEDNESDAY EDITION BUSINESS OWNER DROPS DEAD, FOUR TRAPPED CHINESE RESCUED - AS FIRE RAZES FOUR REGENT STREET BUILDINGS An early morning fire on Regent Street Tuesday left millions of dollars in damage and losses and one businessman dead.

Businessman, Ramdat Shiwprasad, 64, owner of Indra’s Fashion which was also destroyed, collapsed upon seeing the fire and was pronounced dead minutes later at a city hospital.

Firemen were able to rescue four Chinese nationals who were trapped in one of the burning buildings. They sustained minor bruises and burns about their bodies.

The inferno began around 05:15 hrs. In total four buildings were burnt and more than 100 persons left without jobs. At least two persons, including Chinese, were left homeless.

Among the businesses destroyed were Boyo’s Fashion, Clairans, Indra’s Fashion, Lucky Dollar and several other clothing stores owned by Chinese nationals.

Balram Shiwprasad, whose father collapsed and died at the sight of the fire, said the fire brought back terrible memories for his entire family of another blaze at the same location in 1987.

BELAIR BUSINESSMAN MURDERED, WIFE, INFANT DAUGHTER TERRORIZED A 45-year-old businessman was bound and murdered in his Bel Air Village, East Coast Demerara home at around 20:00 hrs Tuesday by three men whom he let into the property after they claimed to be Customs Officers.

The victim, Frank Persaud, of 1 Area ‘L’ Bel Air, was slain in a bond beneath his house after the assailants had lured him there under the pretext of checking on goods that he had stored on the property. The robbers also tied up the victim’s wife, Bibi Nalisha Mohamed and the couple’s two-year-old daughter.

Police disclosed that while the home was ransacked, only a laptop computer and $119,000

appeared to be missing.

Several tins of corned beef were also missing from the bond.

Investigators surmised that the victim may have been strangled.

THURSDAY EDITION SLAIN LINDENERS LAID TO REST As sunrise greeted the mining town of Linden Wednesday there was a sombre mood, as what would have been an Emancipation celebration turned out to be the day the community buried three of their loved ones. By the end of the day it was established that a monument would be erected in their honour at the Wismar shore.

At the break of dawn, the remains of Shemroy Bouyea, Ron Somerset and Allan Lewis left the mining town for the Square of the Revolution where they were met by a large gathering for a viewing.

As the procession made its way back to Linden, the massive crowd thronged the Wismar/Mackenzie Bridge, the very site at which the men lost their lives.

At nightfall, those attending the funeral, having said a prayer, made their way from the Wismar shore to the Bamia cemetery where the final rites were administered and the slain men laid to rest.

EACH PARLIAMENTARY SESSION COSTS TAXPAYERS $1.7MILLION “Is wha’ these people always talking so long long about in deh….dem just wasting time in deh.”

These are some of the sentiments usually expressed

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by passersby whenever there is a sitting of the National Assembly, a hallmark of which has become the ‘famous/infamous’ barricades usually erected around Public Buildings.

Some may have silently wondered while others have publicly questioned what could be the price tag, for facilitating these sometimes marathon sessions.

This past week the information was made public for all that would have cared to take a look, when Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, ruled on whether to hold a special Sitting of the National Assembly.

The request was from Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition Brigadier (ret.)

David Granger who requested the sitting to facilitate matters pertaining to the Linden killings on July 18.

In that missive to Granger, and dated July, 20, 2012, Trotman informed that “The Clerk advises that the cost of convening the National Assembly is $1,712, 527.00 (one million seven hundred and twelve thousand, five hundred and twenty-seven dollars); which amount has to be requisitioned.”

FRIDAY EDITION GOVT. TABLES PARLIAMENTARY requests for US$85 million Government has gone back to Parliament to ask for billions that the Opposition had slashed from the National Budget earlier this year.

An additional amount, some $5.3B, is to go to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat

for the provision of a “26 megawatt power plant.”

Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, in his tabling of Financial Papers One and Two for 2012 yesterday, is also asking for monies for the Government Information News Agency (GINA), the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) and the Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU).

The House will debate whether to approve the expenditures from the Consolidated Fund this Thursday.

PANDIT’S BODY CREMATED BYMISTAKE They were about the same age, their names were almost similar, See Persaud and Harry Narine Persaud, and they bore an uncanny resemblance, so there was bound to be some confusion after both their bodies were placed in the same morgue on the Essequibo Coast.

But no one expected that the confusion would lead to the relatives of one of two dead Essequibians cremating the wrong corpse.

This happened earlier this week, and the mix-up was only discovered when the relatives of Pandit Harry Narine Persaud, 83, turned up at the Suddie Funeral Parlour to prepare him for his final rites only to learn that the body they were being given was that of another Essequibian, 77-year-old See Persaud.

As it turned out Pandit Harry Narine Persaud was mistakenly cremated a few days earlier at Reliance, Essequibo Coast, by See

Persaud’s relatives.

A relative of See Persaud said that although six family members were at the Suddie Funeral Parlor to identify his body, no one at the time realized that they were given the wrong corpse.

Strange enough, they uplifted the wrong corpse, and stranger still, they bathed it and then transported it to their Reliance home, in preparation of the cremation.

Still no one recognized that it was the wrong corpse.

SATURDAY EDITION SYSTEMS IN PLACE FOR ACCOUNTABILITYAND TRANSPARENCY RAMOTAR President Donald Ramotar on Friday reiterated that errant contractors and service-providers could be banned for “shoddy” work.

The President made this remark at the closing day for the National Procurement Symposium, which was held at the Convention Centre.

The Head of State told the audience that he had always wanted a forum to discuss several issues with the procurement sector. He said that the government has being trying to get a system which is very open, and stressed that accountability is important for any democratic country striving for excellence.

He said that he wants this “accountability” feature for the state, and added that the government has put a lot of work into the framework for this. He added that several systems were put in place for accountability and transparency.

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Born Loser

CHECK OUT I was in the Express Lane at the store, quietly fuming.

Completely ignoring the sign, the woman ahead of me had slipped into the check-out line pushing a cart piled high with groceries. Imagine my delight when the cashier beckoned the woman to come forward, looked into the cart and asked sweetly, ‘So, which six items would you like to buy?’

Wouldn’t it be great if that happened more often?! ************** STAND STILL SOLDIER During camouflage training in Louisiana, a private disguised as a tree trunk had made a sudden move that was spotted by a visiting general.

“You simpleton!” the officer barked. “Don’t you know that by jumping and yelling the way you did, you could have endangered the lives of the entire company?”

“Yes sir,” the solder answered apologetically. “But, if I may say so, I did stand still when a flock of pigeons used me for target practice and I never moved a muscle when a large dog peed on my lower branches but when two squirrels ran up my pants leg and I heard the bigger say, “Let’s eat one now and save the other until winter’ — that did it.” ************** A STUCK ARMY JEEP During an Army war game a commanding officer’s jeep got stuck in the mud. The C.O. saw some men lounging around nearby and asked them to help him get unstuck.

“Sorry sir,” said one of the loafers, “but we’ve been classified dead and the umpire said we couldn’t contribute in any way.”

The C.O. turned to his driver and said, “Go drag a couple of those dead bodies over here and throw them under the wheels to give us some traction.” ************** DRILL SERGEANT A drill sergeant was known to be brusque with his men. His lieutenant warned him to try to be more sympathetic: “I don’t want to interfere with your discipline but when there is bad news to relate, please be more diplomatic.”

“Yes, *sir!*” “Now, I have received bad news for one of your men: George Martin. It seems his father has been in a bad traffic accident. Please break the news carefully.”

“Yes, *sir!*” At roll call, the sergeant says: “Fall in everyone. Martin, if you call home today and don’t get an answer, it’s your dad.”

After Martin finds out the truth, he goes crying away to his bunk. The next day, the lieutenant reprimands the drill sergeant once more: “Look, Sarge, this can’t continue.

If you can’t think of a kinder way ....to deal with this kind of news, we’ll eliminate this practice from roll call. Now I’m giving you one last chance. Gomez’s mother died last ....night You know what to do.”

“No problem, lieutenant!”

Roll call: “All right, all you maggots, fall in! All those with living mothers step forward!” And in a quieter tone: “*Not* so fast, Gomez.” ************** DUMPED SOLDIER The soldier serving overseas, far from home was annoyed and upset when his girl wrote breaking off their engagement and asking for her photograph back.

He went out and collected from his friends all the unwanted photographs of women that he could find, bundled them all together and sent them back with a note saying........... “Regret cannot remember which one is you — please keep your photo and return the others.”

PEN P ALS PALS NAME: Molesha Age: 19 A D D R E S S : Lot 9B Williamsburg, Corentyne, Berbice.

H O B B I E S: Reading, dancing and making new friends.

N A M E : Kelly Persaud AGE: 16 A D D R E S S : 15 Blenheim Leguan, Essequibo River, Region 3.

H O B B I E S : Reading, travelling, corresponding and enjoying indoor and outdoor activities.

Garfield

Non Sequitur

Peanuts

Shoe

Sunday August 05, 2012

Tips to Remove Burn Marks on Skin The damage from burns can be reduced with correct and timely treatment. A burn can cause redness, pain, swelling and blistering. Given below are few remedies that will help you to remove burn marks on skin.

The very first thing you need to do to treat your burn marks effectively is to immerse the burned area in a container of cold water immediately and place a cloth soaked in cool water over the affected area.

HOW TO REMOVE BURN MARKS ON SKIN Use Lemon Juice Or Tomato The other way of treating your burn marks is to soak your wash cloth in lemon juice and then place it over the affected area. Lemon juice helps clean your skin and is an effective remedy to remove burn marks. You need to apply lemon juice on a regular basis to get the desired results.

You can also use tomato to remove your burn marks as it is an effective bleaching agent.

Use Almond Oil Or Coconut Oil Almond oil is another good option to remove burn marks. But you need to apply almond oil on the affected parts of your skin on a regular basis. Almond oil will not only remove your burn marks but will also make your skin soft and supple as it has a lot of fatty acids and vitamins.

You can also use coconut oil as it is a good substitute for almond oil.

Use Vitamin E Oil You can also use Vitamin E oil to treat your burn marks.

This oil performs multiple functions such as it protects your skin from dehydration, prevents irritation and tightness and makes your skin heal faster.

Use Fenugreek Seeds Or Margosa Leaves Soak fenugreek seeds in water overnight and grind them to make a smooth paste. Apply the prepared paste on the affected area for few minutes and wash it with lukewarm water. You can also use margosa leaves to lighten your burn scar.

Apply Mixture Of Sandalwood Powder And Rose Water Mix sandalwood powder with rose water and apply on the affected area. You will notice improvements in your condition after sometime.

OTHER REMEDIES TO REMOVE BURN MARKS ON SKIN You can also apply aloe vera on the affected area.

Rosemary oil is also very effective in removing burn marks.

When you have an open wound, chances of an infection increase manifold, therefore, to protect your skin from infection, you can use generic triple antibiotic ointment.

This ointment will also act as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Honey is also very effective in treating burn scars. You can also use turmeric powder as it acts as a good antiseptic.

You can also rub cucumber or ice cubes on your burn marks.

HOW TO LET YOUR SKIN REAP THE BENEFITS OF VITAMIN E OIL Remember, all these remedies will take some time to show their results. Therefore, you need to be calm and patient.

You should not assume that these natural remedies will make your scars disappear overnight.

SOLUTION FOR LAST WEEK’S SEARCH & FIND

Kaieteur News

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Country profile: OVERVIEW Senegal has been held up as one of Africa’s model democracies. It has an established multi-party system and a tradition of civilian rule.

Although poverty is widespread and unemployment is high, the country has one of the region’s more stable economies.

For the Senegalese, political participation and peaceful leadership changes are not new. Even as a colony

Sunday August 05, 2012

SENEGAL

President Macky Sall

Senegal had representatives in the French parliament. And the promoter of African culture, Leopold Senghor, who became president at independence in 1960, voluntarily handed over power to Abdou Diouf in 1980.

The 40-year rule of Senegal’s Socialist Party came to a peaceful end in elections in 2000, which were hailed as a rare democratic power transfer on a continent plagued by coups, conflict and election fraud.

Separatists

Senegal is on the westernmost part of the bulge of Africa and includes desert in the north and a moist, tropical south.

Slaves, ivory and gold were exported from the coast during the 17th and 18th centuries and now the economy is based mainly on agriculture. The money sent home by Senegalese living abroad is a key source of revenue.

A long-running, low-level separatist war in the southern Casamance region has claimed hundreds of lives.

