Guyana Times - Sunday, July 31, 2022

Climb Guyana sporting activities igniting interest in North Rupununi P15 Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 5086 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022

US$8M water treatment plant, Enmore Regional Hospital for ECD …construction starts on 256-bed Pediatric & Maternal Hospital this week See story on page 2

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Be aware of P12 locations to uplift cash grants – Manickchand EPA monitoring air quality P12 around rice mills

New parenting manual P25 teaches nonviolent methods of discipline

Residents of Melanie and surrounding East Coast Demerara communities at the Melanie Community Centre Ground during an outreach led by Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips. At the outreach, residents discussed with Government officials issues and concerns regarding the development of their communities (OP photos)

Consensual Constitution Reform Commission Bill to be table in National Assembly See story on page 3

Ministerial Outreach in Melanie

Govt to look into land-titling, African ancestral lands - Nandlall Page 7

Hess pumped US$622M into Guyana, other countries in 2nd quarter Page 9

47 new COVID-19 cases recorded …1 in ICU, 623 in home isolation

P23

Toy gun, improvised weapons seized

by Police at Emancipation P8 j’ouvert

…as works ongoing on titles for ECD communities …capital & exploratory investments increased from 2021

Emancipation 2020 celebrations

Young African Guyanese entrepreneur develops unique hair products See story on page 26

Pensioner killed in SoesdykeLinden Highway accident P11

2 NEWS

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

US$8M water treatment plant, Enmore Regional Hospital for ECD …construction starts on 256-bed Paediatric & Maternal Hospital next week

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US$8 million water treatment plant, to be funded from supplementary funds the Government is seeking from the National Assembly, as well as a regional hospital at Enmore, are just some of the developmental initiatives coming to the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) corridor.

During an outreach at Melanie on Saturday, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal spoke of some of the developments from the Ministry’s perspective.

The Government went to the National Assembly for approval of $44.7 billion in supplementary funds, which will be defended at the next parliamentary sitting.

“Of that $44 billion, $3.8 billion will be going to GWI (Guyana Water Incorporated) to start the construction of a number of water treatment plants on the coastland to start moving our percent-

will see about 10,000 persons or beneficiaries or households receiving treated water,” Croal also said.

According to Croal, who was in Melanie as part of a nine-member ministerial delegation, the range of the water treatment plant project will cover from Coldigen to Haslington on the East Coast of Demerara.

Hospital

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal

age up. The good news for you here, right at Bachelor Adventure is where you get your well.” “(The project is) budgeted and the tenders are out now.

We have US$8 million budgeted for a new water treatment plant to come right here, for which the tenders will open on August 9, which

Meanwhile, another East Coast initiative was referred to by Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony. According to him, the Government as part of its drive to decentralise healthcare, will be building a regional hospital at Enmore.

“We have a number of regional hospitals that we’ll be building, from all the way up in Skeldon right across the coast to Anna Regina and your neighbourhood. In Enmore.

We will be building a regional hospital. That regional hospital will have at least 75 in-patient beds. Would have a modern accident and emergency.

Would also have modern laboratories, imaging suites.”

“And that imaging suite would not just consist of X-rays and ultrasounds, but we would also add to that imaging suite, a modern CT scan. So no longer would you leave here to go to Georgetown and then pay between $30,000 to $70,000 for a CT scan,” Anthony also explained.

There are also plans for the construction of a 256bed Paediatric and Maternal Hospital at Liliendaal, ECD. In fact, Dr Anthony revealed that construction is expected to commence during the coming week. President Dr Irfaan Ali himself will be turning the sod for this project.

“One of the things that we’ll be doing is the President will be turning the sod for a 256 beds Paediatric and Maternal Hospital and that is going to upgrade the quality of services that we have been offering to children and high-

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

risk mothers,” Dr Anthony said.

The outreach was led by Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips. Besides Ministers Croal and Anthony, other Ministers attending included Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall; Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag; Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill; Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall and Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy. At the last sitting of Parliament, it was announced that supplementary funding to cater for a range of countrywide developmental initiatives including to provide additional resources for Amerindian and hinterland communities, infrastructural development in new and existing housing schemes and improvement and expansion of coastal and hinterland water supply among many other areas, would be sought. Senior Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh had presented a Supplementary Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly during the 48th Sitting of the 12th Parliament. (G3)

NEWS

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, July 31 – 04:00h – 05:30h and Monday, Aug 1 – 04:00h – 05:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, July 31 – 05:30h – 07:00h and Monday, Aug 1 – 06:10h – 07:40h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily

WEATHER TODAY There will be light rain showers and light cloud during the day. Expect light rain showers and partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South South-Westerly to West NorthWesterly between 1.78 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 06:03h and 18:26h reaching maximum heights of 2.61 metres and 2.52 metres.

Low Tide: 12:01h reaching a minimum height of 0.62 metre.

Consensual Constitutional Reform Commission Bill to be tabled in National Assembly

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t the next sitting of the National Assembly, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, will be tabling the Constitutional Reform Commission Bill 2022 that speaks to the composition of the commission.

According to the Order Paper sent by the Parliament Office ahead of the August 8 sitting, the Constitutional Reform Commission Bill 2022 – Bill No, 18/2022 is “A Bill intituled An Act to establish a Constitution Reform Commission and to provide for its membership, its terms of reference and for other connected purposes.”

Speaking with <<<Guyana Times>>> on Saturday, Nandlall explained that the Bill is being tabled with the agreement of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition members in the Parliamentary Constitutional Reform Committee.

“At the last meeting that we had of the Constitutional Reform Committee, the Opposition attended and they expressed their agreement to the Bill. They offered one amendment, which the committee accepted and they expressed their agreement. So, the Bill is a consensual Bill,” Nandlall, who chairs the Parliamentary Committee, indicated.

