Guyana Times Daily

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Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3217

Sunday, May 21, 2017

PRICE

4500 lbs chicken disappear weekly from Psychiatric Hospital

… patients given bread, sausage daily … investigation launched

1 dead, 1 critical after car crashes into cows

$120 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE: Law books vendetta

LexisNexis P3 denies subscription was with AG's Chambers … says Nandall registered over 10 years ago

Page 10

Extrajudicial killings Inquiry

Why start with 2000?

Page 9

Page 2

– asks prior victims’ survivors

Cop dies after crashing into motorcycle at Leguaan P8

PPP calls for update on draft Juvenile Justice Bill

…as Govt goes P15 silent on overdue legislation

An evening of elegance ended on Friday as Sangeeta Bahadur (centre) walked away with the Miss India-Guyana 2017 crown at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown. In photo are from left: fourth runner-up Samantha Chunilall, second runner-up Cynthia Dookie, first runner-up Ashmini Ramnauth and third runner-up Sarah Rajkarran

Drug, staff shortages Deeds Registry staff a major issue at threatened Charity Hospital

by HR Page 9

Pages 12&14

… standard significantly dropped at facility – Dr Mahadeo … more shortage reported at Muritaro health post

– ordered to stop reporting to Registrar

Region 8 flooding

CDC, Public Health Ministry sends P11 relief to residents

…Global Technology, iNet lend support

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NEWS

SUnDAY, may 21, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

1 dead, 1 critical after car crashes into cows

T

wenty-one-yearold Riaz Khan of Lot 38, Block “A” Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo was allegedly driving a motor car at a fast rate along the East Bank Essequibo roadway in the wee hours of Saturday, as he and four others tried to catch the ferry that would transport them to the Essequibo Coast (Region Two), where they were to attend a function.

At about 2:30h, while in the village of Philadelphia,

East Bank Essequibo (EBE), he slammed the vehicle into three cows that were lying on the roadway.

The car reportedly toppled several times before coming to a halt, and the impact of this collision caused residents to rush out of their homes to lend assistance to the crash victims.

They were rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, where Khan, a teacher at the Guyana Islamic Institute, succumbed to his injures while one Ramzan,

of Adventure, Essequibo Coast remains there in critical condition. The other three occupants of the vehicle were treated at a private medical facility, while one was admitted a patient. The three cows involved in the accident were also killed.

Farah Khan, mother of the dead man, told Guyana Times she had known that her son was to travel to the Essequibo Coast, but she was not aware when he left home. She said the family

received a telephone call at about 03:00h, informing them about the accident; and her husband rushed to the scene, only to see his son’s body lying motionless on the roadway. Assisted by public-spirited persons, her husband rushed the injured men to the Leonora Hospital, where her son was pronounced dead on arrival. He had sustained severe injuries to his head and other parts of his body.

The four other occupants of the car were reDead: Riaz Khan

ferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, but were taken to a private city hospital after medical treatment was not immediately forthcoming at the GPHC. Relatives of the injured men have reported waiting for quite some time at the GPHC without their loved

ones being attended to.

Riaz’s mother added that he had been the second of her four children, and had taught at the Islamic School ever since completing his secondary education.

Guyana Times understands that stray animals are prevalent on the western corridor between Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara and Parika, East Bank Essequibo.

This information has brought into contention the scrapping of the Stray Animal Unit that was knocked under the table by Minister Khemraj Ramjattan upon his assumption to office. The Stray Cattle Unit had been implemented by former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee under the PPP/C regime. (Bhisham Mohamed)

NEWS

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Sunday, May 21 – 13:30h-15:00h and Monday, May 22 – a night retraction at 02:00h and a day retraction from 14:30h- 16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, May 21 – 12:45h-14:15h and Monday, May 22 – 13:45h-15:15h.

FERRY SCHEDULE Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Heavy to thundery rain showers can be expected in the morning, while light rain showers are expected to give way to sunshine in the afternoon.

Clear to partly cloudy skies can be expected in the evening, with temperatures ranging between 25 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to Easterly between 3.57 metres and 5.81 metres.

High Tide: 00:33h and 13:01h reaching maximum heights of 2.36 metres and 2.40 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 06:32h and 18:59h reaching minimum heights of 0.86 metre and 0.77 metre respectively.

SATURDAY, May 20, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS N

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FREE TICKET

DAILY MILLIONS 01 02 07 13

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DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

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SunDAY, May 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Law books vendetta

LexisNexis denies subscription was with AG’s Chambers L

exisNexis, the publishers of the commonwealth law reports for which former Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall was recently charged, has denied that the arrangement ever existed with the AG’s Chambers.

Instead, the publishers have stated that the account was and always has been under Nandlall’s name. According to correspondence from the publishers after checks with their records database, the account is over 10 years old and is still active.

“During the year 2012, we were instructed by Mr Mohabir Anil Nandlall to directly deliver the said Law reports and correspondence to him (at the Attorney General Chambers, 95 Carmichael Street),” the United Kingdom based publishers stated.

“We are unable to find any subscriptions for Law reports of the Commonwealth for the Government of Guyana or the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Ministry of Legal Affairs from 2012 to 2015 and even up to present,” the publishers made known in their correspondence The fact that Nandlall was receiving the books on his personal behalf and not the Government’s, contradicts the charges brought against him by members of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).

In fact, Nandlall’s case had to be adjourned until May 29, after SOCU could not furnish statements requested by Nandlall and his legal team. The prosecution was forced to request time to complete their investigation in order to present complete statements, causing Nandlall’s legal representatives to question on

what grounds he was even charged.

The charges detailed that between May 15 and May 29, 2015, while being a bailee (custodian), he had fraudulently converted to his own use and benefit 14 Commonwealth Law Reports, valued $2.3 million – which SOCU alleges he unlawfully retained after demitting office in 2015.

After his first appearance in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Nandlall had told the media he was not surprised by the charge, which he stated was a long time coming after he had begun criticising the performance of Attorney General Basil Williams.

“I don’t think anyone would be surprised by the turn of events. The Attorney General promised over a year ago that, should I continue to publicly criticise him, he will make these law books an issue and I will be charged,” Nandlall claimed.

“This has nothing to do with the law books. As I indicated earlier, it has a political and sinister motive.

(But) the State will expend millions of taxpayers’ money to prosecute this charge, and it will go nowhere.”

Nandlall had reiterated that part of the package he had negotiated with former President Donald Ramotar was that the State would pay his subscrip-

tion for the law books with United Kingdom publisher LexisNexis. He insisted that Government could not produce any document to verify actually buying his law books.

Nandlall’s ownership of the law books has already been backed by the High Court. Just days before he was charged, Nandlall had filed legal action in the High Court and was granted an order effectively blocking ranks of the SOCU from seizing the law books, which were at the time subject of a Police investigation.

The conservatory order was granted by acting Chief Justice Roxane George.

Nandlall had presented documents to support his arguments that the Government had taken over the payment of his personal subscription to the 14 Commonwealth Law Books as a condition of his service.

SOCU had launched an investigation into the ownership of the law books soon after Nandlall filed a lawsuit against Williams for libel and slander pertaining to his utterances regarding the books in April of this year.

In addition to questioning the former Attorney General, SOCU ranks also visited former President Donald Ramotar at the Office of the Opposition Leader to verify if indeed an arrangement was made for the Government to pay for Nandlall’s law books, which he confirmed.

SOCU officers had then obtained a warrant to take possession of the law books, but Nandlall had stated that they were at one of his premises, and he was unable to access the premises, because the person who had the keys was currently overseas.

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guyanatimesgy.com

sunDAY, may 21, 2017

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

Voting counts T

he Carter Center last week issued a 146-page report of its analysis of our 2015 General Elections. As it had done in previous elections, it included several recommendations which, in its estimation, would lead to a more equitable and stable system of governance in our country. The latter condition has, over the past century, proven to be rather elusive, notwithstanding the protestations of first the colonial power, and subsequently, the politicians that succeeded them.

While, at the most general level, the quest was stated as increasing the “democratic credentials” of the Government, the nature of our severely ethnically divided polity has posed challenges in operationalising the meaning of “rule by the people, for the people and of the people.” At our first general elections, held in 1953 under universal adult suffrage following the model in Britain, we utilised a “first past the post” electoral system in an electorate that was divided into geographical “constituencies”. The candidate garnering the most votes within each constituency was “elected” to the legislature, and PPP candidates won 18 out of 24 constituencies.

The same system was used in 1957 and 1961, but by then the PPP had been split, and the faction led by Mr Forbes Burnham pointed out that the number of total votes secured in all of the constituencies did not translate into a proportional number of seats in the legislature.

While, in Britain, the system had not precipitated such objections beyond academic comment, it was retained because the value of having representatives who were clearly identified with geographical constituencies was adjudged to outweigh the lack of equity. In Guyana, however, because of the ethnic cleavages along which the votes were increasingly being distributed, the system led to an objectionable ethnic underrepresentation in the legislature.

Mr Burnham’s faction -- the “PNC” by 1958 -- called for a system of voting called “Proportional Representation” (PR), which would rectify the anomaly. There were several variants of the latter system, but the one selected by the British made the entire country a single constituency; and after all the votes were counted, the seats to the legislature were apportioned in proportion to the total number of votes won by each competing party.

Ironically, the British claimed they chose PR to reduce the effect of ethnic voting -- by encouraging a proliferation of parties that would be encouraged to compete, since there were no minimum required cut-offs, and even 1% of the vote may secure a seat. This, however, had already been shown not to deliver that outcome in Israel, the only country with such a system.

Since the middle of the 19th century, however, other forms of PR have been successfully introduced by the British in countries such as Australia. Those systems would have better served the goal which the British claimed it sought to achieve in this country’s PR election of 1964. The fact that the British actually wanted to find a mechanism to remove the PPP from office is too well known to be rehearsed.

That the PNC rigged elections to remain in office until 1992 also does not bear repetition, but the role of the Carter Center in returning “free and fair” elections in that year does. With the Center as a broker, several rules of engagement were agreed to by the political players, but history has since shown that the electoral system itself needed to be changed to secure governments that would be seen as legitimate by all sections of our still-ethnicallyriven polity.

The riots inspired by the PNC following the elections of 1997 did precipitate some changes, especially in returning a number of legislative seats from “constituencies”. In its recent report, the Carter Center suggests that this move should now “ensure geographic seats are more equitably distributed among electors.”

But more interestingly, it suggests the use of a PR method long used in Australia: “a ranked-choice voting system, to give greater incentive for candidates to appeal to more than their base voters.” (To be continued)

Philippa Charlotte “Pippa” Middleton, the younger sister of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, married millionaire hedge fund manager James Matthews at St Mark’s Church in Englefield, England on Saturday. The bridal party included the next generation of Britain’s royal family – her niece, Princess Charlotte, far left; and nephew, Prince George, second from right (CreditPool photo by Wpa)

Stultifying political progress Dear Editor, When one thinks back to the struggle for Guyana’s freedom, there is always that signal moment that all the progressive groups continue to celebrated when former President, Dr Cheddi Jagan said “there was to be no turning back now” and he then made the pledge that “he would dedicate his entire life to the struggle of the Guyanese people against bondage and exploitation”.

These are the word which launched a remarkable political struggle to free Guyana. But today, Guyana is not free as yet because even after 50 years of political independence from the British, the framework

they left behind continues to stultify the political progress of this nation where we have a winner-take-all political landscape. Today in Guyana, we have a situation where 50.3 per cent in electoral power is equal to 100 per cent of the political power. This is the situation in a society where our Constitution declares that “we the Guyanese people, forge a system of governance that promotes concerted efforts and broad-based participation in national decision-making....” (Page 30).

Constitutional changes are imperative because the system clearly is not working for the people. The voters were promised by none oth-

er than Moses Nagamootoo that within “three months of taking up office, the coalition shall appoint a commission to amend the Constitution with the full participation of the people”. It has been two years now. Isn’t this totally and absolutely dishonest of Moses Nagamootoo?

I was moved to pen this letter because there is a strong sense among many in the grassroots that we will have a military coup in 2020 if a certain party loses the election. With some 70 ex-retired soldiers in senior executive position across the Government of Guyana today, there is a school of thought that they were placed there with a political

purpose if their party loses power in 2020.

The British Government has a history of destroying the electoral future of this nation. The record books will show that Churchill’s troops tried to stop the wind of change in Guyana by suspending the Constitution in 1953. Then in 1964, the British again gerrymandered the system to allow for the smaller of the two big political forces to form the Government. The year 2020 will be the litmus test to prove commitment to democratic principles of one manone vote.

Sincerely, Lisa Ally

New technologies allow for modularly built refineries Dear Editor, Wasn’t Hatree Partners, founded by the HESS Corporation? Is the HESS Corporation a 30 per cent stakeholder in the Exxon Project? Aren’t the foreign operators looking at the Guyanese oil as a source of raw oil to fill their own internal refining capacity gaps? So why should one of their related parties recommended otherwise – vis-a-vis – a new Guyanese oil refinery? This is the million-dollar question. Is this advice from Mr Hass genuine and legitimate? If so, then I have the Brooklyn Bridge to sell to President Granger.

It is just plain and simply absurd that a consultant will proclaim that the cost to construct such a facility would be some US$5 billion. Who advised the advisor that Guyana needs a 100,000 bpd refinery? Let the record show that Guyana needs a

30,000 bpd refinery similar to Suriname with its 20,000 bpd refinery. The new technologies allow for modularly built refineries. There is always the possibly for expansion incrementally if the need arises. Such a refinery with the ancillary facilities is more likely to cost about US$2 billion (US$0.7 billion for the refinery and the rest for the ancillary services). So it was extremely discomforting to have listened to that collection of recommendations made by this consultant by way of the podcast.

The way the deal is structured is that if the wells produce approximately 100,000 bpd, then Exxon will discount the daily depreciation cost for the original investment and the daily cost of running the operations. Let us assume for discussion sake that at an average selling price of US$55 per barrel; that com-

putes to 40,000 bpd in value? That would leave 60,000 bpd to be distributed between the investors and Guyana – 50/50. In such a scenario, the contract entitles Guyana to 30,000 bpd. That is our only concern – what to do with the 30,000 barrels of oil every day. The other 70,000 is Exxon’s business and none of Guyana’s business.

Thus this recommendation by Hartree Partners and Mr Pedro Hass should be surgically scrutinised on multiple grounds, it fails to appropriately consider the merits of the oil deal, it does not take into consideration Guyana’s vested political and economic interest and most importantly, this is a one-sided suggestion that clearly shows bias towards the foreign operators. Is the game rigged against Guyana?

I must acknowledge the excellent push back from

Minister Trotman; he did his job. He did not roll over on these recommendations, he hit the nail on the head by saying the final decision will be political. This is not an exclusive economic decision, but one also grounded in national development and our need to industrialise. In this day and age when refineries are active for more than 90 years, then this investment is very suitable for the long-term investors like the international pension plans. Their only mandate is steady and longterm payback. Everyone will win if an oil refinery is built in Guyana, the workers, the local Private Sector, the international long-term investors and the Government and people of Guyana. So thank you, Mr Hass, for your time, but no thank you!

Sincerely, Sase Singh

guyanatimesgy.com

SunDAY, may 21, 2017

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News

More proactive measures needed to help abused women – activist

… suggests subsidised housing for victims, more social workers

By Jarryl Bryan

T

here have been at least two cases within the past two days of women meeting tragic ends. In both cases, the women’s lovers have been held as suspects. And in at least one case, relatives and friends have reported that the victim was known to be in an abusive relationship.

According to women’s rights activist and Commissioner on the Women and Gender Equality Commission, Nicole Cole, there is a pressing need for the Government to do more to prevent more women from losing their lives to the scourge of domestic violence.

In an interview with Guyana Times, the activist said that proactive, rather than reactive measures were called for. These measures, according to Cole, include subsidised housing for women who are trapped in abusive relationships due to poverty.

“Certainly, a proactive measure that is needed in Guyana is Government subsidised housing for women who want to leave an abusive relationship but have nowhere to go,” she said. “(Some) women remain trapped in abusive relationships because there is no alternative housing. Women’s poverty (sometimes) forces them to remain in abusive relationships.” She also noted that in some cases, women are still being brutally murdered even though they have protection orders against their abusers. According to Cole, the fact that perpetrators of these heinous crimes seem to have no fear of protec-

Dead: Shenika London

tion orders means that the laws to protect women in Guyana are “impotent.” She suggested a femicide law be enacted.

This was the case in the death of 29-year-old Dhanwantie Ram, a Parika, East Bank Essequibo, mother of three who was found strangled on a sofa, with a bed sheet wrapped around her neck last month. Her husband of 12 years was arrested for the crime, after leading the Police on a manhunt.

Reports indicate that the woman and the suspect had an abusive marriage.

Because of the abuse Ram faced, she left her martial home with her three children a few days before she was killed. She had reportedly also obtained a restraining order.

Ganesh Dhanraj, the woman’s husband, had reportedly gone to the home of the victim and demanded that she return to his home.

He reportedly assaulted her after she refused to comply with his demand.

On the day Ram was murdered, she was reportedly making her way to the

Parika Police Station to lodge a report.

She is not the only woman for whom a restraining order proved unable to prevent her gruesome end.

There is also the case of Bhartie Udho, who was attacked and brutally chopped late last year. At the time of her death, a restraining order had been initiated against her paramour.

Another woman, Geeta Boodhoo, was attacked in 2014 after taking out a restraining order against her husband. While she survived her attack, her mother, Bibi Zalima Khan; daughter Ashley Boodhoo and friend Floyd Drakes were not so lucky.

In another case, a 30-year-old labourer is alleged to have bypassed a restraining order his estranged paramour, Shelly Norton, had taken against him.

Marc Angoy is alleged to have shot oneyear-old Arian Gill and also his daughter, Ashley Wellington. Gill died from her injuries. He subsequently turned himself into Police.

More social workers

Meanwhile, Cole stated that there was a need for community counselling centres, as well as more social workers to be employed to assist with the many abuse cases. She stated that measures such as incentives can be used to attract more people to the profession.

“Who will provide counselling for the two-year-old who saw the brutal killing of her mother?” Cole queried. “Who will help the other siblings cope with the murder of their mother?”

This is a reference to Shenika London, 37, who was allegedly fatally stabbed by her husband at her home at Amelia’s Ward, Mackenzie, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) on May 19, 2017. London’s youngest child is two years old and is reported to have witnessed the killing.

London was the sister of popular disc jockey Akelo “DJ Akelo” Elliot.

A blood stained knife suspected to be the murder weapon was reportedly found at the scene. Her body bore multiple stab wounds.

It is unclear what trans-

Twenty-nine-year-old Dhanwantie Ram

pired between the couple who resided at the home they shared with the deceased’s mother, as several neighbours reported they did not see or hear anything unusual before they saw the now dead woman running outside.

In a separate case the day before, a 26-year-old teacher attached to the Goed Fortune Secondary School was on Wednesday afternoon found dead in a house

at La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.

According to relatives, Tishaun Bess was last seen by her mother on Monday after she had returned from work. However, the now dead teacher did not show up to the school on Tuesday, as well as Wednesday, which prompted her family to file a Police report.

It was when the family, escorted by Police Officers, visited the home of the deceased that they found her lifeless body hanging from the ceiling. It was reported that she may have been there for approximately two days. The relatives of the deceased indicated that the relationship shared between the woman and her boyfriend was an abusive one. As such, despite the incident initially appearing to be an act of suicide, they speculated that foul play was involved in the death of the teacher.

Furthermore, one family member pointed out that the lover was last seen on Tuesday and only ‘resurfaced’ after Bess’s body was found. As such, the man was taken into Police custody where he remains under investigation.

International practices

Over the years, the United Nations (UN) has been pushing countries towards implementing proactive measures to combat domestic violence.

These measures have included criminalising gender-based violence, massive public awareness campaigns and providing training to equip both men and women to act as first responders and to support victims of the scourge at the

Women’s rights activist, Nicole Cole

community level.

Such programmes have seen their target zones being communities where there is a high level of alcohol abuse. Interactive social media platforms have also been encouraged to play their part in arresting intimate partner violence.