The conflict broke out over claims by the region’s people that they were being marginalised by the Wolof, Senegal’s main ethnic group.

The government and rebels signed a peace pact at the end of 2004, raising hopes for reconciliation.

On the world stage, Senegal has sent peacekeeping troops to DR Congo, Liberia and Kosovo.

FACTS Full name: Republic of Senegal Population: 12.8 million (UN, 2011) Capital: Dakar Area: 196,722 sq km (75,955 sq miles) Major language: French (official), Wolof Major religion: Islam Life expectancy: 59 years (men), 61 years (women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes Main exports: Fish, peanuts, petroleum products, phosphates, cotton GNI per capita: US $1,090 (World Bank, 2010) Internet domain: .sn International dialling code: +221 LEADERS President: Macky Sall Macky Sall won presidential elections in March 2012, replacing President Abdoulaye Wade, who controversially ran for a third term in office.

A former close associate of his predecessor, Mr Sall broke away in 2008 to form his own opposition party. He challenged Mr Wade for the presidency in March 2012, beating him in the second round after winning the support of other opposition parties.

A geological engineer born in 1961, Mr Sall served as prime minister then speaker of parliament under President Wade, until they came into conflict over the political role of Mr Wade’s son Karim.

President Wade forced Mr Sall out of the Democratic

Party and his post as speaker.

Mr Sall returned to his political base in the town of Fatick, where he was reelected mayor and built up support for his eventually successful presidential bid.

Mr Sall favours cutting the presidential term from seven years to five and limiting the number of consecutive terms a president can serve to two.

This pledge helped to win him the endorsement of other candidates in the run-off against President Wade.

Mr Sall’s coalition won a landslide majority in legislative elections four months after he was elected, which some observers saw as evidence of the extent of dissatisfaction in Senegal with the previous regime, which was accused of rampant corruption.

Senegal has a lively political scene, with parties competing across ethnic, religious and ideological lines.

MEDIA Senegal has traditionally enjoyed one of the most unrestricted press climates in the region.

But media freedom is threatened by “physical attacks on news media, jamming of radio broadcasts, abusive prosecutions and the jailing of journalists”, Reporters Without Borders said ahead of polls in 2012.

Self-censorship arises from laws which ban reports that discredit the state, incite disorder or spread “false news”. Nevertheless, private media often criticise the government.

Radio is an influential medium. Commercial and community stations have mushroomed.

There are nearly 20 daily newspapers.

Foreign publications circulate freely and multichannel pay TV is readily available. BBC World Service (105.6 MHz) and Radio France Internationale are available on FM in Dakar.

By December 2011 there were just under two million internet users (Internetworldstats.com).

Access is unrestricted.

Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your heart or burn down your house, you can never tell.

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

The daggernose shark Interesting creatures…

(Isogomphodon oxyrhynchus)

The daggernose shark ( I s o g o m p h o d o n oxyrhynchus) is a littleknown species of requiem s h a r k , f a m i l y Carcharhinidae, and the only extant member of its genus.

It occurs in shallow tropical waters off northeastern South America from Trinidad to northern Brazil, favouring muddy habitats such as mangroves, estuaries, and river mouths, though it is intolerant of fresh water.

A relatively small shark typically reaching 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in length, the daggernose shark is unmistakable for its elongated, flattened, and pointed snout, tiny eyes, and large paddle-shaped pectoral fins.

Daggernose sharks are predators of small schooling fishes. Reproduction is viviparous, with females giving birth to 2–8 pups every other year during the rainy season; this species is capable of shifting the timing of its reproductive cycle by several months in response to the environment.

Harmless to humans, the daggernose shark is caught for food and as bycatch in artisanal and commercial fisheries. Limited in range and slow-reproducing, it has been assessed as Critically Endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature in light of a steep population decline in recent years.

The daggernose shark is found along the northeastern coast of South America, off Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and northern Brazil. It reportedly occurs as far south as Valença in the central Brazilian state of Bahia, though fishery surveys have not detected this species in the area and it is apparently unknown to local fishermen.

An inhabitant of coastal waters at a depth of 4–40 m (13–130 ft), the daggernose shark prefers highly turbid waters and decreases in number with increasing water clarity. Females tend to be found at greater depths than males.

Its range encompasses a wide continental shelf with a humid tropical climate, extensive mangroves, and draining by numerous rivers including the Amazon.

Daggernose sharks are most common over shallow muddy banks and in estuaries and river mouths. It seems to be intolerant of low salinity, moving inshore

during the dry season (June to November) and offshore during the rainy season (December to May). This species is not known to make long-distance movements, though some local seasonal movements are possible.

As its common name suggests, the daggernose shark has a very long, flattened snout with a pointed tip and an acutely triangular profile from above. The eyes are circular and minute in size, with nictitating membranes (a protective third eyelid). The nostrils are small, without prominent nasal skin flaps.

There are short but deep furrows at the corners of the mouth on both jaws. The tooth rows number 49–60 and 49–56 in the upper and lower jaws respectively.

Each tooth has a single narrow, upright cusp; the upper teeth are slightly broader and flatter than the lower teeth, with serrated rather than smooth edges.

The body is robustly built, with large, broad, paddle-like pectoral fins that originate under the fifth gill slit. The first dorsal fin originates over the posterior half of the pectoral fin bases.

The second dorsal fin is about half as tall as the first and located over or slightly ahead of the anal fin. The anal fin is smaller than the second dorsal fin and has a deep notch in the rear margin. The caudal fin has a well-developed lower lobe and is preceded by a crescent-shaped notch on the upper side of the caudal peduncle. The coloration is a plain gray above, sometimes with a brownish or yellowish cast, and lighter below.

Males attain a length of 1.4 m (4.6 ft) and females 1.6 m (5.2 ft). There are unsubstantiated records of individuals 2.0–2.4 m (6.6–7.9 ft) long. The maximum known weight is 13 kg (29 lb).

Newly born daggernose sharks measure 38–43 cm (15–17 in) in length. Males mature at 103 cm (41 in) long, corresponding to an age of 5–6 years, while females mature at 115 cm (45 in) long, corresponding to an age of 6–7 years. The lifespan of males has been measured at up to 7 years, and females 12 years; extrapolating from growth rates suggest that the largest known males and females may be 12 and 20 years old respectively.

The daggernose shark poses little danger to humans due to its small size and

teeth. This shark is caught in small numbers by subsistence fishers in Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. It also comprises about one-tenth of the catch of a northern Brazil floating gillnet fishery targeting Serra Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus brasiliensis) and Acoupa weakfish (Cynoscion acoupa), which operates in estuaries during the dry season. (Source: Wikipedia – The Free Online Encyclopedia)

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Sunday August 05, 2012

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

“Dem ah watch meh” singer's torched car found in cemetery What remains of the car

P

opular chutney artiste and Director of Firefest Productions, Mahendra Ramkellawan, found one his vehicles torched after it was stolen from his Eccles Housing Scheme residence yesterday.

The Toyota Allion was found in Le Repentir Cemetery in the wee hours of the morning. It was taken to the Providence Police Station.

A c c o r d i n g t o Ramkellawan, he parked the car after returning home at 21:00hrs on Friday, however, in the early hours of Saturday he heard his car alarm go off and when he peered through a window he saw someone driving off with the vehicle.

“I don't know what the motive was, but I have no enemies. The car was just burnt and it appears as if

nothing was missing.”

Several of the artiste's friends, relatives and employees assisted in the search which concluded with the discovery of the torched vehicle in the burial ground.

Police were contacted and investigations are continuing Relatives noted that shortly after the car was removed, they tried contacting a police outpost and the Providence Police Station, but the phones continuously rang out.

According to them it was after an hour of trying that a rank answered the phone and a report was made.

“If we had gotten onto the police earlier they could have found the vehicle, and this didn't have to happen. This man does so much for people and entertainment in this country and this is what they do?” one relative questioned.

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Sunday August 05, 2012

From the Diaspora...

By Ralph Seeram I do not like to drive my son’s sports car. First it’s too fast for me. You touch the accelerator, you think you are driving 40 mph when in reality you are doing 70 mph. Sorry the US does not deal in metric. It’s a red sports car so it’s a magnet for traffic cops; the only difference here is the police will never dare solicit a bribe in lieu of giving you a ticket.

He or she will be very courteous and hand you your ticket with a smile, and explain your rights to contest it. Anyway back to my son’s car.

It is very low, so you have to stoop to get in. You would think you are actually sitting on the road, waiting for the bottom to be shaved from under you. It has too many fancy lights and dials, one telling you that the car has the ability to do 180 mph. You would think it was the controls of a plane instead of a car, I can’t understand why the need for so many controls and information about the car performance. But maybe I should have paid attention to those instruments on the

dashboard. One was telling me about the danger ahead, but I failed to observe.

I have a Sports Utility Vehicle, a Toyota Forerunner to be exact. It gives me no problem except for the normal wear and tear. My mentality is fill it with gas and once it moves it’s okay, until I noticed that shifting gears was a little stiff. I made this observation known to my son, who in turn asked me when last I changed my transmission fluid.

“I can’t remember” I replied. I always think of oil change, not of changing transmission fluid. “Which year you changed the fluid?” he inquired.

“I can’t remember,” was my reply.

I was ordered to have my transmission fluid changed immediately, and he generously agreed to loan me his sports car while mine was in the repair shop.

So here I was cruising on my way home in his car one afternoon this week, when I came to a traffic light stop, at one of the busiest intersections in Orlando. I stopped, waiting for the green light; the green light came on; I heard a rumbling noise then

everything thing went dead.

The computer shut down everything in the car.

I could not move. I took the key out and tried to restart the motor, nothing, not a sound. I attempted to put on my hazard light to warn oncoming motorists that my car was stationary; too many instruments and buttons. I can’t find it.

Now I have a problem.

Stay in the car and call for assistance? This has its danger as on a busy road like that it is not a matter of if, but when someone will crash into me. Did I mention it was night also? Cars were now speeding by me 50 mph to 60 mph, both to the left and right of me. If I open the door and attempt to exit the car, I risk being hit by oncoming traffic.

I kept remembering reading of similar incidents when persons were killed in the exact situation. Cars were now swerving to avoid hitting my car I sensed the real danger so I decided to abandon the car when the next red light stops the traffic, on stepping out I heard two voices in unison shouting, “You need help?”

I sure needed all the help

I can, so I signaled them to come over. They risked the oncoming traffic and came over. These two total strangers started to devise a strategy to remove the car from the real danger of someone crashing into it. It was a danger not to us but to other drivers. The solution was to push the car backwards a little uphill for about 200 feet to the nearest gas station. This presented its own challenges. Now we are going against oncoming traffic in the dark.

Suddenly we saw a motorist stop in one lane on our left with his hazard lights on, blocking the traffic on our left, and then another driver

came immediately behind us with his warning lights on for the oncoming traffic.

Now we have two lanes blocked for us to push the car back safely. However the danger was now shifted to the two unknown drivers who are risking their lives shielding us from the oncoming traffic. My two rescuers pushed and pushed to the point of exhaustion.

If you want to get a good workout and lose weight try pushing a car. Finally we found sanctuary in the parking lot of the gas station.

The two drivers that protected us drove off; I did not get to thank them. My two good Samaritans

inquired if I am okay now and before I can thank them and offer to quench their thirst, they disappeared into the night, and I never got their names.

There are still good hearted people in this world of ours.

My son turned up, I asked him when was the last time he checked his battery? He did not know, nor could he remember when he purchased the battery. He too never paid attention to all the fancy instruments. If he did he would have discovered his battery was not charging.

Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: ralph365@hotmail.com

Health Ministry strengthening surveillance to combat cholera It has been just short of a month since there have been reports of cholera in some parts of Cuba, and this country’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shamdeo Persaud has confirmed that there have not been any indications of Guyanese students being affected.

Dr. Persaud in a recent interview explained that the situation has been contained.

He noted that since 2010 when there was an outbreak in Haiti, the Health Ministry here had created an action plan to prevent the disease from entering these shores.

“Of course you know that we had a previous encounter with this disease and if you may recall back in 1992 during the South American outbreak, the disease had spread to the North West District and we were able to

contain it to that area after a year, reducing the number of deaths to a minimum”.

This time around, Dr. Persaud said, the Ministry has put several measures in place, as they are c u r r e n t l y working to develop the Port Vigilance System.”…meaning that persons coming into Guyana will have to be screened, on each arriving aircraft will have a general health declaration, so if a passenger comes in with any symptoms similar to those of cholera our team can monitor that person.”