Last month, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic

(PPP/C) Government went ahead and submitted its proposals for the composition of the Constitutional Reform Commission.

Government had proposed that the commission be established by law and that the members be appointed by the President.

It was submitted that 50 per cent of the commission’s membership come from both sides in the National Assembly and the other 50 per cent be nominated by a number of important stakeholder organisations such as the labour movement, religious organisations, the Private Sector Commission, the Guyana Bar Association, the National Toshaos Council and organisations representing women and youth.

Additionally, the Chairperson of the commission will be appointed by the President in his deliberate judgement.

According to the Attorney General, this is in line with promises made by the PPP/C in its 2020 elections manifesto.

“The commission has the power to determine its own procedure and to create its own work programme. But the underlining principle is that the commission will carry out public consultations,” Nandlall explained on Saturday.

Previously, the Legal Affairs Minister had pointed out that the Bill would have

other consequential provisions to ensure that the commission is able to discharge its mandate. These include the terms of reference, the financing arrangement as well as how the procedure of the commission will unfold.

“Hopefully, we find consensus and we can push the process forward because this is very important and not much work has been done having regard to the time that has already elapsed since Parliament began to sit,” the Attorney General had stated last month.

However, while both Government and Opposition sides have now arrived at a consensus on the Bill to be tabled, only weeks ago they were engaged in a public spat over the work of the Parliamentary Committee.

Government’s members had complained about the poor attendance by the coalition members at several committee meetings.

The Opposition members on the Parliamentary Standing Committee For Constitutional Reform are Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, Amanza WaltonDesir and Raphael Trotman.

Along with Nandlall, the Government’s side also include Education Minister Priya Manickchand, Public Service Minister Sonia Parag, Culture Youth and Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr and Government Member of

Parliament Sanjeev Datadin.

Previously, Ramjattan had stated that if the Government is serious about moving the process along then it should go ahead with it especially since the Opposition, himself in particular, had already indicated support for moving forward.

As a result, the Government’s side had submitted its proposal for the composition of the Constitutional Reform Commission.

At the time, AG Nandlall had stated that the Opposition demonstrated that they are not prepared to discharge the mandate of their responsibilities. He explained that the constitutional reform process requires a parliamentary majority in order to have the constitutional amendments.

“It is our expectation that the Opposition and the Government will, as far as possible, work consensually because in the absence of bipartisan cooperation, not much can be achieved in a constitutional reform process. But the Opposition has shown, demonstrably in other areas, that they are not prepared to discharge the mandate of their responsibilities,” the AG contended.

According to the Attorney General, the coalition Opposition has been displaying this behaviour since the PPP/C Administration took office in 2020.

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022

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

Globalisation and our development

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or a small economy like ours there is not much we can do about globalization, just as we could not when it started its present literal iteration after Columbus stumbled across the Americas and Europe realized the world was not flat but was in fact a globe. We were there at the beginning when the plantations of the Dutch and then the English were created through slave labour to supply agricultural products for Europe. As our lands in the “new world” became populated, ‘free trade” replaced the mercantilist policies of the imperial powers and became driven by comparative advantages in production of goods and services.

There was an ebb and flow between protectionism and free trade over the years but in the late 20th century, free trade accelerated to unbelievable levels during the communication and transportation revolutions. The world truly became a village as each country attempted to move up the value chain in its productive capacity so as to deliver improved standards of living to their citizens. In Guyana, however, the PNC-regime after independence embarked on what turned out to be a detour and frolic as far as following that path of development. Rather than diversifying outside the plantation economy in a strategic fashion by picking products that it could export at an advantage and earn foreign exchange to purchase those items it did not have an advantage, it chose an autarkic strategy that was bound to fail because of our extremely small and underdeveloped markets. Burnham’s policies, compared to Lee Kwan Yew’s for Singapore, which became independent around the same time as us, is an object lesson in the importance of strategic decisions in the development of former colonies.

In the latter part of the 20th century, the Far Eastern Tigers replicated Singapore’s success and demonstrated that the export-driven strategy was transferable. Yet in Guyana, we continued attempting to improve efficiencies in agricultural products like sugar in which we neither had a comparative advantage (as say, Brazil) nor did it platform us into new vistas of production that delivered such advantages. This is not to say that such production must be abandoned with no consideration of the social impact but that those social considerations would be better addressed by moving Guyana into higher value-added products.

Presently, we have also taken the lead within the region for food security and made a commitment to reduce CariCom’s US$6billion food bill by 25% by 2025. Now while this is a good strategic choice in one area where we do have a comparative advantage – land/agriculture– by coupling it with new crops like soya and corn and rearing cattle, this is necessary but not sufficient to take full advantage of globalization and move up the development scale. For this to occur we must at each stage use the technology that we have mastered and move to a higher level. By focusing only on agriculture we will inevitably reach a point of diminishing returns and stagnating horizons.

As such our burgeoning oil industry offers us a platform for moving us strategically into a higher quantum level of development. Take, for instance, the gas-to-shore project on which the government has embarked, and which has been severely criticized by some elements putatively on “environmental” grounds. This initiative offers us the opportunity to develop manufacturing skills and expertise by Guyanese to an intermediate level – such as manufacturing urea from Natural Gas - which has been tried and trusted for a hundred years so there is not much risk involved. Within a few years – before our oil has run out and at which time, we should control a bulging Natural Resource Fund (NRF) that can then facilitate us moving to a higher level of production and continue onwards and upwards on a virtuous cycle.

That globalization has presently stumbled because of supply-chain issues precipitated the COVID -19 pandemic and then the Ukraine war has exposed its downside, but it will be resolved to continue its inexorable march. We have no choice but to exploit its opportunities.

In observance of Emancipation Day 2022, staff of the Times Media Group joined in a display of cultural pieces

Emancipation: the journey to self-actualisation

By Dr Rita Pemberton

L

ike elsewhere in the Caribbean, the enslaved population of Tobago eagerly looked forward to emancipation on August 1, 1838, because they expected they would be able to adjust their lives in the direction they desired.

