Reg. 10 Chairman’s K NEWS Driver in custody for Linden GECOM fire matter
Sunday Edition
AIETEUR
July 11, 2021
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com
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Exxon now tells Guyana it will sell natural gas liquids to third parties; dry gas to be sold here - Govt. did not disclose this key detail at gas project presentation Empty chairs with placards: Change Exxon Contract NOW, K/News & Publisher takes a stand Mr. Glenn Lall
Consultations for proposed gas project….
Guyanese environmentalist asks Exxon official to justify need for local gas-to-shore project, but gets no response
Who is the middleman? Back in ancient times, steam power was the principal means of generating industrial energy. With the advent of heavy oils, the source of energy generation became even dirtier. Plumes of black and grey emissions emanated from powergenerating plants using heavy oils. These plumes released healththreatening pollutants into the atmosphere. Overtime, however, the energygenerating technologies became cleaner, even though they still threatened human health. Today, there is a movement towards renewable energy sources: solar, wind and hydro electricity, which are cleaner and cheaper than oil, diesel and natural gas. The technology is easily accessible. Kaieteur News has been utilising solar energy for a number of years. Other businesses in Guyana, including banks and industrial businesses have been exiting the national grid and generating their own renewable energy. Given this trend towards renewable energy sources, both in Guyana and around the world, why is Jagdeo and Exxon developing a gas-to-shore project, which is likely to produce electricity that is four to five times the cost of renewable energy? The capital cost of generating energy from the gas-toshore project is estimated at US$5M per megawatt. The cost of wind and solar is less than US$1M. On Friday, the developers of the gas-to-shore project dropped another bombshell. They said that the gas will be delivered to our shore using a third party. In other words, we will be buying our own gas from a middleman. Can Jagdeo tell us the identity of this middleman?
4 & 7pm on Exxon already took out US335M for clean-up cost down @11, Kaieteur Radio the road, while our leaders are begging for covid aid 99.1/99.5FM
Kaieteur News
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Sunday July 11, 2021
Chinese mining company makes immediate changes for local workers
L
ocal workers at Aurora Gold Mines (AGM),
Region Seven, related yesterday that Chinese Company, Zijin Mining
Group, has made some immediate changes following the recent publication of their
complaints by this newspaper. The workers had complained of being treated
A previous photo of Local worker's lunchroom
differently from the Chinese in many ways. Photos were even sent to support their claims. Some of their complaints were that the foreigners had a separate lunchroom from them and were receiving the best meals while the quality of the food served to the locals is poor. Locals were concerned too that that the Chinese lunchroom was well stocked when compared to theirs. Each table in foreigners' mess hall had table napkins along with peanut butter, ketchup, etc. while only one pack of table napkins was placed on a counter for locals to use. Speaking with Kaieteur
A recent photo taken of the same lunchroom
News, one of the workers said that he has noticed some immediate improvements since the publication of their concerns. He noted that at least for yesterday the food quality was much better. “Today (yesterday) the food was good,” he said. A photo was later sent to this newspaper depicting changes in the lunchroom of the locals. Each table had a pack of napkins. The locals related that the company has not addressed all of their complaints as yet but so far minor improvements have been seen. They had expressed their dissatisfaction about being (continued on page 8)
Kaieteur News
Sunday July 11, 2021
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ExxonMobil is world's largest producer - 2021 plastic of polluting single use plastics pollution report A
report on the phenomenon of plastic pollution, published in May by the Minderoo Foundation, one of Asia's largest philanthropies and conducted by academics from the London School of Economics, the Stockholm Environment Institute and Wood Mackenzie, has found that 100 companies are the source of production for 90 percent of the world's single use plastic, while a mere 20 companies account for over half of such production. At the top of this list is ExxonMobil single-use plastics - goods that are made primarily from fossil fuel–based chemicals (petrochemicals) and are meant to be disposed of right after use—often, in mere minutes. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and service ware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws and bags. According to the summary of the report entitled, “Plastic Waste Makers Index,” single-use plastics account for the majority of plastic thrown away, adding up to more than
The Plastic Makers Index Report 2021
130 million metric tons in 2019 – almost all of which is burned, buried in landfills, or discarded directly into the environment. One estimate states that over 13 million metric tons of plastics end up being
directly deposited into the oceans each year, eventually breaking down into tiny particles that impact wildlife health and the ocean's ability to store carbon. It was also highlighted that they contain chemical additives such as
CH&PA warns public to beware of house lot fraudsters
T
he Central Housing and P l a n n i n g Authority (CH&PA) has issued a fresh warning to the general public to beware of fraudsters who attempt to sell house lots to them, which are only available through the CH&PA. In a public notice, the CH&PA reminded that persons should be on the alert for fraudsters and individuals purporting to be agents of the Authority. “Please be reminded that all legitimate transactions are done at our main office at Brickdam and United N a t i o n s P l a c e , Georgetown, or at our regional offices, where official receipts are issued
for every monetary transaction. Individual transactions are not and should not be done in the fields or by individuals making site visits,” the notice said. A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e statement said, “only openair transactions that are authorised and will be honoured by the Ministry/CH&PA are those conducted at our planned and announced 'Dream Realised' activities.” “Any offer for land allocations is done in-person at our offices during regular working hours,” the statement said. Last month, Minister of Housing, Collin Croal, reminded that persons
should “safeguard themselves to operate in an honest way because when you do this, you are part of these schemes you are also a part of the fraud.” The Minister had explained that the internal control and system of the agency has been strengthened “to the extent to detect any type of fraud in the system.” He observed that there were a number of fraudsters from outside of the system. “We have warned the public out there that there is only one way of conducting business with the CH&PA, and that is by coming into the Ministry and dealing directly with the Ministry.”
plasticisers that have been found in humans and are linked to a range of reproductive health problems. The report goes on to examine the problem in detail and states that “despite these threats, the plastics industry has been allowed to operate with minimal regulation and transparency for decades.” It goes on to state that “Relatively little attention has been paid to the smaller number of businesses at the base of the supply chain that make polymers – the building blocks of all plastics – almost exclusively
from fossil fuels.” The report asserts that these companies are the source of the single use plastic crisis, with the greatest source being ExxonMobil, which was responsible for the production of 5.8 million tonnes in 2019. US-based Dow and China-based Sinopec rank second and third with 5.5 million and 5.3 million t o n n e s r e s p e c t i v e l y. ExxonMobil said in a statement that it “shares society's concern about plastic waste and agrees it must be addressed,” adding that the company is increasing the efficacy of
recycling and supporting improvements in plastic waste recovery. Recognising the role that improper single use plastic disposal has on the country's environment, Guyana is set to implement a ban on single use plastics this year, and the EPA has already consulted with various relevant stakeholders about any concerns relating to the impending ban.
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Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL - Tel: 624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
The Oil Sector needs competent people to regulate it “Govt. must set itself apart from financial skullduggery by Stabroek Block partners - install competent people to regulate sector – Chris Ram” (KN July 5). We agree wholeheartedly with that call by Mr. Ram, Chartered Accountant and attorney. Mr. Ram has reviewed the 2020 financial statements submitted by Exxon, Hess, and CNOOC Petroleum pertaining to their Guyana operations. He does not like what he sees, and which he noted as having “serious deficiencies.” According to Mr. Ram, this does “leave Guyana at risk of wanton abuse and manipulation.” Clearly, this was already at work in those 2020 financial statements of Exxon and partners relative to Guyana. It was as if the partners’ position with those deficient documents was ‘take that, it is what it is, don’t bother us, and move on.’ Except that Guyana cannot move on when the “financial shenanigans being perpetuated by the companies” rob us blind. Guyana cannot move on slavishly, and the Guyana Government cannot stay quiet while the “Stabroek Block partners do not disclose sufficient detail of how they are accounting for the use of money from the Liza Phase One Project.” In addition, while, just as tellingly “some of the expenses are being charged against the project which are completely unrelated to it.” Mr. Ram is a Chartered Accountant of long and substantial standing. He knows what he is talking about. In addition, we at this paper do not have to be accountants to know when others are trying to put a paper bag over our heads, by rearranging figures, withholding material details, or trying to pull a fast one, many of them. For, no matter how examined, this is what can be concluded from how the Stabroek Block partners are working diligently and smartly to cheat us. Think about this fellow citizens. It is as if a contractor hired for a job brings a bill and all it has is so much for wood, so much for cement and sand, and so much for a slew of other materials and expenses. There are bulk numbers, with little detail that leaves much to be desired, since they lack clarity. Worse still, it is as if that crooked, now discovered untrustworthy, contractor crudely presents what is suspected to be expenses from other projects in which his group is engaged. In other words, payment is demanded and expected for costs that do not belong. Ordinary and watchful citizens do not need ACCA or CPA (accounting) qualifications to sense that, or know when such financial shenanigans are at work. Because of what Exxon and partners were bold enough to drop on this country (and got exposed), they cannot be trusted. The Guyana Government is under sharp suspicion and ongoing scrutiny for how it is covering up for the Exxon partners, how long it is going to do so, and when there will be some interest and inclination to do three things. First, and as urgently, the call by Mr. Ram, “to introduce modern petroleum laws,” second to “appoint independent and competent regulators,” and third to “ensure that our laws are respected.” These three non-negotiable components go hand in hand and can lead to much beneficial changes for this country and its hopeful citizens. We agree on all three counts and with qualifications of our own thrown in for good measure. Any modernisation of Guyana’s petroleum laws must be deep and vast and thorough; and such enhancements must involve respected experts, after honest consultations. This must in no way involve any people, who may have had relationships, however indirectly, with Exxon and its cabal of conspirators. Next, and this is arguably even more relevant and mandatory, independent and competent regulators must be put in place by government, which must take itself out of the mix. To be frank, we do not see leaders of this government responding favourably to such urgings, but rather putting party loyalists and proven hacks under the pretense of competence and independence. Only if we get bona fide people overseeing those laws and full compliance can there be some assurance that we will get what is due to us. It would be great if government listens and let this be. As said before, we are not optimistic.
Six metrics by which I measure the President DEAR EDITOR, As we approach the oneyear milepost of His Excellency, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s installation in office, I cut through the political propaganda and PR fluff, and measure the man and leader using six yardsticks. They are random: unity, transparency, accountability, economy, COVID-19 credibility and floodwater gravity. My kindest comments follow. Flooding saw the President getting his feet wet through hands-on involvement. I laud the leader, but he must know when to retreat, and make his mind work. With a national disaster behind, his mind had to be already ranging fluidly on preparing for the next one, however manifested. This has meaning for Guyana, because massive flooding is
not a Black Swan (one-off) event. I give the President a generous ‘B.’ I caution that he must know when to delegate, move on: he may self-assess as high-minded miracle worker, but must know he is foremost a nation director, with other grave demands. Grave demands bring us to the pandemic, which sends too many Guyanese to final resting place. I thought the President did spiritedly well earlier on, but now I wonder how much of this virus is publicised. It was feared that elders were high-risk, with infections and deaths loosely corroborating. But now younger persons are among the stricken. I give credit to the President and Health Minister for bringing some coherence to virus handling (vaccines, mobilisation, direction), and wish I could
say more. I can’t. Concerns are: curfew obstinacy, endangering majority to favour minority (private sector), and schools. On children, the education minister was open (reopening), the Health Minister was obscure (statistics). We must move to another level, especially when America categorises Guyana warningly re. COVID-19. The President takes the hit: a ‘Cminus,’ which is stretched to favour. Third, the President promised unity. He is a practiced script reader, poor deliverer. For this most vital societal need, he sends the well-named Mark Phillips; a good soldier, but not a Mark Anthony, because Guyanese are not Romans – no lending him their ears. He has many countrymen, but few friends. And though he speaks with
stereo sound volume (Philips), none listens. President and Prime Minister will appreciate the failure of the Social Cohesion man, Dr. George Norton, who healed no one. Being the leader that he has turned out to be, the head shrugs. His mantra is sing the song, do the dance, and on to the next photo op. The road is long, the load heavy; the President stumbled and faltered early, an absolute non-starter of a leader on unity. He flatters to deceive. For unity, the President gets an ‘A,’ meaning, absent. Or anemic. Fourth, there is the economy. All Guyanese should relate to how I present. The President has never seen a loan he doesn’t like. Zero percent down, zero APR, and nothing upfront unleash frenzies in him, (Continued on page 6)
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Kaieteur News
Indians live in fear - a generational problem DEAR EDITOR, In “The inscrutable East Indian mind from Guyana” (Jul. 02), Freddie asks for an explanation of “the mind (thinking) of the East Indian.” They express fearfulness of their own shadows. Because I travel extensively in the Indian diaspora, study, and write on Indians, he asks for my take on their fear to publicly identify with struggles to combat injustice. Freddie is right that Indians “live in fear” (and unjustifiably so) not only in Guyana but in other diaspora countries as well. Guyana is a case in point. Just look at the Indian response to physical and media attacks on them over the last several decades. Even politicians avoid defending Indians when they are attacked; politicians don’t even want the attacks to make news. Only a few Indians defend the community from unprovoked attacks. Like Freddie, I get emails, texts, and phone calls on varied forms of injustice or alleged corruption or wrongdoing, pleading on me to write on or expose them. And it is always accompanied by “Please doc, don’t mention my name.” I received similar appeals on matters pertaining to Trinidad. Even Indian politicians and community leaders in Trinidad would appeal to me to expose wrongdoings in that island; they want me “to buss a mark.” The Indian politicians are afraid to speak their mind, especially on matters pertaining to leadership or to truly represent the interests of constituents. They fear
they would lose their perks and privileges or that government or leaders would come after them. They would appeal to me to fight their struggles. The people who are afraid of exposing their identity have nothing to fear. Their basis of fear is irrational, as Freddie puts it. Many are aged and long retired. They don’t depend on government for contracts or jobs or food on the table. Some don’t live in Guyana. Some don’t even plan to visit or live in Guyana. Yet, they are afraid to lend their name as the source of information to give greater credibility to investigative reporting or commentaries. The government or opposition or police force would welcome comments on
problems the public faces and recommendations on improvement in governance or delivery of service. President Ali and Vice President Jagdeo constantly urge the public to remain interactive with the government. Whenever the public bring complaints to the government, President Ali responds almost instantly. The government of opposition or police is not going to kill anyone for critiquing their performance; critiques may result in improvements. Freddie is absolutely right that “the fear of authority is deeply lodged in the psyche of Indians.” He asks, “Why Indians behave like this?” I spoke with psychologists to offer an explanation of this
psychosis of fear. They relate it to Burnhamism, the period of tyrannical rule of the late dictator, who instilled fear in the mind of Indians to prevent dissension. The psychologists say that Indian fear was transferred from generation to generation, even though the last couple generations did not experience Burnhamism. The Indians suffered from political violence and being jeered on, experiencing trauma. Neville Kalicharan from West Coast was beaten in G/town; an instrument was pushed into his eye losing sight in one eye. He packed up and left for England. Students attending Indian Trust College were mauled and ridiculed “for their cowardice.” After GCE, most packed up and left the
country. It was a pastime to beat up Indians or victimise them; many were terminated from their government jobs. Fear pervaded the society. Social scientists say that Indians were prosecuted and persecuted as a result of their ethnicity. They don’t wish to come forward publicly as a source of information for
fear of being victimised. Also, since most Indians tend to work hard, culturally engage in savings, and acquire property, they feel any public discourse on political issues would inevitably lead to victimisation. But it does not explain why Indians are also fearful of expressing their (Continued on page 6)
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A. Mazaharally and Sons Ltd. calls on Govt. to ensure equity in the Forestry Sector DEAR EDITOR, A relevant Churchill quote that still resonates is: ‘Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.’ Worldwide, both illegal logging and the underpayment of fees by concession holders rob the public of an estimated 15 billion US dollars annually; and apart from the direct financial losses, illegal logging significantly undermines the authority’s ability to manage the forest sector sustainably, according to one report by Transparency International. In Guyana, corruption still remains the leading driver of illegal logging; and within its core lies a flawed regulatory framework. Arguably, the design and operations of the forestry regulations have in some ways helped to set the stage for corruption, while over the years various political administrations tried to plug the leaks, but ignored the writing on the wall only to end up with a total financial collapse of the Guyana Forestry Commission. However, now is the time to change this. When there is sufficient imbalance in any system, loopholes emerge, and with that come unscrupulous opportunists who will take advantage of them to the detriment of all. To boil it down, there are two distinctive forest concessionaire’s categories in operations:
Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
small and large. Hectare for hectare, cubic for cubic of the same species of timber harvested from either of the two categories, it costs far less to produce timber as a small concessionaire than a large one – mainly because of the fees and resultant regulatory indirect costs attached to large concessions, while taking economies of scale into consideration. Small concession holders, though limited in acreage size, are allowed to harvest the same type of species as large concessionaires, but without bearing the high costs of the mandatory 100 percent pre-harvest forest i n v e n t o r y, t h o u g h t h e regulations recommend that small concessionaires conduct some amount of pre-harvest inventory for management, planning and environmental purposes. F u r t h e r, the calculations of the quota for harvest in small concessions are restricted by as much as 45 percent if the operator is to produce lumber using chainsaws. So, with just a recommendation to do only some amount of preharvest inventory and a significant reduction in the amount of lumber the operator is allowed to produce if chainsaws are used, coupled with an increasing demand for lumber and the majority of small concessionaires are chainsaw operators, the mould is firmly set for corruption throughout the system, as well as, with the highest probability of illegal logging.
The reality is: in the f o r e s t r y s e c t o r, m a n y persons, and even several businesses have craftily converted from large to small concessions in order to avoid the high costs associated with holding and operating large concessions. In some cases, those operators satisfy or even surpass the production quota for a large concession. This is achieved through the operation of a string of multiple small concessions, a clear winwin for such beneficiaries; but clearly not for the remaining 20 odd large concessions countrywide or the GFC. A careful look at the recently released GFC production statistics will confirm this. However, policy makers are urged to put an end to this in having a system of equality, because it is one of the main reasons why large concessionaires’ production is unable to achieve the GFC’s expected production target, and a contributing factor to corruption . Having the right set of policies and regulations will make the difference; especially when there is strong and fair leadership followed by rules that will ensure equality for all stakeholders in a sector. I respectfully call on our government to make the much-needed change that will not only benefit the forestry sector but Guyana. Sincerely, Capt. A. Mazahar Ally Managing Director
A tribute to Vincent Britton DEAR EDITOR, I learnt with great sadness of the passing of my brother, comrade in arms, loyalist and patriot par excellence, Vincent Britton. I remember Vincent’s activism in the youth movement of the People’s National Congress and the party and country generally. Vincent after he migrated to the United States continued working and promoting the wellbeing of the party, particularly in the New York area, and at no time did his enthusiasm and sacrifice for the cause diminish. In the challenging days, before Independence and after when the party had to
face the onslaught of evil forces, Vincent never shirked or failed to be in the forefront of the struggle. I remember his conduct and pleasing personality at all times, and even when dark clouds bloomed, his wit and optimism brought a level of comfort to one and all. For whatever reason, Vincent passed away without gaining the recognition and monetary reward, he so richly deserved - thanks to our bureaucracy, but such are the vagaries and sometimes injustices of humankind. When he journeyed to Guyana two years ago to celebrate his 80th birthday at a birthday party held at the
home of his brother, Eze Rockliffe, we reminisced and expressed a hope that justice will come his way. As we note the passing of this stalwart, let us pray that the Creator will develop among young political activists, his inner strength, fearlessness and his ability to overcome all odds and who can forget that even when he faced certain health issues, that disarming smile was ever present. The party in New York and Guyana has lost a good man, a great soldier, a man of indomitable will and steadfastness. Yours faithfully, Hamilton Green
Accessory after the fact? DEAR EDITOR, It is reported in confession statement from one of the persons involved in the fire of the GECOM office in Linden
that three female cousins were told of the crime committed. These female became aware of a crime but kept it to themselves.
Isn’t this accessory after the fact, aren’t they complicit, and should be made to account? Sincerely, Shamshun Mohammed
Lawlessness on our road DEAR EDITOR, This is a 40-foot container parked on the public road. The police station is on the
opposite side of the road and this vehicle is far beyond the white safety line. Drivers like these are
clearly missing basic common sense. Thank you, Citizen
...Six metrics by which I measure From page 4 always remembering that others will repay. He mutates into George W. Bush: bring it on down. Or is it Sam Cook: bring it on home to me? With so many billions borrowed and to be borrowed, comrades will be in corruption heaven. Correction, they already are. Of course, Central Bank wizards will present statistics that sing growth and prosperity, which leave poor Guyanese wondering how they missed the gravy train. On the economy, His Excellency receives a ‘C-minus’ as in counterfeit. It fits. Regarding the highly hailed commitment to transparency, the President thinks citizens are dummies. Tell the nation about oil and
the leadership relationship with Exxon, skipper. Secret contracts. Cotton Tree. The police. Comrades crafting side deals. Financiers protected. And cover-ups and containments via the EPA, PRO departments, and cabals of conspirators. I should say the President is first class falsifier. All I say is that he fooled us with promises of transparency. He earns an ‘F’ on that, which means more than fail in this instance; relates to people making misrepresentations. Think law. Last, the President gleamed on accountability during inauguration moments. It was his last twilight. Clearly, Guyana’s head live on a different planet.
For instead of accountability, it has been a year of the murky, an annum of inaccuracy, a time of nonanswerability through sheltering under confidentiality and secrecy. The list is revealing COVID19 cash, loan details, gold smuggling, money laundering, corrupt comrades recalled, court cancelled for other comrades. For accountability, I give the President, not a letter, but number. It is zero. Overall, the junior leader earns an A for PR, and D minus for deliverables. He has been a national embarrassment. It has been that kind of year, the best year of our lives. A real Sopranos state is Guyana. Sincerely, GHK Lall
...Indians live in fear - a generational From page 5 views on injustice in countries where they experience virtually no significant forms of violence like Mauritius, Singapore, Suriname, Trinidad, Ghana, etc. As my research found, Indians in other countries fear their business or property interests and or physical safety would be affected should they express public
views on issues. As psychologists explain, Indians subscribe to and extol Gandhian non-violence. They don’t respond in kind. Theyfeel violence begets violence. They subscribe to a victim mentality. The movie Gandhi showed how the mahatma instructed Indians to accept violence. Other cultures stress resistance to violence. Indians also engage
in self-violence as in suicides, with the Indo-Guyanese suicide rate in Guyana the highest globally. Not many resources have been expended in addressing this problem. All Guyanese, regardless of ethnic origins, should freely speak their mind on issues in the public sphere. Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram
T N U L B . . . T B N U T L N B T . U . L . L T B . . N . U N U T L N B . U T . . L N N U T B . U . N . L U BL BLUNT B . . T . T T N N U . U L . . L B . T B . . . . N . T U T N N T U N U L L U B . L B . . . . B . T . . T . N N T U N L LU U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L T U B . N L U T.. UNT...B L N B . . U . L T B . N L . . U B . T L . . N U NT LUNT...B L U B . L . . B T . . . N B . T . U . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U L . . N B T . U . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . UN .BLUNT.. UNT...BL T...BL N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L B T . U . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L B T . U . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L T . U B . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . BBL T...BLUN .BLUNT. T...BLU . . N N T T L U U N L L U B U T...BLU B L . . N . B . T . . N T U N N N U L U U B L . BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
In his inaugural address, President Ali promised all Guyanese, to be a good listener, even to the smallest citizen. We are helping President Ali, by making it easier for him to live up to that promise, as it relates to our oil wealth.
On a daily basis, we have been carrying pictures of the ordinary Guyanese carrying placards calling for the PPP government led by President Ali to renegotiate this disastrous and hope-destroying oil contract. Guyanese from all walks of life have put their faces and dreams on those simple placards calling for renegotiation of the contract. Where are you now, President Ali? Guyana calls on you, cries out to you, be there for us. Where are you now? And what are you going to do about that sick contract?
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Two stabbed by friend in Lethem A 19-year-old man was arrested after a heated argument led to a double stabbing on Saturday at Tabatinga, Lethem, Central Rupununi, Region Nine. The incident occurred at 00:30 hours and according to reports, the suspect and the victims – Paul Constance and Timothy James – were at their home roasting chicken and fish with other family members. Constance and the suspect were reportedly imbibing when an argument ensued. Police said the suspect allegedly got annoyed and pushed Constance to the ground causing James to start arguing with the suspect. Police said the suspect pulled out a brown-handled knife from the waist of his
pants and stabbed James to his right-side forehead. It is further alleged that while Constance was trying to get on his feet, the suspect turned his attention on him and stabbed him several times about the body. A report was made to the police and both victims were taken to the Lethem Regional Hospital where Constance was admitted as a patient in a stable condition while James was treated and sent away. The suspect was arrested and claimed that he was assaulted by James with a cutlass. As such, he was also taken to the hospital where he was treated, discharged, and then placed into police custody. Investigations are ongoing.
Bandits stop policeman, steal motorcycle
A
policeman was robbed of his mo torcycle on Saturday evening, by two suspects. According to a police report, the 23-year-old officer along with his 14-year-old sister, were heading north along Spurwing Drive, South Ruimveldt, on his Honda XR motorcycle bearing number plate CK 2404, valued $435,000 at 19:30hrs. Two suspects then rode up behind them on another motorcycle – the pillion rider
pulled out a handgun from his pants waist, pointed it at the victims and demanded them to stop. The suspect then discharged three rounds in the air causing the victim to comply. His motorcycle was taken away by the perpetrator, who then mounted it and rode away in the company of his acolyte. The matter was reported to the police and an investigation is currently underway.
