Guyana Times 02/06/2013

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INSIDE Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 1787 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

June 2, 2013

Dr Harding throws

support behind PPP/C – says PNCR will not change “bad habits and views”

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Bat Creek residents get boat, engine from Guyana Goldfields P2

See story on page 11

NA, Triumph fires leave nine homeless, many jobless See stories on page 7 & 15

Guyana, P8 Suriname urged to make full use of OIC Participants of 11th safari rewarded P9 for mission accomplished

Mon Repos P10 residents get full-fledged health centre Children take time out to pose with their copies of "The Lure of the Mermaid and Other Children Stories" edited by the late former President Janet Jagan during a function at the Lusignan Community Centre on Saturday to mark International Day for the Protection of Children (Carl Croker photo)

Global Hardware’s PPR-C pipes enter Jamaican market

See story on page 3

Guyanese academic gets top post at major U.S. university

See story on page 2

Local govt elections unlikely this year – Minister Persaud

P14

…. with Basil Williams as head of special select committee

Seven in P19 custody for guns, ammunition and cocaine

2 news

sunday, june 2, 2013| guyanatimeSGY.com

Guyanese academic gets top Bat Creek residents post at major U.S. university get boat, engine from

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leading Guyaneseborn academician has been promoted to a top position at a major university in the United States.

Dr Leon C Wilson, formerly the dean of Alabama State University (ASU) College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, has been promoted to ASU’s interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, according to ASU’s president, Dr William H Harris.

Wilson had served as dean of ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences since 2011.

Founded in 1867, ASU is a historically black university located in Montgomery, Ala. “Dr Wilson is a very seasoned academic administrator and is highly prepared to help to lead the university during this time,” Dr Harris said. “We look forward to his tenure in this position.”

Wilson, who was born in West Coast Berbice, Guyana, told Caribbean Life that “any career elevation of any sort is never a singular effort.

“I am ever grateful to those who have helped along the way. From the time my grade school teacher (in Guyana, Gwendoline Reynolds) convinced my parents to ‘send me away’ from the countryside in search of better educational opportunities in New Amsterdam (Guyana), the climb has been steady,” he said.

“The drive for excellence is influenced by my convictions that maximising one’s gifts is a spiritual responsibility,” he added. “But accomplishments for me have always been a call to service.”

Dr Leon C Wilson

Dr Wilson said academic leadership, in the context of shrinking budgets and greater demands for excellence, is daunting, adding, however, that ASU is “ready for the challenge”.

“I would not have accepted this responsibility if I were not convinced that we have the will and capacity to make a difference,” he said.

“I will be deliberate about elevating the rich academic and professional legacies of ASU as the renewed catalyst for our future directions, and we will be a player that is imperative for educational change in this country,” he added.

In making the announcement, Dr Harris also praised the work of interim associate provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, Dr Sharron Herron-Williams, who “has helped to provide administrative leadership and support to the mission of the provost’s office for several months”.

Dr Wilson received his Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph D) in sociology from the

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1986 and 1989, respectively.

He majored in social psychology, with a minor in social organisation, and had significant advanced training in statistics. He also holds an MA in religion and counselling from Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, and a bachelor of theology from Caribbean Union College (now University of the Southern Caribbean), Trinidad.

Before moving to East Carolina University as professor and chair of the Department of Sociology, Dr Wilson spent almost 20 years at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, in the ranks of assistant professor to professor, and as department chair for seven years.

Dr Wilson has taught courses in advanced statistical application, social psychology, family and applied sociology.

He said he has either chaired or participated in more than 70 PhD dissertations and master’s thesis

projects, stating that he is very proud of his mentoring history.

His research applies statistical models to understand the relationship of structural, interactional and socioeconomic factors to social, psychological, health and mental health outcomes in families, especially adolescents. His publications, which reflect these interests, appear in national and international journals.

Dr Wilson has conducted some of the larger survey research projects on families and adolescents in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

The most recent are Adolescent Health and Protective Factors in Guyana (2012), Media Habits in Guyana (20072008) and Youth Trends in Trinidad and Tobago (2009).

Dr Wilson regularly contributes to and presents at U.S. national and international conferences, and is the recipient of several research, teaching, mentoring and civic awards.

“I take this opportunity to congratulate my mentor and lifelong friend, Dr Leon Wilson, on his promotion,” Dr Janice Emanuel-Bunn, a Guyanese-born professor at the University of Phoenix told Caribbean Life.

“He has always distinguished himself as a dedicated administrator who goes beyond the call of duty and a teacher who understands the needs of students, and motivates them to achieve academic excellence,” she added.

Dr Emanuel-Bunn said Dr Wilson’s work in Guyana, the Caribbean and around the world has “surely made a difference”. (Caribbeanlifenews.com)

Guyana Goldfields

Bat Creek toshao Kenrick Lewis hands over the keys of the boat engine to a resident

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hildren from the riverine area of Bat Creek, an Amerindian community at St Monica/Karawab Village in the Upper Pomeroon will no longer have to endure the arduous task of paddling canoes to schools as they are now the beneficiaries of a new boat, compliments of Guyana Goldfields Inc. The Karawab Village Council received the 15 horsepower Yamaha outboard engine and a wooden boat from the Guyana Goldfields Inc through the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA). The boat will assist to transport children from the community to the Ulele Primary School.

APA President Sharon Jeanne, who presented the new boat and engine to village toshao Kenrick Lewis on Tuesday at Karawab, told residents of the community that the Guyana Goldfields Inc donated $1 million through the APA to purchase the engine and

boat for the Bat Creek community.

Jeanne urged parents in the community to send their children to school.

Meanwhile, Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud received the keys for the boat engine from the APA president and handed it over to the toshao of the village.

Persaud thanked the Guyana Goldfields Inc and the APA for the timely donation. The chairman assured the donors that approximately 200 children will benefit from the kind donation.

Lewis thanked the donors on behalf of the parents of Bat Creek. He said children had to paddle miles to get to school and would sometimes get tired and return home.

The toshao called on residents of the village to care and maintain the engine and also encourage parents to send their children to school.

3 Global Hardware’s PPR-C pipes enter Jamaican market NEWS

sunday, june 2, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

BRIDGE OPENING

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Sunday, June 2 from 12:30h to 14:00h.

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Sunday, June 2 from 11:50h to 13:20h.

WEATHER TODAY Countrywide: Thundery showers are expected during the day, with clear skies in the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations.

Temperatures are expected to range between 24 and 27 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East north-easterly at 2.23 to 3.12 metres per second.

High Tide: 11:42h reaching a minimum height of 2.24 metres.

Low Tide: 05:13h and 17:40h reaching minimum heights of 0.97 metre and 0.95 metre.

Patrick Commodities Managing Director Dervin Patrick addresses the gathering at the launch

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lobal Hardware Inc (GHI) of Guyana and Patrick Commodities Limited (PCL) of Jamaica have joined forces to introduce the eZeeflow Polypropylene Random Copolymer (PPR-C) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes and fittings to the Jamaican market.

GHI is a member of the Queens Atlantic Investment Inc (QAII) group of companies. Following incorporation in 2007, the company became the first manufacturer of PPR-C pipes and fittings in Guyana, with an innovative brand eZeeflow − a line of products that was the first here and in the Caribbean.

The launching ceremony, followed by a practical demonstration took place at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica on Thursday morning. Guest speaker at the event was Jamaica’s Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Minister Robert Pickersgill.

The main presentation for the launch of the PPR-C pipes and fittings was done

by QAII’s Technical Adviser Parmanand Samaroo, while a GHI technical team gave a demonstration of the PPR-C products and piping system.

Other leading participants included representatives from the Jamaica National Water Commission, the Jamaica Bureau of Standards, the Jamaica Institute of Professional Engineers and other private and public sector entities.

Representatives from the

commercial banking sector and the Customs and Excise Department in Jamaica also attended the launching.

The association between GHI and PCL is expected to provide significant benefits both in terms of opportunities for training of Jamaicans in the revolutionary technology employed by GHI and providing a more cost effective, and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional piping systems. According to PCL’s Managing Director Derven Patrick, the joint effort is an attempt to further strengthen regional integration, and the Caricom Single Market Economy (CSME).

In the keynote address

by Minister Pickersgill, he expressed his openness to newer innovative products and expressed appreciation to GHI for the details presented. He spoke about some of the challenges in the water sector, saying the PPR-C pipes are the perfect solution to leakage problems.

Those attending the launch were highly impressed with the quality and standards used by GHI for the manufacturing of the PPR-C products, as well as

Jamaica’s Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Minister Robert Pickersgill (left) examines piping material on display at the launch and exhibition of eZeeflow PPR-C HDPE pipes and fittings at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica on May 30. Technical adviser of QAII Parmanand Samaroo (right) explains features of the product, while PCL Managing Director Dervin Patrick (centre), observes

the technical and after sales support services available.

The eZeeflow PPR-C and HDPE piping system applications and attributes are suitable for plumbing solutions within the commercial, residential or industrial sectors and are rated for very long service life – more than 50 years. PPR-C is “food grade” and “lead-free” and, therefore, a preferred and safe material, both in handling and applications. The assembly technique is simple and cost efficient, employing thermal fusion socket and butt welding techniques that make a 100 per cent leak-proof joint

with absolute material integration.

With superior physical and chemical characteristics, PPR-C pipes and fittings are the ideal choice for hot and cold water plumbing applications for the streams that are classified residential, commercial, industrial and mining, thereby enabling high quality performance.

The products have a working temperature range of up to 95 degree Celsius, with strong chemical resistance. Complete fusion at the joints gives rise to perfect homogeneity and they do not burst or leak.

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guyanatimesgy.com

Views Sunday Times Editor: Tajeram Mohabir Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231.

Fax: 225-5134 Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

China in the Caribbean

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his weekend, the new President of China Xi Jinping is meeting the leaders of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), including President Donald Ramotar, in Trinidad. This is one of the most significant meetings in recent decades and signals an opportunity for the Caribbean to create new linkages with the country which will undoubtedly dominate economic relations in the world for the next century.

It is rather fortuitous, but not coincidental, that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden also dropped in the region last week. In the months ahead, we will have an opportunity to compare and contrast the relations and benefits that the two countries will actually deliver as opposed to the promises made.

The Caribbean is facing choppy waters in the economic realm. Because of history, the region’s wagon was hitched to Europe and the U.S. With those economies mired in a downturn for which they have the solutions but evidently not the political will to execute, our economies have suffered. It is unlikely that tourism from those countries, for one, will ever regain the previous volume.

In this regard it is instructive to learn that Chinese tourists are now the largest group boosting the New York economy. The rest of the Caribbean should be reminded of the US$3 billion tourist resort being constructed in the Bahamas by China. It is the largest investment in tourism in decades and is in contrast to the closure of a westernfunded hotel in Jamaica last month.

It is hoped that President Xi Jinping’s visit will force the leaders of Caricom to become serious about our integration efforts. As individual territories, notwithstanding the polite words of our high profile visitors, we do not matter that much to a giant economy such as China. But together we do present a more attractive package. As we have pointed out before, our most important asset to a China, which is jockeying to have its economic might translated into political clout, is the fifteen votes we can deliver in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and elsewhere. We used these votes in the 1970’s to help “Red China” receive international recognition in the face of the U.S. dogged insistence that Taiwan was China. The Chinese president cited this act in his speech and knows that in fora such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other global organisations the votes of the Caribbean can be important.

Our second asset is our strategic location vis a vis both the U.S. and Brazil. The U.S. is fond of reminding us that the Caribbean is in their backyard. But with the help of China we might at long last be in a position to remind them that their backyard actually only extends three hundred miles south into the Gulf of Mexico and only forty five miles above Cuba. In the days of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the U.S. used all means, including force, to keep us in their “camp” but unfortunately quickly lost interest as to our conditions in the “camp”.

In the last decade, China has already redefined the concept of aid, focusing less on handouts and concentrating on projects that can lead to real development. Right here in Guyana, the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project and the Cheddi Jagan Airport expansion can be potential game changers. We have to keep in front of us the cold fact that China has over US$3 trillion in foreign reserves for which it is seeking safe investments, while the U.S. is up to its neck in debt – mostly to China.

This brings us to the last asset we can offer to China: our natural resources. China has already taken a strategic position on Caribbean bauxite in Jamaica, Suriname and here and has given hope to moribund communities. This can be replicated in so many other areas including oil.

We hope the Caribbean leaders grab this opportunity with China.

A Cessna 177 airplane is lifted from the roof of an apartment building after running out of fuel while flying from Philadelphia on Friday, May 31, in Herndon, Virginia (Yahoo!)

Will Freddie honour his bet?

Dear Editor, I notice Mr Freddie Kissoon continues to pen a column in Kaieteur News.

Freddie made a bet with the manager Mr Terrence Campbell of Mario’s and lost (KN May 24). So why is he still writing?

Freddie made the bet with Mr Campbell to discontinue all of his writings in the media if Campbell can prove that he (Freddie) ever wrote “government

politicians were present at Mario’s opening”. Freddie conceded that no government officials were present for Mario’s opening but challenged Campbell to prove that he penned otherwise (KN May 24).

Campbell provided the details of KN Mar 16, 2010 when Freddie made his claim that government officials were present at the opening. That turned out to be a false claim thereby

proving Freddie is untruthful again. In light of the fact that Freddie lost the bet, will he honour his side of the deal to discontinue writing?

No one challenged Freddie to a bet. He made the deal on his own free accord. He promised to walk away from the media, no questions asked and no reconsideration once his claim was proven wrong. Freddie made similar bets with

Annan Boodram, Ravi Dev, Joey Jagan, Vishnu Bisram, etc and lost them all when the respected writers proved him wrong. But he continued to write his nonsense. He has been proven wrong again by Terrence Campbell. Will he honour the bet this time around? I think not given his history of his broken promises.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Barton was not a cricketer Dear Editor, Allow me to bring to your attention an injustice to the sport of cricket which I kindly ask you correct at the earliest opportunity.