UN Women – a UN entity created specifically for gender equality and empowering women – has also been doing its part with member states. Some of the things it advocates are community mobilisation and educational programmes.

Besides preventative mechanisms, however, some countries have gotten tough on convicted abusers. One such country is Guyana’s neighbour, Brazil, a country with high levels of violence against women.

Legislation was made law by former President Dilma Rousseff, altering the criminal code to make crimes involving domestic violence a hate crime. The law saw Brazil’s maximum sentence raised from three years to 30.

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Foundation

Anger management for children and parents

“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence” – Denis Waitley

T

Anu Dev

his Friday, we commemorate our 50+1 Independence milestone. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not too old to be as a nation. But having completed four years of living in Trinidad (albeit a bit sequestered at Mt Hope!) the experience did give me a perspective for comparison, since the Trinis were also a colony of Britain and they became independent only four years before us.

We can do worse than begin with our educational system – starting with the curricula and physical infrastructure, since this is where we would, by and large, create the generation that would give us a chance to catch up with our neighbours in Caricom – not to speak about the powerhouses in the East. It’s pretty hard to compete in a globalised world when your school’s not plugged in to

the World Wide Web from the primary grades. While I’ve been reading of the moves to improve our connectivity, we have to move faster.

But even more importantly than the curricula and the labs and computers etc, is the importance of getting young people to think critically. I think it’s rather unfortunate that, in Guyana, we rely too much on rote learning in our school system.

The teacher is supposed to pass on a particular amount of information at each grade level, which the students are supposed to regurgitate in several exams every few years. We have the classic “teach to the test” approach. This is not good enough.

This occurs even in the science subjects which are supposed to emphasise empirical knowledge that is tested experimen-

tally before being accepted. One “crams” the information, rather than integrating it into a coherent framework through trial and error, thus it does not become a tool for processing other information that will be offered in life.

Another problem encountered in the school system is that the subjects across the various “streams” aren’t used to shed light on common issues; which, after all, in real life, cannot be locked away in different boxes.

I really believe that it is the cultivation of our faculties for critical thinking that will finally make us be really “independent”.

Trinidadians have been enjoying their oil wealth ever since they became independent, but presently they are exhibiting all the symptoms exhibited by addicts when in “withdraw-

al”. With the downturn in production after their oil reserves began to be depleted at the same time that a severe fall in oil prices occurred, most of my Trini fellow students are worrying what would happen when the scholarships are cut and the system cannot absorb as many doctors as are being produced. They are worried about how “independent” they will be in the next decade. They are worried they may have to come to Guyana!!

The lesson for us in Guyana is that we have to look ahead, and plan carefully and strategically as to how we would spend our oil money when it begins flowing. There is a fancy term the economists use: intergenerational wealth, which simply means that my generation in school shouldn’t get locked out of enjoying the oil and resource wealth because the present generation would have spent it all!! Apart from the personal interest, this would mean we are, in a few decades, going to return right where we began. And that is not what critical thinking would advise us if we want to remain independent.

B

(Continued from Saturday)

e ready to show affection. Sometimes all that is needed for any angry child to regain control is a sudden hug or other impulsive show of affection.

Children with serious emotional problems, however, may have trouble accepting affection.

Ease tension through humour. Kidding the child out of a temper tantrum or outburst offers the child an opportunity to “save face.” However, it is important to distinguish between face-saving humour and sarcasm, teasing, or ridicule.

Appeal directly to the child. Tell him or her how you feel and ask for consideration. For example, a parent or a teacher may gain a child’s cooperation by saying, “I know that noise you’re making doesn’t usually bother me, but today I’ve got a headache, so could you find something else you’d enjoy doing?”

Explain situations. Help the child understand the cause of a stressed situation. We often fail to realize how easily young children can begin to react properly once they understand the cause of their frustration.

Use physical restraint. Occasionally a child may lose control so completely that he has to be physically restrained or removed from the scene to prevent him from hurting himself or others. This may also “save face” for the child.

Physical restraint or removal from the scene should not be viewed by the child as punishment but as a means of saying, “You can’t do that.” In such situations, an adult cannot afford to lose his or her temper and unfriendly remarks by other children should not be tolerated.

Encourage children to see their strengths as well as their weaknesses. Help them to see that they can reach their goals.

Use promises and rewards. Promises of future pleasure can be used both to start and to stop behaviour. This approach should not be compared with bribery. We must know what the child likes–what brings him pleasure–and we must deliver on our promises.

Say “NO!” Limits should be clearly explained and enforced. Children should be free to function within those limits.

Tell the child that you accept his or her angry feelings, but offer other suggestions for expressing them.

Teach children to put their angry feelings into words, rather than fists.

Build a positive self-image. Encourage children to see themselves as valued and valuable people.

Use punishment cautiously. There is a fine line between punishment that is hostile toward a child and punishment that is educational. DO NOT use physical punishment. Use time-out instead.

Model appropriate behaviour. Parents and teachers should be aware of the powerful influence of their actions on a child’s or group’s behaviour.

Teach children to express themselves verbally.

Talking helps a child have control and thus reduces acting out behaviour. Encourage the child to say, for example, “I don’t like your taking my pencil. I don’t feel like sharing just now.”

The role of discipline

Good discipline includes creating an atmosphere of quiet firmness, clarity, and conscientiousness, while using reasoning. Bad discipline involves punishment which is unduly harsh and inappropriate, and it is often associated with verbal ridicule and attacks on the child’s integrity.

As one fourth-grade teacher put it: “One of the most important goals we strive for as parents, educators, and mental health professionals is to help children develop respect for themselves and others.” While arriving at this goal takes years of patient practice, it is a vital process in which parents, teachers, and all caring adults can play a crucial and exciting role. In order to accomplish this, we must see children as worthy human beings and be sincere in dealing with them. (childdevelopmentinfo.com)

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sunDAY, may 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

8 news

SunDAY, may 14, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

Cop dies after crashing into motorcycle at Leguan P

olice Constable Shaquild Wilford of Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara met his demise when the motorcycle he was driving on patrol duty collided with another motorcycle on the Essequibo island of Leguan on Saturday morning.

Based on reports received, the bike the late constable was driving collided with another motorcycle that was backing out of a yard along the Success Access Road. He sustained severe injuries to the head and was rushed to the Leguan Medical Centre, where he was treated and referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital. He reportedly died en route to city.

The rider of the other bike, Mahindra Dhanpaul, received minor injuries and is presently in Police custo-

Dead: Shaquild Wilford

dy assisting with the investigations.

This 20-year-old Policeman had served in the GPF for the past two years, and had been stationed at the Leguan Police Station for the past three months.

On Friday, police rank

22-year-old Khrystania Yasin, also called ‘Delon’, of Lot 3-5 Sookdeo Street, Vryheid, West Canje Berbice, succumbed at the New Amsterdam Hospital to the injuries he sustained after colliding with a mentally ill woman who was pushing a stolen bicycle along the East Coast Berbice Highway. This constable had been stationed at the Whim Police Station.

He was reportedly heading home on his motorcycle, CG 7801, when he collided with 27-year-old Youlander Collins of Dazzel Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara.

The woman was at the time pushing the bicycle she had allegedly stolen from the Fort Canje Psychiatric Hospital in a quest to escape from the mental institution.

Counting…

S

Dead: Khrystania Yasin

Following that collision, both injured persons were rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital, where Yasin died while Collins was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC). She reportedly sustained a broken leg.

…barrels and ignoring tanking

ome folks are so fixated with looking at just what’s in front of their noses that they’ll end up with eggs on their faces pretty soon. One economic analyst, who writes in this paper, bigged up Trotman for hinting that his PNC-led APNU/AFC Govt might reject the advice his hired foreign expert offered on the suggested refinery; that Guyana’d be losing its shirt on such a proposition.

The analyst seems to’ve forgotten that Trotman was only talking about a refinery to offer his supporters hopes of jobs in the offing. Notice: Trotman doesn’t even mention that if his pie-in-the-sky refinery were to materialise through some fairy waving a wand, at MAX, there won’t be more than 600 jobs created! Not even 10% of the jobs to be lost in sugar!! Anyhow, back to the figures the analyst threw out to justify the refinery: it’s clear he should refine his numbers!!

He was outraged the “expert” was talking about a 100,000 bpd refinery. Starting from Exxon’s claim their production would be 100,000bpd, the analyst figured Exxon’d be getting 40,000b up front to amortise their costs. That is 40% of production @US$55/barrel.

Wherever in the world did he get that figure? Didn’t he read Trotman’s revelations that they’ve allowed Exxon to take UP TO 75%? Why would Exxon not take the max?? That’s what they’ve done in every oil play they’ve been involved in. What makes us special? Our ‘frontier” status, as they’ve described us?? That just means we’re a bunch of hicks in the sticks!!

Now, after Exxon takes its 75%, that leaves us with 25,000b to split down the middle; which is just 12,500bpd to refine. Since the analyst agrees with Trotman that the decision on a refinery isn’t necessarily an “economic” one - but is ultimately “political” - your Eyewitness wonders why he castigated Jagdeo for POSSIBLY making a political decision on Skeldon??

But, more germanely, while your Eyewitness can excuse Trotman’s ignorance about what’s going down in the oil refinery business as it relates to the biggest product - gasoline - what the analyst’s excuse?

Projections in gasoline usage were driven by the presumed market in Asia - mainly China and India.

Didn’t he know China’s now committing that electric vehicles would account for at least one-fifth of the 35 million annual vehicle sales projected by 2025?

And, even more extraordinarily, India’s heading towards electrifying ALL vehicles in the country by 2032.

And let’s not forget that Tesla’s electrifying the car market in the States. Shouldn’t the analyst be encouraging the PNC-led APNU/AFC government to move ahead with AFHEP, so we, too, can take advantage of electric cars??

But that might smack of “supporting” Jagdeo. Gasp!!

…judicial bloody noses

Your Eyewitness is a mite confused at the Chancellor’s statement: “she never stated that the Attorney General owes no apology. She said the matter is settled in court.” This is being quite disingenuous on a matter in which Basil Williams told one of her judges “I’ll take to you any way I damn well please!”

Justice Holder wrote HER, as the head of the Judiciary, informing her of the background and of his intended action -- to deny Basil Williams opportunity to plead in his court if Williams does not apologise.

And what does the Chancellor do?? Send the letter to President Granger and Basil Williams!! Your Eyewitness is still in shock! This betrays a fundamental breach of her JUDICIAL responsibilities!

The Chancellor is head of the JUDICIARY. Granger is head of the EXECUTIVE. The Judiciary is guardian of the Constitution, to ensure the Executive doesn’t step out of line. Granger states unequivocally that his man Williams didn’t do anything that calls for an apology.

And what does the Chancellor do? Dance between the raindrops!!!

…bodies after the execution

The dust still hasn’t settled over the dust-up created after the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee was denied access into the GHPC’s Pharma Bond and the head of Security’s been axed, a doctor’s been pressured out, and this is just the beginning!

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

NEWS

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SunDAY, may 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Deeds Registry staff Why start with 2000? threatened by HR Extrajudicial killings Inquiry

– asks prior victims’ survivors

R

elatives of the victims of unsolved murders are up in arms over President David Granger’s recent announcement that he would open an inquiry into extrajudicial killings that occurred from 2000 onwards.

Granger’s announcement has been met with disbelief in sections of society, since murder − the premeditated killing of a human being by another human being − does not have a statute of limitations.

Political pundits have even called the move an effective “diss” of the relatives of the victims, many of whom are still grieving for their respective losses.

Guyana Times caught up with the relatives of the victim of one such murder, which occurred more than 20 years ago but is still fresh in the memory of loved ones.

One of the most egregious high-profile cases to date sees the implicated murderer not only walking about scot free, but openly abusing the freedoms and rights of others. According to media reports at the time, on January 20, 1994, on the Mc Doom Public Road, East Bank Demerara, Mohan “Glenn” Lall, owner of the Kaieteur News, shot and killed 30-year-old resident Kevin France. He was never arrested, nor was any charge brought against him for the vigilante-style killing. Thus it is strange that Granger’s recent call for an inquiry into extrajudicial killings is being limited to between 2000 and 2009.

Lall, at the time a popular Stabroek Market stall-holder and rural con-

Kaieteur News Publisher Mohan “Glen” Lall

stable, shot France in the chest at close range with a .38 revolver.

On the day of the killing, Lall had allegedly gone to France’s McDoom residence and a confrontation with the young man’s relatives ensued.

“We have information to suggest that the two were engaged in a scuffle before the shot was fired,” the police source had said in the February 2, 1994 report.

There has never been an inquest into the circumstances of France’s killing – an action that had left his relatives dissatisfied over the years.

Before jet setting off to the Middle East this past week, the Head of State had disclosed on his “Public Interest” television programme that the matter of investigating unsolved murders was still a priority. He said, “We are working on the evidence,” and reminded that “it is still a commitment to the mothers of the children who either disappeared or died.”

Granger disclosed that the administration had already begun collecting the evidence, although not in a formal way. He said some

information has to be collected from various sources because “many of the actual eyewitnesses have been killed during the troubles.”

Granger had, in 2014, attempted to get a formal investigation kick started by the National Assembly when he tabled a motion calling for a Commission of Inquiry (COI) to investigate the incidence of criminal violence in Guyana from 2004 to 2010.

That motion had spoken specifically to the unlawful killings of Guyanese citizens, including those assassinated or executed and those who had been victims of extra-judicial killings at the hands of the ranks of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force.

Political pundits have now sought to weigh in on the President’s statement in light of his commitment to all the mothers of the victims of murders, and juxtaposed against his selective decision to exclude cases such as the “Glenn” Lall killing.

Additionally, one observer willing to speak on record told Guyana Times, that the inquiry into killings should date back to 1994. The observer noted that starting the inquiry from that year would give the families of a number of businessmen, who were cold bloodedly murdered by so called freedom fighters, the peace of mind that they have been seeking all these years.

Such an investigation, the observer added, will give those families the answers as to why their love ones were killed and who killed them.

– ordered to stop reporting to Registrar

E

mployees of the Deeds Registry were threatened with disciplinary actions if they continue to report to Deeds Registrar, Azeena Baksh.

According to a memo seen by this publication, which was released by a whistleblower, the head of the Human Resources Department at the Deeds and Commercial Registry instructed staff to stop reporting to Baksh and to report to the Deputy Registrar, Zana Frank instead.

The memo refers to a meeting held with Attorney General Basil Williams, where it was “further directed that Ms Azeena Baksh should not be signing off on any official documents for or on behalf of Deeds and Commercial Registry Authority. These documents must be signed off by Ms Zanna Frank.”

The memo goes on to threaten disciplinary action against staffers who do not follow the directive. The memo also refers to Frank as the acting Registrar. It adds that it was at the meeting with the Attorney General that a decision was taken to send Baksh on administrative leave.

However, Baksh is reported to be on medical leave due to complications from ill health. There are reports that in addition to the directive, the locks to Baksh’s office were changed to prevent her gaining access when she returns from leave.

But there are questions from whence the Legal Affairs Ministry would have gained the authority to issue directives against Baksh. Article 199 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana states that “the power to make appointments to the offices to which this article applies and to remove and to exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in such offices shall vest in the Judicial Service Commission.”

In Article 199 (3) of the constitution, the offices of the Registrar and Deputy Registrar of Deeds are cited as examples of offices which fall under the authority of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC). It is a status the JSC has had to remind Attorney General Williams of, by way of correspondence.

In a strongly worded letter to Legal Affairs Ministry Permanent Secretary Delma Nedd and copied to Williams, the JSC informed them of having received correspondence from Baksh that she was directed to go on administrative leave.

In the letter, dated April 24, the JSC reminded them that according to Article 199 (1) and 199 (3), the power over the Registrar of Deeds lies with the Commission. In this regard, the JSC requested a report on the matter to be produced and sent to it for deliberation.

Earlier this year, Williams had announced that a probe had been launched

into alleged actions of financial improprieties committed by acting Registrar of Deeds Azeena Baksh, after calls upon his Legal Affairs Ministry to do so from staff.

It was alleged that Baksh unlawfully paid herself a higher salary than was approved by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). These payments reportedly started in 2014 and continued up to the present, totalling almost $4.5 million.

Additionally, it was claimed that the Deeds Registrar also waived some $7 million of revenue owed to the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority (DCRA).

The request was allegedly made by an attorney who owed some $8.5 million, but only paid the Authority $1.5 million.

However, Baksh has refuted both of these allegations.

Also commenting on the issue, former Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, under whose tenure Baksh was appointed, explained that whatever remuneration package the Deeds Registrar was enjoying came out of consultations with the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) prior to her, along with other staff members, transferring to the DCRA. Rather, Nandlall had said that Baksh was being targeted as a victim of “political and sexist vengeance”.

Baksh is the daughter of former junior Agriculture Minister, Ali Baksh.

10 news 4500 lbs chicken disappear weekly from Psychiatric Hospital sunDAY, may 21, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

… patients given bread, sausage daily … investigation launched

F

ollowing Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence’s recent visit to the National Psychiatric Hospital at Fort Canje, East Berbice, an investigation has been launched into the delivery and utilisation of meat supplied to that institution.

Guyana Times understands that the Minister was reportedly informed that the 194 patients at this mental health facility do not receive meat in the food supplied them, but are given sausage and bread to eat daily.

This publication was told that, in some instances, four patients are forced to share one sausage, although – according to records – 4500 lbs of chicken are delivered to the facility on a regular basis.

This institution caters for persons with mental disorders, and it is imperative that they receive balanced meals with proper nutritional content. Sixty pounds of meat are slated for use with each meal served to inmates.

An official has told this publication that the Region Six Health Services

The entrance to the National Psychiatric Hospital, Canjie, Berbice

Department has given contracts for the weekly supply of only 50 pounds of meat for the entire region. This meat is then shared between the New Amsterdam Hospital, the Skeldon Hospital and the National Psychiatric Hospital. According to the regional official, the meat is so inadequate that none is delivered to the National Psychiatric Hospital; and the shortage of meat is supplemented by sausage.

However, this publication was told that the re-

cords give a different account of the state of affairs at the National Psychiatric Hospital.

Proper diet

President of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research, Felice Jacka, in her publication, “A healthy diet is protective and an unhealthy diet is a risk factor for depression and anxiety,” said in August 2015 that “a very large body of evidence now exists that suggests

diet is as important to mental health as it is to physical health.”

This newspaper was told that inmates at the psychiatric hospital can be seen in the town of New Amsterdam asking for money to buy food, or eating out of bins. Asked about the diet for the inmates, several sources close to that institution confirmed that it mostly consists of sausages, bread and pumpkin, with rice. Other vegetables are also cooked with sausages.

This publication was told that milk is also a scarce commodity in the kitchen of the National Psychiatric Hospital. The lack of supply and its consequence have been brought to the attention of the Director of Regional Health Services, Jevaughn Stephens.

Dire consequences reportedly attend an inadequate supply of nutrition to the inmates of a psychiatric facility. According to one source close to the institution, Stephens has been informed that patients are required to have a high intake of protein.

Several months ago, reports had surfaced that supplies of nutritious foods were not reaching the patients of the National Psychiatric Hospital. There were reports that cheese, chicken and fish were being pilfered from the kitchen. Security personnel were tasked with the responsibility of checking the bags of those who work in the kitchen as they exit the compound.

There will be no rock Dear Diary, This is Just Ice Holding telling you how things turned out in that matter, when that bully Bay-Zil insulted me on the bench and refused to apologise. He was always a punk, Dear Diary. He was especially a punk in law school, when Sing ran him around the campus with a broken bottle. He didn’t think the country-boy Sing would stand up to his bullying!

Like all bullies, Dear Diary, Bay-Zil is a coward with low self-esteem. But Bay-Zil has good reason for his low self-esteem: the man is such a dunce!! He makes up for his ignorance by dressing sharp and throwing his weight around. While Pressie couldn’t fire him (he’s the CHAIR, dear diary!!), he forced him to accept he was a dunce. How could he accept he needed FIVE old lawyers to help him? But back to the matter in court.

“I knew Bay-Zil would never apologise to me, Dear Diary, but time is longer than twine; he will get what’s coming to him. Whenever I see him I think of the old Slickers reggae hit from “The Harder they Come”.