Chinese mining company ... From page 2 treated differently from the foreigners in a five-pagelong document. Zijin Mining Group had responded publicly to their concerns. As it relates to the difference in menus for the two groups of workers along with separate lunchrooms, the company stated that culture was a major factor. “Differences in certain cultural practices or habits” have led to the establishment of a different kitchen for the “Chinese Expatriates,” the company had explained. “The group of Chinese Expatriates has been finding it difficult to adjust to the local Guyanese cuisine for various reasons, as many of the team have never been exposed to other countries
diets and this brought about a high level of discontent amongst the group,” stated the mining company. Despite Zijin Mining Group denying some of the allegations levelled against it by the local workers, the company had promised that through a body called Employees Grievance Committee they will discuss and review the processes in its decision making to avoid any feelings of unfairness or discrimination. The company had also promised that “it will take a decision to open its new Chinese Mess Hall to locals who wish to explore the Chinese Cuisine.” According to the workers who spoke with Kaieteur News this promise is yet to be fulfilled.
Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
Dem boys seh...
Falling asleep pun de wuk Dem boys see pictures of dem Opposition parliamentarians sleeping in de National Assembly. One ah dem even sprawl off on de floor. De man fall off he chair and end up pun de ground and he nah even know. When he wake up, one of he colleagues ask he how come he sleeping so deep. He tell de man how he had a nice dream: he dream dat de Hap-Nu+Hay-Eff-See return to power. He colleague tell he fuh go and sleep lil mo. Couple weeks ago, a car run off de road and crash. Three persons get kill. Not long before a man and he wife crash fore-day marnin.’ De same day another car crash. In both cases people believe dat de driver fall asleep pun de wheel. Nuff ah dem taxi driver wah doing longrun does gat fuh wake up early fuh pick up passengers. But dem nah going to sleep early.
Dem still want enjoy late night entertainment and wake up in time fuh hustle a dollar. Dat is why nuff a dem does end up in the trench. One time a woman who was pregnant with twins, get in wan accident and end up in wan coma in de Georgetown Hospital. When she come out de coma, de doctor tell she dat she twins done deliver and bin in good health but since she was in a coma, she brother decided to name dem. De woman get worried, because she brother was wan idiot. “What did he name them?” she ask. “He named the girl Denise,” de doctor say. “Oh, that’s not so bad,” she say. “What did he name the boy?” ”Denephew.” Talk half and nah fall asleep when yuh driving.
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Sunday July 11, 2021
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Region 10 Chairman’s Driver in custody for Linden GECOM fire matter Three Lindeners were on Friday remanded to prison by Magistrate, Wanda Fortune, at the Linden Magistrate’s Court, for unlawfully and maliciously setting the GECOM Linden office on fire. One of the men is an associate of the People’s National Congress and a former Community Development Officer. He has been identified as 48-year-old Byron Kendall called ‘Murgie,’ of Lot 165 Middle Street, Kara Kara, Linden. The other two have been identified as Teon February called ‘Nut,’ age 23 years and a labourer of Lot G 5, Canvas City, Wismar, Linden; and Marlon Hunter called ‘Bushy,’ age 21 years and hails from 4th Street, Silver Town, Wismar, Linden. They were not required to plea to the indictable offence. Marlon Hunter was represented by Attorney-at-Law, Yondessa Welcome. Welcome made bail application and stated that her client is not a flight risk but the prosecutor objected to bail and stated that all three men are considered as flight risks. She also stated that while the offence is a bailable one, the building in question is a state building with public information. The Prosecutor stated that her file is completed and that the defendants are being investigated for other offences. They will return to court on
Roy Marshall. July 30th, 2021. Meanwhile, Roy Marshall, a driver attached to the Office of the Regional Chairman of Region 10, was arrested on Thursday by ranks of the Guyana Police Force, in relation to the investigation and is currently in custody at the Criminal Investigation Department in Georgetown. According to the police, Kendall allegedly admitted to the offence and named Marshall – a resident of Independence Avenue, Mackenzie, Linden – as the orchestrator and the person who provided the funds. Family members of Marshall took to social media expressing the way the arrest
Byron Kendall was done and that they were not informed about his location up to Friday midday. His wife related, that three men in plain clothes went and ‘bram’ down the door and arrested Roy without saying what he was being arrested for. Winter however said that Marshall was properly arrested. Meanwhile Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon, in a statement expressed concern over the way Marshall was arrested. On Thursday, police said they made a significant breakthrough in the investigation surrounding the fire when two young men allegedly confessed to the matter. In a release, the police
Teon February stated that a video interview was conducted with Teon February, during which he admitted to being involved. According to February, he was contacted by one ‘Murgie’ whose correct name is Bryon Kendall of Wismar, Linden, on the night of July 13, 2020. Kendall, who is a PNC associate and former Community Development Officer, told him that he wanted him to burn the GECOM building. February said he then told his cousin, Marlon Hunter, to join him and on the said night sometime after 22:00 hours, Kendall picked them up in a silver Note motor car and they drove to Burnham Drive where Kendall pointed
Marlon Hunter out the building to them. February said Kendall told him that he wanted the building to burn the same night and that he would give them $150,000 on completion of the task. Kendall gave them a yellow five-gallon bottle of gas, which he had in his car trunk at the time and then left. February said they hid the gas in some nearby bushes a short distance from the GECOM building and they went home. About midnight on July 14, 2020, he and his cousin Marlon left on foot. On arrival, they collected the gas, entered the compound from a side gate and gained access to the GECOM building from
the back door. February said they then went to what appeared to be a storeroom in the upper flat of the building where he threw the gas and lit the room on fire. After setting the room on fire, there was an explosion, which caused them to receive burns on their feet. He said they escaped from the scene and went home using the same route they took to get to the building. On their arrival home, he said his three cousins, Tasha, Tash and Talla were home. February said they told them (cousins) what had transpired and Tasha assisted them with tending to the burns. The same night Kendall went to their home and gave him (February) $75,000 which he gave to his cousin, Marlon Hunter. The following morning, Kendall gave him the other $75,000. After that date, February said he saw Kendall several times but he did not say anything about the incident. He added that Kendall told him that the reason for burning the building was because GECOM was taking too long to swear in former President, Mr. David Granger. Marlon Hunter was next interviewed on camera and he supported the story told by February. Investigations are in progress.
Agriculture Community Development Committee launched in Ithaca The Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, Regional Officials and Agricultural Officers from various agencies visited the farming community of Ithaca Village, West Bank Berbice, yesterday to launch a new Agriculture Community Development Committee. It was during a previous visit by the Agriculture Minister that a request was made to have a group in the community to represent the needs of residents who are mostly dependant on agriculture to sustain their daily livelihood. “I know that there is over 1,000 acres of land, land for cash crops, crops that we want to embark on so that we can continue to make Guyana an agriculture power house in this part of the hemisphere,” the Minister said while addressing those present. He added that agriculture in the modern era should be looked at in a different perspective with emerging oil and gas country, agriculture is set to also stay at the forefront and foundation for development countrywide. “I want to work with every single community in the agriculture sector, we were in Ebini in the Berbice River to
refocus that research station, that station was set up to do research to help farmers get a new variety of crop and over the years it has lost its focus…for farmers like you with communities like these, they can give you advice, they can help you develop new varieties of crops and ensure that your crops are grown in a more scientific way rather than growing it in the old way,” the minister stressed. He pointed out that if agriculture is to become one of the most important activities in the country then it can only be done through unity amongst all. Ithaca, he said has a rich agricultural history and was once considered the breadbasket of Region 5 but according to the minister, agriculture had taken a back seat with abandoned lands and lack of agricultural infrastructural work to help the farming community thrive. Minister Mustapha in that regard made the commitment to work with the farmers of Ithaca “so that it can be the breadbasket again” through investment. “We have to re-commit to develop lands so that farmers can benefit, we will ensure
you have the necessary tools to do so, NARI will come and help to train you the farmers in planting new crops because we have to do agriculture in a smarter way, a way to mitigate climate change,” the Minister underscored. He further called on the farmers and residents to “put politics and race aside” because “every person is entitled to the same benefits and
we will ensure that.” Meanwhile, Regional Chairman for Region Five, Vickchand Ramphal, said that from the regional standpoint, the committee that is now in place was something that the administration wanted to implement for some time. “We remain committed to work with you to ensure that your community is a part of the development drive,” the
Chairman said. Seven persons were elected to serve on the new committee with Micheal Jaque as the Chairman, Utundy Grant as the Vice Chairman, Jewel Sinclair will serve as its Treasurer and Jermain Benjamin, Nikita Sampson and Akeela Benjamin will serve as Committee Members. The newly elected Chairman, Micheal Jaque
The Minister with newly elected members of the committee and the Region Five Chair (far left) and VC (far right)
said, “We are willing to work with the government to see the development in Ithaca and wherever necessary, we are asking that there is no bias in the distribution of anything and we will try our best to see Ithaca once again being the breadbasket of the Region 5.” Additionally, sanitisation hampers were handed over by the Minister of Agriculture for distribution in the community.
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ExxonMobil now tells Guyana it will sell natural gas liquids to third parties; dry gas to be sold here - Govt. did not disclose this key detail at gas project presentation
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bout four months ago, Vice Presi dent, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, held a press conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre where he spoke to the reasoning behind government’s pursuit of the US$900M gas-to-energy project. The local oil boss articulated to the media, in the presence of his technical team, that the project, which involves connecting an offshore pipeline from the Stabroek Block to an onshore pipeline on the West Bank Demerara, would result in electricity costs being slashed by a minimum of 50 percent. He also noted that since it is cleaner than heavy fuel oil, Guyana’s carbon footprint would be reduced. The Vice President was also clear when he said that the government is in negotiations with ExxonMobil regarding the price to transport the gas from the Stabroek Block onshore. However, what the Vice President did not say was how ExxonMobil stands to benefit tremendously from this project. This crucial detail only came to the fore during a scoping meeting that was held by ExxonMobil Guyana on Friday last in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The meeting is one of several being held to hear the recommendations from citizens on what should be the parameters of the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). An EIA is a process that involves evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, while taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and humanhealth impacts, which are beneficial and adverse. During the meeting, it was revealed that the true purpose of the project is to bring the gas-to-shore, following which, ExxonMobil would be selling the Natural gas liq-
uids to third parties and the portion that remains, being dry gas, would be sold to Guyana for its electricity needs. Confirming this at the Umana Yana was ExxonMobil Guyana’s Production Manager, Mike Ryan. During an engagement with citizens and members of the media on the project, Ryan was asked to say if Natural gas liquids would be sold to Guyana. He did not give a direct answer but confirmed that the gas would be sold to third parties while adding that ExxonMobil would not know the final destination of the gas after that. It was on June 27, 2021 that this newspaper published an article on the devastating effects this project could have on Guyana’s marine life. This was confirmed following a perusal of the project summary that was submitted to the EPA. The first 19 pages of the 27-page document speaks glowingly about the construction, commissioning and operational aspects of the project while noting that it will create employment and lead to cheaper electricity rates for years to come. But what is buried at the bottom of the summary speaks volumes about the potential this project holds to have a devastating impact on the environment. ExxonMobil in the document noted that the project could impact Guyana’s marine geology and sediments. It said this could occur through the installation of offshore and non-routine or unplanned events, which was not explained. Regarding the possible effects on human life and the environment where this is concerned, ExxonMobil said it could result in the “Disturbance of the seabed during offshore pipeline installation activities, has the potential to affect benthic habitat and cause death/injury of benthic fauna.” In short, any marine life
Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo.
that is near or close to the seafloor where this project is being done is at risk of being killed or injured. The oil giant goes onto state that the project has the potential to affect some marine fish in the project area by way of activities such as underwater sound generated by marine component operations and activities, ship strikes, lighting on offshore pipeline installation vessels, wastewater discharges, offshore
pipeline construction, hydro testing discharges, vessel movements, operational effluent discharges, and non-routine or unplanned events which again was not explained. Exxon noted that the foregoing ecological impacts could potentially have ramifications for commercial and/or subsistence fisheries. It should be noted that ExxonMobil in collaboration with the government, is moving ahead with this project at a time when the world is moving away from fossil fuel based projects. In May for example, this newspaper had reported on the United Nations’ (UN) call for a shift in the policy of countries worldwide, to move away from supporting fossil fuel projects through financing such as subsidies, towards renewable energy and the promotion of the transfer of technology to developing countries.
ExxonMobil Guyana’s Production Manager, Mike Ryan.
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BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY! In case you haven’t heard, please be informed that as part of our continued effort to channel positive changes in our country, our publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall, has dedicated our Page Seven to be “BLUNT” about on-going indecency in our land that should matter, not only to us at this publication, but the entire nation. SUNDAY Almost 1,600 children have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and the PPP leaders sat on this and kept it a secret! This is our children’s wellbeing at stake and it is enraging. No Guyanese should take this sitting down quietly. But this latest development of how this country is being governed: in secrecy and with stupidity. With the news about the 1,567 children about to go public, President Ali was already ahead of the game with spin doctoring and damage control: Pfizer vaccines are on the way and children will be the first in line. President Ali has already brushed off the 1,567 children infected and kept secret, by pretending at good vaccine availability news. This is the Head of State’s idea of transparency, his version of leadership accountability. What do we have here for leaders, if not certifiable farces and abject failures, who deceive and mislead at every turn? MONDAY One million barrels of Guyana’s oil was sold to India and Guyanese know nothing about it from its government. Citizens only learned about this sale from Reuters, an international news agency. Does everything related to this oil sector have to be a secret or treated like the personal possession of our leaders with Guyanese kicked around like raggedy footballs? Clearly, something is not adding up on this Indian oil sale. When Vice President,
Bharrat Jagdeo, wants to stir up Guyanese with oil information he sees fit to release, he climbs on the biggest stage to shout through a bullhorn about whatever he sees fit to share, and when he is confident that it will hold up. But only then! Since we had to hear about this million-barrel shipment to India from Reuters, some serious skullduggery is possibly afoot. There is no talk about the price per barrel, or how much revenue is coming to Guyana. This lack of transparency surely spells more trouble for the country. TUESDAY Americans and Europeans love to talk about crimes against humanity and human rights abuses. How come they are not talking anything at all, about what is going on in Guyana? It would be principled and in keeping with the noble ideals of America if its diplomatic representatives and political voices are raised over the financial crimes committed against Guyana. It would be highly ethical if its influential media and religious powerhouses were to broadcast to the world the financial abuses and financial genocide inflicted upon the Guyanese people by American and European companies. How about that for those who jump on China and others? Why not speak out against their own barbaric corporate predators whose records are stained with the sweat and tears (and possibly the blood) of Guyanese? WEDNESDAY The Guyana Revenue Au-
thority has completed the cost recovery audit for US$460M ExxonMobil claimed it spent post 2015 on exploration work in the Stabroek Block. It also completed the audit of over US$1B that was expended by Exxon and its partners on development projects up to 2017. But since completing these audits, GRA has yet to tell the people of this country what the findings were. Why are Guyanese being kept in the dark about these audits and their results? Why is the government failing to set itself apart from the coalition administration, which had placed a cloak of secrecy on the sector? The people of this country deserve much better than this level of gross disrespect and lack of transparency! THURSDAY Guyanese workers claim that AGM’s Chinese managers are mistreating them, dealing with them differently, through a standard that is lower than that of Chinese employees. THIS IS INSULTINGAND UNACCEPTABLE from any source, but especially at the hands that come to reap our natural resources harvest. We don’t think that the Minister of Labour is doing enough. His officials must go to AGM’s location unannounced and learn for themselves what is really going on with Guyanese workers. The usual staged visits and wellprepared reception and tables must be bypassed. This calls for probing to get to the bottom of what is wrong and humiliating to Guyanese workers. These jobs are not charity. They are
Ministry of Health announces 3 additional COVID-19 deaths, 90 new cases In its Covid-19 update on Saturday, the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported that three persons have died from the disease, taking the total number of deaths recorded for the month of July to 16 and the overall death toll from the pandemic to 492. Included in the death toll are two persons from Region 4 (Demerara-Mahaica), they are a female centenarian (102 years old) who died on July 8 and a 67-year-old male; he
passed away on July 9. The third death is a 60-year-old man from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), who died on July 8. In addition to the deaths announced, another 90 persons have become infected with the virus arising out of 1,469 tests conducted. There are now 20,924 infections recorded since March 2020. The new cases were recorded in Region One (10 cases), Regions Two and
Ten with (12 cases each), Region Three (eight cases), Region Four (29 cases), Region Five (five cases), Region Six (six cases), Region Nine (eight cases). There were no new cases recorded in Regions 7 and 8. Twelve patients in presently in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 85 persons in institutional isolation, 1,337 people in home isolation and 15 in institutional quarantine.
our due, and with all amenities and dignity attached. FRIDAY Crime is so rampant in this society that even our protectors are being robbed. The latest is of a current Guyana Police Force Officer who was robbed of an official firearm and valuables. If the police themselves are being targeted and victimised, then who is safe? The GPF tells the nation that serious crime is down, those involving weapons. At least, that is what the statistics say. But ask the ordinary man and woman in the street, and that means absolutely nothing to them. There is fear stalking our land at every corner, in our places of business, even in
our homes. Some pretend that all is well, and we are safe. WE ARE NOT SAFE. WE ARE IN CONSTANT AND GROWING DANGER FROM RUNAWAY CRIME. Where is the government? What are the leaders really doing, other than public relations gimmicks, and hopefully not with the statistics? SATURDAY The Americans know how to take care of themselves and look out for their own. They are always several steps ahead of the game. And this is exactly what is happening with fossil fuels. In Louisiana, projects involving renewables (solar and wind power) are esti-
mated to result in a cost of US$1M per megawatt of energy, or close to 65 percent cheaper than the PPP/C government and Exxon gas-toshore project, which has a projected return of US$3M per megawatt of energy. Are we this dumb to continue with a project that makes no sense? Are we this rich that, while our own people are poor, we can pay so much more per megawatt so that the PPP/C leaders and Exxon shareholders can benefit? Guyanese: get some sense. Get up and get out and register concerns with our gas-to-shore project at the meetings now being held by Exxon. HAVE YOUR SAY! BE LOUD. BE SENSIBLE.
Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
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Consultations for proposed gas project….
Guyanese environmentalist asks Exxon official to justify need for local gas-to-shore project, but gets no response
A Guyanese environmentalist participating in the ongoing virtual consultation led by Exxon Mobil subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEGPL), on the proposed onshore gas-to-energy project, has asked the oil operators to justify a need for the gas project locally but got no response. Environmental professional, Simone Mangal, is among those who questioned the feasibility of the project in the face of efforts from the Government of Guyana to invest in a pipeline, which will bring gas-to-shore for local and commercial use. The concerns are being raised even as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered consultations for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) into the proposed onshore gas project, which has faced heavy criticisms over how the project will be of use to the people of Guyana. The concerns also follow a report on a similar project in Ghana’s energy sector, which left the African country struggling to be financially sustainable, mainly due to a gas project which was meant to lower the cost electricity and off more reliable sources of energy, but left the country trapped in a deal which requires it to pay for a lot of gas that it has no use for. During the virtual discussion on Thursday, Mangal expressed concerns about the local demand for such a project and the effects it will have on Guyana’s future generations. She pointed to a need for clarity on the specifics on how the project will benefit and impact the citizenry. The environmentalist noted that the ambiguity, which surrounds the project, makes it difficult for her to adequately understand the real aims and objectives of the exercise. “I am struggling to meet the objectives of this consultation exercise because the scope of this project is not clear. You would appreciate as a professional, that unless the scope is clear then you cannot begin to imagine what areas of impact has to be examined. I must be able to constructively contribute to the terms of reference process
An example of gas-to-shore pipeline that is proposed. (picoilnowguyana)
Guyanese environmentalist, Simone Mangal. that you have outlined….,” she said stressing on need for clarity on whether there is demand for the gas locally. “What is the purpose of transporting the gas to the shores of Guyana through a pipeline? Is it to monetise the gas? Is it because Guyana requires an energy demand that is going to be met by this gas?” queried Mangal. “I would like to understand who owns the gas. Who is selling the propane, methane and pentane? Is it a joint venture? And the second thing is, what is the demand that the Government of Guyana or the people of Guyana has to justify a pipeline coming to shore, because if we have an X amount of demand based on business usual but we have excess amount coming its effectively [an issue] which means if we are not using it all up or we are intending to put in an industrial footprint to use it up. We need to know where the gas is going in order to fully understand what the commutative or real impact… according to the parameters that you have outlined, which are environmental as well as socioeconomic,” outlined the environmentalist. She submitted that the matters needed to be clarified sooner than later so that consultative process gives the realistic and adequate feedback for the project to move forward. However, EEGPL’s representative on the panel, Erik DeMicco, provided no response to the concerns raised. Instead, he suggested that the questions are best suited for another forum that it was outside of the ambit of the project’s scope. He noted that: “As part of
the process of the EIA it’s very clear that we need to stay within the constraints of what the project specifically ties to, which is the initiating location of pipeline, at the FPSOs to the natural gas.” “That goes into some of the commercial aspect of the project,” added DeMicco. “And we are really looking at the environmental, biological, physical receptors and socio-economic,” he continued, adding, “I am sure you will then say how can we look at the socio-economic, if we are not sure of how the other aspects tie in to this project. We may need to follow-up with that… but I think that’s where the notes will be taken for the comments and concerns to ensure that the EIA captures all the information as it goes through the process.” He suggested further, that there will be other opportunities where such concerns will be addressed. “And this, this is the first opportunity to hear more about the project, it’s very early in the stages, we will have stakeholder engagements later in the cycle to capture more information on the operations, and hopefully provide you with some more of those details that you are requesting. Your comments have been captured and the information will be provided at a later time, but as it relates to the commercial aspects, I don’t have that within my information at this time,” he said.
SIDS should acquire concessional financing... From page 10 added, “there is clearly a strong and immediate recommitment to multilateralism and the shared objectives that we embrace as a global community.”He concluded that there is need for accelerated action on climate change, urgent action toharness the benefits of the ‘blue economy’ and the acknowledgement of the global community that long-standing developmental financing commitments (some dat-
ing all the way back to the 1970s) need to be delivered. “We might think that we cannot afford to deliver on these commitments. I would say quite the opposite. We really as a global community cannot afford not to deliver on these commitments if we recognise the oneness, the interconnectedness and the intertwined nature of our nations in the global community,” Dr. Singh reiterated.
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Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
Sunday July 11, 2021
Driver dead after crashing into Apex Education's gate
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man is now dead after the vehicle he was driving collided with the sliding gate of the Apex Education building on Montrose Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD). A c c o r d i n g t o surveillance footage, the bus was travelling along the eastern side of the East Coast Demerara (ECD) roadway. The motor van, bearing number plate GTT 9815 and
driven by David Michael Dindial, 36, of Lot 17 Goed F o r t u n e , We s t B a n k Demerara (WBD), was proceeding at a fast rate and overtook a canter truck at 3:00hrs. The vehicle then spun out of control and was swinging to the right side of the road before the driver tried swinging again to the left, in an attempt to keep the vehicle on a straight path.
This caused the vehicle to skid along the road, crashing into the gate and Dindial being flung from the motor van and onto the road, he died on impact. The ambulance service was summoned to the scene, where the body was examined by a doctor who pronounced him dead. The body was then taken to the Lyken Funeral Home where it is awaiting a post mortem examination.
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Sunday July 11, 2021
Our Frontline Worker of the Week is…
Nurse
Vidya Ketwaroo cancer. As a public health nurse too, she has been able to do home visits to the elderly population and, according to her, “maintaining that connection is my main focus” along with "encouraging family involvement in their care.” She has also been involved in inter-sectoral collaboration with the private sector through which she receives hampers for antenatal mothers and children, and other donations, which benefit chronic diseases clients.
Nurse Vidya Ketwaroo By Sharmain Grainger
V
accine hesitancy has been one of the major challenges faced by health sectors across the globe in the ongoing quest to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. However, being judgmental towards persons who are reluctant to take the vaccine should not be the way forward, according to veteran nurse, Vidya Ketwaroo. In fact, she noted that in dealing with such persons, “first you should acknowledge their concerns and be empathetic…ask their willingness to discuss their hesitancy about the vaccine and in what way you can help.” Once you are able to gain their attention, she continued, “Try to steer them to legitimate sources of information, have a one-on-one
ADVOCATE
it!” Always ready to encourage vaccine uptake, Nurse Ketwaroo explained that “the body begins producing antibodies to the coronavirus with just one shot of the vaccine, and these antibodies help the immune system to fight the virus if you are ever exposed to COVID-19 and this will reduce your chances of serious complications or even death.” PASSIONATE Of course, her caring and easygoing ways are the results of years of being a part of the nurturing profession, which she is very passionate about. Nurse Ketwaroo, who received her professional training at the Georgetown School of Nursing, commenced her career as a Nursing
“
The body begins producing antibodies to the coronavirus with just one shot of the vaccine, and these antibodies help the immune system to fight the virus if you are ever exposed to COVID-19 and this will reduce your chances of serious complications or even death.
talk; teach them about the vaccine and what they should do if any side effect should occur.” With the use of visual aids, our featured frontline healthcare worker said that efforts should be made to clear up all misconceptions that have surfaced about the vaccine. In so doing, she added that it is important to explain how the vaccine works to protect against the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. “Let them be encouraged that no vaccine is 100 percent but when combined with safe distancing, hand hygiene and nutrition, it can be effective in protecting them and their loved ones.” As part of her advocacy, she reminds that although “contraceptives are not 100 percent effective, persons still opt to take them; condoms can burst, yet men use them! Using an umbrella do not protect you from being completely wet, yet you use
Attending to a patient
”
Assistant in 1984. In 1993, she became a professional nurse and by 2003 was a trained midwife as well. Always willing to evolve professionally, in 2011 she delved into public health nursing, an aspect of the profession she was eager to elaborate on. As a public health nurse, she is able to give focus to primary prevention (measures to safeguard one's health) through empowering individuals, families and the community about healthy lifestyles, diet and nutrition. As such, she advocates for the deferral of early sexual activity among youths through school health and helps to ensure that there is appropriate vaccination for them from nursery to secondary. This aspect of nursing, she said, also gives her the opportunity to plan and execute campaigns for vaccination and Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) for cervical
But back in February she was required to play an advocate role in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation's vaccination site. There, she was instrumental in administering to clients the vaccine at the correct temperature (+2-+8 degrees Celsius). “I attend to our clients as early as 7am Monday to Friday,” said Nurse Ketwaroo who uses her time as well to give health talks in different areas of health concerns. When asked what made her suitable for this role, she confidently shared, “I was chosen by God who made it possible for me to have a wealth of experience in public health, vaccination campaigns and knowledge on the types of vaccines and their adverse reaction.” She also credits her dedication to the profession, noting that “I am a people's person and I try to go the extra mile to meet the needs of the clients that are in my care.” Not oblivious to the risks she takes daily by virtue of working in the health sector, Nurse Ketwaroo said that she “never takes life for granted and appreciates the little things such as the air we breathe and the privilege of waking up to a new day and a job, family and friends, and most of all to acknowledge that there is a living God.” Although disheartened after a colleague and a friend were diagnosed with COVID-19, Nurse Ketwaroo, who is fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, is happy to remain dedicated to a profession she dreamt of joining when she was just a girl. MESMERISED Reflecting on that young period of her life, Nurse Ketwaroo recalled that she was very ill and had to be hospitalised. Intrigued by the “immaculate white uniform and cap” of the nurses she saw, as a child she was mesmerised by “their caring attitude and selfless love…I wanted to care for the sick as they did,” she recalled.
