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Climate change must be given top priority – president P9

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 2000 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Friday, January 3, 2014

DDL to intensify drive against alcohol abuse See story on page 3

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

No arrest yet for Brazilian couple's P2 murder Blame game continues over city P7 garbage

Woman busted with cocaine at Number 78 Village

P9

Bandits P10 terrorise New Amsterdam family

President Donald Ramotar and other guests make some moves on the floor at Palm Court, as they herald in the new year on Tuesday night

Accused killer held Prison ranks intercept ammo near Suriname backtrack route in Camp St jail See story on page 7

See story on page 8

Airy Hall P11 breach sealed – Region Two chairman

2 news

friDay, January 3, 2014 | guyanatimeSGY.com

Chief librarian to be laid to rest on Saturday – relatives describe her as "well organised"

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“

y sister was a well organised person and I will always remember her in that way. I guess that’s what made her a great librarian.”

Those were the words of Ivor Thompson, brother of the late Chief Librarian, Gillian Thompson who was killed in an accident on Christmas Eve day.

During an interview with Guyana Times, the brother tried to compose himself to share his story about his relationship with his sister.

Thompson further explained that Gillian was the ninth child of 11 siblings and

Gillian Thompson

she shared a different and unique relationship with each one of them. She was quite a family person and was involved in everyone’s life, he

said.

Thompson noted that whenever anyone of the siblings had a problem, they would turn to Gillian for advice, and in her extremely calm voice she would share “words of wisdom” with them.

He explained that Gillian would not only assist in family problems but she was very much involved in the lives of her nieces and nephews. “She would help them greatly with their school assignments. All of them looked up to her and now… it’s very hard, just so difficult to explain right now,” he said.

Her brother explained

that because of his sister’s organised life, they were able to distribute all the gifts she purchased for Christmas.

He added that there was a list of everyone’s name and what gift should be given to that individual. Hence, they were able to distribute accordingly.

Thompson added that his sister's death is a great loss to him and their family and they are all trying to hold the pieces together.

Guyana Times spoke with several staff members of the National Library where Thompson spent the last 17 years of her life working.

Librarian Nadine Moore, said that she “worked with Thompson for over 10 years and she very was understanding, quiet, and supportive.

At this time it is a great loss for us her at the library.”

Senior Library Assistant Shelly-Ann Fraser shared similar sentiments of the loss the National Library has suffered, noting that Gillian’s death has not only impacted the library but their personal lives as well.

Last week, 24-yearold Odida Underwood was charged with dangerous driving which resulted in the death of Thompson at North

Road and Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown. He was granted $500,000 bail.

He was also fined $20,000 for driving without a licence, $35,000 for driving a vehicle without insurance, and $30,000 for driving a vehicle without the consent of the owner, with alternative jail sentences for each.

The funeral of the late Thompson will be held on Saturday. There will be a brief viewing of the body at the Merriman’s Funeral Home from 12:30h to 13:00h.

The body will then be taken to the Trinity Methodist Church on Leopold and High streets for tributes at 13:30h followed by the funeral service at 14:30h. A candlelight vigil was planned for Thursday night at the scene of the accident

No arrest yet for Brazilian couple’s murder

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olice are still questioning persons as they continue their investigations into the death of a Brazilian couple whose bodies were discovered on the Arimu Trail, Region Seven on Saturday last.

To date no arrests have been made but investigators are working with several clues. Autopsies on the bodies of the couple were performed on Tuesday by Dr Nehaul Singh. He gave the cause of death for Joao Veloza Nascimento as blunt trauma to the head while that of his wife, Eoldene Fernandes Dos Santos was undetermined.

The couple were on Saturday found dead near an abandoned checkpoint on the Arimu trail, Region Seven.

Nascimento, 42, and his wife Dos Santos, 52, left their camp at the Sand Hill area, Cuyuni, Region Seven two Sundays ago on an all terrain vehicle (ATV) for Bartica.

They were reportedly going to the area to purchase mining supplies since they had intentions to work through the holidays.

However, they never arrived in Bartica, but they were seen at various intervals on their journey to Bartica by passersby. Their workers became worried after days elapsed and they did not return, and launched a search party. Their bodies were subsequently discovered in a decomposed state on Saturday just after midday with no sign of their ATV. Meanwhile, a post-mortem performed on the body of Brazilian National Antonio Silva by Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh gave the cause of death as gunshot injury to the back. The body of Antonio Silva was found along the Waimu Trail, Cuyuni, on December 28, 2013. Police are continuing their investigations into the murders.

News

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friDay, January 3, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Friday, January 3 from 05:00h-06:30h The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Friday, January 3 from 05:30h-07:00h

WEATHER TODAY Countrywide: Thunder showers are expected to prevail during the day with partly cloudy conditions during the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 23 degrees and 27 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East north-easterly between zero and 2.77 metres per second.

High Tide: 05:48h and 18:05h reaching maximum heights of 2.76 metres and 2.86 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 11:38h reaching a minimum height of 0.47 metre.

DDL to intensify drive against alcohol abuse

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s the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) embarks on a new year under the stewardship of a new chairman, Komal Samaroo, the company will be looking to intensify its fight against alcohol abuse.

Long standing chairman Yesu Persaud officially stepped down from his post and handed down the reins to his successor, on Thursday at the company’s head office in Kingston.

Samaroo said he was delighted to be serving the company in his new capacity, and will ensure that the company remains committed to its goals and social responsibilities, particularly curtailing alcohol abuse.

“Our policy is to encourage the responsible consumption of alcohol in the interest of DDL. It is not in the interest of DDL nor the industry we operate in, for people to abuse alcohol and damage their personal body and damage people,” he pointed out.

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The newly-appointed chairman said that the company has subscribed to international best practices and complies with the regulations of the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers’ Association. Through this association, he noted, DDL follows what takes place internationally.

In line with its corporate responsibility, a few years ago, the beverage company embarked on a programme to get retailers not to sell to underage persons, but there were difficulties in some parts of the country in getting businesses to join the programme.

“One of the things we want to do this year is to take that programme and

worked very closely together over the years. Everything I knows, he knows so I decided the time is now ripe for me to leave the scene,” he stated.

Persaud indicated that while he is stepping down as company chairman, he will still be acting as an adviser to the company, as he works on other projects.

Huge debt

Komal Samaroo has been given the reins as chairman of DDL

rehash it a bit and be a bit more aggressive in promoting it, because we believe we have a social responsibility and we will live by that commitment to be very responsible as we pursue our business goals,” he stated. The company plans also to collaborate with the Guyana Salvation Army substance abuse rehabilitation programme.

Samaroo added that there is only so much that can be done when managing a complex company such as DDL because of its nature.

He also pledged his support to any efforts to provide rehab services to alcohol abusers.

International markets

Samaroo has been the managing director of the company’s board for the past 30 years; however, for the last eight years he has been focusing on building and understanding the nature of its international market.

“At this point in time, we at DDL have a better understanding of the markets overseas and we’ve developed a methodology on how to access those markets, resulting in the last few years,

we’ve seen quite significant growth. In 2012, we grew by 23 per cent. I anticipate when the final numbers are in for 2013 we will go in excess of 30 per cent.”

Samaroo noted that the company is on a strong growth path and its future lies in building its brand internationally, which will be his focus over the coming years.

Before handing over the company, Persaud said that he hopes to see Guyana prosper since the country is in need of more investments and people to be more effective and efficient. These, he noted, will help companies to grow.

DDL, the immediate past chairman said, is on firm ground and in competent hands. Persaud disclosed that Samaroo has been with him from the start of his career, just two years after he joined to company. “Mr Samaroo has been with me from almost day one, we’ve

He reflected on his journey as the chairman of DDL, noting that when he assumed chairmanship the company was bankrupt.

“We had numbers of problems, but we were able over that period of time to surmount… we had a huge debt and we didn’t had market, we had to find markets but we were able to do it and today DDL is a highly diversified company,” he said.

The business tycoon noted that he had to work to ensure that the company earned a name on the international scene. He noted that the company’s 21-, 15-, 12-, 8-, 5- and 3-year-old spirits were the ones that made the company’s name internationally.

Persaud said DDL has come a long way from then and now specialises in distribution, shipping, cash and carry, and production of juices. DDL is also the franchise holder for Pepsi, 7up, Slice, Tropicana and Gatorade. It also produces its own brand of soda, Soca.

The company has since invested in a state-of-the-art distillery, which is the most modern one in Caribbean – a costly but wise investment.

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guyanatimesgy.com

friday, January 3, 2014

Views Editor: Nigel Williams 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

Poverty programmes

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he issue of poverty in the world must continue to occupy the minds of governments, international development partners and policy-makers, as despite progress achieved since the endorsement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by world leaders at the United Nations (UN) in 2000, human poverty still remains widespread.

The causes of poverty are numerous, including a lack of individual responsibility, ineffective national policies, exploitation by people and businesses with power and influence, or a combination of these and other factors.

There are also many different theories on how the developing world could catch up with the developed world and to sort of bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots. Through the efforts of the UN, there is some agreement on at least two approaches to development – people-centred development and sustainable development.

People-centred development stresses the importance of developing people in a community and letting them participate actively in development programmes. Plans for development have to be more than just trying to fix the economy in the hope that the wealth will trickle down to the poor, if and when the economy grows. It stresses that people themselves have to decide what action plan is best for them and the need for persons to actively participate in changing their own lives.

Sustainable development deals with using the world’s resources to improve people’s lives without compromising the ability of future generations. Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) fits neatly into this development model, which allows for us to earn funds to undertake massive development projects in exchange for keeping our forests intact to help the world in the climate change fight.

Whichever development model is used, there are too many people still living below the poverty line – US$1.25 a day – and every effort must be made to improve the quality of life of everyone, everywhere. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), globally, the number of extreme poor has dropped by 650 million in the last three decades, a level of progress humankind had never seen, but still there are more than a billion people living in extreme poverty.

In the midst of globalised progress and development, human deprivations are still widespread. In order to bring the figures further down there is need for concrete action to be taken to match the talk by governments and development partners, especially as it relates to financing critical poverty-related programmes.

Recently, a global coalition of developed and developing countries pledged to accelerate the fight to end extreme poverty by committing a record US$52 billion in financing over the next three years for the World Bank’s fund for the poorest, the International Development Association (IDA). The IDA is the World Bank’s main instrument for achieving the goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity in the world’s poorest countries. The funding will allow the IDA to deliver customised and innovative solutions to help the poorest countries address their most pressing development challenges.

The coalition agreed that increased funding was needed to tackle the toughest issues in fragile and conflict-affected states to help those countries tip the balance toward stability.

This IDA replenishment will see an increased focus on the most challenging frontier areas, greater private sector mobilisation, and stronger, more targeted investments in climate change and gender equality, as key to shaping the future. It argues that a strong commitment to more equitable growth underpins these efforts.

In line with the IDA17’s overarching theme of maximising development impact, this financing is expected to provide, for example, electricity for an estimated 15 to 20 million people, lifesaving vaccines for 200 million children, microfinance loans for more than one million women, and basic health services for 65 million people. Some 32 million people will benefit from access to clean water and another 5.6 million from better sanitation facilities.

IDA17, which runs from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2017, will span the target date for the MDGs and the launch of the post2015 agenda – a pivotal crossroad in the global effort to end extreme poverty.

The US$52 billion pledge made by the global coalition of countries will certainly go a far way in addressing extreme poverty in the world. 2014 must be the year of action where we hope to see critical programmes to end poverty implemented.

Relatives, former co-workers and friends held a candlelight vigil at the North Road and Shiv Chanderpaul Drive sight where Chief Librarian Gillian Thompson’s life was snuffed out on the eve of Christmas last year. Thompson will be laid to rest on Saturday (Carl Croker photo)

The GMSA/IDB energy efficiency project Dear Editor, The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), more especially, members of the steering committee of the GMSA/Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Energy Efficiency Project, have taken note of the article which appeared in a local newspaper on November 30, under the headline, “Manufacturing companies reject GEA’s audit offer”.

The news item emanated from the energy management workshop held at the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre on November 28.

While we appreciate the media coverage of that crucial workshop, the slant of the article suggested that there was a measure of antagonism and friction between the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) and the manufacturing sector, which is represented by the GMSA. This response to that article is intended to put into proper perspective the tone of the workshop, particularly the comments made by the participants who were drawn from both the public and private sectors. That

workshop was the third in a series of five that were conducted in Georgetown, Berbice and Essequibo.

They constituted part of the public communication and information dissemination component of the jointly funded Energy Efficiency and Energy Management Project.

This private sector project was structured to include the GEA that serves as the regulatory agency on national energy matters. The GEA has served as a key resource since the inception of the project in 2012, and an integral partner in all phases of its implementation. The GEA’s engineers played an important part in the technical consultancy support provided to the five pilot companies through two regional energy experts, and the agency’s Chief Executive Officer Dr Mahender Sharma serves as a member of the project steering committee.

The workshop mentioned above was designed to share the Consultant Dr Carl Duncan’s findings from his in-plant exercises

(measuring and monitoring equipment performance, a month other things), as well as his recommendations for better efficiency to ultimately reduce overall energy costs.

Representatives from the pilot companies and others in both the public and private sector including electrical and mechanical engineers, accountants and administrators, were invited to discuss their companies’ energy installations and strategies for monitoring and conservation.

It was the examination of the concept of energy audits and the use of certain online software programs that prompted a spin-off discussion on companies’ understandable reluctance to expose their sensitive information online which could become available to competitors and government agencies.

They were assured that the recommended software was designed with passwords and other types of security features. In this regard, they were reluctant to accept the GEA’s offer to come into their companies

to conduct energy audits.