Walking down the road/ With your pistol in your waist/ Bay-Zil you’re too bad Walking down the road/ With your ratchet in your waist/ Bay-Zil you’re too bad You’re just robbing and you’re stabbing and you’re looting and you’re shooting Now you’re too bad/ You’re just robbing and you’re stabbing and you’re looting and you’re shooting Now you’re too bad One of these days/ When you hear a voice say come/ Where you gonna run to One of these days/ When you hear a voice say come/ Where you gonna run to You’re gonna run to the rock for rescue/ There will be no rock/ You’re gonna run to the rock for rescue There will be no rock” As his friend Feel-Licks would say, “Right, Bannuh??”

news

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SunDAY, may 21, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

Region 8 flooding

Strengthening the Banking Supervision Framework: Foreign Exchange Reserve Management - IMF Revised Guidelines, Capital Controls and Macroprudential Regulations (Cont’d)

T

oday I will finally bring to a close this chapter on the foreign currency fiasco. Of course, if need be, I will return to it at some point. But before I begin today’s discussion, I wish to make one other important point that space would have precluded me from doing last week. Some analysts might argue against instituting capital controls in support of a free market regime.

One of the important lessons learned from the most recent global financial crisis is that some level of regulation is necessary to ensure financial stability. It would be appalling to allow a financial system to collapse, for such an outcome would be phenomenally catastrophic. In this respect, my contention of imposing capital control on the level of foreign investments by commercial banks constitutes only one facet of capital control, and hence this concept can be deemed meritorious and thus worthy of some degree of attention. Thus it is my view that commercial banks should not be allowed to engage in foreign investments, as this distorts the local foreign currency market.

They should be allowed only to have foreign assets to fund their customers’ foreign currency transactions.

Further, if one were to advance this debate in a microscopic manner, one would find that out of six commercial banks, only two engage in large foreign investments with foreign currencies they would have acquired with resources originating in the local economy. This also means that public sector funds deposited with the commercial banks are misused – meaning that funds are used to purchase foreign assets which are then invested in foreign markets to capitalise on large profits at the cost of depriving the local private sector from accommodating foreign trade transactions. This practice, in turn, hurts the local economy.

The other four commercial banks have very small amounts of investments abroad, and they also engage in more prudent and sensible lending in the local market, as well as investment instruments right here in the domestic market.

What is reserve management, and why is it important?

Reserve management is the process that ensures official public sector foreign assets are adequately and readily available to, and are controlled by, the authorities for meeting a defined range of objectives (IMF, 2013). Foreign exchange reserve objectives include (cited from IMF Position Paper, 2013): * Support and maintain confidence in the policies of monetary and exchange rate management, including the capacity to intervene and support the national currency. * Limit external vulnerability by maintaining foreign currency liquidity to absorb shocks during times of crisis, or when access to borrowing is curtailed; and in so doing: * Provide markets with a level of confidence that a country can meet its current and future external obligations; * Demonstrate the backing of domestic currency by external assets; assist the government in meeting its foreign exchange needs and external debt obligations; and * Maintain a reserve for national disasters or emergencies.

Underpinning the importance of employing sound reserve management practices is the fact that it increases a country’s overall resilience to shocks. Experiences (with other countries) have highlighted that risky or weak reserve management practices could restrict authorities from responding effectively to a financial crisis, which may accentuate the severity of the crisis. Moreover it can also have significant financial and reputational costs.

Sound reserve management policies and practices support, but do not substitute for, sound macroeconomic management.

Moreover, inappropriate policies (fiscal, monetary, exchange rate, and financial) can pose serious risks to the ability to manage reserves. Thus, appropriate portfolio management policies concerning the currency composition, degree of credit risk exposure, choice of investment instruments, and acceptable duration of the reserves portfolio should reflect a country’s specific policy settings and circumstances, and ensure that assets are safeguarded, readily available, and support market confidence.

The IMF working paper (2015) on capital controls and macroprudential regulations sought to address the optimality of imposing capital controls, or should policy makers rely on domestic macroprudential regulation? This was developed against the background of international capital flows, which could create financial instability in emerging economies on account of pecuniary externalities linked with exchange rate movements.

The paper presented a tractable model, supporting the notion that it is desirable to employ both types of instruments. Capital controls increase the aggregate net worth of the economy and simultaneously stimulate savings. On the other hand, macroprudential controls reduce borrowing. It was found that the higher both policy measures are set, the greater becomes an economy’s debt burden and the higher becomes its domestic inequality. The role of capital control subsides in countries where the risk of sharp exchange rate depreciations are more limited; however, macroprudential regulations remain essential to mitigating booms and busts in asset prices.

CDC, Public Health Ministry send relief to residents …Global Technology, iNet lend support

T

he Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and the Public Health Ministry, along with several local businesses and organisations, were on Saturday finally able to deliver food items and bring health care services to beleaguered residents of Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) communities as the floodwaters slowly recede.

Assistance is being dispatched to the six areas most seriously affected, namely Chenapau, Waipa, Kaibarupai, Itabac, Sandhill Settlement and Kanapang; and the CDC has confirmed that the water level in those six villages has indeed been receding.

One of iNet’s newly installed satellites

Director of the CDC, Colonel (retd) Chabilall Ramsarup, who described the current situation in the region as “grim”, has said the CDC’s emergency response base is at Orinduik.

Global technology and Inet have offered sup-

Residents fetching food supplies

Four planeloads of relief supplies have been dispatched to Chenapau and Orinduik, and relief supplies for Waipa, Kaibarupai and other villages are being taken to the villages from the CDC’s Forward Operations Centre at Orinduik.

Several food items, such as farine, cassava bread, rice, tasso, corned mutton/ beef, sardine, tuna, salt fish, salted meat, porridge stuff, milk, sugar, salt, Milo, Ovaltine, drink mixes, chowmein/pasta, peas, cassareep, crackers and biscuits have already been sent to the CDC’s Forward Operations Centre at Orinduik.

Other needed items, such as tarpaulins, mosquito nets, hammocks, sheets, blankets, towels, toilet paper, disposable napkins, sanitary pads, laundry soap/ detergent, bleach, bath soap, matches/lighters, rope, garbage bags, water purification tablets, clothes (underwear, etc.), reusable plastic eating utensils, buckets, insect repellent, among other things, have also been sent there.

Minister Valerie GarridoLowe of the Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry is leading a team which is currently en route by boat to Waipa and Kaibarupai.

They are taking items consisting mainly of foodstuff, medical supplies, clothing and water purification agents.

port and installed Satellite Internet, Voice (VOIP), Wi-Fi and Power at the Orinduik Guest House. This

installation was completed, tested and handed over to CDC by the iNet engineer on site. These new satellite facilities will now allow CDC employees on the ground at Orinduik to communicate in real-time with the main base in Georgetown.

A faster information flow is expected to begin, and this will see relief for the people being prompt. More importantly, Orinduik can now provide live weather updates to CDC, GDF, MOIPA and local airline companies providing flood relief in the area.

The Public Health Ministry has also dispatched several doctors, nurses, community health workers and environmental health officers to the area.

According to Junior Public Health Minister Dr Karen Cummings, the MPH

is also preparing flood kits with antifungal creams, Panadol syrup, and items to prevent outbreaks of diseases in the affected areas.

Region Eight Chairman Bonaventure Fredricks has welcomed the relief and noted how “heartening” it is to receive the items.

But as relief works continue in Region 8, the CDC is now reporting that several villages in Region Seven, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, are now suffering from flooding, although not as severely as what had occurred in Region 8. The affected villages are Purima, Kako, Jawalla, Phillippi, Kamarang and Duebamang.

The Region Seven Regional Disaster Risk Management Systems (RDRMS) and Regional Disaster Risk Management Committee (RDRMC) have been activated. A team is said to have already been deployed to the affected areas, and will be conducting assessments and reconnaissance. Reportedly, mainly farmlands and some residences have been flooded in the Region Seven villages.

The flooding in both regions is mainly due to excessive rainfall occurring in the highland regions of recent.

12 news

SunDAY, may 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Drug, staff shortages a major issue at Charity Hospital

… standards dropped significantly at facility – Dr Mahadeo

M

edical supplies as well as staff shortages were some of the teething issues affecting the delivery of health care in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam). This was revealed during a Special Select Parliamentary Committee visit to Region Two on Friday. The team visited the Oscar Joseph Hospital at Charity.

According to Parliamentarians, Dr Vindhya Persaud and Vishwanath Mahadeo, it is believed there is a countrywide shortage of drugs and as such, their visit was to check on those health facilities in the far flung areas making sure that they deliver the kind of service they are expected to.

Dr Mahadeo howev-

Special Select Parliamentary Committee member, Dr Vindhya Persaud (standing right) chatting with patients at the Charity Oscar Joseph Hospital

er made it clear that the team’s visit was not to affect the performance of staff but to identify the issues affecting the delivery of health care in the region.

He said that the Charity Oscar Joseph Hospital has lost its standard significantly and recalled in the 90s, persons from as far as Region Three (Essequibo

Islands-West Demerara) would visit that facility to access the services.

According to the Ward Sister Dame Hercules, the hospital is solely dependent on the Suddie Public Hospital for adequate distribution of pharmaceutical supplies. However, she added that she has since learnt that some of the bond shelves at the Suddie Hospital have been empty for the past three months.

Hercules therefore said that there are some 45 medical items that are out of stock.

Among these are 12 types of injections, Tamoxifen, Cortem, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C 500 mg.

She also decried that the hospital has not been receiving medical supplies on time and most time doctors are forced to prescribe drugs for patients to purchase from private pharmacies.

Hercules also lamented that due to the lack of resources, the hospital would usually transfer patients to Suddie for treatment and further examinations.

She also said the hospital is not equipped with trained staff and most times, patients are sent to Suddie whenever they are admitted with fractures.

The hospital’s Administrator, Omkar Persaud, made a special re-

quest for trained and specialised staff at the hospital. The team was told that the hospital does not perform surgeries of any kind at the moment since there are no trained personnel to do so.

Dr Vindhya Persaud said recommendations have been made to send doctors to train in Georgetown.

Residents living in the Pomeroon and Charity areas solely depend on the Charity Hospital for medical attention. When patients arrive at the hospital, they are often told that supplies are unavailable.

The dispensaries currently have shortages of drugs since these are issued to the hospital in small quantities. Patients travelling from the Pomeroon to the Charity Hospital usually travel twice a month to get their medication. The hospital however has been making special provisions for persons living in that area by requesting medication for them. Pharmacists at Suddie said the medical facility received emergency supplies that would last for only two weeks.

Additionally, the limited medication at the Oscar Joseph Hospital bond is expected to last for the next two weeks.

The Charity Oscar Joseph Hospital is present-

A list of some of the supplies that are out of stock

ly serving some sections of Region One (BarimaWaini), the Pomeroon and sections of Region Two.

news

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SunDAY, may 21, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

The Wismar massacre

By Ryhaan Shah

T

he story of the Wismar Massacre is well annotated by the Report of the Wismar, Christianburg and Mackenzie Commission which was established by the British colonial Government and published on January 25, 1965 (http://www.guyana. org/features/wismar_report. html).

The Report states: “We have come to the conclusion that the disturbances which took place in the WismarChristianburg-Mackenzie Ryhaan Shah area on May 25th, 1964 were politically and racially inspired….and the fact that the security forces were in no case able to apprehend arsonists forces us to conclude that the destruction was not ‘spontaneous’, but was organised, and well organised.”

The plot started to take shape on Wednesday, May 20, 1964 when the home of Pandit Ramlackhan was bombed. There was a strike at Demba on Thursday, and on Friday, May 22nd, Daniel Persaud’s house was set on fire and there was an explosion at Ibrahim Khan’s home. Three people were injured in that blast.

The arson escalated on Saturday, May 23rd and Sunday, May 24th, and the Report states: “Between 7 and 8 o’clock on the morning of May 25th, the situation deteriorated rapidly.

There was widespread violence, arson and looting. The stage was set for a day of unmitigated tragedy. At about 8.00 a.m. it was rumoured that an East Indian man had kicked an African boy. The Police subsequently investigated this but found it to be untrue. If any was needed, this was the casus belli….

“The majority of the Africans laughed and jeered at the East Indians as, blood stained and battered, raped and naked, shocked and destitute, they helplessly went their way to the only place of refuge, the Wismar Police Station. African women played their part in these events to the fullest extent.

“Your Commissioners are convinced that ‘this was a diabolical plot, ingeniously planned and ruthlessly executed.’ ….

“On the day of the disturbances at Wismar-Christianburg, there were 57 cases of assault, including rape. Two persons were killed, and at least 197 houses were destroyed in addition to several cases of looting.

“On the 26th May, the R.H. Carr and the M.V. Barima were made available for the transportation of evacuees to Georgetown; some went by air. The presence of African policemen and volunteers at the point of disembarkation in Georgetown caused some fear on the part of the evacuees, which was only assuaged when assurances were given by officials of the B.G. Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha ….

“The advent of the British troops and the imposition of a curfew helped to restore order out of chaos, but as darkness fell, fires could still be seen in the area. Sporadic attacks on Indian life and property continued, however. On the 26th May, Isaac Bridgewater, the father of Senator Christina Ramjattan, was murdered and his place burnt. Arson took place on the Mackenzie side on the 27th May, 1964, and on the 2nd June, 1964, when Indian houses at Cara Cara were burnt. Toolsie Persaud’s gasoline installation at Section C, Christianburg was destroyed on the 25th July, 1964….

“On the 6th July, 1964, an explosion occurred at Booradia on a launch named “Sun Chapman”, which was taking goods and passengers, the majority of them Africans, from Georgetown to Wismar. About thirty-eight (38) persons perished in this disaster.

The echo of the Sun Chapman disaster was immediately felt at Mackenzie when five East Indians were murdered and seven seriously injured. Before the official report of the Sun Chapman tragedy reached the Police and British army, Africans were on the rampage; and in the space of two hours -- 5.00 to 7.00 p.m.

-- more people were killed than on the whole day of the 25th May, 1964.”

When the PNC commemorate the Sun Chapman explosion each year, they mourn their dead without any reference to the five Indian Guyanese who were murdered in the rampage that followed. Though the implication is that the explosion was PPP retaliation for the Wismar Massacre, police investigations found no evidence of this.

In “The West on Trial”, Cheddi Jagan wrote about his objections to the May 26th date being chosen by Prime Minister Forbes Burnham for Guyana’s independence. He felt it was insensitive and unconscionable. Burnham, of course, had no such compunctions. President Cheddi Jagan omitted the date from the national calendar of holidays during his time in office, but it was reinstated by a subsequent PPP/C Administration.

If it is to be a national holiday, May 26th can stand as a day of remembrance only for the victims and survivors of the Wismar Massacre -- lest we forget this instance of Man’s gravest inhumanity to Man that was visited on our country.

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to shah@guyanatimesgy.com

IDAHOT 2017

Govt to take decriminalising of homosexuality to vote … SASOD describes move as “misguided”

A

ttorney General Basil Williams has reaffirmed Government’s commitment to take the issue of decriminalising homosexuality to a referendum for the people to decide, adding that the Government does not support discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

“The laws in the Commonwealth Caribbean that criminalise same sex intimacy are remnants of the region’s colonial past… the remnants that have remained, have caused local and international bodies to call for reforms of our laws... the Government noted that the Guyanese people are to decide in a referendum whether homosexuality should remain a criminal offence,” Williams said.

The Legal Affairs Minister made those remarks at a reception hosted by the European Union delegation in Guyana in collaboration with the Society Against Sexual Orientation and Discrimination (SASOD) to commemorate International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia (IDAHOT). IDAHOT is celebrated on May 17 every year and this year it was celebrated under the theme “Love makes a family.”

Minister Williams said that sexual orientation, and by extension LGBTI rights, are considered a sensitive topic for both citizens and Governments. He added that owing to religious and cultural beliefs, the climate of intolerance has developed; hence isolating some sections of society.

The Attorney General stated that the Constitution provides for persons not to be discriminated against on the basis of sex and gender. “The Government believes that the principle of universality admits no exception and human rights are birth rights of all human beings,” he said.

“We must document and expose allegations or reports of human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity promptly. They must be impartially investigated and perpetrators held accountable and brought to justice,” Williams said.

EU Ambassador, Jernej Videti? said on IDAHOT Day, the EU delegation in Guyana will proudly fly the rainbow flag in a very public show of support for Guyanese people who are fighting for human rights for all. He added that IDAHOT is an opportunity to remind governments around the world of their obligation to promote the universality of human rights and to ensure that everyone, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation, enjoys this right without discrimination.

He said that the European

Attorney General Basil Commissioner Greg Quinn

Williams

Union is committed to ensuring that there is no discrimination or violation of human rights based on sexuality or gender identity. He also said that cultural or religious values should not be used as justification for any form of discrimination.

“During Guyana’s most recent universal periodic review by the European Union it was recommended that Guyana change its laws to guarantee better protection of LGBTI persons, especially the laws criminalising same sex intimacy and cross dressing, which are discriminatory.

In response, Guyana agreed to strengthen the protection of LGBTI individuals and to continue its efforts in eliminating discrimina-

engages

British

High

tion against LGBTI persons starting with the review of its related legislations,” the EU envoy said.

Referendum

Over the years there have been calls by international and local bodies to decriminalise Guyana’s anti-buggery laws. The law criminalises intimacy among same sex persons.

In March of this year, SASOD along with a delegation from Guyana Trans United, Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association’s Youth Advocacy Movement (GRPA’s-YAM) and the Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) attended a thematic hearing of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR),

in Washington, DC, where SASOD called for the reforms of Guyana’s discriminatory laws.

First Secretary of Guyana’s Mission to the Organisation of American States (OAS) represented the Government at the hearing. However, he was in no position to inform of measurers to be put in place to address the issue.

Following his report to the Government, a statement was released indicating the Government’s intention to take the issue to a national referendum for the citizenry to decide.

Misguided

However Managing Director of SASOD, Joel Simpson, told Guyana Times that the organisation is totally opposed to the idea of a referendum.

“There is no way you should be putting anybody’s human rights to a popular vote. The Government is there to lead on issues and to respect human rights for everybody, under no circumstances will we support a referendum on our rights as citizens of this country,” he said.

Simpson opined that the Administration is totally misguided when it comes to putting the decriminalisation of homosexuality to a popular vote, noting that it is totally misguided and unprincipled.

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Shortage of medical supplies reported at Muritaro health post

A

shortage in a number of essential healthcare items along with other issues have been reported at Muritaro, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice), following a recent visit by Regional Councillors.

Councillor Gordon Callender, who was recently a part of a visit to the community’s health post, highlighted that there is a shortage of essential items.

Additionally, the Councillor noted that the lone female staff, who is presently manning the facility, appears to be inefficient at taking on the task. Callender emphasised that it was also discovered that a transferred staff is still signing for items at the health post.

“We were made to understand that the lady who is being transferred from that place, to some Christianburg area (Wismar, Linden), that’s the lady still signing for things up Muritaro. That is

Councillor Gordon Callender

not sounding nice. You’re not working there anymore and you should not be signing, that’s why we’re finding ourselves with reports that people doing this and that,” the Councillor stressed.

He, along with other Councillors and Regional Chairman Renis Morian have therefore requested a report from the Public Health Ministry on all health centres within the region, which

Region 10 Chairman Renis Morian

he noted should include the strength of the various staff in manning the various health posts. “That one lady alone (at Muritaro), it is not looking nice to the region, so we need to rectify this,” Callendar said.

Meanwhile, the Regional Chairman has also indicated that the strength of the health posts are being sought in an effort to highlight where

there are vacancies so that the positions can be filled, as he also highlighted the issue of drug shortages.

“Another issue I want to raise is once you have drug shortages, we don’t want this thing to be put under a bushel… once there is a drug shortage, talk to me,” Morian said.

“We will call the Minister and we can deal with that, but we don’t want patients crying out… If there is a drugs [lack of pharmaceuticals] problem, report it immediately.

I’m going to hold the health administration accountable for drugs in this region… at the end of the day, we got to make certain that our people get the kind of drugs (necessary),” he continued.