Their aim was to create a space for themselves and establish independent means of employment to provide for their families an existence that was free of plantation control.

They were disappointed on both counts. The framers of the emancipation law made no provision for the allocation of the island’s land resources to the freed men and women. The planting and merchant fraternity, as landowners and members of the assembly and council who were empowered to institute laws, remained in full control of the island’s resources and implemented laws intended to prevent land ownership by the newly freed population.

Secondly, emancipation notwithstanding, it was certainly not the intention of either the imperial or colonial authorities to cause the demise of the sugar industry because of a dearth of labour. In addition, there were no other employment opportunities on the island.

Hence the freed Africans found themselves still under planter control both for access to land and for employment. This was made very evident immediately after August 1, when the planters expected the freed population to return to work as usual, but they, in defiance, refused to do so under the terms being offered.

The first hurdle which faced the free population was the need to circumvent the restrictive presence of the ruling planter class and its allies.

Enslavement was en-

forced by two sets of chains.

The physical chains included brutal punishments., enforced working hours, abuse and sales.

After emancipation, restrictive laws and prison replaced the whip of enslavement, but the freed Africans resisted planter control. The first years of freedom were marked by planter/worker conflicts over wages, hours of work and terms of employment.

The freed population was able to take advantage of the weakened planter position, which was caused by the decline of the sugar industry and their failure to obtain imperial support for their requests to be allowed to import immigrant labour. The planters were forced into dependence on the resident workers, who in turn were able to wring out an advantage for themselves in terms of access to land and opportunities to purchase or rent portions of unused estate land from cash-strapped planters.

While planters saw potential advantage from this strategy, which would provide a resident labour force whose services would be readily available, to the freed Africans, it was a means to an end. By securing multiple labour arrangements, they were able to reduce planter control, increase their earnings and reduce dependence on the planters.

In fact, even though wages were not increased, the workers benefited from the multiple employment and their ability to supplement their incomes from their gardens. The tables turned and planters became dependent on labour.

Overcoming the second hurdle was a much more challenging exercise, because it was not readily recognisable for what it was, and could not be overcome by a single act.

Under cover of the pretence of a civilising mission,

psychological chains which exploited the notion of inferiority and subhuman nature of African people constituted the tentacles of colonialism.

This led to self-hate. Africans were black and ugly and all negatives were associated with their blackness. The traditions of Africans were savage and pagan, while the corollary was that white was superior, more intelligent, civilised and pretty.

The plantation system was ordered to afford privilege by colour. Some mixedrace men were allowed to hold positions because of the small white population on the island. Within the community of the enslaved, the browns were elevated over the blacks.

This created the desire for “whiteness” as a means of social improvement, which is reflected in the class system, as are notions of development, which invariably meant motion away from things African. So the class system was reflected in housing, dress and foods.

In addition to the forced separation from their homeland, there was the separation from their history.

The fallacy of Africa as “the dark continent” with no history found fertile ground in Europe. Enslaved Africans were led to believe that the falsehood that the history of Africans, which was said to have begun in captivity and enslavement, was something to be ashamed of. For generations, historical knowledge of the great African civilisations was kept secret from the descendants of enslaved Africans, who were made to study European history and history written by Europeans.

Self-hate has persisted down to the present day. It is reflected in the effort some people make to alter themselves and to be something other than ourselves. Hence skin-lightening creams, body-changing mechanisms

and beauty regimes reflect people who are not comfortable in their own skins. Some parents still express a preference for the “light-skinned” children and those with “nice” hair, to the detriment of the self-image of their darker offspring.

In order to feel acceptable, some people accept the superficial items that are advertised or projected in the media, as they feel the need to look like those people who are in control. In this way too, importance is attached to the possession of brand-name items and /or the dress of movie stars and entertainers.

Huge industries, which feed the coffers of overseas investors, have been established.

Europeanisation has been equated with modernity and valuable traditions have been sacrificed in the process. The Tobago coconut industry was killed when coconut oil was labelled a cause of heart disease and Tobago food was classified as “poor man food,” stimulating the growth of the fast-food industry on the island, despite its impact on the health of the population.

Coconut oil and ground provisions became “gentrified” when industries which generated income outside the region were established.

After 184 years of emancipation, the negatives of coloniality remain evident in the society. More effort is required to break the psychological chains of enslavement, and it must start with self- love. (T&T Newsday) (Dr. Rita Pemberton is a former Senior Lecturer in History at UWI, St. Augustine. She holds a PhD from UWI and has taught the History of Trinidad and Tobago. She has served the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) as a member of the CSEC Caribbean History Examining Team since 2000 and from 2008-2016 she was Chief Examiner Caribbean History.)

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

5

News

More-coordinated approach against TIP needed – Human Services Minister

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uman Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud called for a coordinated approach against trafficking in persons as her Ministry hosted an awareness walk to commemorate World Day Against Trafficking In Persons 2022.

While addressing supporters of anti-trafficking in persons, on Friday, Dr Persaud said that there must be a coordinated approach between different agencies, Ministries, and private sector entities against trafficking in persons. “…we are all in blue, the

colour that represents the stance against trafficking in persons but there are many more things that we ought to do and one of those things that we must have is a coordinated approach against trafficking in persons which means every agency, every department, every Ministry, every private sector entity, every mission, we need to stand and not only rise our voices against trafficking in persons, but we need to encourage people to report it.

That is the only way that we will be able to really help someone who is being traf-

ficked,” she said.

The Minister said that the fight against trafficking in persons is not a “one-man or a one-woman or a one-agency battle”, but a battle that involves everyone as many times those who are trafficked are not able to report that they are being trafficked.

“Many times, those who are trafficked are not able to report this for themselves.