The characterisation of murder accused Carlyle Barton as a “cricketer” is patently unfair to the game and its players. Unless I am missing a huge chunk of information on the young man which I do not think I am, Barton cannot be reasonably thusly described anymore

than I can be described as a writer on account of me having posted a few Facebook updates.

I am advised that Barton played occasional club cricket and not at the premier level, and this being sometime in the not recent past. From all reports he is said to be of little repute or skill. He is not a paid professional cricketer nor is he a national player. He is not a semi-professional cricketer, nor an amateur cricketer by any accepted cat-

egorisation.

I urge that you investigate his life for clues to his rightful profession. As far as I am aware, firearms are not part of a cricketer’s tools of trade, and his possession of an illegal firearm may be the suggested starting point to any investigation.

Sport remains one of the vital cornerstones of our development as a people and cricket is our national sport and our premier professional sport which ought not be bur-

dened by this unjust association.

Further cricket has suffered immensely, particularly these past two years from a power struggle of those who care little of the damage they wreak on this beautiful game.

Let us not, in haste and ill reason and motivated by expediency or sensationalism, add to the burden by this unfair characterisation.

Thank you, Robin Singh

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Corruption versus the incentive

Dear Editor, I am happy with the website launch (ipaidabribe.gy) that would utilise tips and maintain the anonymity of persons so that fearless reporting of bribes and criminal activities can proceed.

Personally, I am optimistic with the crime aspect of this initiative, but not the one dealing with bribes.

Anyone can report a crime, and many have done so incognito. A lot of Guyanese have Internet access and telephone is the norm these days. So in terms of having the means to report crimes, I doubt that we can say that we are short in this category.

For the many of us, who are afraid to expose ourselves in terms of crime reporting, the Internet and phone calls help big time.

The sad part is that the response from the police is another matter all together.

This is seldom reasonably quick, and too many times, it is totally lacking. This is something that we must work on from a governmental level.

Police are paid to serve,

and they must never ever get tired of being asked to visit scenes of potential crimes. When the crimes have been committed, it is even more vital that they respond instantly. I remember calling about gambling in my street, and it took like forever for them to finally show up. By then, the number of gamblers had multiplied manifold times. The whole operation of assembling and gambling went on for a whole month. Then since that time, about one year ago, the practice has restarted. So we are hoping now that follow-up will be a part of fighting criminal activities.

As for the bribery, this is so difficult to bring to an end. It is not because we do not have the means to trap the culpable. A simple decoy can do wonders, that is, if we really want to get serious. The real issue with bribery is that it is a mutual arrangement. On the streets, a traffic infraction takes place and in almost every instance, the perpetrator is more than happy to bribe his way out. He

does not want to waste time in court and the bribe paid and accepted is less than the actual charge. This kind of thing is well established in Guyana. In a sense, both parties benefit. So who is going to do the reporting?

Maybe a few innocent observers will do, but then we have to bring the evidence, and this will create a number of complications. The matter is easy to sit and talk about, but difficult to deal with.

I am for still persisting, for even if we nab a few cases of criminality, and I do not care at which level, the person offering the bribe, or the one taking it, I will feel better. Also, since the police recently received a boost with a number of additional vehicles to facilitate their work, maybe more patrols and faster responses will be seen.

The bottom line is that we all have to pitch in when it comes to fighting any sort of criminality.

Yours sincerely, Andre Walker

Cassava’s huge potential Dear Editor, Cassava has nearly twice the calories of potatoes, perhaps highest for any tropical starch rich tubers and roots.

Yet cassava is very low in fats. Also, when placed alongside things like yam, potatoes and plantains, cassava wins with protein content. Medically, cassava is free from gluten. And gluten-free starch is used in special food preparations for patients with celiac disease.

Young tender cassava is a good source of dietary proteins and vitamin K. Vitamin K has the potential role in bone mass building. It promotes osteotrophic activity in the bones. It also has established a role in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease patients, by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.

Sustainably increased

cassava yields can go up to 400 per cent into a 21st century crop. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in fact noted that global cassava output has increased by 60 per cent since 2000, and is set to accelerate even further over the current decade. However, this has to be along certain lines.

In its guide, the “Save and Grow” approach details that farmers have to avoid causing further damage to the natural resource base and help prevent the increasing of greenhouse gas emissions. The solution is in the new approach that will achieve higher yields with improved soil health rather than with the heavy use of chemical inputs.

“Save and Grow” is about minimising soil disturbance caused by conventional tillage such as ploughing, and

it recommends maintaining a protective cover of vegetation over soil. So instead of the mono-cropping, farmers move towards the rotation style. I think this suffices to really fire up our locals here to start a cassava drive. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We sure have the land mass.

Yours faithfully, Gabrielle Prescott

Accusations are a part of a normal society Dear Editor, Since the publication of cultural Marxist Edward Said’s “Orientalism” in 1977, a lot of academic discourse has surfaced in this area, in particular where the term “orientalism” is being used to refer to a general patronising of Western attitude towards Middle Eastern, Asian and North African societies.

In Said’s analysis, the West “essentialises” these societies as static and undeveloped – hereby fabricating a view of Oriental culture that can be studied, depicted, and reproduced. Implicit in this fabrication, writes Said, is the idea that Western society is developed, rational, flexible and superior.

The African Union (AU) has just accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) of “hunting” Africans because of their race. It was opposed to the ICC’s try-

ing of Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta on charges of crimes against humanity. The AU is set to raise its concerns with the United Nations (UN). Kenyatta, who was elected in March, is due to be tried in July. He is denying the charges, which arise from accusations that he fuelled violence after disputed elections in 2007.

African leaders are generally concerned that out of those indicted overall by the ICC, most are Africans. The ICC was formed more than a decade ago to end the culture of impunity, but now many questions are coming to the fore.

This is how “Orientalism” plays out. It is a two-sided world and depending on who is doing the looking, the other side is the object of gaze and scrutiny. In this scenario, the Africans are upset, since they feel that they are

being discriminated against.

Coming home to Guyana, we see a form of “Orientalism” at work in Parliament. The opposition parties of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance for Change (AFC) view the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) as being on one side. Maybe the other side, and who knows, it is probably how the PPP/C is seeing things as well.

Judging from what happened in the last two elections, we have come a very long way. Even if there is discrimination, it is not fuelled openly and Guyanese have learned to at least get along.

This is really a significant development of our inner being, which is so vital for any other kind of development.

Yours truly, Harriette Cumberbatch

Special needs education in Guyana

Dear Editor, The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that about 15-20 per cent of any school age grouping will have special needs.

Ideally, handling such cases involves a lot of complexities, including individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, accessible settings and other interventions designed to help learners with special needs, and a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and community, among others.

In Jamaica, there are ongoing talks too about special needs education.

For many of the citizens there, the local education system is not fully equipped to deal with these children.

Some questions then for our education ministry: What is the count here as regards special needs? What types do we have in Guyana? How many are mental? How many are physical? How many are reversible?

How about the buildings planned? Then how about qualified personnel?

Currently, the government is in the process of compiling a five-year action plan, derived from contributions received during consultations with stakeholders on children with special needs.

This is a great start,

but we have a lot of catching up to do, and the earlier we start the better.

Yours truly, Ron Heskith

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fter I made a throwaway comment about having to “think like an adult” now that I’m finishing up my CAPE and had to do “Caribbean Studies” and “Communication Studies”, I was asked to elaborate by friends who’d decided to enter the real world right after CSEC. As a science student, I’d thought the “soft” subjects would be a real distraction from the real “stuff”. But over the last two years, I think CXC made a real good decision to make the subjects compulsory for everyone doing CAPE. From primary school, we’d done “social studies”, which introduced us to history and other topics that offered a glimpse of the world around us. Then up to CSEC they’d promoted those topics into separate subjects such as geography and economics and such. But after CAPE I discovered that up to then we had merely been describing the world and presuming that this was how it was.

And how it would always been.

guyanatimesgy.com

BENEATH THE SURFACE “The problem is not changing people’s consciousnesses – or what’s in their heads – but the political, economic, institutional regime of the production of truth” – Michel Foucault

But in CAPE we were exposed to the revolutionary (for me) view that we’d merely constructed our social world. And if we take time to analyse that world all we would see is change and transformations. And if things just remained as “the status quo” there had to be social forces working behind the scene to keep them that way. In a word, we were offered tools of analysis.

Whether it was Karl Marx with his insistence on looking at our world “historically” and looking at the “social relations of production” or Michel Foucault’s insight on the power relations inherent in all relationships – even among the boy-girl dyads sprouting all around me – things would now never be what they “seemed”. I pre-

sume this was how adults look at the world. It certainly is how my dad and his friends carry on!

Before then, physics had hinted at levels of reality beyond our consciousness... pretty much what my Hindu background had insisted on.

But that was in the “physical” realm.

And I guess one could not be too taken aback with Sixth Form physics where Heisenberg insisted that wave-particle duality was all in our mind and not in the world “out there”. Or that what we experience is just four per cent of the universe and we’ll never know for real what the 96 per cent dark matter and dark energy “really” was.

But the social world?

That was mind blowing.

Feminist thinking has real-

ly opened my eyes as to how the world is structured to keep one or another group oppressed. Not just females.

And it’s not just relations at the personal level. I marvel at how modes of thinking wrought as far back as the days of slavery still dominate our thinking.

So now I just can’t pick up the newspaper and read that the U.S. VP and Chinese president visited the Caribbean. You are now forced to ask, what’s behind the sudden interest? Does being an adult means to be perpetually looking beneath the surface?

Anyhow, it’s back to the grind for more exams this week. I like the theory part of physics; it’s the maths that makes it boring. So imagine maths as maths alone!!

Do artistic careers pay?

Y our teenager may choose music or painting as his career. It is difficult to come to terms with, at least among Indian parents who believe becoming a doctor or engineer is the best possible choice for their child. But is this really true? Read on.

The moment the word ‘art’ is mentioned in some homes, the atmosphere turns electric.

The father glares, the mother makes a worried face and the teenager’s heart sinks. He loves painting and believes he can make a career out of it, but no, there is no way you will let that happen. “How will he ever be able to support himself by painting or playing a guitar?” you ask. Plus he is just being whimsical, you convince yourself. But are you being harsh on your child? Or are you just ensuring he has a safe future?

Aren’t artistic careers for drop-outs and dreamers?

It is odd that wanting to take up a career in art is not usually well-accepted. After all, art is deeply rooted in our history and culture. Art is supposed to be among the best in the world. History is rich with musicians, painters, philosophers, writers and poets of the greatest order. Most folk tales are based on artistic figures. But that was years ago, you argue. That is true, but the fact is that today all artistic fields pay extremely well.

People pick alternative careers because they feel they have the creative edge to excel in those art forms. Be it CD sales or performance fees for musicians, or exhibitions for painters, or the movies for an actor, such artists in recent years have been earning as much as the conventional “doctor/engineer” earns.

Does music pay?

What does a musician do?

And more importantly, how does he make money? Today, a musician does not have to wait for the occasional performance fees to pay his bills.

Television studios, recording studios etc. need session musicians. Independent artists, music schools, radio stations, and international bands and singers are all in dire need of talented musicians.

Music is a field that segregates the talented from the repetitive, and if your child is truly talented he will easily establish himself in the industry. And there are many avenues for him to compete. Take for example the numerous TV shows that hunt for talent. A lot of money exists in the music industry but it is all about getting the right break. And getting a break has gotten easier over the last few years.

How about painting?

As for painting, urban society has taken to art with a warm heart. A lot more people feel the need to have paintings in their homes. Frequent exhibitions happen in cities and talented artists are quickly sold out. And after a few years a good artist can have a strong

and steady income going for him. A lot of magazines and websites feature painters and art on a regular basis, thus ensuring that a talented artist is always in the spotlight. And sketchers, illustrators and painters can always choose to enter the graphics and designing domain, where they are paid very well for their skills.

And acting, dancing, fashion, etc.?

As for acting, everybody knows at least one actor who did not make it to the big league. But then, a lot of actors have made it too. Today, the focus in India has shifted from hero-centric plots to script-centric stories. This has ensured that the entire cast needs to be talented. And today, small-screen actors earn almost as much as the movie stars do.

Other art forms like dance, animation, sketching, tattooing, fashion, theatre etc. have also emerged as promising fields in recent times. Dancers are paid extremely well in the entertainment industry.

Dance shows on TV today have increased the attention to this art form. Pay scales in the field of animation are skyrocketing.

And fashion has firmly established itself as an independent and financially-powerful industry. As the world turns into a smaller place with time, it has gotten easier to establish yourself if you have the talent.

But isn’t it safer to stick to conventional careers?

Conventional careers are slowly suffocating because of the availability of manpower.

And statistics indicate that average salaries in conventional jobs have dropped. This stands true for profiles lower down the hierarchy. There are of course exceptions. But taking into consideration the larger picture, there is no need to worry if your teenager decides to make his career in art.

So should I encourage my teen?

Support is all that teens expect when they express their wishes to parents. The best thing you can do as a parent is to believe in him.

Encouragement in the struggling years can play a big role in ensuring his or her success.

Of course, it is important that you make sure he knows what he is getting into.

You can do this by asking him in detail about his aspirations, and why he wants to do it. Job satisfaction has emerged as a top priority for today’s youth. Teenagers today also evaluate the financial aspect of jobs and careers before moving into it.

With the easy availability of information, thanks to mediums like the Internet and television, the risks of opting for such careers are minimal.