The Region 10 administration has been battling with several issues at various health posts for a number of years, more so in far flung areas of the Upper Berbice region.

Take advantage of Public Service Appellate Tribunal – Yarde

P

resident of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), Patrick Yarde urged public servants to take advantage of the newly resuscitated Public Service Appellate Tribunal to have their concerns addressed.

“I will urge them to take the opportunity because there are many of them, there are outstanding cases in the court to be addressed, quite a few of them did not even go to the court because of expenses. Now it is better facilitated, it is better; more fairly facilitated,” Yarde urged.

He noted that the GPSU was an integral stakeholder towards the establishment of the Public Service Appellate Tribunal. The acting Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman said he hopes public servants use the tribunal to register their displeasure with any decision the

Commission takes.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon said the resuscitation of the tribunal means public servants would not have to wait for a prolonged period to have their cases heard. “Several public servants with concerns, including concerns with the PSC, with the promotions, appointments, termination of service had no other recourse than going to the court and several of those matters have been left there, waiting to be heard, part heard and some of those cases Judges have actually left the bench and so setting up of this Tribunal has been one of the important things we had to do,” Harmon said.

President David Granger on Wednesday swore in former Appeal Court Judge, Nandram Kissoon as Chairman of the tribu-

Patrick Yarde

nal along with Attorney Abiola Wong-Innis and former Education Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Winston Browne to serve as members.

Article 215A of Guyana’s

Constitution establishes the Public Service Appellate Tribunal to hear appeals of any matter which the Public Service Commission, the Teaching Service Commission, and the Police Service Commission or the Commissioner of Police is empowered to make a decision. The matter would have to be reported to the Tribunal.

The Tribunal, by law, consists of a Chairman and not less than two other members appointed by the President.

Someone who is, or has been a Judge of the Court of Appeal or eligible to become a Judge, would make the cut as Chairman while one member must have experience in administration, personnel management or public affairs and the other person a representative of public service organisations.

Younge’s Take Youths disrespected, sidelined

T

he APNU/AFC coalition spent a significant amount of its political capital and resources targeting young people while campaigning in the 2015 election.

Youths were promised the creation of thousands of jobs, better wage and salary packages, and improved rates of remuneration commensurate with their qualifications. They were told that under an APNU/AFC Govt, there would be a significant reduction in unemployment and youth crime, and the completion of a hallmark policy to tackle the other socioeconomic issues that bedevil youth as a core group.

The APNU/AFC politicians also promised youth they would ensure that they are well represented at every level of government, including the Michael Younge Executive, Legislature, and on all rights as well as constitutional commissions that would be established.

Youths only needed to vote for the coalition, and campaign hard as well as passionately via all social media platforms to sway public opinion.

Thousands of youths agreed, and were duped into supporting the coalition; while other were threatened, cowed and intimidated.

Now in Govt, the APNU/AFC coalition has relegated the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport into a department of the Ministry of Education, and has reduced budgetary allocations for youth training empowerment programmes. It has reduced the number of youths appointed to cabinet; reduced the number of youths appointed as Government MPs; disbanded and replaced youth employment programmes which serviced hinterland communities; unfairly fired or removed scores of young professionals on the basis of their race or perceived political affiliation; imposed a 2:00am curfew; disrespected young people while reducing their influence and making them a rubber stamp; reduced funding to sportsmen and women for overseas trips and other sporting events, after reducing the Ministry of Sport to a department in the Ministry of Education.

One year into its term, and the APNU/AFC Govt still cannot complete and deliver a National Youth Policy, which was already 90 per cent finished by the previous administration; and present a comprehensive plan for tackling youth unemployment and the creation of jobs.

It has also failed to present a national sub-plan for fighting youth crime with the aim of reducing it significantly, and convene the National Youth Council to review and oversee the proper functioning of all youth programmes. This was promised within 100 days of government; yet, after 365 days, there has been nothing of the sort.

Youths are awaiting the appointment of a young person to be part of the Constitutional Reform Committee, and they are awaiting creation of a Special Youth Fund (with a technical support unit and a mentorship programme), in collaboration with the Private Sector and other non-governmental organisations, to facilitate a smooth transition from classroom to workplace; reward initiative and innovation; and create, at the community level, resource centres where youths can access information, training, pursue recreation, and obtain advice and counselling on career and employment choices.

Many politicians have failed lie detector tests performed on statements made by the APNU/AFC politicians after the elections.

NEWS

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Anna's

The PNC said it, not I: Burnham is back

T

he first Arrow I wrote this year was intituled “Burnham is back”, in which I advanced that the only reason powerdrunk individuals like Attorney General Basil Williams are allowed to throttle democracy through political bullyism and witch-hunting, is because the President himself endorses this method. When the APNU/AFCcomposed Cabinet committed its first blunders, coalition supporters defended that President Granger had nothing to do with the corruption and incompetence of his Ministers Anna Correia who acted in their own capacities and not under his directives. However, two years well into the PNC-led coalition’s mandate, have revealed President Granger to be that autocratic leader who dictates with an iron hand, the anti-democratic policies which have set Guyana on its current path of regression. When I wrote this year’s first Arrow, I was part of the many who believed Granger to be nothing less than the late dictator Burnham’s heir, but posing an even more dangerous threat to Guyana’s development as a democracy, due to his military training and his talents for historical revisionism. I still hold strong to that belief.

This theory was concretised when on Burnham’s 31st death anniversary, Granger declared the man who set the Army on civilians, the “author of social cohesion and architect of national unity”. This is the same Burnham under whose regime Dr Walter Rodney was assassinated and who led inhumane policies against the rural East Indian population of Guyana.

Last Friday, on the occasion of the People’s National Congress’ (PNC) 60th anniversary, party General Secretary Oscar Clarke, emphasised the intensity of Granger’s personal commitment to continue in Burnham’s footsteps. He was quoted as saying: “Our present leader has taken that mantle and is carrying forward the ideas of Burnham today because they are relevant to what is happening in this country even now (…)”. Yes. Burnham is back, and this time I’m not the one saying it, but the PNC is.

Unsurprisingly, further glorification for Guyana’s former dictator was undertaken at the event by party Chairman Basil Williams, who in his usual simplistic jargon unbefitting for Guyana’s AG, expounded that Burnham was a prophet and that Guyana’s “main beef now” is “corruption”, “misrule” and “partisanship”, and that coalition retribution involves “people getting locked up”. Evidently, he was alluding to the arrest of six People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) members who were part of the GRDB’s Board of Directors. From among the 16 individuals who formerly comprised the said Board of Directors, only the six PPP/C affiliates, two of whom are sitting parliamentarians, were inculpated on clearly dubious and disputable grounds.

If anyone harboured doubts about Granger’s complicity in fuelling discriminatory policies, protecting incompetent Government officials and political tyrants, and encouraging corruption, this can no longer be the case. Not for instance, with the deliberate usurpation of national establishments such as SOCU, for political ends, nor Granger’s grotesque demarche in defending Basil Williams’s outrageous attack on Justice Holder.

Incidentally, the latter is arguably a clear demonstration of the President and his Cabinet’s contempt for the separation of powers, in this instance, the Judiciary and the Executive.

If anyone harboured doubts about the threat Granger poses to Guyana’s nation building, these doubts dissipated with the emergence of policies aimed at the strengthening of the military and its rapprochement with the State, through for instance, the strategic placement of former high-ranking military men, in Government. Subsequently, the surprise was only slight upon hearing Granger allude to the possibility of using the Army to suffocate peaceful protests against the corrupt SCS parking meter deal. Similarly, policies frighteningly reminiscent of those implemented by Burnham and geared towards the destruction of traditional income earning sectors, in particular the agriculture sector on which depend the significant majority of Indo Guyanese inhabiting rural Guyana, have widened the gaps of socioeconomic disparity and testify to the latent ethnic discrimination guided by the Coalition.

Not of least importance, is the Granger regime’s systematic denunciation of all criticisms, regardless of whether they emanate from the media, civil sector, civilians or other polities. Any criticism is quickly dubbed “propaganda”, while justification of inefficiency, incompetence, opacity and corruption generally resumes to blaming the PPP/C, despite that the PNC-led coalition has been in office for now over two years, and that it inherited an economic legacy of nine years of ?3% sustainable economic growth.

With the unrelenting economic recession, the ethnic discrimination which prevails and the assault on democracy, Clarke is indeed correct. Burnham walks again, stronger and more determined than ever.

Contact sundayarrow@gmail.com

PPP calls for update on draft Juvenile Justice Bill … as Govt goes silent on overdue legislation

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fter holding a number of public consultations in different regions and promising to have the draft Juvenile Justice Reform Bill brought before Cabinet in 2016, these efforts seem to have petered out as the coalition Government has gone silent on when, if ever, the Bill will be laid in Parliament.

Former Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony played an integral part in drafting the Bill under the previous Government.

Today, he is concerned about the lack of movement on the Bill and feedback from the Government on what may be added or subtracted from the draft as a result of the consultations.

“It was drafted when we were in Government, but it didn’t go to Parliament, because there were changes that we wanted to make,” he said during a recent interview with this publication. He questioned what has become of the current Government’s efforts.

“They (Government) seem to be lagging, but last year they had a series of consultations on the Bill. I remember attending one at the Pegasus.

And I actually participated in the discussion, explaining some of the nuances of the Bill. But since then, I don’t know what has been the outcome of the consultations.”

According to Dr Anthony, the Bill had contained some good measures and proposals. But the consultations had exposed a lack of consensus among the public on issues such as (increasing) the age of criminal responsibility.

“In the Bill, some of the discussions we were having had been where would you place the age of criminal responsibility. In our current law the age of responsibility is 10 years. There were people who wanted to take it up to 12; there were others who felt it should go up to 14 or even higher. So there wasn’t a consensus. The consultations should have been able to clarify (that).”

He noted that the Bill had contained other provisions, including alternative sentences such as community work.

Asked whether the Government should not have been keeping the public updated on what was going on with a Bill affecting the livelihood of a large section of the population, Dr Anthony said that they should.

“They should, because I think people would like to know where they are with it, at what stage (they are).

If those (consultations have been completed, then people should be hearing from them what are the outcomes of those consultations, where do we go next and how soon maybe they will be putting this bill in parliament for us to debate it.”

No jailhouse nation The most visible proponent of juvenile justice reform in the current Government has been Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.

Describing it as making sure Guyana does not become a

One of the consultations

jail house nation; Ramjattan had noted at the first consultation that retaining offences such as wandering, vagrancy and truancy as status offences was an injustice against juveniles.

He had stated that they criminalize behavioural problems of children, when these acts are often the result of psychological or socio-economic problems. Thus, he had said, they should be abolished as offences.

According to Ramjattan, jails and secure confinement

are not the place where most young people who have committed offences should be.

It is expected that the draft Bill will seek to make sweeping changes to existing legislation, including removing status offences such as wandering. There are even proposals to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 years.

Some of the measures the Bill is expected to contain are an emphasis on alternatives to prison and formal court proceedings. During the consul-

tations, Ramjattan had also spoken of the involvement of the offices of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Youth in alternative sentencing arrangements. The Bill also focused on the role of the Police.

Former United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) representative to Guyana and Suriname, Marianne Flach, had also expressed her organisation’s support for the move.

According to Flach, it puts Guyana in a favourable position with other Caribbean countries, including the eastern Caribbean. She was also supportive of raising the age of criminal responsibility.

Persons who attended the consultations had called for an increase in the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14. There was also a call for intervention from religious organisations for first-time offenders in terms of counselling before putting the matter before the courts.

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Browne hints at rethink in ODI selection policy W

est Indies could have their limited-overs stars in the fray for national selection, particularly for the 50-over format, after Courtney Browne, the chairman of selectors, hinted at the possibility of the WICB revisiting the eligibility criterion.

Currently, the WICB has followed a stringent policy of considering only those players who have featured in the domestic 50-over competition, one that goes back to 2010, under the regime of Julian Hunte and Ernest Hilaire.

The current criterion has ruled out a bunch of senior players including Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. None of them

were part of West Indies' most recent series against Pakistan, which they lost 2-1, falling further behind in their race to be among the top eight teams in the ICC rankings and so qualify directly for the 2019 World Cup. But if this change in selection policy is cleared, West Indies could significantly boost their chances of fielding a full-strength team leading up to the showpiece event.

"There is some discussion going on about revisiting the eligibility rule," Browne told Line and Length, a Barbados-based network. "I know it's with a working committee. That will then go to the board.

But we have to understand our domestic cricket is key.

"Players coming out of domestic cricket and show-

ing they can perform at the international level is important. Yes, we have to look at it [the eligibility rule] but also be mindful that we have to develop our own domestic product, a stage where we can have a very good standard of regional cricket."

However, Browne also made it clear he would rather not have a situation where young players who have come through the regional system are ignored. Vishaul Singh and Shimron Hetmyer, who captained West Indies to the Under-19 World Cup title last year, are two examples he cited while explaining the need to maintain continuity. The pair gave modest returns - 159 runs in 12 innings between them - having played their

first three Tests over the last couple of months. " W e have a lot of young d e v e l o p - Dwayne Bravo has not played ODIs since October 2014 Š WICB Media/Brooks ing play- LaTouche Photography Ltd ers, they're the system, we under- passion like that, you can all bunched together in terms of num- stand they're young play- be competitive."

Bravo had recently said ber of Tests, that's par for ers and need time to develthe course. When you have op. When you're looking at he was available for T20 sea bunch of people you're development process, it's lection but would not give exposing to internation- going to be a slow process. up his contracts around al cricket, you will tend We're not going to find a the world to play domestic cricket in the West to get these sorts of per- sensation overnight."

Browne was pleased Indies because playing in formances. But the good thing about it is, you have with the enthusiasm of those tournaments did not the coaching team and you the new recruits. "They've guarantee selection. He have to give them some shown the fans here's a had also said things could bunch of young people who change if "structure changtime to develop players.

"There's no regret [in are showing fight. It has es or something different giving them opportuni- shown the players too that happens". (Cricinfo) ties]. They came through with determination and

Rooster Coconut Water supports Independence Darts Cup R

oopan Ramotar who is owner of Rooster Coconut Water has come in support of the upcoming International Independence Darts Cup which is slated for May 26 to 28 at the Millennium Manor Hotel on Hadfield Street, Georgetown.

While President of the Guyana Darts Association Sheik Yassen did not disclose the exact figure of the sponsorship, he expressed to great appreciation for the support and hope that other entities would come board; R Ganesh Mining Enterprise has also pledged support.

The three-day event will feature top players from Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, while participation from Barbados, Jamaica and Brazil is yet to be confirmed.

For the hosts, they will be fielding over 40 local players, while 15 have been confirmed from the twin-island republic.

Participants will pay a fee of US$15 to enter each category. In the Mixed Nations category, the top three finishers will walk away with US$600, US$300 and US$150 respectively.

Meanwhile, the Luck of the Draw winner will take home 50 per cent of the pool, second place will earn 25 per cent, while the other 25 per cent will be shared between third and fourth place.

The Luck of the Draw is open to practically anyone who believes he/

she has the ability to play the game, while the Mixed Nations Doubles will see a local player being paired with one from overseas.

In the individual categories, US$100 will go to the players with the most 100 points, highest check out, shortest games and most 180 points.

The Male and Female Singles are the major attraction, with reigning Caribbean Singles champion Sudesh Fitzgerald being Guyana’s top ranked player.

Luis R a m i r e z Merlano, who teamed up with Fitzgerald to win the Caribbean Doubles t i tle last year in Barbados, will also be in action.

Roopan Ramotar

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Sheltez/ Homesafe Security Tennis…

Kalekyezi storms to under-14 title

J

Joshua Kalekyezi

oshua Kalekyezi defeated his counterpart Viraj Sharma to lift the Boys U-14 title in the Sheltez/ Homesafe Security Independence cup on Saturday at the Harry Panday Court, Bel Air. He emerged victor after dropping the second set but holding on for the tie breaker. The scores read 4-1 2-4 16-14 in favour of Kalekyezi, who said it was a good feeling to top the tournament after entering as the number three seed.

“It’s a good feeling to know that I was rated number three from the start but I was unaware of that up until now, however, I was very confident and that helped me top the tournament.”

The 13 year-old said it was an important win as he prepares for Guyana’s Premier Tennis Challenge, the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) tournament.

Meanwhile, Sharma who is good with his serves, rallies and coolness on the court said his strength was off at the wrong time in what was a tiring encounter.

The pair will meet again today in hope to produce an exciting boys u-18 final.

Top teams vie for Super-6 tape ball title

T

he Pre-Independence Inter Ministries and Government agencies Super Six tape ball knock-out competition for the Honourable Prime Minister’s Moses Nagamootoo trophy, will take place today at the National Cultural Centre Tarmac from 9:00h.

Several teams have already registered for the six over per side big hitting competition. Among those registered are, Police Training School, Demerara Harbour Bridge, Ministries of Communication, Public Security, Agriculture and Education.

There would be cash prizes also at stake for the top finishers in the tournament.

Teams could contact the organizers of the tournament James Lewis and the Foreign Ministry promotion on telephone numbers 628-1656 or 666-5857.

GCA/ GDA/PAHO U-17 T20…

Confident DCC to defend title against TSC today

T

ransport Sports Club (TSC) and Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) will meet today in the final of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/ Guyana Diabetics Association (GDA)/ PAHO Under-17 T20 Tournament after convincing victories in last Saturday’s the semi-finals.

The match which was rescheduled due to heavy rain in the city last Sunday will feature some of the nation’s leading youth cricketers, namely Sachin Singh, Joel Spooner, Ashmead Nedd, Kevlon Anderson, Alphius Bookie and Adrian Hinds.

The first ball is expected to bowl off at 13:30h at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Ground, Bourda.

The final is a rematch between the two sides which met in the group stage when TSC got the better of DCC. With a very strong unit comprising of several na-

Sachin Singh

tional players, DCC will be aiming to turn things around as they seek consecutive titles.

Meanwhile, TSC will be banking once again on a complete team effort to get them across the line. Their unit might not be as powerful as their counterparts but their efforts have already provided positive results to get them to the final.

22

guyanatimesgy.com

sundAY, may 21, 2017

– players set to be selected for overseas stints

K

ristian Heames, coach of the Finland based FF Jaro club was duly impressed on Saturday by the National Under-17 Footballers, which has corresponded in some of the players being selected for a possible stint at the club.

The sessions which were held at the No.5 Ground, West Coast Berbice saw Heames giving the players various drills to test both their awareness and skill levels.

Responding to questions about a player(s) possible selection, he stated, “ Yes definitely, it is just working out the mechanics of how it can be done, in terms of how you can bring the players into the county because Finland is a great opportunity for that since the regulations allow for players outside of the European union, Guyana being one, to come more easily”.

He added, “They are really receptive, they have a good attitude, which is the number one thing that I would look for; they have that professional mentality”.

In terms of selecting a possible candidate or two to attend a

Ryan Hackett (centre) was one of the numerous players working overtime during the various drills

try-out for foreign clubs, Heames explained that he will now observe how they display what they have learned. “ I think what I have done so far has given me a good idea, I have not worked with the defenders , Walter [Moore] did, so he would have to give me feedback to see how receptive they were which is the main thing; we still have a few sessions so

having worked with them , I can now take a step back and observe from a distance if what I thought made an impression” Heames, who is the coach of former Guyana Jaguars defender Walter Moore, is part of a technical programme of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), which actively seeks to involve past and present national players as part of the techni-

cal development programme.

The UEFA A licence coach sought to teach the players a European style of play, where some players adapted quickly.

“I was trying get them to think differently , one like a European team would, I understand their style of play and climate is different but I wanted to do something that I would do with the professional club in

Coach Kristian Heames

Finland , to get them to think in that way and adopt some of the things in that style”.

The 38 year-old furthered elaborated “it is a lot about counter attacking, changing quickly and it took them a little bit of time to get used to it because when you change anyone’s style it takes a while to get out of the normal habits but I was impressed with some players who really caught on straight away”.

Likewise, Moore was elated that his young countrymen rose to the occasion, stating, “I’m so happy the guys delivered and the coach is happy, it is just now for us to discuss and see them in a final game this [Saturday] afternoon and we will make a decision from there”.