Sharing a moment with a colleague
With her son, Daniel Singh, who is fully vaccinated
The youngest of three girls born to farming couple, Lewis and Isabella Ketwaroo, on March 13, 1967, she grew up at Craig, East Bank Demerara. She attended the Craig Primary and then the Covent Garden Secondary School. Even amid a raging pandemic that has infected more than 20,000 and killed more than 450 in her homeland, she has no regrets that she joined the nursing profession soon after completing her
secondary education. Rather she perseveres with extreme caution, which includes social distancing, proper hand hygiene and the use of personal protective equipment while on duty, among other measures. The widowed, mother of one, said that she daily “give thanks to God for divine protection and purification of the air I breathe” so that she can continue to live the dream of being an exceptional nurse.
Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
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' o J y b s s e l w ‘-Fforlathat glamorous look Founder of 'Flawless by Jo' and 'Flawless Cosmetics,' Joanne Beejaimal
where she completed an Associate Degree in Biology. After that, she spent the next five years completing a Bachelors in Dental Surgery during which she got to work alongside some of the country's renowned dental surgeons. Proving that hard work really pays off, Beejaimal
Eye Candy by Mel where she was allowed to showcase her talent. From there, she was able to launch her own brand of cosmetics called 'Flawless Cosmetics.' “My very first product was the 'We are Caribbean' eye shadow palette. It is a nine-pan eye shadow palette that has the perfect mix of
By Allyiah Allicock
A
purchase of beauty products from Amazon that went wrong was what prompted our featured young entrepreneur to launch her own business. Twenty-nine-year-old Joanne Beejaimal revealed to Kaieteur News during a recent interview that back in 2019 she had made a purchase from Amazon of some beauty blenders. Upon receiving the items, she noticed that they were the wrong ones. “Basically I had so many of the wrong beauty blenders, I thought why not reach out to my friends and see who would be interested in buying them since I just wanted to get back my capital, to purchase the right ones,” she related. Following this, she officially launched her business called 'Flawless by Jo' on February 15, 2020, with the help of close friends and family. She described her business partner, Danesh Persaud, as the “muscles” behind the business. But before we get into the business side of things, let's share a little bit about this young lady. Beejaimal, who hails from the ancient county of Berbice, completed her secondary education at President's College. She then enrolled at the University of Guyana's School of Dentistry
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Young entrepreneurs are shaking the pillars of society and saying 'I'm here to make a difference.' I've seen persons who have spent all their days immersed in science, trying their hands at business and it is working out perfectly; and I've seen business oriented students making their own hair products and dabbling in the science, which is just awesome. This just shows that our young ones are diversifying and I think it's beautiful.
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graduated from UG in 2015 as a Dental Surgeon. But she always had a love for makeup and it was her partner who encouraged her in 2019 to join a class to gain the necessary skills to become certified in this regard. She agreed and before long gained knowledge about the different products and their use so much so that she was soon giving makeup advice to others. When not ordering inventory, Beejaimal shared that she spends most of her time promoting her business on her different social media platforms – Facebook and Instagram. With support from a friend, she was taught how to brand her products. YouTube as well played a vital factor in helping her how to market her products. With all the attention she was gaining at the time, she was invited onto a local live show hosted by
mattes shimmers and glitters. The shades are super pigmented and was described as 'a little palette that packs a punch' by one of Guyana's
Some of the other 'Flawless by Jo' products
renowned makeup artist,” the young lady related with pride. But to own her very first palette was no easy task. According to Beejaimal, it took long hours of checking swatches, ingredients, sampling, testing and packaging. But she was willing to do whatever it took to achieve the ideal results. For her palette, a carnival theme was what she was aiming for. “All the colours that I chose were vibrant, super pigmented and easily blended. I decided to name each shadow after places in the Caribbean,” she shared. In December last year, she officially launched her cosmetics brand, which includes a wide variety of brush set, lip gloss, lip scrubs, water activated liners, mirrors and brush holders just to suit all different skin types. The young woman, who has been gaining good recognition for her business thus far, stated that her support has been nothing more than
Co-owner of 'Flawless by Jo' and 'Flawless Cosmetics,' Danesh Persaud overwhelming. Her family and partner, she noted, who were there supporting her before it all got started, were described as the root of her motivation. They, she said, inspired and guided her through the process. Her many friends who are business owners as well have been nothing but supportive; they have been helping to promote her products as well. Beejaimal hopes to one day open her own physical location (continued on page 53)
Flawless Cosmetics makeup brushes and brush holder
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Kaieteur News
Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
PAGE 21
Miss Lovina Thomas
Sunday July 11, 2021
Meet the beautiful and talented Make-Up Artist, Lovina Thomas, who hails from Bartica, Region Seven. Lovina enjoys photography, travelling and fashion. Her advice is to never give up on your dreams, you're never too old to learn new things and always look for new opportunities to improve yourself.
Kaieteur News
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Sunday July 11, 2021
Caring for an 8-yr-old with Hemophilia is a full-time job for Savita, a mom of two E
ight-year-old Aditya Ramlogan, calmly put on his sandals and all seemed well until he stood and it was observed that not only does he walk with a slight limp but he also walks on his toes. The young aspiring doctor has been diagnosed with Hemophilia and his mobile disability is just one of the many fallouts from the condition. His mom, Savita Ramlogan, had never heard of Hemophilia until he was diagnosed but she knew something was wrong a few months after he was born. She observed that her baby was having what she described as “black and blue marks” about his body but it was only after he was hospitalised to have a surgery done on an abscess that she found out the reason. Today she is worried for Aditya and cries with him when he is in excruciating pain but her worry is now two-fold as her one-year-old son, Kushal, while not diagnosed, has been exhibiting signs of the condition. Her full-time job now is carefully watching both of her children in an effort to ensure that they do not injure themselves as the condition makes an individual injury prone. “It is not easy. Sometimes I have to run around when the baby sleeping to make sure I finish the work in time because I don't want to leave he alone and when we use to like go to the play park and so with
Aditya, he would become upset because he could not play like how the other children were playing,” she said. Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot properly. This causes spontaneous bleeding, and/or prolonged bleeding after an
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Savita Ramlogan and her son Aditya
severe Hemophilia usually bleed frequently into their muscles or joints and may do so one to two times per week. The bleeding is often spontaneous, which means it happens for no obvious reason. On the other hand, people with moderate Hemophilia bleed less frequently, about once a month.
It is not easy. Sometimes I have to run around when the baby sleeping to make sure I finish the work in time because I don't want to leave he alone and when we use to like go to the play park and so with Aditya, he would become upset because he could not play like how the other children were playing.
injury or surgery. People with Hemophilia have low levels of specific clotting factors, which are proteins in the blood that help it to clot. Persons with low levels of Factor V111 (Factor 8) have Hemophilia A, and those with low levels of Factor 1X have Hemophilia B. The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) says that people with Hemophilia do not bleed any faster than normal, but they can bleed for a longer time. Their blood does not have enough clotting factor, a protein in blood that controls bleeding. It was further stated that people with
”
They may bleed for a long time after surgery, a bad injury, or dental work. They will rarely experience spontaneous bleeding. People with mild Hemophilia usually bleed as a result of surgery or major injury. They do not bleed often and, in fact, some may never have a bleeding problem. Hemophilia is quite rare; about 1 in 10,000 people are born with it. The WFH's Annual Global Survey surmised that with Guyana's population of approximately 755,000 persons, an average of 52 persons could be living with and suffering from Hemophilia. The Guyana Hemophilia Society (GHS) is extremely concerned that to date there are only 15 confirmed cases in Guyana. Hemophilia A Severe Condition Aditya has severe Hemophilia, which has resulted in him suffering from frequent injuries, including once to his ankle when he fell off a child's scooter at the age of three. “It was just a little something but it was bleeding so much and then in the night he would cry because of the pain and it would get you so frustrated because you can't sleep or nothing... I know he was in serious pain. I can't explain and I don't know how he does bear it,” his mother said. In Grade One, a bench fell on his foot, just around his ankle and the swelling eventually formed an abscess. He was admitted to Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and the bone specialist later informed that because his foot rested in one position on the bed for an extended time it needed to be placed in a cast -- an orthopedic device that supports broken, fractured or
injured bones and joints in the ankles and feet. The foot was in a cast for a while and when it was taken off Aditya was walking on his toes. His mother was told that the only way to fix this was for the bone to be repositioned, which meant another cast. But because of his condition, she did not want to take the risk of him returning to theatre. He now walks on his toes on both feet. The instep of his left foot, which was cast, is stiff and painful whenever he attempts to walk normally, thus it is easier for him to walk on his toes. Ramlogan shared that sometimes her son would be laid up in bed for a month at a time whenever there is swelling to one of his joints. “He used to miss school a lot before COVID-19 but he is still an A student because I work with him a lot,” she said. People with severe Hemophilia are more prone to internal injuries when they exert themselves. This occurs in the joints knees, ankles, hips and shoulders, mostly where weight of the body is felt. Ramlogan recalled that when he was eight months old one side of his buttocks started to swell and he cried relentlessly and stopped eating. A doctor's visit diagnosed an abscess and a surgery had to be performed. This was done at a private hospital and Ramlogan said while they were told he bled excessively no reason was given. “They just stitched him up and clamped him and tell we to go to public,” she added. “I remember the night after the surgery he was in recovery and when I wake up the whole sheet
was blood and they called back the doctor and he eventually said he have to go back in the theatre to check it out.” Four days after the surgery he was transferred to the GPHC. He was given blood and the next day, the family was questioned about medical history and whether anyone had a bleeding problem. Ramlogan's mother was there and she explained that her father had had a bleeding problem. The doctor indicated that Aditya might have Hemophilia. “I never heard it before and I think it was something he would grow out of it. I thought it was not serious. I thought it could be treated. But is when I take my phone and I Google it, then I understand and I start to cry because for me, is like this can't come back and it is like somebody born without an ear or a finger or something. That is how I see it,” she said, tears streaming down her face at this point. As his mother spoke, Aditya listened quietly from afar without interrupting. He later said when questioned that he wished the pain would go away. Ramlogan was told that Aditya's Factor V111 (eight) was missing which meant he had a severe form of the condition. His severe diagnosis was made at around the age of seven and Ramlogan said they were warned that they could not beat him and he had to be watched all of the time. Aditya was hospitalised for about three months and before he was discharged, his parents were warned that he would continue to (continued on page 55)
Kaieteur News
Sunday July 11, 2021
PAGE 23
The race is not for the swift T
he PNC/R has no other choice but to retain David Granger at its Leader. He is the most fit and proper person to guide the party over the next five years. Intellectually and ideologically there is no match for him within the party. And this makes him the best choice to help the party undergo yet another of its metamorphosis over the next 10 years. The PNC/R committed political suicide when it refused to accept the democratic will of the electorate, when it tried to benefit from the attempt to rig the elections. Those were unforgiveable acts, which Guyanese, including some of its supporters, will not forget. And there is no way that any Coalition involving the PNC/R is going to win an election in 2025. The PNC/R showed that, despite the new image, it remains the same old crooked party, which had rigged elections between 1968 and 1985. The PNC/R has as good a chance of winning the 2025 polls as fowl cock has of growing teeth. Over the next four years, the party simply cannot undo the damage that was done. The forthcoming Congress of the party must not deceive itself and its supporters into believing that it can regain the trust of the majority of the electorate. But all is not lost. The party is very adept at remaking its image. Between 1985 and 1992, Desmond Hoyte tried remodelling the image of his government. There was a grouping established called the Committee for the Reelection of the President (CREEP). Two of the CREEPs became very close to Bharrat Jagdeo, and both
became Ministers in PPP/C governments. But that grouping which revolved around Desmond Hoyte never penetrated into the party. It was however part of Hoyte's remaking of his image to show that his government was more sympathetic to the business class. It had also tried to project Hoyte as being receptive to East Indians. This is why after he lost the 1992 elections and conceded, he was tagged as 'Desmond Persaud.' After the 1992 loss, the PNC/R again tried to reinvent its public image. It went as far as changing the name of the party from the PNC to the PNC/Reform and to PNC/R. The Reform has tremendous influence on Hoyte but there was resistance to this influence within the party. Despite this, the control of the party remained in the hands of a small clique which, led ironically by Hoyte, was able to prevent Winston Murray becoming the Leader of the party. These image changes of the party were essentially window-dressing. After the PNC/R's defeat at the 2006 elections, and the margin of that defeat, it was realised that the existing leader, Robert Corbin, was unelectable as President. And so there began a process to remake the image of party by finding a Presidential candidate who was more electable. That candidate turned out to be David Granger. He not only came over as “electable' but led the party, in an alliance with the AFC, into political office in 2015, after being out of power for 23 years. David Granger had all the attributes, which the party was looking for. He was seen as an honest and decent person without
political baggage. He turned out to be just the tonic, which the PNC/R needed to reinvent itself. But David Granger was no poster boy. The PNC/R under his leadership has been transformed into a different kind of party. It now has a heavy presence of exmilitary officers within its leadership. And even after he lost office in 2020, Granger was not finished with the remaking of the party. He catapulted, his right man,
Joseph Harmon, as Leader of the Opposition even though Harmon had only just become a member of the Central Executive of the party. A form of military-styled discipline is being imposed on the party. In the squabble for leadership, this aspect of the remake of the party is being ignored. David Granger is recalibrating his party, not for 2025 but for 2030. Many of the senior leaders of the party – Volda Lawrence, Basil
Williams and George Norton – for example have not been returned to parliament. For all intents and purposes, they never will be. A new group of leaders is being groomed as part of the remake for 2030. If Granger is removed as leader that recasting of the image of the party will be upturned. Those who feel that they can unseat him as Leader are making a mistake. The race is not for the swift. And David Granger has not yet completed his.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Sunday July 11, 2021
CARICOM: the only organisation commanding wide trust in Haiti's crisis H By Sir Ronald Sanders
aiti was in a constitutional and political crisis before the assassination of its President, Jovenel Moïse, in the early hours of the morning of July 7. That crisis has worsened. It is now explosive unless representatives of the main political parties collectively agree on an interim, broad-based government to prepare the country for presidential, legislative and municipal elections due to be held in September. Fuel was poured on the fire of the crisis by Claude Joseph who has declared himself as prime minister. There is no legal or other basis for Joseph's action. He was appointed 'interim Prime Minister' by Moïse for 30 days in May. The appointment was renewed for another 30 days, until July 5 when Moïse published a decree, appointing Ariel Henry as the new prime minister with power to form a government, including representatives of opposition parties and civil society. Joseph acknowledged the appointment of Henry by publicly
congratulating him and departing the official office and residence. Now, there is a sudden about turn. Meantime, in an interview with Le Nouvelliste, a daily newspaper printed in Haiti, Mr. Henry insisted that he, and not Mr. Joseph, is the prime minister. At best, in this turbulent situation, it is Ariel Henry who should be responsible for governmental affairs while he works swiftly on establishing a broad-based interim and national government. The international community should not delude itself that anything but an interim government, comprised of political parties and civil society, will be acceptable to the Haitian people. If a few powerful governments attempt to support a power grab and not a broad-based interim government, they will condemn Haiti to worse unrest than has been the case in recent years. It should be recalled that Moïse had been running Haiti by decree since January 2020. There is no national assembly, and the normal institutions of government are not functioning as required by the Constitution.
Sir Ronald Sanders (right) and Michel Martelly CARICOM Heads of Government were right when, at the conclusion of their regular meeting from July 4 to 6, they expressed their “grave concern over the untenable situation in Haiti, which is in the throes of a
protracted, political, constitutional and humanitarian crisis.” The leaders were almost prescient in stating that they were “particularly alarmed by the precipitous deterioration of security, calling into question the State's ability to
p rot Sir Ronald Sanders ect the people of the country.” Little did they know that the State had become unable even to protect the President of the country. What happens in Haiti in the coming weeks will determine if the country is to be plunged into further chaos, or stability will be established. Earlier this year when there were cries for an interim government in Haiti, including by top members of the US Congress, the US government, which has long exerted huge influence in Haiti's politics, had indicated that it did not
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Kaieteur News
Dear Reader, in light of the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our publisher, with you in mind, has taken the decision to extend our weekly review of some of our major stories in their entirety. SUNDAY RUPTURED GAS PIPELINE SPARKS HUGE “EYE OF FIRE” IN MEXICO’S WATERS – HOW WOULD GUYANA COPE IF IT SUFFERS SIMILAR FATE WITH EXXON GAS PROJECT? – INT’L LAWYER ASKS Mexican authorities were on Friday last, at pains to extinguish a boiling “eye of fire” that erupted in Gulf waters. The inferno was sparked after an underwater gas pipeline was ruptured. Mexico’s state-controlled oil company Pemex said on Friday that it had dispatched fire control boats to pump more water over the flames. The national oil company reported no injuries from the incident in the offshore KuMaloob-Zaap field. Kaieteur News understands the incident occurred about 150 yards (meters) from a drilling platform and the company had taken five hours later to bring the situation under control. While the extent of the environmental damage in the Gulf waters is unknown as investigations continue, the situation is one that has left many Guyanese locally and abroad, wondering if the PPP/ C Government would even be prepared enough to handle such a catastrophic situation were it to occur with ExxonMobil’s US$900M gasto-energy project. Specifically making this concern known was International Lawyer, Melinda Janki. In an invited comment, Janki said a pipeline for associated gas is not only a total waste of money for Guyana but the fire in the Gulf of Mexico shows that it can also be an extremely dangerous venture. She said, “The government must explain how it would cope if Exxon’s proposed gas pipeline burst into flames. How would the government stop catastrophic harm to marine wildlife and fisheries? Suppose the explosion happened on the coast. How would the government stop the destruction of homes, livelihoods and lives?” The lawyer added, “It is now clear to everybody that Exxon’s proposed gas pipeline cannot go ahead. Guyana is more important
than Exxon. I have already said that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appears to have acted unlawfully in changing the permit to allow Exxon to flare the associated natural gas.” The lawyer said she is of the firm conviction that the government must make ExxonMobil re-inject the associated gas as required by the petroleum contract, the environmental impact assessment and the original environmental permit. If this cannot be done, she is of the view that the government must shut down the Liza Phase One operations. She believes the PPP/C administration has a duty to ensure all projects are in compliance with standards that protect the wellbeing of current and future generations. DANGER FOR MARINE LIFE It was just one week ago that Kaieteur News reported that ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), recently submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency its project summary for its gas-to-shore project, which could cost Guyana at the very least, US$900M. The first 19 pages of the 27-page document speaks glowingly about the construction, commissioning and operational aspects of the project while noting that it will create employment and lead to cheaper electricity rates for years to come. But what is buried at the bottom of the summary speaks volumes about the potential
this project holds to have a devastating impact on the environment. ExxonMobil in the document noted that the project could impact Guyana’s marine geology and sediments. It said this could occur through the installation of offshore and non-routine or unplanned events, which was not explained. Regarding the possible effects on human life and the environment where this is concerned, ExxonMobil said it could result in the “Disturbance of the seabed during offshore pipeline installation activities, has the potential to affect benthic habitat and cause death/ injury of benthic fauna.” In short, any marine life that is near or close to the seafloor where this project is being done is at risk of being killed or injured. The oil giant goes on to state that the project has the potential to affect some marine fish in the project area by way of activities such as underwater sound generated by marine component operations and activities, ship strikes, lighting on offshore pipeline installation vessels, wastewater discharges, offshore pipeline construction, hydro testing discharges, vessel movements, operational effluent discharges, and nonroutine or unplanned events which again was not explained. Exxon noted that the foregoing ecological impacts could potentially have ramifications for commercial and/or subsistence fisheries. It should be noted that
ExxonMobil in collaboration with the government, is moving ahead with this project at a time when the world is moving away from fossil fuel based projects. In May for example, this newspaper had reported on the United Nations’ (UN) call for a shift in the policy of countries worldwide, to move away from supporting fossil fuel projects through financing such as subsidies, towards renewable energy and the promotion of the transfer of technology to developing countries. LEAKED TAPE EXPOSES EXXONMOBIL’S DUPLICITY ON CLIMATE CHANGE A leaked recording of an interview with an ExxonMobil lobbyist has exposed the American oil giant’s duplicity on climate change. The interview was done by an undercover reporter attached to Greenpeace, a nongovernmental environmental organisation established since 1971 with offices in over 55 countries. The organisation since its genesis has been dedicated to peaceful protest and creative exposure of global environmental problems. In the interview that has gone viral, Keith McCoy, one of ExxonMobil’s top lobbyists is heard saying that the oil company’s support for carbon tax is nothing more than a public relations stunt that is intended to decrease the actions aimed at curbing climate change. He said, “Nobody is going to propose a tax on all Americans and the
cynical side of me says ‘yea we kind of know that’ but it gives us a talking point. We can say well what is ExxonMobil for? Well we’re for a carbon tax.” Following this, he dropped a bombshell statement: “Carbon tax is never gonna happen.” A carbon tax is imposed on companies that burn carbon-based fuels, including coal, oil, gasoline and natural gas.Following the release of the interview, ExxonMobil’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Darren Woods, rushed to do damage control as he said in a statement that McCoy’s comments do not represent his company’s views. “We condemn the statements and are deeply apologetic for them, including comments regarding interactions with elected officials,” he said. Woods also said the comments are “entirely inconsistent with the way we expect our people to conduct themselves.” ExxonMobil he reminded supports the goals of the Paris climate agreement and is committed to addressing climate change. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty that seeks to limit global warming to at least 1.5 Degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. The lobbyist was also in damage control mode as he published a note on his LinkedIn Page saying, “I am deeply embarrassed by my comments and that I allowed myself to fall for Greenpeace’s deception.” He added, “My statements clearly do not
represent ExxonMobil’s positions on important public policy issues.” MONDAY GOVT. MUST SET ITSELF APART FROM FINANCIAL SKULLDUGGERY BY STABROEK BLOCK PARTNERS -INSTALL COMPETENT PEOPLE TO REGULATE SECTOR - CHRIS RAM After reviewing the 2020 financial statements of Stabroek Block partners, namely, ExxonMobil’s subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), Hess Guyana Exploration Limited (Hess), and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram firmly asserts that there are serious deficiencies in those documents which leave Guyana at risk of wanton abuse and manipulation. In his most recent writings, Ram concluded that the documents are so ambiguous in the details they present that it is virtually not possible to have a holistic picture understanding of how expenses are being charged against the Liza Phase One Project. In light of this, Ram said it is critical that the PPP/C Government separate itself as a partner in the financial shenanigans being perpetuated by the companies by introducing modern oil laws, appointing independent and competent (Continued on page 26)
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From page 25 regulators, and ensuring that the nation’s rules and regulations governing the sector are respected. Ram was keen to note that the financial statements for each of the Stabroek Block partners do not disclose, in sufficient detail, how they are accounting for the use of money from the Liza Phase One Project. He also expressed fear over some of the expenses that are being charged against the project which are completely unrelated to it. He said too that both the principles underlying the preparation and contents of the financial statements reflect major deficiencies including noncompliance with accounting standards, and requirements of the law and the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). He said too that reconciling the statements in question and the requirements of the PSA or even with the nation’s tax laws would prove to be a challenging task for those concerned. Significantly, Ram highlighted that Guyana’s laws require the financial statements of external companies (and not just of their Guyana branch which is what has been presented) along with their annual returns to be filed at the Commercial Registry. He noted that the Stabroek Block partners have been non-compliant in this regard while adding that the Registrar of Companies was generous, if not careless, in permitting this. He went on to note that these financial statements have vindicated the initial fears he expressed about the limitations
Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
and weaknesses of the 2016 Petroleum Agreement. The Chartered Accountant said, “Those limitations and weaknesses have been compounded by the multitude of combined fatal deficiencies by the three oil companies in their financial reporting in the first year of oil production, averaging less than 100,000 barrels of oil per day.” Ram said it is clear that the opportunities for manipulation will increase correspondingly as production increases by eight and tenfold. It was at this point that he said, “It is incumbent on this Administration to separate itself as a partner in the financial shenanigans being perpetrated by the companies, introduce modern petroleum legislation, appoint independent and competent regulators and ensure that our laws are respected.” The lawyer concluded, “The Government should expect resolute pushback. The oil companies do not comply with a weak Agreement partly written by them, let alone a regime of regulations meeting international standards.” DPPAPPEALS MAGISTRATE’S DECISION TO FREE ALLEGED BANK ROBBERS The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, S.C is appealing Senior Magistrate, Leron Daly’s decision to free three men of the 2017 botched attempted robbery on Republic Bank. Five men were charged for
the offence in 2017. Those men are ex-Police Constable, Anfernee Blackman, 24, of Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown; exRural Constable Gladstone George 27, of Princess Street, Lodge, Georgetown; Keron Saunders, 27, of Burnham Boulevard, Mocha, East Bank Demerara (EBD) and former Republic Bank employees, Jamal Haynes, 24, and Shawn Grimmond, of Pike Street, Kitty, Georgetown. Blackman, George and Grimmond were freed of the charge, Saunders is expected to lead his defence and the fifth accused, Haynes had pleaded guilty to the charge in 2017 on his first court appearance and he was sentenced. On June 22, 2021, Senior Magistrate Leron Daly dismissed the charge against the trio. This was after she upheld a no-case submission made by their attorneys and dismissed the matter against them. In her ruling, the Magistrate had stated that she upheld the defence attorney’s no-case submissions since there is not enough evidence against the trio for a prima facie case to be made. TUESDAY LOUISIANA SOLAR AND WIND FARMS PROJECTS COST US$1M PER MW – EXXON’S GAS-TOENERGY PROJECT IS SET TO COST GUYANA US$3M PER MW Public consultations for Exxon’s Gas-to-Energy