By this declaration, Dr. Persaud said they will be able to significantly decrease if not totally eliminate the possibility of persons bringing the disease to Guyana.

Further he stated that the Ministry is also

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shamdeo Persaud strengthening its local surveillance system.

“We have a system whereby each health facility, including the private sector, reports on syndromes such as gastroenteritis, fever, vomiting and diarrhea on a weekly basis, but now we will be enhancing that system so that these agencies will submit a daily report.”

He added that from these reports the Ministry will be better able to detect any cases at an early stage since the National Public Health Reference Laboratory has the capability to do tests for cholera.

“Once we keep that vigilance up we hope that we won’t miss any cases”.

Further, Dr. Persaud encouraged that parents do their part in containing the spread of the disease since it has a lot to do with hygienic practices.

“I encourage you to ensure that you get your children to wash their hands before and after every meal; that you practice proper hygiene when it comes to food preparation and food storage.”

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Two injured in Car/Bike collision Two persons are now nursing injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), after the motorcycle they were travelling on collided with a car on Mandela Avenue, Georgetown.

Injured are Kelvin Barker, 35, and Sarah Ann English, 18.

Information on the accident is sketchy, but reports are that Barker, the bike’s rider was somewhere in the vicinity of a nightclub when the collision occurred.

It is unclear how t h e accident occurred but the driver of the car was r e p o r t e dly taken for questioning by the police Barker and the pillion rider were rushed to the hospital.

He was taken into theatre for immediate surgery while English was transported to a private hospital for a brain scan.

The car and bike (in background) that was in involved in the accident

According to reliable sources, English sustained bruises to her hand and head injuries.

“When I see her she couldn’t remember anything, but the boy was bleeding bad, bad.”

A new bridge more important...

(From page 12) depend on it.”

Harmon insisted that the same energy government uses to search for investors in other projects - the same energy should be utilised in finding the funding for a new bridge.

“Even though they (the other projects) are necessary, we should re-prioritise. We should be able to link the hinterland to the coast. That is the kind of planning that we are talking about in APNU. In neighbouring Suriname you can drive from one side of the country to another. I look forward to the day that I can drive from the city to Kamarang in the interior.”

However, according to Harmon, it may take a shift in thinking from the government side and the stakeholders.

“I believe that the only way we can do it is to sit down and see what Guyana needs. Not show that we have a fancy hotel. I believe that we need to develop Guyana from the bottom up and not from top looking down.”

There have been several calls for an alternative or a new bridge. The current one was commissioned in July 1978 and has long outlived its 20-year lifespan.

Officials recently said that while there may be

another 10 years left in the structure, it will become problematic in another five years as Guyana continues to import more vehicles.

Traffic growth on the roads is said to be seeing average increase of around 45% annually.

Currently, an estimated 16,000 vehicles traverse the bridge on a daily basis.

To avoid congestion in the morning and evening

peak hours, the bridge management had been forced to resort to one-lane traffic on weekdays.

It has become a usual sight for motorists to see workers patching sections of the bridge daily.

Government has said that there were a number of studies for a new bridge and other alternatives, but there has been nothing concrete to the public as yet.

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Repsol revs up for another well offshore Despite failing in its first two attempts to find oil in commercial quantities, Guyana is aiming at another well. This time a new well in waters of the Georgetown block is expected to hit a depth of up to 21,500 feet.

According to a government statement yesterday, it met on Tuesday with Repsol Exploracion S.A., operator of the Georgetown Block along with officials of the consortium involved in the drilling operations of the Jaguar-1 Well offshore Guyana.

The meeting was to discuss the preliminary outcomes of the project and potential future plans, a statement from the Ministry of Natural Resources said.

The partners to the Georgetown Block are Tullow Oil plc (30%), CGX Resources Inc (25%), YPF Guyana Ltd (30%) and Repsol Exploracion S.A. (15%).

Drilling of the Jaguar-1 well was stopped at a depth of 15,998 ft and the decision to plug and abandon was taken unanimously by all partners based on the high pressures encountered. This decision to abandon the well was fully supported by the Government of Guyana.

While the well was planned as a High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT) well, actual pressures observed were significantly higher than

predicted and continuing to deepen the well would not have been within the well design parameters to contain these pressures.

The drilling of the well progressed to plan in the early stages, but high formation pressures found deeper dictated the plugging and abandonment of the well.

Abandonment was achieved as planned and subsequent monitoring of the site is also planned for the immediate future.

“While Repsol and consortium partners continue to evaluate all of the data gathered during the drilling of Jaguar-1, they shared with the Government Officials preliminary findings, which included evidence of petroleum occurrences and indicated their future plans to determine the viability of reaching the primary objective of Jaguar-1. Based

on the now known pressures, a new well may be drillable to the primary and secondary targets deeper than 18,000 ft and as deep as 21,500 ft,” the Ministry disclosed yesterday.

The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission has been mandated to work with the consortium on the best way forward to achieve an early restart of exploration drilling on the Georgetown Block.

Almost three months ago, CGX Energy Inc. announced that is also failed to find oil in commercial quantities in a well being drilled in another concession off the Corentyne shores.

With prices for oil remaining high on the world market, Guyana has been desperate to have its own well. It is banking on the fact that neighbouring Venezuela and Suriname have on and therefore there is in all likelihood oil in Guyana too.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday August 05, 2012

DRESS MAKING 6-weeks course in designing/ dressmaking.

Call Sharmela: 225- 2598, 641- 0784 FOR SALE/RENT PROPERTY FOR SALE

WANTED 1 Cook to cook for a family in the interior Call: 697-1513 Survival Shopping Complex, Sheriff Street, one driver (Lorry License), one inventory clerk Call: 227-5286-90.

Driver/ Salesman, Lorry Licence, Clean Driving Record. Call: 266- 4427 Experience driver, Apply in person with written application Hack’s Halaal Restaurant 5 Commerce Street.

Live in attractive waitress Call : 228-5129 Attractive Waitress to work @ Chilly’s Bar Call: 667-7380 East Coast GUYOIL (day & night) pump attendants, sales girls, Managers, house keepers, Office assistants call: 684-2838, 680-5223.

Refrigeration A/C, Washer trainee Call: 231-0655, 683-8734 2 Ranch hands, to work in the Abary Creek roping on horse back. Call: 232- 3295, 623- 4495 One nail technician. Contact: 602-7481

EDUCATIONAL ACADEMIA: CXC lessons forms 1-5 & Adults. Only $1000 per subject per month.

Call: 600-3775 SUMMER CLASSES:Come learn to do tips, hand design, make up and poised $10,000 Call:226-9448,628-7880 Imperial College-Jan / June CXC 2013. Full time / Lessons /Adults classes.

Payment packages & discounts available. Call: 683-5742, 227-7627 Study in Canada! Mohawk College # 1 for student, satisfaction in Ontario.

Agent in Guyana. Email: iaucollege@gmail.com, call: 592- 638- 1441 Enroll now at Double B’s school for cosmetology courses as low as $5,000 each Call:676-4556,649-2930 Princeton College, Forms 15, CXC adults classes for slow learners, raeding classes for children Call: 690-5008, 611-3793 Live and work in Canada, Get Canadian Certification as a Caregiver Call: 227-4881 or 416-674-7973

Lorry drivers to work labourlorry at Enmore and L.B.I Estate Call: 628-1756, 228-5655 WANTED URGENTLY..!! 1 Industrial electrician, 1 electrical rewinder to rewind motors Call: 692-5175, 263-5488 Live in maid or live out Call: 668-3985, 264-3355-56 One experience gardener/ handyman, 55 to 65 years from the East Bank area Call: 658-5659 Upholster Call 227-3660 8am to 5pm.

Male security guard & camp attendant to clean to work in the interior Call : 231-3159 Dear Gold Investment welder fabricator to work in the interior Call: 231-3159 Porter, canter driver, ½ day maid, carpenter, mason to work in the w.c.d Call: 6848231 Experience security, porters & drivers Call: 223-5273, 2235274 2 Experience salesgirls & 1 handyman, 23 Lombard Street Werk-en-Rust Georgetown Call: 227-8529, 626-8003 Salesgirls and porter boys at 127 Regent and Alexander Street Avishkar Building Georgetown Call: 231-8157

1, 2 Storey wooden & concrete house situated at Bloomfield Public Road Berbice Call: 642-0110, 6906520 20X40 Two flat concrete building @ Kitty. Price $22M Negotiable to be seen Call: 668-9512, 223-2570

Anchorseal Call:BR&T Paint Store 265-3541,695-4785

Kitty $45M, Charlestown $12M, East Bank $12M, Albertown $30M, Robb Street $40M Diana 227-2256, 626-9382

John Dickinson Exercise Books (Large Quantity) wholesale only Call:6191105,622-3766 Dell computers complete with 17 & 19 inch LCD from $50,000 Future Tech 2312206

Bel Air Park $55M Negotiable Call: 619-4682

1 Bobcat & trailor Call:6460101

At Tuschen East Bank Essequibo, contact Rayman at 645-9105, 650-2982, transport will obtain McDoom Public Road $40M, $53M, Diamond $53M, $12M, $22M, Mon Repos $25M, Anna Catherina $19.5M Steve 699-5490 Shell Road Kitty 3 storey $55M, Non Pariel $15M, Agricola $20M Steve 6995490

1 5 ton feed mixer $1.6M, 1 pelletising machine $1.3M, 1 plucking machine $900,000, 71 automatic waterer, 106 feed can Call:642-2359 Brandnew American made Crosely 10.5 cu ft Refridgerator for sale $75,000. #697-5677 Doberman pups Call:6666714, 226-9548 1 Pool Table, call: 669-9927 Toyota Starlet EP71 Call:6482075 2004 RAV4L PLL 8310, Excellent condition Call: 6666714, 226-9548 Assorted Green Heart and Hard Wood; suitable for fence and scaffolding.

Please contact: 641-4952

LAND FOR SALE 1 ½ acre, 48ftx1300ft V/Hoop Call: 627-9351

WANTED One experience hauler driver.

Apply in person Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling, Stabroek.

1 lumber yard labourer Call: 226-3736 One live in domestic maid to do general house work, no cooking,no washing Call: 639-7700 Sales persons wanted Call: 225-6631 (For Details) General male receptionist shift work able body- Hilton Crest International Hotel Call: 223-6284 Hire persons from IKS Recruitment Agency Bahir, security, drivers, maco man, excavator operators Call us 233-1719/ email: info@iksservices.com One cow minder, aged 40 & over, between Clonbrook Unity area Call: 623-3231, 2590953, 225-3198 Live in/ Live out Babysitter/ Domestic Call: 225-0188, 2256070 Security/ Watchman Call: 225-6070, 225-0188

FOR SALE 1 225 KVA Generator, 1 Hiace Canter, Premio, 3 light towers, car batteries Call:624-2000

Prime residential land for sale by owner Atlantic Gardens 114ft by 74ft. $23M negotiable, call: 600- 3732, 600- 4536 Charlotte Street 35’’ x 110’’ $65M Call:619-4682 Corner lot 200’x 100’ at Yarrowkabra Soesdyke Linden Highway $1.1M Negotiable Call: 619-1249, 226-3378 32 Acres for sale, lot 5 Content E.C.D $256,000.00 (USD),call:813-319-4219 or rpooran@tampabay.rr.com Eccles $3.5M, Samantha Point $3.5M, Diamond $3.5M, $4.8M, $6M Steve 699-5490

Racing Jet ski for sale with trailer, twin Carburetor price negotiable Call : 694-8735 Dell Computers, Price Negotiable Call: 680-4276 Tractor & pick up for sale, Massy 285 MF 175 & Pick up Ford Ranger Double cab Call: 682-5230, 621-4066, 6665644 Puppies- Pekinese mix with Tibetian terrior Call: 6238811, 227-0945 One wooden boat, just cork, sand & paint, 53-9-5 ½ , excellent condition. Call: 2620316, 662-5743 Games for PS2 $900, PSP $900, PS3 $2,600, Xbox 360 $2,600 Call: 672-2566, 2653231 6 cylinder Perkins engines (complete). Contact Mr.George 223-0847, 678-5333 5 acres farm on transported land, fully equipped, pens (16,000 capacity), bearing trees @ Pearl E.B.D Call: 6899991, 227-5362

SALON Make up courses, artist trained & certified in Trinidad: 660-5257,647-1773 228 Cummings Street Bourda, 1 nail & hair station for rent & cosmetologist class, come & register now Call: 614-2617, 669-3237

Cheap! Cheap! Dell laptop 71.9 GB $60,000 each Call: 680-8681 ALL PURPOSE & STRAIGHT STITCH, Sewing machines from $15,000, Be early. Call:645-7243 Male enhancer Viagra $4,000 Call: 638-1627

FOR SALE Honda welder generator, 12002 Toyota Tundra Call: 2204203, 611-5114

American pool table 277-0578 Church Street 4 storey Call: 699-5490

One 15 HP Yamaha (long foot), Call: 689-5254, 643-0332 Pure Breed Pitbull pups, vaccinated & dewormed, 9 weeks old, $35,000, call: 6429753, 622-1217 2005 Tacoma 4 cylinder, call: 651-8870, 233-6161 Used laptop computer $40,000 to $65,000 Call:2270095 Diving Suit, call: 613- 5158, 265- 3449 Champion pure breed rottweilers pups, both parents imported, grandparents are international champions from dog show Call: 685-2584 5 acres transported Land, water, phone, electricityNEG, call: 612-5398/673-8165 2009 Seadoo Jetski, 18ft x 7ft fiberglass speed boat 175 YAMAHA, call: 233- 6161, 651- 8870 1 stainless steel meat saw, meat grinder, display freezer cold storage room, call: 6518870 Caterpiller backhoe model 426c. Call: 651- 8870, 233- 6161 Mix Breed puppies for sale.