GMSA Director and Project Administrator Clement Duncan, in his summation at the end of the one-day workshop, acknowledged the concerns of the participants and sought to assure them that the role of the GEA in this project was based on the agency’s national mandate and regulatory responsibilities.

He explained as well that the term “energy audit” is not synonymous with a financial audit, and that it entails merely measuring energy input and output against the ratings of equipment, and assesses overall efforts to manage equipment usage and efforts at energy conservation.

The GMSA acknowledges the GEA as a worthwhile partner in this energy efficiency project, which itself has national implications for large and small companies in the public and private sectors.

Respectfully, Clement Duncan Project Administrator Chairman, Project Steering Committee

Ramjattan showed disrespect to all Guyanese Dear Editor, I have noticed with alarm the crude language “haul you ass” used by Alliance For Change (AFC) leader Khemraj Ramjattan in his response to Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali’s request for an apology, not to himself, but to a young public servant.

I noticed also that Kaieteur News gleefully reported the incident,

which is not surprising, since the editor and the owner of this newspaper seem to have a personal vendetta against this minister.

This behaviour does not augur well for the country. What message are we sending to the young people of this country? What message are we sending to our international community?

Are we saying to our young people that it is okay to use foul language to settle issues? Are we saying to the international community that the politicians in Guyana are downright crude?

I believe that whatever issues and grudges Ramjattan has against the minister could have been dealt with differently, or if he wanted to abuse the

minister, it should have been done privately.

It is very disrespectful to the citizens of Guyana to draw them into this war.

I must remind Ramjattan that the citizens whom he invited to show disrespect to the minister include his friends and relatives who take offence at this.

Yours sincerely, B Ali

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, January 3, 2014

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

I have not called for ethnic Taxi driver’s life could have been saved voting in Guyana Dear Editor, Mike Persaud has noted that ethnic conflict in Guyana should not be “a discussion about ethnic voting in the U.S.” But it is he who inserts American ethnicity.

And now he threads into even more dangerous territory, invoking the name of the iconic Nelson Mandela and ethnicity in South Africa.

I was advised by Persaud’s friends not to respond to him because of his history of distorting arguments, misinterpreting critiques, and making fallacious conclusions. The reasons I responded to his letters were to correct so many inaccurate statements and to elucidate the paradigm of ethnicity.

It is very clear that no matter how much evidence I proffer to disprove Persaud’s ethnic tokenism model, he won’t be satisfied. I can’t quite understand why Persaud is unwilling to accept proven theories (of outstanding scholars) on ethnic behaviour, and why he rejects empirical data that disproves his claims.

Persaud claims I advocate ethnic voting simply because I critique ethnic tokenism. He will not be able to cite any of my countless writings in which I argue for ethnic voting. By arguing that people vote ethnically with supporting evidence, I am not defending or promoting ethnic voting. I am merely stating an immutable, verifiable fact that people vote ethnicity in virtually all multi-ethnic societies, an argument made by thousands of scholars.

I should note that Frederick Barth wrote Ethnic Boundaries and Cynthia Enloe wrote Ethnic Soldiers making reference to Guyana.

Taking Persaud’s mode of thinking to its logical conclusion, these scholars are advocating ethnic voting. What logic (deductive, inductive, transformative, or other) is employed to form that conclusion?

Persaud accuses me of calling for Indian triumphalism. I never advocated for one race rule in Guyana. When Afrocentrist writers appealed for their members to vote People’s National Congress (PNC), Persaud did not label them as triumphalists. Abu Bakr in a local newspaper in 2009 claimed that since Africans voted for the Alliance For Change (AFC), it should advocate African causes.

Afro-centrists from the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) made similar calls.

Tacuma Ogunseye called for violence if PNC did not win the 2011 election. They also appealed to Africans to vote PNC – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) – in 2011. I note Persaud did not label them triumphalists. Chris Ram, Khemraj Ramjattan and others lamented that Africans did not vote for the AFC in 2011. Does that not now make the AFC an

“Indian party”?

Persaud says America does not have ethnic domination. What? Then he writes: “Whites have dominated the society” – an inherent contradiction. Whites have dominated the society ever since they landed from Europe, including today under black President Barack Obama.

When Indians and blacks were beaten in Howard Beach, next door to where Persaud lives, is that not ethnic and a result of domination? When a Guyanese was run out of the area – is that not ethnic?

When Indians were beaten in Edison by the “dotbusters”, was that not ethnic domination?

I refer Persaud to Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman’s piece on race voting in America in the New York Times (August 10 and 11 and October 16). He can also read Eugene Robinson, the Emmy award black journalist’s several pieces in the Washington Post (2008, 2009 and 2012) as well as race voting articles in the Nation, the liberal periodical. No less than Bill Clinton, the strongest defender of Obama, described voting in America in 2008 as ethnic. The New York Times and Washington Post, among other papers, carried similar reports and commentaries throughout 2008 and 2012.

Persaud incorrectly credits me with “the thesis of racial voting” in Guyana. Other scholars developed that theoretical framework, among them Chandra Jayawardena, Raymond Smith and M G Smith, among others, during the 1950s and 1960s developed the theory. Percy Hintzen, Ralph Premdass and Paul Singh, along with others expanded on it. I, and more recent scholars simply illustrate it is still prevalent in Guyana and indeed in all multi-ethnic societies.

Persaud claims that only one article in New York Times referred to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a “Hindu-nationalist ideology” (December 8, 2013). In fact, the New York Times consistently refers to BJP as nationalist (August 25, November 28, December 9, December 5, 2012 and December 8, 2008).

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) documentary on the BJP also calls it nationalist.

Persaud wonders how I feel about world leaders paying homage to Mandela. I fought against apartheid in South Africa and Guyana and paid tribute to Mandela and Dr Jagan, among others, (when they were alive and after death), who devoted their lives in fighting ethnic domination. I admire everyone who fought injustice including Mohandas Gandhi, Lincoln and Dr Martin Luther King.

For the record, on South African governance, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) is a coalition of ethnic, labour, ideological and other

interests – motivated primarily by the anti-apartheid struggle and is today falling apart, according to an article in the Financial Times (European edition, December 21). The South African constitution allows for multi-ethnic governance. Guyana’s does not.

I have been advocating for multi-ethnic governance in Guyana, not ethnic tokenism being promoted by Persaud.

It is unacceptable for David Granger or Dr David Hinds to be appointed as leader of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), as it is equally wrong for Dr Rupert Roopnaraine or Donald Ramotar to be appointed as leader of the PNC. A leader (or candidate) must be a member of a party and be elected by its members as happens in America. They should not be appointed based on ethnicity as Persaud is advocating. I suggested South Africa as a possible model for Guyana, but it was rejected initially by the PNC and now the PPP/C has no interest in it.

There are several other incorrect claims made by Persaud – au contrarian.

Suffice it to say, he cannot substantiate any of his claims.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Dear Editor, I am in pain and shock, even tears again for the senseless murder of a hardworking and ambitious Guyanese, who worked night and day to pay the instalments of his car, and to maintain his family as the sole breadwinner.

This is not the first taxi driver to be killed for his car.

There are many more who have been seriously injured, some maimed physically and mentally for life. The criminals have no appreciation for those who work, those they will steal from. If they steal and rob the drivers, why injure them? Why kill them?

Imagine the pains and anguish of the families of the hardworking, handsome man!

His mother must be in bitter tears, as his father and siblings. Oh gosh!! Imagine, the pains of his wife, and his children, the sufferings they have to face through life.

His children seeking education will suffer the difficulties having lost the father who could make that possible.

The wife has to seek employment, and when women are divorced or their husbands die, people (men) usually disrespect them.

Further, taxi drivers, construction workers, conductors, usually do not pay into the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). But I hope he did. I encourage all people in the vari-

ous industries to also take on a life insurance policy, and to please get covered by NIS. Persons employed as groups, even as contractors can take group life/accidental insurance for unnatural deaths, and even include life insurance on it with the facility to move. They are very cheap actually, and should be looked upon as an investment. One has to invest for the sake of one’s children, as death is definite, and with the criminals out there, it can come anytime.

It always amazes me that people will purchase vehicles valued at the minimum $1.5 million to as much as $30 million at times. But they find it hard to install a satellite tracking system costing, maybe under $60,000, with a small monitoring fee monthly.

One could also have a panic button to alert the base and relatives by SMS messaging.

The map will show the location, it could be tracked on any smartphone or computer. If the installed method is chosen, the vehicle can be “killed” by the base or the relatives.

Even the personal tracker has a panic button (but cannot “kill” the engine). It can be transferred from person to person, or vehicle to vehicle instantly without installation.

I am asking you to please

publish this letter so we can educate taxi drivers, owners of private vehicles, and parents of children driving, among others. A simple device such as this can save lives and prevent a lifetime of heartache, guilt feelings and misery.

Places like hotels, taxi services and airports should make it mandatory for all drivers to have such a system if they wish to work with that hotel or airport or any organisation.

The vehicles can be tracked constantly for safety, and, the panic button used to send alerts if they feel they are being targeted or followed or actually help up. Car rental agencies, wholesale, manufacturing and retail businesses and manufacturers still do not see the merits of the tracking system. Dishonest drivers and employees can also be caught.

I extend deepest sympathies to the wife and children, the parents and relatives of the late Rudranauth Jeeboo, and to those of all taxi drivers who were killed in the past. I remember a very pretty lady on the East Coast Demerara who was murdered by some youngsters. I just wonder how people can take another human life so easily.

Sincerely, Roshan Khan

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friday, january 3, 2014

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Foundation

How to engage reluctant readers

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BY LINDSAY HUTTON

ccording to the U.S. Department of Education, a child’s interest in reading for fun diminishes after the age of three. Lack of interest, reading difficulties, and a fear of being made fun for what they read are all reasons why your child might be hesitant to pick up a book. Use these tips and ideas to help spark your child’s interest in reading, and find out how to choose the right books in order to get the pages turning.

Find material that excites him

It sounds obvious, but children (especially boys) are more likely to read when they find stories about things they find fascinating, like Harry Potter, or relatable, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Stories that transport readers to another time and place they could only visit in their imaginations are also great options: The Steampunk Riders find adventures in the Wild West and the crew of Galactic Hot Dogs makes mischief in outer space.

For more ideas, Guysread.com is an excellent resource to find books on subjects that have captured the interest of boys, including a featured “Book of the Month,” and a library containing multi-volume short stories and illustrations.

Explore different formats and genres

With today’s technology, there is a plethora of reading material available, both online and in book form, so think outside the box when considering what your child might enjoy. Joke books, seek-and-find books, mystery, science fiction, comics, graphic novels, and nonfiction about typical child-favourite topics (think: dinosaurs) are all great places to start. Make sure they are age-appropriate and the right reading level so your child doesn’t become frustrated or bored.

Set a good example

Parents lead by example. If your child never sees you reading, he’s not likely to pick up a book on his own either.

Make time in your day to read and talk to your child about something you’re reading that you enjoy. Even if you don’t have a lot of time to spare, these 15-minute reading activities are quick and fun ways to incorporate reading into your daily schedule.

Designate a “reading nook”

Set up a special place in a quiet area for your child as “her” reading space. Make it cosy with pillows and blankets, and stock it with books on subjects and activities that interest her. Having her own space to go and read will make it seem special and will likely encourage her to do more of it.

Pair reading with play

guyanatimesgy.com

Fun activities that require reading, such as making a new recipe, creating a scavenger hunt, putting on a play, or making your own holiday cards to send to family and

Top 10 ways

to improve reading skills

BY PEGGY GISLER

friends, help show your child that reading isn’t just about sitting down with a book. Engaging him in non-book activities will help him realise that it relates to a lot of things that he finds enjoyable, and isn’t just a chore.

Read books that have been made into movies

Seeing a book come to life on screen is a fun way to motivate your child to read. Start off by reading one of these children books that have been turned into movies together, and watch the screen adaptation when you’re finished.

Talk about the plots, characters, and story lines, and ask your child to describe the differences between the book and the movie. Talking about the characters, and how they measured up on screen versus how she imagined them in print, will get her excited to read more.

Read in public

Listening to a book is just as good as reading! Show your child that a lot of people, children and adults alike, enjoy books by going to your library’s story-hour or a book reading.

Community plays are another good activity — attending one can help your child realise that literature doesn’t just come in book form, but can be acted out as well. Additionally, if a child-favourite author is coming to town for a book signing, take her to meet the author and treat her to a newly signed copy.

Be tech-friendly

Nothing beats reading a real book, but you can also use technology to your advantage. Use the Internet to explore child-friendly eBooks on topics that Interest your child.

Amazon.com offers a list of current bestselling children’s books, and Author Marketing Club monitors Amazon and keeps a daily list of free eBooks currently being offered, broken up by genre. Archive.org also contains a large collection of children’s books available for online viewing or download.

You can find more great eBooks for children of all ages on Scholastic.com.

You can also download a few cool reading apps for children. Whether he wants to write and illustrate his own story, create an interactive experience with sounds and animation, or find recommendations from children his own age, there’s an app that can help.

Encourage book sharing

Host a book swap at your house and ask all of your child’s friends to bring a book to share. It’s a great way to expose children to new material and will get everyone talking about what they like to read, and why. Your child’s friends likely have a lot of the same interests as she does, so they’ll probably have books she’ll want to read, too. (Family Education)

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othing is more important to academic achievement than being a good reader. Parents know their children best and can provide the one-on-one time and attention that will lead them to success in reading. Here is a list of ways to help your children become more effective readers.

Set aside a regular time to read to your children every day

Studies show that regularly reading out loud to children will produce significant gains in reading comprehension, vocabulary, and the decoding of words. Whether your children are preschoolers or preteens, it will increase their desire to read independently.