So go ahead and support your teenager wholeheartedly. If he truly loves what he does, rest assured he will not be disappointed. (indiaparenting.com)

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SUNday, june 2, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

New Amsterdam fire leaves two homeless, many jobless

A

n early morning fire in New Amsterdam has left two persons homeless and more than 10 without a job. The blaze early Saturday morning completely destroyed Joquasan Creole Restaurant and a nearby house on Charlotte Street. According to eyewitnesses, the blaze started sometime before 3:00h.

Ivy Christie, who occupied an adjoining building to the restaurant, told Guyana Times that she was awoken by the smell of burning material.

“I smell like something burning, so I get up and I look through a crease at the back and I see the whole place red, and I run outside and start hollering fire! Fire!” The 80-yearold woman, who occupies the building with her son and a grandson, said when she went outside, there was no one around to hear her cries. The woman said she went across the road to the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) building to the guard and about five minutes later was able to get the attention of guards in the vicinity. According to one guard George Rose, about 10 minutes after being alerted, neighbours started to help in putting out the blaze. The fire at that time started to make

Jeffrey Christie

its way to the roof of the restaurant.

According to residents, they heard the call of fire and when they peeped out; they saw a small blaze and quickly tried to alert a neighbour whose home was in danger.

“We calling Jeff! Jeff! For about 10 minutes, we knock on the wall an he ain’t waking up and the fire already get big and gone up in the air.” According to the residents, they were finally able to get the attention of Jeffrey Christie.

Smoke

Christie and his wife Linda, who occupied the two-bedroom flat house, said when he woke up, he saw his home engulfed in

smoke.

“I just grab Linda and run outside,” he said.

According to the 46-yearold driver, while outside, he realised that there was a 26-sweater bus parked next to his house.

But the keys to the bus were in his house, which was on fire. “I run back inside and I remember where I left the key because I came in at midnight with the bus.

I picked up the bus key and a bag with my licence and go and move the bus.”

He said he then realised that the garage gate was closed. “I go back in the house and I can’t see nothing, but I feeling fo the key to the garage gate to take out the motorbike from under the house, but with the smoke, I couldn’t see anything.”

It was later that Christie realised that he had left the motorcycle at a friend’s house and drove the friend’s bus home, as he was expected to make an early trip with the bus on Saturday.

Christie, who was clad only in his underwear, said he estimates his losses to be more than $3 million.

Meanwhile, neighbours say that it was after they were able to get Christie out of the house they turned their attention on getting the fire service. Some say

Karawab to get new primary school

ine community.

The community has a school, but it is an old dilapidated structure. The new building will give children the opportunity to study in comfort. Residents of Karawab are very thankful to the Education Ministry and the Region Two administration for the investment.

The school under construction that will boost educational access to pupils of Bat Creek and Karawab

R

esidents of Karawab and Bat Creek will soon get a new primary school. The government through the Education Ministry is investing millions of dollars in the construction of a new primary school for children in the riverine areas.

Construction works have commenced on the stateof-the-art primary school which will significantly boost access to education in the desolate community.

Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud, who visited the area and inspected the project, said it is a roll over from the region’s 2012 capital works programme.

The contract, he said was awarded to a Region Three contractor Suraj ( only name given) In 2012, the contrac-

tor failed to commence construction work on the project.

Persaud said the Region Two administration was not satisfied with the contractor’s performance and asked for the contract to be reawarded.

The regional chairman noted that the region’s request was granted and Manboardram Sukhai, a contractor from the region was awarded the contract.

The new contractor commenced work soon after he won the bid, Persaud said.

The regional chairman said he is pleased with the pace the new contractor is working and called on him to work according to the specifications on the contract document. The school, when completed, will facilitate children from the river-

The Joquasan Creole Restaurant on fire

that the phones rang out while others contended that the line was busy.

Althea Trotz, who occupies the house next to Christie with her brother and daughter, told Guyana Times that when she looked out of her window, she saw the fire coming from the kitchen area of Joquasan Restaurant. According to her, there was an explosion and within seconds, there was a louder explosion and the fire spread to the entire building and also the building where Christie lived.

Firefighters arrived in time to save Trotz’s home from going up in flames.

Part of the house was scorched while some items in the home were damaged by water and heat.

Meanwhile, Angela Williams, who had been renting the building which housed Joquasan Creole Restaurant, said she was at home preparing dough for the restaurant to make bread when she was called out.

Williams said when she arrived at the scene, the restaurant and a nearby building were on fire. Williams has been managing the restaurant for the past 10 years. The businesswoman told this publication that

she left the building about 20:00h on Friday.

“We don’t cook in the evening, so we would not leave the stove on,” she said.

Nothing was saved from the restaurant. Uncomforted reports indicate that some 14 persons are now jobless following the destruction of the restaurant.

A Guyana Fire Service official said firefighters arrived at the scene about five minutes after receiving a call. The source noted that there was some difficulty accessing water since there was no water in the fire hydrons situated along the road.

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SUNday, june 2, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

Guyana, Suriname urged to make full use of OIC

Eyew tness

O

rganisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu concluded his four-day visit to Guyana and Suriname this week and encouraged the two Caribbean Community (Caricom) members of the OIC to be more active and enjoy the privilege of full membership through benefiting from the socioeconomic development programmes of the organisation.

According to an OIC press release on Thursday, “Issues related to southsouth cooperation and international and regional issues of mutual interest were discussed during his meetings with the high authorities of Guyana.”

In a press briefing, Ihsanoglu said Guyana’s participation in OIC as a young aspiring nation is beneficial for both sides.

“We do appreciate very much the multiculturalism and the peaceful coexistence and beliefs in the country,” Ihsanoglu said.

President Donald Ramotar reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the OIC and informed the secretary general of his government’s decision to ratify the OIC charter and to initiate required procedures of signing the development agreements of the organisation.

Suriname also promised to do the same and, according to the country’s foreign minister, Winston Lackin, Suriname is soon going to sign seven agreements with the OIC and ratify the new OIC charter.

In both Guyana and Suriname, Ihsanoglu was praised for “his relentless efforts to introduce long needed reforms in the activities of the OIC to make the organisation effective as well as his consistent role in encouraging the member states to be proac-

Democracy for... ...South America hen you’re the last superpower standing, your work is never done. Especially when you represent something like “democracy”. The U.S. might have conceded that China is now the factory to the world – and certainly to Walmart. So what is a superpower to do to cultivate links to the rest of the world now that it can’t just give away surplus tractors?

Well it can always export what it has in abundance – democracy.

America has always been rightfully proud of its democratic credentials and always pushed its distribution. But back in 2005, George Bush made the “export of democracy” the main plank of the U.S. foreign policy regime. However, there were those who thought he was merely providing an excuse for his interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the time some of those critics wondered at the seeming selectivity of the criteria when choosing which countries would be the beneficiary of the democratic export.

For instance, most thought that Egypt might benefit from a strong dose of democracy as would say, Uganda under Yoweri Museveni. While events in Egypt soon forced the U.S. to play catch-up, Museveni is still going strong in his fourth term as the supreme leader. But the U.S. of course knows best as to who’s ready for democracy.

In our own neck of the woods, Cuba has been the prime candidate for the product ever since the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) planned but then botched the Bay of Pigs invasion back in 1961. We had our democratic dose in the sixties via the CIAfunded riots from which we haven’t fully recovered till now. But then we got the unintended benefit of half our population migrating to the U.S. to experience democracy first hand, after Forbes Burnham messed up things even after the U.S. helped him rig elections to keep democracy going.

Sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease, we guess.

Venezuela has been a prime candidate for the export of democracy from the U.S. recently. Never mind that Chávez kept

W President Donald Ramotar greets Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) General Secretary Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu

tive to make the best use of its potential.”

In Suriname, he received the country’s highest civilian honour, the Order of the Yellow Star.

“I have noted that you have taken a positive stand on various international issues such as helping the needy people, poverty eradication, good governance, promoting interfaith dialogue and search for peace,” Ramotar said.

The meeting with the foreign minister of Guyana, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, concentrated more on ways and means of advancing bi-lateral cooperation issues according to the OIC. And in the near future, the OIC plans to open an office in the region and Suriname has offered to host the OIC office in Paramaribo.

Ihsanoglu visited the headquarters of the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) and was also honoured by the organisation for his outstanding role in promoting moderation and modernisation in the Muslim world.

At the CIOG’s secretariat, he met former president

of Guyana Bharrat Jagdeo and Guyana’s Middle East envoy, George Hallaq.

Former Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir and Housing Minister Irfaan Ali were also present.

Ihsanoglu also visited the construction works of the Queenstown Masjid, the biggest mosque to be built in Georgetown.

Both Guyana and Suriname have recognised the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders. Ramotar made reference to the people of Palestine and Syria who, he said, deserve the same rights as people elsewhere to live in dignity, and enjoy security, freedom and independence.

The OIC secretary general also participated in an interactive session with members of the various faith-based communities in Guyana. Some 12 different organisations attended.

Ihsanoglu told local religious leaders that the OIC has sponsored resolution number 1610 in the UN General Assembly, which has been unanimously accepted by all member states and which will in future guarantee the rights of minorities in all countries of the world.

(Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

piling up huge majorities under democratic elections that U.S. President Jimmy Carter called the “best in the world”. In the last elections Hugo Chávez’s successor Nicolas Maduro scraped through with a majority slightly bigger than the one Bush had secured against Gore in 2000, but the U.S. still hasn’t recognised Maduro.

The U.S. also just announced a US$1.5 million USAID programme to increase democracy in our Parliament. It would appear that we’re ripe for another democratic export. But since the ambassador only spoke to the opposition it seems they don’t think the latter are practising democracy in the Parliament which they control. ...racial volcanoes Word is that the obsessive contributor to the letters pages of the opposition press, GHK Lall, has just come out with a book, “Sitting on a Racial Volcano – (Guyana Uncensored).

The name at least is authentically Guyanese since it leaves nothing to the imagination as to what is being described. You know, like “kick down the door bandits”, “choke and rob bandits”.... But at least we now know the fella is not “Glen Lall” sending off letters written by his lackey Adam Harris. The chap’s name is “Gabriel”.

Turns out he teed off the Speaker of the House, and it shows how difficult it is to make a point in Guyana nowadays. From the reports, Lall of course ripped into the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) (how else could he get his letters published) but must’ve claimed that only Indians and Africans are sitting on the volcano. Raphael Trotman, who claims he’s of “mixed” background including Chinese, insisted that his people are also on the volcano.

This is interesting since people like Lall believe the way to “out” the volcano is for all of us to become mixed. ...flooding We’re happy that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), according to the minister, is working diligently to prevent flooding in Guyana. From what we’re seeing, everyone’s being flooded. Complete democracy here.

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sunday, june 2, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Participants of 11th safari rewarded for mission accomplished

Acting Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali makes brief remarks at special ceremony for the participants of the 11th Pakaraima Mountain Safari at the GTA building, Sophia Exhibition Centre

T

he Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) on Friday rewarded the daring men and women who completed the 529-mile journey to the Pakaraima Mountains, between March and April.

The brave safarians and sponsors of the event were presented with a certificate of participation and special awards at a ceremony this evening in the GTA building at the Sophia Exhibition Centre.

In attendance were Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, acting Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali and Rainforest Tours Managing Director and leader of the 11th Pakaraima Mountain Safari, Frank Singh.

Prime Minister Hinds commended the safarians for impacting on the development of the North Pakaraimas, and for bridging the gap between two worlds; the coast and the hinterland.

“Let us recognise that we are accomplishing many things, we are building our

country, we are developing bonds, we are developing the links, the contact between coastal and hinterland people, between people of different races, and maybe even nationality, in

development of trails and road links into some of the most remote areas in the Rupununi, allowing for more persons to venture into these parts.

Minister Ali told of the safari’s importance to the development of Destination Guyana. He said the safarians’ mission is integral to the development of the tourism product that the ministry is trying to create, and in fact, the safari is now a large component of the tourism product in Guyana and South America.

Minister Ali also disclosed that plans are afoot to organise the safari in a more structured way, so as to place it more in the mainstream of the country’s tourism product. In this regard, he explained that the ministry is moving feverishly towards organising a safari club in Guyana. He said this

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds collects from Harripersaud Nokta a certificate for his participation in the 11th Pakaraima Mountain Safari

put it into the mainstream of our tourism product, we have to ensure that the regulations are there, to ensure that it is properly run and governed, and to ensure a mechanism is there as an incentive so that even foreigners that are coming in to join the safari would have a smooth process in bringing their vehicles and reexporting their vehicles or joining the safari from different points of our border,” he explained.

Explore new routes

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds presents to Harripersaud Nokta a token from the Tourism Ministry for his work in pioneering the Pakaraima Mountain Safari and for his work in the Hinterland communities

what we are participating in, and I think that our efforts have been very much for the best,” he said.

The annual Pakaraima Mountain Safari led to the

would lead to regulations being put in place for the safari such as specific requirements for drivers involved in the journey.

“Once we are going to

He said also that development of other routes for the safari is being explored and that it is important that the safarians form themselves into an organisation as it allows for synergy and linkages among the different

safarian clubs in South America and the rest of the Caribbean. This will allow for the planning of activities between and among these clubs, where Guyana could be the centre, the minister said.

Among those honoured was Harripersaud Nokta, the pioneer of the Pakaraima Mountain safari. Nokta was presented with a handmade, handicraft plaque by Prime Minister Hinds. He also received a token from the Tourism Ministry for his tremendous work as a pioneer in the safari and also in hinterland communities.

Nokta expressed his gratitude for the award, and said the token would help him remember some of his days in the Pakaraimas.

He also expressed the hope that the event will contin-

ue to grow. Like the prime minister, he also advocated exploring new routes, and suggested going into the Deep South.

The 11th Pakaraima Mountain Safari was a 10-day trip that allowed the safarians in a convoy of 28 vehicles; 4x4s, AllTerrain Vehicles (ATVs), and Land Rovers to witness some of the country’s most diverse terrain – by offering them a once-in-alifetime adventure into the wild, over rugged parts of Guyana never before seen by many, and culminating at the Rupununi Rodeo in Lethem.