Many times, we have to do this. It is a big responsibility, but I think it’s a responsibility when you recognise the impact of those persons’ lives, you want to take it on as your

Security guards and guns

Dear Editor, It wasn’t surprising to look at the way the security guard’s gun was taken away during a robbery at Beterverwagting, but I surely hoped the perpetrators are quickly apprehended and the gun recovered before it gets used wrongfully.

Over the years, I did pen my concerns regarding the various security services

appearing and just giving these young men high-powered guns. To obtain one as a security guard, you just have to apply to the security service and go to Eve Leary for two days of training to handle a firearm, and you’re given a paper allowing you to hold a firearm. If you’re an ex-Police or military person, you’re automatically eligible.

Many of these young men

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are not trained in self-defence, or in any way to defend themselves in hand-tohand combat, or to protect the gun they’re carrying.

The security services themselves are not encouraging or providing any training facilities for them. Added to that, especially at the Chinese Supermarket, security has to work from the time the store opens until it closes, which is between 12 and 15 hours, without relief or lunch hour, and that could cause mentally instability.

It is high time that security services provide their ranks with a gym/training area, and mandate that on one of their working days per week they are to exercise and train.

Editor, a few months ago, I communicated with a friend associated with the management of a security firm, and I expressed my concerns and observations.

On Thursday night, hanging out with a close friend in front of a supermarket at Goed Fortuin, I again raised the issue, and my friend said he thought thieves would be scared to attack any security company. The very next day, we saw the video.

Government and officials need to look into the affairs of security officers, and what transpires throughout the day. Are they being paid enough? Are they being overworked? In most places you go, especially Chinese supermarkets, security personnel could be seen doing the work of labourers, fetching heavy objects/loads in/out of the supermarket, to and from vehicles; and during the process, the guns are slung on their backs or sides, which leaves them vulnerable.

Some could be seen measuring, weighting, and so on for customers. I guess their scope of duties varies, depending on where they work.

Sincerely, Sahadeo Bates

Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud called for a coordinated approach against trafficking in persons as her Ministry hosted an awareness walk to commemorate World Day Against Trafficking In Persons 2022

own. This is not a one man, or one woman, or one agency battle, it is a battle that should involve everyone,” she expressed.

On Thursday, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and Magistrate Christel Lambert gave insights on the trial of trafficking in persons and the international best practices adopted by the justice system to not only enhance the prosecution of this crime but also to provide protection to victims.

Magistrate Lambert said that Guyana’s commitment to preventing this form of serious modern-day slavery has seen the enactment of the Combatting Trafficking in Persons Act of 2005.

Against this backdrop, Magistrate Lambert assured that victims are protected in such a way that they are not prosecuted while being heard for certain types of offenc-

es they may have engaged in while being trafficked, such as immigration-related offences.

“So, we would like persons out there, who are undocumented in our country, to know that they will not be prosecuted and that they should not be afraid to come forward,” she said.

Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan spoke about the trial process, noting that the majority of human trafficking cases are disposed of in the Magistrates’ Courts.

Once a matter is filed in the court and the accused is arraigned, she said, “the court’s role is to conduct a victim-centred, trauma-informed, speedy trial which aims at avoiding revictimisation.”

Meanwhile, Dr Persaud launched a hand signal to counter trafficking in persons. Victims of trafficking in

persons are required to clasp their fingers into their palms and release them in a repeated motion three times to signal for help.

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is observed on July 30 in a bid to raise awareness about the ordeal of human trafficking victims and the ways to safeguard their rights.

This year, World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is held under the theme “Use and Abuse of Technology”. It focuses on the role of technology as a tool that can both enable and impede human trafficking.

Trafficking in persons is a crime in Guyana and is punishable by imprisonment of a minimum sentence of not less than three years and a maximum sentence of not more than five years, according to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. (G2)

6 FEATURE

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

PUPPY AILMENTS – continued RICKETS

Q: What is Rickets?

A: Readers may have heard the term Rickets being loosely used to describe children with bowed legs. The more general description of Rickets in dogs and cats is that it is a skeletal ailment that originally stems from an imbalance in the ratio of Calcium, Phosphorus, and vitamin D in the blood of puppies/kittens, and later in young adults.

Actually, the cause of this ailment may be more complicated. For example, the parathyroid hormone (PTH) plays a meaningful role in the development of the nutrient imbalance.

• Lameness/stiff gait/difficulty in rising.

• Thriftlessness.

• Bone pain (exhibited when the owner touches the leg or when the vet palpitates the legs).

• Bowing of the legs (see photos below), and other skeletal deformities - not lastly because the bones may be growing at different rates.

• Stunted growth.

• Perverse appetite (see N.B.2 below) • Spontaneous fractures • Greenstick fractures - a condition in which the bone is so soft that it bends (as a result of some physical pressure) instead of breaking/cracking.

Q: What precipitates the Calcium, Phosphorous and Vitamin D imbalance?

A: The most common cause would be dietary deficiencies of Phosphorus and Vitamin D. Calcium insufficiency is also implicated in the development of this ailment, though this does not happen often.

Veterinarians have identified improperly formulated homemade diet fed to the young puppies and kittens, and even adults, as the main contributing factor to "Rickets". These diets are often pure meat/all vegetable/all bread and rice concoctions. Diets of street corner dog foods are also questionable.

The development of Rickets in adult dogs - especially those that have other physiological problems, e.g., malabsorption disorders - is also linked to an all meat/vegetable/rice/ bread/table scraps diet in adult dogs, (unbalanced diets), which leads to calcium deficiency.

N.B. 1. Many affected dogs/cats may not only fail to thrive, but certain physiological expectations do not emerge. For example, bitches may not come into heat regularly, or at all.

2. Growing and adult animals may exhibit perverse appetites - craving and eating substances like paint, clay, plasters, linoleum, dirt, etc.