project are set to commence today and will run until July 22, 2021. During this time, members of the public can list concerns about Exxon’s Gasto-Energy project, which proposes to install a pipeline from the FPSOs Liza Destiny and Unity to an onshore facility located at Wales, West Bank Demerara. The cost for the entire project is estimated at US$900 million. This cost covers the entire project with approximately $630 million for the offshore pipeline and “riser,” $100 million for the onshore pipeline, $120 million for the gas plant and $50 million for infrastructure. The project, upon its completion is expected to produce an additional 200 Megawatts of power for Guyana. When this is contextualised as the cost per megawatt (MW), dividing the cost of the project by the output capacity for power in terms of MW, a value of US$3 million per MW is obtained. This means that Guyana would have spent US$3 million or G$625 million for every MW generated. By comparison, this publication has learnt that solar companies in the United States are lobbying for the commencement of seven solar power farms based in Louisiana, which together, are set to generate 890 MW of electricity for a total cost of US$868 million. This total power generation cost works out to the price per MW being equated to just above US$975,000. It should be noted that when examined individually all of these projects would generate significant amounts of electricity at a far cheaper cost per MW than the US$3 million price tag of Exxon’s proposed gas-to-energy. The new proposed projects and their associated (US$) cost per MW are identified below. -Kontiki Holdings LLC is planning a $145 million solar project in Beauregard Parish. The 1,970-acre project could produce 200-megawatts of electricity at a cost of $725,000 per megawatt. -Bogalusa West PV I LLC seeks to spend $200 million on a 200-megawatt solar project in Bogalusa at a cost of US$1,000,000 per megawatt. -Thibodaux Solar Project LLC also looks to spend $200 million on a 200-megawatt solar farm in Thibodaux at the same cost per megawatt. -Vacherie Solar Energy Center is proposing an $89 million project, which would produce 80-megawatts of power. -St. James Solar III LLC is looking at a $100 million project to produce 90megawatts of electricity and
St. Jacques Solar LLC is proposing a 120-megawatt solar project in Vacherie, looking to spend $134 million. For these projects, each would cost US$1,100,000 per megawatt. Given the foregoing, one can conclude that by comparison of the Gas-toEnergy project and a Solar power farm, each with a capacity for 200-MW of electricity generation, the renewable energy option is over 65 percent cheaper. This is evident as the gas-toenergy project costs US$3 million per MW while similar capacity solar farms being proposed would cost about US$1 million per MW. This discovery has raised questions among stakeholders as the administration aims to utilise a gas-to-energy project when equally viable, much less harmful and inexpensive alternatives exist. Concerns in this regard are justified given a recent occurrence where a similar gas project in the Gulf of Mexico, which suffered a catastrophic gas leak, resulted in massive balls of flame bubbling to the surface of the water. This publication had previously carried an article looking at the implications for such a phenomenon occurring in Guyana. But this is not the
only phenomenon that serves to cast doubt upon the US$900 million energy project, as the aforementioned renewable alternatives serves both as viable and better solutions for Guyana’s energy woes. As stated, it is quite possible for solar power farms with identical capacity to that of the proposed Gas-to-Energy project to be constructed and operated for a fraction of the cost. Additionally, it should be noted that a global call exists for a shift away from fossil fuel-based projects. This was highlighted, inter alia in a June 12th article carried by this publication entitled ‘Over 100 economists call on G7 countries to end funding for fossil fuel projects’ (https:// www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2021/06/12/over-100economists-call-on-g7countries-to-end-fundingfor-fossil-fuel-projects/). As the Government continues to push for the Gas-to-Energy project, ignoring viable alternatives, it is pertinent to note that the construction and operation of various parts of the gasto-energy plant will inevitably contribute to elevated Co2 emissions. A 2013 study estimates that renewable energy sources [such as solar] typically emit (Continued on page 27)
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From page 26 about 50g or less of CO2 emissions per kWh over their lifetime, compared to about 1,000g CO2/kWh for coal and 475g CO2/kWh for natural gas. This translates to a solar power plant that produces the same amount of electricity as the proposed gas-toenergy project would not only potentially be 66 percent cheaper, but also over nine times cleaner than the proposed gas-to-energy project in relation to the polluting effect on the air we breathe. Union calls for impromptu visit to AGM by authorities Following recent reports that Guyanese workers employed at Aurora Gold Mines (AGM) are being treated different from the Chinese Nationals, the National Mine Workers Union of Guyana (NMWUG), is now calling for an impromptu visit to the operation by the authorities. AGM, which is located in Region Seven, is currently being operated by a Chinese company called Zijin Mining Group. Kaieteur News had reported Friday last that the workers had complained about being victimised by their Chinese bosses, denied free time, overworked, punished without proper investigation and unfair dismissals. They had also alleged that they are being fed differently from the Chinese employees. President of NMWUG, Sherwin Downer, had stated that almost every day he would receive these and other complaints from the local employees. Monday he said that, “enough evidence has been provided by the employees that should warrant an immediate site visit by labour officials.” According to Downer, an “impromptu visit to the mine would be preferable.” Some of the workers, he said, are in support of an impromptu visit. They related that the management would normally be notified beforehand about visits by government officials. As such, the workers noted, their bosses would prepare for the visits and “cover up their tracks” before the authorities arrive. Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, and a delegation from his ministry had visited the mine on Tuesday December 1, 2020, to get a firsthand understanding of the working conditions. He had told reporters then that he had gotten to engage the local workers uninterrupted by the management of the operations. Hamilton had said that he had stories of local workers
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being treated unfairly and during the visit he had asked the local employees to highlight concerns but no one had raised that issue or came forward to say anything. He had highlighted too that he did not see “much wrong” at AGM and had validated everything. The workers in response had noted that some employees are afraid to speak out because of victimisation, or even being fired. However, they are of the view that if the minister or any one of his officials conduct an immediate impromptu visit, then they would get a better understanding of what really goes on at AGM. Apart from calling for the impromptu visit, Downer is urging the Ministry of Labour to launch a thorough investigation into the workers’ allegations of being treated differently from the Chinese. WEDNESDAY GUYANATO PAY US$MILLIONS FOR SECOND DRY HOLE IN CANJE OIL BLOCK Jabillo-1, the second well that was recently drilled in the Canje Block, turned out to be a major disappointment as it did not show evidence of commercial quantities of hydrocarbons. Making this known to the market was Eco Atlantic Oil and Gas Limited, a relatively new oil company to the industry. Eco recently bought shares in JHI Associates Inc., a private company incorporated in Canada. It is one of the original owners of the offshore concession that was suspiciously awarded in 2015 by the Donald Ramotar administration. In its statement to the press, Eco said the Jabillo-1 Well was drilled to test Upper Cretaceous reservoirs in a stratigraphic trap. The well was positioned offshore Guyana, approximately 265 km northeast of Georgetown, in 2,903 meters of water and was safely drilled to a total depth of 6,475 meters. It said too, that the Stena DrillMax Rig is currently operating in the ExxonMobil Operated Stabroek Block and is expected to move on to drill the Sapote-1 Well in the eastern portion of the Canje Block. The Sapote-1 Well is expected to be spud in midAugust 2021 with an estimated drilling time of up to 60 days. Eco was keen to note that the Sapote-1 prospect is located in the southeastern section of Canje, and is a separate and distinct target from Jabillo. Sapote-1 lies approximately 100 km
southeast of Jabillo and approximately 50 km north of the Haimara discovery in the Stabroek Block, which encountered ~207 feet (63 meters) of high quality, gascondensate bearing sandstone reservoir. It is also approximately 60 km northwest of the Maka Central discovery in Block 58 which encountered ~164 feet (50 meters) of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. Should Sapote-1 turn out to be a noncommercial discovery, Guyana will have to stand the costs for it along with Jabillo-1 and the first well that was drilled called Bulletwood-1. These deepwater wells cost over US$100M each to drill. Guyana would ultimately stand the costs of these wells since ExxonMobil, as the operator of the block, is not bound by any ring-fencing provisions in the Canje Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). It is also absent in its Stabroek Block PSA which governs over 20 discoveries. As a result of this loophole, nothing prevents ExxonMobil from charging its expenses on one block against the revenue made in another. The Canje Block is operated by ExxonMobil’s Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited with a 35% working interest. TotalEnergies Exploration and Production Guyana B.V hold a 35% stake, while JHI Associates (BVI) Inc. has 17.5% and Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas Inc. has 12.5%. In his statement to the international market, Gil Holzman, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eco Atlantic, commented, “While the update is disappointing, this is the nature of oil
exploration. Our stakeholders continue to support our exploration efforts and look for us to continue to define these near term high impact opportunities.” He added, “Our next focus is the Sapote-1 prospect to be spud in the upcoming weeks which brings us another opportunity to share in what we hope to be another major ExxonMobil led discovery…‘I am happy that we managed to become a part of JHI and the Canje Block exploration program in time that offers our stakeholders a stream of high impact catalysts and an ongoing drilling program operated by ExxonMobil.” Holzman said he is quite confident that Eco’s Canje Block exposure will yield great returns and oil discoveries as it also paves the way to a broader exposure and collaboration in the GuyanaSuriname Basin. ABOUT ECO ATLANTIC Eco Atlantic is an exploration and production company with interests in Guyana and Namibia, where significant oil discoveries have been made. In Guyana, Eco Guyana is part of the Orinduik Block and holds a 15% working interest alongside TOQAP Guyana B.V. (‘TOQAP’) a company jointly owned by Total E&P Guyana B.V. (60%) and Qatar Petroleum (40%). Operator of the block, Tullow Oil holds 60% of the interest. The Orinduik Block is adjacent and updip to ExxonMobil Operated Stabroek Block, on which 20 discoveries have been announced and over nine billion barrels of oil equivalent recoverable resources are estimated. Jethro-1 was the first major oil discovery on
Orinduik Block. The Jethro-1 encountered 180.5 feet (55 meters) of net heavy oil pay in a Lower Tertiary sandstone reservoir. Joe-1 was the second discovery on the Orinduik Block and comprised of high quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir, with a high porosity of Upper Tertiary age. The Joe-1 well encountered 52 feet (16 meters) of continuous thick sandstone. In Namibia, the company holds interests in four offshore petroleum licences totalling approximately 28,593km2. STABROEK BLOCK PSA REVEALS… GOVT. LEFT TO STAND UPFRONT COSTS OF ANY ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE – CAN ONLY BILL OIL COMPANIES FOR “REASONABLE COSTS AND EXPENSES” According to the 2016 Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), is expected to take all reasonable measures in accordance with international petroleum practice to remedy any pollution such as an oil spill that occurs as a result of its operations. However, should Exxon not act promptly in this regard, the Government is expected to take action following which, it can bill the contractor but only for “reasonable costs and expenses” that occur. Highlighting this aspect of the PSA in his recent writings was Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram. The columnist noted this aspect of the contract as being quite
absurd since airlines have to give bonds or lodge deposits in the event that there are potential claims against them but oil companies in Guyana, which are arguably engaged in the riskiest business of all, have no such obligation. He also highlighted the fact that none of the Stabroek Block partners namely Esso, Hess Corporation or CNOOC Petroleum Guyana, made provisions for an oil spill. He was able to ascertain this following a review of the companies’ financial statements for 2020. What he did discover however is that the companies have already made plans to recover $67B for decommissioning which will take place in another 20 years. Decommissioning refers to the safe removal of the pieces of equipment that have been attached to the seafloor to extract the oil. These include special pipes and platforms. Ram had previously highlighted that the companies are being allowed to charge Guyana for an activity that will occur in the next two decades, is not only an anomaly, but also an area for gross manipulation and abuse since the decommissioning plans have to be approved first by the Government before they can be executed. It therefore leaves one to question how the Stabroek Block partners could know years in advance, what they would be spending and move to recover same now. Over the past two years, this newspaper has reported on the fact that Guyana is yet to receive official documentation or any piece of evidence for that matter to say that ExxonMobil would stand the costs for clean up (Continued on page 28)
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From page 27 and restoration programmes, following any oil spill by its subsidiary from the Liza Phase One, Liza Phase Two, and Payara projects. In the absence of full coverage insurance, stakeholders have expressed deep concern about the billions of dollars in expenses Guyana would be left with following any irreparable damage that follows from an oil spill. What has also left stakeholders in a deep state of worry is the fact that Guyana has no independent study on the potential harmful effects on its marine life from an oil spill. There is also no provision in the Production Sharing Agreement for the Stabroek Block, which ensures ExxonMobil would undertake to do such a study and provide compensation should Guyana, be affected in this way. THURSDAY DIASPORA BODY CONDEMNS GOVT.’S UNWILLINGNESS TO ASK FOR RENEGOTIATION OF EXXON’S CONTRACT On July 2, 2021, the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, addressed two separate congregations of the Guyanese Diaspora in Queens, New York. At the smaller of the two meetings, Mike Persaud, MBA, a member of the Oil and Gas Governance Network, an overseas-based organisation that addresses issues relating to Oil and Governance, posed several questions to the Attorney General as it relates to the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement. Among his questions, he asked, “Why don’t you and your government ask ExxonMobil to come back to the table to review the terms of the Contract?” According to Persaud, the AG in reply inferred no intention on the part of the PPP/C Government to attempt to renegotiate. Persaud stated, “Mr. Nandlall began talking about the ‘four corners of a contract’ that must be respected. He said the contract had been negotiated in 2016 by the previous government…He [also] said from now on, his government shall negotiate new PSAs on all future oil blocks – ‘on our terms’.” Prior to this pronouncement, Persaud had stated that “Guyana is losing US$24 billion on nine billion barrels reserves in the Stabroek Block – nine billion times average price of US$60 times 4.25 percent.”
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The promise of the AG to negotiate future oil blocks “on our own terms” was met with doubt from Persaud, who noted that PSAs have been concluded and signed by the Government for the following oil blocks: Berbice, Canje, Corentyne, Demerara, Kaieteur, Orinduik, Stabroek and Roraima. He further posited that “The problem the Oil and Gas Governance Network has with the Government of Guyana, is that it has thus far stubbornly refused to simply ask ExxonMobil to come back to the negotiating table. Not demand, not threaten to litigate the contract, just ask.” This rationale, according to Persaud, is rooted in the notion that “ExxonMobil is interested in a long-term harmonious, stable relationship between the oil company and the host government – and would therefore be amenable to work out fairer terms to make both parties happy to sustain a long-term relationship.” He further noted that the Guyanese Government, by resolving to simply ask for renegotiation, would consequently place the onus on Exxon to officially refuse to renegotiate. “Let ExxonMobil go on the record and say no. Let ExxonMobil seek refuge in “sanctity of contracts. We do not know how ExxonMobil would respond,” he added. EMC TEAMS UP WITH US FIRM TO OFFER ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTHAND SAFETY PACKAGES FOR OIL SECTOR In response to President, Irfaan Ali’s call for local companies to up their game to become more competitive in the multibillion-dollar oil and gas industry, Environmental Management Consultants Inc. (EMC), one of Guyana’s premier environmental consultancy
companies, has teamed up with a leading American firm to expand its services and marketability. Its new partner is Acorn International, LLC, a USbased international firm with experience in environmental and social risk and logistics management. Together the two companies will offer an integrated package of environmental health, safety and social services for offshore exploration and production activities in Guyana. Recognising the significance of continued hydrocarbon discoveries and the onset of significant development opportunities in Guyana, EMC said this strategic partnership will allow Acorn International to complement and support its multi-faceted team by bringing extensive oil and gas experience and expertise, particularly in environmental and social risk management. Among the integrated services to be offered by the partnership are: Environmental and Social Impact Assessments and Management Plans, Environmental and Social Investigations and Comprehensive Baseline Studies, Community Engagement/”Prior Consultation” Programs, Drilling Fluids, Cuttings and Oil Spill Dispersion Modeling, Supporting Environmental and Related Approvals, Maintaining Compliance Registers, Environmental and Social Screening and Risk Profile, Oil Spill Contingency, Emergency Response, Waste Management, and Monitoring Plans, Project Finance Support, and Project Management and Supervision. Following the announcement, Shyam Nokta, EMC’s Managing Director and Environment Management Specialist, said he is pleased to be working
with Acorn International while adding, “Acorn brings to the partnership significant global experience in the oil and gas sector, having worked with many of the leading oil and gas companies.” Through this partnership, Nokta said EMC and Acorn can take on wider work scopes in oil and gas while supporting EMC’s growth and expansion as part of meaningful local content. Nokta further noted that the two companies have combined several decades of experience in working to ensure that the environmental and social challenges associated with major projects are proactively, transparently, and effectively managed. He said too that they have collaborated successfully in providing support to oil and gas companies, developers, and investors with interests in Guyana since 2016. During his brief remarks, President of Acorn International, Dean Slocum, said, “We are excited and honoured to be working in partnership with EMC to deliver world-class social and environmental performance services to industry, investors, and the Government in Guyana. While we have worked extensively on resource development programmes in over 70 countries, we know that managing the critical social and environmental challenges of new extractive activities requires local knowledge and local solutions.” He further noted that EMC has an exceptionally strong understanding of how these issues can impact Guyana and a sound ability to reliably and professionally deliver local interpretation and results. “Consistent with our commitment to building local content capacity, we look forward to continuing to work with Shyam and his team to strengthen an alreadyrobust and increasingly respected business to support Guyana’s sustainable development,” Solcum concluded. FRIDAY GOVT. FINALLY MOVINGAHEAD WITH BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REGISTRY The Ministry of Natural Resources has indicated that it intends to start a beneficial ownership register, and is now seeking consultants to assist in this regard. An individual consultant is needed to conduct a comprehensive Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
(GYEITI) systematic disclosure feasibility study. The EITI has produced a standardised model Terms of Reference (TOR) for implementing countries that wish to conduct such a study for systematic disclosure of EITI data. The study would outline any barriers or gaps to timely, comprehensive and reliable disclosures as well as technical or financial support needs. The study would also propose a roadmap for embedding EITI processes and disclosures in governmental and corporate systems. In addition, the Government is seeking individual consultancy to conduct a comprehensive GYEITI beneficial ownership register scoping study. Ethiopia had a study of this nature done as part of its EITI obligations. That study was done to provide a review of the legal and institutional framework for beneficial ownership. The EITI typically publishes studies of this nature done for its implementing countries. As a member of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), Guyana is late in its work on this register. EITI required all its member countries to establish this registry before the end of 2020. Requirement 2.5 of the EITI Standard (2016) specifies what countries are supposed to do to uncover beneficial owners. They have to ensure that all oil, gas and mining companies that apply for, or hold a participating interest in an exploration or production oil, gas or mining licence or contract, publish the names of their real owners. According to GYEITI, this
should include the identity of the owner (name, nationality and country of residence), and whether they are politically exposed. The EITI recommends that all beneficial ownership information is made available through public registers – at a minimum, published in the country’s EITI report. EITI decided to crack down on the absence of public registers because its position is that hidden identities in the extractive sectors only help to feed corruption and tax evasion. It said that people who live in resource-rich countries are at particular risk of losing out, when faced with systems that are not transparent, as extractive assets are too often misallocated for corrupt reasons. Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, had said last year that the government would seek out the beneficial owners of the oil blocks, but has made no further pronouncements in this regard. COPACCUSED OF BRUTALISING WIFE TURNS SELF IN Police constable, Sereste Brittlebank, the man accused of brutalising his commonlaw wife on Thursday July 1, turned himself in Thursday at the Vigilance Police Station, located on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD). Brittlebank had allegedly beaten his wife on Thursday for two hours, causing her to fall unconscious at least three times. He had started to brutalise her at his friend’s birthday party around 23:30hrs. that night and ended the assault at her home. (Continued on page 29)
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From page 28 It might just be that the woman’s life was saved by her daughter who had opened the back door after hearing her screams. Brittlebank left the home with a bag and was not seen since then. A report was lodged with the police (the said night) and the woman was taken to the hospital for medical attention. While she was recovering at home, Brittlebank threatened to finish her if she continued to pursue the case against him. Fearful for her life, she reached out for help by contacting the head of “You Are Not Alone” (YANA), Melissa Atwell popularly known as Melly Mel. Atwell informed this media house of the woman’s situation because she was afraid that Brittlebank would follow up his threats and kill her. Brittlebank, a rank attached to the Mahaica Police Station, had reportedly been in hiding since then, and had even threatened to kill the woman if she continued to talk about his brutal assault on her. It is believed that he decided to surrender after the media exposed his heinous act of beating his spouse almost to the point of death. Kaieteur News had received information that he was hiding out at his mother’s home in Linden, Region 10. His relatives, however, has since denied that he was being harboured there. Now in the custody of the police, Kaieteur News has learnt that this was not the first time that he has brutally assaulted the woman. On one occasion, his mother had promised the woman that should he do it again, she (the mother) would take her to the police herself. Brittlebank did so again on November 7, 2020 around 01:30hrs, he had beaten her severely and stripped her naked on a public road. She had managed to escape without her clothes and ran towards the Mahaica Police Station. She recalled that she was climbing up the flight of stairs to the inquiry’s office of the police station, when Brittlebank caught up with her. He allegedly dragged her down the stairs, forced her into his car, and drove to a location where he continued assaulting her before driving home. The next day, when he was out of the house, the woman claimed that she called his mother and reminded her about her promise. The mother, however, did not keep her word and allegedly said, “Look me ain’t got time with yall two.”
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SATURDAY EPAREPLACES NEW GUIDELINES WITH OUTDATED MODEL 6 DAYS BEFORE ASKING EXXONMOBIL TO DO EIA FOR US$900M GAS-TOENERGY PROJECT On June 22, 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it had taken the decision to withdraw the Revised Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Guidelines (2020) for Mining, Forestry, Hydropower, Thermal Power, Electricity Transmission and Offshore Petroleum Exploration and Production. It has opted instead to use guidelines from two decades earlier, which is— the EIA Guidelines (2000) Vo l u m e s 1 - 5 ( G e n e r i c ; Forestry; Mining; and Electricity Generation). The announcement came six days before the EPA announced that ExxonMobil applied for environmental authorisation for the US$900M gas-to-energy project, while adding that it requires the company’s local affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), to conduct an EIA before it considers giving approval. The excuse given by the EPA for walking back on the 2020 guidelines is that it needs to facilitate broader consultations on the documents. The timing of this decision was raised by a concerned Guyanese, Simone Mangal, during a virtual public scoping for the gas-to-shore project on Thursday. However, the EPA officials chairing the engagement offered no comment on her statement. The press, in recent months, has advocated for transparency and due diligence on the gas-toshore project. Kaieteur News has shown how many other countries have been adversely affected because of their failure to ascertain the integrity of the project. One recent incident involving a compromised gas pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico raised a stir in international news. The gas leak was so significant that it literally set the ocean on fire, with many news agencies calling the sight an ‘eye of fire.’ G u y a n a ’s E PA announced that ExxonMobil would have to conduct an EIA for the project, on June 28, starting a 28-day period of public consultation. In
any prejudices.” addition to virtual and inperson consultations being conducted throughout the period, persons may contact the EPA to air their concerns. The concerns raised about the environmental impact of the project will be considered when determining the scope of the EIA. GUYANESE OILAND GAS WORKERS COMPLAIN OF MISTREATMENT - GAWU In a statement to the media Friday, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) disclosed that it is in receipt of numerous complaints from Guyanese who say they are employed in the oil and gas sector and are being treated unfairly. The Union said these complaints were recently lodged with its oil and gas branch. Expounding further, GAWU said chief among the complaints received was the notion that the Guyanese employees appear to be inferior to their foreign counterparts. Despite there being identical duties in some cases, GAWU said the Guyanese workers have lamented that there exist vast discrepancies in their respective rates of pay. Additionally, “they are required to work extended periods consistently. Apart from that, after their long shifts they are required to attend meetings and undertake other briefings without any pay, thereby restricting their time to rest and recuperate for another day’s work. This they shared is taking a significant toll on their physical and mental wellbeing.” Kaieteur News understands that the workers indicated to the Union that even when there is a brief respite in their substantive duties, they are made to undertake tasks, which are not within their job descriptions. They indicated
that they are not unwilling to work but the manner of communication from some foreign supervisors and managers leave a lot to be desired. GAWU said this has led to many workers feeling like they are lesser beings. The Guyana Agricultural and General Wo r k e r s U n i o n h a v e consequently stated that it will fight for there to be better treatment of locals while adding, “The nation’s workers must be treated fairly and without
SOUTH KOREA HELPS GRA WITH CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATION MODERNISATION PROJECT In keeping with an aid agreement between Korea Customs Service (KCS) – a tax organisation in South Korea under the Ministry of Economy and Finance – and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), a delegation of six consultants from Korea Customs Service
(KCS) recently visited the local tax body and commenced consultations for the Modernisation of the Guyana’s Customs Administration. The 50-day visit to Guyana is part of an effort to strengthen cooperation between GRA and KCS, which will conclude with the delivery of a final report, detailing recommendations for a future model for Guyana’s Customs Administration. During the visit, the project team is expected to i n t r o d u c e U N I - PA S S , K o r e a ’s e-customs clearance system and hold s e m i n a r s o n K o r e a ’s Customs Administration to share its experience and know-how. The two countries expect that the consulting project, which is expected to be for a duration of eight months, will bring shifts in Guyana Customs Administration in various fields, including risk management, cargo management and item classification, and will contribute to the automation of Guyana’s Customs Administration.