The route starts from Georgetown, then through Karasabai, Tiperu, Rukomoto, Morabaiko, Yurong Paru, Monkey Mountain, Paramakatoi, Kato, Kurukubaru, and Itabac, ending at the foot of the Pakaraima Mountain Range. In 11 years, over 600 persons have completed the safari.

10 news

SUNday, june 2, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

Mon Repos residents get full-fledged health centre

T

he Health Ministry has brought reliable health services at the door steps of Mon Repos residents when it commissioned a full-fledged health centre in the community on Wednesday.

Speaking at the opening, Region Four Regional Health Officer Dr Vasha Bachan stated that the centre previously provides services three days per week; however, the ministry recognised the need for it to be serviceable on all weekdays.

She noted that most residents in the community previously had to attend the Beterverwagting and Lusignan health centres, where they were greeted with long waiting lines to see the doctors, medexes and nurses.

“Recognising this problem, the ministry needed to find a better solution; the decision to have Mon Repos fully functional five days a week couldn’t come at a more timely manner,” she stressed.

Dr Bachan stated that in light of the extended days, efforts had to be made to improve not only the physical aspects of the building, but also to address the complement of staff in order to have the facility fully operational. Subsequently, a doctor, midwife, nursing assistant and a medex were added to the centre’s staff.

Dr Bachan said in time, more services will be introduced from which the population will benefit.

Meanwhile, the health cen-

21st century AID

S

A resident cuts the ribbon to open the refurbished health centre in the presence of General Medical Officer Dr Abbigale Jeffrey (left), Parliamentary Secretary Joseph Hamilton (right) and staff of the health facility

tre’s General Medical Officer Dr Abbigale Jeffrey, who has been attached to the facility for the past 18 months, stated that the response from residents in the community has been great.

“It has been amazing; we have been receiving lots and lots of patients, so we have taken the work load off the Lusignan and [Beterverwagting] BV centres.”

Parliamentary Secretary Joseph Hamilton said the ministry will seek to establish a health centre in communities which are deprived of such facilities, noting that the ministry will soon endeavour to set up a health centre between La Bonne Intention and Better Hope on the East Coast of Demerara to improve access to health ser-

vices to the persons in that catchment area.

“The motto of the Ministry of Health is to deliver health-care services equitably… we at the level of the Ministry of Health, it is upon us to ensure that health-care is dispensed equitably throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.”

He stated that the Health Ministry will seek to host outreaches to bring other services to communities that are not offered at the health centres, such as eye care.

Surojdai Ramsammy, a resident in the area said she is happy her community will now have a more reliable access to health services.

“We have had great help from the services given to us, I bring my children them and they had plenty help, it been very helpful.”

Another resident, who identified herself as Priya, lauded the Health Ministry for the initiative, adding that “it will benefit especially the elderly people in the community”.

Due to the extended services, the building which was acquired in 2010 had to undergo extensive refurbishing, which was completed in 2012.

atiricus was pleased that the U.S. was finally acknowledging, on the 47th anniversary of our Independence, that we needed some real AID. Satiricus was thinking about the just announced US$1.5 million AID that would be distributed through USAID. Satiricus had been brought up to date in the supplement of his favourite GTimes newspaper on the trials and tribulations of Dr Cheddi Jagan when he’d gone to beg the U.S. for some AID, back in 1961.

All he’d gotten for his trouble was a diplomatic “No!!!” But the U.S. did spend US$2.6 million to remove his government. That was AID, wasn’t it? It was for “democracy” in Guyana. The money just wasn’t sent through USAID. The AIFLD, their labour people, could do a better job in that area. The Americans were so specialised.

They also did give some AID to Forbes Burnham for helping to oust Jagan and his pinko bunch of Commies. Selling rice to Cuba had been the final straw. How dare Jagan look for markets for the farmers’ rice?! Such a dreamer: he should have said, “Let them eat wheat!!”

And that’s what they gave PNC’s Guyana – PL480 wheat via USAID. Of course when Burnham started to think Independence meant he could do what he thought best for Guyana, the Americans had to cut off the wheat. And the PNC had to deal with the charges of banning wheat for the rest of their days.

So the fact that the Americans were now resuming AID via USAID had to mean the PPP/C was back in their good books. Now Satiricus knew that there were different strokes for different folks – not that

Satiricus was into bondage or that sort of thing – so he understood that in the AID business, America automatically knew there were different AIDs for different grades.

Democracy was the thing for us now.

We’re now a developed country.

We have no poverty. We have gold coming out of our kazoos.

So Satiricus knew the Americans must have scratched their heads wondering what kind of AID they could possibly give Guyana. And Satiricus had to hand it to the Americans. They were nothing if not resourceful. They knew that all Guyana needed was more democracy. Hence, no wheat this time – all the money for democracy.

So what if Guyana has had free and fair elections for the last 20 years? National elections wasn’t the real deal – it’s how independent the Parliament was, now that the Parliament is controlled by Burnham’s successors.

We have to become like the U.S. Congress and their State Assemblies. They are the true representatives of their people. It’s like that Guyanese businessman who wanted his state senator to have some variance cleared. The state senator asked him to write a check for only US$10,000. Now that’s democracy in action.

So too our Parliament must now cultivate lobbyists who will pay them thousands of dollars under the table and take then on junkets across the world – complete with dancing girls and everything.

Satiricus was now so proud we would be practising democracy like they do in the real democratic countries.

We are finally independent.

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SUNday, june 2, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Dr Harding throws support behind PPP/C – says PNCR will not change “bad habits and views”

By Samuel Sukhnandan

P

eople’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) 2011 presidential nominee Dr Faith Harding has thrown her support behind the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government’s effort to improve the country’s national standing.

Dr Harding, in an exclusive interview, told Guyana Times that she is ready and willing to support any government project which will bring benefit to the people of Guyana and the country at large. The long standing PNCR politician’s comments came weeks after she announced her support for the government’s move to build a Specialty Hospital.

Dr Harding had told sections of the media that she will support the construction of the Specialty Hospital, pointing out that the establishment of such an institution will bring great economic and health benefits to the country. She took the opposition to task during the 2013 national budget debates for the move to cut the $2.25 billion budgeted to construct the facility.

Dr Harding was quoted in the media as saying that modernising and improving health services, upgrading specialist skills, uplifting confidence in the population,

bringing about resourcefulness and boosting the economy are all important. “It is a shame that the opposition decided to cut the budget,” she said.

Membership non-renewal

The former PNCR government minister also said she will not be renewing her membership with the party, which expired at the end of May. She revealed that she has been approached by other political parties, outside of the PNCR, but is uncertain whether she will join any of those parties.

Speaking about the reason for her decision not to renew membership with the PNCR, Dr Harding said, “I don’t hold the same views, mostly now, with the trend in the party being changed.

So I am independent at the moment and I like that.”

Dr Harding noted that she will not renew her membership, “unless the party changes its views and its habits”, something she believes cannot be changed anytime soon.

The former PNCR stalwart said she witnessed the “ugliness of the party” during the last election and said bluntly, “I didn’t like it”. However, she was still determined to see if there were going to be changes in

Dr Faith Harding

the behaviour of those in the party’s leadership.

According to her, to date, there has not been a single change in the way things are done in and by the party.

She is no longer an executive member of the PNCR and has never served as a consultant to the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which was initially suggested by the coalition group.

“So I rather just work by myself with people to better their lives,” she said reflectively.

Dr Harding went on to state that she is free to admire things that the governing party does. The PNCR politician said she wants to see Guyana improve from

where it is and, if the government of the day is making headway in doing this, then she will throw in her support.

“For me, the government is the government of the people and therefore I will support projects that I think that are good for the nation, to help raise the nation from where it is,” she pointed out.

in community projects where she can work with both parents and teachers to tackle issues of depression and other negative behaviour of children, among other social ills.

“I look forward to getting involved in some government programmes to do this,” she said.

Government support

“I love politics,” Dr Harding said, explaining why she opted for such a career in the area. According to her, it was her mother and aunt who both worked with the Guyana Red Cross and the PNC that also inspired her to become a politician.

Dr Harding is now working in several communities to help empower people and has formed a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which is just about one-yearold. She has launched a sorrel project, targeting rural communities. These include communities in Corriverton, Berbice; Moraikabai, Mahaica, Region Five; Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara; Lily’s Hideout, Linden Soesdyke Highway; and West Watooka, Region 10.

The project involves exporting the high-in-demand fruit to overseas markets to

Further, Dr Harding also stated her willingness to help government do the things they cannot do alone.

“If the PPP/C is doing something good, I would encourage them. I am not seeking membership or trying to please anyone,” she said.

According to her, Guyana has the potential to become like Barbados, which is now counted as a developed nation. She noted that Guyana has many resources to do greater things and as an individual and professional who has served in government and in other posts, she is ready to support development here.

Dr Harding said she is willing to give her service to issues relating to education and would love to work with teachers to help them and to help their children in the classrooms. She stated her willingness to get involved

“I love politics”

bring in much needed revenue to these communities.

Since its launch in 2012, the project has grown to include more people who benefit financially from the planting and exporting of sorrel.

This, she said, is a way by which she helps to empower people, but most importantly women.

“This is to help them to empower themselves in ways they can monitor what resources they have, how they can be happy, and how they can change their thoughts so that they can lead better lives and take care of their families,” she stated.

Dr Harding served as a minister of government in the PNC administration from 1989 to 1992. She was credited with reforming and transforming the Public Service Ministry, for which she was responsible.

She also served in the capacity of minister of state with responsibility for the Planning and Development Ministry.

As assistant chief education officer, she managed the National Nursery Education Programme, including 300 employees and established national standards for teacher performance and behavioural indicators.

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sunday, june 2, 2013 | guyana

2, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

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SUNday, june 2, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

Local government elections First lady treats scores of children on International unlikely this year Children’s Day – Minister Persaud …. with Basil Williams as head of special select committee

Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud

L

ocal Government and Regional Development Minister Ganga Persaud said the possibilities of local government elections this year are slim with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament Basil Williams heading the Local Government Special Select Committee.

According to him, this is simply a replay of history, contending that the opposition had stalled the process in the past and continue to do so.

During an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, Persaud said the special select committee which has been mandated to analyse the Fiscal Transfers Bill, the Municipals and District Councils (Amendment) Bill, the Local Government (Amendment) Bill and the Local Government Commission Bill, has been meeting regularly, but continues to face major hindrances.

He said while the members which include representatives from the People’s

Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the APNU have arrived at a consensus on several clauses of the bills, there exist major problems.

“We went through all the bills, but we would have parked a number of issues because we have not arrived at a consensus. So we would have had several agreements but we have some major disagreements,” the local government minister said.

The Donald Ramotar administration, he said, remains hopeful that the long

Local Government Special Select Committee Chairman

Basil Williams

awaited local government elections would be held in the not too distant future, but said the chances are slim with an opposition-led special select committee.

“The PPP/C government is committed to facilitate the best government structures that can be put in place at the various levels... of government, but there are many opposition politicians who are not interested in good governance.”

According to Persaud, the same attitude being por-

trayed by the opposition now is similar to that which was displayed in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Reflecting, Persaud said that the local government elections which were due in 1997 were not held because of the staging of the general and regional elections.

“At that time, we had every intention of holding it in 1998, but after the elections in 1997, there was the opposition-led disturbance,” he recalled.

The constant delays had resulted in the establishment of a Local Government Taskforce to deal with local government reform.

The taskforce was given six months to revise the four pieces of legislation along with the legal framework for the electoral system. “But this did not happen. The work was impeded by consistent destabilising efforts by the opposition members on the taskforce,” he said.

After experiencing serious challenges on arriving at a consensus, PPP/C member Clinton Collymore and a PNCR member brought the business of the taskforce to an end in 2009.

Unfortunately, the local government minister said the unit in presenting its reports to the National Assembly in 2010 was only able to report on the legal framework on the electoral process. For this reason, Persaud laid the blame at the opposition’s feet, lamenting that the process could have been completed and the way paved for the staging of local government elections, which was last held in 1994.

First Lady Deolatchmie Ramotar with students at the event at Lusignan Community Centre, ECD

G

uyana on Saturday joined the rest of the world in observing International Day for the Protection of Children, with the First Lady Foundation hosting events on the East Coast and West Coast Demerara to hand out treats and interact with children.

Guyana Times visited the event at the Lusignan Community Centre, East Coast Demerara, which was attended by scores of children, who also participated in educational games and were presented with prizes and trophies.

First Lady Deolatchmie Ramotar noted the need for children to be protected against the emerging ills of society, thus she encouraged parents to recognise the need to bring up their children in an atmosphere free from fear, violence and other forms of abuse.

“To parents, I use this opportunity to remind you of our obligation towards the future generation. Every child deserves to be nurtured

in a loving and caring environment. Every child should be part of a home characterised by understanding, affection, generosity and forgiveness.”

Ramotar stressed the need for greater attention to be paid towards better parenting, so that children can thrive and attain great heights. She stated that it is the responsibility of all Guyanese to preserve the innocence of childhood and to ensure that children are respected and loved at all times.

The first lady was pleased with the turnout, and noted that the treat will be an annual event.

One child Christine Ramraj, who was munching on her goodies with a smile stretched across her face, said “I will be sharing all my things with my brothers and sisters, I am very happy for it, thank you to the first lady, they taste good.”

Julia Fraser, one of the children who won the spelling game, said she was hap-

py for the treats and was proud that she won against the others.

In commemoration of International Children’s Day last year, the first lady launched the Garden for the Children of Guyana initiative at State House. This project is aimed at involving children in activities that produce positive results. She was joined by her husband, President Donald Ramotar, other government functionaries, students and teachers.