Commenting on working with the fellow defenders, he posited that “It has been great; in the beginning the defenders struggled as to why they did certain things with their body but after explaining to them some grasped it right away, they are skill full players, it is just for them to keep the focus”.

(Akeem Greene)

guyanatimesgy.com

sundAY, may 21, 2017

Caribbean Motor Racing Championships…

Team Mohammed’s Prince ready for Jamaica challenge A fter annihilating the field last year at the final leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships (CMRC) held at the South Dakota Circuit, Bryce Prince is aiming to extend his dominance to the entire Caribbean.

The 2016 Moto America Champion who rides under Team Mohammed’s Enterprise is currently in Jamaica preparing for the first leg which gets underway today at the Jamwest Raceway.

When Guyana Times Sport contacted him, he stated “I feel that the CMRC series is very competitive, and a lot of these tracks being new to me, I expect that it will be a good fight”.

Bryce also explained that his series this year has yielded in-different performances but is still pleased.

“Our season back in the states has been tough; my first season on the 1000cc, we have gotten multiple to 5th place finishes and we were on the podium in one but it has been good”.

The Yamaha R6 rider is up for the unique challenge of the tracks in the Caribbean, “the Caribbean tracks are smaller for sure, the tracks in the states are very big; I like the Caribbean tracks for the 600cc; the surface here is a little more rough, but it's not too bad”.

Prince is extremely

grateful for the support of Mohammed’s Enterprise which extends to him riding in the United Sates and is encouraging fellow riders to come for the experience and challenging tracks.

The other members of team Guyana are Rameez Mohammed, who will ply his trade in Groups 2, 3 and 4 (two-wheel drive), while Nasrudeen Mohammed who will compete in Group Two. Kevin Persaud, John Bennet and Heemand Boodram are the other Super Stock (600cc) riders.

After the leg in Jamaica, the action will move to Trinidad and Tobago on July 30 followed by Barbados on September 3 then to Guyana for the final leg on November 12.

Last year, Trinidad and Tobago, who lost the title in 2015 by eight points to Guyana, recorded a whopping 1481.5 points, outscoring the second placed Barbados team by 793 points.

Barbados’ tally at the end of the four rounds was 688.5 while Guyana finished in third on 648.5; Jamaica (492) Cayman Islands (60) and CAMS/ USA rounded-off the points standings.

However, in the twowheel category, Guyana soared to the top of the table accumulating 647 points with Trinidad being their closest challenge on 169 points.

23

Thomas ruled out for remainder of NBA postseason

S

tar guard Isaiah Thomas will miss the rest of the NBA playoffs in a blow to the Boston Celtics.

Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas is out for the rest of the NBA postseason.

The Celtics announced on Saturday that the second team All-NBA guard re-aggravated a hip injury, specifically a right femoral-acetabular impingement with a labral tear, during game two of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

"Isaiah has worked tirelessly to manage this injury since it first occurred," Celtics chief medical officer Dr. Brian McKeon said in a statement.

"The swelling increased during the first two games against Cleveland, and in order to avoid more significant long-term damage to his hip, we could no longer allow him to continue."

Boston have fallen into

Isaiah Thomas

a 2-0 hole in the series after back-to-back blowout losses to Cleveland and faced an uphill battle on the road with or without their top performer.

Thomas was averaging 23.3 points and 6.7 assists per game in 15 postseason outings. (Sportsmax)

Publik takes aim with shooting federation Bryce Prince

Moore returning to Golden Jaguars Walter Moore

G

– ends retirement in effort to nurture young players

olden Jaguars defender Walter Moore who retired from international football in October 2016 after an emotional 2-4 loss to Jamaica in the 2016/17 Scotiabank Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Men’s Cup has chosen to reverse that decision in an effort to nurture some of the nation’s younger players.

Moore made this announcement on Saturday while conducting talent identification exercises at the No.5 Ground West Berbice.

“I actually have been thinking about it and the youngsters still need someone to help and my good friend Charles Pollard who is also on the coaching staff and I had very good conversations where he asked me to come back and help and I decided that I will”, the 32 year-old stated.

The left-back, who would have played for Guyana in 103 since starting his illustrious career in 2004, sees a bright future for the National Senior team considering the talent pool in the country.

“I see a bright future for Guyana with the exposure, the coaching philosophy and the camps they are getting; I see Guyana becoming a threat in the Caribbean and even CONCAAF”.

Moore, who currently plays professionally for FF Jaro in Finland has had experience playing with various clubs across Europe. (Akeem Greene)

Sean Major (right) making the donation to SCSA Committee Chairman, Dr Pravesh Harry

T

he Guyana Sport Shooting Federation (GSSF) in a release on Saturday announced its plans for a Steel Challenge Match sponsored by the Publik Wing and Burger House.

“The GSSF, an affiliate of the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA), continues to promote this simple, yet action-packed shooting sport to local pistol shooters by organising such matches on a regular basis. Steel Challenge is considered to be the fastest practical shooting competition in the world. All matches comply with all rules and regulations stipulated by the SCSA”, the release stated.

Chairman of the SCSA Committee, Dr. Pravesh Harry reported that three exciting stages are being planned where competitors will be shooting at 5 steel targets which are arranged in preconfigured positions. Scoring will be done using a timer which records the time taken for a shooter to complete engaging all 5 targets.

The shooter’s time is his/her score, with time added for targets not hit. Scores are entered into a specialised software, and the shooter with the lowest overall time wins the match. Participants will fall under two divisions, Limited, and Wildcat. The limited division caters to shooters with 9mm or higher calibre handguns, while Wildcat represents the .22 and .32ACP shooters.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three shooters in each division courtesy of its latest sponsor.

At the simple ceremony at the Publik’s Duncan Street location, Sean Major, the founder of the entity, reiterated his commitment to the GSSF and safe sport shooting activities.

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Youth footballers impress Finland-based coach

Pg 22

– players set to be selected for overseas stints Some of the national under-17 players made a strong representation of themselves on Saturday which will result in one of them being selected for a possible stint at FF Jaro

Caribbean Motor Racing Championships…

Moore returning to Team Mohammed’s Golden Jaguars – ends retirement in effort Prince ready for to nurture younger players Jamaica challenge Pg 23

Pg 23

The defender who retired in October 2016 after an emotional loss to Jamaica at the Leonora Stadium will be suiting up one again for his country

After annihilating the field in the final leg of the championships held at the South Dakota Circuit, the rider is now looking to extend his dominance over the Caribbean

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, News Hotliine: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 225-7761 Sport: sport@guyanatimesgy.com Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 SALES AND MARKETING - lezas@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.

May 21, 2017

Star Times Bollywood:

Hrithik Roshan buys new house for ex-wife Sussanne Khan, closer to his own See story on page 14

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2 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Times Feature

By Ashraf Dabie

O

n February 29, 1992, Ceasar took the oath to serve and protect, which was the starting point of a ground-breaking career.

Starting off as a constable, the young officer went on to make significant contributions to the force, and with his outstanding performance, he advanced to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police.

The 43-year-old is now the Head of the Major Crime Investigation Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), stationed at the Headquarters housed in Eve Leary.

Within the last two years, the Assistant Superintendent represented Guyana at several forums, both locally and abroad. He has participated in the Major Case Management Training Course, INTERPOL’s Introduction to Human Trafficking Phenomenon and the Gang Intelligence,

With his wife, Cindy

Investigations and Prosecutions, with the latter being organised by the United States Department of Justice. Additionally,

Ceasar embarked on local undertakings such as contributing to several lectures at training programmes implemented by the Guyana

Police Force (GPF).

As a result of Assistant Superintendent Ceasar’s devotion to the GPF, he was able to unmask and dismantle several criminal gangs and high profile criminals who were wanted for various offences. Ceasar has also led several operations throughout the country, which resulted in the recovery of large numbers of firearms, ammunition, drugs and stolen articles.

Notably, during the course of a mere two years, the Assistant Superintendent was able to re-open, investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of a total of over 50 major criminal cases which have, prior to Ceasar’s interference, caused massive uproar in GPF and the local justice system. Of this total, a sum of 22 were cold cases, which were unearthed in 2016, and 14 murders, which were solved in 2016, as well as 14 armed robbery investigations that came to an end in 2015.

Among the list of successful investigations, which were significantly influenced by Detective Mitchell Ceasar, were the disturbing and popularly followed murder cases of

Babita Sarjou and Nesha Gopaul. Added to this list is the gunning down of Courtney Crum-Ewing, the infamous political activist.

In light of his exemplary work, Assistant Superintendent Ceasar was nominated by Senior Superintendent and Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum, for the ‘Caribbean Top Crime Fighter Award’.

Ceasar was among several other police detectives from around the Caribbean region who were competing for the coveted title.

Though he received the ‘Second Best Crime Fighter in the Caribbean’, being defeated by a Senior Police Officer from Trinidad and Tobago, Ceasar remains Guyana’s top crime fighting hero.

For his fervour in locking up bad guys for over two decades, Assistant Superintendent was awarded the title of ‘Best Cop’ twice in Guyana.

A s s i s t a n t Superintendent Ceasar is renowned for going above and beyond to perform his duty with great diligence. He has a distinct ability to recognise ‘criminal elements’ and eliminate threats to society.

Detective Mitchell Novah Ceasar

Relentlessly, Assistant Superintendent Mitchell Novah Ceasar continues to serve and protect his country.

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine

3

Times Feature

has claimed most of the eastern rampart and bastions of the fort. The third important fort is Fort Nassau on the Berbice River. We know little of the early forts immediately after the Dutch arrived in 1627, but by the 1670s, the Dutch headquarters was on, or near, the present Fort Nassau site.

The ruins are spread along the right bank of the Berbice

Windmill on Hog Island, Essequibo River (brick and stone)

Fort Kijkoveral, Mazaruni River showing remains of brick walls and arch entrance

By Lennox J Hernandez

T

he Dutch arrived in the Caribbean as slave traders, for the Spanish especially, in the early 1600s. Historians agree that the first European settlements in Guyana were Dutch, beginning circa 1616, with a small fort on an island the Dutch named Kijkoveral, located in the Mazaruni River, near the mouth of the Cuyuni River.

In fact, according to Andrew Gravette, in his book “Architectural Heritage of the Caribbean” (2000) “the first structure to be built by the Dutch in the Caribbean was that at Fort Kyk-over-al.”

Another writer, Carolien Loomans, in an article entitled Georgetown (Guyana) Town on Plantation Structure, notes that the earliest permanent plantation settlement in Guyana was on the Pomeroon River (Essequibo) since 1624, then in Berbice since 1627 and in Demerary (Demerara) since 1746.

Apart from the existing sites discussed here, there are a number of sites located on historic maps, but nothing remains there today.

Fort Nova Zeelandia, for example, on the right bank of the Pomeroon River (near Cabacaburi) alongside a settlement named New Middleburg. Fort St Andries (St Andrew) on the right bank of the Berbice River, opposite Crab Island, and Fort Willem Frederick (originally built by the French as Fort Le Dauphin) at the mouth of the Demerara River on its right bank.

The existing Dutch built heritage comprises mainly forts and accompanying structures, three of which are well known: Fort Kijkoveral on the Mazaruni River; Fort Zeelandia on the Essequibo River; and Fort Nassau on the Berbice River.

Hog Island in the Essequibo River. Built of brick and granite block, with coral in the mortar, this artefact is located on the northeast coast of the island, and is said to be on a former Dutch estate named Lyksburg.

Windmills were used along the coast of Essequibo and Demerara during that time; this particular one was constructed c 1768 and according to the late Joel Benjamin, was “partly made from materials from Fort Kijkoveral which had been demolished not long before.”

Forts

Kijkoveral, meaning “Seeover-all”, is an island of about 0.61 hectares (1.5 acres) that provided the Dutch with a commanding view of the Essequibo River and any invading ships. All that remains today are brick foundations, a brick archway, and a brick revetment on the southeastern side of the island.

North Road with canal and side-line dam (another canal on other side of dam)

The greatest evidence of Dutch presence in Guyana is the remains of their mid18th century fort and administrative complex on Fort Island near the mouth of the Essequibo River. The brick Fort Zeelandia (1740-1744), a brick wharf and an administrative building that housed a church, the Court of Policy and a slave vendue (public place for the sale of slaves at an auction) are the extant remains.

While the administrative building is intact, the river

River for about 1,250 metres (4,100 ft) in an east-west bend of the river from the Torani creek, westwards. The major ruins at the site are the grave plots, the Court of Assembly building steps, the bridge, the warehouse, and the Lutheran church, but nothing is higher than three courses of brick above ground.

Canals and Kokers

Of great historic and environmental importance to Guyana, is the Dutch-

Bricks

There are other historic Dutch artefacts, however, such as the windmill on

Partial plan of Georgetown (1904) showing east of Main St

built system of canals in Georgetown, some of which were later filled in by the English and post-independence Guyana, to create avenues.

Georgetown is unique in having a grid pattern that originated according to the layout of former plantations, giving us now a number of parallel lanes of roads separated by avenues.

Loomans tells us that in 1746, Andries Pieterse, from Essequibo, received permission to lay out a sugar plan-

tation on the “uninhabited river Demerary.” The land at the river mouth could easily be inundated by water from the sea, as well as by rainwater from inland, hence, ditches and broad canals were dug, connected to kokers (sluices) at the entry to the Demerara River.

These kokers were opened at low tide to drain the surplus water on the land and were closed at high tide to keep the salt water out.

James Rodway, writing of the canals and many drainage ditches in 1920, commented, “We may say that these extensive lines of drainage were more necessary then than they would be now, and yet now and again we can see that our sluices are far too few for a very heavy rainfall.” This observation is probably of even greater significance today.

Loomans sums up Georgetown’s layout: “the former plantation structure is still clearly recognizable in the city in the shape of the east-west broad drainage canals and green structures.

Here used to be the boundaries between the plantations with their drainage canals.”

A map of Georgetown in 1904 seen in a 2004 Master’s thesis entitled Conservation Plan for Georgetown, Guyana, by Bjorn van Raaij, Delft University of Technology, shows the Main Street canal filled in while the parallel streets east of Main Street – Carmichael, Waterloo, Camp, etc – are still canals.

4

Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Times Feature

W

ayne McWatt left Guyana at the age of 16 to live in the UK; his knowledge of his homeland and its history is what he has read, researched, garnered from accounts told by his parents, and information gathered during his occasional visits to the country.

During one of his visits to Guyana, in 2010, McWatt visited the Le Repentir Cemetery in search of a family vault built for the Sharples family. (McWatt’s great grandfather was John Bradshaw Sharples, the architect builder in Guyana.) In addition to locating the vault, McWatt stumbled upon another precious piece of Guyanese history – the tomb of William Dawes.

In some far-flung bit of land at the Le Repentir Cemetery lies the tomb of William Dawes, who died in Guyana on March 23, 1855.

He was 69. The magnificent granite obelisk that marks his grave is carved with the insignia of his regiment and the laurels of victory, depicting a military career.

Dawes, as the inscription states, was a veteran of the battles of Waterloo (1815), Toulouse (1814), Sahagun

T

Dawes' tomb

(1808), Vittoria (1813) and Orthes (Orthez) (1814). His epitaph reads: “His youth

he biggest comedy show, Nothing To Laugh About, returns to the National Cultural Centre.

In its 10th edition, the Signature production, slated for June 2 to 5, 2017, will once again give Guyanese their yearly dose of laughter. This year the show is directed by Kojo McPherson and Maria Benschop and has an all-star cast, including Michael Ignatius, Lyndon “Jumbie” Jones, Kirwyn Mars, Leza ‘Radika’ Singh, Clemencio Goddette, Chris Gopaul, Mark ‘Chine Man’ Kazim, Leon Cummings, Johann David, Simone Persaud, Gerard Gilkes, Mark LukeEdwards, Brian Goodman, Zoya Moore.

Added to this year’s line-up is a phenomenal actress who will definitely have the crowd roaring in laughter. Marissa Morgan is no stranger to Guyana.

She is one of the hosts of ‘Guyana Today’ and has per-

was spent in faith, full and active military service. His latter years in honourably

discharging the civil duties intrusted [sic] to him.”

“I discovered the tomb of Dawes by chance as there was a clearing, which meant it was newly revealed. I was looking for a family vault built for the Sharples family.

It was a great surprise to find that the vault contains both of John Bradshaw’s wives, who happened to be sisters.

He himself chose to be buried at sea. He died February 1913. The vault was all overgrown so I got Pertab to repaint and tidy up,” McWatt recalled in an interview with <<<<Guyana Times Sunday Magazine>>>.

According to McWatt, Pertab is a young man whose family worked in the cemetery restoring graves and monuments. McWatt said Pertab knew Le Repentir very well and was an enthusiastic guide.

“Le Repentir Cemetery gets a bad press – and deservingly so because of its poor management from the City Council and it is a disgrace to the nation. Having said that, it deserves better.

It’s a very historic plantation site. Some might know the history of French planter Pierre de Saffon who named

the plantations Le Repentir and La Penitence in remorse of having killed his brother in France,” McWatt narrated.

Wayne McWatt

McWatt added that at the Le Repentir Cemetery gate in Louisa Row is the office where the burial registers are kept, which date back to the mid 19th century. He noted that the man in charge was retiring in 2011 and seemed quite conscientious and meticulous in holding the records. McWatt hopes that the records are still there.

“These registers are important documents and should be digitised and kept in the archives. The information they provide is quite unique – including the last address of the deceased, date of death, date of burial, age at death, relation to kin – all linked to a grave number and location. I would like to know more about Dawes. He must have served in the early 19th century European wars, including Waterloo. There must be a record in the British

Army records. It is of course interesting to know how and why he was in Guyana. There might be an obituary for him.

I would love if someone who might have some information shares it with me. I will continue searching for records on Dawes,” McWatt noted.

Dawes’s tomb can be easily located in the old Anglican part of the cemetery; not far from the main cemetery road.

June this year marked the bicentenary of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo. The French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh Coalition: an Anglo-allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington, and a Prussian army under the command of Prince Blücher.

To contact Wayne McWatt email demerara8@aol.com (Photos and information by Wayne McWatt)

formed in a number of plays.

The show is said to have “never disappointed its audience and promises to stay true to that reputation.

As usual it will straddle all the divides; be it politics, race or religion. It is a show that is not afraid to push the boundaries and that is probably why it is the most anticipated show every single year”.

Tickets cost $2,000 (Auditorium); $1,500 (Auditorium Rear); and $1,000 (Balcony). Tickets can be purchased at the National Cultural Centre (Box Office), Giftland Mall, Nigel’s Supermarket, Payless Variety Store, Gizmos & Gadgets, Elegance Jewellery & Pawn Shop & Sir Mars.

Patrons are advised to be on time as the show will begin at 20:00hrs (8pm) sharp.

A closer look at the inscription on Dawes' tomb

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 5

Times Women

N

adia Thomas Winter has spent most of her adult life focusing on arts, fashion, and education. As a child, she was influenced by her uncle, a self-taught artist. The fact that she came from a generation of selftaught seamstresses was a major influence in her becoming a designer.

Nadia spent her early days at her grandmother’s house (Haraculi and Ebini Ranch) Berbice River.

She later moved to Georgetown with her parents and siblings where she attended High School, E. R. Burrowes School of Art and the University of Guyana.

She started designing in the late 90s while she was a student at Burrowes. During this period, she was a model for veteran designers, such as Derrick Moore. In 2003, she worked with Hits and Jams creating costumes for their large Mashramani band. They came second in the road march; this became the first of many ventures for Nadia.

In 2006, Nadia and her two sons joined her husband in the British Virgin Islands. In that year, she went into the education field focusing on visual arts. Over the years, she was able to help nurture and be a role model to the young minds with whom she worked. During this time, Nadia participated in fashion shows and continued practicing as an artist and illustrator.

In 2009, she gave birth to a beauti-

Nadia Thomas Winter

ful baby girl.

After many years as a designer and visual arts teacher, Nadia decided to expand her business.