Call: 253- 3114, 692- 0126 100 Honda scrambler bike, Electric wheel chair, call: 2336161, 651- 8870 Portable A/C $45,500, Treadmill $32,500, 26’’ stand fan $19,500, Xbox360 $45,500 Call: 639-7114, 674-5625 One 225 HP $1.1M & 150 HP $950,000, Yamaha outboard engines, many more small outboard engines available Call: 699-1711 One ERF Hauler & 40 foot trawler Call: 653-4455 Moulders, multirip saws, resaws, cross cut saw and genset Call Rodney 616-5595 (New) Air Brush Compressor for sale Call: 666-5276 Trally to accommodate bobcat & excavator 8’’10’’ x 17 - 5’’ Call: 644-8610, 688-0240.

Rotor- NZE, IST, Runx, $6000, Sterring end-IST, 170, $2000, Liner- NZE, IST, Allion $3,500 Call: 654-6394 5 A transmission O Ring seal wholesale $5000 Call: 654-6394 GPS System Map, Gramin Brand $95,000. Call: 600-0036 Baby chicks available weekly, fully vaccinated, Mr.D.Lallbeharry 371 Craig Public Road E.B.D Call: 6269589

FOR SALE SAMSUNG CHRONOS 7 LAPTOP INTEL CORE i5, 8GB MEMORY, 750GB HDD, 14'’ LED HIGH DEFINITION, WINDOWS 7. NEW / SEALED $180,000. TEL: 683-3161 Doberman, Rotweiler Call: 641-6423 New Blackberry (S), Bold 4 (9900) $95,000, Bold 3 (9780) $75,000, Torch (9800) $80,000. All original accessories included Call: 680-1722 Owner leaving, 1 dual car deck, 1 Honda pressure washer 3000 PSI, 1 Iphone 4S, 1 hilti jack hammer Call: 257-0193, 666-4000 MAC STUDIO FIX POWDERS $7,900, SACHA 2in1 $2,000 MAKE UP – top Brands, BLACK OPAL $2,700 Tel :647 -1773 Pure breed German Shepherd and Rottweiler pups, vaccinated and dewormed also 2 adult Rottweiler dog Call: 220-6879 Clean garden earth and Bobcat rental, excavating, clearing and leveling, call; 616- 0617, 663- 3285 SDMO Generator (Mitsubishi), diesel, silent, 27 KVA, Keystart, 400 gallons, fuel tank $1.5M Negotiable Call: 621-4000, 690-6000 PSR 550 Keyboard $100,000 Call: 660-8697 One fishing boat with 4000 LB Ice Box : 40ft length x 7ft 6’’ width x 4ft 6’’ height Call: 670-0000 1 male all over white Dachshund dog, 8 months old fully vaccinated Call: 658-2776.

Used Play Station 2 games, X-Box, 1 remotes $30,000 each Call: 652-6894 Draglines-little giant 371 engine, Ruston 10RB (Spares), Tractor-Massy Ferguson, bikes CG 125 Call: 694-1440, 697-1698 Gold smeller, driver shaft 136’’ x 3 ½ ‘’ , saws, generators, pressure washer, compressors Call: 694-1440, 697-1698 Red nose six weeks old.

Pitbulls, vaccinated & dewormed Call: 223-9725, 667-0338 (Continued on page 56)

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 55

The Abigail Column Caught between a rock and a hard place DEARABIGAIL, I am 27 and my life is at the point where I want it to be. What make my life so important are my parents and my boyfriend.

My parents have assisted me with whatever I do. They were always there and I know for a fact that they will always be there. My boyfriend, Charles however, has recently entered my life and he has made an impact. He is “one of a kind.” I never thought that I would actually meet someone like him.

When it boils down to having friends, the answer is

“no.” I don’t have friends, I have colleagues. So basically my life rotates around my boyfriend and my parents.

The problem is that my parents does not approve of me dating Charles.

I told him about my parent’s opinion but all he says “I am with you in whatever you do.”

I, alone cannot make a decision. I love my parents and I would not disobey them but at the same time I would not stop seeing Charles. So what am I to do?

Briana Dear Briana, The simple answer is that you either want your parents

or you want Charles. You have to make a decision.

Limping on two opinions would only create more and more anxiety.

However, have your parents given you reason or reasons why they don’t approve of Charles? Perhaps they have legitimate reasons for concern? Why not talk to them.

It might be that you can allay whatever fears they have, or perhaps what they have to say might cause you to take a step back and look at your relationship with Charles objectively. In the end, you and Charles will have to live together, not you, your Charles and your parents.

Sunday August 05, 2012 ARIES (March 21 - April 19): If you are asked to help out with a big group event, it would be in your best interests to lend a hand -- even if you don't think you have the time to take on anything new. ****************** TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): You are totally right if you think that if you have problems you should be able to tell them to your friends. But you are totally wrong if you think that if you have problems you should give them to your friends to solve. ******************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Your travel plans might be just about set in stone, but resist the urge today to finalize reservations and book tickets -- there is a slight chance that things could change, and you need to stay flexible right now. ******************** CANCER (June 21 - July 22): More than ever, your visions of the future are important to foster, today, whether that happens through daydreaming, 'what if' conversations with friends, or just simple hoping. ******************** LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): Quite a few opinionated people are going to be in your day, and they are not going to keep quiet about their opinions. The good news is that you know how to handle them with grace. ********************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept.

22): One of your closest friends is starting a new venture, and they need your support more than ever. You're only too willing to give it -- until you learn more about why they are

doing it. ********************** LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): You are doing an excellent job of not letting fear guide your life! You know how to act in a way that will get you closer to what you want - not further away from what you don't want. ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21): If you are in the midst of developing a new relationship, be very careful not to get too wrapped up in this other person's life, right now. ********************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 Dec. 21): An awful lot can be communicated with nonverbal communication, so let your eyes and your body do all your talking today. ***************** CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): Everyone around you will be shocked by some unexpected news, today. But not you! You sensed it all along, thanks to your extremely strong intuitive powers, which are stronger than ever, right now. *********************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18): You will probably spend most of your time with adults, today, but it is going to feel like you're trapped inside of a day care center! *************** PISCES (Feb. 19 - March 20): It's easy to make sure you have a fun day -- all you have to do it start a new project!

The universe is sending you strong, clear energy that will give you the spark you need to start a new fire. Interested in learning how to knit?

DTV CHANNEL 8 09:25hrs. Sign On 09:30hrs. Turning Point 10:00hrs. Kickin’ It 10:30hrs. Lab Rats 11:00hrs. The Ultimate SpiderMan 12:00hrs. Movie: The Pregnancy Project 14:00hrs. Movie: Listen to Your Heart 16:00hrs. Movie: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story 18:00hrs. Faith in Action 18:30hrs. Know Your Bible 19:00hrs. Greetings and Announcements 20:30hrs. DTV’s Summer Movie Fest 23:00hrs. Sign Off NTN CHANNEL 18/ CABLE 69 05:00hrs - Sign on with the Mahamrtunjaya Mantra 05:00hrs - Timehri Maha Kali Shakti Devi Mandir Presents Krishna Bhajans 05:15hrs - Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital Inc Presents 05:30hrs - Queenstown Masjid Presents Quran This Morning 06:00hrs - R. Gossai General Store Presents Krishna Bhajans 06:15hrs - Jettoo’s Lumber Yard Presents Krishna Bhajans 06:30hrs - Muneshwar Limited Presents Krishna Bhajans 06:45hrs - Double Standard Taxi Presents Krishna Bhajans 07:00hrs - Ramroop’s Furniture Store Presents Religious Teachings 07:30hrs - The Family of The Late Leila & David Persaud Presents Krishna Bhajans 07:45hrs - Sankar Auto Works Presents Krishna Bhajans 08:05hrs - Sa Re Ga Ma (Musical Notes) A Live CallIn Program 09:30hrs - Walt Disney ARJUN - THE WARRIOR PRINCE ( Animated ) 11:30hrs Guyana’s Entertainers Platform 12:00hrs - Hinduism in a changing world presented by Pt. Ravi 12:30hrs - LET’S TALK with LAKSHMEE 13:00hrs - DVD Movie-: PREM NAGAR (Eng: Sub:) *ing Rajesh Khanna & Hema Malini 16:00hrs - Teaching of Islam 16:30hrs - Lil Masters 17:30hrs - Ganesh Parts Presents - BHAGAVAD GITA ( Discourses in English) Serial

17:45hrs - Birthday Greetings/ Death Announcement & In Memoriam 18:00hrs - Lil Masters 19:00hrs - Geet Gaata Chal Live with Joel 20:00hrs - Indian Soap - Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke 20:30hrs - Indian Soap - Rab

Se Sohna Isshq 21:00hrs - Indian Soap - Pavitra Rishta 21:30hrs - Indian Soap:- Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuyien 22:00hrs - Indian Soap:- Punar Viivaah 22:30hrs - Sign Off with the GAYATRI MANTRA

Page 56

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 05, 2012

“Youth at London Olympics...

(From page 54)

CAR RENTAL Progressive auto rental, cars from $4,000 per day. Call: 6435122, 656-0087, www.progressiveautorental.com Al’s Car pick up, canter rental Call:698-7807

SERVICES Permanent &Visitors Visa Applications Professional Immigration Consultant Sabita - Room E-4 Maraj Building 225-6496/ 223-8115/662-6045.

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MASSAGE American style massage service Call: 609-4036 For Professional Massages Call Nicole 612-7209 Relaxing massage in and out, call: 622- 6256

Unregistered Premio, Allion, Allex, AT 212, Spacio Call: 609-8188,638-3045

One Toyota Wish $3M, One Toyota Noah Unregistered $2.5M Call: 648-6869

We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call:2310655,683-8734 Omar

Repairs to refridgerators, washing machines, gas stoves, A/C units Call Lindon 641-1086, 694-2202 Cell phone unlocking starting from $3,000, Flash drive and memory card 16GB Kingston $6,000 Call: 652-7560

Canter for sale, (long base) series GPP excellent condition $3.6M NEG. Call: 682- 4224, 693- 8357

Just arrived: Allion and Premio, tel:624-2000,622-1610

We refill HP cartridges for $1800 Call: 650-7699

Pageant coach, speech, poise confidence etc. Call: 639- 6247, 220- 6812 for more information

VEHICLES FOR SALE Toyota Hilux pick-up, solid DEF, 4X4 long base, diesel, excellent condition Call: 6230243

Toyota Mark 2 PJJ Series Call Owner 644-6608 FOR RENT 2 Bedrooms furnished apartment Call:665-2548 Diamond Scheme Furnished apartment for one female, call: 216- 2637, 685- 0205 Bridal items for rental or sale. Decorated cakes Call: 225-8133 39 West Ruimveildt 5 minute to school also its 4 bedroom upstairs,master bedroom second wash room $70,000 Call: 694-5371 Vreed-En-Hoop W.B.D near to junction.Ideal for play school, daycare, lesson classes, doctor’s office & other businesses Call: 6809905 Upper-flat in New road, Vreed-En-Hoop $40,000- 3 bedrooms, unfurnished, complete set up. Call: 2274764 Business place to rent, situated at X Durban Street Wortmanville Call: 616-2445 betweenAug 2nd to 12th 1 Bedroom apartment for a couple or a single only Meadowbrook Gardens Call: 231-4851 Two bedroom house by itself to rent Haslington E.C.D Call: 663-9816, 2202940 1-2 Bedrooms apartment overseas furnished, 266 Atlantic Gardens E.C.D Call: 220-3735 One newly built 2 bedrooms bottom flat Section A Diamond $50,000 Call:2234281, 216-2324, 678-4072

CAKES & PASTRIES Courses in cake decoration, pastry making & cookery, tel: 670-0798. Also Wedding dresses for sale.