The International Day for the Protection of Children was established in Moscow, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, on November 22, 1949 at the meeting of the Women’s International Democratic Federation, after the World Conference for the Well-being of Children proclaimed the day on June 1, 1925 in Geneva. It became universally established in 1954, the aim being to protect children’s rights, end child labour and guarantee access to education.

15

news

SUNDAY, june 2, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Region serious about fisheries Seven homeless after Triumph fire

Chairing the Seventh Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism before he concluded his tenure was (centre) Agriculture, Marine Resources and Local Government Minister, the Honourable V Alfred Gray of The Bahamas, observed by the Executive Director of the CRFM secretariat, Milton Haughton (left) and the newly appointed Chairman, Barbados’ Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management Minister, Dr David Estwick

Triumph house on fire

A

fire suspected to be electrical in nature has reduced a Triumph, East Coast Demerara house to ashes, leaving seven persons including four children homeless.

Reports indicate that the fire started about 19:30h in the upper flat of the twostorey building, shortly after power was restored.

According to eyewitnesses, a loud explosion was heard when electricity resumed for the second time within a short timeframe.

Sarah London, 39, who resided at the Lot 30 Surat Drive, Triumph residence for the past three years with her relatives was too distraught to speak when Guyana Times arrived on

the scene. London, who was in tears, was being consoled by family and friends at the Triumph Assembly of God Church.

Her sister, Onel Profitt told reporters that their brother Winston Profitt, 42, and three children between the ages of nine and 13 were at home at the time of the fire.

Profitt was unable, however, to indicate which section of the upper flat the fire started. Realising that the house was ablaze, the 42-year-old man led the children out of the house to safety. On his return to the house to save some of his valuables, he received burns to his back. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital for medical atten-

tion.

The other occupants, Leona Profitt, Sarah Proffit and one of the four children were not at home, but rushed to the scene after receiving the shocking news.

The Guyana Fire Service was summoned but the fire tender reportedly arrived on the scene without any water.

“They can’t do anything to save the place, if wasn’t for the bucket brigade, the church and all would have been on fire. Is when the house burn flat then is when the fire tender start spraying water,” said an upset family member. Due to the alleged poor service offered by the Guyana Fire Service, the woman said as a taxpayer, she feels cheated.

Turkish protesters pack Taksim Square as police withdraw

P

Thousands of people have been protesting in Istanbul's Taksim Square

olice in the Turkish city of Istanbul have pulled out of a square which has become the focus of the largest anti-government protest in years.

Thousands of people are in Taksim Square after days of unrest sparked by plans to redevelop nearby Gezi Park.

In recent days police have fired tear gas and water cannon several times to break up the demonstrations.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said police may have used ex-

cessive force but that the park development will go ahead. Earlier on Saturday, he called for an end to the protests, saying Taksim Square "cannot be an area where extremists are running wild". In a defiant speech to the exporters' union, he insisted plans to reconstruct an Ottoman era military barracks on the Gezi Park site would go ahead and that a shopping mall "might be built on the ground floor or a city museum". The protesters say the

park is one of the few green spaces left in Istanbul, and that the government is ignoring their appeals for it be saved.

Their protests initially began as a sit-in in the park, but erupted in clashes on Friday as police fired tear gas to try to clear them out.

Correspondents say that what was initially a local issue has spiralled into widespread anti-government unrest and anger over the perceived "Islamisation" of Turkey. (Excerpt from BBC News)

T

he Caribbean region is committed to safeguarding its fisheries and marine resources to ensure sustainability. This commitment was demonstrated in a tangible way at the Accra Beach Hotel and Spa, when the Seventh Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism was chaired and the Council gave its support to and endorsed the The Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Project Strategic Action Programme, by becoming a signatory.

According to Regional Project Coordinator with the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Project, Patrick Debels, the signing is a milestone.

Labelling the endorsement ceremony one of great significance, Debels said, “It [The Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Project Strategic Action Programme] is a very broad action programme which strives to bring together all the countries in the region. At this moment we have obtained already 21 ministerial signatures, so 21 ministers have al-

ready signed this Strategic Action Programme.

“Today, which is a really historical moment, is that in addition to these individual country signatures, we now also have the endorsement, the formal endorsement by the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Ministerial Council. So the signal the region is giving politically about the importance of the fisheries issues and the protection of fisheries resources or the sustainability, is very big. It has never been as big.” (Excerpt from Barbados Advocate)

16 NEWS

SUNday, june 2, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

Sanvooth residents without landline service – GT&T cable vandalised again

M

ore than 75 Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) subscribers at Sanvooth, a village at West Canje, Region Six are without landline service.

This follows the vandalism of the company’s phone line cable. The 1034 feet cable was removed last Tuesday night from a lonely stretch of road which runs through Canefield, the village that Cuffy first went to when he escaped from his slave masters in the 1763 Uprising.

According to one resident, Reginald Collins, he was on the phone about 09:00h a few days ago when suddenly the service was terminated. The man said he was of the view that something was wrong with his phone line. “The next morning when we investigate, we recognise that is a long length of cable stolen.”

A part of the vandalised cable in the road

Residents say they are now disconnected from their family and friends, locally and abroad.

“I have relatives overseas that usually call every day and apart from that I have my religious convictions where I use the telephone to make contact with members in prayers,”

Doreen Codogan, a pensioner who has been living in the community for more than 40 years told Guyana Times.

Vandals previously hit the GT&T cable at Sanvooth 10 years ago. Residents say back then it took the telephone company four days to restore services to the com-

munity.

Telephone service in the community has been down for the past five days.

A GT&T source had told Guyana Times that work on restoring landline service in the community will start on Friday. However, a check on Saturday revealed that no work has begun.

Another resident, Yolanda Sinclair said her children have also been affected.

“Now I can’t get to the Internet. I have work to do, the children who have their work to do on the computer can’t… now they will have to go to New Amsterdam and pay for Internet and pay although they are paying for Internet service at home.”

Meanwhile, police in New Amsterdam have launched an investigation, but are yet to make an arrest.

MACORP, GGDMA looking to improve management of Caterpillar equipment

MACORP General Manager Jorge Medina makes a presentation to GGDMA President Patrick Harding

M

a c h i n e r y Corporation of Guyana (MACORP) recently met with the Guyana Gold & Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) for talks aimed at improving the management of Caterpillar equipment being used in the local gold industry.

MACORP General Manager Jorge Medina and GGDMA President Patrick Harding led the discussions which saw commitments being made towards the hosting of seminars on how to reduce operating costs for all Caterpillar equipment.

The GGDMA was given

a tour of MACORP’s new training practice ground which is now open for the public to have hands-on training on excavator operation.

The price of gold was of primary importance to both entities and towards the financial sustainability of the sector, commitments were made to enhance training with focus on equipment maintenance and operation.

MACORP is the only authorised Caterpillar dealer in Guyana. Their vision is to “provide integrated solutions” to help their stakeholders throughout Guyana succeed in their businesses.

Teenager grilled again in Land of Canaan murder

P

olice on Saturday continued to grill the teenager involved in the triangular love affair that may have led to the death of 22-year-old Thandu Singh, who was found with his throat slit and head bashed in at Land of Canaan on Tuesday.

Investigators believe that the teenager might have been in contact with the prime suspect after the incident. The teenager reportedly told her mother that she did not hear from the man since she left home two weeks ago, but confirmed that she had received a few telephone calls from blocked numbers without any answer from the other end of the line.

The suspect, whose name was also given as “Tony”, was not seen in the area prior to the discovery, nor was he seen after. This left persons in the community puzzled as to who may have committed the act.

On Saturday morning, the mother of the teen swore that there is no possible piece of evidence that has led investigators to believe that Tony, the suspect, was responsible for the death.

She said the police have dusted the crime scene for fingerprints and blood samples and by now they would realised that Tony did not kill Singh. The man, whom they suspected to have committed the murder, she reiterated was not around.

The woman added that the person who committed

the act might have been following every move of the young man, noting that he was killed on the same night he returned from Essequibo.

She is hoping that the perpetrator is caught, claiming that her daughter has been unable to sleep properly since the murder.

“My daughter de really like Tony and they supposed to get marry Monday… she is taking it on and we hope that she get over it soon,” the mother added.

Singh also called “Khemraj”, formerly of Airy Hall on the Essequibo Coast was last Tuesday found dead in his cottage aback a lumber yard at Land of Canaan. He was at the centre of a triangular love affair and he ended up taking the young lady in the affair to his home in Airy Hall. They were due to sign the marriage certificate on Monday. After the other man who is being listed as the prime suspect realised that his fiancé had left for Essequibo, he turned up at the girl’s parents’ home and encouraged them to get the couple married since they were madly in love.

The man was not seen since because he went into the interior where he works.

He was last seen in Leguaan, Essequibo River. It is also puzzling that since the incident, the murder accused did not contact his close family, nor turn himself in to clear his name, if he is indeed innocent.

17

news

sundAy, june 2, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Caricom SG welcomes Agriculture Ministry to decision on process to CCJ embark on test cultivation C of corn and peas M ost of the corn and peas in Guyana are imported from the Central American country of Belize, and, in an effort to reduce the food importation bill on these two products, the Agriculture Ministry is moving to grow them, Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy has disclosed.

Dr Ramsammy said his ministry is working anxiously on this plan which will see the crops being test grown, in small quantities and later following successful testing, introduced to local farmers for cultivation.

“I believe that we should not be importing black eye peas and corn, I believe that Guyana should be an important producer of black eye peas and corn…these are crops that Guyanese farmers can grow, so I have instructed the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) to use its land in Essequibo, and to plant 10 acres of black eye peas just to demonstrate it can be grown in

Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy

Guyana,” the Government Information Agency (GINA) quoted the minister as saying.

Similarly, the minister said he also instructed the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) to work with the GSA and utilise 10 acres of land at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara and cultivate corn to demonstrate to farmers that it can be grown locally.

With the Barbadian com-

City clean-up planned for World Environmental Week

T

Stabroek Market Georgetown

he Local Government and Regional D e v e l o p m e n t Ministry in collaboration with the Georgetown City Council and other agencies will be undertaking a threeday clean-up of several city wards as part of activities for World Environmental Week.

Within the week, World Environment Day will be observed on June 5.

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, the exercise will encompass Kingston from Water Street to Parade Street, and Young Street to Cowan Street; North and South Cummingsburg from Lamaha Street to Church Street and Thomas Street to Water Street; Lacytown from Water Street to Camp Street and North to South Road; East Ruimveldt from Trench Road to Mandela Avenue and Front Road to Mandela Avenue and West Ruimveldt from Vlissengen Road to

Hunter Street and Mandela Avenue to Front Road.

Special emphasis will also be placed on cleaning the environment of the National Library, the National Museum, St George’s Cathedral and the market places.

The cleaning works would entail weeding and clearing of streets, alleyway and drains within the blocks, weeding of the parapets and avenues, and removal of garbage from the parapets.

World Environment Day was first celebrated in 1973, after being established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.

It is celebrated annually on June 5, with focus on a particular theme to draw attention to specific environmental issues. This year’s theme is “Think, Eat, Save” and it focuses on food wastage and food loss.

pany Santa Fe in Region Nine growing corn and with the ministry now getting onboard, Minister Ramsammy said, “We are hoping that some of the farmers will take this on, so if not eliminating importation of those products that we can in fact reduce their importation.”

aribbean Community (Caricom) Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque has welcomed the judgement of the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal (ECCA) in respect of the process to be followed

by Saint Lucia to provide for the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as that country’s final court of appeal.

Chief Justice Janice Pereira delivered judgment on May 24, in respect of an opinion sought from the ECCA on the issue by Saint Lucia Attorney General Phillip La Corbiniere. The Attorney general asked the court to give an opinion on the proper and correct construction of provisions of the constitution relating to the right of appeal to the Privy Council and giving effect to the agreement establishing the CCJ. In her ruling, the chief justice indicated that the constitution clearly “contemplates and provides the

Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque

freedom to Saint Lucia to establish a court in common with other states or countries”. Further, she said Saint Lucia was empowered to enter into such an agreement on its own and the relevant bill would not be subject to a referendum.

The secretary general said that in confirming the procedure to be followed

by Saint Lucia to replace

the Privy Council with the CCJ as the final appellate court, the ECCA has set the course for the continuation of Saint Lucia’s road to judicial independence as well as point the way for other countries with similar provisions in their constitutions.

Ambassador LaRocque said this judgment was a seminal one in the progress towards more countries accepting the appellate jurisdiction of the CCJ. The secretary general further pointed out that earlier this week, Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt in a media interview said his country was proceeding to accept the appellate jurisdiction of the court after having held national consultations on the issue. In the interview, Prime Minister Skerritt said that Dominica would send a letter to the British government next week seeking permission to recognise the CCJ.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

sunday, june 2, 2013

thursDAY, march 11, 2010 | guyanatimesGY.com

By Bernice Bede Osol

archie

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) You take pride in being self-reliant, yet for some reason, you may put yourself in a position where you are overly dependent on others. Be careful.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19) Don’t make the mistake of trying to even up an old score. You might get a lot of momentary satisfaction, but it’ll expose you to a huge counter-attack.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20)

dilbert

Upon occasion, you can be overly generous to the undeserving while totally ignoring the worthy, and this could be one of those days. Strive to keep your priorities in perspective.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Calvin and Hobbes

Peanuts

An objective that you’ve been knocking yourself out to reach is likely to be of little value once it’s attained. Before you expend any additional effort, reassess its true value.

CANCER (June 21July 22) Usually, you’re pretty good at picking a worthwhile objective, but today you might stand back and let another do the selecting. You won’t like what you end up with.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22) Instead of belittling someone who is trying to be productive, speak up and show him or her how to be more effective.