Surround your children with reading material

Children with a large array of reading materials in their homes score higher on standardised tests. Tempt your children to read by having a large supply of appealing books and magazines at their reading level. Put the reading materials in cars, bathrooms, bedrooms, family rooms, and even by the TV.

Have a family reading time

Establish a daily 15 to 30 minute time when everyone in the family reads together silently. Seeing you read will inspire your children to read. Just 15 minutes of daily practice is sufficient to increase their reading fluency.

Encourage a wide variety of reading activities

Make reading an integral part of your children’s lives.

Have them read menus, roadside signs, game directions, weather reports, movie time listings, and other practical everyday information. Also, make sure they always have something to read in their spare time when they could be waiting for appointments or riding in a car.

Develop the library habit

Entice your children to read more by taking them to the library every few weeks to get new reading materials. The library also offers reading programmes for children of all ages that may appeal to your children and further increase their interest in reading.

Be knowledgeable about your children’s progress

Find out what reading skills they are expected to have at each grade level. The school’s curriculum will give you this information. Track their progress in acquiring basic reading skills on report cards and standardised tests.

Look for reading problems

Teachers do not always detect children’s reading problems until they’ve become serious. Find out if your children can sound out words, know sight words, use context to identify unknown words, and clearly understand what they read.

Get help promptly for reading problems

Reading problems do not magically disappear with time.

The earlier children receive help, the more likely they will become good readers. Make sure your children receive necessary help from teachers, tutors, or learning centres as soon as you discover a problem.

Use a variety of aids to help your children

To help your children improve their reading, use textbooks, computer programmes, books-on-tape, and other materials available in stores. Games are especially good choices because they let children have fun as they work on their skills.

Show enthusiasm for your children’s reading

Your reaction has a great influence on how hard they will try to become good readers. Be sure to give them genuine praise for their efforts. (Family Education)

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friday, January 3, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Blame game continues over city garbage T

he blame game as to who is most responsible for the tonnes of garbage on the streets of Georgetown continues – with vendors blaming the vagrants as well as seasonal sellers for the mess.

Georgetown has been the home of garbage for some time now, but the build-up had become more evident around the festive season, reaching, in some instances, unbelievable proportions.

When Guyana Times visited sites around Georgetown on Thursday, we were greeted with heaps of garbage at street corners, with the stench at alarming levels.

Contrary to earlier reports of vendors blaming the vagrants on the road for the worsening problem, one woman said the pile-up is due in part to the seasonal vendors who only come out during the Christmas rush.

Sherran (only name given), a vendor in the Stabroek Market area, said when the seasonal vendors are fin-

The garbage build-up outside Stabroek Market

ished, “they leave all their rubbish and they gone”. She said no one pays any attention to the year-round vendors and it was the City Constabulary who was responsible for making space available for those persons.

“It is not fair to the people who sell here all year,” Sherran said.

An overseas-based Guyanese back home for the holidays expressed her concern about the current state of the city, stating that it re-

flects badly on the Guyanese people since Georgetown was once known as the Garden City. The surroundings of Parliament Building were no different from the rest of the city. A route 43 minibus driver also said

that it was not the vagrants who are to be blamed for the current state of the city.

Juan Wartin, a minibus driver, told this publication that “this is an ongoing, everyday thing”. He said for Parliament Building to be like this shows that Guyana is in a very “bad place”. He noted that when the drivers of both minibuses and taxis have a meal or a beverage, they rampantly dispose of their empty containers and do not seek to find a bin.

Persons also said that Guyanese should work together on the issue, stating that if the country is going to develop, it needs to fix this problem. In early December, Georgetown and some parts of Guyana fell victim to flash flooding.

During a press conference, Agriculture Minister Leslie Ramsammy had said the water was taking so long to recede, because the drainage canals were blocked by garbage build-up.

Prison ranks intercept ammo in Camp St jail

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rison officials intercepted several rounds of ammunition that were smuggled into the Georgetown prison.

The Home Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that it has been informed by the

prison authorities of an attempt by persons bent on derailing law and order in Guyana to carry several rounds of ammunition into the Georgetown Prison.

This is not the first time such attempts have been made and uncovered,

thanks to the alert ranks of the Guyana Prison Service.

Further, the ministry is aware that for some time now it is rumoured that a firearm or components of a firearm have been smuggled into the Georgetown Prison.

“The Ministry of Home

Webster promises special unit to combat rape, domestic violence

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mid escalating reports of rape and domestic violence in our country, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry said it planned to establish a special unit for these types of criminal offences.

Minister Jennifer Webster told reporters at a recently-held press conference that they also plan to have specially trained investigators to deal with the victims. The unit will work in close collaboration with the Guyana Police Force and ac-

cording to Minister Webster, upon reporting an incident; the victim will be placed in a special room, with all the key participants, including a medical examiner.

Webster further stated that the idea was one was being considered some time now. “We feel it’s important that we have a special unit to deal with sexual and child abuse investigations and to have a special trained and dedicated cadre of investigators to address intensely the personal and emotionally charged situations,” said

Minister Webster.

Webster went on to say that the entire idea would be to create an encouraging atmosphere where victims can come forward and report incidents of sexual offences and abuse. The unit will also have a support system for victims of rape. Over the past years, there has been an alarming rise in the number of crimes of this nature. Hopefully this move by Minister Webster will see the alleviation of these occurrences and bring offenders to justice.

Affairs and the Guyana Prison Service wish to reassure the general public that no effort will be spared to uncover and to find any illegal firearm or components thereof at any prison loca-

tion. Nefarious plans and conspiracies hatched in or out of prisons to disrupt the peace and good order in our society will be exposed and disrupted,” the statement added.

Christmas Day murder accused remanded

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hirty-year-old Filton Hart of Region One was on Monday remanded to prison after he appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to a charge of murder.

The accused, who is a chainsaw operator was not required to plead to the indictable offence which alleged that on Wednesday, December 25, 2013 at Kwakwani, Berbice River, he murdered Marlon Sam. The particulars of the charge were not presented in court, however, in an earlier report police stated that 23-year-old Marlon Sam of Kwakwani Park, Berbice River was murdered about 23:00h on Christmas day.

Investigations had revealed that Sam was at a night spot when an argument ensued between him and the defendant. Sam was stabbed in the chest during the subsequent scuffle.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Kwakwani Hospital and the suspected was subsequently arrested.

The accused was remanded to prison and is to return to court on January 10.

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friday, January 3, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

Accused killer held near Suriname backtrack route

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oments shy of seeing the dawn of the new year, a mother of one was on Tuesday evening shot and killed by her lover on Water Street in the vicinity of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and police early Wednesday morning arrested the accused killer as he attempted to flee to neighbouring Suriname through the backtrack crossing at Corriverton.

Dead is 20-year-old Clarissa Matthews of Flying Fish Street, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

She was shot once to her head by the man with whom she shared a relationship for the past two years.

The accused, Jermaine Maynard of Cross Street, Georgetown was apprehended at the Corriverton crossing by police ranks from the Springlands Police Station at about 08:30h.

Police in a release stated that on Tuesday evening

Dead, Clarissa Matthews

at about 23:45h, Matthews was on Water Street talking with her relatives when the suspect approached her, took out a gun and shot the woman to her head. The couple reportedly had a misunderstanding earlier in the day.

She reportedly collapsed to the ground and died almost immediately. The sus-

pect reportedly fled the scene leaving the woman on the roadway. She was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

At the scene, persons were reluctant to speak but one woman recalled that Matthews was talking to her relatives on the night when she was shot and killed.

One relative said that the man turned up at Water Street in a very calm manner and lit a few squibs with some children who were around and then turned his attention to Matthews.

Attempts to speak with the relatives of the dead woman proved futile. When telephone contact was made with them, they told Guyana Times that they were not offering any comments.

Nevertheless, this publication understands that Maynard and Matthews were at constant logger-

Taxi driver on bail for conspiracy to commit a felony, fraud

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udolph Marshall, a taxi driver attached to Cyril’s Taxi Service who resides at 52 Fifth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown, was placed on $100,000 bail after he appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer three charges on Tuesday.

Marshall was charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, uttering a forged doc-

ument and intent to defraud.

The charges alleged that on December 2, 2013, Marshall gave a forged Republic Bank cheque to a cashier at Gafsons Enterprise and collected a quantity of plywood valued at $1,246,450; the amount to which the forged cheque was to be cashed for.

Marshall’s attorney Adrian Thompson told the court that on the day in question, the driver was asked to do a delivery and given the

envelope. He also said that his client was oblivious of the contents of the envelope but nonetheless made the delivery. He further argues that his client did not pick up the plywood, emphasising that the defendant was driving a car and over one million dollars worth of plywood could not be transported in his vehicle. The defendant is to return to court on the January 21.

Shopkeeper charged for receiving stolen goods

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48-year-old resident of Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara was on Thursday charged after he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Faith McGusty.

Nigel Gomes was not require to plead to the charge which alleged that he received Nikita branded tools valued $140,000, knowing the said to be stolen.

Attorney Paul Funga-Fat told the court that

the items belong to his client and he has receipts for them. He further urged the police to conduct a proper investigation into the matter.

The defendant was placed on $75,000 bail and is to return to court on April 1.

heads resulting in charges being instituted against both of them. Matthews was also recently charged for causing grievous bodily harm on Maynard.

The case was thrown out of court after Maynard refused to give evidence in the case. They both were placed on a bond to keep the peace.

After the court matter, she reportedly told him that their relationship had ended but he did not take it lightly.

As a result, he threatened to kill her.

These threats were never reported to the police.

Matthews was a formed student of North Ruimveldt Multilateral School and up to the time of her demise, she assisted her mother who is a clothes vendor.

She leaves to mourn her mother, son and several siblings. A post mortem examination on the body of Mathews is scheduled for today.

Cellphone thieves remanded to prison

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wenty-three-year old Chavez Alves appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday to answer a charge of robbery with aggravation.

Alves was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on December 27, 2013 in the vicinity of Kingston seawalls, Alves in the company of others robbed Hooseina McKenzie of two cellphones, collectively valued $26,000 in cash.

The court was told that the other two accused persons had already appeared before the court and were remanded. Magistrate Faith McGusty was further told that the cash was found on Alves and he was positively identified by the virtual complainant. The accused who is an employee of Guytrac was remanded to prison until January 7.

Also appearing in the same court was Jamal Younge who was charged with larceny. The 23-year-old mason plead guilty to the charge which alleged that he stole from the person of Nekisha Tutt one Samsung smartphone valued $60,000.

The accused told the court that on the day in question his son was ill and he did not have any money to purchase medicine. He said snatching the phone was his last resort and he only did it to acquire money for his son’s medication.

Younge’s defence attorney, Fung-A-Fat asked that his client be put on the SKYE (Skills and Knowledge for Youth Employment) programme since he meets some of the requisite requirements.

Bail was refused for the defendant and he is to return to court on January 21 to determine his admissibility into the SKYE programme.

Eyew tness New leaf...

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...for politicians? n its New Year message, the Alliance For Change (AFC) promised to “continue fighting corruption and for good governance”. Knowing that actions speak louder than words, we expect the AFC to put their money where their mouths are. And we use the plural (“mouths”) advisedly. Since they say so many contradictory things, it’s either they have many mouths or they’re possessed of the proverbial legions of demons.

Take the matter of the chairman, Nigel Hughes and his wife Cathy Hughes – AFC executives both – and their dealings with Sithe Global. Now that Sithe had definitely walked away from the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project (AFHEP), they’ve allowed the licence to lapse – are these worthies going to fess up about how much money they took from the same corporation their party was supposedly fighting tooth and nail to fend off from the project?

As lawyers, they can parse their words as finely as they want, but the whole secretive deal smacked of people in the AFC playing both sides against the middle. And ordinary folks know from bitter experience, whatever the outcome, the stench of corruption is in the air.

On another issue of corruption, does the AFC’s promise mean their great leader Khemraj Ramjattan will now come clean on accounting for the monies he collected in New York? This was the biggest grouse of the fellas who walked out from the New York group, including the “Donkey Cart” economist. They’d also complained about the governance issue of Guyana’s big wigs not consulting with lesser members.

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), on the other hand, sounded positively socialist as they swore fealty to the hopes and aspirations of the “working class”. They better be careful. Their funders from the U.S. right-wing Republican Party-staffed International Republican Institute (IRI) don’t like such rhetoric. All of their money might go to the AFC, who’ve been much more circumspect. They want another poll conducted for them as was done by Dick Morris in 2006 – the socalled “Big Dick Poll”.

But then again, APNU might have tailored its message in reaction to the one by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), which called for a left wing “National Patriotic Front government”.

This was first put out in 1977, when the PPP insisted to the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) that the socialist People’s National Congress (PNC) must be included in the National Patriotic Front. Ever since the PPP lost its majority in the National Assembly, the APNU abandoned its PNC’s spiel about a “National Unity Government”.

Are we witnessing the early struts of the peacock and the peahen in courtship? As we said yesterday, the question is always, “Who’s going to be on top?”

...in cussing?

An interesting question was raised when Ramjattan insisted there’s no need to apologise to the minister of tourism’s secretary for cussing the lady. In his estimation, “haul ‘e ass” is a totally innocuous expression which can be used in official communications, such as he was engaged in. The premise of his incredible assertion lies in his self contempt: he’s sunken so low as a politician, he just can’t believe others in the profession deserve any respect.

After more than 20 years in Parliament, it still hasn’t dawned on Ramjattan as to why its rules demand politicians address each other as “the honourable member” and other phrases intended to convey civility.

You can take the man out of the gutter but you can’t take the gutter out of the man. And with Ramjattan, it just shows as Barack Obama suggested, even if you put lipstick on a pig...it still remains a pig.