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==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==
The future shape of Guyana’s foreign policy When I was at the University of Toronto, one of the widely recommended articles on foreign policy by the Department of International Relation was “The Big Influence of Small Allies” by Robert Keohane (Spring, 1971). Keohane argued that in the vortex of a relentless Cold War, small states can benefit from their gargantuan (my word) big brother by playing a game of cat and mouse. If they pretend to be independent, big brother prevents that direction by offering more goodies. Zaire in Africa, Guyana in the Caribbean and Yugoslavia next to the USSR were some of the countries that played that game astutely in the seventies. With the rise of American unipolarity due to the collapse of the USSR and communism in Eastern Europe, small states were literally devastated. The most conspicuous victim of unipolarity was Cuba. Here in the CARICOM Region, Grenada, seen by the Americans as of geostrategic and geopolitical value to the extent that they invaded the island in October 1993, was left “in puris naturalibis” (Latin for stark naked) as the Americans lost interest in its small allies. The triumph of the West after the disintegration of the USSR brought about severe economic hardship for Third
World friends of the West. The WTO replaced GATT and globalisation meant the West no longer paid special prices for Third World agriculture. Third World economies collapsed. The Cold War generosity of the West by was replaced by South American drug lords. When global communism died, Francis Fukuyama, basing his theory on Hegelian dialectics, promulgated the “end of history,’ the title of his magnum opus. The book became an overnight success. It argued that there is no dialectical process that will take life beyond liberal capitalist democracy thus history has ended. But while International Relation experts were singing praise to Fukuyama, scholars in philosophy rejected such a naive approach to the philosophy of Hegel. The philosophers argued that history does not end the way Fukuyama thinks it will. They were right. There is no triumph of liberal democratic values. Liberal democracy in the 21st century lost ground in India under Modi; Brazil under Bolsonaro; the USA under Trump with Turkey, Hungary and Poland, the Philippines not far away. Then came the bombshell the West and Fukuyama couldn’t see – a sharply rising resentment of the British mind against its EU friends.
The world now is in uncertain times because Brexit does not auger well for international relations. Small States are now seeing an economic advantage that can be wrested from big brother once more. The Cold War died in 1989. But several Cold Wars have been born in the 21st century. 1- China and the US are behaving like in the days of USSR versus USA. 2- Germany and France see an unsettling alliance being formed between Russia and China and want to make overtures to Russia. 3- Brexit will see a geopolitical/geostrategic rivalry between the UK and its former EU allies. 4- Turkey, a geostrategic ally of the West is going in directions that will see it reaching out to Third World countries. In these four scenarios outlined above, we are back to 1971 when Keohane wrote his seminal piece. There is wide room for small states to do what Keohane described them as doing in his 1971 article. When it comes to Guyana, its maneuverable space will not be as large as other CARICOM nations and Third World countries. The US, Canada, UK, EU and the OAS were the crucial factor in Guyana defeating attempts to rig the March 2020 general election. These countries were relentless in their sup-
port for democracy during the five months of the rigging. Had it not been for Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, the US, Canada, Barbados, Trinidad and Suriname we would now be facing a deluge of fleeing Guyanese. It has not been made public, but the APNU+AFC were not prepared to concede defeat. Mr. Pompeo spoke to President Granger in words that were absolutely no-nonsense. The rest is now history It is difficult for Guyana to manoeuvre between these Cold Wars because the friend-
ship with the US is a close one. How Guyana can seek to benefit from the China-US rivalry, the West’s rivalry with China and Russia and walk tightly between the nascent rivalry between the UK and the EU will not be easy. But still the lessons to be learnt are in Keohane’s article. The Third World and Guyana because of their underdeveloped economies need to wrest as much generosity as they can from very wealthy developed countries that are caught in new Cold Wars and want the Third World on their
Frederick Kissoon side. History is now repeating itself. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Coronavirus: Vaccines have stood the test of time; here’s proof By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center Vaccines have been around for more than a century and have proven their worth time and time again. Numerous diseases have been eradicated or controlled by vaccines. Without vaccines, millions of lives would have been lost and humans would not have been progressive as we have been especially in the 20th and 21st century. We are in a pandemic with no effective way of treating the COVID-19 infection as it continues to wreak havoc worldwide. However, modern science has finally derived a way for us to control this threat in the form of vaccines. All of a sudden, persons are scared of vaccines and are spreading so many myths about them while the virus continues to take too many lives daily. Today, I will discuss vaccines and how they work and hopefully, put some ease to the confusion that’s being peddled about them. How vaccines came about? During a smallpox epidemic in the west of England in 1774, a farmer by the name of Benjamin Jesty decided to try something. He scratched some pus from smallpox lesions on the udders of a cow into the skin of his wife and sons. None of them contracted smallpox. A man by the name of Edward Jenner first started to add science to this theory of vaccines back in 1796. He took material from a blister of someone infected with cowpox and inoculated it into another person’s skin; this was called arm-to-arm inoculation.
It was successful and by the late 1940s, scientific knowledge had developed enough, so that large-scale vaccine production was possible and disease control efforts could begin in earnest. Vaccines that protect against pertussis (1914), diphtheria (1926), and tetanus (1938) were subsequently developed and these three vaccines were combined in 1948 and given as the DTP vaccine. As time progressed, new vaccines were made to protect against diseases that were taking many lives. The world was able to eradicate smallpox because of successful vaccination efforts in the 1970s. How safe have vaccines been so far? There have been accusations of vaccines causing diseases such as autism, different autoimmune diseases and that it can even weaken your immune system. Most of these accusations come from anti-vaxxers who believe vaccines were created to control the human population. After all, of these years of vaccine use, there hasn’t been any credible evidence to suggest that any of these accusations are true. The evidence that has been very clear is the fact that vaccines have prevented many outbreaks and controlled many diseases that they were created to combat. In Guyana, we vaccinate children every day and almost everyone was vaccinated during their childhood. A child gets about 20 vaccines before they reach school age and yet, we have not seen any major issues related to vaccines after so many years of Guyana’s successful vaccination campaign. What have vaccines helped
us to do so far? So far, vaccines have helped us to either eradicate or control the following diseases: · Mumps · Measles · Tetanus · Rubella · Hepatitis A and B · Diphtheria · Polio · Smallpox · Cowpox · Influenza · Varicella (chicken pox) · Hemophilus Influenza · Pertussis · Rotavirus Can you imagine how things would have been if we had to live with all of these diseases freely circulating? Human evolution would not have been the same and many deaths and complications would have occurred which could have even threatened the existence of humans altogether. Are COVID-19 vaccines different? Most of the vaccines developed to combat COVID-19 were developed using the same technology as previous vaccines; an inactivated virus or part of a virus is used to mimic the virus in our body and hence, stimulate us to create an immune response. However, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were developed using a new technology and are called mRNA vaccines. This technology basically allows the vaccine to teach our cells to create a structure similar to the part of the virus that binds onto our cells. This then triggers our immune system to make antibodies against it and hence, we develop immunity against the virus. This mRNA technology has been around for decades but there was never a con-
certed push for vaccines to be made using its technology until the pandemic started. This pandemic triggered a worldwide response where scientists cooperated like never before and it helped to eliminate bureaucratic steps in vaccine creation. These vaccines had to undergo numerous safety tests and scrutiny from medical professionals and organisations all over the world. There have been safety issues identified but these are expected when vaccines or any other medications are
administered on such large scales. However, there have not been widespread deaths or major morbidities from any of the COVID-19 vaccines. The data has shown that they are effective against COVID19 and persons that are properly and fully vaccinated are not the ones that are dying from COVID-19. You would have most likely taken over 20 vaccines already in your lifetime and you are still alive and well after so many years. If you are doubting vaccines, my question to you is
Dr. Zulfikar Bux why was it okay for you to be vaccinated and get protection during childhood and it is not okay to do so now when you are faced with a virus that can wipe you out of existence?
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>>> ENCOURAGING EVENTS, DISTURBING DEVELOPMENTS <<<
Cotton Tree, Guyana's oil and police brutality
By GHK Lall
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hough said before, it is worth saying again: it is a struggle to find the encouraging. As events unravel, efforts are made to discover the positive, but sober reality arrives, and the disturbing blankets. People have been charged for the brutal murders in Cotton Tree, and other related ones. It encouraged that the long arm of the law is probing, finding, and ensnaring those responsible for four killings, two in particular, that are best described as heinous. But as I force myself to give a nod, and say good job to Guyana Police Force sleuths, misgivings
linger and strengthen. For on Wednesday, news came that two of those charged for the murders of the Henrys have been released by the presiding magistrate (KN July 7). Though the DPP differed, I am beginning to believe that none of these charges looks like holding up. I must take the plunge, since the investigations and movements in these gruesome and hotly contested killings, for a while now, have become an almost exclusively local affair. That is, spearheaded and managed by Guyanese police, without much of any material input from outsiders for forensics and expert guidance. Foreigners are those to whom we run for everything ranging from counting (elections) borrowing (money) overseeing (oil). Yet on these highly sensitive and most controversial murders, we are determined to go it alone. It is as if the fix is already on, with the whole
pantheon of so-called professional paragons – law enforcement, judiciary, media, civil society – going through the motions, with studious devotion to their respective roles in what could be a national charade. I had kept an open mind before, because of the murders themselves and the social fallouts; but now creeping doubts rear their ugly heads. What should encourage, now disturbs. On oil, and in reasonable times, I would be encouraged. But wherever oil has been present, the reasonable gets disowned and discarded. Chris Ram pointed out that under the terms of the Stabroek Block PSA, this country can only bill oil companies for “reasonable costs and expenses” (KN July 7). As said, oil drives out anything resembling the “reasonable” in men drawn near to it. It would be interesting to see how Exxon reacts to what the Guyana Government decides to be “reasonable” and submit for a positive reception. This much I can say from now – and from the
vantage point of Exxon's dealings with other countries, courts, and the general conduct of its business operations. The top leaders of the company are money hungry and money grabbers of the highest class; they have no equal. Exxon would rob the dead, the impoverished, and the helpless, as its long history testifies. Anything that Guyana may consider to be “reasonable costs and expenses” have certain death waiting, in terms of severe resistance and savage reductions. The outlook is disturbing, the outcome could be worse. Relative to that third area, police brutality, singled out this Sunday, there is no speck of the encouraging about it, through any type of justifying. First, was the complaint and picture of a woman with a swollen eye, who was involved in a clash with others, and when taken to the station house, got into difficulties with attending officers. The position of the police is that the arrested woman engaged in the
confrontational and combative with members of the Force. From the evidence of the media picture in KN, it could be concluded that the combat was a two-way affair, involving some mixing it up by police rank(s) with an aggressive, uncontrollable woman. Though self-defense is an available limb, I think that this cannot be condoned, and should have been more professionally handled, with less disturbing physical results. What was brutal in a horrific way was the severe damage inflicted by a police officer on his wife during domestic differences. In this instance, there can be no excuse, no hedging. The condition of that battered spouse disturbs immensely. Police officers are held to higher standards of discipline, restraint. It is disturbing that neither prevailed. The Force has a problem on its hands. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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g ts in s... re ture e t In rea C
Sunday July 11, 2021
Viperidae
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h e Vi p e r i d a e (vipers) are a f a m i l y o f venomous snakes found in most parts of the world, with the exception of Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, as well as various other isolated islands, and north of the Arctic Circle. All have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs that permit deep penetration and injection of snake venom. Four subfamilies are currently recognised. They are also known as viperids. The name "viper" is derived from the Latin word vipera, -ae, also meaning viper, possibly from vivus ("living") and parere ("to beget"), referring to the trait viviparity (giving live birth) common in vipers but not in snakes at large. Description All viperids have a pair of relatively long solenoglyphous (hollow)
fangs that are used to inject venom from glands located towards the rear of the upper jaws, just behind the eyes. Each of the two fangs is at the front of the mouth on a short maxillary bone that can rotate back and forth. When not in use, the fangs fold back against the roof of the mouth and are enclosed in a membranous sheath. This rotating mechanism allows for very long fangs to be contained in a relatively small mouth. The left and right fangs can be rotated together or independently. During a strike, the mouth can open nearly 180° and the maxilla rotates forward, erecting the fangs as late as possible so that the fangs do not become damaged, as they are brittle. The jaws close upon impact and the muscular sheaths encapsulating the venom glands contract, injecting the venom as the fangs penetrate the target. This action is very fast; in
defensive strikes, it will be more a stab than a bite. Viperids use this mechanism primarily for immobilisation and digestion of prey. Pre-digestion occurs as the venom contains proteases, which degrade tissues. Secondarily, it is used for self-defence, though in cases with nonprey, such as humans, they may give a dry bite (not inject any venom). A dry bite allows the snake to conserve its precious reserve of venom, because once it has been depleted, it takes time to replenish, leaving the snake vulnerable. In addition to being able to deliver dry bites, vipers can inject larger quantities of venom into larger prey targets, and smaller amounts into small prey. This causes the ideal amount of predigestion for the lowest amount of venom. Almost all vipers have keeled scales, a stocky build with a short tail, and due to
the location of the venom glands, a triangle-shaped head distinct from the neck. The great majority have vertically elliptical, or slitshaped, pupils that can open wide to cover most of the eye or close almost completely, which helps them to see in a wide range of light levels. Ty p i c a l l y, v i p e r s a r e nocturnal and ambush their prey. Compared to many other snakes, vipers often appear rather sluggish. Most are ovoviviparous, holding eggs inside their bodies, where they hatch inside and emerge living. However, a few lay eggs in nests. Typically, the number of young in a clutch remains constant, but as the
weight of the mother increases, larger eggs are produced, yielding larger young. Viperid snakes are found in the Americas, Africa, Eurasia and South Asia. In the Americas, they are native from south of the 48°N, through the United States, Mexico, Central America, and Canada into South America. I n t h e O l d Wo r l d , viperids are located everywhere except Siberia, Ireland, and the continent of Australia. The adder, a viperid, is the only venomous snake found in Great Britain, and is also found north of the Arctic Circle in Norway and
Sweden. Behaviour These snakes can decide how much venom to inject depending on the circumstances. The most important determinant of venom expenditure is generally the size of the snake; larger specimens can deliver much more venom. The species is also important, since some are likely to inject more venom than others, may have more venom available, strike more accurately, or deliver a number of bites in a short time. In predatory bites, (continued on page 49)
Kaieteur News
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CARICOM: the only organisation commanding wide trust in Haiti's crisis From page 24 support the idea. It called, instead, for Moïse to abandon his ambition to hold a controversial referendum to change the country's constitution as he saw fit, and to concentrate on holding the September elections. However, when the presidency of Michel Martelly had come to an end in 2016 with no successor because of the failure to hold elections, an interim government was installed by agreement of all political parties in the National Assembly. Having led the delegation of the Organization of American States that helped to broker that agreement, I can testify to its wide support. That agreement, which included Martelly, allowed for the formation of an interim government, which oversaw a period of relative peace and stability, including elections that brought Moïse to office in 2017. At that election, marred by Hurricane Matthew that devastated the country less than a month before, only 21 percent of the electorate voted. Moïse secured 55.67 percent of that small number of 21 percent, accounting for his unpopularity from the start of his presidency when almost 80 percent of the electorate did not vote. For peace to prevail, the Haitian people must have confidence in the governance of the country over the next few months, including the impartiality and independence of the elections' machinery, which, at the moment, is populated by persons handpicked by Moïse and his party. If there is no change in this situation, it is most unlikely to be accepted by opposition parties and by civil society. The stakeholders in Haiti have to come together to agree on an interim government and reestablish, as best they can, some of the key institutions of government, especially the judiciary and electoral council. One of the critical decisions surrounds whether free and fair elections can possibly be held in September. On any
objective analysis, the answer would be that such elections are not possible. The country would accept an interim, national government delaying the election date until independent and transparent machinery is established. It is hardly likely that they will accept elections – two months from now in the hands of persons they did not elect and who were not approved in accordance with the country's constitution. The problem is that no country or organisation can proffer itself to help Haiti through this crisis. The Haitian government has to issue an invitation. In the absence of an interim government, no invitation will be issued to an organisation that commands wide trust from the Haitian stakeholders. There are few organisations that command such trust a m o n g s t H a i tians – CARICOM is probably the one that enjoys the widest confidence. On July 6 – even b e f o r e M o ï s e ' s assassination – CARICOM leaders expressed their “support for dialogue between the contending parties” and repeated “the Community's willingness to extend its good offices in attaining a Haitianled peaceful resolution to the current impasse.” This would entail both facilitation and mediation. The UN and other i n t e r n a t i o n a l organisations should provide CARICOM with the resources it would need to undertake this vital role. Haiti is a CARICOM country. What happens in it has consequences for the Region. (The writer is Antigua a n d B a r b u d a ' s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own) Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.co m
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Lessons from a Lashpreneur!!! Things You Should Know About Dewar’s Scotch Whisky Here’s why you should never
do DIY lash lift kits at home
Whether you’re an avid Scotch drinker or a dedicated television watcher, you’ve probably heard of Dewar’s. The Perth, Scotland-based whisky brand has been around since 1846 and has since become a staple on bar carts around the globe. The beloved Scotch may be a worldwide household name, but there’s always more to learn. Read on for 10 facts that every whisky lover should know about Dewar’s. THE STORY STARTS WITH FAMILY. The brand was founded in 1846 by John Dewar, alongside his sons John Alexander and Tommy. In the 1880s, John officially passed the family business along to John Alexander and Tommy, who marketed Dewar’s across the world and built the brand’s Aberfeldy distillery in 1898. While the brand is no longer run by the Dewar family, it is proudly headed by master blender Stephanie MacLeod, who has been with Dewar’s for almost 25 years. FOR DEWAR’S, AGE IS MORE THAN JUSTA NUMBER. The brand ages its Scotch twice — once before blending, and once after. Dewar’s claims that this double-aging process allows for a more balanced whisky. AMERICA LOVES DEWAR’S. Ranking as one of the nation’s top-selling whisky
brands overall, Dewar’s has captured the hearts and palates of Americans. Dewar’s can even count the VinePair tasting team among its fans, as we ranked Dewar’s not once, but twice in our list of the best Scotch whiskies in 2019. IT CLAIMS TO HAVE PIONEERED ONE OFAMERICA’S FAVORITE LIBATIONS. Legend has it that Tommy Dewar loved traveling almost as much as he loved whisky. The brand’s co-founder even wrote a book about his “Ramble Round the Globe,” in which he claims to have invented the original Highball — made with whisky, soda, and ice — while visiting New York. DEWAR’S GOES FOR THE GOLD. Dewar’s proclaims itself the world’s most awarded blended Scotch whisky — gaining thousands of awards to date and medaling three times in the 2019 International Whisky Competition. DEWAR’S FOUND ITS WAY INTO THE WHITE HOUSE. Tommy Dewar loved his family’s Scotch so much that he decided then-U.S. president Benjamin Harrison would, too. In 1891, Dewar reportedly sent an 18gallon cask of Dewar’s as a gift to the White House at the request of Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie. This action sparkled anger
in American whiskey brands, which supposedly resented the president’s decision to consume “foreign whisky.” IT HAS THE QUEEN’S STAMP OF APPROVAL. On yet another one of his adventures, Tommy stopped in the U.K. in 1893 and was able to convince Queen Victoria to grant a royal warrant to Dewar ’s. The brand was the first blended Scotch to receive such an endorsement. DEWAR’S CAN THANK BIZARRE ADS FOR ITS POPULARITY. Anyone who loves TV knows Dewar’s. That’s because in 2013, the brand released a series of strange TV ads featuring “Mallrats” actress Claire Forlani — as well as her attempt at a Scottish accent, which garnered both confusion and criticism among viewers. DEWAR’S LOGO CONTAINS MULTITUDES. Dewar’s logo is a take on the Celtic truth knot, also known as a “love knot.” It is one of the oldest Celtic symbols, representing strength and longevity. The Dewar family took this symbol’s meaning to the next level, incorporating three Ds for the three Dewars who founded the brand — likely in the hopes that their family name would live on in the brand. Thanks to Dewar’s millions of fans, the Dewar family’s legacy has, indeed, endured.
By Latoya Zephyr Hey lash babes, this week we’ll be looking at why u should never do a diy lash lift at home. In short,always leave it to the professionals. there are dangers to using DIY lash lift kits at home. This is largely due to the chemical nature of the products; there’s also indepth training for professional lash artists regarding how long each step should be left on for and the correct amounts of product to apply. We cannot stress this enough: lash lift kits are extremely dangerous and should NOT be used at home. The chemicals in these kits (when used incorrectly) can potentially cause significant damage and permanent lash loss, as well as threaten your eyesight. Is it safe to do your own lash lift? The main ingredient in a lash lift is called Ammonium Thioglycolate. This chemical is used in hair perming, hair straightening and hair removal because it can change hair structure via the Disulphide bonds (found in the cortex of the hair). The alkaline pH can also cause the hair cuticle to swell and change the inner structure of the hair bonds. When applying this solution to lashes it’s imperative that extreme precision and care is taken. Hence, only qualified lash artists who understand the potential hazards should be carrying out this service. If necessary precautions are not taken, This can cause contact dermatitis which can then lead to an ongoing eye
sensitivity and allergic reactions to other products such as eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, and even skincare creams. Not to mention the safety of your eyesight. People should absolutely not be doing at-home lash lift kits. They can cause severe danger to the eye if used without the correct training, such as chemical burns from the ammonia that they often contain. In short? It’s simply not worth taking the risk. Lash artists are trained in how to use the correct formulations safely, using specific timings, application techniques and equipment. When a lash lift
is performed, professionals are using chemicals that if used incorrectly can cause significant damage,If steps aren’t left on for the correct timings, not applied in the correct way or not removed properly, this can lead to lash loss, Plus (with DIY lash lift kits) any damage that has been caused isn’t immediately apparent, it can take a week before the lashes might start to dry out or become brittle and snap, so it’s not easy to tell whether you have performed the lift properly at the time. We are all about ensuring the safety of you and your eyes and lashes....so don’t be afraid to ask any questions.
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10 Foods That Are Difficult To Digest! Our stomach is the prime indicator of our health. The gut flora is responsible for assimilating our food in our bodies but it also decides the levels of inflammation and immunity we will have. How much you weigh, the presence of acid reflux and digestive issues are all decided by the bacteria in the gut. And what we eat has more repercussions than we can imagine. Not eating right can lead to many problems like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD), constipation or diarrhoea. And this ‘not eating right’ phenomenon worsens during the festive season! As the year continues all healthy diets will be forgotten as party plans arise! Nevertheless, let’s take a look at foods that are hard to digest so that you can make smart choices. 1. Carb-Dense Foods C o n s u m i n g carbohydrate-rich food can lead to long-term health damage as it causes an increase in inflammation and transforms the gut flora. For example, potatoes might be considered carb-dense food but they are predominantly made of water. Rice, pasta, pretzels, bagels or doughnuts are more harmful to the body as they are intensely carb-rich. 2. Fried Food Fried food should be a strict no-no as it harms the body at various levels. Not only does it add to the pounds on the body but also it is hard to digest. Since the body finds it hard to digest them, they may move through the intestines without being broken down and cause diarrhoea or bloating. The fibre content of most fried foods is low and that makes them hard to digest. They may even cause constipation. If you are undergoing a tough digestive time, put low-fat, nonfried food on the menu to restore your gut health. Even those foods that are rich in fat should be cut out from your eat-list. Items like ice cream, steaks, French fries and others are tough to digest and can leave you feeling uncomfortable and full. 3. Processed Food Processed foods are one of the worst culprits when it comes to our health. They have zero nutritional value, lack fibre and irritate the gut with the presence of unnecessary additives and preservatives. Some of them may also contain lactose which can add to your digestive woes. Not only do the processed foods increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart problems, apart from obesity, but they also
cause gas, bloating and cramping. If you cannot completely avoid processed foods, pair them with a lean protein or some other food item that gets digested slowly to increase their nutritional value and to reduce tummy troubles. 4. Spicy Food Spices are added to food to stimulate the digestive system. But for some people, they have an adverse effect as they might have heightened sensitivity towards spices. Many people experience gas, bloating, heartburn, acid reflux and even stomach ache with an increased spice intake. Spicy food items must specifically be avoided close to bedtime. 5. Artificial Sweeteners The most common stomach irritant among artificial sweeteners is sorbitol. It is found naturally in some fruits like apples, prunes and peaches. Added to sweeten chewing gum and diet foods, sorbitol causes gas, bloating and diarrhoea. Artificial sweeteners increase inflammation in the body and could give rise to many other health problems. They are even responsible for increasing the belly fat in some people. 6. Raw Vegetables Beware, vegetables too make it to the list of ‘worst foods for digestive health list’ Yes, raw vegetables are good for the health and most nutritionists have gone hoarse speaking about their benefits but the key is moderation. Since raw vegetables are rich in fibre, the insoluble kinds, they can give rise to gas, bloating, diarrhoea and other such stomach problems. For those with a sensitive gastrointestinal tract, digesting such fibre-laden produce becomes difficult. They can gorge on stir-fried or steamed veggies as cooking them breaks down their fibre and makes them easier on the stomach. 7. Alcohol Alcohol is bad for the stomach and the liver. It is toxic to the body and causes severe health problems like cirrhosis and addiction. Even moderate amounts of alcohol can relax the oesophagal sphincter and could cause heartburn and acid reflux. In high amounts, it can cause inflammation of the stomach lining, cramps and diarrhoea. Moreover, alcohol has just empty calories and it slows down the fat metabolizing processes in the body. 8. Coffee For those who cannot function without their daily cup of coffee, this is bad news but too much caffeine is
harmful to your digestive system. It increases gastrointestinal tract motility and this reduces the time food spends in the gut. This leads to diarrhoea and low nutrition levels. Since it is a diuretic, it can cause dehydration and therefore lead to constipation. Also, caffeine leads to increased acid production in the stomach. Someone who is undergoing tummy troubles should stay away from caffeine in colas, chocolates and even tea. Limit your coffee intake and preferably don’t have it on an empty stomach. 9. Dairy Products Milk and milk products are tough to digest for everyone,
more so for some than others. This is due to the presence of Lactose, a kind of sugar found in dairy products. When someone is unable to digest this food group, they develop gas, bloating and in some cases nausea even. Consuming too many dairy products can lead to diarrhoea as they enter in the large intestine and entertain it. To make up for the lost nutrition due to avoiding dairy products, one could consume yoghurt and hard cheese as they do not have lactose present in them. 10. Acidic Foods Food items like tomato sauce, citrus fruits like oranges, sweet lime, lemons and limes have an acidic
nature. They cause irritation to the stomach lining and disturb the gut environment. Even colas and carbonated beverages can cause gas and bloat. Acidic foods must be avoided generally in too large quantities especially more so when one has a stomach upset or diarrhoea as they can irritate the body further. Facing digestion issues? Here’s the best kit to support your digestive system Conclusion Even the healthy food options may not be entirely free from trappings and you will be surprised to see them on the ‘worst foods for digestive health’ list! If you have been eating healthy and are still experiencing
digestive issues, you need to relook at how your food choices are troubling your stomach. Make intelligent food choices to help your body stay healthy and feel light. Try to reduce inflammation by increasing food items to avoid many lifestyle diseases. Disclaimer: The information included at this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional. Because of unique individual needs, the reader should consult their physician to determine the appropriateness of the information for the reader’s situation.