Remember, talk is cheap but exemplary action has much to offer.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22) Pressure might prove fruitless when trying to get another to repay a debt. However, a softened approach, using compassion, might work.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23) Extra helpings of tact might be required to placate your mate. Your other choice is having a direct confrontation that will only lead to resentment.

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

SCORPIO

If you allow your emotions to override your common sense, you’ll become more confused than you already are. Use your head.

You are likely to have a sharp eye for spotting the mistakes of others.

Unfortunately, if your comments are critical instead of constructive, they’ll arouse resentment.

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

Be more selective regarding the people whom you choose to hang out with. Avoid getting involved with someone who is always stirring up trouble and blaming others.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21) To gratify an extravagant whim, you are likely to make an expensive, unwise purchase. Oh, you’ll realise your mistake, but only after you get what you want.

YELLOW PAGES sunday, june 2, 2013

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Furnished rooms and apartments; 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartments- long & short term rental. Affordable rates Call: 227-2199, 227-2186, 227-2189

lAND FOR SALE In Berbice- very good for rice cultivation. Contact: Mr Ishmael on 692-9216 or 655-6776 anytime before 19:00h.

WANTED Are you selling your land in Parfaite Harmonie? Phone: 675-7292 One female cook for interior.

Phone: 612-2125

car rental Journey Inn Apartments & car rental. Rooms & car to rent from $3000 Premio, Vitz. Phone: 689-6668, 6394452.

dentistry Dentures provided in 72 hours from as low as $4500. Contact Dr B Stuart, 209B Charlotte Street, Lacytown. Tel: 225-5034

optician Da Silva’s Optical. For Your Eyes Only, Look Better See Better. Phillip A Da Silva OD, Shannon L Da Silva OD, Natalie Da Silva OD. 248 South Road, Bourda. Phone: 227-3529, Linden: 444-6376, Corriverton: 339-3536, Meten-Meer-Zorg: 275-0322, Grand Cayman Islands: (345) 943-1515 for the perfect trendy touch.

EDUCATION

WHERE CAN YOU GET A BOOK FOR $40? THE MASSIVE BOOKSALE, NOW ON AT BOOKLAND, ABOVE MATTS RECORD BAR (226-2874).

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flowers Available: Fresh long-stemmed roses, fresh dried and silk floral arrangements, gift items, bridal boutiques and wreaths. Nesha’s Flowerland. 78 Church Street (opposite St George’s Cathedral). Tel: 227-3553/225-3315

FOR SALE Clean garden earth & builders waste. Also bobcat rental, excavating, clearing and leveling. Phone: 616-0617 or 663-3285.

Cummins currency counters, used by banks wordwide and in Guyana.

Specifically programmed to detect counterfeit Guyana currency. World Imports, Sales & Service. Phone: 227-4983.

Husehold furniture. Phone: 687-5653

health Healthworld Holistic Centre: Psychotherapy available for all types of abnormal behaviors – addictions, emotional, suicidal, anger, relationship and sexual problems.

Treatment of stress disorders, depression, fear, low self-esteem, insomnia, trauma, psychosomatic sicknesses, and children's disorders. We also conduct IQ evaluations and behavioral assessments.

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immigration Immigration & Visa Services We handle all Canadian, USA and UK, Immigration and Visa matters. Self Sponsorships, Holiday/Visitor’s Visas, Work Permits, Students Visas, Family, Class, Immigration Forms, Embassy Enquiries, Appeals for Refused Cases, U.S Green Card Lottery, Business Class Waivers, Pardons etc. Get your Visa approved. High Success Rate. Balwant Persaud & Associates.

Certified Immigration Consultants 68 Sixth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown (Between Cummings & Lights Sts.) Tel: 225-1540, 622-8308, 655-3105.

Email: balwantpersaud@yahoo.ca

KEY CUTTing Professional Key Shop, 125 Carmichael Street, Georgetown.

Phone: 225-3923, mobile: 6213249. We cut any type of key, service and repair all types of locks.

Get your extra key today.

LAND FOR SALE

Cheap earth , delivery to spot ECD & EBD. Phone: 627-9977, 698-0182.

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KHEMRAJ & SON (LANDSCAPING & PLANT NURSERY) Lot 77 Independence St, La Grange, WBD. 18 months bearing period, mould for sale, plants for sale, grafted orange & lime trees, treating & trimming of plants, drainage system for land, maintenance of land, weeding & cutting trees, also clearing of land.

TEL: 627-5969 & 664-1021 Setting up of point of sale services, for only $12,000 phone:669-9342

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Divinations and cleansing of spiritual problems of all kinds. Powerful Ifá and Khemetian spiritual guards, pendants, crystals, and rune stones to help you overcome problems with love, relationships, legal, sex, pregnancy, business, sickness, jobs, enemies, work, money and many more. Call 10:00 – 16:00h. Tel: 592690-1824. Email:anew-life@live.com

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Suriname astrology palmist and djuka healer, the most powerful spiritualist in the world, are you suffering from the following problems-(any religions) love, marriage, family, health, business, husband and wife relationship, property, court, children, promotion, visa, pregnancy, education, depression, job, sexual, jealousy, enemy, money, drinking, also you can have all evil forces destroyed such as black magic, witchcraft, voodoo, obeyah, etc, and give powerful protection. Private and confidential. Phone: 601-5947.

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Small office space suitable for technician shop, taxi service base etc. Call 231-2619, 691-7164

Seven in custody for guns, ammunition and cocaine

S

services Electronic course- practical, beginning June 3, limited space available, Abdul Electronics. Phone: 2266551, 225-0391

19

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even people are likely to face the court on Monday after they were arrested between Friday, May 31 and June 1 in three separate incidents involving guns, ammunition and cocaine.

The police in a release stated that four men of Plum Park, Sophia, Greater Georgetown were on Friday arrested after they discharged several rounds in the direction of a police patrol unit.

The police stated that about 14:25h, police were performing routine checks when they saw a group of men acting in a suspicious manner in the area. As the police mobile patrol approached them, one of the men whipped out a firearm and discharged several rounds in the direction of the ranks.

In retaliating, the police ranks returned fire, resulting in the man throwing away the gun and subsequently surrendering. No one was injured in the process.

The unlicensed .38 special revolver with two spent shells were recovered by the police and the shooter, along with three other men, was arrested. Charges are expected to be laid shortly.

Meanwhile, in another incident, two men were also arrested on Friday after police conducted a search on a shop at Barima Line, Baramita, where they unearthed an unlicensed .32 pistol with nine matching rounds.

The two men are assisting with the investigations.

In yet another incident, about 01:30h on Saturday morning, police ranks stopped and searched a man at Cross Street, Georgetown, and found 50 rounds .9mm ammunition and 3.5 grams of cocaine in his possession. He was taken into police custody and is expected to make a court appearance on Monday.

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Five-member boxing Kohli, Karthik set up strong win for India team off to Cuba I

Director of Sport Neil Kumar (left), GBA president Steve Ninvalle (third from left, front row) and other executives of the GBA pose with the boxers and officials, who head to Cuba today (Photo: Paul Vanvield)

T

he Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) will send a reduced fivemember team to two boxing tournaments and specialised training in Cuba, with the contingent set to leave these shore today.

The team, comprising boxers Dennis Thomas and Imran Khan of the Guyana Police Force gym, and Eon Bancroft of the Guyana Defence Force, will participate in the Cardova Cardin tournament on June 4-11, and the Roberto Balado competition on June 19-25.

They will be accompanied by coaches Francisco Hernandez Roldan of Cuba, who is currently on a stint here, and Terrence Poole, who is also the Technical Director of the GBA. The GBA was hoping to send a team of eight boxers and two coaches to Cuba, but due to financial constraints, it was forced to significantly trim the travelling contingent.

At a farewell ceremony for the team at the Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis gym in Albouystown on Saturday afternoon, Director of Sport Neil Kumar praised the efforts of the GBA in getting the boxers and officials to Cuba.

“I appreciate the efforts by the GBA to send a team to Cuba and having commended them on numerous occasions, I take this opportunity tot do so again. They are the only national association to provide us with a plan to

the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil and when I spoke to Minister of Sport Dr Frank Anthony, we decided we will support them to go to Cuba and not only compete, but also gain experience in their training,” Kumar said.

Speaking on the financial difficulties the GBA faced ahead of the trip, Kumar said, “The GBA is the only association to realise over $500,000 for a tournament and that tells us of their seriousness, as it relates to the ‘Road to Brazil’ programme that the government has been talking about since last year. I know it would have been nice to send more than the three boxers to Cuba, but when I look at the three selected by the GBA, I see we have three good boxers.”

Kumar urged the trio to make the best use of the opportunity being presented to them, while reminding them that some of their opponents will be the best at this level, coming from Latin America, Argentina, Russia and Australia.

“This is what you have prepared yourself for, so go and make the best of this opportunity. You will be coming up against the best in the world, not only the Cubans alone, but Argentineans, Australians and even Russians, who are no pushover. So go, give of your best, focus on boxing win medals and remember, this is the beginning of the ‘Road to Brazil’ for you,” he pointed out.

President of the GBA,

Steve Ninvalle, said while he is disappointed that a larger team could not have attended the two events, he is grateful for the support received in sending the fivemember team.

“We faced difficulties in our endeavours to send the full team of six boxers along with Poole and Roldan that we wanted to send to Cuba.

But I must take this opportunity to commend Mr Kumar who worked assiduously hard to make sure boxers from Guyana compete in Cuba. The ‘Road to Brazil’ starts now and I wish to thank those sponsors who came on board with us and give us their support in ensuring we got the boxers to Cuba. This is not the end of the road as we have more international tournaments ahead that we are looking to compete in and also send a larger contingent.”

According to Ninvalle, the GBA received and accepted an all expenses paid invitation from the Russians to send a team to that country in September and cited the two tournaments in Cuba as an evaluation process for the boxers and the GBA as well.

“Since Roldan took up the challenge to become the head coach of the GBA, we have not competed in an international tournament so certainly, the two tournaments in Cuba will be used by the GBA as an evaluation programme, in relation to our ‘Road to Brazil’ programme,” Ninvalle outlined.

Rajiv Shukla resigns as IPL chairman

R

ajiv Shukla has resigned as IPL chairman, following the scandal over alleged corruption in the league. His decision to stand down comes less than 24 hours after the resignations of two top BCCI officials, secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke, and on the eve of a crucial BCCI working committee meeting in Chennai, where the future of N Srinivasan as board president is expected to be decided.

On Saturday evening, Shukla told PTI: “I have decided to quit as IPL chairman. It is a decision that I was pondering over for some time. I think it is time to step down. Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke re-

signed in the best interest of Indian cricket. I thought this is the right time.”

Shirke, responding to news of Shukla’s resignation, said the challenge now lay in how to move forward.

“It is his decision. He’s in the eye of the storm, he must have realised the gravity of what he felt,” Shirke told Times Now. “It is never too late, the question is what are the steps being taken from now on to restore the faith and restore transparency.

No one is able to pinpoint the faults and what steps should be taken.”

Shukla took over as IPL chairman at the BCCI’s annual general meeting

in September 2011, from Chirayu Amin. The tenure is for a year, but can be extended at the board’s AGM. Shukla, who was reappointed as chairman in 2012, had gone on record saying he would not extend his term at this September’s AGM. IPL 2013 has been plunged into controversy over the past two weeks, following the arrests of three Rajasthan Royals players for alleged spot-fixing, and Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan – the son-in-law of board president N Srinivasan, who is also the managing director of Super Kings’ owner, India Cements – for alleged betting. (Cricinfo)

t says much for the enduring appeal of 50-over cricket that, despite looking the second-best team for much of the day, India still left Edgbaston celebrating an exhilarating victory with six deliveries to spare.

If it was a stand of 186 in 140 balls between Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik that provided most obvious cause for Indian joy, as it helped them fight back in a match that had appeared to be sliding inexorably towards Sri Lanka, perhaps it was more subtle factors that will be of long-term relevance.

Even if India had lost this game, they might have been justified in leaving Edgbaston in good spirits, for this match did provide hints that some of the pre-conceptions about this tournament may be misplaced.

India, despite their number one ranking, are not among the favourites for the Champions Trophy. That is due, in part, to the suspicion that, in English, early-season conditions and with two new balls, they may lack the specialists to cope. Not only, it is argued, will they lack the batting techniques to negate the rising, swinging ball, but they might lack the bowling firepower – the admirable Bhuvneshwar Kumar aside – to hurt sides in reply. But, on the evidence of this game, conditions may not be so alien. Despite awful weather in Birmingham for almost as long as anyone can remember, this was an excellent batting surface. And while two new balls were used, the early indications are that the kookaburra-turf ball in operation hardly swings. Indeed, it just means that batsmen still have a hard ball to hit later in the innings.

In such circumstances, India, utilising their spinners and powerful batsmen, may be far more at home than has been anticipated. There was not a single maiden all day.

Certainly Kohli and Karthik, celebrating his 28th birthday in some style, looked at home as they accelerated towards victory. While few of the Sri Lankan bowlers will reflect with much pleasure on this performance – Jeevan Mendis conceded 31 in his three overs – there were times when the India pair allowed so little margin for error that it looked almost impossible to contain them.

Kohli, initially at least, picked up runs with stealth and quick running – at one stage, he scored 20 singles in succession and managed an all-run four on this far from huge ground. Karthik was more aggressive, his century came in just 79 balls and included an array of boundaries flicked, driven and bludgeoned through the leg-side.

It would be foolish to read too much into this result. It was not an ODI and the teams agreed to play 15 men aside.

What is more, while Sri Lanka decided to retire their top two batsmen just as they might have been expected to accel-

Virat Kohli looked at ease in the English conditions

erate, India allowed their two top-scorers to win the game.

Sri Lanka were also without Lasith Malinga who arrived late and was suffering from jet-lag. No one will remember this match in a few weeks.