Ramjattan’s also a lawyer and we wonder if this year he’s going to tell the chief justice’s secretary to tell her boss to “Haul ‘e ass”. ...for Muckraker’s “bossman” Mook Lall slithers inexorably towards his entry in politics. From the examples posed by his associates, “Haul yuh ass” Ramjattan and “Shut yuh so-and-so mouth” Nagamootoo, he’s even better qualified in scatological expression.

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friday, January 3, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

Woman busted with cocaine at Climate change must be Number 78 Village given top priority – president

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n light of recent adverse weather conditions in Guyana and the wider Caribbean, President Donald Ramotar plans to tackle the issue of climate change with other Caricom heads to facilitate more aggressive action being taken this year on the regional front.

In his New Year’s message to the nation, the head of state said the flooding the countries in the Eastern Caribbean experienced in recent weeks has resulted in millions of dollars in damage to property and loss of life.

“The scientific evidence is showing that for our region, which is one of the most vulnerable, these weather events will become more frequent as the impacts of global climate change intensify,” President Ramotar informed.

Since the deadly storm hit on December 23, the Guyana government has approved financial support of US$100,000 each for St

President Donald Ramotar

Lucia and St Vincent and US$75,000 to Dominica, the three countries most severely hit.

Additionally, the government, in conjunction with the Public Service Commission (PSC), will be spearheading a drive whereby Guyanese and organisations can contribute to the disaster relief fund for the affected countries.

President Ramotar main-

tained that this is an issue that must be given top priority at all costs. Recognising Guyana’s own vulnerabilities in this regard, with its coastal plain approximately six feet below sea level, he said that efforts will intensify this year to improve and expand infrastructure.

Particular focus will be placed on the boosting of sea and river defence and drainage and irrigation systems; enhancing forecasting capabilities and response mechanisms, and building more climate resilient social and productive sectors.

The government will seek to achieve these goals within the framework of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). The LCDS, the brainchild of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, sets out a vision to forge a new low-carbon economy in Guyana over the coming decade. It has received critical acclaim globally, and is now in its implementation stage.

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Berbice woman was arrested on Thursday following the discovery of a quantity of cocaine under her bed during a search conducted by Cadet Officer Jermaine Dufu and a party of policemen on her home at Number 78 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

Sarida Bacchus, 39, of Lot 140 Church Street, Number 78 Village, had five grams of the illegal substance in her possession.

According to information received, the police ranks, acting on a tip-off, went to the home of Bacchus where they conducted a search of her premises. During the search, the suspect was seen throwing a plastic bag under her bed.

Upon inspection, the plastic bag contained a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine.

The defendant was told of the suspicion, cautioned, arrested and taken to the Springlands

Police Station where the substance was weighed and tested, proving to be five grams of cocaine. Bacchus is expected to be charged with possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking when she makes a court appearance today at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court.

Additional information reaching this publication revealed that Bacchus is a known character to the police.

Reputed husband remanded for assault on pregnant spouse

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hirty-two-year-old Renshan Monroe was refused bail on Thursday after appearing in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Faith McGusty, charged with assaulting his pregnant reputed wife.

Monroe pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on Tuesday, December 31, he unlawfully assaulted Latoya Hinds.

The virtual complainant (VC) stood impatiently before the court with her hands on her abdomen and lower back, as she

told Magistrate McGusty, she does not wish to proceed with the matter, since the defendant, the father of her unborn child, is her sole source of income.

Prosecutor Seon Blackman opposed bail, stating that Monroe was before the courts on several occasions for similar matters against the VC. He said the incident could have been more serious and warned of it been repeated in the future, since it is an ongoing issue. The prosecutor cited the nature of the offence and the penalty attached and noted that the situ-

ation is critical.

The accused told the court that as a result of the previous matters, he was advised to seek counselling which he did.

He added that he did not physically harm Hinds, but rather they had an argument. Hinds then reportedly went to the police station, hence the current charge.

Monroe was remanded and will make another appearance on January 6 before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry.

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friday, January 3, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

Bandits terrorise New Amsterdam family nose. “I started to panic for breath and one of dem say ‘move da ting from da man nose," he told Guyana Times.

Rajaram’s two sons, aged 15 and 13 years old, were also bound, with duct tape at their hands, feet and over their mouths.

His wife, Womattie Rampersaud was pulled by her hair, hit in the head, taken into a bedroom and asked to hand over the money and jewellery. “I gave them the money that I had in a bag and then I get one broad side, he tell me that that is not all an he want all the money and gold or he gon shoot me,” he said.

Rajengra Rajaram, a Pitt Street businessman, who, along with his family, was terrorised by bandits

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New Amsterdam businessman and his family were on Monday night robbed by bandits who broke into their home at Excess Street, and carted off an undisclosed amount of cash and jewellery along with other articles after terrorising the family.

Rajengra Rajaram, a Pitt Street businessman, said he had just returned home when the incident occurred.

According to him, he, his wife and their two children were watching television when the door, which was closed but not locked, was

kicked open. “They kick it hard because they thought that it was locked. When I hear this big ‘blam!’ I turn around and these three men rush in.”

He said each of the men were masked and armed: one with a revolver, another with a cutlass, and one with a revolver and a piece of iron. “They tell me to lie on the ground and not to look at them,” he said.

Rajaram said one of the men used duct tape and bound his hands, mouth and feet. According to him, the tape was also covering his

Scared

Fearful for her life, the housewife explained that she took that particular bandit to another room where her hand bag was and gave him the few dollars that she had in it.

Meanwhile, as one of the other two kept guard over Rajaram and the children and made periodic checks outside the front door, the third intruder searched the house. “He find all the jewellery, some of them boys things that I forget that we had.” Rampersaud said.

“Before they go away, they ask for the car keys and downstairs and search the

car for money.”

She told this publication that the men did not use a bag but put all of their takings into their pockets.

Rajaram said the jewellery he was wearing on his hand and the money in his pockets were also taken by the one that stood guard over him.

“He kept telling me not to look at him an throwing the cushion to cover my face,” she said.

The ordeal lasted about 30 minutes and Rampersaud was later bound with the duct tape which the robbers had brought with them.

They also took a laptop computer and three cellular phones.

Rampersaud said the bandits picked up a padlock which they found in the house and locked the door from the outside before making good their escape. An alarm was raised moments after.

Rajaram and his wife were taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where they were treated and sent away. The businessman is of the view that his operations were being closely monitored, since he had added several new items to his business for the holiday period which were all sold out.

“There men like they knew how much money they were coming for, because they kept saying that that is not all,” she added.

Police are investigating the incident.

Joker of de year

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henever one year come to a end, it does be a good ting fuh plenty people. De beginnin of de new year does also be a good time fuh plenty people. Dem does mek plenty resolutions and try to fuhget de wrong tings whah dem do in the old year. Some people does just play like dem fuhget whah dem do.

Some of dem does even go to church and promise God and de pastor. Others does promise dem wife or husband all de tings whah dem want to hear. No more cheatin and no more misbehavin fuh de new year is a big one. Boy friend does promise gyal friend too, or vice versa.

People does even plan to stop smokin, or stop drinking, or stop thiefin and so on. Then dem does start to party and fuhget every ting whah dem plan to do. And de new year does gone de same way all over again from de very first day.

Of course dem boys who does wear boy clothes to fool people does mek promises to dem boy friends. One of de promise is a lotta new tings to try wid new people in de new year. Another word fuh that is freshie.

Dem boys already recruit people from plenty media house and from in and out de House. Dem got people who call dem self financial analysts and people who call dem self lawyers. Some call dem selves both. One is a mayor-fuhlife. Although he is not a freshie any more, dem boys don’t discriminate wid age.

De main requirement is that yuh must know how to talk like a boy and look like a boy, although yuh is not a boy. De stumpy man wid de squeaky voice pun Voice of de People don pass de test and ready fuh samplin.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie!

People like de Mook does wait till de whole year done to talk piece of dem mind. Who woulda tink that de Mook wanna become a prezzie? That gotta be de joke(r) of de year!

Georgetown Medical Centre laboratory recertified

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he Guyana National Bureau of Standards has recertified the Georgetown Medical Centre Laboratory after quality audits revealed that the facility continues to satisfy the requirements of the GYS 170:2009 Standard – General requirements for the operation of a laboratory.

The renewal certificate, which is valid for two years, was presented to the Laboratory Director, Dr Kawal Dalip on Monday, the GNBS said in a release.

The GYS 170 Standard specifies requirements for the operation of testing and calibration laboratories

Laboratory Director, Dr Kawal Dalip receives the certificate from GNBS Director Evadne Enniss

and is applicable to all laboratories regardless of the number of personnel or the extent of the scope of testing activities. Through cer-

tification to this standard, laboratories demonstrate that they can provide accurate and reliable test results to their clients.

NIS reports new minimum pension and insurable earning ceiling

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he National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has increased its minimum pension in wake of the 2013 wages and salary increases in the public service.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Luncheon

noted that according to the 2013 NIS Status Report, $19,717 is now the smallest pension that could be paid to any eligible pensioner.

He noted that according to the report, among other increases in benefits and benefits related indices, is

that the insurable earning ceiling has been increased to $158,159.

The insurable earning ceiling is the limit under which the contribution rate is applied for the compilation of a person’s NIS contribution.

11 News

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, January 3, 2014

Floods damage crops, livestock at Liverpool

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cores of farmers at Liverpool Village on the Corentyne are now suffering losses as a result of flooding.

According to the farmers and residents of the village, sections of the community have been inundated since Christmas Day. One cash crop and livestock farmer, Carlos Smart who has been living in the community for the past 20 years, said he has already lost some of his stock and estimates his losses at $20,000 to date.

“Is a large amount of water. Every time the rain falls, you get excess water coming and flooding out this place. Me stock dem dying

rain which has been falling periodically over the past two weeks, but water from Black Bush Polder. He explained that the community is a basin and water from Whim in the west and Alness in the east will also be drained through the village sluice. “I normally don’t buy greens but now with this loss I will have to start buying greens. The garden is under water for more than a week,” he said.

Meanwhile, the sluice at Liverpool can only be opened when the tide is low in order to drain the community.

However, a pump which was been installed to assist with quick drainage of the com-

A resident, Patrica Bledman tries to make it out of her flooded yard

out, likewise me garden all dem plants dying,” Smart said. He added that he depends on his garden to make a living.

Another resident, Patricia Bledman says to get to and from work she has to wade through several inches of water to get out of her yard. “I really can’t take the water but there is nothing I could do about it. And you see people duck an all kind things on you step, pig all under your bottom house.”

O’Neal Leitch says the water is not only from the

munity is not in working order. According to the sluice attendant at the Liverpool sluice, the pump has not worked during 2013. He said during the year, work was done to fix it and now parts are being removed from it.

“Look here, they come last week and take away this thing deh and carry it the Bolom.” The Region Six administration also manages another sluice at Bolom on the Corentyne.

Residents say that the problem is now compounded with the sluice at Alness be-

Airy Hall breach sealed – Region Two chairman

Contractors were able to seal the breaches at Airy Hall, Essequibo Coast which caused massive flooding in the area and untold damage to livestock, farms and homes

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egion Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud has reported that the 15-foot breach in the Airy Hall Conservancy has been sealed.

Persaud said engineers, along with regional officials have managed to seal the breach which caused flooding of over 300 acres of rice land.

The chairman for Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) said he visited the area on Wednesday and water had receded from residents' yards, however, rice fields

were still water-logged.

Water had also managed to recede from within residential properties, kitchen gardens and even poultry pens. Rice farmers are, however, worried over the amount of water currently lodged in their rice fields.

The chairman added that a contractor was hired to execute permanent works on the revetment in the area.

He said that workmen are still on-site trying to drain water from the affected rice lands.

ing out of operation.

They say mud has been deposited against the door by the strong tide and this makes it impossible to open the door. According to the sluice attendant at Alness, the sluice last worked on Christmas Day. “It open in the morning an after it close the tide come up an silt up the door so it can’t open.”

Region Six Vice Chairman Bhupaul Jhagroo told Guyana Times that efforts are being made to rectify the problem. He said on Monday a contract was

The out-of-order pump at the Liverpool sluice

signed to have both the outfall channel at Whim and the one at Liverpool cleared.

However, he noted that work could not have commenced because of the current spring tide. “Maybe by Wednesday or the next day the contractor should start working.”

Jhagroo said that the pump at the Liverpool sluice is currently under repair, with mechanics working on it. He added “They told me that they had to remove parts to have them replaced.”

12

friday, january 3, 2014 | guyan

Central Housing & Planning Authority

THE HOUSING SECTOR

H

ousing will continue to be the focus of the Government of Guyana as gains are consolidated and new vistas are opened up. Building on the successes that have been achieved during the last twenty-years, and determined to ensure that the sector policy continues to be all-encompassing, Government, through the Ministry of Housing and Water, Central Housing and Planning Authority, will continue to ensure that Guyanese have access to serviced land, housing and finance, to make their dream of homeownership a reality, since access to and provision of housing, is vital for stable families, and by extension productive, contributing members of society.