Q: Treatment?

Q: What are Rickets symptoms?

A: In puppies and kittens and young adult dogs, signs of Rickets include:

• The joints are clearly enlarged, especially where the ribs meet the cartilage of the breastbone.

• Twitching, even seizures (rare) because of low calcium levels in the blood.

In adults (older) dogs and cats, in addition to some of the symptoms mentioned above, the veterinarian - during a clinical examination - may firstly find periodontal ailments. These would exhibit themselves as a thinning of the jawbones, exposing the roots of the teeth.

Consequently, the teeth loosen and are expelled.

RICKETS IN YOUNG DOGS

A: As always, when one knows the cause of the ailment, it is easier to implement responsive therapy.

Since we have decided that Rickets is mostly diet-related, that is where the focus would be. Your vet would advise on a properly formulated diet, which in all

likelihood would include tested and proven commercial rations that counter the described deficiencies.

Of course, if the problem is initially an inability to absorb the nutrients from the food offered, this condition must be corrected. Further, if the origin is hormonal (PTH- see above), your vet would advise accordingly. Also, relative to the Vitamin D involvement, it would be helpful to expose the puppy/kitten, young adults to sunshine for short periods (not so long as to kill them with sun stroke).

Please do not implement a diet regimen without vet advice, supervision, and monitoring (especially if the caregiver wants to add supplements (such as vitamins, calcium, etc. willy-nilly).

Q: Chances of recovery (prognosis)?

A: Once veterinary advice (especially related to the feeding/diet protocol) is followed, the afflicted puppy/kitten/young and adult animal would recover well.

The response to proper nutrition is rapid.

Within two weeks, the affected animals become more active. However, do not allow them to jump and climb up or walk down stairways. I advise you restrict their movement until they are considered to be in good health by your vet.

Sunday, July 31, 2022

06:00 (Sign on) Jewanram Rel. Hour 07:00 Car toons 08:00 Shekinah Ministry 08:30 Evening News (RB) 09:30 Fast n Loud S7 E10 10:30 Car toons 11:00 D. Persaud Religious Program 11:30 Prime Series - Blippi’s Educational Adventures for Kids 11:48 Congressional Black Caucus hosts President Dr Irfaan Ali for dinner R/B 12:00 Wheel of For tune 12:30 Movie - Cut, Color, Murder (2022) 14:00 Movie - Remember the Titans (2000) 16:00 Movie - I Believe (2017) 17:30 The Healing Touch 18:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine S5 E5 18:30 Week-in-Review 19:00 Lucifer S2 E16 20:00 Riverdale S3 E9 21:00 Arrow S3 E12 22:00 National Geographic 23:00 Hear tstopper S1 E8 23:30 Whose Line Is It Anyway? S15 E3

00:00 Sign off

NEWS

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ministerial Outreach in Melanie

Govt to look into land-titling, African ancestral lands – Nandlall …as works ongoing on titles for ECD communities

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Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

n the wake of a visit to Melanie by a Government team that saw several residents raise concerns about land titling and African ancestral lands, Attorney General Anil Nandlall has promised that a team from his Ministry will return and look into these matters.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall was among the team of Government Ministers visiting Melanie on the East Coast of Demerara ECD) on Saturday. During the visit, several residents raised the issue of ancestral lands and land titling, including one woman who said she paid for land since 2005 but has not gotten transports.

“We need our lands… we need our ancestral lands; we need our titles. My husband dead and I ain’t get the transport. And like me gon dead and not get the trans-

port too,” said the elderly woman.

“We need the lands. Those are our ancestors’ lands.

Those people work hard, they fight for those lands.

Blood spill for those lands,” she said, claiming that persons from the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) had promised to give them the lands on the condition that they had to cultivate cane.

According to the resident, who hails from the community of Bare Root, residents were unable to fulfil that condition. Meanwhile, Nandlall assured the residents that a team from the Legal Affairs Ministry will return to the area next week, where they will sit down with residents to address their land titling concerns.

“The question of title.

Now, as you know, I have been going around the country, with the support some-

times of Housing and Lands and Surveys, to bring regularity to what I think Housing describes as squatting settlements. Villages and communities that exist for decades, where there is no titular ownership of the land that people have constructed their houses on.”

“So, I have been going around filling these gaps.

We’re doing several villages on the Corentyne, West Coast Berbice, Essequibo and in Region Three. The persons at Buxton and Golden Grove and the Prime Minister and I met with a group there, they also raised the same issue of untitled lands,” Nandlall said.

The Attorney General explained that after the next session of Parliament goes into recess, he will be visiting communities along the East Coast to begin the process of land regularisation.

He noted that the villagers would meet with the surveyors. Meanwhile, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal also assured that work is underway to ensure persons can get their long-awaited titles.

“Just to update you, we have finished the occupational survey. And we have already filed the plan with the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission. So, by the second week of August, I’m expecting to get that plan approved. And we’ll move to

the next phase of processing the titles. So, I can assure you that, well not for Emancipation but for your Christmas, you will have your titles,” Croal said.

Back in May, an outreach led by Nandlall in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), saw decades-old land issues at Walton Hall and Jib villages on the Essequibo Coast being addressed. The Attorney General was accompanied at the time by Croal, Regional Vice Chairman Humace Odit, and Prime Ministerial representative Arnold Adams.

Minister Nandlall had explained at the time that the lands were previously owned by a cooperative society whose members passed away and therefore, the intention is to move the transport from

Residents of Melanie, East Coast Demerara, at the meeting on Saturday

a singular transport vested in the name of the co-op into individual transports for persons who are occupying land.