Unusual Benefits of Eating Ripe Tomatoes Daily Is it a fruit or a vegetable? This question has always been debatable for tomatoes especially when it comes to Indian cuisine. The reason being, tomatoes are used in almost every preparation irrespective of any cuisine or course. No dish is complete without juicy plump tomatoes. Scientifically, tomatoes are known as “Solanum Lycopersicum” and are commonly known as “tamatar” or”tamaatar”. It was native to Southern and Central America, but now India is the largest producer of tomatoes. Tomatoes are used for various purposes in a salad, juices, subzis or soups, etc. Tomatoes are wealthy in natural nutrients and minerals, such as Vitamin A, K, B1, B3, B5, B6, B7, and vitamin C. It additionally has folate, iron, potassium, magnesium, chromium, choline, zinc, and phosphorus. Daily intake of tomatoes can provide a great lift to wellbeing, along with improving the flavor of food. Did you know? Initially, when tomatoes were introduced to Europeans,
they thought to be a poisonous berry! And now, tomatoes are a basic ingredient of Italian preparation. Nutritional Value of Tomatoes: Every bite of ripe tomatoes would provide an ample amount of nutrients without adding many calories to your diet. As per NIN, 100 gms of ripe tomatoes provide: · Energy: 19 kcal · Carbohydrates: 2.7 gms · Total Fat: 0.5 gms · Potassium: 204 mg · Vitamin C: 28 mg · Folic Acid: 20 mcg · Beta – Carotene: 905 mg · Vitamin A: 151 mcg Health Benefits of Tomatoes There are many benefits that plump tomatoes hold, but few of them are not discussed often, let’s cover those benefits today in the article. Anti-Cancer Properties: According to reports, the lycopene in tomatoes can control the growth of cancer cells, especially prostate cancer, stomach cancer, and colon cancer. It is very interesting to know that as compared to raw tomatoes,
cooked tomatoes increase the production of lycopene, so you can make as many curries as you want. Rich source of Vitamins and Minerals: A single tomato gives an extraordinary amount of everyday vitamin C. Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant that may save you from free radicals from affecting the body’s systems. It additionally includes vitamin A, iron, and potassium. Potassium can play a crucial function in keeping nerves healthy, and iron is important for keeping ordinary blood circulation. Vitamin K also can be abundantly discovered in tomatoes, which is important for blood clotting. Provides Skin Care: Tomatoes when applied to the skin in the form of juice can help cure sunburn. And daily consumption can also keep your skin healthy and glowing. This function is attributed to the presence of innumerable vitamins and minerals present in the tomato. May Help Manage Diabetes: A study published in a respected journal indicates
that daily consumption of tomatoes can help reduce the oxidative stress of type-2 diabetes. They are also known to reduce inflammation, tissue damage, etc. which are all complications of type-2 diabetes. A direct correlation has been shown in the rat study, but more human studies are needed to confirm this benefit. Can Help Repair Damage Caused By Smoking: No, tomatoes are not the latest way to quit smoking. However, tomatoes can reduce the damage caused by smoking to your body. Tomatoes contain coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid, which can protect the human body from carcinogens caused by cigarette smoke. (https://pharmeasy.in/ blog/8-unusual-benefits-ofeating-ripe-tomatoes-daily/)
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Tails of Hope
…The NGO driving awareness about animal welfare and protection By Rehanna Ramsay ails of Hope, a local animal welfare not-forprofit organisation, is becoming increasingly popular for ‘its pop-up shop’ vaccination drives across various communities. Tails of Hope has led the activities to offer pet owners a space to address the health and safety concerns of their animals as well as raise awareness about the importance of caring for our furry and feathered companions. A quick look at the group’s social media page (Tails of Hope) and it is evident that their awareness and protection activities are paramount. Melissa Ramdeen, Vice President of the organisation, which was once known as the Animal Rescue Adoption and Protection Society (ARAPS), explained the concept behind the operation. According to Ramdeen, Ta i l s o f H o p e i s t h e brainchild of a few young women, who saw and felt the need to start an organisation to protect the health, safety and welfare of all animals. She noted the not-forprofit organisation, which started in November 2019 emerged out of a pursuit to
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protect and support all animals and a burning desire for the actions of those involved, to speak louder than their words. “We are an organisation driven by progressive ideas, bold actions, and a strong foundation of support for all animals,” Ramdeen said. She added, “Our vision focuses on community involvement. We i n v o l v e t h e community through education and public awareness on the importance of respecting all animals. We also involve as many persons as possible in ‘spay and neuter ‘campaigns and we encourage adoption of animals rather than purchasing.” Adoption is where pets are taken from shelter or home while purchase is a money transaction where the owners may be involved in the process of breeding the animals. According to Ramdeen, the mission is to advocate for and advance the values and benefits of good animal welfare in Guyana. She stressed that the intention of the organisation is to expand and scale up its activities to reach across the entire country. Another focus of the organisation, she said, is on housing conditions, abuse inclusive of neglect
and abandonment and the implementation of legislation as it relates to animals. Ramdeen said, “[We] strive to deal with these issues, we have adopted the most common and internationally recognised standards – the five freedoms of animal welfare which are a set of standards that animal advocates, shelters, fosters, pet owners, and careers are guided by.” She added that while people rely on animals for food, fibre, companionship, assistance and other reasons, it is important to recognise that animals also rely on humans to treat them well and provide for their needs appropriately. The Tails of Hope Vice President noted too that the way animals are treated r e f l e c t s o n G u y a n a ’s national and international reputation, including tourism. “We at Tails of Hope are guided by the five freedoms of animal welfare that are globally recognised as the gold standard in animal welfare, encompassing both the mental and physical well-being of animals; they include: freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom to express
An animal benefits from a recent vaccine drive by Tails of Hope.
normal and natural behaviour and freedom from fear and distress.” Further, the animal welfare advocate noted that the organisation is behind an aggressive social media campaign to tackle animal cruelty through education. “The need to respect that animals such as birds, monkeys and other forms of wildlife must be left alone in their habitat is an issue we try to highlight. We share our experiences hoping to spread awareness on the importance of respecting and caring for animals by instilling a sense of responsibility for all life forms,” Ramdeen said. She noted too that the group has been using its Facebook page to not only educate but to help others understand the importance of being responsible animal owners. Touching a bit on her personal journey into animal rights activism, Ramdeen said that her views on animal activism were shaped by well-known activist, Ms. Syeada Manbodh. ”I met Syeada at a very critical time in my life and she pointed to the ray of sunshine that led me to become an animal activist. She encouraged me to join other animal groups so that I can start making a difference.” Ramdeen said that that is when she met Ms. Shari Rodrigues, President of Tails of Hope, the woman who helped to shape and catapult her to become the activist she is today. She noted too that Rodrigues is one of the key influencers behind the accomplishments of the group. To this end, Ramdeen noted that Tails of Hope is the only animal welfare organisation with large shelter homes. The Vice President explained that at present, Tails of Hope has a staff that cooks, feeds, and cares for the animals in its care. The organisation also caters to the medical needs of the many cases of sick or injured animals that it took in. At the moment, Ramdeen noted that Tails of Hope conducts vaccination drives on a fort-nightly basis. The vaccination drives are a collaborative effort between the Guyana GSPCA
Animal rights activist and Vice President of Tails of Hope, Melissa Ramdeen. and Rosewood Foundation and it is sponsored by the International Humane Society. The group also has an ongoing Spay and Neuter Campaign – which is dependent on donations given that cost approximately G$9,000 —for one animal depending on sex or treatment for other conditions if needed.
especially those that own cats, to get their animals spayed or neutered, because cats have heat cycles that causes them to birth at least three times a year and their litter will get dumped or abandoned which is something we don’t want to happen,” she said. In terms of its advocacy efforts, Ramdeen said that Tails
Ms. Shari Rodrigues, President of Tails of Hope, (at right) during a horse rescue by the anima l rights groups. She explained that it is a process that is helpful in that it reduces the animals’ risk to various types of diseases including cancer. In addition, it helps to reduce the burden of pet owners, whose animal breeding cycling may lead to them having unwanted litters of pups or kittens. “ We h a v e b e e n encouraging persons,
of Hope has had discussions with the Minister of Agriculture, i n r e l a t i o n t o strengthening the animal protection laws of Guyana. So far, she noted that efforts have been made to set up a special committee with representatives from groups and other relevant animal rights stakeholders to hold consultations on the matter.
Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
Monitoring by EPA needed to preserve ‘Tree of Life’ in quest to slow global warming – Environment Consultant warns The ‘Tree of Life’ or Ité Palm ecosystems store thousands of tons of atmospheric carbon below ground within their waterlogged environs in the form of peat deposits.
Can the ‘Tree of Life’ really slow down global warming? Yes, it can. Even though Ité palm, otherwise known as the ‘tree of life,’ is exclusively found in the southern hemisphere, recent studies have indicated that their ecosystems are extremely productive. Dr. Linton Arneaud, an Environment Consultant from Trinidad and Tobago believes that Ité palm (Mauritia flexuosa) ecosystems are capable of reducing the impacts of greenhouse gases at the Regional level. According to an article in the Brazilian Journal of Biology, the tree of life may be at risk due to Guyana’s oil boom, and ecological managers and policy-makers should be aware of the importance of these ecosystems and their contribution to climate change mitigation. How does the ‘tree of life’ slow down global warming? According to Dr. Arneaud “these ecological systems do
this by storing thousands of tons of carbon below ground within their waterlogged environs, in the form of peat deposits.” He explained that atmospheric carbon is absorbed by trees via photosynthesis, when the trees die, the carbon accumulates in the waterlogged conditions preventing decomposition and the release of carbon back into the air. Why is Ité referred to as the tree of life? Dr. Arneaud not only refers to Ité as the tree of life, but also as a hyper keystone species — this is because the tree provides essential food, shelter, and habitat for many organisms. Moreover, Ité is important to many indigenous communities as it has an incredibly wide range of uses –from food products like juice, candies and flour, to building resources such as thatch (tibisiri), planks and windbreaks, as well as
medicines, jewellery, ceremonial objects and handbags. What can be done to preserve the tree of life? In relation to the future of Ité ecosystems in Guyana, Dr. Arneaud fears “Guyana may be at risk of prioritising shortterm monetary gain over development that is environmentally sustainable.” He hopes that the government takes measures to ensure that ongoing economic development/activities resulting from the oil boom are performed in an environmentally sustainable way. Activities that destroy Ité habitats, such as agriculture, urban development and industrial expansion, must be closely monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in order to preserve these unique and extremely productive environments, Dr. Arneaud has warned.
Viperidae From page 38 factors that influence the amount of venom injected include the size of the prey, the species of prey, and whether the prey item is held or released. The need to label prey for chemosensory relocation after a bite and release may also play a role. In defensive bites, the amount of venom injected may be determined by the size or species of the predator (or antagonist), as well as the assessed level of threat, although larger assailants and higher threat levels may not necessarily lead to larger amounts of venom being injected. Prey tracking Hemotoxic venom takes more time than neurotoxic venom to immobilise prey, so viperid snakes need to track down prey animals after they have been bitten, in a process
known as "prey relocalisation." Vipers are able to do this via certain proteins contained in their venom. This important adaptation allowed rattlesnakes to evolve the strike-and-release bite mechanism, which provided a huge benefit to snakes by minimising contact with potentially dangerous prey animals. However, this adaptation then requires the snake to track down the bitten animal to eat it, in an environment full of other animals of the same species. Western diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox) respond more actively to mouse carcasses that have been injected with crude rattlesnake venom. When the various components of the venom were separated out, the snakes responded to mice injected with two kinds of disintegrins.
These disintegrin proteins are responsible for allowing the snakes to track down their prey. Heat sensing pits Pit vipers have specialised sensory organs near the nostrils called heatsensing pits. The location of this organ is unique to pit vipers. These pits have the ability to detect thermal radiation emitted by warm-blooded animals, helping them better understand their environment. Internally the organ forms a small pit lined with membranes, external and internal, attached to the trigeminal nerve. Infrared light signals the internal membranes, which in turn signal the trigeminal nerve and send the infrared signals to the brain where they are overlaid onto the visual image created by the eyes. (Source: Wikipedia)
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Facing challenges head-on to achieve his goals….
The story of an aspiring professional body builder
Alexander Correia is on track to becoming a professional body builder.
“The key is discipline; you can never let negative comments affect you…. Don’t quit because of what other people think because nothing worth having is ever easy to get. The results are slow but once you continue you will get there.” By Romario Blair Setting goals can really add to the meaning and purpose of our lives since it often puts us in control of the directions we wish to take. While it is important that we set goals, it is equally important that we at least attempt them, despite the challenges that may come our way; after all, a small goal could eventually lead to success. Inspired by the foregoing, Alexander Correia is currently in the process of building an outstanding career as a professional body builder. At just 19 years old, he recently won the Novice Body Building Competition for contestants under 143 pounds. But a few years ago, Correia’s goal was merely to gain some muscles so that he could avoid being called ‘the skinny kid in school.’ Dealing with migration Correia spent most of his life in Venezuela but came to Guyana in 2016; a move, which, he said, took quite some adjusting to. He, during a recent interview revealed that while his nationality is Venezuelan, the English Language came very easily to him, as his father is Always ready to defy the odds.
Guyanese by birth. He said, “I grew up in an English-speaking home, though my mother was Venezuelan, so I learnt English at home and I learnt Spanish in school and out of school in the community.” Though fairly versed in the English Language, he said that his family’s migration to Guyana was not as easy as he had anticipated. “We really came to Guyana to visit on vacation but then my aunt told my mother that we should stay and so eventually we did,” he recalled. When asked how moving had affected him, he related, “I was sad, because I missed all my friends from school... We left everything we had there and started over.” He recalled too, “When I came here, I was judged a bit because persons had their own opinions about migrants. I was not familiar with the culture, and the language barrier was the biggest challenge. I still struggled to phrase appropriately to convey my thoughts.” Goals driven by humiliation A s m e n t i o n e d e a r l i e r, Alexander was passionate about gaining weight. In fact, from around the age of 13 he became practically obsessed with gaining body mass. This obsession, he explained, surrounded the fact that he was often humiliated and bullied for being too skinny. “When I was in Venezuela, I wanted to start the gym because I was too small… I was picked on in school for being too skinny. Luckily, I came over here, and the bullying wasn’t as much as it was in Venezuela, but I still wanted to join the gym,” he noted. Unfortunately, for Correia, joining the gym would not be as simple as he had thought. As he explained the challenges, he said, “When I came here and I saw a gym close to home, I told my parents I wanted to start there because it was close... when I asked my parents though, they hesitated because I was 14 or 15 then, and they were scared that all the working out would stunt my growth; so, I still didn’t get to attend the gym.” Starting the gym In the year 2018, at age 16, Alexander was finally able to join the N & L Fitness Gym, which is
Sharing a moment with his trainer after winning the Novice Competition.
located in the Charity Scheme, a mere few minutes away from his home. But as he perused his goal, immediately there were some challenges, since he was also preparing for the CSEC exams at the time. “Sometimes I would come to the gym after writing exam and I would be mentally tired; it would be hard sometimes because I would want to sleep, but everything was driven by the bad comments and so that’s what kept me going,” he admitted. His first goal, he recalled, was to get some muscles. When asked if it came easily? He replied, “I started seeing results three to four months after joining the gym, and the results were really small results.” But this did not sway his dedication to the cause. “At this point,” he said, “my motivation was deepened even more than before, because the results were there… I didn’t want to stop.” The relapse In 2020, in pursuit of an associate degree in Exploration and Geology, Alexander enrolled at the University of Guyana. Unfortunately, this meant that he would have less time for his gym life. As he chronicled his relapse, he said, “I stopped going to the gym, because I couldn’t find the balance. I used to stay by myself on the West Coast of Demerara, so I had to cook, manage myself, study, and I had classes at 8am. So, because I used to live on the West Coast it was one hour of travelling…I had to leave home at 7am.” He added, “Sometimes I would come home late and I didn’t have time to cook and so I would miss meals…so I decided to stop gym. If I had continued working out and missing meals, it would have been bad for my body.” Gyming again When the pandemic touched G u y a n a ’s s h o r e s i n 2 0 2 0 , Alexander got the break he was waiting for. With the university programmes now online, he was
back home with a fresh schedule to work with. “When I came back home, I decided to continue going to the gym. By then I had a major relapse, and it was kind of discouraging, but I liked the gym and I decided that wouldn’t stop me. So, I trained and trained until I was back on track.” According to Correia, he learnt about the Novice Body Building Competition in 2020. With little to no training, he was unable to participate that year. Fortunately, his trainer, Lyndon Kennedy, played an instrumental role in landing him a spot in the competition this year. “My trainer, he told me about the competition…he was my biggest supporter at the time…we invested five months into training. Since the competition is a body building competition, it focuses on bodybuilding and the judges look at how well we can display our body… it’s all about display, so there were several poses that I had to learn. Luckily my trainer thought me all the exercises and forms because he was even in the competition at one point,” Alexander added. Balancing goals Balancing our goals can no doubt be tricky. For Alexander, balancing his studies and his goal of becoming a professional body builder has been quite challenging. He is confident though, that with determination, he will succeed one small goal at a time. He said, “Presently I’m at the beginning stage of becoming a professional body builder. The Intermediate Competition will he held sometime this year, and I am looking forward to the next competition, because topping that will be my next goal towards becoming a professional body builder.” As he commented on his academic goals, he said, “Once I complete my current programme at
UG, I’m looking forward to becoming a mineralogist, mining engineer, petroleum engineer or geo-technical engineer.” But his gym life will always be an important part of his existence. When asked what it takes to be successful in this regard, Correia quipped, “It depends on what you’re after, some persons want to gain weight, and some want to lose weight.” He pointed out, however, that “the key is discipline; you can never let negative comments affect you…. Don’t quit because of what other people think because nothing worth having is ever easy to get. The results are slow but once you continue you will get there.” He advised too that “consistency is key, with the diet as well… You can’t let comments stop you, persons will always criticise but you need to be mentally focused and disciplined.” Alexander Correia
Sunday July 11, 2021
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Sunday July 11, 2021
- for that glamorous look From page 19 where she can showcase her own brand. She also hopes to one day provide job opportunities to University students who may need that extra push. Like many local entrepreneurs in the makeup and beauty industry, the talented Berbician admitted that there have been times when she and her partner would be challenged to get the products ready in time to suit a customer's needs. But knowing that they have each other, she said, keeps them working harder. As for the COVID-19 pandemic, she said that, thus far, it has never really posed a challenge to the business. They however ensure that they adhere to all necessary precautions when they go about their business activities. Benjaimal is of the opinion that young entrepreneurs are what the country needs and deserves. “Young entrepreneurs are shaking the pillars of society and saying 'I'm here to make a difference.' I've seen persons who have spent all their days immersed in science, trying their hands at business and it is working out perfectly; and I've seen business oriented students making their own hair products and dabbling in the science, which is just awesome. This just shows that our young ones are diversifying and I think it's beautiful,” she expressed. According to her too, young entrepreneurs, once given a chance to showcase their talent and evolve, can help to considerably boost the economy. For those who would like to get their hands on Beejaimal's beauty products, order(s) can be placed by visiting her social media platforms – Facebook and Instagram @flawless.by.jo and @flawless.cosmetics.gy, respectively.
Her very first own makeup palette 'We are Caribbean.'
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Sunday July 11, 2021
DDL renews GMP and HACCP certifications
L
Representatives of DDL receiving the Certification from representatives of SGS
o c a l manufacturing giant, Demerara Distillers Limited, recently received their recertification for both the Goods Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems from SGS. The GMP and HACCP certifications, both issued by SGS, were originally obtained by DDL in 2018 and 2015 respectively. T h e G o o d s Manufacturing Practices certification is a system that ensures that manufacturing products such as food, c o s m e t i c s a n d pharmaceuticals are consistently produced and controlled according to set quality standards. Conversely, the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points certification is an international approval system that recognises that a food business has developed documented and implemented systems and procedures to identify and control food safety hazards and critical control points that may occur within the food business. A branch office for SGS was registered in Guyana in late 2019 after the company had noted an increase in the need for internationally recognised standards in Guyana and had seen the need for many other inspection, training and analytical services that the group provides globally. To d a y, w i t h t h e emerging oil and gas industry, many other local companies have recognised the importance of quality management certification and are in the process of
applying for certifications relating to industrial hygiene, safety or the environment. DDL is a pioneer for ISO certification in Guyana since they became the first local company to implement ISO 9001 quality management system with SGS in 1995. The company is due for recertification in this regard later this year and is among eight (8) Guyanese companies that are presently certified by SGS with the ISO 9001 standard. The Director of Technical Services at DDL, Sharon Sue-Hang, expressed her satisfaction at the service provided by SGS through the years and has said that DDL has always strived to implement a high level of quality standards at their manufacturing plants. Deputy Branch Manager of SGS Guyana, Davie Sukdeo, stressed that despite the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the full phase one plan of SGS' operations in Guyana, the company is forging ahead with engagements and has already been working with several other Guyanese companies that have expressed interest in the ISO 9001 certification. At a simple ceremony at the Demerara Distillers Limited head office at Diamond last week, both certificates were handed over by the Regional Managing Director for SGS Central America and the Caribbean, Cedric Catheline, and received by the Managing Director of DDL, Ramesh Persaud, in the presence of other SGS and DDL officials.
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Caring for an 8-yr-old with Hemophilia is a... From page 22 have black and blue marks and his joints might swell. At the age of three he jumped from a bench and one of his knees started to swell. They were later told that the jump caused a shock resulting in the swelling, which lasted for one month. Ramlogan said sometimes his mouth would bleed and when it is excessive she takes him to the GPHC. She lamented that often she sits with her son as he bleeds for long periods before he is attended to. She was advised to always feed him green leafy vegetables because of the amount of blood he loses. Facebook Ramlogan's world changed when she read about the GHS on Facebook and contacted the society. She learnt more about her son's condition and has received tremendous support. Even at that point, she was still in denial, as she wanted to believe that her son did not have the condition. She also felt guilty as from her reading she learned that most times it is women who pass the condition on to their children. “I would sit and cry and cry because I feel so guilty,” she said, tearing up again. According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, a father who has Hemophilia passes his X chromosome to all of his daughters, so they have his Hemophilia allele and become heterozygous (carriers). A father passes his Y chromosome to his sons and thus cannot pass the
Hemophilia allele to them. Without the Hemophilia allele, the sons therefore cannot pass it to their children. Hemophilia is more common among boys, as they only inherit one X chromosome, which means that they will develop symptoms of Hemophilia if that chromosome carries the mutation. Because she is the carrier, Ramlogan said, it sometimes creates conflicts in her marriage especially when Aditya is in severe pain and finds it difficult to sleep or play. “And what does get to me too is when he would go to school some children would watch him and laugh because of how he walks. Even when we go out, sometimes people would look at he or come and ask questions. Sometimes you don't even want to go out,” she said in tears. Her second pregnancy was not planned and Ramlogan said while she hoped it was not a boy, she never considered the option of aborting her child. Kushal was about eight months old when the first black and blue mark was observed and Ramlogan said she was brokenhearted. “I started to take extra care because I didn't want him to go through what Aditya went through…,” she said. Kushal, who will be two shortly, has not yet been diagnosed but his mother is certain that he has Hemophilia. “I just thank God for the Guyana Hemophilia Society (GHS) and the WFH, that I getting the medication for him,” she said. While in the past she travelled to a clinic to have
the needed injection administered, that proved to be very costly, as she had to use taxis. Now she administers the injection to Aditya herself. The Factor V111 injection is donated by the WFH through the GHS and Ramlogan stores it in her refrigerator. “Sometimes he does cry because it is so painful to get injections all the time. I try boring myself once. It was so hard. I don't know how he
bears it. It is hard. When I tell you it is hard, it is really hard. But I thank God that from going to hospitals I see people with more severe cases and I actually now accept what he have,” the young mother of two said. She called on the Guyana
Government to do more for people living with Hemophilia, especially in providing the needed injection which should they have to purchase on their own would be very expensive. Additionally, even if they have the money, they would
be unable to access the injection on their own. (This is the first in a series of four articles produced by the Guyana Hemophilia Society (GHS) to bring awareness of the existence of the condition in Guyana.)