Key Accomplishments 2013

* The allocation of 6,599 house lots to Guyanese; * The construction of turnkey houses; * The Government amended the Income Tax Act and its regulations to include Mortgage Interest Relief for first time home owners to further benefit on interest paid on loans up to $30M, that is, there are eligible to pay less income tax as a result; * The improvement in the quality of life of Guyanese as a result of Government’s emphasis in the housing sector; * The creation of thousands of jobs in the construction sector; * The processing of 4,938 Titles and Transports; * The stimulation of the private sector to invest in building and construction materials and accessories; * Increased investment by private developers in the housing sector; * The increase in the mortgage portfolio for low/moderate income mortgages, and an increase in the number of commercial banks that now offer mortgages at very competitive interest rates; * The active participation of the private, commercial and banking sectors in the 2013 International Building Exposition which was convened by the Ministry of Housing and Water, Central Housing and Planning Authority; * The launch of the 1000 Home Project at Perseverance EBD; * The completion of 122 core houses bringing the total constructed under the LIS Programme to 223; * The disbursement of 140 subsidies for home improvement, under the LIS Programme, bringing the total to 262; * The construction of 216 septic tanks completed under the sanitation component of the LIS Programme; * The disbursement of 122 subsidies under the LIS Programme, for the construction of houses and the replacement of roofs under the Hinterland Pilot, with four of the eight areas fully completed.

General Information

1. House Lot Application Process Criteria for allocation of a house lot are: * Applicant must not be a property owner * Applicant must attain the age of 21 years and is a resident of Guyana for at least 6 months * An applicant can either be single, married or in a common law relationship.

Application for a house lot Application forms can be purchased from CHPA (Brickdam, Region 4) or Regional Housing Offices (Regions 2, 3, 5, 6 and 10), for a nominal fee of G$200.

Attached to the form is a checklist of documents that are required for the interview process.

As currently is the case, the CHPA has merged the application and the interview processes, that enables applicants to apply and be interviewed on the same day, provided the documents on the checklist are submitted.

These documents are: * The acknowledgement letter * The notice of the interview * Children’s birth certificates * Job letter * Rent receipts * Marriage certificate; deed polls are also required, if applicable.

Improvement in Living Conditions and Quality of Life (1) The Core House – One Beneficiary’s Story

Housing Conditions before the Core House

The Completed Core House

“We used to be afraid of snakes coming in de house because we did living flat on the ground, and de house had creases and so.”

The Improved Core House after the Beneficiary obtained a Loan for Expansion. The core house, together with the serviced land, is valued at over $2M. The beneficiary, who is a single mother, was able to approach a bank and obtained a loan for $1.6M which, she used to expand her home.

The building now measures 743 sq ft. The family now has sanitation, and access to electricity and potable water.

“The Core House is a good programme. It helped me a lot. I know what it is because when I was doing the extension the price for materials was really expensive. The rafters for the extension alone was over G$118,000 . So for me to only pay G$100,000 and get a core house was a real gift. I know I could not have get a house like this today if I did not get the core house... Even though I extend the house, I keep the wood walls for the Core house because I want to remember, how far I have come, and where I was.”

This process takes a period of three months to one year depending on the availability of house lots in the schemes requested.

Prices for house lots

Low income: $92,000 – Middle income: $300,000 - $2.5 M

2. Online Applications – Local Eligibility criteria * Applicant must be Guyanese. * Applicant must be 21 years and over. * Applicant must not be the owner of any property in Guyana. * Applicant must be ready to commence building six months after allocation Application Process Create an Account on CH&PA’s website – Visit www.chpa.gov.gy, and click the ‘Create an account’ link, on the top left hand corner of the page. You will then be required to complete these three steps: 1. ‘Fill out the form’ – including your name, desired username and password for the website, a valid email address, and some other personal information.

Allocation of a house lot Applicants who have satisfied the requirements will be issued with an Offer Let- 2. ‘Confirm your email’ – after submitting the form with your details, an automatic email will be sent to your email address to confirm that this email account beter, and will subsequently be invited to select a lot number by way of a lottery (a longs to you. Log into your email account and click on a confirmation link within transparent system); thereafter, the allottee is issued with an Allocation Letter , the mail sent to you to activate your account. which provides the details of the allocation.

Allottees are required to make the initial payment for the land, that is one-half (½) of the total cost, along with the fee for processing of Title or Transport and verification of the boundaries of their lot. The balance on the cost of the lot must be paid within 6 months of the date of the allocation. Failure to make the down payment or to complete payment within the prescribed time will result in the lot being repossessed and/or a review of the allocation.

Upon completion of payment for the house lot, allottees will be in a position to uplift their Title/Transport.

3. ‘Login now’ – when you click the confirmation link, your account will be activated and you will be automatically redirected to our website. Use the username and password that you provided in step one to log in.

Apply Online – After logging in to our site, you will be able to fill out and submit your application electronically, simply by clicking on ‘Apply Online - Local’ link, located under the ‘Applications’ drop down menu.

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13

y 3, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

TOR: MAINTAINING THE MOMENTUM – GUARANTEEING THE FUTURE

been ousing am of

Improvement in Living Conditions and Quality of Life

y of Life

(2) The Hinterland Pilot – One Beneficiary’s Story

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8 One Stop Shops 2013 – 6,599 house lots allocated

4. One Stop Shop Exercises Before

The One Stop Shop method is used to provide the services offered by the Ministry, together with the partnerships of the financial and construction sectors at one location, and has proven to be a successful approach in the delivery of the housing programme.

At the One Stop Shop exercises allocations are finalised, house lots selected, payments received, Allocation Letters and Agreements of Sale issued, and processing fees for Titles and Transports are received; Titles and Transports that have been processed are distributed, once full payment was received for the house lot. Applicants interested in acquiring house lots are also interviewed.

Transports/Titles are used as collateral to access loans from the banks. Once the allottees have signed the legal documents, they can approach the bank for a loan using a Letter of Assurance; this is in lieu of a Title or Transport. These exercises have facilitated the acceleration of the process of home ownership and access to loans.

After The beneficiary, who is also a single mother, has twelve children and lived with an extended family of eighteen persons.

Before being assessed as being eligible for participation in the Hinterland Pilot, she and her family harvested the troolie palm which was used to cover the roof of her dwelling. Her source of income was from making cassava bread. She was unable to afford building her own house; she is now comfortably housed in her new house.

Information is also disseminated covering aspects of housing and construction. There is also participation from the banks, construction companies, hardware stores, and Private Developers.

Present at these One Stop Shop exercises are representatives from commercial banks, hardware suppliers, furniture manufacturing companies and private developers in the housing and construction sectors. The banks and other partners provide information to allottees on how to obtain a loan for the construction of homes, the latest available materials/supplies used in housing construction and types of housing solutions available.

Turnkey Houses

3. Remigrant House Lot Application Process Eligibility criteria Applicant must be Guyanese.

Applicant must be 21 years and over.

Applicant must not be the owner of any property in Guyana.

Applicant must be ready to commence building six months after allocation

Young Professionals Eccles East Bank Demerara

Application Process Create an Account on CH&PA’s website - Visit www.chpa. gov.gy, and click the ‘Create an account’ link, on the top left hand corner of the page. You will then be required to complete these three steps: 1. ‘Fill out the form’ - including your name, desired username and password for the website, a valid email address, and some other personal information.

2. ‘Confirm your email’ – after submitting the form with your details, an automatic email will be sent to your email address to confirm that this email account belongs to you.

Log into your email account and click on a confirmation link within the mail sent to you to activate your account.

3. ‘Login now’ – when you click the confirmation link, your account will be activated and you will be automatically redirected to our website. Use the username and password that you provided in step one to log in.

Apply Online – After logging in to our site, you will be able to fill out and submit your application electronically, simply by clicking on ‘Apply Online - Remigrant’ link, located under the ‘Applications’ drop down menu.

You will then receive an acknowledgement letter via email, confirming your application was received after you have entered all information correctly.

Lot sizes range from 6000 to 8000 square feet and are priced at $4M – $7M (GY dollars). You will be advised via email when you become eligible for a lot.

For more information email info@chpa.gov.gy or call (592) 226-1332

PLANS FOR THE SECTOR 2014

For 2014, the Central Housing and Planning Authority will focus on the following: * Allocation of 6,000 house lots; * Construction of 20 km of new roads; * Upgrade of 10km of existing roads; * Installation of 20km of pipelines; * The construction of 500 turnkey houses; * The regularization of 1000 informal settlers; * The processing of 4000 Titles and Transports; * The commencement of feasibility studies for Silica City; * Complete construction 160 core houses; * Complete the disbursement of 123 home improvement subsidies; * Complete the construction of 71 septic tanks; * The preparation of five community development lans; * The processing of 900 planning applications; * Completion of the National Housing Policy that will address the needs of Special Groups including the elderly, the disabled, victims of natural disasters, the poor and disadvantaged and Housing for Hinterland Communities; * Building a Housing Strategy that frontally addresses issues of sustainability, vulnerability, climate change and the socio-economic realities of tomorrow’s Guyana; * Intensifying Community Development with emphasis on involvement and participation of communities; * Strengthening the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework within CH&PA for increased efficiency and effectiveness of the housing delivery programme. * Design a Strategy for Implementing the Proposed Hinterland Housing Revolving Fund Programme to improve housing conditions for Hinterland households.

14 News

friday, january 3, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

New Year’s Day moms in Essequibo presented with hampers

ANSA McAL's Sursattie Singh presents a hamper to Rushel David at Suddie Public Hospital in the presence of Nurse Kenesha Calistro

T

Gangawattie Sookraj receives her hamper

Continued on page 15

wo lucky mothers were presented with Cheekies hampers, compliments of ANSA McAL on New Year's Day. The mothers delivered healthy, bouncing babies at the Suddie Public Hospital.

Representing ANSA McAL was Sursattie Singh who presented the mothers with the hampers. Singh said it is customary for the company to present mothers who delivered new borns on New Year’s Day, with hampers.

She said that ANSA McAL is a supplier of many baby products, and as such, the hampers were gifted with the intention that mothers continue to choose the “Cheekies” brand for their babies.

Cheekies hampers were presented to Gangawattie Sookraj of Berbice and Rushel David from Queenstown Village. According to Sookraj, giving birth to a child on New Year’s morning was a blessing.

The 21-year-old mother said that she delivered a beautiful baby girl and noted that she had no complications. She had a normal pregnancy.

The mother said her husband is excited to see their daughter and they are happy to have a baby on such a great day.

She said “new baby, means new beginnings” especially at the start of a new year. Sookraj is a mother of two. Her baby weighed 4 kg.

The proud mother said she resides in Berbice, however, she came to the Essequibo coast to deliver her baby and

be closer to her mother.

David from Queenstown Village said she delivered a handsome baby boy without any complications. The baby is her third child and weighed 2kgs.

Midwives Keneca Calistro and Mishana Calender were the nurses on duty. The mothers thanked ANSA McAL for the hampers and promised to continue to use the “Cheekies” brand. Sookraj was also presented with a hamper from Republic Bank Limited.

Meanwhile, at the Georgetown Public Hospital, P Pooran gave birth to the first baby, a girl — her second child. Suean Gudding, gave birth to the second baby, a boy.

Bibi Mohamid gave birth to the third baby, a girl, while Sherry Davis gave birth to the fourth baby which was also a boy. Eelane Chung gave birth to the fifth baby for the day, a girl and Gomattie Krishna gave birth to the sixth – a baby boy.

ANSA McAL Trading expressed gratitude to the management and staff of all of the hospitals throughout Guyana who helped to make the “Cheekies Bundle of Joy” presentation on New Year’s Day 2014 a great success.

Joel Lee, Cheekies brand representative at ANSA McAL Trading said that it was his and the company’s pleasure to support mothers as they ushered in the new year with a baby boy or girl.

Large hampers containing 196 diapers and 12 packs of baby wipes were presented to the mothers.

15

news

Friday, january 3, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

PPP/C salutes Castros’ 1959 Police to monitor nightclubs, use CCTV cameras to nab drunk drivers overthrow of Batista

R

Fidel Castro with members of his “26th of July Movement” entering La Havana after their victory over the forces of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959 (AFP photo)

T

he People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/Civic) has saluted the government and people of Cuba on the occasion of the historic victory of the 26th of July Movement led by Fidel Castro and his brother Raul which overthrew the Fulgencio Batista regime on January 1, 1959.

In a statement, the party said the overthrow of the Batista regime marked a new chapter in the life of the Cuban people, who were relegated to second-class citizens by the Batista regime, which oppressed the Cuban people by forging lucrative links with organised crime and allowed American companies to dominate the Cuban economy which at that time was plagued by high unemployment rates and poor social infrastructure.

Regime

According to the PPP/C, Batista suppressed any opposition to his dictatorial rule by developing a powerful security infrastructure to silence political opponents. “It was against such a background that Fidel Castro, then a young lawyer, petitioned for the overthrow of the Batista regime whom he accused of corruption and tyranny.

Having failed in his attempt to remove the regime by constitutional means, Fidel and his brother Raul, along with several others, resorted to armed struggle to overthrow the dictatorship.

Several attempts to topple the regime were made, which included the now popular Moncada Attack which resulted in the arrest of Fidel and Raul, both of whom were imprisoned but released under strong political and popular pressure.

In June 1955, Fidel met with the Argentine revolutionary “Che” Guevara who joined the cause. The revolutionaries named themselves the “26th of July Movement” in reference to the date on the Moncada attack.

The victory of the Cuban

Revolution reshaped relations not only with the United States, but with several other developing states, in particular, those that were under colonial domination and dictatorial rule. Immediately on the attainment of political power, the new Cuban government, under the leadership of Fidel Castro, introduced wideranging reforms to address the economic and social problems of the Cuban masses.

Laws were enacted to provide equality for all Cubans and greater rights for women and much emphasis was placed on improving the quality of education and healthcare delivery to Cubans.

Policies

One of the first policies of the Castro government was the elimination of illiteracy and implementing land reforms which significantly enhanced the quality of life of the Cuban people.

The PPP/C has been closely following developments in Cuba and calls on the United States government to end its embargo against the Cuban people which is stifling economic growth and social progress.

The party also calls on the United States administration to pay heed to international human rights bodies, including the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and Amnesty International and free the Miami Five (Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero, Ramon Labanino, Fernando Gonzalez and Rene Gonzalez) who were detained in the United States since September 12, 1998.