“The first step in the process is to get the lands surveyed, do a plan, individual plan to demarcate exactly where you are living,

and then to begin the process…what is of crucial importance is that you indicate to the persons who drawing the plan the name that you will like the transport to be issued in,” the Attorney General had told the residents. (G3)

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Toy gun, improvised weapons seized

by Police at Emancipation J’ouvert

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anks of the Guyana Police Force on Friday evening confiscated several items from patrons entering the Emancipation J'ouvert held at the National Park in Georgetown.

According to the Police Force, there were about 2500 persons in attendance at the event, which ran from 18:00h on Friday to 02:10h on Saturday.

It was noted that full Police coverage was provided for the event and during routine searches conducted at the gate, ranks found and confiscated improvised weapons, scissors, lighters and a toy gun.

Meanwhile, the Police say there were no incidents during the event.

This heightened security at the National Park comes on the heels of an incident there during an event back in May. Chaos had erupted in the National Park during the “Baderation” Concert back

The items confiscated by Police on Saturday at the National Park

in May after gunshots were fired while dancehall artiste Skeng was performing.

Videos which circulated on social media showed that in the midst of the artiste’s performance, gunshots were fired by patrons attending the concert. There were no reports of anyone being injured by the gunshots, but some persons sustained minor injuries after glass bottles were thrown in the crowd.

There were reports as well of the Banks DIH bar at the event being robbed.

Additionally, the Police had also arrested one person who

was found with an illegal gun.

Following that incident, Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken had met with the promoters of the event, and had ordered that heightened security be in place for future events.

Moreover, days after the concert, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn had said “artistes like Skeng” will be banned from performing at public events in Guyana.

This came on the heels of several Guyanese citizens sharing their opinion that the artiste might have influenced the partygoers’ violent

behaviour at the concert.

“I have to say here and now, that no artiste like Skeng will ever come again into this country, will not come again into this country under the signature of any person from the Ministry of Home Affairs or from the Guyana Police Force, will not come on a public stage,” he had said.

The Minister added too that these artistes will only be able to perform in enclosed places if possible.

“If they want, they can go into a private club and behave as badly as they want.

We will not sign off on any such artiste or any artiste who has a record of promoting vulgar and lawless behaviour including the firing of gunshots in public places,” Benn had stated.

However, there was widespread public outrage over the Minister’s statement, with persons taking to social media to criticise the decision.

Flexing muscles… …against PPP Government

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s sure as the sun rises in the east – or the Pope will offer another apology for the paedophile priests, but won’t punish them – the GPSU has come out swinging against the PPP Government!! And trust this Eyewitness that it came out on the eve of Emancipation Day, when the PNC and its camp followers are organising a massive protest against the said Government that is as coordinated as Hitler’s Waffen SS goosestepping in Berlin!!

It’s all going down in Georgetown, baby!!

Shades of 1963, when they struck for 80 days on behalf of the PNC, and brought down the PPP Government to install it in Government! Or 1999 when – after the PNC had ruled dictatorially for 28 years - they came out again for 55 days in tandem with a rampaging PNC, and bludgeoned the PPP to a 36% wage increase against a background of widespread violence on perceived supporters of the PPP. Or, every time the PNC wanted to shake-up the PPP, they were always there to do their bit.

In 2020, they called out their nurses in the midst of the COVID pandemic to demand a bonus – which the PNC had reneged on just the year before, when they were in power. And here they are again, screaming that the PPP’s ignoring the collective bargaining process and “imposing” wage increases.

Well, how is it that, when the PNC was in power between 2015 and 2020, the GPSU was like a pussycat when “their government” reneged on their pre-election promise to give ALL Government workers SUBSTANTIAL pay raises. Which turned out to be ONE-QUARTER of the 50% raise the PNC gave itself!! And never engaged in collective bargaining – but accepted unilaterally-imposed increases??

But we know - and the PNC knows - that because of its strategic control of the Government’s bureaucracy, the GPSU can always cripple PPP Governments. If politics is war by other means, GPSU threats and strikes are PNC’s politics by proxy!! It pays to occupy strategic arms of the state, and it’s why the PNC will never encourage its supporters to move out of the Public Service into, say, private enterprise, even though they’d do much better there!! Instead, they keep agitating and building resentment about being excluded! Gotta keep those grouses going, baby!!

Anyhow, the GPSU – under its evident president-forlife Patrick Yarde – has announced that not only has the PPP Government “ignored collective bargaining” (a union matter), but “also charged that there was discrimination in the allocation of resources across the country” – a political matter!! They threatened that they’ll first be going to the courts, and then…they’ll take to the streets.

Well, in tandem with the Emancipation Day protests by the PNC, we know what to expect!! Forewarned is forearmed? …for perpetrators?

Your Eyewitness just heard – not through the grapevine! – that the Government’s introducing legislation - the Restorative Justice Bill – for “repairing the harm caused by an offence”. Our justice system, of course, is guided “punitive justice” – derived from the old “eye for an eye” perspective: “if someone does the crime, he should do the time”. Now while punishing the perpetrator, the victim could possibly seek redress as a civil matter, but the state system didn’t bother with that angle.

Of recent, there’ve been calls for this to be rectified, so that victims of crimes could be made whole as far as possible through actions of the state. So, your Eyewitness was thrown for a loop when he realised that this Bill on “Restorative Justice” was designed to “restore the PERPETRATOR” to the status quo ante as far as possible!!

With the agreement of the victim, if the perpetrator accepts responsibility for the commission of the offence… he’ll be forgiven??

How does this repair “the harm of the offence”? …on Emancipation So, there’s gonna be a big gathering at, significantly, Burnham Court, by APNU and WPA on Aug 2, to show the PPP the power of “boots-on-the-ground politics”.

Looks like “votes-in-the-box” politics was abandoned on March 2, 2020!!

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance

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

NEWS

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Hess pumped US$622M into Guyana, other countries in 2nd quarter …capital & exploratory investments increased from 2021

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uyana is among the countries that Hess Corporation, a partner in the Stabroek Block where ExxonMobil is the operator, poured over US$600 million in investments into for the second quarter of the 2022 fiscal year.