2003 Nissan X Trail PLL series, excellent condition $3.2M Negotiable Call:6233839 Nissan Xtrail white PMM series, low mileage $3.5M Negotiable Call:623-6071 or 233-2468 Long & short base open back canter, call: 617- 2891 BJJ 635 Minibus, EFI Engine for sale or on contract Call: 692-0762 Bus for sale BJJ 1065 (Long Base) Call: 682-5054 1 Toyota Allion, 1 Toyota IST, 1 RAV4 Call: 624-1343, 664-2755 1 Toyota Ceres, AT 192, AT 170, 212 Carina, L-Touring Wagon, EP 71 Starlet, 1 Alteeza PMM, 1 Suzuki pick up Call: 644-5096, 697-1453 QUANTUM AUTO – Toyota Premio, Dark Grey, Black & Silver, Spacio, Fielders & Raum, Fully Loaded Call: 624-7684, 617-2378 Blowout Sale!!! Unregistered Toyota Bb & New Model Raum (Red Colour). Fully loaded & cheap Call: 6436565, 226-9931 2 Leyland Daf Dump truck in working condition Call: 6281756, 228-5655 1 Mitsubishi mirage car $820,000 Call: 639-9528 1 AT 192 yellow HB series very good condition owner leaving $750,000 Negotiable Call: 619-5854 Toyota IST, excellent condition, fully loaded Call: 691-0554 1 Toyota RZ (Longbase), 15 seater (EFI) manual, immaculate codition, hardly used, price $1.6M. Call Rocky 621-5902, 225-1400 1 AT 170 Toyota Corona (full light), automatic, fully powered, CD player, magrims, price $725,000 Call Rocky 621-5902 Jags’ VVTI, Manual Buses, Premio, Wagon, IST, Raum Cheapest Call: 616-7635

From page 57 Roach, with his start, and much needed help in future, could easily eclipse all of us, injury permitting!

Roach could even try to emulate Marshall in his approach to the wicket, before launching “Exocets!”

Marshall actually had two approaches, one much longer than the other, used accordingly to conditions afoot. Yet, for all of his 81 LEARN TO DRIVE Soman & Sons Driving School, First Federation Building Call: 225-4858, 644-5166, 6222872, 615-0964 Prudential Learning ‘’ Training to Pass’’ automatic also stick/manual Call: 6424827, 661-5028. We ‘re # 1.

Tests, and highly successful results; 376 wickets; he seldom bowled no-balls!

Roach is obviously learning as he goes along.

Regrettably, unfortunately for him, there is no-one now in his team to teach him anything about fast bowling.

That he bowls many no-balls, some particularly very costly, actually getting “nowickets”, is expectedly normal. He only operates on his own basic instincts!

Doubly embarrassing in this scenario is that Ottis Gibson, England’s bowling coach when fast bowlers Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad appeared to be England present spear-head fast bowers, is now West Indies Head Coach. Where exactly is Gibson in these totally DATING SERVICE Immediate link-Singles 18-80 yrs.Confidential: Tel: 2238237,648-6098. 8:30am-5:00pm Mon-Sun (Both phones same hours) NO TEXTING

VEHICLES FOR SALE 212 $1.3M, F 100 $1.1M Steve 699-5490 1 Toyota Hilux Surf (hardly used) automatic, fully powered, A/C, magrims, crash bar, price $2.2M Call Rocky 621-5902 1 Toyota Harrier (2001), automatic, fully loaded, alarm, immaculate condition, price $4.8M Call Rocky 621-5902, 225-1400 1 AT 212 Toyota Carina (New Model), automatic, fully powered, A/C , magrims, alarm, price $1.6M Call Rocky 621-5902 1 Toyota Rav 4 (hardly used) automatic, fully powered, A/ C, mags, price $2.3M Call Rocky 225-1400, 621-5902 1 Toyota Raum (Private) immaculate condition automatic, fully powered, A/ C, CD, Price $1.4M Call Rocky 621-5902, 225-1400 1 Toyota Prado (2000) Automatic, fully loaded, immaculate condition, price $6M Call Rocky 621-5902, 225-1400 Cherokee Laroda 4 doors, fully powered, excellent condition PHH series $1.5M Call: 621-4000, 690-6000 Mercedes Benz A 140, fully powered, DVD system, armored Price $3.5M Call: 6214000, 690-6000 Mercedes Benz A 140, fully powered, PMM series, excellent condition, price $2.7M Call: 621-4000, 6906000 Leroy Trident Brandnew car 250cc, 4 doors, CD Player, fully powered, now $1 million Call: 690-6000,621-4000

miserable foot-fault failings

by Roach?

To add to Roach’s youth, 22 year old opener Kieran Powell actually outplayed his more illustrious partner, Chris Gayle, to achieve a first Test century, 134, in 10 Tests, while Gayle magnificently bulldozed his 14th; 150. Also, Powell should have been named “Man of the Match,’ so polished were his efforts!

All that Powell must now do, as Clint Eastwood suggested in “Magnum Force,” is know his limitations, clearly understanding his role, that he is not Chris Gayle. Indeed, there can only be one Chris Gayle!

Sunil Narine, 24, continued in Test No. 1 where he left off in limited-overs games, his herculean, marathon 85 overs, match figures 8-223, demonstrating that youth knows no boundaries. At Sabina Park, he needs more productivity from the other bowlers, including Roach. Youth is still boss! Enjoy!

VACANCY Be part of our world class customer care team.Call:2200401-3 or Email: recruitment Guyana @qualfon.com 1 live in maid, 1 washer Linens, 1 Carpenter Call Hotel 223-6284, Part time maid Simone 227-0501 IT Manager must have degree in computer. Call: 220-0401- 3 or email: recuruitment guyana@qualfon.com Experience welder fabricator, experience bond clerk. Apply Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling.

One Western Union CRS to work at Mon Repos Mall & Georgetown, Apply @ 38 Ketley Street, Charlestown Call: 682-6055 Accounts Clerk- 5 years experience passes in Accounts, Maths, English.

Apply @ Alabama, Georgetown Ferry Stelling.

1 driver, salesman Call: 2201500, 614-4626 Driver for party rental service; within the vicinity of Parika & Vreed-en-Hoop, must be able to work flexible hours, call: 638-1627 Vacancy exists for plant shop sales person, harding working a must Call: 6481821 Live-in nanny/maid 30-45 years, Location: Kuru Kururu Call: 697-8797

TO LET Business apartment 78 Hadfield Street , behind Brickdam Police Station, Boutique/store. Call Simone 227-0501 Wash bay and canteen 15 Good Hope, East Bank Essequibo. Call: 680-4990, 277-3033 Furnished 2 bedrooms house Crane Housing Scheme W.C.D Call: 613-5715 Apartments Call :667-1549 Albertown US$650, Regent Street US$650, West $40,000 - $50,000, Hadfiels Street $50,000, Diamond $60,000 Diana 227-2256, 626-9382 1 Bedroom apartment at Plantation Versailles W.B.D Call: 618-5070 3 bedrooms apartment bottom flat West Bank Demerara Small Family Call: 267-1446, 662-1995 Two bedrooms upper flat $55,000 per month Call : 6255461 Fully furnished short term apartments, Eccles. Call: 6797139 Campbellville $60,000, Nandy Park US$1,800 Steve 699-5490 Flat house for rent in Diamond Call: 216-1124, 6872711

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 57

“Youth at London Olympics 2012 and in cricket not being wasted!”

Colin E. H. Croft You gotta love it! The 30th Olympics in modern times, London 2012, already has new pin-up girls, and we have not really started the athletics fully or completed cycling or swimming. What a feast of sports!

Sometimes, perhaps even most times, with our actions, we ponder about the future and those replacing us.

Indeed, as George Bernhard Shaw once suggested, “Youth is actually, really, wasted on the young!”

Sometimes, though, exuberance of youth, and ignorance of what we call ‘real life’ do allow authentic, original performers, with clear heads and consciences, to show themselves. One is ‘Lithuanian Ruta’!

Not specially financed by any multi-national entity, or from some country with zillions in its coffers for sports, like USA, China or UK, Lithuanian 15-year old school-girl Ruta Meilutyte still man-handled, or should that be ‘child-destroyed’, the swimming world last week, stunningly overpowering the world’s best, while winning 100 meters breaststroke final at XXX Olympiad; London 2012! What a swim, girl!

Back in 1972, former USSR’s Olga Valentinovna Korbut, No. 253, was my first ‘Olympics Girl’. I was just becoming a name in cricket,

Kemar Roach

Ruta Meilutyte

Ye Shiwen

and, as now, was fortunate enough to have been in United Kingdom then too – my first travel outside of the Caribbean - for those XX Olympiad, held in Munich, (West) Germany.

I immediately fell in love with Olga! That little playful pixie, complete with slightly disheveled hair, probably elastic spine, painted-on leotard, heart-evaporating smile, aged 16, somehow without evident female body protrusions for that age, wowed the world like no other had done before, or even, since!

Olga had been training at gymnastics since age 8. In terms of real sports, she was already an eight-year veteran by the time those eventually extremely disastrous games came around, but not even Black September’s cowardly commando raid on the unfortunate Israeli athletes

could erase Olga’s triumph!

Indeed, to this day, her almost impossible maneuver, ‘The Korbut Flip’, is still used extensively world-wide, and has, in some ways, become the very hall-mark of modern gymnasts. What a great move!

Olga was interviewed at London 2012’s gymnastics.

She purred! “I am just back, simply to enjoy what I think I had started 40 years ago. It is so very exciting to have begun something special and new; to see that the girls, especially the Russians, are still performers, not just robots!’ Oh, she still looks lovely too!

This was so very similar to the Olympic episode, and re-invention in high-jumping skills, by “The Fosbury Flop”, named for absolutely revolutionary efforts by USA high-jumper, Richard Douglas “Dick” Fosbury.

He was also only 19 when he won that gold medal with a then Olympic record, at XIX Olympiad; Mexico 1968.

Every world-class high jumper, including all now too, adopts that technique.

Youths; they rock!

Also, there might even be underlying consternation, probably jealousy, especially from normally poorly-losing Americans, at the ease with which new world-record holder for 400m individual medley, China’s 16 year old sensation, Ye Shiwen, that other full event-stopper, decimated the entire pool of swimmers.

Could it be that some are trying to denigrate her country, China, for progress, where others often fail? So what that Ye beat her previous best by a whopping five seconds? With youths, anything is possible!

To paraphrase actor Will

Smith, as he flew one of the invading alien’s own spacecraft into battle against them, in “Independence Day”, I definitely want some of what Ye Shiwen has been taking, whatever it is!

Oh no, youth it is not always wasted on the young.

Only youths, certainly in body, hopefully in minds too, could perform such gyrations without fear of consequences. Oh, for such real innocence again!

Like Olga and Dick, Ruta and Ye are already heroines at home. After London 2012, expect stamps to be made of their likenesses, along with severe, real ‘mulah’ and overt attention that they would receive, especially in our modern Twitter-world. All they need do is keep those toothy grins and keep winning!

With focus on winning, West Indies beat New Zealand last week; Test No. 1. In cricketing terms, someone remarked, as No. 1 and No. 2, England v South Africa, try to gore each other to death; ala epee - dueling swords; West Indies win was like minnows eating tadpoles!

Now, Windies needs bigger bait!

Youth was again to the fore, in the visage of West Indies fast bowler extraordinaire Kemar Andre Jamal Roach, who, at only 24, is still just a pup in international cricket. While his production has not been

Colin E. H. Croft as it should have been; only 77 wickets in 20 Tests; he is by far the leader of the present fast bowling pack!

Excitingly, Roach already has five five-wicket hauls in Tests, with a ten-wicket match haul too, including 5-60 garnered as West Indies set up only 102 to win Test No. 1.

When, not if, he learns all things needed for really good fast bowling; erasing technical fallibility for noballs and approaches; he could be great!

The last such “small” fast bowler to be termed “great” was my late fast bowling partner, Malcolm Denzil Marshall, who also made his Test debut at age 20. “Macco” always said that he learned from us, ‘The Big Boys’ Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Colin Croft and Joel Garner - on the job, not from manuals!