It is noteworthy that despite the embargo, Cuba continues to render assistance to other developing countries, especially in the field of health and education by way of the training of doctors and other professionals.

Guyana is a major beneficiary of these efforts for

which the party would like to convey its gratitude to the Cuban government. On the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the victory of the Cuban Revolution, the PPP/C wishes to convey its best wishes to the government and people of Cuba on this significant milestone.

oad safety stakeholders have agreed to implement an aggressive campaign to curtail the alarming rise in road accidents, with special emphasis on monitoring nightclubs and making better use of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage.

According to a Home Affairs Ministry release, in response to public outcry against road accidents, fatalities and traffic congestion, as well as its own concerns, a meeting was convened on Thursday involving the Guyana National Road Safety Council, the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Minibus Association and the ministry to discuss these matters and to come up with recommendations on the way forward.

The meeting was informed that the main causes for fatal accidents for 2013 was speeding, inattentiveness, and drinking under the influence of alcohol.

The main victims were pedestrians hit by private vehicles, between midday and

CCTV camera

evening hours and between evening hours to midnight on Sundays and Fridays, driven by young people aged 16 to 24 and 25 to 33.

Recommendations

In this connection, the ministry said it was agreed that with this information in hand there should be more targeted enforcement by the police force and education programmes by the Guyana National Road Safety Council.

Special programmes are to be organised for young drivers in particular. The police force is to set realistic targets with a view to

bringing down fatal accidents and road accidents in general.

The meeting was informed that between 2010 and 2013, the Home Affairs Ministry procured and delivered to the force 18 breathalyser machines with printers and 400 mouthpieces as well as 29 radar guns.

Additionally, the meeting analysed several recommendations recently advanced by A Partnership for National Unity and found them agreeable and implementable in principle. “These recommendations were assigned to various stakeholders for further consideration as regards implementation, having regard to their respective capacities and competencies to do so,” the ministry said. It was further agreed that a National Conference on Road Safety will be convened early in the year bringing together all stakeholders in the campaign to uphold road safety throughout Guyana.

16 Scenes FROM Old Year's Night

friday, January 3, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

President Donald Ramotar is greeted by the Guyana Police Force top brass at the Police Mess Hall on Old Year’s Night

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo and Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali take time for a picture as they usher in the New Year

All eyes on the fireworks display

President Donald Ramotar with Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Palm Court Ravin Prashad (left) and former Tourism Minister Manniram Prashad These guests enjoy the mood at the Georgetown Club on Camp Street

A pastor prays for his audience at Freedom Life Church in Princes Street, Georgetown

Altar boys lead a procession at the commencement of old year’s night service at the Brickdam Cathedral, Georgetown

Worshippers of the Assembly of God in Durban Street, Georgetown take over a section of the street

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, january 3, 2014

17

archie

By Bernice Bede Osol

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) Today will be busy and demanding. Stay focused on what needs to be done. It’s best to try to compromise in order to keep the peace.

dilbert

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19) Don’t be deceived by rumours; someone may be trying to manipulate you.

Use your own judgment and avoid risk-takers.

Don’t make any promises without getting all of the facts first.

Calvin and Hobbes

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Take some time to be alone. Leave your work for tomorrow. This is a good day to muse about the past and the future. You’ll feel better prepared to make changes after you’ve had a break.

Peanuts

SUDOKU

CANCER (June 21July 22) You may want to check up on someone. Your intervention may not be welcome, but it will be helpful. Deep conversations will lead to new ideas that will be useful in the future.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22) Maintain a skeptical attitude. Insincerity from your acquaintances is likely to lead you astray.

You’d do better to focus on your professional life instead of personal concerns if you wish to make headway.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22) It’s time to take care of unfinished business. Let go of projects that have no legs, and instead focus on those with promise. Your decisions will give you momentum. Allow your ambition to grow.

ARIES

LIBRA

(March 21-April 19)

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Keep pace with the gogetters. You are too busy to make time for people with no direction. Do what’s best for you and make friends with those who inspire you.

To avoid conflict, you should maintain an impartial point of view. If you are critical, you will meet with resistance. Let others do as they may.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) It’s a good day to find ways to pick up new skills and knowledge. You’ll get ahead if you continue to solidify your assets. Seek out stimulation. Don’t settle for dull conversation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22) Close listening will be beneficial. Your observations will provide insights that will change your path. If you put yourself in someone else’s shoes, you’ll feel fortunate.

Wednesday's solution GEMINI (May 21June 20)

SAGITTARIUS

Get a checkup if you have been having health concerns. This is not the day to let things slide.

Follow through with your goals to give yourself a greater sense of purpose.

Make time to rejuvenate.

It’s time to enjoy friends and thought-provoking entertainment.

Consider a change of residence. Keep your eyes and ears open to new possibilities.

(Nov. 23Dec. 21)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, january 3, 2014

Entertainment

Stage set for John Legend and Beres Hammond this Saturday

I

n less than 48 hours, at the Guyana National Stadium Guyanese will experience one of the first ever super concerts of the year that will feature nine-time Grammy Award winner, John Legend and Reggae Icon Beres Hammond. JMC 3Veni and its lead singer, Kris Persad will also be performing on the night.

The concert called

“Night of Love” is set for Saturday evening and is expected to draw a massive crowd. Hammond arrived in Guyana on Thursday while R & B star John Legend is scheduled to arrive today, giving them both adequate time to prepare for the Night of Love concert.

However, tickets prices remain slashed and will now be sold at $4000 for general admission and $23,000 for the VIP experience.

These new prices will be available until 16:00h on January 4 after which the prices will return to the original price listed.

The reggae and R&B superstars can be considered geniuses of romance in their

respective genres but with the inclusion of Chutney sensation KI, it is expected to be pure energy.

These performers are

billed to take the stage at the Guyana National Stadium on January 4. The event is a collaboration between Hits and Jams Entertainment

Mash bands launched in fine style

A

s the Christmas fever is over, all attention will now be focused on Mashramani 2014 and believe it or not, plans are already underway to host one of the biggest mass tramps ever in Guyana. In 2013, there were some 38 bands participating, but this year, a number of new entities have already indicated their readiness to participate in the road tramp.

One of such is Honest Illusions who recently launched its 2014 Mashramani costumes titled “Elysium – the Garden of Fantasy” at the Monaco Night Club.

Patrons were left mesmerised as they explored the mysteries of the mythical garden – Elysium on the road with five sensual figures of one’s desires; lust, betrayal, seduction, serenity and temptation.

Entertainment for the evening was provided by BOOM DJ’s Gully Ras, Akelo, Energy and Fusion Sounds.

“PLAY MAS and LIVE YA LIFE!” On the other hand, Pulse Entertainment which is known for its revelling has also launched its mash

band at the recently held Licence to Wine concept party at the Palm Court Night Club. This year, the band expects to attract Caribbean people since Caribbean flavour will be added.

Last year, Shal Marshall and others hit the road as Pulse Entertainment took centre stage… With less than two months to go, they’re not letting the cat out the bag just yet.

and McNeal Enterprises; organisers who have brought Beres Hammond and KI and the JMC 3Veni band to Guyana before.

Some new ticket locations include King’s Jewellery World, Clairan’s Boutique, Nigel’s Supermarket, Ashmin’s Trading, Matt’s Record Bar, Gizmos and Gadgets, White Castle Fish Shop, GiftLand Officemax, Electronics City, Andrew’s Supermarket, Dave’s Sports Bar, KK Gas Station, Little Rock Hotel, Digicel Speedtalk (Bartica) and Digicel CellSmart (Linden).

E092 gets additional cast members

Christi Gooding

O

“Elysium – the Garden of Fantasy” by Honest Illusion

Pulse Entertainment’s Caribbean Flavour

ne year ago, HJTV’s most exciting entertainment television show saw major changes when popular news presenter Christine Gooding, popularly known as Chrissy, was made the face of E092.

E092 is the only local show that provides the latest scoop in entertainment, fashion and celebrity updates presented in a chic, cool style.

Not only was a new hostess introduced but the entire production was transformed with a fresh set, new camera crew and an innovative producer was brought to the team.

Apart from all these major factors which made the show a success over the past year, for the first time E092 had a glam squad that kept Chrissy’s look up to date with the most recent fashion trends and celebrity looks and make-up always on point.

Now, one year later, E092 will once again undergo some changes with popular dancer out of the Classique group, Leslyn Fraser, joining the cast as well as a young brunette who will only be referred to as Misty.

These new additions will create a panel that will pass on opinions about stories presented by hostess Chrissy. Together, they will partake in group discussions, interactive games and reviews. Viewers will also benefit from monthly giveaways through creative methods that will be integrated into the show.

E092 will air every Monday and will be rebroadcast throughout the week.

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, January 3, 2014

19

Entertainment

More scenes from Old Year's Night

Many young people attended church services around Georgetown. This group pays rapt attention to the sermon Fireworks display at the Georgetown seawall

Some choosed to enjoy the evening on the Georgetown seawall

Dancing the night away at the Georgetown Club

Red carpet being rolled out for Guyanese artists in Barbados G

uyana's very best will take centre stage at the upcoming Barbados Music, Fashion And Film Awards to be held on January 11 and 12.

As part of an amazing Guyanese showcase at the event which will include designer Sonia Noel, who will receive a Regional Lifetime Achievement award in Fashion, hit-making recording star Mystic of Brutal Group Inc, songstress Lisa Punch and the recent winner of the Gold Coast Records Inc Talent Search (held during Guyana Fashion Week) Travis Bowen.

A team of executives and producers from Guyana will also be attending the event and will be among the

Sonia Noel

Mystic

Lisa Punch

Travis Bowen

event's presenters.

The team was carefully selected by the event's president and founder Ronnie

Morris while on a recent trip to Guyana, as part of the team for Guyana Fashion Week of which he is a direc-

tor.

The event serves as the expansion of the longrunning Barbados Music

Awards, which has featured the likes of Cissy Houston, Regina Belle, Faith Evans, Rihanna, Beenie Man,

Vivica Fox, Morris Chestnut and Deborah Cox among many others, and is one of the most prestigious music award events in this hemisphere.

"I was treated like royalty in Guyana, and made the decision that the favour should be returned. There is a tremendous wealth of talent in Guyana, and it would be my honour to expose that talent to not only Barbados, but also to the world," Morris, who himself is one of the Caribbean's most acclaimed music business executives said.

The event is slated to be held at the ultra-modern Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in Barbados.

20

entertainment

YELLOW PAGES

Park Vue Hotel to open doors on Sunday

FriDay, January 3, 2013

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

So if you are on a road trip or a business trip and envisage staying at a hotel then the new Park Vue hotel is perfect for you. With just 10 minutes from the capital city and less than 35 minutes from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, the staff of this new and modern hotel will welcome you with open arms.

Rates are very competitive and courteous staff are there to serve you. According to General Manager Mrs Persaud and owner of the facility, "Every guest that comes in will be greeted in a personal way.”

PRIME COMMERICAL PROPERTY, ALBERTOWN, 3 LOTS WITH BUSINESS, (NUT CENTRE) best offer. Tel 621-4000, 227-3939

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 Chicken Hatchery (Robbins), 28,000 eggs capacity fully ready, $ 5.5 million or CREDIT available TEL: 2273939 621-4000 Diesel Generator, 3 cylinder Lister pitter (England) key start, 15,000 watts $595,000 cash Tel:227-3939, 621-4000 Generac Generator 15,000 watts, portable, $475,000 cash Tel 2273939, 621-4000 CLARKE forklifts 3 pcs - 2000, 3000, 4000 Lb, lifting capacity $350,000 AND UP TEL: 227-3939, 621-4000 DIESEL Generator silent 28,000 watts SDMO John Deere engine, missing Fuel Pump, Panel, Avr $850,000 cash Tel: 227-3939, 621-4000 TV SALE 40” TO 73” SOME WORKING AND OTHERS NEEDS CHECKING ALL, SOLD AS IS TEL: 621-4000, 227-3939 Exercise equipment, complete gym, heaters, ab machine, and more Tel: 621-4000, 227-3939 Pool table imported complete with Ques, baals racks $80,000, also kids pools table $75,000 Tel: 621-4000, 227-3939 60FT Antenna (Mass) for Radio, TV, Cellular, with cables, brackets, sky light $400,000 Tel: 227-3939, 6214000

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dding a boost to Guyana’s tourism is the spanking new Park Vue hotel located at Farm, on the East Bank of Demerara. After months of constructing this 32 room facility, it is finally ready to open its doors to the public.

The grand opening is set for Sunday, January 5.

Apart from being a guests at the hotel, persons can take advantage of the boutique, restaurant, lounge and bar along with a salon, spa and gift shop to add to the various services provided. Guests visiting the hotel will be given personalised attention in a contemporary environment.

TO let

HJ shares holiday cheer

Three bedroom house, CC Eccles.

Call 669-1178 One kitchen for restaurant purpose.

Contact Accomplished Restaurant & Bar. Lot 9 W ½ Lamaha Street. Call 684-5976 or 684-3371

WANTED One experienced cook; one female bartender with experience in making cocktails; two waitresses.

Contact Accomplished Restaurant & Bar. Lot 9 W ½ Lamaha Street or call 684-5976 or 684-3371 Handy man to do store runs and to and basic cleaning. Apply to Guyana Variety Store Tel: 227-3939 Body work man to spray motor cycles. Apply in person Guyana Variety Store Tel: 227-3939

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

Get your extra key today.

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property for sale Two storey house, Avenue 'A' Diamond. Tel: 643-5161

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his Christmas season saw the Hits and Jams Entertainment agency reaching out to the less fortunate and spreading the joy of the holidays to families and children who believe in the spirit of Christmas.