In 2014, she collaborated with her niece, Natalya Thomas, and

launched the DUO COLLECTION - a fashion brand. She wanted to move away from the traditional ways of fashion designing. Instead of hand-painted and tie-dye techniques, she wanted her works to have a more regional appeal, and to be sold in stores. Nadia used her illustrator and graphic design skills to create and develop the brand’s concepts, prints, and designs. She wanted the brand to reflect her roots and the pieces to reflect different aspects of Guyana in different forms, such as its historical structures, flora and fauna as well as her indigenous heritage.

Nadia also used her paintings in the production of the new collection.

In 2016, Nadia and her niece participated in Guyana’s Golden Jubilee, where they showcased their new prints and swimsuits.

Later that year, the ‘Thomas Winter Shoe Line’ was launched in Guyana. The shoes are sold at Giftland Mall, as well as online.

A source of inspiration for Nadia is her daughter, who is also a budding fashion designer.

“My eight-year-old daughter loves to draw and design. I have used her as a model in photo shoots.

She wants to design her own clothing. Her dad presented her with a

sewing machine for Christmas, and since then her little mind and hands have been busy at work. I am very proud to have an influence on her, and we are working on her new ‘Kids Line’, which will be out in a few months,” the doting mother said.

Nadia’s love for creating and for the arts propel her to continue to work and proWith her daughter mote art via her designs, as well as teach others about the Facebook. importance of the arts. srock.org) As a designer, Nadia con-

siders one of her greatest achievements to be her collaboration to create the DUO COLLECTION. “The fact that we were able to break barriers and step out into the international arena is a milestone.”

Recently, the Guyanese designer was one of several artists who presented their work at the Raw New York City Verse Exhibition.

Later this year, she is scheduled to take part in New York Fashion Week.

For more information or to follow Nadia’s work, visit Nadia Thomas Winter Designs or Duo Collection on (http://guyanesegirl-

6 Sunday Times Magazine

MAY 21, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Times Book World

By Petamber Persaud

E

xtract of an interview with Arnold Apple Jnr., son of the author of “Son of Guyana”, Georgetown, Guyana, May 2017. “Son of Guyana” was published in 1973 by Oxford University Press. Although this autobiography was published over forty years ago, it is still relevant to contemporary Guyana, in its commentary on race relations, ‘man/woman’ relationships and cultural mores. More importantly is the author’s power of description in dissecting the peoples and communities of Albouystown, Dalgin and Bartica. Furthermore, all credit to the author for designing the book to read like a novel.)

PP: When you walked into this interview, you remarked that you have not seen this book, “Son of Guyana” written by your father, Arnold Apple, in a long, long while. So it may not sound strange to hear that there are many Guyanese who do not know about this book or its author.

When we talk about Guyanese literature, some names come readily and easily to mind: Carters, the Mittelholzers, the Dabydeens… But tell us, Arnold Apple Jnr., who is Arnold Apple?

AA: Arnold Apple is my father, a brilliant person.

He was very open-minded and well educated. All his friends and relatives loved him. This book was part of his life; something he wanted to put over for the world to see. And I think it is a very good thing he did.

Arnold Apple was a family man; he fathered six children with my mother Mary Nichols.

There is so much I can say about my father, but importantly I love him.

PP: We’ll talk a bit more about father/son relationship later. But for now, let me share with you what Prof. Frank Birbalsingh said about the book and its author. He wrote that the “Son of Guyana” is “an enviable achievement. It leads one to expect fiction – stories, if not novels – from Mr. Apple”.

What has happened to Mr. Apple and why have we heard nothing else about his writing?

AA: Well, Mr. Apple has passed.

PP: We know this much. What year?

AA: In 2003. After writing this book, my father returned to Guyana. This book was written in England. My father returned to Guyana in 1974, brought the whole family home and he went into politics.

PP: Ah, another dimension of the man.

AA: Since then, he never penned another book. I have tried short stories and had a few awards for them.

PP: Congratulations.

AA: But he never had the passion to write a next book.

He had other things on his mind, which he felt were more important.

PP: What were some of those issues bothering him?

I’m asking this because I expected more books from the man who wrote “Son of Guyana” capturing the society of his time with a frank innocence.

AA: Family, politics and agriculture. He was part of the Ministry of Agriculture when he first returned to Guyana; he was coordinator for the Demerara River, looking after the produce, supplying the farmers with fertilizer, seeds… My father was at the time answering the return-to-Guyana call to help rebuild the country, and he was trying but saw many things were wrong; he was a man of principles.

PP: You said he was in charge of agriculture in the upper Demerara area and this brings to mind his birthplace, Dalgin.

AA: Dalgin is located in Upper Demerara, about ten miles from Mackenzie. It is on the East Bank as you go up the Demerara River; if you drive on the Highway, it is just after a place called Adventure. But it is not the Dalgin of old – the church is no more, the school is no more, just a few families still live in the area as people have moved away from that beautiful environment to more modern and developed areas.

PP: Not unlike your father who moved to the city, to Bartica and eventually to England. You were with him while he was writing this book, what was that time like?

AA: He spent a lot of time in England writing that book. You would come from school to find daddy in his study writing and my mother would proofread for him.

PP: It’s a blessing when you get the space and the help from within the home to write.

AA: The book was sort of written within the family: he writes and she proofreads, ensuring everything is alright, and then off to the publisher.

PP: I am intrigued about the writing process and want to know more. He was in England, away from Guyana and writing about Guyana.

AA: He was writing about Guyana and those places because he had a vivid picture of them in his mind.

PP: And that’s one of the exceptional things about “Son of Guyana” – he opened up places like Albouystown and La Penitence and Bartica.

AA: Yes, he wanted to write about Guyana, the country he loved. His descriptions are very nice and you could actually say you were there from his descriptions; this came about because of his love for country… he was able to describe how he felt about the people and what he saw within them and that is what makes this book a nice book.

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

What’s Happening:

My new book, “Guyanese Writers of Indian Ancestry”, commemorating the centennial end to indentureship is available at Austin’s Book Service and directly from me.

The book will soon be available at other locations, including the National Library, hotels and airports.

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 7

Times Heritage

Expansion of Public Education (1844-1876)

I

n 1844, Queens’s College was established by the Bishop of the Anglican Church, Rev. William Austin. The aim behind its establishment was to provide secondary education to the sons of the middle and upper classes. The tendency at that period was for the upper classes to send their sons to England for a secondary education.

The school was first housed in Colony House, located on the site now occupied by the Victoria Law Courts. It was later moved to two other locations, including the site now occupied by the Bishop’s High School where it remained to the end of the nineteenth century.

Bishop’s High School, originally called Bishop’s College, was organized by the Anglican Church in 1851, first as a theological school which also doubled as a teacher training institution. No too long after, it was decided to expand it to cater for secondary education for the daughters of the middle and upper classes.

The Catholics also expanded secondary education by setting up St. Stanislaus College for boys in 1866 and a high school for girls in 1880.

With the growth of the Indian population in Guyana, the question of the education of Indian children became a matter of concern to the Government and also to the Christian churches. Christian priests moved into the plantation areas hoping to convert the Indians (who were Hindus and Muslims), but they met with little success. Primary schools were established, but the head teachers complained about the irregular attendance of Indian children. It was partly as a result of this that in 1876 the Compulsory Education Ordinance was enacted. It made education compulsory up to the age of 12 years for children in rural areas and up to 14 years for children in Georgetown, New Amsterdam and Buxton. This Ordinance also outlawed employment of children under the age of nine years.

There were many Indian parents who kept away their children, especially the girls, from the schools because they did not want them to be taught by African teachers, and also they feared that the children would be influenced by Christian religious teachings. However, the real story was that many of the Indian parents kept away their children

The original Queen's College structure that was built in 1950-51 at Thomas Lands in Georgetown

from schools so that could earn money doing jobs on the plantations.

The plantation owners themselves were happy to have gangs of children working in the fields, and it was widely believed that they disagreed with the Compulsory Education Ordinance. The Immigration Agent General, at that time, a close friend of

Bishops High School, circa late 1800s

the planter class, wrote later in his 1888 Report that the Ordinance was a source of hardship to the Indian parents since on most estates “large gangs of little children under that age (the age of nine), are often employed in light work such as carrying earth, ashes or manure and this is not only a benefit to the parents but also a source of pleasure to themselves. No one who has seen these children work, each with a little basket in which to convey a nominal load, running backwards and forwards in high glee and spirits, could fail to feel pleasure at witnessing their being thus trained up to active and industrious habits...

The employment of children under nine years of age may be, and no doubt, open to grave objection, when the condition and nature of their occupations are such as to produce physical and moral degeneracy; but in a country, where their work is as much pastime as labour and is conducive to the promotion of health and vigour, both of body and mind, the necessity of such a restriction does not appear to me to exist.”

The Ordinance also specified that the compulsory attendance rule was not to be enforced during the first ten years of the Indian immigrants’ arrival in Guyana. (Text from “The Guyana

Story—From Earliest Times to Independence” by Odeen Ishmael)

Tumatumari Landing, Essequibo River circa 1908

Cane cutters resting, British Guiana (Postcard)

Aerial view of Queen’s College, circa late 1800s

8 Sunday Times Magazine

MAY 21, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Times Travel & Tourism

Camping on the beach

T

he Rewa river emanates in southern Guyana and runs north through primary rainforest to meet the white waters of the Rupununi River.

The river runs black, and the lower part of the river is wide with high, white sand beaches. About 60 miles upriver, the river changes and gets narrower with rocky bars interspersed with sandy beaches. Camping on the beaches is an exciting experience.

One of the fun activities at Rewa is fishing. Peacock bass, arawana, swordfish, payara, large catfish and pacu thrive in these waters. Rewa is also known for its

healthy populations of arapaima, the largest scaled fresh water fish in the world, which can be observed surfacing in many of the oxbow lakes and ponds.

Due to the remoteness of the Rewa river, wildlife viewing is excellent. Numerous species may be observed: tapir, capybara, brocket deer, peccaries, ocelot, jaguar, and seven of the eight species of Guyanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monkeys. Giant otters, black and spectacled caiman and giant river turtles patrol the waters and bask on the sandbanks.

With its rich biodiversity and white sand beaches, Rewa is a beauty to behold.

(Photos by David Johnstone)

The tranquil Rewa river

Guides portaging a boat through the river rapids

One of the many beaches on the Rewa river

Thunderstorm at Rewa river beach

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 9

Times Healthy Living

W

e’ve all heard of apple cider vinegar, but many of us don’t realize how much it can benefit our beauty routines. Often associated with weight loss, blood sugar, and fat burning, this ancient pantry staple packs a major punch in the skin department. Here are five ways it does just that—prepare to take notes!

Bug Bites

If you’re scratching an

itchy and swollen bug bite like no tomorrow, you need to apply some apple cider vinegar to the irritated area.

The acid will nix the itch and help your bite heal faster and become reduced in size. Just make sure to do a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar before you apply.

Toner

Tired of spending tons of money on expensive toners with ingredients you can’t even pronounce? Save some

cash and use apple cider vinegar instead. Mix equal parts vinegar and water, and feel free to add a drop of your favourite essential oil in there as well. This mixture will even out skin tone, balance skin pH, and fight breakouts at the same time.

Sunburns

Suffering from bad sunburn? Apple cider vinegar can be of service. While many people would assume that acidic vinegar would

aggravate a burn, in fact it helps restore the pH balance in the skin —the key is to dilute the ACV with lots of water so that it’s not too intense when applied. Once the pH is balanced out, the sunburn will heal faster.

Acne

The malic acid in apple cider vinegar has antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-

viral properties. Along with reducing existing bumps and helping skin heal itself, these powerful qualities will help fight future acne by keeping your skin clean and balanced.

Age Spots

Apple cider vinegar has alpha-hydroxy acid in it, a popular ingredient in a lot of skin-care products. This

property helps the skin renew itself and stay firm and fresh. To get rid of age spots, apply the diluted vinegarand-water mixture with a cotton pad and let it soak into your face. When first applying, leave it on for a minute or two so you can test how your skin reacts to it. If your skin reacts well, you can leave it on for longer.

Beauty sleep is a real thing, research shows

B

eauty sleep is a real thing, according to researchers who have shown that people who miss out on sleep do appear less attractive to others.

A couple of bad nights is enough to make a person look "significantly" more ugly, their sleep experiments suggest.

Dark-circled "panda" eyes and puffy lids can even put others off socialising with you, they say.

People were rated by strangers as less healthy and approachable when they had tired faces.

The researchers asked 25 university students, some male and some female, to be the guinea pigs in their sleep experi-

picture?"

The strangers were good at judging if the person they were looking at was tired, and, if they were sleepy, their attractiveness score suffered.

The strangers also said they would be less willing to socialise with the tired students, who they also perceived to be less healthy, Royal Society Open Science journal reports.

The Karolinska Institute researchers say this makes sense in evolutionary terms.

"An unhealthy-looking face, whether due to sleep deprivation or otherwise, might activate disease-avoiding mecha-

Y

ment.

The volunteers - who were given payment for their help - were sent home with a kit that would measure their night-time movements to check that they had not cheated and slept when they should not have.

They were asked to get a good night's sleep for two consecutive nights.

A week later, they were asked to restrict themselves to only four hours sleep per night for two nights in a row.

The researchers took make-up free photos of the volunteers after both the good and the bad sleep sessions.

Next, they asked 122 strangers - women and men living in Sweden's capital city, Stockholm - to have a look at the photos and rate them on attractiveness, health, sleepiness and trustworthiness, as well as asking them: "How much would you like to socialise with this person in the

nisms in others."

In other words, people don't want to hang around with people who might be ill, whereas someone who looks energetic and fit will hold lots of appeal.

Lead researcher Dr Tina Sundelin added: "I don't want to worry people or make them lose sleep over these findings though.

"Most people can cope just fine if they miss out on a bit of sleep now and again."

Dr Gayle Brewer, a psychology expert at the University of Liverpool and member of the British Psychological Society, said: "Judgement of attractiveness is often unconscious, but we all do it, and we are able to pick up on even small cues like whether someone looks tired or unhealthy.

"We want our partners to be attractive and energetic.

"This study is a good reminder of how important sleep is to us." (BBC)

ou know fish is a healthy choice for your family - but you also know some types are safer than others. Brand new guidelines from the FDA and EPA help clear up some of that confusion and make it simpler to make a smart (and safe) choice for your family.

The new guidelines expand on past recommendations by sorting more than 60 kinds of fish into categories they call Best Choices, Good Choices, and Fish to Avoid, based on the amount of mercury the fish contains.

Truth is, all fish contain some amount of mercury, which can affect a child’s brain and nervous system if consumed in large amounts over time. But fish is also flush with health benefits: It’s a great source of protein, vitamins, and minerals—and some varieties are rich in essential omega-3 fats.

These are all nutrients that are important in the period of fetal brain development and during growth and development in early childhood. (Keep in mind there is also evidence that fish may boast a natural defense against mercury toxicity.)

Because fish is so packed with good nutrition for growing bodies, the FDA recommends that kids get 1-2 servings a week.

Here’s what a serving looks like: 1 ounce for ages 2-3 2 ounces for ages 4-7 3 ounces for ages 8-10 4 ounces for ages 11 and older (and adults) It’s okay to have 1-2 servings a week from the Best Choices category, which includes: Catfish

Cod Crab Flounder Haddock Pollock Salmon Shrimp Tilapia Canned light tuna It’s okay to have one serving a week from the Good Choices category, which includes: Grouper Halibut Mahi Mahi Snapper Monkfish Canned albacore (white) tuna But, you should completely avoid these fish, which have the highest mercury levels: King mackerel Marlin Orange roughy Shark Swordfish Tilefish (Gulf of Mexico) Bigeye tuna If you’d like to eat more fish but can’t get the family on board, here are some ideas for making it kid-friendly: Wrap it in tortillas and let everyone choose their toppings. Cut fillets into strips or bite-sized chunks, bread it, and bake it. Then let kids dunk it into ketchup, tartar sauce, or other dips. Brush a thin layer of sweet sauce, such as teriyaki or barbecue sauce, on top of the fish before baking.

(Parents Magazine)

10 Sunday Times Magazine

MAY 21, 2017

Times Fashion

V

anda Allicock-Calistro was first introduced to the local fashion scene last year at the Guyana Fashion Week. Since then, she has established herself as a distinguished designer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was motivated by my father who encouraged myself and nephew to take up designing after he saw some of our shirts we had done. Our pieces are inspired by nature and indigenous culture and are hand painted. Being able to showcase our talent at Guyana Fashion Week 2016 was an honour,â&#x20AC;? Vanda said in an interview with Sunday Times Magazine.

In promotion of being eco-friendly, the designer uses natural fibres for her designs.

She hopes to expand her collection and showcase them on fashion runways.

Vanda's designs are available at Makin' Style Boutique, Courtyard Mall, Robb Street, Georgetown. Call 686-7712 for more information.

guyanatimesgy.com

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 11

Star Times Hollywood

K

arla Camila Cabello Estrabao, born March 3, 1997, is a Cuban-born American singer. As part of the girl group Fifth Harmony, Cabello and her bandmates released one EP and two studio albums. Her departure from the group was announced in December 2016. As a lead artist, Cabello has released two singles which entered the top 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100: "I Know What You Did Last Summer" with Shawn Mendes, and "Bad Things" with Machine Gun Kelly, with the latter reaching number four.

Cabello is featured in "Hey Ma", a collaboration with Pitbull and J Balvin for â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Fate of the Furious: The Albumâ&#x20AC;?.

The singer's lead single from her forthcoming debut solo album - The Hurting, the Healing, the Loving - is set to be released in May 2017.

12 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Times Hollywood

S

elena Gomez has just dropped her latest single “Bad Liar” - and it's left us wondering if it's about ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber.

Releasing the song yesterday, Selena also shared a music video on Spotify for her new track. The lyrics are particularly interesting, and have raised questions over who they may be inspired by.

"I was walking down the street the other day, trying to distract myself, then I see your face, ooh, you got someone else," she sings, before labelling herself a "bad liar" for trying to hide her true feelings.

Selena shared a clip of her music video on Instagram. She is seen on a bed before singing to camera dressed in an oversized grey tee.

Regardless of who the song may or may not be about, Selena seems pretty happy with her new man The Weeknd, who she took the Met Gala red carpet with a few weeks ago. (Glamour)

D

rake escorted his younger cousin Jalaah and her date to their high school prom at the weekend.

The rapper made sure they attended the event at Fairley High School in Memphis in true superstar style.

He ordered the couple a white Rolls Royce to transport them, and paid for their matching rose gold outfits.

Apparently he even stayed and hung out at the prom to keep an eye on what was

happening, but sadly for her classmates he didn't perform.

She was wearing a floor-length sequin ball gown and her boyfriend was wearing a sparkling suit and bow tie.

The Canadian star took to Instagram to commemorate the occasion, tagging his cousin in the post while using the hashtag #YoungLove. According to TMZ, he also threw Jalaah a party at Hard Rock Cafe for about 400 of her friends. (BBC Newsbeat)

A J

ustin Bieber just admitted he is on the hunt for a girlfriend, and possibly a wife.

Justin, who was in Australia a couple months ago for his Purpose tour, met and spent time with Make A Wish patients that dreamed of meeting him. One of the girls asked if he would like change anything about his life and got more than she bargained for: “I mean, I honestly want to find a girlfriend. I seriously want a girlfriend. Dead serious… I want to get married!

Not right now, but, like, soon.”

The sweet exchange was caught on camera in March, but the video has only now surfaced on the internet. (Glamour)

D

emi Lovato has nothing but love for her "frienemy," Miley Cyrus. Demi, who's been sober for five years, says that she is really proud of Miley, who recently told Billboard about how she had quit alcohol, weed and other drugs.

"I am really proud of Miley," the "Camp Rock" star says in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "I think that it helps people to know that there are people in the spotlight that have challenges, that are faced with very stressful lives. I think it helps to know that recovery is possible and it’s something that is so important to certain people like myself."

The "Skyscraper" hitmaker celebrated the fifth anniversary of her sobriety back in March. She ex-

merican Idol is back! With a new broadcaster and new additions to the panel of judges. After rumours emerged that the series would be returning to the American telly, fans of the show started speculating who would be giving away golden tickets to Hollywood.