According to the Capital and Exploratory Expenditures contained in Hess’ estimated results for the second quarter, the company invested US$622 million during that fiscal period, an increase from the previous second quarter figures of US$429 million.

This, Hess explained, was primarily due to higher exploration, drilling

and development activities in their oil and gas holdings in Guyana. Their other investments included Bakken, Gulf of Mexico, and Malaysia.

“Midstream capital expenditures were $72 million in the second quarter of 2022, up from $47 million in the prior-year quarter,” Hess explained in their second quarter report, which also included their production figures from the Stabroek Block.

According to Hess, the net production at the Stabroek Block where they hold a 30 per cent stake, totalled 67,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) in the second quarter of 2022… as compared with 26,000 bopd

Consensual Constitutional...

“Is it that on every location where the Government requires or is required to engage with the Opposition, the Government must await the Opposition? Endure the incompetence and ineptitude that seemed to permeate the Opposition? I don’t think that a Government should be burdened like that. We are committed to discharging the mandate given to us by the people of our country. We have a manifesto, a pact with the people of Guyana and we

FROM PAGE 3

intend to deliver on that programme. Part of that programme is constitutional reform.”

“If it is that the Opposition wishes to dilate, if it is that they wish to default, if it is that they wish to procrastinate or simply refuse to carry out their mandate and their promises, well that’s a matter for them. But the Government can’t allow that to cripple us and prevent us from moving the country forward,” Nandlall had outlined. (G8)

in the prior-year quarter.

“Production from the Liza Destiny FPSO reached its new production capacity of more than 140,000 gross bopd in the second quarter of 2022 following the completion of production optimisation work initiated in March,” Hess explained.

“Net production from the Liza Unity FPSO, which commenced in February, was 35,000 bopd in the second quarter of 2022, and reached its production capacity of 220,000 gross bopd in July. In the second quarter, we sold 6 one-million-barrel cargos of crude oil from Guyana compared with 2 one-million-barrel cargos in the prior year quarter.”

The oil rich Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres).

Exxon, through subsidiary EEPGL, is the operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.

So far, Exxon’s total investments in Guyana total GY$1.3 trillion on its own and over GY$3 trillion with

its partners. Additionally, the joint venturers’ exploration and production plans up to 2025 will likely increase their investments to more than GY$6 trillion.

ExxonMobil has said it anticipates at least six projects offshore Guyana will be online by 2027, with developmental drilling having been recently started on the second one, the Liza Phase 2 project. Production has already started in the second phase, with the Liza Unity floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel in operation.

The third project – the Payara Development – will meanwhile target an estimated resource base of

about 600 million oil-equivalent barrels, and was at one point considered to be the largest single planned investment in the history of Guyana.

Meanwhile, the Yellowtail development, which will be oil giant ExxonMobil’s fourth development in Guyana’s waters, will turn out to be the single largest development so far in terms of barrels per day of oil, with a mammoth 250,000 bpd targeted.

It was only on Tuesday last that Exxon announced new oil finds in the Stabroek Block, bringing its total discoveries in the block to 33 and its finds for this year to seven. Oil was

found at the Seabob-1 and the Kiru-Kiru-1 wells.

In a statement on Tuesday, EEPGL announced the discoveries of oil at its Seabob and KiruKiru wells. The Seabob-1 well, drilled by the Stena Carron ship at a depth of 4660 feet, encountered 131 feet of oil.

On the other hand, the Kiru-Kiru-1 well, drilled by the Stena DrillMAX at a depth of 5760 feet, encountered 98 feet of oil. Drilling operations meanwhile continue at this well. With these discoveries, Exxon has now made a total of 38 discoveries overall in Guyana’s waters. (G3)

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NEWS

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Pensioner killed in SoesdykeLinden Highway accident Prologue to Constitutional Change

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ccording to Attorney General Anil Nandalall, Constitutional Change is once again going to be placed on the “national agenda”. It would appear that the process will follow that of the 2000 constitutional changes that were made subsequent to the formation of a “Constitutional Reform Commission” (CRC) in 1998 as part of the Herdsmanston Accord.

Ravi Dev The latter was hammered out after the PPP and its presumed supporters were hammered by violent PNC protests in the streets of Georgetown following the Dec 1997 elections, which the PPP won but the PNC insisted were “fatally flawed”. A “forensic audit” in the overall Caricom Accord proved the PNC’s claim was false but by then, the PPP had already truncated its term by two years; elections were due and the question was moot.

This time, the process was initiated from within the “Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform” that was established out of the 2000 constitutional changes. It was envisaged that the 1980 constitution being severely modified was to be treated as a “living constitution”: changes were to be initiated from within the bipartisan committee on a continuous basis to address new challenges to the extant institutions adumbrated by the constitution. Now 22 years later, the process will be recapitulated, hopefully without any new hammering in the streets by the PNC even though there are ominous signs and threats of the latter.

As one who participated in the 2000 process as a member of several groups, including the “Jaguar Committee for Democracy” (the precursor to “Rise Organise and Rebuild” (ROAR) Guyana Movement) I venture a few comments. The first being that after the extensive 2000 constitutional changes - unanimously accepted by the PNC and PPP as necessary for “inclusive governance” our politics continued deteriorating. Ethnically directed violence actually increased during and after the 2001 elections when Buxton-based “African Freedom Fighters” launched attacks on both the state and PPP “supporters” – read innocent Indians - until Guyana became a killing field in retaliatory violence.

But in 2022 are we expecting different results by repeating what must be acknowledged as a failed initiative. Should we not examine some of the reasons for the failure? The primary one was pointed out by us back in 1998 in what we had labelled the “Conflict over the conflict”.