All of those named, including me, I guess, have been termed “Legends,” at least in our own minds!

(Continued on page 56)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday August 05, 2012

Terrence Archer - 1st Captain to lead Guyana to 2nd Rd. of CFU C/ship Statistician Charwayne Walker continues his series of features on players who have represented Guyana at the World Cup level. In this installment, Kaieteur Sport is pleased to feature Terrence Archer.

The first time Guyana reached the second round of the Caribbean Football Union World Cup Qualifying competition was the year 1983 and the man wearing the Captaincy armband was Pele FC’s Terrence Archer.

Playing under Coach Mervyn ‘Pug’ Wilson, Guyana with Archer at the helm, held Barbados to a hard fought 1-1 draw in Bridgetown.

In the return fixture at GCC Ground, Bourda, goals by Neville ‘Zipper’ Johnson and Colin Hinds backed up by outstanding defensive work led by skipper Archer, Guyana romped to a commanding 2-0 victory and a place in the second round of the CFU championship for the first time since 1971.

Hailing from Bartica, Archer was among 32 players called to trials in 1978 for two friendly Internationals for Guyana’s Under-23 against their Surinamese counterparts.

Although he failed to make the final 20-man squad, Archer recognized that failure was not a cause for

- former Guyana Int. 1980 - 1993 depression but rather an encouragement for improvement. His non selection was however short lived since the kid from Wineperu was included in Guyana 20-man squad for the 1979 CFU Nations Cup and again he failed to don the National Jersey because this time, Guyana withdrew from the championship.

His moment of glory came the following year, 1980 when he finally made his international debut against Grenada at GCC Ground, Bourda in a World Cup Qualifier.

He was unceremoniously omitted for the return fixture in St. George’s.

Archer’s next International was against Suriname in a World Cup qualifier which Guyana lost 10 at GCC, September 1980.

The return fixture in Paramaribo was Archer’s first senior international overseas.

His 1980 International campaign concluded with two friendly Internationals in Trinidad and Tobago as well as World Cup Qualifiers against Cuba in Havana and the Mackenzie Sports Club.

Archer had to wait a further two years for is next International assignment because Guyana failed to

participate in any International matches in 1981 and 1982. The land of the Majestic Kaieteur Falls returned to CFU competition in 1983 and Terrence Archer was named Captain with Mervin ‘Pug’ Wilson as Coach.

With the tall Archer marshalling his troops admirably, Guyana held Barbados to a 1-1 tie in the capital of the Flying Fish, Bridgetown. In the return fixture, Archer’s men eliminated the Bajans with a commanding 2-0 win at the World famous, GCC sward.

In the second round, Guyana drew with Antigua & Barbuda 0-0 at Bourda and surprisingly lost the return game 4-0 in St. John’s. The defeat saw the Guyanese being eliminated from the final in Cayenne, French Guiana.

After the Antigua debacle, Archer was still the man wearing the Captaincy Armband when Guyana visited the Twin Island Republic of T&T for two friendly Internationals, July 1983.

His International career continued the following year, 1984, but this time he was under the guidance at Lennox Arthur (Coach) and the Captaincy of Gordon ‘Ultimate Warrior’ Braithwaite.

Terrence Archer Archer’s 1984 programme began with friendly Internationals against T&T home and away. Guyana lost 2-0 at GCC and 3-1 in Port of Spain.

In his next International Archer scored his first goal for Guyana; his strike and a brace from the artistic Julian Moe ensured Guyana humbled India 3-0 at GCC in June 1984.

His next International was a 1-0 defeat at the hands of old rivals Suriname in a World Cup qualifier in Paramaribo.

He scored his second International goal when Guyana drew the return fixture at GCC in August 1984.

His 1984 campaign closed off with two friendly Internationals against Suriname at GCC in November, Guyana drew

both matches.

In 1985, Archer played Internationals against Cuba (2) French Guiana in Cayenne and Suriname at Camp Ayanganna. As a result of studies at the Guyana School of Agriculture, Archer missed Guyana’s Internationals in 1986.

He returned to the International fray in 1987 and led Guyana to a 3-1 victory over the Bahamas in Nassau.

Archer’s men then destroyed St. Lucia 3-1, in Castries.

With Archer still at the helm, Guyana humbled the Bahamas 3-0 in the Olympic Qualifier return fixture at GCC. Guyana then drew 2-2 with Barbados in Bridgetown.

Under Archer’s leadership, Guyana’s unbeaten 1987 dominance continued with a 4-0 thrashing of the Dominican Republic at Bourda in an Olympic qualifier. Guyana also won the return fixture 1-0 in the Dominican Republic.

Grenada tried to stop the Archer led 1987 show but after a 1-1 draw at Bourda they suffered an ignominious 3-0 mauling at Mackenzie Sports Club Ground, Linden in the series finale.

The Soca Warriors jolted Archer’s men unbeaten run with a 2-1triumph at Camp Ayanganna.

With Archer still at the helm, Guyana lost Olympic qualifiers in Guatemala 6-0 and 3-0 respectively.

Guyana, playing with no reserves suffered a 9-0 drubbing to Mexico in Los Angeles. Because of University studies in 1988, Archer missed Guyana’s two World Cup Qualifiers against Trinidad and Tobago. Guyana played no Internationals matches in 1989 because of FIFA sanctions.

So Archer had to wait for the 1990 Shell Caribbean Cup to resume his International career.

Playing under the now deceased Godfrey Gibbons, Archer return was inglorious as Guyana playing its first Shell Cup Game suffered an ignominious 5-0 thrashing to Suriname in Paramaribo.

His 1990 International campaign ended with two draws against the Netherlands Antilles and Grenada.

Again in 1991, his University commitments caused him to miss national duties but he returned in 1992 for a friendly International against Mexico’s Under-23 and a World Cup Qualifier against Suriname at GCC. He played his last International at the same venue he started his International career in 1980, GCC Ground, Bourda, only the opponents were different.

Archer was appointed National Captain for Guyana in 1993 Shell Cup squad. He led Guyana to a 3-1 victory over the Cayman Islands at GFC in the first match but suffered losses to Puerto Rico 2-0 and Barbados 3-0.

The Barbados loss was Archer’s last International match and strange enough the kid from Region 7 started his international career against Grenada 1980 at Bourda and finished same at Bourda.

International Tours: 1980 Suriname World Cup Qualifier 1980 Trinidad & Tobago two friendly Internationals 1980 Cuba World Cup Qualifier 1983 Barbados CFU Championship 1983 Antigua & Barbuda CFU Championship 1983 Trinidad & Tobago two friendly Internationals 1984 Suriname World Cup Qualifier 1985 French Guiana CFU Championship 1987 Bahamas Olympic Qualifier 1987 St. Lucia friendly International 1987 Barbados Friendly International 1987 Dominican Republic Olympic Qualifier 1987 Guatemala Olympic Qualifiers Angeles 1987 Los Olympic Qualifier 1990 Suriname Shell Caribbean Cup

America’s Bryan brothers win men’s doubles gold (Reuters) - America’s Bob and Mike Bryan added a gold medal to their trophy haul on Saturday with a 6-4 7-6 win over France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra in the Olympic tennis men’s doubles final.

The Bryan twins, who have won 11 grand slam titles together and took home the men’s doubles bronze in Beijing, were handed the victory in a second set tiebreak when Llodra ploughed the ball into the net.

It was the second U.S. tennis gold of the day after Serena Williams stormed to victory in the women’s singles final.

France also took home two medals, with Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet earlier claiming the men’s doubles bronze with a 7-6 6-2 win over Spain’s David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez.

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 59

Malta Supreme HRC, Body Building & Fitness Show...

Overall winner & top performers receive Banks DIH sponsored gift vouchers The overall winner and top performers of the Third Edition of the Hugh Ross Classic, Body Building and Fitness Show were last week recipients of Gift Vouchers compliments of main sponsor, Banks DIH Limited under their Malta Supreme brand.

Brand Manager for the company’s non-alcoholic and malt products Clayton McKenzie presided over the presentation and congratulated the overall winner Mr. Hugh Ross Classic 2012 Kerwin Clarke as well as the respective category winners. The first to third placed athletes were all recipients of Banks DIH Gift Vouchers.

McKenzie reminded the gathering and athletes that his company has always been very supportive of sports and its development in Guyana and this activity was just

another medium for them to prove that that commitment is well intact.

“I would like to once again congratulate you all for the high level of discipline you’ve shown over the past few months which culminated with you presenting attractive bodies on stage that wowed the crowd two Saturday’s ago. This company would like to wish you the very best in your future endeavors and trust that you will go on to do even better for Guyana and yourselves at the upcoming National Seniors and the CAC Games.”

Also present at the simple ceremony was Hugh Ross in whose honour the show has been and continues to be held.

Following is the list of winners, first and second place finishers.

Bantamweight {143lb 65kg}: Devon Davis (GDF),

Eybo Orford (Total Fitness) and Yogeshwar Nirmall (Musclemania).

Lightweight {144lb/ 154lbs - 70kg}: Marlon Bennett (Xtreme Fitness), Alston Lancaster (Windoroju) and Travis Peters (Total Fitness).

Welterweight {155/ 165lbs - 75kg}: Kerwin Clarke (Buddy’s), Lindy Sharpe (Universal Barbel Club) and Selwyn Grogan (Interline Fitness).

Light Middleweight {166/ 176lbs – 80kg}: Clint Duke (Total Fitness), Alfred Jordan (Interline Fitness) and Delon Harlequin (Interline Fitness).

Heavyweight {177lbs & over – 80kg}: Michael Dos Santos (Total Fitness), Shawn Henry (Buddy’s) and Samuel Dey (Zahiff’s).

Ms. Physique: Alisha Fortune (GDF) Ms. Body Fitness: Nadina

Kennard Memorial Turf Club stages Post Emancipation race meet The horses have all been engaged in good gallops; the jockeys have prepared thoroughly and the track is in immaculate condition. It’s now lights, camera, action, as the Kennard Memorial Turf Club stages its Grand Post Emancipation Horserace meet today at their Bush Lot Farm Corentyne, Berbice racetrack.

Over 70 of the country’s top horses will be vying for top places and a chunk of the $8M in prize monies, trophies and other winnings at stake.

The main attraction is the

‘B Class’ event and $1.5M and a trophy over a distance of one mile is at stake. Turfites could expect scorching action as a lineup of top thoroughbreds will be at the starting line including Donut Prince, The Score is Even, Rena Del Café, The Trip Is on Me, Dark and Lovely, Majestic, Technology, Work Force and Face the Fire.

Turfites would also be treated to other action packed events in the ‘F and Lower’ over 6 furlongs for a first prize of $450,000.

Olympics schedule for today Morning session 05/08 11:00 W Marathon Final Afternoon session 05/08 19:00 W 400 Metres Hurdles Heats 05/08 19:05 M High Jump Qualification 05/08 19:35 W Triple Jump Final 05/08 19:45 M 100 Metres Semi-Final 05/08 20:15 M 1500 Metres Semi-Final 05/08 20:20 M Hammer Throw Final 05/08 20:40 M 400 Metres Semi-Final 05/08 21:10 W 400 Metres Final 05/08 21:25 M 3000 Metres Steeplechase Final 05/08 21:50 M 100 Metres Final Medal Table Country United States China Great Britain Korea France Germany6 Italy Kazakhstan DPR Korea Russia

Rank 1 2 3 4 5 5 7 8 9 10

Gold 26 25 14 9 8 1 5 5 4 3

Silver Bronze 13 15 16 12 7 8 3 5 6 8 0 6 5 3 0 0 0 1 15 10

Total 54 53 29 17 22 21 13 5 5 28

The animals in contention are Dubai Duchess, Work Force, The Girl Dem Sugar, Swing Easy and Technology.

The event among the 3 years old will comprise horses that are Guyana and West Indies bred, for a winning purse of $600,000 and trophy over 7 furlongs. Entries include Settle in Seattle, Flash of Melodies, and Come Dance with me.

Jockeys and their mounts will also contest several other races including the ‘Open G Class’ race, two events for two year old horses, The ‘H Class’ event over 5 furlongs, the 2 years old event for locally bred horses over 5 furlongs, the ‘H class race’ over 5 furlongs, the K&L event over 5 furlongs and the ‘I2 and Lower’ event over 7 furlongs.

Top individual performers will be presented with special prizes compliments of Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Bourda Market and the organisers.