And, for much of the game, Sri Lanka looked the better side. Kusal Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan batted with some class to post 209 for Sri Lanka’s first wicket in 35.1 overs, before Dinesh Chandimal and Kumar Sangakkara, back on the ground that he briefly made his home, also impressed.

India’s bowling was loose and their fielding lethargic.

While it is true they have not played ODI cricket since January, the rustiness of some of the bowling was alarming and will need to be rectified quickly if they are to progress.

The top-order batting was underwhelming, too. When Kohli and Karthik came together, at 110 for 4 in the 21st over, their cause looked close to hopeless.

But Kohli was calm – his century occupied 95 balls and included only seven fours and a six – and his acceleration af-

terwards oozed class and suggested he had simply been playing with the bowling previously.

Karthik, if anything, was even more impressive, if not quite as pleasing on the eye.

The pair set up a platform to help India score 208 runs from the final 24 overs and 131 from the final 14. Sri Lanka’s bowling wilted in the face of the assault.

It is also worth noting the attendance at this match.

While several other venues in England and Wales struggle to sell respectable numbers of tickets for games involving England – tickets are still available for the Champions Trophy match between England and New Zealand in Cardiff, and attendance for the second Test between England and New Zealand at Leeds was bitterly disappointing – more than 5500 people paid £20 a head and watched this game at Edgbaston. If anyone needed any reminder of the financial muscle of Indian cricket – and they really shouldn’t have done – it was provided here. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Sri Lanka innings (50 overs maximum) MDKJ Perera retired out 82 TM Dilshan retired out 84 DPMD Jayawardene c Pathan b I Sharma 30 KC Sangakkara† c Ashwin b Mishra 45 LD Chandimal c †Dhoni b Kumar 46 NLTC Perera not out 26 LHD Dilhara not out 6 Extras (b-5, lb-3, w-4, nb-2) 14 Total (5 wickets; 50 overs) 333 Did not bat: KMDN Kulasekara, SL Malinga, BMAJ Mendis, AD Mathews*, HMRKB Herath, RMS Eranga, SMSM Senanayake, HDRL Thirimanne Fall of wickets: 1-160 (MDKJ Perera, 25.6 ov), 2-195 (Dilshan, 31.6 ov), 3-209 (Jayawardene, 35.1 ov), 4-279 (Sangakkara, 43.6 ov), 5-325 (Chandimal, 49.1 ov) Bowling: IK Pathan 5-0-45-0 (1w), B Kumar 8-0-58-1, I Sharma 6-0-41-1 (1-w), R Vinay Kumar 7-0-42-0 (1-nb), R Ashwin 8-045-0, RA Jadeja 8-0-41-0 (1nb), A Mishra 8-0-53-1 (2-w)

India innings (target: 334 runs from 50 overs) S Dhawan run out (Thirimanne) 1 M Vijay c Thirimanne b Eranga 18 V Kohli c Chandimal b Eranga 144 RG Sharma c Kulasekara b NLTC Perera 5 SK Raina b Senanayake 34 KD Karthik not out 106 MS Dhoni*† not out 18 Extras (b-2, lb-4, w-5) 11 Total (5 wickets; 49 overs) 337 Did not bat: A Mishra, IK Pathan, B Kumar, RA Jadeja, I Sharma, R Ashwin, R Vinay Kumar, UT Yadav Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Dhawan, 1.3 ov), 2-52 (Vijay, 9.5 ov), 3-62 (RG Sharma, 12.3 ov), 4-110 (Raina, 20.3 ov), 5-296 (Kohli, 43.5 ov) Bowling: KMDN Kulasekara 9-056-0, AD Mathews 5-0-26-0 (2w), RMS Eranga 9-0-60-2, NLTC Perera 6-0-34-1 (1-w), SMSM Senanayake 6-0-42-1, HMRKB Herath 7-0-44-0, BMAJ Mendis 3-0-31-0, TM Dilshan 3-0-200, LHD Dilhara 1-0-18-0 (1-w)

june 2, 2013

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Aus vs WI, Champions Trophy Warm-up, Cardiff…

Watson gives West Indies a lesson S

hane Watson gave West Indies a good lesson in how to change gears through an innings with a powerful century that helped Australia register an easy four-wicket victory in their first warm-up match with 11.1 overs to spare.

Despite the loss of both Australian openers in the opening over of the chase from Kemar Roach, Watson remained assertive throughout, combining well with Adam Voges in a match-winning 125run fourth-wicket partnership as the pair took advantage of the indiscipline that crept into the West Indies bowling after the first 15 overs.

In the end a modest target of 257, on a seaming pitch, was made to look pedestrian

by Watson, who made certain that the 2000 fans, who had paid £20 a ticket, remained entertained despite the absence of Chris Gayle, who had been rested. Playing with the same gusto and aggression that Gayle uses to dominate opponents, Watson showed why he remains one of the most dangerous batsmen in the game.

Roach, playing for the first time in England after returning home midway from the Tests series last year, made an immediate impact by getting rid of David Warner and Philip Hughes, who paid the price for playing expansive drives against similar deliveries: angled and moving away from the bat. Both were caught brilliantly by Denesh Ramdin, who dived to take the catch in

SCOREBOARD West Indies innings (50 overs maximum) J Charles lbw b McKay 55 DS Smith c †Wade b Starc 7 DM Bravo b McKay 86 RR Sarwan b Watson 22 DJ Bravo* c †Wade b McKay 20 D Ramdin† c Warner b Starc 25 DJG Sammy run out (Johnson) 14 JO Holder c Faulkner b Starc 4 SP Narine b Starc 3 KAJ Roach not out 7 TL Best not out 3 Extras (lb-6, w-3, nb-1) 10 Total (9 wickets; 50 overs) 256 Did not bat: KA Pollard, MN Samuels, R Rampaul, CH Gayle Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Smith, 4.2 ov), 2-93 (Charles, 19.4 ov), 3-142 (Sarwan, 28.1 ov), 4-195 (DJ Bravo, 38.1 ov), 5-200 (DM Bravo, 38.6 ov), 6-220 (Sammy, 43.4 ov), 7-236 (Holder, 46.3 ov), 8-246 (Ramdin, 48.1 ov), 9-246 (Narine, 48.3 ov) Bowling: MA Starc 7-1-29-4 (1-nb, 2-w), CJ McKay 10-0-453, MG Johnson 10-0-66-0, JP Faulkner 10-1-52-0, SR Watson 6-0-12-1 (1-w), AC Voges 2-024-0, MR Marsh 5-0-22-0

Australia innings (target: 257 runs from 50 overs) SR Watson c DM Bravo b Best 135 DA Warner c †Ramdin b Roach 0 PJ Hughes c †Ramdin b Roach 0 GJ Bailey c †Ramdin b Sammy 21 AC Voges c Holder b Best 43 MS Wade† c †Ramdin b DJ Bravo 15 MR Marsh not out 39 JP Faulkner not out 1 Extras (lb-1, w-3, nb-1) 5 Total (6 wickets; 38.5 overs) 259 Did not bat: MG Johnson, GJ Maxwell, MA Starc, MJ Clarke*, CJ McKay, XJ Doherty, NM Coulter-Nile Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Warner, 1.3 ov), 2-4 (Hughes, 1.6 ov), 3-72 (Bailey, 13.5 ov), 4-197 (Watson, 30.6 ov), 5-205 (Voges, 32.3 ov), 6-254 (Wade, 38.3 ov) Bowling: TL Best 7-0-51-2 (1nb), KAJ Roach 6-0-44-2, JO Holder 6-0-37-0, DJG Sammy 6-0-32-1, SP Narine 9-0-500, DJ Bravo 4.5-0-44-1 (2-w)

front of first slip.

In the absence of Michael Clarke (rested along with Glen Maxwell and Xavier Doherty), Watson was the most experienced Australian batsman. To begin with, West Indies fast bowling contingent did well not to get carried away after the two quick wickets. Roach, Tino Best, Jason Holder and Darren Sammy maintained a tight off-stump line without giving much width to Watson and his stand-in captain George Bailey to free their arms in the initial Powerplay overs.

At 40-2 from the first 10 overs, Bailey was getting restless and had a few near misses.

On 14, having pulled Holder for four, Bailey earned a life after Dwayne Bravo, at first slip, dropped a thick edge while attempting to take the catch on the dive to his right. But Bailey failed to make the most of the opportunity as he went for a slashing drive against Sammy a couple of overs later, to be caught by a second brilliant catch by Ramdin, who had a field day with four catches.

Watson remained unperturbed. He had come into the Champions Trophy on the back of good form in the IPL where he was the fifth-highest run maker. The difference today was he was opening compared to batting in the middle order during the IPL. Yet he adjusted without fuss and was at ease both on the front and back foot. Not rushing into his strokes, he made use of the bowler’s lengths wisely. When Holder gifted him a half-volley, Watson punished him with a lofted drive over the mid-off for four. Next delivery, when the bowler pitched slightly fuller on middle and leg, Watson played a wristy drive to the left of midwicket for another easy four. West Indies, especially Dwayne Bravo, tried to attack Watson. Bravo, in his very first over, tried to bowl short but was wayward and taken for

13 runs. He kept repeating the mistake in his following over, from around the wicket, to allow Watson to move closer to his century, which he reached with a chip-and-charge for a single. It had taken him 85 balls with 58 runs coming in boundaries.

At the halfway mark, Australia were 129-3. In a further five overs they were cruising at 187-3 with 35 runs coming in just the 29th and 30th overs. Sunil Narine, who had gone for 12 in his first four overs, was hit by Watson for 15 in his fifth, while Dwayne Bravo went for the most expensive over of the match, which cost 20 runs.

In the end, West Indies were bound to feel disappointed. Although Darren Bravo had worked hard to hit a lovely 86, the inability of the other batsmen to capitalise on starts eventually robbed West Indies of finishing with a much stronger total. Johnson Charles started the innings with some flowing cover drives but as soon as the Australian bowlers found their lengths, Charles failed to change the gears and couldn’t rotate the strike. In the absence of much able batsmen Marlon Samuels and the hard-hitting Kieron Pollard in the lower order, West Indies were always going to find it hard to build on the platform set by Darren Bravo. But if they watched Watson closely, they would have learned a good lesson. (Cricinfo)

21

GTTA awards top players... from back page

Shemar Britton (right) receives one of his four awards from Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony (Photo: Treiston Joseph)

Sport Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, outlined that while he is proud of the growth of the sport he would still like to see more decentralisation occurring.

“We had about close to 100 players participating, it shows that the sport is growing and you should be proud of that.

“They (GTTA) have had some ups and downs and they would normally go on some burst of energy as they go out into different regions for talents and coaching but they would quiet down but this (going out into regions) is what I want to see more of, you spread the sport to different regions and I hope that the energy can be sustained,” Dr. Anthony reasoned.

Dr. Anthony also put schools on notice that he is peeved about the under utilisation of the boards that have been handed out by the

government.

“We have given out boards, rackets and balls that have cost us and some schools should have clubs but the vast majority have the boards and are not utilising the boards. Some schools in the city have the boards locked away and the children don’t have access to it and that should not be.

“What we will have to do is check the list [to] see the school’s not using the boards, take them back and give them to other schools,” Dr. Anthony mentioned at the ceremony.

Meanwhile, the GTTA, along with the NSC and the Ministry of Sport, will be making efforts to start a talent search programme in the schools in an effort to gain more participation at the school level.

The latest school to join with the GTTA in this initiative is St Roses High.

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june 2, 2013

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Bryden’s Super Classic Indoor Hockey tournament...

Old Fort, GCC play to exciting finish in first division

O

Devin Hooper

Kerensa Fernandes

Phillip Fernandes

ld Fort and GCC treated the spectators of the Bryden’s Super Classic Indoor Hockey tournament to a spectacular duel of hockey as the teams battled in the lone Kellogg’s Men’s first division match on Friday evening at the National Gymnasium.

When the dust settled, it was GCC who emerged victorious by a tally of four goals to two to place them in firm position for a spot in the final today.

GCC took the game to Old Fort with some aggressive attacks early in the game, but fine goalkeeping for Old Fort by Tony Cole kept the score at nil-all until the 14th minute when Stephen Xavier managed the breakthrough from a field goal. Captain Devin Hooper added a second for GCC a minute later.

Just as Old Fort seemed about to fade, Jason DeSantos pulled off one of his trademark bullets when he sent a penalty corner shot sailing high into the GCC net to get Old Fort off the mark. Young Omar Hopkinson scored Old Fort’s second goal just on the resumption after the half time break and sent the Old Fort supporters into a frenzy. GCC’s midfield maestro, Kevin Spencer however, would reply with a goal of his own and Dwayne Scott added a skilful penalty cor-

ner deflection to put the game away and earn the 4-2 victory for GCC. The lone Tetley Tea competition of the evening saw the GCC Tigers take apart the inexperienced Revelation by a 7-1 margin. Rene James put in a good performance once again for Revelation and Latacia Chung managed to score their first goal of the competition, but the Tigers never seemed troubled throughout the encounter.

Marzana Fiedtkou and the diminutive Shania Riley led the Tigers with two goals each, while Aliyah Gordon, Ashley DeGroot and Kerensa Fernandes added one each.

The surprise result of the evening was in the Mr Toppers second division competition with Old Fort managing to upstage pre-tournament favourites Western Union Hikers 2-1.

Meanwhile, Ol Skool managed to defeat GCC in a tough battle that ended with a 4-2 score line. While Trevon Smith was first to score for GCC just four minutes from the opening whistle, a double strike by Philip Fernandes and singles from Dexter Wyles and Alan Fernandes put the veteran side up by three at 4-1 for Ol Skool. Newcomer Kareem McKenzie managed to score a second for GCC in the dying minutes but time would expire before GCC

could make any further impression.