Weeks before, the entertainment company launched a book, toys, clothing, sneakers and food drive to which kind-hearted persons contributed and as a result, made Hits and Jams Entertainment’s charity a success.

Recently, HJ television and radio personalities, deejays and staff spent the day in the community of Albouystown where items were distributed to children and persons who congregat-

ed at the area’s basketball court.

Special rewards were also given to children who proved their hard work over the last school semester by producing their report books. In addition to this, Santa Claus and his little elves were present to meet with the children and to take quick pictures.

It was an extraordinary feeling to see the joy on the faces of the Albouystown residents and this alone proved that the outreach had been a tremendous success.

Apart from this, children had been writing to Santa Claus telling Santa their wildest dreams for this Christmas.

Hits and Jams delivered as many gifts as pos-

sible with the help of Santa Claus and his elf, surprising numerous children at their homes while some uplifted their presents at the Hits and Jams studio.

As though that was not enough, several promotions were launched both on social media and on the radio,

whereby participants were entered into a grand drawing by way of submitting coupons won.

These persons won fabulous prizes such as phones, tablets, iPods, beauty hampers, jewellery, clothing vouchers, food vouchers, beverages and much more.

Friday, january 3, 2014

guyanatimesGY.com

21

Late strikes put Pakistan on top B

trouble the batsmen. They found some help from the pitch too. The surface had retained the greenish tinge from the first day, but there were a number of indents created by the quicks over the last two days - which the two Sri Lankan seamers hit consistently.

A circumspect Asad Shafiq flicked Lakmal to square leg, where Silva took a smart diving catch. He had added only a solitary run to his overnight score of 12.

Adnan Akmal didn’t last long either edging Eranga to gully. Bilawal Bhatti, the debutant, gave Misbah company for 27 runs before perishing against the gentle medium pace of Angelo Mathews as he got a faint edge to the keeper.

ilawal Bhatti and Junaid Khan picked up three wickets late on the third day to put Pakistan in a dominant position at stumps on third day despite Sri Lanka erasing the first-innings deficit. Bhatti removed the experienced duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in successive deliveries, while Junaid dismissed the set Kaushal Silva off the last ball of the day to put a win within sights.

A 99-run second-wicket stand between Sangakkara and Silva was reviving memories of Sri Lanka’s secondinnings fightback two years ago when a double-century from Sangakkara helped them wipe off the 314-run deficit and save the Test. It was a similar determined response from Sri Lanka after conceding a 179-run lead.

Sangakkara was unfazed and Silva was accumulating runs at his own pace, both going past their half-centuries.

Inspired spell

But just when it seemed that Sri Lanka’s fortunes were on the rise, an inspired spell from Bhatti pulled the rugs from underneath. In the final delivery of Bhatti’s second over after the last drinks break, Sangakkara was drawn into a drive, but could only edge it as the ball moved away at the last instance. Younis Khan, at first slip, dived to his right and swooped a good low catch.

In the next over, off the first ball, Jayawardene got one that kicked up from a length, hit the shoulder of the bat and lobbed up for the fielder

Seam movement

Bilawal Bhatti dismissed Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jawaywardene off successive deliveries

at gully. Unplayable. It also meant that Jayawardene had edged three successive deliveries from Bhatti in the Test (the first one, in the first innings, was a no-ball).

Bhatti continued to trouble Dinesh Chandimal with pacy deliveries - one of them, a bouncer at 145 kph that hit the bat handle. But Silva, who had worked hard for his 81, helped Sri Lanka into lead. He looked set to take to take the fight to the fourth day, but couldn’t survive the last over as Junaid edg-

ing the third delivery to the wicketkeeper.

For much of the day though, it had been Sri Lanka who had managed to claw their way back into the match. The top three batsmen continued the good work started by their bowlers, who picked up Pakistan’s remaining six wickets before lunch on the third day.

Both Suranga Lakmal and Shaminda Eranga, fresh after a night’s rest, found the right lengths and repeatedly got the ball to deviate to

Misbah was troubled by the seam movement as Lakmal beat him both with incoming and outgoing deliveries. The first boundary of the day on the off side came through Misbah’s outside edge which was followed by an uncharacteristic attempt to slog a length ball. He continued to play and miss deliveries throughout the first hour, with some hitting the shoulder of the bat.

It was only when Rangana Herath was introduced that Misbah started looking comfortable. He reverse-swept the first ball from the spinner, then got a four with a conventional sweep in the same over. He also slogged Herath over deep midwicket for his only six of the innings, before finally being caught at long-on, trying to repeat the shot.

In response, the Sri Lanka openers stayed firm during a testing spell against the new ball to give the team its second solid start. As the score approached 50, Karunaratne was dismissed by a Junaid delivery that sneaked in between the bat and pad to strike the top of off stump.

But a patient Silva kept the bowlers at bay with his tight defence and compact strokeplay. Ten of his 11 boundaries were on the off side - the cover drive being his most profitable shot - as he brought up his maiden halfcentury in 113 balls.

Silva had the solid Sangakkara with him for

company. Sangakkara, despite the pitch showing signs of dual nature, scored an effortless half-century - his 43rd. During a 99-ball stay that included six boundaries, he did use a lifeline once after he was adjudged lbw early in the third session, the replays showing the ball had pitched outside the line of leg stump.

Sangakkara’s dismissal, though, opened the gates for Pakistan and they were quick to snatch the advantage. The onus will now be on Chandimal and Angelo Mathews to stretch the fight for Sri Lanka. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka 1st innings 204 Pakistan 1st innings Khurram Manzoor run out (Mathews/†HAPW Jayawardene) 21 Ahmed Shehzad c Karunaratne b Eranga 38 Mohammad Hafeez c Silva b Lakmal 11 Younis Khan b Eranga 136 Misbah-ul-Haq* c Sangakkara b Herath 135 Asad Shafiq c Silva b Lakmal 13 Adnan Akmal† c Senanayake b Eranga 6 Bilawal Bhatti c †HAPW Jayawardene b Mathews 14 Saeed Ajmal lbw b Herath 0 Rahat Ali b Herath 0 Junaid Khan not out 4 Extras (lb-2, w-1, nb-2) 5 Total (all out; 129.1 overs) 383 Fall of wickets: 1-46 (Khurram Manzoor, 18.1 ov), 2-59 (Mohammad Hafeez, 21.6 ov), 3-83 (Ahmed Shehzad, 30.2 ov), 4-301 (Younis Khan, 94.6 ov), 5-329 (Asad Shafiq, 112.2 ov), 6-342 (Adnan Akmal, 115.4 ov), 7-369 (Bilawal Bhatti, 124.1 ov),

8-378 (Saeed Ajmal, 127.4 ov), 9-378 (Rahat Ali, 127.5 ov), 10383 (Misbah-ul-Haq, 129.1 ov) Bowling: RAS Lakmal 33-9-992 (2-nb, 1-w), AD Mathews 131-43-1, RMS Eranga 30-6-803, HMRKB Herath 35.1-9-93-3, SMSM Senanayake 18-2-66-0 Sri Lanka 2nd innings FDM Karunaratne b Junaid Khan 24 JK Silva c †Adnan Akmal b Junaid Khan 81 KC Sangakkara c Younis Khan b Bilawal Bhatti 55 DPMD Jayawardene c Asad Shafiq b Bilawal Bhatti 0 LD Chandimal not out 24 Extras (lb-2) 2 Total (4 wickets; 61.3 overs) 186 Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Karunaratne, 15.1 ov), 2-146 (Sangakkara, 48.6 ov), 3-150 (DPMD Jayawardene, 50.1 ov), 4-186 (Silva, 61.3 ov) Bowling: Junaid Khan 13.30-46-2, Rahat Ali 17-6-330, Bilawal Bhatti 14-1-652, Saeed Ajmal 13-3-30-0, Mohammad Hafeez 4-1-10-0

ORS will give greater efficiency – Taufel McIlroy wants

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imon Taufel, the ICC training and performance manager for umpires, hopes the Officiating Replay System (ORS) could revolutionise the role of the third umpire, improving efficiency and accuracy in decision-making.

The ORS is an attempt to streamline the existing DRS system by allowing the third umpire control over the replays they see, whereas normally they have to wait for the broadcaster to provide them. It has been in use since the fifth ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the UAE and has been extended for the two remaining Tests as well.

The chosen official Taufel for the first Test - sits in a room with high definition television sets that receive 16 different real-time feeds from the match directly from the broadcaster. The footage may vary according to the video cameras being used for the match.

Taufel also has the help of a HawkEye engineer, who is also the effectively his personal TV director.

“It’s a separate technology on trial and is independ-

Simon Taufel: “Even a front-foot no-ball check, I could probably do that in two seconds, even before the batsman leaves the square I have an answer for the umpire”

ent of what is happening with the third umpire in this Test,” Taufel told reporters.

“It’s a very efficient way of being able to look at replays and avoid communication issues. We’re looking at timing efficiency at the moment, accuracy of decision-making as well as being able to standardise some of our technology tools and information so that the third umpire can be as efficient as possible and make as many correct decisions as possible.”

The current trial is tak-

ing place without any communication with the third umpire S Ravi, who depends on the broadcaster for his replays, which take a minimum of 30 to 40 seconds to retrieve. Using ORS, however, the official is given the same footage in real-time within 5 seconds.

“If I can do a boundary check in five seconds [when] normally for a third umpire to go through to a director and then he shows a replay, will take roughly 30 seconds. It’s a huge difference

in that respect,” Taufel said.

“Even a front-foot no-ball check, I could probably do that in two seconds, even before the batsman leaves the square and I have an answer for the umpire. [Without ORS] That could take 30-40 seconds because the director is focused on something else, his broadcast; we’re focused on our decision-making.

“Technology changes all the time, cricket changes a lot of the time. Umpiring is all about giving the players the best service, the best umpiring and best decisions possible. This trial fits into that theory.”

The ORS might well improve decision-making, but the cost of implementing it could be a topic of debate.

Currently, the broadcaster covers the production cost, including that of the DRS. “From an umpire’s perspective, we would like to see as many common factors and decision-making tools from place to place, board to board, game to game. It makes our job a lot easier, but we’re also aware of the cost implications and things like that have to be worked through.” (Cricinfo)

two major wins in 2014

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ory McIlroy aims to make up for a disappointing 2013 by winning two majors this year.

The 24-year-old slipped from world number one to number six last year but he showed signs of regaining form with victory in December’s Australian Open.

“I feel like I am very close - I’m confident with my game and confident where it’s going,” said McIlroy.

“I won a major in 2011 and 2012 but not in 2013, so I’ll try to make up for that with two this year.”

McIlroy hit the headlines off the course early this week when he announced his engagement to tennis player Caroline Wozniacki.

It ended a turbulent year for the two-time major winner from Northern Ireland, which included adjusting to new clubs and a bitter fallout with management company Horizon.

McIlroy hopes to build on an encouraging finish to 2013, culminating in a oneshot win over Adam Scott in Australia to secure his only victory of the year.

“I feel that my game is really coming back, going down to Australia and winning,” he added.

“Beating Adam Scott down there was really nice and while it doesn’t make up for the other weeks during the year, it gives me some momentum for 2014.

“I didn’t really have a chance to win any of the majors last year - I just didn’t get into contention.

“I’m so much better down the stretch and I’m so much better under pressure than I used to be, so If I give myself a chance in these tournaments I know I’ll have a great opportunity to win.

“I didn’t have the greatest of seasons in 2013 but I feel like I’ll definitely make up for that in 2014.” (BBC Sport)

22

guyanatimesGY.com

Friday, january 3, 2014

Slingerz FC crowned Banks Beer Cup kings

National cricketers resume training today – Chanderpaul, Permaul to join squad; Jacobs opts out

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Veerasammy Permaul

By Rajiv Bisnauth

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Devon Millington

Vurlon Mills

lingerz FC emerged with a close 3-2 win over Santos to lift the third annual Banks Beer Cup when the final was contested on Wednesday evening at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

In the third place playoff, Western Tigers edged the Guyaan Defence Force 2-1.

In the highly anticipated final, Slingerz managed to walk away the champion team, joining Alpha United and Camptown as the three winners in the short history of the tournament.

A double from national player Devon Millington proved the deciding factor as he scored the opening and the final goal of the game.

Millington put the West Demerara side ahead in the 11th minute, before Christoff Wensley equalised for Santos four minutes later.

The score remained one-all at half-time, before Vurlon Mills pushed Slingerz ahead with a header in the 61st minute. Santos

stormed back immediately after with Wensley completing a double and levelling the scores a minute later.

Just when it seemed extra time would be required to separate the two teams, Millington sealed the deal one minute from regulation time to hand Slingerz the $4 million top prize and bragging rights for a year.

Santos had to settle for the $2.5 million runner-up prize.

In the third place playoff, Western Tigers got a 2-1 victory over the Guyana Defence Force with Hubert Pedro and Rensford Coleridge scoring for the Tigers in the 21st and 36th minutes respectively. Delroy Fraser scored the consolation for the army men in the 83rd minute.

Western Tigers collected $1.5 million, while GDF received $1 million. The tournament was organised by the Georgetown Football Association and sponsored mainly by Banks DIH Limited.

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GFRC raffle to be drawn January 17

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he Guyana Football Referees Council (GFRC) fund-raising raffle which was scheduled to be drawn on January 1, 2014, has been postponed.

The new drawing date is January 17, 2014.