Activities are conducted under the aegis of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority and horse owners can contacting Justice Cecil Kennard (2261399, 225-4818 or 623-7609), Niketa Ross (662-4668 or 3253230), Roopnarine Matadial (325-3192), Ivan Dipnarine (331-0316), Lionel Moonsammy (614-5812) or Isabella Beaton (325 3007 or 693 7812) for any additional information pertaining to the races. Race time is 12:30 hrs.

Nadina Taharally

Mr. Hugh Ross Classic 2012 Kerwin Clarke (right) receives his voucher from Brand Manager Clayton McKenzie.

Taharally (Interline Fitness), Letitia Myles (GDF) and Ashanti Mickle (BodyMax).

Mr. Hugh Ross Classic 2012 - Kerwin Clarke (Buddy’s Gym)

Alisha Fortune

Page 60

Bolt fit and ready, Asafa taking it easy Jamaica Observer - JAMAICA”S male sprinters Asafa Powell and defending Olympic champion Usain Bolt say they are ready to compete in today’s semi-finals of the blue riband 100 metres event.

“I expected it, I’m running well, I’m happy, training is great, reaction was good,” Bolt said, “I’m looking forward to the semi-finals tomorrow (today).”

Bolt stumbled a bit at the start of his heat but didn’t pay too much attention to the slight hiccup.

“I made a bad step. I stumbled a bit. I’m glad it happened now,” he said.

Powell quashed any doubts about his preparedness for the men’s 100m at the London Olympics. The former world record-holder said his race was “good”; and that he “just wanted to get the cobwebs out. I took it easy today.”

The sprinter also said he was not worried about almost running out of his lane saying “It’s the 100m, it’s a straight race and we can drift a bit.”

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 05, 2012

British women win Tennis: Serena team pursuit track gold Williams storms to singles gold (Reuters) - Serena Williams won her first Olympic tennis women’s singles gold on Saturday with a 6-0 6-1 demolition of Russia’s Maria Sharapova on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

The unstoppable American, who dropped just 16 games in her five singles matches en route to the final, has now completed the “golden slam” - winning all four majors as well as an Olympic singles gold.

She took just 62 minutes to wrap up her win over number three seed Sharapova, securing her victory with an ace.

Earlier Belarussian Victoria Azarenka claimed the bronze, with a 6-3 6-4 win over Sharapova’s fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko.

BBC Sport - Britain’s dominance in the velodrome continued as their women’s team pursuit trio set a new world record to clinch Olympic gold in style.

Dani King, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell clocked three minutes 14.051 seconds to beat the world record they set in the first round. The United States took silver, more than five seconds behind Britain, with Canada edging out Australia in the race for bronze.

“It’s mad,” said Trott. “I can’t believe it. It’s been my dream since I was eight.

We’ve gone and done it. I don’t think we expected it.”

Rowsell added: “I could tell we’d done it by the cheer of the crowd.”

Team GB have now won four out of five track events, only missing out in the women’s team sprint after Jess Varnish and Victoria Pendleton were disqualified from the final.

While some of those triumphs have been unexpected, this gold medal

was not. King, Trott and Rowsell, all of whom are aged under 23, had won the previous two World Championships and had broken the world record on each of their previous five rides, including qualifying on Friday and the first round earlier on Saturday, when they clocked 3:14.682.

Roared on by passionate home support inside the packed 6,000-capacity velodrome, they took another half a second off their fastest time.

Led off by Rowsell, whose job is to get them up to top speed inside a lap and a quarter, they opened up a decisive lead early in the 3km 12-lap race, and never looked like being caught.

It was soon all about whether another record would fall and, after achieving that, they saluted a delighted crowd at the finish line before embracing their families.

“We didn’t expect a world record in every round, but we did it,” said Trott. Rowsell added: “The world record was

a bonus. “The crowd was absolutely fantastic and they really pushed us on through the last kilometre.”

Britain’s triumph comes in the first staging of the women’s team pursuit event at the Olympics and follows a gold medal for the men’s team pursuiters on Friday. Trott, at 20 the youngest of the trio, will also go for gold in the women’s omnium, a sixdiscipline event that begins on Monday.

If successful, she will become only the second female track cyclist to win two track golds at a single Games, joining France’s Felicia Ballanger, who won the 500m time trial and women’s sprint in Sydney in 2000. “I can’t think about the omni now, but it’ll be nice to be another Olympic champion,” she said.

Oscar Pistorius makes Olympic history in 400m at London 2012 South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius made history by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics.

The four-time Paralympic champion, 25, whose legs were amputated below the knee as a baby, finished second in his 400m heat in a time of 45.44 seconds to reach Sunday’s semi-final.

“I didn’t know if I should cry or be happy. It was such a mix of emotions,” Pistorius told BBC Sport.

American defending champion LaShawn Merritt pulled up injured. The 26year-old, who failed a drugs test in 2009, appeared to be still suffering with an Achilles tendon problem that affected him earlier in the season. He stopped running after 250m and crossed the line at walking pace.

“It’s Olympic year - I tried to go for it, and it just didn’t happen,” he said.

Pistorius was impressive in his heat, coasting over the line behind Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic, who won in 45.04. “Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me,” he said. “Thank you so much to my family. I saw my gran in the crowd. It was the most amazing experience. “I’ve got to thank my team, they trust me, I trust them. We’ve been

together for nine years.”

He added: “This crowd is amazing. I’ve run so many times in the UK and it feels like a second home to me.”

Pistorius ran in the individual 400m at the 2011 World Championships but did not progress beyond the semi-finals. He also ran in the relay, but, after running in the heats, was omitted from the team that won silver in the final. Pistorius is also due to run in the 4x400m relay at London 2012 before defending his titles at the Paralympic Games.

British trio Conrad Williams, Nigel Devine and Martyn Rooney are also safely through to the semifinals.

Oscar Pistorius

Kim Collins kicked off Olympic team LONDON, England (AP) — Former 100 meters world champion Kim Collins has been disciplined by the St Kitts and Nevis team and dropped from Saturday’s heat at the London Olympics.

St. Kitts and Nevis team spokesman Lester Hanley tells The Associated Press that Collins won’t run in his heat after breaking team discipline rules by leaving the athletes village.

Hanley says “Kim has not been in camp the last couple of days.”

Collins posted messages on his Twitter account Saturday, saying “My fans. I won’t lie. Won’t be running later tonight.”

Collins wrote: “Even men in prison get their wives to visit.”

The 2003 world champion is attending his fifth straight Summer Games.

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 61

Jessica Ennis wins Olympic Fraser-Pryce is sprint queen once again heptathlon gold for Great Britain BBC - Jessica Ennis was crowned Olympic heptathlon champion in front of an adoring home crowd, as a new British record carried her to an unforgettable gold.

In one of the iconic moments of the London Games, the woman long anointed as the face of the Games fulfilled her destiny with a series of brilliant personal bests that left her rivals helpless.

Ennis knew she was almost certain of the title going into Saturday evening’s final event, and she delivered once again with 2 mins 8.65secs.

The 26-year-old’s total of 6,955 points was a huge 327 clear of world champion Tatyana Chernova in second and 337 better than Lyudmyla Yosypenko in bronze.

Having set three personal bests in the first six events, Ennis was in relentless mood in a two-lap coronation that brought the 80,000 people present to a deafening crescendo.

She went off hard, led at the bell and was overtaken by Chernova on the back straight only to kick on and storm down the home straight to victory. Twelve years on from Denise Lewis’s heptathlon gold in Sydney, the Sheffield-born athlete somehow handled the enormous

weight of expectation to produce her best ever competition when it mattered most.

Ennis had delivered in style during the morning session, producing a brilliant long jump under great pressure and a javelin personal best to lead by 188 points with just the 800m to go. She had been in early difficulty with a first round jump of just 5.95m, significantly down on her rival Chernova’s 6.54m.

But with the sort of support that multi-eventers can normally only dream of, she went out to 6.40m in the second round and then 6.48m in the third.

It meant she carried a 258-point cushion into the penultimate event, better than she had in beating much of the same field in taking European gold in Barcelona two summers ago.

Ennis has worked hard on her javelin with former GB international Mick Hill, and that dedication paid off when she produced a PB of 47.49m in the third round.

Ennis was unstoppable, and her smiles of disbelief and joy after crossing the line were mirrored around the heaving stands.

She will go down in British sporting history, and no-one who witnessed it will begrudge her this moment.

Usain Bolt eases to victory to reach Olympic 100m semi-finals BBC - Defending Olympic champion Usain Bolt eased through to the semi-finals of the men’s 100m in a time of 10.09 seconds.

He recovered from a slow start to progress, while world champion Yohan Blake ran 10.00 in his heat to also book his place in the semis.

American Ryan Bailey posted the fastest time, a blistering 9.88secs. British teenager Adam Gemili (10.11) finished second behind Asafa Powell, with Dwain Chambers posting 10.02, one of his fastest times.

Team-mate James Desaolu also qualified, as the top three from each of the seven heats progressed automatically, as well as the two fastest losers, for Sunday’s semis.

Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin also looked impressive, Gay winning his heat in 10.08 and Gatlin posting 9.97.

Bolt looked in good shape to defend his title, and he was pleased to recover from a stumble at the start of his race.

“I expected the reception in London and I was looking forward to it,” he told BBC Sport.

“I stumbled at the start but I’m glad it happened now and not in the final.”

Gemili, who has only recently switched to sprinting from football, said after posting 10.11: “To come to the Olympics and to walk inside the stadium with the cheer is unbelievable for me.

“Things are happening quickly this year, but I have worked hard. I only started in athletics in January and the results are showing now.

“You have to respect Powell, but you can’t respect

your opponents too much. He is just another guy. I executed a good race and I am happy.”

Chambers, able to compete at the Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a life ban for doping, admitted to being nervous before competing. “I am glad to get through the heat, the roar of the crowd was amazing,” said Chambers.

“It inspired me and I can see how much of an impact it is having on people like Jess. “You can train all year but you have to run fast at the championships and I have been taking it step-by-step to get here. I am really happy to be here.

It is a fast track and I need to get through the rounds.”

Today’s semi-finals start at 19:45 BST with Bolt in the second heat at 19:53 against Chambers and Ryan Bailey.

Blake will line up against Gay and Gemili, with Powell, Gatlin and Dasaolu in another heat. The top two from each go through of right, along with the two fastest losers to

the final at 21:50.

In a bizarre twist ahead of the heats, former world champion Kim Collins was dropped from the 100m after being disciplined by St Kitts and Nevis officials for breaking team rules and leaving the athletes village.

He tweeted: “My fans. I won’t lie. Won’t be running later tonight. Even men in prison get their wives to visit.”

Meanwhile, Michael Johnson Four-time Olympic champion & BBC Sport pundit said, “The first thing that stood out was a different Usain Bolt. Not too much of the antics, looking more serious and we shall see how it transpires in the final. He never really ran in the race, there was no drive. He is extremely relaxed and there is a lot more to come from him. I wonder if he is trying to cover something up, we have not learnt much from this but we will in the next. He is in a good position to defend his title though.”

LONDON (Reuters) Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann FraserPryce proved to be the sprint queen of the track once again when she retained her Olympic 100 metres title on Saturday.

Fraser-Pryce, securing what could be the first leg of a Jamaican double with Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake vying for men’s 100 gold on Sunday, clocked 10.75 seconds to cap a frantic night of action in a packed Olympic stadium.

American Carmelita Jeter grabbed silver in 10.78 and Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica claimed bronze in 10.81.

American Gail Devers was the last to retain the 100 title when following up Barcelona triumph with victory in Atlanta in 1996.

Jamaica upstaged the

United States completely by sealing a clean sweep of the podium in 2008 but Jeter, the 2011 world champion and second fastest woman of all time, restored American pride by pushing Fraser-Pryce all the way.

The 25-year-old Jamaican, her hair tied back by a yellow ribbon, made a flying start and always had the powerful Jeter in check as she lunged for the line. In something of an anticlimax after a night of British triumph in the stadium, her victory was met by muted cheers in comparison to the cacophony of sound that greeted gold medals for Jessica Ennis, Greg Rutherford and, noisiest of all, 10,000 metres champion Mo Farah.

Fraser-Pryce did prove a showstopper back home in Kingston where play in the

West Indies v New Zealand cricket test was stopped while the final was shown on a big screen. Spectators at Sabina Park raucously celebrated her triumph.

Fraser-Pryce was little known when she stormed to gold in 2008, but followed up a year later by winning the world title in Berlin.

In 2010, at the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai, Fraser-Pryce tested positive for banned substance oxycodone after using medication for toothache. In October 2010, she was subsequently suspended for six months.