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Sunday July 11, 2021
Twenty GTT call centre agents graduate from training programme
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he Guyana Te l e p h o n e & Telegraph Company Limited on Friday hosted a graduation ceremony for twenty new additional call centre agents at their Lot 79 Brickdam location – GTT
Headquarters. This initiative is in an effort to meet its new goal of becoming a 21st-century customer-centric organisation. Chief Executive Officer of GTT, Damian Blackburn, said the event is just the
beginning of many more improvements the company has in store for customers as one of the company's three promises is to reliably connect with customers. “We are endorsing 50% of the workforce required to achieve our goal and with
this new milestone we look forward to it reducing customers wait time when contacting our Customer Care Department,” the CEO said. Meanwhile, Director of Customer Care at GTT, Shem Erskine, congratulated the group on successfully completing the training course with the company.
“With this new addition to our team, I am positive that we will be able to better serve our customers in a timely manner,” Erskine said. He also highlighted that some twenty additional persons are expected to be trained within weeks to come. “As promised, our objective is to better serve
our customers. We have listened and we are moving apace to fulfill that goal.” The 20 new agents all expressed delight to start their new roles at the telephone company. The training took place over a four-week period at the GTT Headquarters led by Monique Chance and Nkrumah Prince.
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==CONSUMER CONCERNS==
Elderly homes enriched tapping ancient wisdom By Pat Dial We would like to compliment Dr. Vindhya Persaud and her Ministry of Human Services and Social Security for their appointment of an Elderly Homes Visiting Committee. Putting aside a similar committee, which visits the prisons, there had not been so far any institutionalised visiting committee for Elderly Homes or other such institutions, such as orphanages. Dr. Persaud has therefore been a pioneer in this regard. The Elderly Homes Visiting Committee will conduct holistic reviews of residential
facilities to ensure they are in keeping with guidelines set out for them. These would include clean, hygienic and comfortable habitation - clean bed, small cupboard for personal belongings of every resident, easy access to clean and odorless toilets and bathrooms and generally clean walls and floors. A balanced diet should be provided, catering for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians and such would not entail much extra effort. Food should be served on disposable plates and cups and if crockery were used, they
should be properly washed. Residents should be allowed to receive personal gifts of necessities and food. All Homes must carry an adequate stock of emergency medical supplies and should have a trained nurse on staff and a doctor on call. Residents for whom medicines are prescribed should have these administered to them at correct times. Some exercise and entertainment should be provided and if the Homes have any grounds, these could be used. Offers by philanthropic persons to motor the resi-
dents in the countryside or to take them to the parks should be welcomed. The Visiting Committee would have had all its activities mapped out and these would certainly include the details mentioned above. It would have powers to carry out investigations and examination of records held by the Homes. The Committee may assist the Homes in their record keeping, making special note of next-of -kin or close friend and any property the residents have. The Committee Members should be encouraged to
read writings on the conduct of Old People’s Homes and we would suggest they could begin with a small novel written by expatriate Guyanese writer, Beryl Gilroy titled ‘Frangipani House,’ which describes an expensive privately run Old People’s Home. Such Homes could be afforded only by the wealthy. Frangipani House should be easily obtainable as it was a text prescribed for Literature in the CXC Examinations. The Home described in Frangipani House is of the same genre of Elderly Homes in all Western Countries: they
pay every attention to the physical and material wellbeing of the residents but little concern is given to their intellectual and spiritual needs. This approach springs from the Western way of regarding the progress of a human life. In the West, we regard life as moving in a straight line from childhood to adulthood to old age and death, and Homes for the Elderly are meant to give their residents as comfortable a final sendoff as possible. In the more ancient Civilisations such as the (Continued on page 62)
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Sunday July 11, 2021
Junior page
CD Balloon Hovercraft
The Ladybug Mama TheWorried bundle of sticks The Moral: There’s strength in unity. Once upon a time, there was an old man who lived in a village with his three sons. Although his three sons were hard workers, they quarreled all the time. The old man tried to unite them but failed. Months passed by, and the old man became sick. He asked his sons to remain united, but they failed to listen to him. At that moment, the old man decided to teach them a lesson — to forget their differences and come together in unity. The old man summoned his sons, then proceeded to tell them, “I will provide you with a bundle of sticks. Separate each stick, and then break each into two. The one who finishes first will be rewarded more than the others.” And so, the sons agreed. The old man provided them with a bundle of ten sticks each, and then asked the sons to break each stick into pieces. The sons broke the sticks
within minutes, then proceeded to quarrel among themselves again. The old man said, “My dear sons, the game is not yet over. I will now give you another bundle of sticks. Only this time, you will have to break them together as a bundle, not separately.” The sons readily agreed and then tried to break the bundle. Despite trying their best, they could not break the sticks. The sons told their father of their failure. The old man said, “My dear sons, see! Breaking every single stick individually was easy for you, but breaking them in a bundle, you could not do. By staying united, nobody can harm you. If you continue to quarrel, then anyone can quickly defeat you.” The old man continued, “I ask that you stay united.” Then, the three sons understood there’s power in unity, and promised their father they would all stay together.
Materials: - Old CD’s -Cardstock or paper -Markers -Glue stick and hot glue gun - Balloons -Open tops from containers like dishwashing soap bottles Instructions: Step 1. Trace your cardstock or paper around the CD and cut out the shape along with the center hole. Have your child create fun designs on the cardstock. Step 2. Using your glue stick, glue down the cardstock to the CD and press firmly. Step 3. Hot glue your tops to
H
IT NW
Bridges Connect these islands with bridges until each island can be reached from any other island, and each island has as many outgoing bridges as its number. You may only connect islands vertically or horizontally and bridges may not cross. There may be one or two bridges connecting pairs of islands, but no more than two. Each puzzle has a unique solution that can be found without making guesses. All puzzles © 2016 KrazyDad.com
the center of the CD. Make sure the covers are off (so the hole is visible – we just cut them off). You can also choose to use water bottle tops that close by pushing up and down (but make sure the tops are open
when the balloon is deflating). Step 4. Blow up a balloon, twist it and then pull the opening fully over the tops of the CD. Untwist and watch it move across the floor!
TRY E O P
FU
Good morning, God Good morning, God, and thank you For the glory of the sun, And thank you for the health I have, To play and get my work done. I shall devote the hours Of this golden day to You, By honouring Your holy name In everything I do. I shall pursue my daily tasks Without complaint or fear, And spend my every effort To be friendly to all I hold dear. Once more, good morning, God, And please help me always, Because I want to honour you On each and every day.
Kaieteur News
Sunday July 11, 2021
TEEN TIME Building your Self-esteem involves the enhancement of five areas of your personality
A
s we said last week, anyone who wants five senses to make a success of his life must first of all appreciate his true worth which he can develop through achieving a fair level of self-esteem. The process of building self-esteem involves five essential elements. They are:1. A sense of security. 2. A sense of belonging. 3. A sense of identity or self-knowledge. 4. A sense of purpose or aim in life. 5. A sense of personal competence. Before you study these, you should be aware of some characteristics which are displayed by those who lack self-esteem. It would be wise to try to identify some of these in our own behaviour, as we are all affected by some form of
low self-esteem:Rebelling, resisting, defying or retaliating against authority.
Ly i n g , c h e a t i n g , copying, blaming others for one’s own errors. Failing to take responsibility for one’s
actions. Bullying or threatening others. Withdrawing,
daydreaming or giving up in the face of adversity. Denying one has a problem, and refusing help with same when offered.
Kakuro
Kakuro puzzles are like a cross between a crossword and a Sudoku puzzle. Instead of letters, each block contains the digits 1 through 9. The same digit will never repeat within a word. If you add the digits in a word, the sum
Engaging in types of escapist behaviour, like truancy when faced with problems at school, or drugs or alcohol when not sure about how to overcome personal problems. The types of behaviour mentioned above make it difficult for those who have to deal with persons who are affected, as more often than not they will refuse to listen to advice or accept any help offered. They will most often hide their true feelings by appearing bored or may even take on a superior attitude that they can help themselves and need no one in this. Do you recognise any of this in yourself or any of your friends? In the issues to come we shall be dealing with each of these elements or senses, and show how you can integrate them into your own personality.
willbe the number shown in the clue. Clues are shown on the left and right sides of “across” words, and on the top and bottom sides of “down” words.Need some help? visit krazydad.com/kakuro
PAGE 59
POETS’ CORNER
If You Believe
When your mind is made up and set On a splendid thing you want to do, There are some who will shrug, And feel like you don’t have a clue. When you on some effort proceed, Some will say it can’t be done, And that there is really no need For you to trouble yourself to take it on. When you are halfway through, Some may deem your progress small, Or others will ask if what you’re doing Is even worthwhile at all. But when you at last succeed, Then, with flattering tongue, The same folks will say they knew That you’d do it all along. Now, folks may mean well When they say it can’t be done, But then who is the one to lose If they are actually wrong? If you take note of the reason Some may doubt your point of view, Then you should stick close to those Who see the strength in you. If you put your faith in God, No matter how tough it may seem, If you work hard, if you believe, You will achieve your dream. For what others may think of you, Whether or not you’re strong or smart, You will find that doesn’t really count As what you believe in your heart.
The effort you spend to build your self-esteem will be rewarded a thousand-fold Solutions to last week’s
Suguru
Slitherlink
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Turmeric for Skin: Benefits and Risks Glowing skin, Boosts healing,Helps treat psoriasis Helps acne scarring,May treat scabies,May help other skin conditions,Potential risks We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process. Turmeric For hundreds of years, people around the world have linked turmeric to healing properties and cosmetic benefits. The bright, yellow-orange spice is related to ginger. It’s available as a ground spice or in supplements and other beauty and dermatology products. Turmeric gets its health benefits primarily because of curcumin, a bioactive component. Curcumin has antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties. Modern scientific research is just beginning to study the positive impact of turmeric, but many believe it has several beneficial uses for the skin. Here are some ways turmeric may benefit your skin. It contains properties that contribute to a natural glow Turmeric contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory components. These characteristics may provide glow and luster to the skin. Turmeric may also revive your skin by bringing out its natural glow. You may want to try a turmeric face mask at home to see if the spice has any positive effects on your skin. You can mix small amounts of Greek yogurt, honey, and turmeric together and apply to your face. Keep the mask on for 15 minutes and then wash off with water. It can heal wounds The curcumin found in turmeric can help wounds heal by decreasing inflammation and oxidation. It also lowers the response of your body to cutaneous wounds. This results in your wounds healing more quickly. Studies have found that turmeric can positively affect tissue and collagen as well. The journal Life Sciences recommends applying curcumin as an optimized formula to best work on skin wounds. It can help your psoriasis The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities of turmeric may help your psoriasis by controlling flares and other symptoms. The National Psoriasis Foundation states that you can use it as a supplement or by adding it to food. Before you try it, the foundation recommends discussing proper dosage with a professional. It may help with acne scarring You may want to try a turmeric face mask to help reduce acne and any resulting scars. The anti-inflammatory qualities can target your pores and calm the skin. Turmeric is also known to reduce scarring. This combination of uses may help your face clear up from acne breakouts. It has been linked to scabies treatment In an early study conducted in India, a combination of turmeric and neem, a plant native to India, was effective in treating scabies. Scabies is a condition caused by microscopic mites that leave a rash in the skin. It may help with a range of other dermatological conditions There aren’t enough studies to provide conclusive evidence about how turmeric can help other skin conditions. However, it’s suggested that it can help with eczema, alopecia, lichen planus, and other skin issues. A study in Phytotherapy Research recommends further research on the effects of turmeric on various skin conditions. Interest in studying turmeric as a skin treatment is increasing. Risks of using turmeric for your skin There are risks of using turmeric. When using turmeric, you need to be careful about the dosage, the type of product you use, and how it might react to other medications you take. Turmeric has a low bioavailability. This means that your metabolism burns it off quickly and your body doesn’t absorb much.Avoid taking too much turmeric at one time and wait to see how your body reacts before taking more. If you take other medications, discuss the use of turmeric with your doctor. When applied to the skin, turmeric can temporarily stain the skin or leave a yellow residue. This is normal. But if you’re allergic, direct skin contact can cause irritation, redness, and swelling.Test turmeric on your forearm, applying a dime-sized amount and waiting 24 to 48 hours to see if you react before using on your face. Do not use turmeric on your skin if you’re allergic to the spice in food.
Kaieteur News
Sunday July 11, 2021
Sunday July 11, 2021
PAGE 61
Kaieteur News
>>>GNBS IN FOCUS<<<
All systems in place to commence second half stamping of devices This week, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) will commence the second verification of all weighing and measuring devices used in trade for 2021. Inspectors within the Legal Metrology Department have put all systems in place to prevent hiccups during these verification exercises. By now, the majority of vendors, shopkeepers and other users of weighing and measuring devices are well aware that the GNBS is mandated to verify measuring devices to ensure accuracy and equity in trade transactions. The 1981 Weights & Measures Act makes provision for the GNBS to carry out its measurement functions. Verification (Stamping) is done every six months (twice per year) and this process guarantees that devices used in the markets, shops and other sale outlets countrywide are functioning well. Proper functioning devices not only guarantee
accurate measurements for consumers but also protect retailers from incurring losses, which can be significant overtime.As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the GNBS has this year implemented the use of a Mobile Stamping Bus to reach out to those requiring the verification of their devices. Based on a publicised schedule, Inspectors will utilise this bus to visit markets and other shopping areas to facilitate the easy submission of devices for verification. It will also allow for social distancing and efficient sanitisation of devices presented for stamping. During the stamping process, devices submitted are first inspected to ensure they are clean, painted and in an overall good condition. Inspectors then use traceable working standards (weights and balances) to ensure that measurements devices indicate, are correct. In instances where measurements are incorrect, adjustments are made to the devices
until accuracy is achieved. Finally, an approval seal (sticker) is affixed to the verified device. The approval seal provides proof that a device was verified, and it is usually affixed to the front of the device. It is worded ‘GNBS Verified and Sealed’ along with a barcode. Approval seals cannot be removed or tampered with after they are placed on devices. Consumers should look for the tamper-proof seals on devices when making purchases. It is what GNBS Inspectors look for when they subsequently conduct surveillance exercises at markets and shops across the country. Absence of the approval seal indicates that a device was not verified and would result in it being confiscated. During the first stamping period for 2021, the GNBS stamped 2,882 scales and 5,245 masses of which there were 192 scales and 453 masses verified for the first time. For the sec-
ond half of this year, higher figures are anticipated. Importantly, the Bureau only verifies scales that are approved for trade, which does not include the Blue Dial Scales sometimes used by market vendors to ply their trade. As such, the GNBS is warning vendors and shopkeepers in possession of those scales to desist from using them as they were manufactured for domestic use; and are easily damaged. Consistent use of the Blue Dial Scales leads to inaccurate measurements. Verification commences on Tuesday July 13 and Wednesday July 14 at the Stabroek Market, Georgetown, followed by the Bourda Market later in the week and the Kitty Market. Inspectors will then move to markets on the East Coast of Demerara and further out of the Capital City. Advertisements indicating the schedule for mobile stamping will be published in local
newspapers, radio, television and the GNBS Facebook page. Vendors, shopkeepers and other users of weighing and measuring devices are urged to submit their devices for verification. Devices can also be submitted for verification at the GNBS Head Office, Sophia, and Sub-offices in New Amsterdam, Corriverton, Anna Regina, Vreed-enHoop, Lethem, Bartica, or to the nearest Weights and Measures Office.In addition, the GNBS as the National Measurement Institute also provides verification for Petrol meters, Bulk meters, Compartments of Tanker Wagons, Storage Tanks, Measuring Rulers, Electricity meters, Water meters, Moisture meters, Custody Transfer Meters on the FPSO and Meters aboard Fuel Vessels.For further information, please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0069, 2190066 or our WhatsApp number 692-4627 (GNBS).
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Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News VACANCY
Elderly homes enriched tapping ancient ...
From page 57 For porters.Apply at Alabama Indian and Chinese, a human life is regarded Trading.65 Robb Street as having four distinct, though not mutually excluBourda. sive breaks. The first stage or quarter of life, con-
1 security between ages 25- sists of the time of student hood when one is educated and learns the skills of living in the World; 35 year old.Call:683-8734. Experience Land Dredge workers. serious inquires only Call 699-3857 SERVICES Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisements, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040 Installation, Repairs and parts for AC,Fridge, Washing machine, Stove etc.Call Nick#630-1600. Are you a graduate, dissatisfied with your income? Looking for a lucrative career with a reputable company? Call :679 2497
WANTED Wanted one experienced GoldSmith,Jacobs Jewellery and Pawn shop 16 Pike street Kitty Tel#622-4970 Cashier18yearsolder. Call:2237165. Cashier,Porter & Salesman withVanandLorry ,A.Wahab Trading.Call:227-6659,2274861. Taxi and Mini Bus Driver.Call:225-3234,628-1183.
TO LET 2 bedroom apartment in Eccles.From3rd July.Rooms in Albertown.Call:2253234,628-1183. Newly constructed 2 bedroom apt in a safe and h e a l t h y environment.Call:698-6496/ 622-6512. One bedroom apartment kitchen,livingroom and b a t h r o o m included.Cummingslodge E.C.D,222-0401 or 659-8995.
VACANCY Woodmizer and lucas mill operators,diesel mechanic,drivers for hauling trucks.Call Richard 6097675,674-1705. For cleaners,clerk,labours and maintenance workers to work with P.S.G.C.S.Call:6216969,615-7784.
3 b e d r o o m s unfurnish,Herstelling $150,000.2 bedroom furnish Regent st $130,000.Contact:680-0738.
Auto Electrical apprentice age 19-25 yrs.Apply in person, Lot 120 Forth Street Albertown G/ Town or call 610-0340.
FOR SALE
Welder for grill work.Tel:6215310.
Allion,Premio,Field Wagon, Spacio,Sinter,Allex,212,Blue Bird,Advenis,RZ and Pitbull.650-7501.
One welder/fabricator & one diesel mechanic,must have knowledgeof hydraulics.Call: 628-1300
Pure bred German Shepherd Pups.Price $130,000, 5 wks old.Contact:615-6589,6500347 or via whatsapp. FOR RENT
Immediate vacancy exists for maleworkerstowork shifts.Ages 25-45 yrs.Call: 231-1408/642-9191.
Three bedroom house to rent on E.C.D.Tel:601-2515.
S a l e s g i r l a n d Salesboy.Contact:680-6279/ 630-4972.
2 bedroom apartment.C Field Sophia.Couples only,$40,000 per month.Call:658-4478.
For welder.Apply at Alabama Trading.65 Robb Street Bourda.
LAND FOR SALE
For cashier.Apply at Alabama Trading.65 Robb Street Bourda.
M o n t r o s e E.C.D,16M.Contact:6800738. FOR SALE/ RENT For Sale or rent, good for business– 4.018 acres of prime land in New A m s t e r d a m , Berbice.Call679-2497 Large Property with Huge Concrete Bond, Prime Location Cumberland, Canje. Ideal for Business. Sale or rent.Call 679-2497 VEHICLES FOR SALE 2-Volkswagen/Jetta 1400 CC recently arrived duty paid.Call:623-3839/ 6555117.1 Red & 1 white.
One experience hauler truck driver to work full time at A&R Trading.Call:661-1254/ 659-1771. Kaizen Environmental ServicesInc.Employment Opportunities:Laboratory Manager & Senior Laboratory Technicians.Submit applicationsto: careers@kaizen-tt.com Able-bodiedLorry driver.Telles Steel & Hardware.Call:226-6771,2313265. Vacancy for two(2) dispatcher@Confidential Cabs.Contact:231-5784.
Waitress between ages 18-25 years old $20,000 weekly. Live in domestic between ages 2545 years $30,000 weekly Tel#648-7866
the second stage or quarter of life, is when one becomes a householder, is married, has children, is engaged in the World’s work and creates for Society; the third stage or quarter of life, is when one gradually retreats from the Householder’s life to a time of public service; and the fourth or final stage, is when one moves nearer to God and prepares for the finality of death. The overwhelming majority of those in the Elderly Homes are those in the Third Stage of life and their intellectual and spiritual life should be cultivated so that they would
Factory Workers.Must have a s o u n d s e c o n d a r y be able to perform public service in a struceducation,for more informa- tured way, and continue to contribute to socition please call:223-0090. ety as is their duty.Homes for the Elderly could be enriched by grafting on to them the anCounter attendant girls to cient philosophic assumption and activity of work at Dian's Deli food the Third Stage of life. For instance, residents outlet.Call:621-7862. could be helped to sharpen or manifest their
creativity by meditation and at the same time, enters a realm of peace. They could be encouraged to paint, to write or play musical instruments, to tell stories to the young, to teach skills they may know or to record their reminiscences on tape or video with the help of University of Guyana students or staff. Such reminiscences could be used as primary material for research papers. They could be introduced to the use of the computer and internet to equip them for further intellectual and cultural contributions. In addition to the above, there are of course many other activities manifesting public service of the Third Stage or quarter of Life. Integrating and assimilating the concept and meaning of the Third Stage into the conduct of Homes for the Elderly would pioneer a unique innovation and would
bring back a bouncing desire for life among the inmates, and replace the underlying dull pervasive pessimism of moving to death with a joyous optimism of creativity and life. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Sunday July 11, 2021
PAGE 63
Kaieteur News
K/News employee falls prey to Stabroek Market’s choke-and-rob gang
A
Kaieteur News (KN) staffer re called gasping for air while being choked and robbed on Wednesday in the presence of a vendor by three men in the Stabroek Market area. The KN employee was attacked around 19:00hrs. moments after he had purchased some vegetables in the market. It is believed that he was robbed by bandits dubbed as the Stabroek Market’s chokeand-rob gang. Kaieteur News understands that the reason behind the name is that a number of victims have been robbed in the area in a similar manner by three men. Suspected to be their most recent victim, the KN staffer recalled that he had bought some vegetables to cook and was looking for transportation to head home. While walking along a pavement in the area he was attacked from behind. One of the delinquents placed him in a chokehold. As he reportedly gasped for air, two others searched
through his pockets, stealing his wallet, which contained $38,000 cash, a cellphone worth over $200,000, keys and his bag of vegetables. “I almost blacked out and was gasping for air lying on the pavement when they finally let go of me,” recounted the KN employee. He recalled too that they were very brazen in their attack as they robbed him in front of a vendor who was too fearful to intervene. Kaieteur News had reported on Monday that brazen acts of robbery are be-
The Stabroek Market area where the Choke and Rob Gang prowls.
coming a norm across the city. In the article, the reporter recalled that while sitting in a minibus on the East Coast Demerara bus park he witnessed a man being choked and robbed by three men. That robbery had taken place on Saturday last around 20:30hrs. He had observed a man caught in a chokehold by an individual on a red BMX bicycle. Another braced him against a Pitbull minibus and punched him a few times
about his body before attempting to take off one of his shoes. A third bandit, ‘chubby looking,’ dressed in a dark
blue T-shirt and a pair of blue denim jeans searched his pockets. The victim had tried to fight them off but they over
powered him. The chubby looking bandit relieved him of what appeared to be his wallet and a cellphone.
The suspect then ran towards America Street while the others escaped on the bicycle towards Stabroek Market.
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Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
Naked body found identified
Region Three Police have been able to obtain identity for the naked body of a male that was found on Wednesday along New Road, Vreeden-Hoop. According to police, the corpse belongs to Reginald Moore, 47 of Lot 7 Greenwhich Park, East Bank Essequibo (EBE). Moore’s nude body was found on Wednesday night lying on the northern Carriageway of New Road. Crime scene experts had observed that his remains bore multiple lacerations to the head and body. The corpse presently lies at the Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting an autopsy to determine his cause of death.