Tickets are still available and can be uplifted from any member of the GFRC. The first prize is a 125cc Honda motor-cycle; second prize a trip to the United

States compliments of Caribbean Airlines; third prize- a trip to Barbados (LIAT); and fourth prize a Blackberry smartphone (GT&T). There are consolation prizes of a day trip to Arrow Point (Roraima Group of Companies), a food hamper (Neal and Massy) and a microwave (NEW GPC Inc.). Tickets cost $100 dollars.

he national semior cricketers will resume training today after a three-day break with the aim of working on their skills and sustaining their fitness ahead of this year’s West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Four-day and NAGICO Super50 tournaments.

A provisional squad of 37 players minus all-rounders Narsingh Deonarine and Steven Jacobs, veteran middle-order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, ended the first phase of preparations on Monday when they broke camp for the New Year’s Day holiday.

Prior to the break, the cricketers underwent a rigorous three-day fitness training programme along with some technical sessions.

Head coach Esaun Crandon was elated after

Alvin Johnson

observing the attitude of the players during the camp, which he felt raised the fitness standard of the cricketers.

“The players’ attitude towards such an intense period of physical training was exceptional and very professional,” Crandon told Guyana Times Sport.

However, he indicated that during this phase of preparation the coaching

Steven Jacobs

Esaun Crandon

staff will work on some of the notable technical errors that were spotted before the squad ended the first phase.

This phase will run until January 25. The cricketers will also be involved in some practice matches as part of their preparations.

Meanwhile, West Indies and Guyana veteran batsman middle-order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul and his West Indies counterpart Veersammy Permaul will join the squad today.

Both players missed the first phase of preparations due to West Indies duties in New Zealand.

On the other hand, manager Alvin Johnson confirmed on Thursday that all-rounder Steven Jacobs will not be part of the squad.

Jacobs is tipped to lead the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) in this year NAGICO Super50 regional tournament.

The players shortlisted for possible selections on the Guyana team for

the upcoming NAGICO Super50 and Regional Fourday tournaments commencing next month in Trinidad and Tobago are: Leon Johnson, Devendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul, Anthony Bramble, Robin Bacchus, Assad Fudadin, Zaheer Mohamed, Royston Crandon, Christopher Barnwell, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Vishal Singh, Ronsford Beaton, Rajiv Ivan, Amir Khan, Trevon Griffith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Shaquille Williams, Jonathan Foo, Narsingh Deonarine, Steven Jacobs, Keon Joseph, Raun Johnson, Jason Sinclair, Paul Wintz, Anthony Adams, Rajendra Chandrika, Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Stoll, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Ryan Ramdass, Chris Pattadin, Royan Fredricks, Totaram Bishun and Collis Butts.

Record wasn’t on my mind – Anderson

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orey Anderson, the New Zealand allrounder, was on 95 off 35 balls when he swung a Nikita Miller delivery for six over long leg to complete the quickest ODI hundred in history. One more delivery and he wouldn’t have had sole claim to the record, and would have had to share it with Shahid Afridi, who hit a landmark century against Sri Lanka in 1996.

Anderson, though, said the record wasn’t on his mind. “No, not really, I just thought it was a pretty quick hundred, I didn’t realise that it was the fastest,” he said. He hit 14 sixes in his unbeaten 131 off 47 balls to set up New Zealand’s crushing victory over West Indies in the third ODI in Queenstown.

Anderson came to the middle in the eighth over and completed his hundred off the first ball of the 18th, allowing little time for any nerves. “I think it was more of ‘go with it’, the hundred never really got into my mind. I sort of got there so quickly, I didn’t have time to think about it. It’s just one of those things, you keep going with it, striking it and try

Corey Anderson blasted a century off just 36 balls

and get as many runs on the board as you can. It becomes more about a team than an individual performance.”

His innings has already created buzz about Anderson’s value at the IPL auction next month. West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo hoped Anderson would be his team-mate in the IPL. “Hope to see him in Chennai Super Kings, the auction is around the corner and hopefully MS [Dhoni] and Flem [coach Stephen Fleming] pick him up, it’s going to be a bonus for us, a great knock,” Bravo

said. “The way how the guy batted, it was not just slogging, you know he played proper cricket shots, that shows someone can bat, has the ability to bat, turn over strike ever so often, hit straight, hit clean, and he’s powerful, so why not. This innings is a big innings, it will do him a lot of favours.”

Anderson himself wasn’t getting carried away.

“Those things float about,” Anderson said, “I’m happy where I am at with New Zealand, I’m still trying to cement my place as well.”

Jesse Ryder, another

batsman trying to cement a place in the side, also put in a blistering performance he smashed the sixth-quickest ODI century in only his second international after a lengthy layoff and, with Anderson, put on a 191-run stand in 75 deliveries for the fourth wicket. “It’s nice to have another guy at the other end doing a similar thing,” Anderson said. “It’s tough for bowlers, they can’t get any rhythm, they don’t know where the ball is probably going to be going.”

Anderson said the innings and the big win was the “best feeling that I’ve probably had on a cricket field.” His captain Brendon McCullum called the centuries a “once-in-a-lifetime sort of performance from two people”. “Statistically it (Anderson’s ton) is the fastest , I don’t know how many ODIs have been played, probably in excess of 3000 (3451), and for him to be No. 1 in terms of the speed with which he was able to get to a hundred, and Jesse being No. 6 is pretty unbelievable really, “ McCullum said.

“That to me is as clean striking as I have ever witnessed at a ground.” (Cricinfo)

Friday, january 3, 2013

guyanatimesGY.com

Christianburg/Wisburg boys are K&S school champs C

hristianburg/ Wisburg created history on Wednesday night by becoming the first team to win the Kashif and Shanghai’s Secondary Schools football tournament at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, Bourda.

The game was decided by penalties after Christianburg/Wisburg of Linden and Ash Education Institute of Berbice played to a one-all draw at the end

of regulation and extra time.

Shane Luckie had put the eventual champs ahead in the fourth minute, a lead they would hold on for the next 72 minutes.

Akeemo Watts brought Ash Education Institute back into contention in the 76th minute and that proved to be the final goal of the game, which ended one-all.

In the penalties shootout, Christianburg/Wisburg won 4-2.

For the win, Christianburg/Wisburg pocketed $1.2 million, 75 percent of which will be used to finance a project identified by the school.

In the third place playoff, Waramadong Secondary crushed St George’s 9-0.

Lyndel Joseph blasted in a helmet-trick, scoring in the 10th, 32nd, 68th and 88th minutes, while Deon Rodrigues and Wazir Bascombe netted a double

apiece. Rodrigues was on target in the 12th and 78th minutes, while Bascombe scored in the 39th and 47th minutes. Miles Albert added the other goal in the 71st minute.

The second, third and fourth placed finishers received $750,000, $500,000 and $250,000 respectively, 25 percent of which will used for a project at those schools.

“Beyond A Boundary” turns 50

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ondon, England - Fifty years ago Martin Luther King departed from a prepared speech to electrify and exalt a quarter of a million people packed into Washington by inviting them to share his dream of a nation in which all men and women would finally be equal regardless of colour.

During the same year, Nelson Mandela faced the gallows when he went on trial for sabotage waged during an underground campaign to force the South African authorities to abandon their vicious racial separation laws.

And in England, West Indian migrants queued for hours in the hope of watching a cricket team captained by a black man conquer their colonial masters five

years after the Notting Hill riots had highlighted growing racial tensions throughout the country.

As if to underscore a tumultuous year, an extraordinary book, subsequently acclaimed by the English poet, cricket writer and broadcaster John Arlott as the finest ever written about the game of cricket, was also published.

Like all sporting classics and, as its title explicitly promises, "Beyond a Boundary" by CLR James is about far more than a ball game. It is instead based on the "clash of race, caste and class" on and off the field in Britain's former slave colonies.

The final chapter of James's masterpiece describes the triumph of

the 1960-61 West Indies team in Australia led by Frank Worrell, the black Barbadian who went on to captain the wonderful 1963 side in England.

Before the team was selected James had carried out an unsparing newspaper campaign in his native Trinidad to get Worrell installed as captain in place of the incumbent white man Gerry Alexander.

"I would have been able to keep it up for 50 weeks, for there was 50 years' knowledge of discrimination behind it and corresponding anger," wrote James.

George Headley, the Jamaican maestro who carried the hopes and aspirations of black Englishspeaking West Indians on his shoulders during the

1930s when he systematically subdued the best bowlers fielded by either England or Australia, led West Indies in a home test after World War Two. But neither he nor any other black man was given the honour of leading a West Indies side overseas until Worrell was finally chosen as captain for the Australia series. Alexander, a fine wicketkeeper-batsman and a dignified man who excelled under Worrell, remains the last white man to captain West Indies.

After a succession of stumbling performances in the state matches, Worrell's men went on to play a full part in the first tied test match and were unlucky to lose the series to the unofficial world champions.

23

Singh enters GABF presidential race

By Treiston Joseph

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he current president of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) Michael Singh is the first to signal his intention to become president of the deflated and stagnated Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF).

With the election for the Federation slated for January 9, Singh is the only person to make the declaration for the presidency public.

Singh, who was only elected as the new GABA boss in January 2013, will now look to reshape the perception of what the national federation has become into a progressive national body.

“The only way that basketball can progress is you have a young vibrant organisation where the president can network and find a benchmark with the other islands because we really don’t know where our level is at and I believe we are at a low level,” Singh told this publication.

Further, Singh hinted the reasons for him wanting to become the top man in basketball. “Basically the state of the game; at our level I have been trying to bring back ball in Georgetown and I know the senior players want a better association to look to and we need a new president to push us to an international level. We can give our votes to anybody but I know what I can do, I

Michael Singh

know what the players are looking for and I know what the fans want to see,” Singh stated.

The current head of GABA also hinted at the way forward. “I think we have to look at the game nationalistically and move forward from there.

“I think the YBG (Youth Basketball Guyana) should be given affiliation… I have no issues with YBG handling youth basketball because they have done it well we would just need to get a structure in. I think we should also focus on the Master’s part of basketball as well,” Singh said.

Meanwhile, with Singh breaking the ice on presidential candidates for the spot at the federation’s elections, no other candidate to date has stepped forward.

Builders Lumber Yard Williams, Sharapova to meet sponsors D’Andrade in Brisbane

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Lionel D’Andrade (left) receives the sponsorship cheque from a representative of Builders Lumber Yard (Photo: Treiston Joseph)

O

verseas-based Guyanese Lionel D’Andrade was on Thursday sponsored by Builders Lumber Yard for his upcoming 10k road race in Suriname.

D’Andrade, who has won the event the last three years, was appreciative of the gesture by the organisation that has been in his corner for over eight years.

“This is really good for me especially since this is my first race of the year

which will be in preparation for the Trinidad half marathon that I have won for the last two years. My preparation has been going good and I just want to say thanks to Builders Lumber Yard for their sponsorship and support,” D’Andrade noted.

Proprietor of the organisation Mahammad Salim was happy to be working with D’Andrade, noting that the top distance athlete has been a good ambassador for them with his athletic prow-

ess.

“We know him very long since he was a youth and I saw his potential and has been sponsoring him for eight odd years and he has done well,” Salim stated of his sponsorship to D’Andrade.

Meanwhile, D’Andrade will be leaving for Suriname today to participate in the 10k on Saturday before heading to Trinidad for the half marathon.

aria Sharapova will continue her comeback from a shoulder injury against world number one Serena Williams in today’s Brisbane International semis.

The Russian, 26, ended her 2013 season in August, but beat Kaia Kanepi 4-6 6-3 6-2 to make the last four.

Williams, who won 78 of her 82 matches last year, overcame ninth seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-3 6-3 in her quarter-final.

Sharapova’s meeting with Williams will be the first since they appeared to criticise each other’s personal lives.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in June, Williams criticised an unnamed top-five player for being boring in her interviews and questioned the character of her boyfriend.

Sharapova, who is dating men’s world number 23 Grigor Dimitrov, responded by telling Williams that she should restrict her comments to her own reported relationship with French coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

In December the fourtime Grand Slam winner hinted at the continuing

Maria Sharapova (left) will continue her comeback from a shoulder injury against world number one Serena Williams

poor relationship between the pair when she said that, while she respected Williams on the court, it was “different” outside the sport.

Sharapova has not beaten Williams since 2004, has taken just one set in their past nine meetings and trails 14-2 in their career head-to-head record.

“I think I got to win a few times in order to call it rivalry,” she admitted.

“I haven’t had a lot of success against her in the past.

“It’s the first tournament of the year. I came here wanting to play as many matches as I could and obviously wanting to play the

best.”

The tournament’s other semi-final has also gone with seeding with Belarus’s Victoria Azarenka meeting Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic for a place in the final.

Second seed Azarenka overcame the loss of a second-set tie-break to see off Switzerland’s Stefanie Vogele 6-4 6-7 (7-9) 6-1, while fourth seed Jankovic recovered to beat Germany’s Angelique Kerber 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 6-1.

In the men’s draw, home favourite Lleyton Hewitt, 32, overcame fifth seed Feliciano Lopez 7-5 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals. (BBC Sport)

Friday, January 3, 2014

TOP SCORES

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

FOOTBALL (KASHIF AND SHANGHAI FINAL): CHRISTIANBURG/WISBURG 4-2 (PENALTIES) V ASH EDUCATION INSTITUTE; (GFA BANKS BEER CUP FINAL): SLINGERZ FC 3-2 V SANTOS FC

Slingerz FC crowned Banks Beer Cup kings See story on page

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The Slingerz football team and supporters in a jubilant mood after copping the coveted title on Wednesday night

Christianburg/ Wisburg boys are K&S school champs See story on page

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National cricketers resume training today

– Chanderpaul, Permaul to join squad; Jacobs opts out Members of the victorious Christianburg/Wisburg team pose with officials of the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation after their success on Wednesday night

The national cricketers during their first phase of preparation (Photo: Rajiv Bisnauth)

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