Phelps goes out a winner as U.S. wins relay

LONDON (Reuters) Michael Phelps ended his incredible Olympic career on the perfect note on Saturday, winning his 18th gold medal for the United States in the men’s medley relay, the last time he will swim a competitive race.

Swimming the butterfly leg, the most decorated Olympian of all time went out as the ultimate winner when he joined forces with backstroker Matt Grevers, breaststroker Brendan Hansen and freestyler Nathan Adrian to crush their opponents and win the gold.

The four set a combined time of three minutes, 29.35 seconds, just outside the world record set by the Americans at the 2009 world championships in Rome, but it hardly mattered.

Japan finished second after leading at the halfway stage while Australia stormed home to collect the bronze but no country was ever going to stand in the way of an American team determined to give Phelps the send off he deserved.

The 27-year-old was swimming his last race before retiring after breaking every imaginable record during his career and providing a last memory of his determination to win. The U.S. were ahead after the opening backstroke leg but slipped back to second following the breaststroke. Then Phelps dived in for the last time and by the time he got back to handover to Adrian, the Americans were back in front and the result was a foregone conclusion. In London, Phelps won four gold and two

silver medals to finish his career with a total of 22 medals, four more than Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who held the previous record for almost half a century before Phelps set a new mark that could last even longer.

Phelps already had the record for the most gold medals. By picking up his 18th, he finished his career with twice as many as the next best, the nine jointly held by Latynina, American athlete Carl Lewis, American swimmer Mark Spitz and Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi.

Mo Farah became the first Briton to win Olympic 10,000m gold with a tremendous victory in the Olympic Stadium.

The 29-year-old won in a time of 27 minutes, 30.42 seconds.

Farah’s triumph ended a run of four successive Ethiopian wins and stopped Kenenisa Bekele from winning a third consecutive title.

Galen Rupp of the United States finished second, while Ethiopia’s Tariku Bekele finished third.

Mike McLeod was the last Briton to win a 10,000m medal with silver in 1984.

The gold is Farah’s first Olympic medal in his second Games - four years ago in Beijing, he failed to qualify for

the 5,000m final.

In the intervening years he has shown his pedigree over the long-distance races on the track, winning the 10,000m and 5,000m double at the 2010 European Championship.

He then went on to become world 5,000m world champion in Daegu last year and finished second in the 10,000m.

Basketball: U.S. battle to close win over Lithuania Mo Farah wins Olympic 10,000m gold for Great Britain

(Reuters) - The U.S. team, coming off a record-breaking offensive assault in their previous game, struggled with their shooting touch but came on at the end to beat Lithuania 9994 at the men’s Olympic basketball tournament on Saturday.

The Americans romped 156-73 clear of Nigeria on Thursday but a staunch defensive effort by Lithuania and some smooth shooting of their own made for a close game.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Lithuania (1-3) were within two points at 84-82 before LeBron James took command, scoring nine points down the stretch to ensure a U.S. victory that kept them unbeaten at 4-0 in Group A. James and Carmelo Anthony shared scoring honors for the U.S. team with 20 points apiece.

Linas Kleiza led Lithuania with 25 points.

Page 62

Kaieteur News

Sunday August 05, 2012

Samuels puts WI on course for victory KINGSTON, Jamaica – Marlon Samuels defied a dropped chance and the “distraction” of the women’s Olympic 100 metres final being shown in the ground to score a pivotal 52 that fortified West Indies’ bid for a seriesclinching victory over New Zealand in the second Digicel Test on Saturday here.

The hometown hero, a century-maker in the first innings, struck seven fours from 103 balls in 157 minutes, after he was dropped early in his innings, as the Windies reached 135 for four in their second innings – still 71 runs adrift of victory – at the close on the third day – and with an eye on the weather as Tropical Storm Ernesto approaches the island..

Samuels put on 74 for the third wicket with Assad Fudadin to stabilise the innings, after the Caribbean side made a shaky start to the chase, when left-handed openers Chris Gayle and Kieran Powell were dismissed cheaply.

Both he and Fudadin fell in the final session, after play came to a standstill to allow the viewing of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s historic victory in the women’s 100

final in London on the Sabina Park electronic scoreboard in the ground It left veteran left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul, not out on 20, and nightwatchman Kemar Roach, not out on 10, to bat through the final five overs of the day.

This followed disciplined bowling from West Indies – led by Narsingh Deonarine – as the New Zealanders were dismissed for 154 in their second innings about an hour after lunch.

The part-time off-spinner ended with a career-best 4-37 from 22 overs, frontline offspinner Sunil Narine finished with 3-19 from 12 overs, and Tino Best snared 2-44, as only Dean Brownlie with 35, passed 20 with the bat for the Black Caps on the day.

Gayle was then trapped lbw for eight on the crease by a full-length delivery from leftarm fast-medium bowler Trent Boult in the third over of the innings and Powell fell for six, suffering a similar fate to Tim Southee, leaving the Windies 20 for two.

But Samuels joined Fudadin and brought a steadying influence, easing concerns, carrying the hosts to 56 for two at tea.

Samuels was 20, when fortune smiled on him and he edged Doug Bracewell to gully, where B.J. Watling put down a regulation chance in the final over before tea.

After the break, he and Fudadin continued to consolidate before the refreshment break was taken a few minutes early to allow fans to watch Fraser-Pryce triumph over arch-rival Carmelita Jeter of the United States.

But following the break, Fudadin started to play loosely before he was bowled for 27, dragging a delivery from left-arm fast-medium bowler Neil Wagner into his stumps.

Samuels knocked a widish delivery from Dean Brownlie through backward point for a single to reach his 50 from 98 balls before he drove loosely at Bracewell and was caught at first slip.

Earlier, Deonarine and Best grabbed two wickets apiece before lunch, as New Zealand stumbled to 109 for seven at the interval.

After the New Zealanders started the day on 59 for two, Best triggered a wobble, when he struck twice in the space of three deliveries in his third

over of the day, removing night-watchman Wagner for six and New Zealand captain Ross Taylor for a second-ball duck with catches to the ‘keeper, leaving the visitors rocking on 80 for four.

West Indies’ bowlers slowed the scoring to a trickle and Brendon McCullum cracked under the pressure, when he gave a bat-pad catch to forward short leg, playing defensively forward to Deonarine. He made 19.

Deonarine added the scalp of Kane Williamson, caught at slip for eight, edging a loose drive before Sunil Narine was belatedly introduced and snared Kruger van Wyk caught at deep backward square leg for five from a top-edged slog/sweep just before the interval, sinking the New Zealanders to 105 for seven.

After lunch, Narine claimed two of the last three New Zealand wickets before Roach wrapped up the visitors’ innings, when Southee was caught at deep

Marlon Samuels fine leg from a top-edged hook at a short, rising ball.

West Indies lead the twoTest series 1-0, following a nine-wicket victory in the first Test, which ended last Monday at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

They are making a bid to complete their first series

Narsingh Deonarine picked up 4 for 37 sweep, since Ridley Jacobs’ side beat Bangladesh 2-0 close to a decade ago.

Scores: West Indies 209 and 135 for 4 (Samuels 52, Chanderpaul 20*) need a further 71 runs to beat New Zealand 260 and 154 (Brownlie 35, Deonarine 437, Narine 3-19).

Olympic road ends for Guyanese athletes

G Division hosts successful Fitness Walk - no medals for Guyana The top brass and Ranks of G Division held a successful Fitness Walk recently in observance of the Guyana Police Force’s 173rd Anniversary. The event attracted ranks from all the Police Stations in the Cinderella County of Essequibo, from Supernaam to Charity.

The walk commenced at Hampton Court and concluded at Anna Regina Police Station.

Commander of ‘G’

Division, Paul Williams surmised that the event, which was a resounding success, brought an end to activities that were planned in observance of the GPF’s 173rd Anniversary.

Williams informed that among the other activities held were a Church Service at the Richard Fikhal Training College; Inter Department dominoes, cricket and a quiz competition that attracted competitors from the newly formed Youth Group. The

quiz was held at Queenstown Village on the Essequibo Coast.

The Management Committee of the division also held a fund raising barb-cue and the funds garnered from this would be utilised to do modification works around the Anna Regina’s Station compound.

Already, the management committee has completed a railing at the Station’s gate along with bath room facilities in the compound.

West Indies 2nd round matches drawn, Barbados, T&T on top Bridgetown, Barbados — Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are on top of the points table following the second round of the Under19 tournament which was affected by adverse weather forcing all the matches to end in draws.

Please see below results and points standings from the second round of matches and fixtures for the third round of matches in the West Indies Cricket Board’s Under-19 three-day tournament.

Results from Round 2: At Bayfield: Barbados vs Leewards Islands - Draw Leewards 160 and 59-3. Barbados 284-5 declared.

At Foursquare Oval: Guyana vs Jamaica Draw

Guyana 164 and 73-3. Jamaica 167 At Pine Basin: Windward Island vs Trinidad & Tobago - Draw Windwards 183 and 100-8. T&T 122 Points Standings Barbados 18.5 T&T 18.0 Guyana 16.0 Windwards 12.5 Jamaica 9.5 Leewards 6.0 Round 3 fixtures: Sunday, August 5; Tuesday, August 7; Wednesday, August 8 Guyana vs T&T at Pine Basin Barbados vs Jamaica at Weymouth Windwards vs Leewards at Desmond Haynes Oval

Guyana’s sprinters, Winston George, Aliann Pompey and Jeremy Bascom were unable to fulfill their dreams yesterday at the 2012 London Olympic Games when they took to the track in the 400 meters (George and Pompey) and 100 meters respectively.

George the only local qualifier for the Games was incapable of getting the best of the track in the Men’s 400 meters after chalking up a time of 46.86 seconds to finish fifth in heat six from lane 6.

The Olympian who was drawn in the same heats with United States of America defending 400 meters Olympic champion, LaShawn Merritt, ran one second slower than his personal best time of 45.86 seconds which qualified him for the Games.

Merritt pulled up early in the heat and did not finish after suffering from a lower left hamstring strain he experience weeks ago in Monaco.

The heat was won by an Australian athlete, Steven Solomon in 45.18 seconds, a new personal best time for Solomon. Trinidad and Tobago’s athlete, Lalonde Gordon held on to his second place from a lane five run ahead of Great Britain’s Conrad Williams (46.12 seconds) in 45.43 seconds.

George recorded time in his preliminary round is ranked 38 of 47. The fastest time, 44.43 seconds was ran by Jonathan Borlee of Belgium.

Coach of George, Lyndon Wilson who is proud of his athlete despite the results, stated that George came out of the blocks too easy and that placed him at a greater disadvantage since he had to run from behind in attempt to close the gap.

Wilson further posted a status on one of the most used social networks, Facebook: “Guyana you all have to be proud of these athletes, they did their best, at no time did they come here (Olympics) for fun. They all wanted to do Guyana proud; just remember that there were 86 men in the 100m and 56 in the 400m and only 8 will make it to the final and only 3 will medal.”

International quarter-miler Pompey failed to go faster in the Women’s 400 meters finals after registering 52.58 seconds to finish eighth. Amantle Montsho and Francena McCorory battled to the line for a one-two finish in 50.15 seconds and 50.19 seconds.

The 28 years old 100 meters sprinter Jeremy Bascom was also unable to move to the next round after finishing sixth against a

Aliann Pompey

Winston George lineup of Yohan Blake (10.00 seconds), Ryota Yamagata (10.07 seconds), Bingtian Su (10.19 seconds) and Antoine Adams (10.22 seconds).

Bascom clocked 10.31 seconds after reacting to the gun in 0.135 seconds (fastest).

He is also ranked at 34th. The US athletes, Ryan Bailey (9.88 seconds =PB) and Justin Gatlin (9.97 seconds) are on top of the rankings, Jamaica’s Yohan Blake is third.

Guyana concluded the 2012 London Olympics medal-less.

Sunday August 05, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Tennis: Serena Williams storms to singles gold

Fraser-Pryce is sprint queen once again P. 61

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Serena Williams

Mo Farah wins 10,000m gold for Jessica Ennis wins Usain Bolt eases Great Britain Olympic heptathlon to victory to reach Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce crosses finish line to win women's 100m final. REUTERS PHIL NOBLE.

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gold for Great Britain 100m semi-finals Jessica Ennis

Mo Farah about to win his race. (Reuters Photos)

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Usain Bolt on his way to winning his 100m heat. REUTERS PHIL NOBLE

Samuels puts WI on course for victory

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