The remains of Reginald Moore that was discovered on Wednesday
Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Sunday July 11, 2021
Sunday July 11, 2021
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Kaieteur News
West Indies go 2-0 up as Australia fold for 140 ESPNcricinfo - A superbly constructed century partnership between Man-ofthe-match Shimron Hetmyer and Dwayne Bravo was the cornerstone of an impressive West Indies performance as they went 2-0 up against Australia. Having pulled victory from the jaws of defeat 24 hours ago this time a West Indies victory felt far more secure after they had posted a formidable 196 and removed Australia’s openers cheaply. Hetmyer, who had been given a vote of confidence by injured captain Kieron Pollard prior to the series, found the ideal balance between seeking boundaries and keeping the scoreboard ticking as he reached a career-
best and just his second T20I half-century. Bravo, promoted ahead of Andre Russell and Nicholas Pooran when West Indies were three down inside 10 overs, batted at his highest position and produced his highest score for at international level for five years although he was given two lives. The fourth-wicket stand of 103 was West Indies’ best in T20Is then the innings was given its finishing touches by Russell. There were 13 sixes (and just eight fours) in the innings but what will please captain and coaching staff was how the strike was also rotated. West Indies managed 123 runs off the second 10 overs. Mitchell Marsh made his
second consecutive halfcentury and West Indies lost Fidel Edwards from their attack with injury, but the asking rate climbed out of control. In the end, Australia fell in a heap for the second night running. Pressure grows on Gayle There is no arguing about what Chris Gayle has achieved in his career, but right now batting is looking a pretty painful affair for him. He has 102 runs in nine innings since returning to the side against Sri Lanka and his 13 off 16 deliveries today did not hint at any return to fluency. Over his career there have been many examples of him eating up dot balls but turning around an innings with such force that it doesn’t
matter, but he’s not getting out of the starting blocks at the moment. On this occasion he ended up dragging on against Marsh in the eighth over which left West Indies uncertain at 59 for 3, but it may have been the best thing to happen to the innings. The perfect partnership It was surprising to see Bravo walk out at No. 5 but it proved a masterstroke, although Australia had their chances to remove him. Adam Zampa missed a low caughtand-bowled chance when he had 2 and Dan Christian made good ground to a chance at long-off when Bravo had 15 but it spilled out. That second dropped chance came in the 12th over with the stand still to move
...Juvonna Cornette for Sunday July 11, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) If your lifestyle is very different from others, resist feeling self-conscious about it today. Remember that you chose your life for specific reasons. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Enhanced determination could motivate you today, Taurus, giving you the zip to plow through your work. Finish projects that have been pending and think about what you want to tackle next. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Are you feeling the effects of today's low-key planetary aspects, Gemini? Take heart - it's only temporary.Do your best to take things one step at a time and make some plans for a little fun this evening.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Getting through any work you have to do shouldn't be a problem for you today, Libra. Even if you flag for a bit, you're likely to get a second wind, and this will give you the drive. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Working within boundaries and restrictions could get to you toda y. Yours is an independent spirit, and your best achievements are often born of doing things your own way. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Chances are that you'll feel upbeat and positive today. Share this energy with others who feel less than content.
CANCER(June21–July22) Make some plans for recreation, Cancer. Having something fun to look forward to can make even the toughest times far easier to handle.
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Chances are that you'll feel upbeat and positive today. Share this energy with others who feel less than content. Who do you know?
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Don't judge someone just because his or her lifestyle differs from what you consider normal. You may be traditional, but not everyone shares your view of relationships.
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Try not to let the blues get you down, Aquarius. While it's true some days can seem to drag, the busier you stay, the faster time will pass.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Friends seeking advice or a shoulder to cry on may be plentiful today, Virgo. And you're one of best people to provide the support and caring they need. Just don't give so much to others that you have nothing left for yourself.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Dare to be different, Pisces. It's easy to fall into routines - sleep and eat at the same time, wear the same style, and do your work the same way every day. Before you know it, you're in a rut. The only way to pull out of it is to decide to break free.
From page 71 also motivated me was all the stuff that were being said about Mr. Andy Medas-King by coaches and people in Guyana. Now if it wasn’t for the opportunity that was given to us I wouldn’t be able to attend College now and wouldn’t be running the times I’m running now, thanks to the KMPA Foundation for opening our eyes to opportunities.’ ‘Today all the athletes who were there in the USA are doing great in Guyana now and it’s all because of the opportunities that were given to us. The amount of support we get from the KMPA Foundation it’s hardly mentioned on the media platform in Guyana it’s not published regularly, in any News Papers or television shows or you hear it being mentioned nor debated on sports programmes.’ Cornette said that organizations like the KMPA Foundation should be recognized for the wonderful work they are doing in all ten regions of Guyana.
through the gears and Bravo’s run-a-ball display was threatening to be polarizing. But in the 13th over, both he and Hetmyer cleared the ropes against Ashton Agar and from there the innings never looked back. Hetmyer struck the ball beautifully having calmly played himself into his innings, bringing up a 29-ball fifty with an audacious scooped six against Mitchell Starc whose last two overs cost 30 on another difficult night. The final four overs of the innings were carted for 14, 15, 16 and 16 with Russell finishing it emphatically. Level pegging, but not really It was worth noting that after eight overs both teams were 59 for 3, but from there the two innings went on vastly different paths.
Australia had been set back by the early loss of both openers - Matthew Wade pulled the second ball to midon and Aaron Finch was flummoxed by Edwards’ slower delivery - then Josh Philippe couldn’t get going before missing a straight delivery from Hayden Walsh Jr. Marsh’s innings was also ended by Walsh, who took his tally to six wickets in two matches, which heralded another clatter of wickets. Australia’s position was summed up when Christian and Agar were both left watching the big screen to see who had been run out when both ended up at the same end. Scores: West Indies 196 for 4 (Hetmyer 61, Bravo 47*) beat Australia 140 (Marsh 54, Walsh Jr 3-29) by 56 runs.
Kaieteur News
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Sunday July 11, 2021
...Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 to win Copa America From page 67 out a long ball forward from Rodrigo De Paul and Di Maria lobbed the stranded Ederson with aplomb. Brazil piled on the pressure in an exciting second half but even with five strikers
on the field they could not get an equaliser against an Argentine defence protected by the outstanding Rodrigo De Paul. Argentina’s win was a particular triumph for Barcelona striker Lionel Messi, who picked up his first
ever title in a blue and white shirt after more than a decade of club and individual honours. Messi finished the tournament’s joint top goalscorer with four goals and was elected joint best
player along with Neymar. But he was quiet throughout and uncharacteristically missed a golden opportunity to wrap the game up with two minutes remaining. When the final whistle went, Argentina TV declared
“Argentina Champions, Lionel Messi Champion!” The victory was Argentina’s 15th Copa America triumph and means they draw level with Uruguay as the all-time leading winners. Their win
extended their sequence of undefeated matches to 20 under Lionel Scaloni and handed Brazil their first competitive defeat since they lost to Belgium in the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
Sunday July 11, 2021
Kaieteur News
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Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 to win Copa America RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) - Argentina won their first major title in 28 years yesterday when an Angel Di Maria goal gave
Argentina’s Rodrigo De Paul in action with Brazil’s Ederson. (REUTERS/Henry Romero)
them a 1-0 win over Brazil and a record-equalling 15th Copa America. Di Maria started for just the second time in the Copa
and he justified his selection by scoring the opener midway through the first half. Renan Lodi failed to cut (Continued on page 66)
Kaieteur News
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Sunday July 11, 2021
Olympic flame arrives in Tokyo Mollema claims vintage Tour after ‘heartbreaking’ fan ban de France victory with solo raid Trek–Segafredo rider Bauke Mollema of the Netherlands celebrates on the podium after winning stage 14. (REUTERS/Stephane Mahe)
Former Japanese professional tennis player Shuzo Matsuoka (left) receives the Olympics flame to his Olympic torch during the lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame at Machida Shibahiro, on the first day of the torch relay in the city of Machida in western Tokyo, Friday. (Photo: AFP) Tokyo, Japan (AFP) — The Olympic flame arrived in Tokyo Friday with just two weeks until the Games open, as athletes and fans m o u r n e d a “heartbreaking” decision to bar spectators from almost all venues over the virus. In a taste of what is to come for thousands of athletes who will compete at the pandemic-postponed Games, the public was kept away from the arrival of the flame and a welcoming ceremony was attended only by the media and officials. As the final countdown to the July 23 opening ceremony begins, the mood is far from the usual festive Olympic spirit. Tokyo will be under a virus state of emergency from today until August 22, putting a further dampener on an already unusual Olympics. The measures, which mostly limit alcohol sales, restaurant opening hours and crowd sizes, come as infections rise in the capital and with authorities concerned about the spread of the Delta variant. Given the decision, organisers said Thursday they would bar spectators from venues in Tokyo and three surrounding areas, where most competition will happen. A handful of events will be held elsewhere in the country with some fans in
attendance. The move disappointed fans and athletes alike, with Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios saying it tipped the scale as he wavered on whether to compete. “The thought of playing in front of empty stadiums just doesn’t sit right with me. It never has,” he said on social media, announcing his withdrawal. But others said they were grateful for the chance to take part, with US swimmer Katie Ledecky saying the Games would still be “a really beautiful thing”. In Tokyo, Governor Yuriko Koike received the Olympic flame in a lantern at a ceremony in an empty stadium. The nationwide torch relay was supposed to stoke excitement about the Games, but almost half the legs have been taken off public roads or otherwise altered because of virus concerns. Despite the disruptions, Koike said the flame’s passage offered “hope” that she said torch-bearers would “carry into the Olympic stadium”. When the cauldron is lit on July 23, only dignitaries and officials will be in the stands at the 68,000-capacity National Stadium in central Tokyo. No one is happy On Thursday night, Koike told reporters she felt “heartbreaking grief” about the decision to bar fans, but
organisers said they had no choice given the rise in infections and new emergency measures. Japan has so far recorded around 14,900 virus deaths, despite avoiding harsh lockdowns, and organisers had hoped to have up to 10,000 local fans in venues after being forced to bar overseas spectators. The spread of the more contagious Delta variant, paired with a comparatively low vaccination rate — just 16 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated — put paid to those plans. The financial impact of the decision is comparatively small, with projected revenues for all Olympic and Paralympic tickets accounting for just around US$800 million compared to an approximately US$15billion Tokyo 2020 budget. A decision on Paralympic spectators will be taken after the Olympics end. And French decathlete Kevin Mayer, who won silver in Rio 2016, said the roar of crowds was only one aspect of competition. “They are taking away part of the joy of sport,” he told a press conference. “But we should not forget why we play sports.” “I’m being given the opportunity to express myself in a way not given to everyone, in the biggest competition that exists.”
Q
UILLAN, France, (Reuters) - Bauke M o l l e m a completed a bold, vintage solo raid to claim his second Tour de France win in 11 participations at the end of the 14th stage, a rough 183.7-km ride from Carcassonne yesterday. Austrian Patrick Konrad took second place, with Colombia’s Sergio Higuita coming home third, both one minute four seconds off the pace. S l o v e n i a n Ta d e j Pogacar retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey at the end of a hot day in southwestern France, on roads peppered with short but brutal climbs. “I knew I had a good chance to make it to the end, I paced myself and when I saw I had a minute at the top of the last climb I knew it was done,” said Mollema, who sped away from the breakaway group on a descent with 42 kilometres to
go. “A few days ago, I had checked the course on Google Maps, especially the last 60 kilometres. I waited for the right moment to attack. “I felt I had good legs in the breakaway and my confidence grew,” added Mollema, who had won his first Tour stage in 2017 in similar fashion and has six top-10 finishes on grands tours. It is the Trek-Segafredo rider’s fourth major victory after he also won the Giro di Lombardia ‘Monument’ classic in 2019 and the Clasica San Sebastian in 2016. The 34-year-old said he learned from his mistakes in the Giro d’Italia earlier this year. “I made some mistakes, after one week only I was too eager to go in a breakaway and I spent too much energy, that killed me for the rest of the Giro,” he explained.
There was one major change in the general classification, however, as France’s Guillaume Martin jumped from ninth to second after taking part in the day’s breakaway. Pogacar leads Martin by 4:04, with Colombian Rigoberto Uran in third place, 5:18 behind the defending champion. Canadian Michael Woods snatched the polkadot jersey for the mountains classification despite a crash after a two-man battle over the climbs with Dutch Wout Poels. “I’m the first Canadian to wear it and I’m proud of that,” said Woods. “On the crash, it’s my fault, I got in front because it was a dangerous descent but my wheel slipped.” Today’s 15th stage is a lung-busting 191.3-km mountain trek to Andorra as the race reaches its highest point at the Port d’Envalira, 2,408 metres above sea level.
Bauke Mollema’s only other stage win at the Tour de France came in 2017. (Reuters)
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Barty emulates idol Goolagong to claim first Wimbledon title
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O N D O N , (Reuters) - Ash Barty joined an illustrious list of Australian names etched on Wimbledon silverware as she beat Karolina Pliskova in a nerve-shredding final to become the first woman from Down Under to win the singles title for 41 years yesterday. The 25-year-old world number one looked on course for an embarrassingly easy triumph as Pliskova suffered one of the worst starts ever seen in a Wi m b l e d o n f i n a l , b u t eventually needed her best to claim a 6-3 6-7(4) 6-3 victory. After Pliskova struck a backhand into the net following one hour and 55 minutes of see-sawing action, Barty sank to her knees in realisation of fulfilling a childhood dream. With tears running down her cheeks she then climbed into the stands towards her team, a tradition started by compatriot Pat Cash when he won the men’s singles in 1987. When she returned to the lush grass, she spoke of her joy of emulating her idol Evonne Goolagong who won the first of her two Wimbledon titles 50 years ago, before adding her second in 1980, since when no Australian woman had won the singles. Barty, like Goolagong,
takes great pride in her indigenous heritage and has worn a scalloped-edged retro outfit in honour of the Australian trailblazer. “I said just keep fighting,” Barty, whose participation at Wimbledon had been in doubt after she withdrew from the French Open last month with a hip injury, said on court after r e c e i v i n g t h e Ve n u s Rosewater Dish from the Duchess of Cambridge. “Kaja (Karolina) brought out the very best of me today. It took me a long time to verbalise that I wanted to win this incredible tournament... being able to live out my dream right now is better then I ever could have imagined. “I didn’t sleep a lot last night and as I was thinking of all the what ifs but I felt at home out on the court. “I hope I made Evonne proud.” Barty won her maiden Grand Slam at the 2019 French Open but joining the likes of Goolagong, Margaret Court, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and John Newcombe as a Wimbledon champion cements her name amongst Australian sporting greats. “So happy for you, our dreams come true, what a fight,” four-time Wimbledon champion Laver said on Twitter. Not since 1977 had two f i r s t - t i m e Wi m b l e d o n
finalists gone head to head in the women’s championship match. But for the first set only one showed up. WORST NIGHTMARE Eighth seed Pliskova, whose previous Grand Slam final ended in defeat at the U.S. Open in 2016, suffered e v e r y p l a y e r ’s w o r s t nightmare as she froze solid. Her feet seemed stuck in clay, her arms in a straight jacket and her mind in a fog as Barty helped herself to the first 14 points of the match with clinical precision. It felt like a slow motion train crash and the 15,000 Centre Court crowd did not know whether to watch or turn their faces away out of respect for the suffering Czech. When she got on the scoreboard thanks to a Barty error, a huge cheer broke the tension and Pliskova smiled awkwardly. A double fault left her 0-4 down though and it was hard to see how she would win a game, let alone the title. With Barty rampant, it looked as though she might not require much more than the 23 minutes it took Suzanne Lenglen to defeat Molla Mallory in 1922, the shortest final on record. But gradually the 29y e ar- o ld P l i s k o v a d efrosted and she broke Barty’sserve to love to win her first game, only to
Australia’s Ashleigh Barty holds the trophy after winning her final match against Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova. (REUTERS/Toby Melville) surrender serve for the third time in the match. En route to the final, she had been broken only four times and served 54 aces. Barty got bogged down in the mediocrity and she lost consecutive games before sealing a bizarre opener in 28 minutes. W h e n P l i s k o v a ’s gremlins returned with two double faults to drop serve early in the second set,the title loomed for Barty. But the Queenslander began to tighten up and incredibly, after what had gone before, she found herself serving to stay in the second set at 4-5 as Pliskova’s power game
began to click. P l i k s o v a ’s f r a g i l i t y returned though and she surrendered serve from 40-0 at 5-5 to give Barty the chance to serve for the title, 10 years after winning the girls’ singles. A succession of nervy forehands errors handed Pliskova a lifeline, however, to take the set into a tiebreak. Lady Luck seemed to be smiling on Pliskova as she got a cruel netcord at 4-2 to drag Barty out of position before the Czech belted away a smash to huge cheers from the crowd. Barty then doublefaulted to send the final into a
deciding set for the first time since 2012. After surviving a nervy opening, Barty was gifted a break when Pliskova netted the simplest of volleys. Pliskova hung on gamely at 2-5 to make Barty serve for the title, which on an afternoon of shredded nerves was never going to be a foregone conclusion. Barty slammed a forehand volley into the net at 30-30 with an open court gaping. But she shrugged that off to save the break point and bring up match point with an ace. One was all she needed as her dream became a reality.
Hsieh wins third Wimbledon doubles title, this time with Mertens Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei (right) and Elise Mertens celebrate with their trophies. (Reuters)
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O N D O N (Reuters) Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei claimed her third Wimbledon doubles title with a third different partner as she and Elise Mertens hung on to claim victory in a marathon final against Russian duo Veronika Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina yesterday. The Taiwanese-Belgian duo saved match points on the way to claiming a 3-6 7-5 9-7 win on Centre Court. It was the second successive Wimbledon doubles crown for Hsieh who joined forces with recently-retired Barbora Strycova to win the title in 2019. She also won the title in 2013 with Peng Shuai.
This time it was Mertens, the newly-installed No.1 ranked women’s doubles player, who she teamed up with to great effect. Unseeded Kudermetova and Vesnina had two match points at 5-4 in the second set, the second one producing an incredible rally that Hsieh eventually won with a volley. As the third set went on and on, the 35-year-old Hsieh then finished off a gripping contest with a backhand winner. “That felt like seven hours,” Mertens said of the two-and-a-half hour battle on a packed Centre Court. “There were nerves but we managed it well in the end. “We are very happy that we could close it out.”
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Sunday July 11, 2021
Cheruiyot puts Olympic disappointment aside to clinch Diamond League win (Reuters) eigning world c h a m p i o n T i m o t h y Cheruiyot got sweet redemption after coming up short at Kenya’s Olympic team trials last month, winning the men’s 1,500m in a world-leading 3 minutes and 28.28 seconds at Friday’s Diamond League meet in Monaco. The 25-year-old finished fourth at the Kenyan trials and told reporters his poor performance came after a family tragedy. “I missed competition a lot after spending a lot of time in Kenya where I had a few issues like my hamstring injury and after also losing a relative in my family on the day of the Kenyan trials explaining why I missed out on making the team,” said Cheruiyot. “I am therefore happy I am back again after all this.” His was one of handful of
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Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot celebrates winning the men’s 1500m. (REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes)
world-leading times put up in a blockbuster meet, with 2012 Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos winning the men’s 800m in 1:42.91, Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma clinching the men’s 3,000m steeplechase in 8:07.75 and Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon
clinching the women’s 1,500m in 3:51.07. The 27-year-old Kipyegon, who returned to competition in 2019 after taking two years off for the birth of her daughter, defeated 2019 world champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands by more
AIBA President meets with athletes at EUBC Junior European Boxing C/ships
than two-and-a-half seconds. “I knew Sifan was going for a fast race and my goal was to run a fast race here,” the Kenyan said.
“I came back after giving birth and I feel like a role model for the young mothers out there and the young athletes. I hope to show them that when you go for maternity leave, this does not mean the end of your career. You can come back strong and win races.” In the men’s 100m, American Ronnie Baker upset a stacked field to clinch his second back-to-back Diamond League win in 9.91 seconds, with his compatriot Trayvon Bromell finishing a disappointing fifth in 10.01, after winning the U.S. Olympic trials last month. “Overall this year is probably the most technically sound I have been,” said Baker, 27, who finished second at the U.S. team trials to clinch a spot in the Olympics for the first
time in his career. “I feel confident going into Tokyo. I felt confident before I won this race.” K a r s t e n Wa r h o l m followed up his world record performance eight days ago with another Diamond League win, clinching the men’s 400m hurdles in a meet record 47.08 seconds. The Norwegian broke Kevin Young’s 29-year-old hurdles record in a blazing 46.70secs in Oslo last week, cementing his status as one of the favourites at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. “For me it is about being consistent. It was also a bit of an untidy race at the end that is something I need to learn to improve,” said the 25year-old reigning world champion, who will return home for a training week before a pre-camp in Japan.
Half-centuries for Williams and Gajnabi but Pakistan Women ‘A’ Team win Shabika Gajnabi
Rashada Williams
AIBA President Umar Kremlev (centre back row) take a photo with some of the boxers at the Junior European Championships recently. (AIBA)
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Yesterday, in Tbilisi, President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Umar Kremlev held a meeting with the participants of EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships 2021. AIBA President always uses the opportunity to organize personal meetings with athletes during his visits to international competitions. The President greeted boxers, asked if they are satisfied with the organization of the championships, with the refereeing and judging and promised to do everything from his side to ensure that every participant in any
competition held under the auspices of AIBA felt protected and comfortable. Mr. Kremlev also presented boxing equipment to athletes and took group photos with them. ‘The most important thing for us are our boxers. Each of you can contact me at any time for help and support and be sure that it will be provided. AIBA promise all boxers fair judging, a comfortable environment and the confidence that their interests are the first priority’, Mr. Kremlev said. The final bouts of the EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships are set for today July 11.
T. J O H N ’ S , A n t i g u a - We s t Indies Women ‘A’ Team lost the first 50-over match of the threematch series against Pakistan Women ‘A’ Team by 9 wickets at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua yesterday. Rashada Williams (70) and Shabika Gajnabi (56) both struck half centuries with the bat, but it was not enough from stopping defeat. After the match, Williams told CWI media she was happy with her scoring, “I can’t find words to express how I feel right
now but it was a good day while batting. It was just for us (partnership with Gajnabi) to basically communicate, there were a lot of singles and bad balls would come so we just say we’d stick to our game plan... I think our bowling failed us (that’s where we lost the
game) we bowled a lot of wides but we just need to go back to the drawing board and adjust so we can overcome for the rest of the series.” Both teams play the second 50-overs match on July 13 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
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16-member Guyana team for Olympics - Swimmers leave today Ye s t e r d a y a t t h e i r Lilliendaal Headquarters, the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) held their final press conference ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that gets underway from the 23rd of this month to August 8th. Present at the media brief were President of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) K.A. J u m a n - Ya s s i n , w h o announced that Garfield Wiltshire will be the ChefDe-Mission of the 15member contingent representing the Golden Arrowhead at the quadrennial games. In an invited comment with Kaieteur Sport, Wiltshire, who is a former multiple time Caribbean Squash Champion and Treasurer of the GOA, made special mention and thanks to Eureka Medical Laboratory that have sponsored a total of 16 PCR tests for the team. J u m a n - Ya s s i n a l s o revealed that Angelica Holder, who was selected by the Guyana Physiotherapists
From left, Garfield Wiltshire, Julian Edmonds (Athletics Coach), Idi Lewis (Table Tennis Coach), Emanuel Archibald, Angelica Holder, K.A. Juman-Yassin, Aleka Persaud, Shyka Gonsalves and Deion Nurse at the briefing. Association, will be serving as the Covid-19 Officer of the team. During the brief she explained her very important duties, “Everyone travelling to Tokyo will be undergoing daily testing, twice a day. I would have to report on the current status of everyonecoaches, officials and athletes- including myself, on whether negative or positive results have been submitted.” “I would also have to make arrangements with Tokyo if we have any persons testing positive, to
get them isolated or get them to the hospital if symptoms are present. Luckily, I’m also a Physiotherapist who worked in the COVID unit so I can also handle any severe respiratory distress.” Juman-Yassin revealed that he won’t be heading to the Olympics but Aliann Pompey will be there as the Athlete Representative at the Games. The swimming team of Shyka Persaud (Coach), Aleka Persaud and Andrew Fowler are schedule to depart Guyana ahead of the rest of the contingent.
Juvonna Cornette for Central Arizona College on a full Scholarship The KMPA Foundation in a release disclosed that Juvonna Cornette of Tytans Athletics Club has been accepted into Central Arizona College on a full Scholarship. Juvonna Cornette, happens to be the daughter of one of Guyana’s former National Sprint Champions, Junior Cornette. Juvonna, who went to Diamond Secondary School on the East Bank of Demerara and lives in Little Diamond and would be studying Business and Professional Industries at Central Arizona College, is self driven, self motivated and is determined to become an Olympian and represent Guyana at the 2024 Olympic Games. Juvonna, who ran a PR of 11.90 in the 100m and a PR of 24.85 in the 200m said that she’s confident of running a sub11 time and definitely under 23 seconds for the 200m. Juvonna said April this year was the best month for her and being fully accepted into Central Arizona College was the crowning moment. She explained that although she had dreamed of one day going on to college, she became more determined last year. ‘I don’t know if you guys remember, but last year the KMPA Foundation under the leadership of Coach Andy Medas-King invited 14 of us to compete in the USA at the New Balance National in New York City, everything was going well until the Pandemic hit and we were stuck there for 4 months. During that
Coach Andy Medas-King has been instrumental in highlighting opportunities for Guyanese athletes to enhance their academics and athletics and organise varying forms of aid. time we were exposed to some high quality training and I was wondering if I should continue or quit because I have never trained that hard before in my life, but then my father spoke with me and then I realized that in order to make it I have to work extra hard. What (Continued on page 65)
The full team reads as follows. Garfield Wiltshire- Chefde-Mission Angelica HolderC O V I D L i a i s o n Officer/Physiotherapist Deion Nurse- Secretary General Aliann Pompey- Athlete Representative Julian Edmonds-
Athletics Manager/Coach Denzel AbramsAthletics Coach Idi Lewis- Table Tennis Coach Sebert Blake- Boxing Coach Shyka GonsalvesSwimming Coach Aliyah Abrams(Athlete) Women’s 400m Jasmine Abrams-
(Athlete) Women’s 100m Emanuel Archibald(Athlete) Men’s 100m Chelsea Edghill(Athlete) Women’s Table Tennis Keevin Allicock(Athlete) 52-57kg Boxing Aleka Persaud- (Athlete) 50m Freestyle Andrew Fowler(Athlete) 100m Freestyle