Last year, Fox called quits on American Idol, after airing it for 15 seasons. Now, picked up by ABC, the talent show promises a much different but greater series - and adding Katy Perry to their credits seems like a pretty smart move.

"We are thrilled to be ushering in this new era of American Idol with Katy leading the charge," ABC says on statement they've released to announce the news.

"I am honored and thrilled to be the first judge bringing back the American Idol tradition of making dreams come true for incredible talents with authentic personalities and real stories. I'm always listening to new music, and love discovering diamonds in the rough – from mentoring young artists on my label, or highlighting new artists on my tours, I want to bring it back to the music," she commented for the press. (Glamour)

T

pressed her gratitude by posting a heartfelt message on Instagram. "So grateful.

It's been quite the journey.

So many ups and downs.

So many times I wanted to relapse but sat on my hands and begged God to relieve the obsession," she wrote, before adding, "I'm

so proud of myself but I couldn't have done it without my higher power (God), my family, friends and everyone else who supported me. Feeling humbled and joyful today. Thank you guys for sticking by my side and believing in me."

(AceShowbiz)

he 23-year-old singer and new dad has become the fifth and final member of One Direction to launch a solo career — and he’s chosen a sound far different than Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan or Louis Tomlinson.

The track, titled “Strip That Down” and co-written

by Ed Sheeran and Steve Mac, takes on a hip-hop inspired pop sound.

It features Quavo of hiphop group Migos — who have become the go-to rappers for pop collaborations, following their appearances on Calvin Harris‘ “Slide” and Katy Perry‘s “Bon Appétit.”

Payne — whose debut album is expected soon — said in a statement that he was looking forward to fans hearing his new sound.

“I’ve been working hard in the studio for over a year

and I’m really excited to share this new music with my amazing fans,” he said.

“I’ve come a long way since our One Direction debut and I hope everyone likes my new sound as much as I do.

2017 has been a big year for me already and I’m looking

forward to what the rest of it will bring.”

He doesn’t appear to be missing his One Direction bandmates, singing: “You know I used to be on 1-D / Now I’m out free / People want me for one thing / That’s not me / I’m not changing the way that / I used to be / I just want to have fun and / get rowdy.”

Previously, Payne told Sirius XM Hits 1 how the collaboration with Sheeran came to be.

“I was in L.A. at my house, and I got a call like ‘Ed Sheeran’s in the studio and he’s writing this song — it’s about you and it’s for you so come down and have a listen,’ ” Payne said. “Within 30 minutes, we finished it off. When you get to collaborate with people like Ed Sheeran, it’s great.” (PEOPLE)

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 13

Star Times Bollywood

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u s l a a n Mumtaz, born August 2, 1982, is an Indian Bollywood film and television actor. He made his Bollywood debut in 2007 with Hindi film “MP3 – Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar”. In 2013, he made his television debut with the role of Dhruv in “Kehta Hai Dil Jee Le Zara”. His most notable movies include “Dangerous Ishq” (2012), which also starred Karisma Kapoor, and “Khel To Abb Shuru Hoga” (2016). Ruslaan is the son of actress Anjana Mumtaz.

14 Sunday Times Magazine

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MAY 21, 2017

Times Bollywood

A

ctor Hrithik Roshan and his exwife Sussanne Khan, an interior designer, have always shared a cordial relationship with each other. Even after their divorce, the two have often been spotted hanging out together with their sons, Hrehaan (11) and Hridaan (9).

According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, Hrithik purchased a house for Sussanne and the property is just 15 minutes away from his own house.

“Even after they got separated, Hrithik’s prime concern has been the

A

ctor Arshad Warsi has done the Hindi dubbing for the dialogues of Captain Jack Sparrow in the fifth “Pirates of the Caribbean” film, titled “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” (which is to be titled “Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge” in India).

The character, played

by Johnny Depp, has become an iconic one. Arshad, a self-confessed fan of the film franchise, tells us that he was super-excited when he was offered the dubbing

welfare of his ex-wife and their sons.

The apartment that he has bought for Sussanne is located in upper Juhu, about 15 minutes away from his own residence.

His parents, Rakesh and Pinkie Roshan, live close by too, so do Susanne’s parents, Sanjay and Zarine Khan,” a source was quoted as saying.

Talking about his friendly equation with Sussanne, Hrithik said: “Sussanne and I are not trying to set any example.

This is how we are. This is the kind of person I am, and I don’t think I can have

role.

“I don’t think anyone would have passed on such an opportunity. I love the entire franchise, and I love each and every film,” Arshad beams.

Jack Sparrow is one of the rarest characters that Arshad has dubbed for.

He says, “It was not easy to dub for Jack Sparrow.

Throughout the film he is either heavily drunk or is hungover. So, to be like that, the dubbing was quite a challenge. While dubbing for this, I had my eyes closed

S

anything that is not peaceful.

Relationships should be healthy, mutually beneficial and adding growth to both the parties,” he had said.

Looking at their pictures and the bond they share, fans have often speculated that they might reunite.

A while back, Sussanne even took to Twitter to refute these rumours.

On the work front, Hrithik is involved in the creative process of “Krrish 4”. (Hindustan Times)

half of the time. I was imagining every time, what he must be doing in the scene, to get that emotion right in my voice.”

The “Munnabhai” actor revealed that it took him a total of 12 hours over a period of six days to complete the dubbing. “You cannot do it in one take. There are many things involved. After three-four hours, your voice gets tired, and you have to take a break to start recording again. So there are many small things,” he says.

(Hindustan Times)

alman Khan talked at length about his facial nerve disorder for the first time to the media recently. The actor was at the launch event for a song from his upcoming film “Tubelight” in Dubai where he revealed how unbearable the pain could be.

“I was suffering from this nerve problem called trigeminal neuralgia. So I couldn’t talk. Had to talk like that (speaking with his mouth slightly closed) and huge amount of pain,” he said in a video posted on YouTube by Gulf News.

Trigeminal neuralgia is a disorder that affects the trigeminal nerve. It causes extreme, burning pain on a person’s face that can last between a few seconds to a few minutes. The pain can be so severe that the disease often causes depression in patients, according to Facial Pain Association.

R

eema Lagoo passed away following a cardiac arrest at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital in Andheri, Mumbai, in the wee hours of Thursday. She was 59.

Reema is remembered for her roles in “Kal Ho Naa Ho”, “Maine Pyar Kiya”, “Hum Saath Saath Hain”, among others.

Many Bollywood personalities showed up for the late actress' last rites. Aamir Khan reminisced how he acted with Lagoo in his debut film – “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak”. He also recalled how

“That’s one disease that basically has the highest rates of suicides. Over education, over everything. There is so much of pain...I suffered that,” Salman added.

However, the actor has never allowed the disease deter him from his path.

“So at that point of time, I realised that I need to work really hard. No matter how much pain you are going through, it made me realise that you can’t put any subtitles — your ligament is torn, you have the flu or that your knee is hurting — in any of your scenes.

Your fans don’t care about it and that you really need to give your best on screen. Once it’s printed, it’s lifelong,” he said.

Salman even went to the U.S. for treatment and is now well. He was in Dubai to shoot for “Tiger Zinda Hai” with Katrina Kaif, the sequel to the 2012 hit.

“Tubelight” releases in theatres on June 23. (Hindustan Times)

A

Reema would bat for social causes with the vigour of a youngster. He said that he prayed may her soul rest in peace.

"She was healthy and doing well. Her sudden death is saddening. My first film was with Reemaji 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak'. She was a brilliant actor with a heart of gold. She had great interest in social issues, much better than youngsters. May her soul rest in peace," the “Dangal” star added.

Kajol, who played onscreen daughter to Reema in “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, was

ctor Amy Jackson, on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, says she is looking forward to see how actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will look at the event.

“Aishwarya is the ultimate Cannes icon for Bollywood and I can’t wait to see how she looks on the red carpet,” says the actor, who will walk for her English film “Boogie Man”, directed by Andrew Morahan.

The promo of the film will be unveiled at the festival. Amy’s childhood friend Kirsty is styling her for the event.

spotted at the Oshiwara crematorium as she paid her last respects. Rishi Kapoor too bid farewell to the talented actress. As the late actress acted in many Marathi films over the years, many members of the Marathi film fraternity also made it to the funeral. Notably, Manoj Joshi, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Mahesh Kothare and Ramesh Bhatkar attended the service.

A number of Bollywood stars remembered the late actress fondly with heartfelt messages on social media platforms. (Times of India)

“I can’t wait. Last year was my first at Cannes, but this year I feel so much more prepared. It’s a full week of events, red carpets, dinners and charity galas this time. Plus, I will also be meeting the distributors of Boogie Man,” she says.

In 2016, Amy made her debut at the prestigious film festival for a dinner organised by the luxury label Chopard.

While at Cannes, Amy attended a dinner hosted by Eva Longoria on May 19, and the Positive Planet Gala dinner, which helps charities all over the world, on May 24. (Hindustan Times)

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 15

Times Trends

Star of the week

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amantha Chunilall is a charismatic young woman who is passionate about giving back to society. A genuine and open-minded individual, Samantha enjoys the simple things in life and loves adventures. During her participation in the Miss India Guyana pageant, Samantha was able to “influence persons in a positive manner”. Her platform in the pageant was revitalising Indian culture and traditions from the olden days. Samantha’s belief is that “the rich Indo-Guyanese culture has lost its touch of uniqueness and through old customs of cooking and dress will help to bring some of the traditions back”.

Trending Now

M

ale romper, RompHim, Bro romper, public onesie or just a romper that happens to be worn by a man, whatever you call it, the onepiece clothing item preferred by babies and women at outdoor concerts has officially hit the male fashion mainstream.

Somewhat different from those worn by women, these male rompers have a zip fly and waist tabs to provide an alleged “flattering fit”.Attracting both negative and positive reviews, these rompers are said to be “the next big thing in fashion”.

16 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Times Art

‘In Retrospect’

Artist Jorge Bowen-Forbes "Pomeroon Landing" (1962). Watercolour

"Entrance, Botanic Garden" (1972). Watercolour

"Still Life with Flowers" (1980). Acrylic

By Ashraf Dabie

T

o kick start the celebrations of Guyana’s 51st Independence Anniversary, the National Gallery of Art, Castellani House, is hosting an art exhibition to display the works of renowned local artist, Jorge BowenForbes. Titled “In Retrospect”, the exhibition also coincides with the artist’s 80th birthday.

“In Retrospect” features over 20 paintings that chronicle the artistic journey of Bowen-Forbes’ in the last 75 years.

Describing himself as a “modernist”, Bowen-Forbes mentioned he is “blessed with serious intentions, yet the thoughts behind my work are easily understood”.

On display at the exhibition are his thought-provoking pieces, such as “La Comienza”, “Fairmaid”, and

which were completed just over a week prior to the event.

Even in the absence of a direct source of inspiration, the then amateur artist was fortunate enough to be surrounded by veteran artists who later took him into their arms, and became his mentors. Residing adjacent to young Jorge was notable Guyanese artist, Basil Hinds, who was at the time attached to the Comenius Moravian Primary School. Also a stone’s throw away from Jorge’s home was Vivian Antrobus, whose guidance allowed the artist to evolve.

E. R. Burrowes had visited the home of Hinds, where 13-year-old Jorge was engrossed in his sketching/painting. Burrowes examined Jorge’s work and was impressed. Consequently, Burrowes invited Jorge to the Working Peoples’ Art Class, where he was able to network with others in the field. Jorge learned from artists such as Patrick Barrington and Florence Caviglio, along with a wide list of other influential artists, to whom the artist now credits a portion of his success.

“Burrowes introduced me to oil painting, and with my first attempt I was awarded a certificate of excellence at the WPAC exhibition by the then Governor of British Guiana, Sir Alfred Savage,” recollected Bowen-Forbes.

The artist went on to be the recipient of several prestigious accolades, and today his work sits in international museums and art galleries such as the Museum of Art El Paso in the United States.

During the opening event of the exhibition, the artist pointed out a few of his personal favourites,

"Entrance to Sophia" (1962). Acrylic

"Rendezvous, Botanic Gardens" (1962). Acrylic

“Pescadores”, and some of which date back to the early 1960s.

Bowen-Forbes noted that there is no finite source of inspiration that motivates his art, rather he allows ‘time and tide’ to guide his hands at work.

Explaining the journey of his now well established career, the octogenarian disclosed that his work began on the walls of his home at the tender age of five. In an effort to curtail young Jorge’s habit of drawing on walls, his mother gifted him with a book and a kit of watercolour paints, which laid the foundation of his career.

Even with the passing of 75 years since his first official artwork, Jorge Bowen-Forbes continues to try his hand at art. As a matter of fact, there are works at the exhibition

"Lotus" (1971). Acrylic

"Fish Vendors, Kitty Foreshore" (1971). Acrylic

one being a painting of the once existing fish port at the shores of Kitty. The painting portrayed the arrival of the fishermen followed by a crowd of eager women who were waiting to relieve the men of their catch.

“My bent was to see, digest, and then reinvent nature as being distilled from my emotions and thoughts. It is like breaking apart reality and bringing it back together in a new and personal arrangement. My portrayal of imagery is therefore in leavening of traditional methods with those of modern times,” expressed the artist. “In Retrospect” by Jorge Bowen-Forbes was opened to the public on May 16, 2017 at Castellani House, Vlissengen Road, and will continue until June 3, 2017. (‘St George’s Cathedral’ (1971). Acrylic)

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 17

Times Tech

I

t's on track to be one of the biggest recorded ransomware attacks ever, with tens of thousands of infected computers in nearly 100 countries.

The recent attack largely hit businesses and large organizations: UK hospitals, a Spanish telecom, FedEx, the Russian Interior Ministry. But how much do individuals need to worry about their personal computers being targeted?

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that takes over a computer and locks the

Tech news

user out, preventing them from accessing any files until they pay money. This particular program, called WannaCry, asks for about US$300, though the price increases over time.

WannaCry takes advantage of a Windows flaw discovered by the NSA and made public by hackers in April. Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) did release a patch for the vulnerability in March. But computers and networks that didn't update their systems were still at risk.

A security researcher inadvertently created a "kill switch" to help stop the spread of this ransomware. However, a hacker could rewrite the code to omit the kill switch and start trying to infect new machines with a new version of it.

The worm is primarily impacting business, where it can spread quickly through a network to take down an entire company. Business takes longer to install critical updates and patches, often to avoid impacting any legacy software they are running.

But individuals with PCs running Windows should still take a few precautions. First, install any software updates immediately and make it a regular habit. Turn on auto-updaters where available (Microsoft offers that option). Microsoft also recommends running its free anti-virus software for Windows.

If you don't already have a backup routine, start now and regularly save copies of all your files.

That way if your machine gets infected and your

photos and documents are encrypted, you don't need to worry about losing them.

Finally, always stay alert. Don't click on links that you don't recognize, or download files from people you don't know personally.

It's not just your computer that you need to

be worried about. This attack has impacted many large services and organizations, including hospitals in England, a telecom and natural gas company in Spain, and FedEx. Basic services that impact your life could be impacted even if your own machine is clean. (CNN)

G

lobal restaurant guide Zomato says hackers have stolen data on about 17 million users.

The Indian firm, which uses a digital platform to provide information, said the breach includes swathes of personal information, including email addresses and hashed passwords.

Payment-related information is safe as it was stored separately, Zomato said.

The firm said it had reset the passwords of affected users and logged them out of the app and the website.

More than 120 million users visit Zomato - an online and mobile service offering restaurant and nightlife information, including menus and photographs, in countries around the world - every month.

The firm said it had "recently" discovered that 17 million email addresses and hashed passwords had been stolen from its data base.

"The hashed password cannot be converted/decrypted back to plain text - so the sanctity of your password is intact in case you use the same password for other services," the firm said in a security notice to its consumers.

"But if you are paranoid about security like us, we encourage you to change your password for any other services where you are using the same password."

Zomato said "no payment information or credit card data has been stolen/leaked" as they were stored in "highly secure" digital vaults.

The firm said it appeared that "an internal (human) security breach" had led to the theft of the data.

Zomato is based in Gurgaon near Delhi and is active in 10,000 cities, including London and New York, across 24 countries around the world. (BBC)

Tech BYTE

Tech news

I

n a joint study published recently, app developer Cardiogram and researchers at the University of California, San Francisco relied on the Apple Watch -- and Cardiogram's algorithm -- to gather heart rate and electrocardiogram data from 6,158 individuals. Their goal? To determine if the Apple Watch's sensors can differentiate between a normal heart rhythm and atrial fibrillation (AF).

Apparently, it can; the study identified AF with 97 percent accuracy.

Atrial fibrillation is a serious heart arrhythmia, associated with an increased risk of heart failure and stroke. While sufferers can experience heart palpitations and tiredness, AF is often asymptomatic and therefore difficult to diagnose. Although the results of the study were promising, it doesn't mean we should implicitly trust our wearables and apps to diagnose health conditions.

"While mobile technology screening won't replace more conventional monitoring methods, it has the potential to successfully screen those at an increased risk and lower the number of undiagnosed cases of AF," said Gregory M. Marcus, director of clinical research for the Division of Cardiology at UCSF.This study also marks a possible shift in the role of smart tech in our lives. Today's camera-equipped fridges inventory our food, smart beds track our breathing and heart rates and our wearables keep track of how we exercise. If these everyday devices can also serve as diagnostic tools, there might be a more holistic approach to health and wellness in the smart home. (CNET)

T

he makers of a face-morphing app have apologised after users accused them of creating a "racist" filter.

FaceApp can change portraits to make people look older, change gender or become "more attractive".

But when users with darker skin tones apply the "hot" filter to pictures, they say the app lightened their faces.

Reviews online also suggested users had seen their skin become lighter when trying this option.

"On a picture of a friend of mine it lightened her skin, took away her glasses, and changed all of her features so that she was unrecognisable," one reviewer wrote.

"Overall, this app only fully works for white men who don't wear glasses."

Yaroslav Goncharov, CEO and founder of the company which makes the app, has issued an apology.

"We are deeply sorry for this unquestionably serious issue," he said in a statement given to Newsbeat.

"It is an unfortunate side-effect of the underlying neural network caused by the training set bias, not intended behaviour."

The "neural network" is a computer system modelled on the human brain and nervous system.

FaceApp uses artificial intelligence to morph faces by merging facial features.

"To mitigate the issue, we have renamed the effect to exclude any positive connotation associated with it," said Mr Goncharov.

"We are also working on the complete fix that should arrive soon."

The "hot" filter is now known as "spark" on FaceApp, however it still has the effect of lightening the skin.

Other apps have been criticised in the past for filtering skin colour.

A controversial Snapchat face filter drew outrage from thousands of users, who described it as a "racist" caricature of East Asians.

Described as "yellowface" by angry users, it contorted facial features and gave users the appearance of slanted eyes. (BBC Newsbeat)

18 Sunday Times Magazine

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MAY 21, 2017

Times Home & Cooking

Recipe of the Week

B

A Yellow Kitchen

right yellow walls catch the natural and artificial light to create a bright atmosphere in kitchens.

Find inspiration from the designs below.

Ingredients 3 cups evaporated milk 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk 4 eggs 1tsp vanilla extract Nutmeg

Method Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs and add evaporated milk and condensed milk to eggs.

Stir in vanilla and nutmeg. Strain by pouring the mixture through a strainer into greased baking dish and sprinkle grated nutmeg over top.

Place the pan in a larger pan filled with water and bake for one hour.

Simple wooden cabinets and neutral countertops combine with clean white walls for a welcoming kitchen Yellow walls and natural light form the skylight create a sunny look in this traditional kitchen. A wood island with neutral granite countertop provides extra space for food prep and meals while leaving open floor space to maneuver through the room

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Greatest Cooking Tips

oodles, spaghetti and other starches won't boil over if you rub the inside of the pot with vegetable oil.

When tossing a salad with a basic vinaigrette, always make the vinaigrette at least 1/2 hour ahead of time and let the mixture sit to allow the flavours to marry. Pour the vinaigrette down the side of the bowl, not directly on the greens, for a more evenly dressed salad.

To remove egg shells from a batter, use the remaining shell to attract the piece.