The final second division match saw Saints cream a severely depleted All Greys by 11-1. With All Greys clearly missing some of its main players, Saints would exploit their weaknesses and make good on their many opportunities. Kwesi Lewis led Saints with a hattrick, while Kevin Edwards added a double. Teammates Yonnick Peters, Leroy Jack, Ezekiel Springer and Shemar Boston added one each for Saints. Azad DeAbreu managed the lone goal for All Greys.

Meanwhile, the Cadets lead the Kellogg’s first division pool with six points going into the final day of pool matches, followed by GCC on four, Hikers with one and Old Fort trailing without points.

In the Tetley Tea ladies pool, Spice sits on top with six points, followed

by Hikers Divas and GCC Tigers, both with three points, while Revelation brings up the rear with zero points.

The lads from Ol Skool are surprise finalists in the Mr Toppers second division competition, which awaits the outcome of Saturday’s matches to determine whether they will face the Western Union Hikers or Old Fort in the final. The various finals are scheduled to start at 16:00h today.

Marian Academy routes GTI – Smith explodes for scoring outburst

By Treiston Joseph

Lassar Richards emphatically throws away a shot at the rim during his blocking exhibition for GTI despite the blowout loss to Marian Academy (Photo: Treiston Joseph)

Selvaughn Moseley (# 10) goes up for one of his many shots within the painted area against some tough defense (Photo: Treiston Joseph)

T

he free flowing offense of Marian Academy destroyed the Government Technical Institute (GTI) 56-19 when the Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) Georgetown Conference final was played on Saturday at the Marian hard court.

It was ball movement at its highest as Marian Academy gave up good shots for great shots as they exploded for a 15-0 run in the opening minutes, while holding GTI scoreless for the first ten minutes of the game with a solid 2-3 zone defence.

Marian’s mid-range game, coupled with their points at the rim and a few three-point daggers, were simply too much for GTI to handle as Lassar Richards seemed to be the only player playing for GTI as he emphatically rejected four blocks at the rim.

Tequain Vieira stepped up and had a solid game, stroking the ball sweetly from

mid-range with 12 points, while Selvaughn Moseley was a ‘beast’ at the rim, scoring all 19 of his points from point blank range.

Dominic Vincent was also a factor for Marian, impacting the game with his tenacious defence, picking up four steals while hitting two bombs from the arc to end the game with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Richards ended the game with six points to be the high point man for GTI in the abysmal showing for the tertiary institution.

Meanwhile, in the East Coast Conference final held earlier, Nikkoloi Smith of Plaisance Secondary was a one man wrecking crew.

The gifted guard netted 36 points to equal the point total of the University of Guyana (UG), which was 36 as well.

Plaisance, who easily won the game 54-36, simply watched Smith go to work as the guard was hot from be-

yond the arc, hitting a staggering eight three-pointers to knock the wind out of UG’s sails.

Smith, while scoring at a high rate, also contributed 14 rebounds and seven steals to finish just short of a triple double.

Quincy Easton was the high point man for UG with a team-high 14 points while grabbing 12 rebounds and six steals in the game.

Point man Jonathon Pooran also contributed to the glass with nine rebounds, but failed to contribute meaningful to the score line as he ended with five points.

The presentation for the Conference finals will be held today at the Marian hard court from 15:00h just after a basketball workshop, which is expected to start at 14:00h.

YBG is being sponsored

by Digicel, the Beharry Group of Companies and Banks DIH Limited.

guyanatimesGY.com

june 2, 2013

23

enjoys successful Fudadin bringing new approach Khan stint in TT during “A” Team series F

Assad Fudadin: “My new approach will be to think about batting for a day or two sessions or for a period and constantly reset the mark at breaks in the game.”

A

ssad Fudadin said he will be looking to use the upcoming series between West Indies “A” and Sri Lanka “A” to bring a new approach to his batting.

Fudadin was chosen in a 13-member squad for the first four-day “Test” between the two sides, starting on Wednesday at Warner Park in St. Kitts.

He was disappointed with his returns in the Regional Four-Day Tournament, which ended last month, and had spent plenty of time reviewing his performance.

“To be honest, I think I did everything [that I could] during the season to be successful,” the 27-year-old from Rose Hall in Berbice,

told WICB Media.

“I trained hard. I practised hard. I looked up bowlers. I prepared well for the season. I focussed a lot on the game. But it just did not happen for me during the regional season and I kept finding a way to get out.”

He added: “I’ve spent a few weeks home alone and I had a chance to sit back, relax and review the season – and I think it simply came down to a lack of focus for me. I thought going into the regional season that I was focussed, but it is clear to me that maybe I was not enough on the job.”

Fudadin said he has spent the last few weeks doing something he enjoys a great deal– reading.

He reckoned this will help him to condition his mind for the “A” Team series, as some of the books included stories about other personalities that had overcome various setbacks.

“I have done a lot of reading and spending time with my family in between training hard again to prepare for this series,” said the left-handed batsman, who occasionally bowls right-arm medium pace.

“The fitter you are, the better the mind works.

“But I do a lot of reading to keep my mind clear and help me to focus. I have been reading a number of inspirational stories about past athletes and their struggles and what they did to overcome those periods when they were performing below their optimum standard.”

Fudadin said this has helped him to set smaller goals, although they still seem challenging on the surface.

“I just want to bat,” he said. “I don’t want to set myself goals in terms of runs anymore – about getting 100 or 200 runs in a game.

“My new approach will be to think about batting for a day or two sessions or for a period and constantly reset the mark at breaks in the game.

“Previously, when I tried to set my goals in terms of runs, it did not work for me and I put myself under too much pressure, so I am going to try this new approach and I am going to be changing up a few things.”

Fudadin concluded that his ultimate goal was to perform and secure a regular place in the West Indies team. (www.windiescricket.com)

26 graduate from Little Diamond Martial Arts Academy

T

he Little Diamond Martial Arts Academy (LDMAA) held a grading examination recently where a total of 26 students from its three affiliates were able to elevate themselves.

Eleven students from the Cove and John Ashram, nine from the Enmore affiliate and six from the Wales branch made the move up in belts.

Seven moved from white to yellow belt; 12 from yellow to orange; three from orange to green; three from green to blue; and one from yellow to green (skipping orange).

From the Cove and John Ashram, Gavin Persaud, Vickram Shamsoondar and Tageshwar Thakoordeen have now graduated to fifth Kyu blue belt, while Romona Niranjan from Wales is now a green belt student.

Rajeshwar Purasram of

Shihan Abdool Nazim Yassim

the Enmore branch was outstanding with a 97.2 percent move from yellow to green, while Jason Lee-A-Pow, Devindra Hantal and Suraj Jagessa made the move up to orange belt.

Meanwhile, Shihan

Abdool Nazim Yassim informed this publication that students from the LDMAA are currently preparing themselves for training camps from July 21-28 at Santa Mission.

This will aid in their training ahead of the LDMAA Inter-national championship, slated for August.

Yassim also pointed out that from this month, 11 students will commence their brown belt and black belt training in order to make the examination in November this year.

Additionally, Kelvin Walcott and Nasir Hassan of Enmore, Parsuram Arjune of Wales and Omesh Jankie of Covent Garden will be the first set of students of the LDMAA to head for their first dan black belt later on this year.

irst-Class leg-spinner Amir Khan recently returned from Trinidad and Tobago where he produced some scintillating performances for Moosai Cricket Club in the premiership competition.

The right-arm bowler, who has represented the West Indies at the youth level, picked up 34 wickets in five two-day games, including three five-wicket hauls.

His best figures were 6-35, while he also displayed his versatility by claiming eight wickets in five T20 games.

Khan had joined Moosai Cricket Club for the last five games of the season, because of his duties with the Guyana team in the recently concluded Regional Four-Day and Super50 tournament.

The 20-year-old said he enjoyed the stint and is now hoping to attract the bidders at the upcoming Caribbean Premier League auction, which is set for next Wednesday in Jamaica.

Leg-spinner Amir Khan (left) and Universal Sports Managing Director, Andrew Budhan, pose with the equipment

Meanwhile, Khan was presented with a quantity of cricket equipment by Universal Sports Managing Director, Andrew Budhan, upon his return from Trinidad and Tobago.

Budhan presented the young cricketer with a CA8000 bat, a Grey Nicholls Elite full

spike footwear and an Ascis training sneakers.

According to Budhan, his entity will be equipping Khan with the necessary gear as the need arises.

Khan expressed gratitude for the kind gesture, adding that he will make maximum use of the equipment to advance his career.

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

june 2, 2013

guyanatimesgy.com TOP SCORES

CRICKET: WEST INDIES 256-9 VS AUSTRALIA 259-6; SRI LANKA 333-3 VS INDIA 337-5; RUGBY: TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 20-0 VS GUYANA

"I am looking forward to the challenge," says Harper

H

ead coach of the Guyana franchise in this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Roger Harper, said he is looking forward to the challenge during the tournament, which bowls off later this year.

“I’m delighted and very excited at the opportunity to work with the Guyana franchise, and at the same time, looking forward to the challenge. My objectives will be to get the best out of individual players and the team as a whole,” Harper said.

A former head coach of the West Indies cricket team from 2000 through to the end of the 2003 World Cup, Harper will be assisted by former fast bowler Curtly Ambrose According to Harper, it is a privilege to work alongside the former West Indies legend.

Meanwhile, Harper, who played 25 Tests and 105 ODIs for West Indies between 1983 and 1996 and was regarded as

one of the greatest fielders of his generation, indicated that the CPL will definitely re-energise the sport in the Caribbean.

He noted that CPL will present an excellent opportunity for the development of professional cricketer in the region.

“The CPL will provide a new generation of professional cricketers in the Caribbean and will also give the opportunity for the younger players to develop their talents and also play in high level competition,” Harper opined.

The lucrative CPL is set to bowl off in July, with franchises based in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. Each outfit is stipulated to have 11 of their 15 players qualified to play for the West Indies, with four required to be under the age of 23.

Meanwhile, mystery offspinner Sunil Narine has been assigned as the franchise play-

er for Guyana, while Pakistan’s captain Mohamed Hafeez is the international star.

Other assignments include Antigua, which will be coached

by Vivian Richards, who will be assisted by Phillip DeFreitas.

Marlon Samuels has been assigned franchise player, while former Australian captain Ricky Ponting is the international star.

The Barbados team’s head coach is Desmond Haynes and he will be assisted by Robin Singh. Kieron Pollard is the franchise player and Pakistani batsman Shoaib Malik is the international star.

Additionally, Paul Nixon will coach Jamaica, assisted by Junior Bennett. Chris Gayle is the franchise player and Sri Lankan legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is the international star.

Team St Lucia franchise player is West Indies captain Darren Sammy and former South African opening bats-

man, Herschelle Gibbs, the international franchise player. The head coach is Andy Roberts and his assistant is Matthew Maynard.

Team Trinidad will be led

by Dwayne Bravo, while New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor is the international franchise player. Former West Indies opening batsman Gordon Greenidge is the head coach and he will be assisted by David Williams.

The Guyana franchise will play three of their seven preliminary games at the National Stadium, Providence, on July 31 against Trinidad and Tobago; August 2 against Jamaica; and August 4 against St Lucia.

They will then play hosts Trinidad and Tobago on August 9 and Barbados on August 11, before playing hosts Jamaica on August 14. Their final preliminary game is against hosts Antigua and Barbuda on August 17.

Marian Academy routes GTI P22

Guyana ruggers booted from NACRA 15s T rinidad and Tobago inflicted a 20-0 whipping on Guyana to advance to the final of the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Senior Men’s 15s championship.

Playing at the University of the West Indies ground in St Augustine, Trinidad, on Saturday afternoon, the Guyanese found the going tough as they lose out on a place in the NACRA championship game.

With the victory, the Trinidad and Tobago lads emerged as champions of the Southern Zone, and will now face North Zone champions, Southern USA, for

the NACRA title later this month.

The hosts’ victory was set up by tries from Jesse Richards (12th), skipper Adam Fredericks (48th) and Anthony Lopez (67th), and a penalty and conversion from Kelson Figaro.

Guyana had entered the match on the heels of a comefrom-behind 19-17 win over Barbados in the first round at the National Stadium, Providence, last month.

The Guyanese enjoyed a sensational second half, scoring all their points in that segment of the game, after being seemingly down and out at nil-17 down at the halftime break.

Watson gives West GTTA awards top players of Indies a lesson independence tourney

By Treiston Joseph

See story on page

21

All of the top finishers of the tournament pose with their trophies. Sharing the moment are GTTA president Godfrey Munroe (second from right sitting), Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony (centre sitting), Director of Sport Neil Kumar (second from left sitting) and other GTTA officials at the ceremony (photo: Treiston Joseph)

T

Shane Watson changed gears effortlessly during the innings

he Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) honoured its top achievers for the 2013 edition of the Independence table tennis tournament on Saturday in the presence of top officials of the Sport Ministry and the National Sport Commission at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.

With Shemar Britton going on a rampage by winning the 15 and under, 18, and un-

der 21, and under and Men’s singles title, while becoming the youngest player to win a Men’s title in Guyana at age 14, president of the GTTA, Godfrey Munroe, outlined the tournament’s success.

“I think for this tournament, the competitive level was tremendous; this tournament is significant because it is part of the independence anniversary and as youngsters you must understand that it means individuali-

ty and Guyana is now in its 47th year. “I think table tennis is a sport that can take you far and we all have to do our bit to move the sport and the country forward so kudos to the youngsters that did well,” Munroe said during his address to the player in attendance.

Further, Munroe also recognised the National Sport Commission (NSC) and the Sport Ministry for the effort they have been putting in to

move the sport forward.

“I think the support of the NSC and the Ministry of Sport have been great throughout and not just with this tournament alone, but whether it be providing tables to schools for the last two years, they have also sponsored workshops to help improve the sport and have also helped out national teams,” Munroe mentioned at the award ceremony.

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