Thaw fish in milk for fresher flavour.

Use paper bags rather than plastic to store lettuce and celery in the crisper.

They will stay fresh longer.

To keep salt from clogging in the shaker, add 1/2 teaspoon of uncooked rice.

Pancakes are lighter and fluffier when you substitute club soda for milk in the batter.

Use margarine instead of butter to panfry or sautĂŠ. Butter burns quickly.

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Yellow tiles are a sunny accent in this traditional kitchen

Carefully remove from the oven and remove from the pan of water and cool.

Can be served at room temperature or cold. (www.jehancancook.com)

Home Help

eeping your home spic and span is one of the most important ways to ward away disease, and a thorough cleaning once you're feeling better can prevent illness from spreading to your loved ones.

One of the best things about keeping vinegar in your home is that it's so cheap. Plus, it's edible â&#x20AC;&#x201D; no harsh toxins, no lingering chemical smell â&#x20AC;&#x201D; making it the perfect cleaning solution if you have children or pets.

Trap Mice with Melted Cheese. Mice are crafty at stealing a piece of cheese from a mousetrap. The trick is to make sure the trap will trip while mice are nibbling the treat. How to do it? Just set the cheese in the trap and heat it with a lit match so the cheese melts. Unable to spirit it away, mice will sample the melted cheese long enough for the trap to spring shut.

Use Sugary Sweet Baking Soda on Cockroaches. Ingesting baking soda will kill roaches, but the trick is to make it palatable. Bait them by mixing baking soda with equal parts of icing sugar and sprinkle the mixture inside cabinets and other potential cockroach hide-outs.

Repel Ants with Vinegar. To get rid of these unwelcome pests, mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and squirt it on counters, windowsills, baseboards, and anywhere else ants show up.

guyanatimesgy.com

MAY 21, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine19

Family Times

PARENTING

Ways to Encourage Your Quiet Child

I

JOKES Anniversary wishes

A married couple, both 60 years old, were celebrating their 35th anniversary. During their party, a fairy appeared to congratulate them and grant them each one wish.

The wife wanted to travel around the world. The fairy waved her wand and poof - the wife had tickets in her hand for a world cruise.

Next, the fairy asked the husband what he wanted. He said, "I wish I had a wife 30 years younger than me."

So the fairy picked up her wand and poof - the husband was 90.

New Shopper

The new flock of kids attending college always includes those who need a little help with everyday chores they themselves never did before, such as laundry, or grocery shopping.

I was in the dairy aisle for some eggs. As usual, I opened the carton to check them over before putting them in my cart.

Beside me, a young man did the same to his carton... then leaned toward me and asked, “What are we looking for?”

Picking up Clothes

Weary of constantly picking clothes up from the floor of her son's room, a mother finally laid down the law. Each item of clothing she had to pick up would cost her son 25 cents.

By the end of the week, he owed her $1.50. She received the money promptly, along with a 50-cent tip and a note that read: “Thanks, Mom. Keep up the good work!”

t is often assumed that kids who are quiet or introverted—as opposed to shy, a word some experts use to describe those who have true social anxiety—are unsure of themselves.

“Neurologically, they’re just wired differently than louder children and react more positively to less stimulating environments,” says Susan Cain, author of “Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts”. But even in challenging settings, your quiet child can practice her social skills and learn to navigate our loud world more easily. These expert tips will help her break out.

Change Your Language

Quiet children may receive unwitting messages—even from their parents—that there’s something wrong with their reserved behavior. “By saying, ‘Sorry, he’s shy,’ to another adult who’s trying unsuccessfully to engage him, you imply to your child that we see his quietness as a negative thing,” says Erica Reischer, Ph.D., author of “What Great Parents Do: 75 Simple Strategies for Raising Kids Who Thrive”. She suggests saying something like, “He’s feeling quiet right now.” This acknowledges how your child feels in the moment and that he may not always feel that way. In fact, he might be back to his talkative self once he’s home. By creating an environment of acceptance within your own family, you’ll give your child the freedom to hold on to who he truly is.

Practice Socializing

Any of us can feel overwhelmed in

a loud or an unfamiliar environment, says Cain. But while adults can usually muster the poise to muddle through it, little kids are still honing those skills.

“My number-one strategy is for kids to practice, practice, practice,” says Maria Zimmitti, Ph.D., president of Georgetown Psychology Associates, in Washington, D.C. She says that gently introducing a quiet child to social situations will allow him to work gradually toward feeling comfortable and ultimately having fun with other kids. Try not to put your child in a large playgroup or force interactions before he is ready, as this can cause anxiety and lead to further avoidance. Start small with a playdate with one other kid, and over time, move up to larger group settings. And don’t be surprised if your

Tommy had reached school age. His mother managed with a blast of propaganda, to make him enthusiastic about the idea. She bought him lots of new clothes, told him of the new friends he'd meet and so on.

Came the first day, he eagerly went off and came back home with a lot of glowing reports about school.

Next morning when she woke him up, he asked "What for?"

She told him it was time to get ready for school.

"What, again?" he asked.

Silly Signs and Classifieds

Sofa Sale. "For sale - Blue sofa with two attached lazy boys."

Real Estate. “Nice 2-bedroom home. The owner has noted that there are termites that have done some damage. Selling house ‘as is’. Don’t Wait. This Wonderful Property Will Not Last Long.”

Notice in apartment building lobby. “To whoever is watering these plants, please stop. They are the property of the building, and our maintenance staff will take care of them.

They may have already been watered, in which case you will be overwatering them. Besides, these plants are fake.”

Millions of Years Ago

Overheard at the dinosaur exhibit in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park - A confused woman complaining to her friend, "How could they possibly know the names of all those dinosaurs if they died 75 million years ago? And another thing, how do we even know they were called dinosaurs?"

Water

Beyond Our Power

A customer called our service line demanding help with her TV set, which wouldn’t come on.

"I’m sorry, but we can’t send a technician out today due to the blizzard," I told her.

Unsatisfied, she barked, "I need my TV fixed today! What else am I supposed to do while the power is out?!"

Call Out Accomplishments

Children respond well to positive reinforcement, and your quiet child is no exception. You can boost his confidence if you recognize and praise his new skills. But don’t bribe. If you promise him an ice-cream cone for talking to a friend, he may wonder why that interaction is so awful that you’ll offer a reward for it. Instead, acknowledge social strides as they occur. “If he’s having a good time at a party, make sure you tell him, ‘I see you having fun!’ ” says Dr. Reischer. “That way, he’ll notice, ‘Hey, I’m doing it!’ ”

STORY TIME

School Days

My friend was working at an amusement park when a couple stopped him. “Excuse me,” said the woman, pointing to a pond. “What is that water made out of?”

Bemused, my friend replied, “Two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.”

“See?” she said to her boyfriend, “I told you it wasn’t real.”

quiet child chooses a loud companion.

“A friend who’s more at ease can pave the way in social settings,” says Cain.

T

his story was told to Kenneth Butler by Thomas John from Surama village. It is a story about pride and self-awareness.

In a time before human beings existed, when everything lived as one with the sea and the forest, there were two fishing birds: one for the river and one for the ponds.

The first one was a Green ibis, which only fished for worms on the shores of the river, and the other, a Cocoi heron, fished for fish in the ponds. They were the best at what they did.

Rumours spread about their individual skills and there were talks of one being better than the other. It came to the attention of the Green ibis, which became very upset and decided to trick the Cocoi heron into displaying his charms.

Having heard about the rumours, the heron also wanted to

see the ibis’ charms, so he accepted the challenge without further discussions.

They decided to hold a competition to see who the best fishing bird of all was. It was set to begin at the first sign of the full moon and to last for the whole duration of the full moon. The other birds would be the judges of the two.

The ibis and the heron got themselves ready for the big event and, after several days of hard training, came the full moon, which signalled the beginning of the competition. Both birds took out their charms and rubbed them.

Everyone was amazed at what was taking place in front of them. There were so many fish coming towards the heron and so many worms towards the ibis! Both birds continued fishing tirelessly for three nights.

When it finally came to an end, the judges started counting the number of fish and worms that the two birds had gathered. Both birds were so tired that they could not even stand on their legs anymore so they just dropped to the ground, waiting on the judges to tally up the numbers.

One day later, when the judges finally finished their count, it was time for everyone to know who the best fishing bird of all was. The ibis was certain it would be him, but so did the heron. But when the judges announced that it was a tie, the ibis couldn’t believe it and fainted. The heron was so disappointed he started crying. And all the other birds left the ibis and the heron.

A few hours later, having digested the initial shock of the results, the ibis and the heron were still curious to know how the other had done. They decided to exchange their charms so that the other could feel how it works. But what they had not realised is that they did not fish for the same thing. And when they set out to test the other’s charm they were in for a big surprise.

Using the ibis’ charm by the river, the heron started seeing worms crawling towards him and he got scared and flew away. At the same time, the ibis was doing the same thing with the heron’s charm and, seeing all the fish swimming towards him, got so scared that he left the pond and did not return.

Ibis went to the river looking for the heron, while the heron was looking for him by the pond. To this day, they still haven’t found each other. That is why you can see the heron fishing in the ponds, while the ibis is always by the river, looking for worms. (www.pantaniblog.org)

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MAY 21, 2017

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Times Sunday Puzzle

I

t's time to get back at the Queen of Hearts by beheading words that start with "Qu". In this case, you remove the first two letters and still have a valid word. You will be given clues for the two words, longer word first.

Example: British pound - Part of the psyche.

Answer: The Quid - Id.

1. Stop doing - That thing 2. Peculiar behaviour - Annoy 3. Subatomic particle - Large boat 4. Unit of liquid measure - Product of creativity 5. Small game bird - To be unwell see ANSWERS on page 23

see solution on page 23

see solution on page 23

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MAY 21, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine

21

Times Kids

Creature Corner

T

he eyelash palm pitviper is named for the bristly scales above its eyes. It looks like it has a hood or eyelashes over its eyes. It can be easily recognised by its colour and triangular head.

They may be yellow, green or pinkish depending on where they come from.

Their scales are keeled so they are rough and sharp to the touch. Their rough scales may help to protect them against the branches and vines of their arboreal (living in trees) habitat, unlike most snakes whose scales are smooth. They have a pair of heat-sensitive pits between the eyes and nostrils. Its pupils are long vertical slits.

It is one of the smallest venomous snakes in Central America measuring only up to 2.5 feet (76 centimetres) and averaging about 22 to 32 inches (56 to 81 centimetres).

Eyelash palm pitvipers range from southern Mexico through Central America to Colombia, Ecuador and western Venezuela, though they have inadvertently been sent throughout the world in banana shipments.

Their habitat ranges from densely-wooded,

Find the words from below in the grid.

Words may be forward, backward, up, down or diagonal. Good luck!

sea-level forests, to streamside vegetation in moist lowlands and foothills to wooded cloud and montane (of or inhabiting mountainous country) forests. They primarily inhabit shrubbery, vine tangles, low branches of trees and palms.

This viper usually attacks its prey quickly, injects the hemotoxic venom and then waits for the prey to die. They tend to have very long fangs and the bite can be very painful and deadly. In general, they do not bite humans unless teased or trampled.

Adult eyelash palm pitvipers prey upon small mammals, birds (including hovering hummingbirds) and nestlings, lizards and frogs. Juveniles prey primarily on small frogs.

BALLOON BEAR BEES CHRISTOPHER EEYORE GOPHER HEFFALUMP HONEY KANGA LUMPY

OWL PIGLET POOH RABBIT ROO TIGGER WINNIE WOODS WOOZLES

GEOZONE

Please see solution on page 23

The objective of the game is to fill all the blank squares in a game with the correct numbers. Every row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Every column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Every 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include all digits 1 through 9.

H

a Long Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin, within Quang Ninh Province, in the northeast of Vietnam, includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars.

The Bayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s islands and islets, most of which are uninhabited and unaffected by humans, form a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars and is an ideal model of a mature Karst landscape (a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, and gypsum) developed during a warm and wet tropical climate.

The outstanding value of the property is centered around the drowned limestone

karst landforms, displaying spectacular pillars with a variety of coastal erosional features such as arches and caves which form a majestic natural scenery. The repeated regression and transgression of the sea on the limestone karst over geological time has produced a mature landscape of clusters of conical peaks and isolated towers, which were modified by sea invasion, adding an extra element to the process of lateral undercutting of the limstone towers and islands.

Ha Long Bayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exceptional scenic beauty is complemented by its great biological interest.

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MAY 21, 2017

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Sunday Times Magazine 23

Times World

A

Florida man who tried to kiss a rattlesnake, only for it to snub his advances and bite him, is recovering in hospital.

The snake was found by Charles Goff, a resident of Putnam County, in the north-east of the state, on Monday.

A day later, a neighbour, named by a local CBS channel as Ron Reinold, started playing with the snake and made his ill-judged move.

Mr Reinold was airlifted to hospital and is now recovering.

“One boy said, ‘I’m going to kiss it in the mouth,’ and the snake bit him in the face,” Mr Goff told Action News Jax. “Ron was just acting silly, you know? I guess he said he could kiss the devil and get away with it, but evidently he didn’t.”

First Coast News said the victim was conscious but had initially been in a critical condition.

The snake is believed to have escaped after its ordeal.

It is still not clear why Mr Reinold tried to kiss the rattlesnake. (BBC)

Brain Teaser Answer 1. Quit - It 2. Quirk - Irk 3. Quark - Ark

4. Quart - Art 5. Quail - Ail

SUDOKU

KID SUDOKU

A

member of Japan’s royal family, Princess Mako, is to surrender her royal status by marrying a commoner.

The 25-year-old eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito will become engaged to law firm worker Kei Komuro, also 25, whom she met while studying together.

Japan’s imperial law requires a princess to leave the royal family after marrying a commoner.

The move is expected to reignite debate on royal succession, with the emperor also possibly abdicating soon.

The Imperial Household told local media that plans were under way for the princess’s engagement.

The engagement will only be official after a ceremonial exchange of gifts, local media said.

Public broadcaster NHK said the wedding is expected to take place next year.

Asked about their engagement plans, Mr Komuro on Wednesday was quoted as saying: “Now is not the time for me to comment, but I want to speak at the right time.”

Princess Mako’s aunt Princess Sayako married a commoner in 2005 - the first time a Japanese royal became a commoner.

Her wedding to an urban planner for the Tokyo city government was described as a low key event. And Sayako was left to adjust to her more humble surrounding.

She moved into a one-bedroom apartment, had to learn how to drive, shop in a supermarket and buy furniture.

Princess Sayako is the only daughter of Emperor Akihito.

After news of Princess Mako’s upcoming engagement broke, Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying: “There is no change in our view to proceed with consideration of steps to ensure stable imperial succession.”

A

Texas man has filed a lawsuit against a woman for the cost of a movie ticket after she texted during their cinema date.

Brandon Vezmar, 37, said the woman walked out of the screening of “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2” when he complained about her persistent phone use.

Vezmar filed the petition in the state capital of Austin last week seeking US$17.31, arguing his date’s behaviour was “a threat to civilised society”.

She said she refused to reimburse him because “he took me out on a date”.

“Oh my God,” the unnamed woman told the Austin American-Statesman. “This is crazy.”

Vezmar said she began texting about 15 minutes after the movie began during their first date on 6 May. “It was kind of a first date from hell,” he told the newspaper.

He said he asked her to stop and when she refused, Vezmar suggested she should step outside to text.

The woman left and did not return, he said.

Vezmar said he texted her a few days later to ask for the price of the ticket but she refused.

The woman said on Tuesday she only texted two or three times with her friend who was having a fight with her boyfriend.

“I had my phone low and I wasn’t bothering anybody,” she said.

According to the lawsuit, the texting was a “direct violation” of the cinema’s policy and she “adversely” affected his and other patrons’ viewing experience.

“While damages sought are modest, the principle is important as defendant’s behaviour is a threat to civilized society,” the petition said.

The cinema company’s chief executive, Tim League, has offered to compensate Vezmar with the amount in a gift certificate if he drops the lawsuit. (BBC)

Did you know the word 'meme' is 41 years old?

CROSSWORD

B

Richard Dawkins

iologist and author Richard Dawkins has told Newsbeat he's unhappy with how the internet has defined memes as "pictures with words".

You might wonder what the 76-year-old has to do with them at all. But he actually coined the term.

Back in 1976 he referenced memes in his book “The Selfish Gene”.

For him, memes are ideas that spread from brain to brain - a bit like genes, they are replicated many times.

"I'm not going to use the term internet meme to refer to a picture with writing on it," he tells Newsbeat.

So what makes a good meme, if not a hilarious picture with a great caption?

Newsbeat has spent the past few weeks meeting the people using memes to launch careers, digest politics and explain things that normally make them feel uncomfortable.

For them, memes have created a new language both on, and offline.

"They [memes] just explain those things you can't explain," says Mercy - a 20-year-old from London.

Michael Boateng agrees. The 22-year-old says they help explain politics for him.

"There's a lot that will be turned into a meme during this election period - it's happening already," he says.

"Everything will be turned into a meme but I'm kind of glad it will because it makes things a lot easier to take and to process."

While a lot of meme sensations come from the US, there's a growing community creating them in the UK too.

Hackney's Finest is one of the biggest meme accounts in Britain.

Their account has more than 700,000 followers and makes memes based on growing up in inner cities.

The two founders run their Instagram account anonymously and told us anonymity is part of the charm of sharing memes.

"Try and trace the root of your favourite meme - you can't do it, but that's the fun of it," they say."A lot of people would think we want to be famous or have our faces shown, but we just want to bring people together through entertainment, it doesn't go any further than that."

But for some people, the speed and anonymity of memes has led to a new wave of cyber-bullying.Earlier this year TV personality Katie Price launched a petition to make punishments for online abuse tougher.Her son Harvey is frequently targeted by online trolls who use his disability to create vicious memes.Craig Byrne, 30, also discovered the dark side of memes when his disability was used to make him the subject of one."My hands were tied - I was helpless," he tells Newsbeat.

"I just wanted to go to the person and say, 'Why are you doing that - why would you put that up?'" (BBC Newsbeat)

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Fun Times

Archie

You’ll thrive on change, but before you jump in with (March 21two feet, make sure you can April 19) see the outcome. Love is in the stars and should be your top priority.

ARIES

You’ll need to incorpoTAURUS rate discipline into whatev(April 20- er challenge you take on. A May 20) steady pace and a willingness to go the distance will help you surpass those less willing to give their all.

Getting involved in social GEMINI events will open your eyes to (May 21- suggestions that can improve June 20) your living space, finances or health. Listen, take charge and strive for perfection.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Dilbert

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Make intelligent, not emotional, remarks in order to avoid a conflict. Taking a unique approach to the way you do things at home will encourage peace and harmony.

Get ready to go the distance. You have everything going for you, as long as you follow through on your commitments. Don’t wait for someone else when you should be intent on personal achievement.

Think, learn and excel.

Using your intelligence to find solutions that will benefit you as well as others is the way to get attention and a ticket to bigger opportunities.

LIBRA Don’t miss out on a chance (Sept. 23- to team up with someone you Oct. 23) want to collaborate with just because a person you feel indebted to objects. Live life your way.

Peanuts

You need an outlet that SCORPIO will help you harness your (Oct. 24imagination. Consider someNov. 22) thing that will make you think and will exercise your creative attributes. Express, explore and excel.

You’ll be pumped and SAGITTARIUS ready to make positive chang(Nov. 23es at home. If you surround Dec. 21) yourself with people who are as upbeat and adventuresome as you are, an interesting interaction will develop.

Calvin and Hobbes

Don’t get all worked up CAPRICORN over something that you (Dec. 22- can walk away from or reJan. 19) ject outright. The choice is yours, so don’t give in to someone or something that seems erratic.

An opportunity is within AQUARIUS reach. If you coordinate your (Jan. 20- plans with someone you find Feb. 19) interesting and motivational, positive change and greater stability will be yours.

Romance is on the rise.

Don’t get angry when you PISCES (Feb. 20- should be moving forward.

Mar. 20) Put your time, effort and energy into making home improvements and doing interesting things with children or a loved one. Avoid antagonizing behavior.