Everyone accepted we had a conflict but there was a deep disagreement over the nature of the conflict. A decade earlier we had asserted that unlike what the PPP, PNC and WPA claimed, while all societies have cleavages along various markers that are given significance during political mobilization, in Guyana ethnic/racial cleavages had trumped class based ones.

As to whether ethnicity was a constructed/structural/situational condition rather than an ontological one was a false dilemma. While the concept of “intersectionality” was not common then, we now have the benefit of appreciating that oppression may be inflicted along any number of cleavages and people will act according to their “lived experience”. In Guyana, ethnicity is still more dominant in motivating our citizens to political action, notwithstanding that class differences remain. We were dubbed “racists for taking this position and most constitutional changes of 2000, blithely ignored the significance of the Guyanese reality of ethnic salience.

If we are not very clear on the nature of our conflict in 2022 the constitutional changes adopted will again be at best irrelevant. We insisted then and insist now that any new or modified constitution must take into consideration the ethnic nature of our conflict and address it through adjustment of the existent power relations – intrastate and state-polity – as they impact on the conflict. A discussion and agreement on the nature of our conflict in a threshold issue that cannot be sidestepped along with acceptance that conflict reduction is our goal.

In 1998 we had submitted a completely new constitution with a welter of proposals to address our ethnic conundrum. The question we posed was what was the best configuration of institutions to adopt in order to ameliorate OUR intergroup conflict. At that time, for instance, we had identified the two Ethnic Security Dilemmas (ESD) of our two major groups in conflict and proffered specific suggestions to alleviate them. That the basis of the African ESD has now been resolved through demographic changes but their economic disparities remain entrenched, remind us that our constitution must become a real living document.

The second criticism being made again is that the process of engendering constitutional change must be one that is most inclusive to deliver the greatest legitimacy.

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance

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n elderly woman was killed and several others injured after the motor car they were travelling in suffered a blow-out of one of its tyres and flipped several times on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

Dead is 69-year-old Marva Alder of Wismar Housing Scheme, Linden.

Those injured have been identified as 56-year-old Simone Barker, also of Wismar; 54-year-old Mervyn Mc Andrew, and 21-year-old Joel Mc Andrew of Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

Dead: Marva Alder

The accident occurred sometime around 19:00h on Thursday evening in the vicinity of Long Creek on the highway.

According to Police reports, Alder and the three other persons were passengers in a hire car travelling on the highway when the driver claimed his left side front wheel blew out.

This resulted in him losing control of the vehicle and it flipped several times before coming to a halt.

Alder was taken out of the vehicle in an unconscious state and was pronounced dead at the scene by an Emergency Medical Technician.

The other three passengers in the vehicle were re-

moved and taken to the Mackenzie Hospital.

Barker was admitted as a patient in the female surgical ward suffering from head injuries, while the two other men were admitted in the Male Surgical Ward for observation.

Alder’s body was escorted to Carmen’s Funeral Home for storage awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, the driver, a resident of Phase 1 B Wisroc Housing Scheme, was breathalysed but no trace of alcohol was found in his system.

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Be aware of locations to uplift cash grants – Manickchand T

EPA monitoring air quality around rice mills

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o deliver the “Because We Care” cash grants in a timely manner, Education Minister Priya Manickchand has advised parents to be mindful of the locations that they are to collect the money from.

This year, some schools will be receiving the $30,000 cash grant at different locations to optimise personnel on the ground, and ensure that there isn’t a crowd at these points. There is a schedule with the list of schools and locations to collect the grant.

As she was providing clarity on Friday regarding the grant, the Education Minister noted, “We are unable to serve every single school at the school. So, if the school has a small number, we asked them to go to a school nearby so we’re able to group and use one set of personnel at that place. That is why you have to look at the schedule.”

At every location, there will be education officers, teachers, auditors from the Audit Office of Guyana and Police officers. Manickchand relayed that this grant was useful last year, owing to the attendance rate.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand

“We believe this is going to be a great help to parents. We know, given last year’s attendance that it was very useful. The one thing we couldn’t fix entirely is the waiting period. We have lowered the number of persons at any location.”

The prerequisite for eligibility includes being on the register for attendance in the next school year.

Amid questions, she clarified that those children entering the nursery level are beneficiaries.

“The test is are you on the register to go to school in September. You have to be registered and you will

be in school in September 2022. The children who are now going into nursery school have to had applied by the 30th June.

By now, they would know which school they’ve gotten.

They’re going to that school to receive the grant.”

For children entering primary school in September, parents are advised to look for the nursery school location to uplift the grant, meaning where the register was last marked.

They will be served there.

Students leaving the school system are not entitled to the grant. However, those returning for the

Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) programme will receive theirs when the school year has commenced.

The grant is not open for post-secondary students.

The $5.8 billion in “Because We Care” cash grant distribution exercise will commence on August 2 – a process that will be completed within a six-day period. Parents can collect the grant or authorise someone to do so.

A few days ago, Permanent Secretary Alfred King highlighted that the Ministry’s system provides for accountability, transparency, fairness and efficient distribution of the cash grant.

“We have a planning committee that is headed by the Minister. Our policy directive to the other players or members of the committee is that as far as practicably possible, we must do everything that is within our grasp to ensure that this programme is fully transparent. The fairness and registration is one that can withstand thorough scrutiny at every level,” King had expressed. (G12)

he Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it will continue to monitor air quality around rice mills.

According to the EPA, it has recently placed more emphasis on air quality monitoring around rice mills in the agricultural communities across the country.

These communities are often affected by dust pollution which stems from operations being conducted at the rice mills such as the drying of paddy, burning of paddy husk, dumping of paddy ash, spontaneous combustion of paddy husk, and transport of rice by-products.

When contacted on Friday, Head of the EPA Khemraj Parsram said they are addressing complaints received from residents in areas in Mahaica.

“We are addressing complaints regarding two rice mills in Mahaica...Cane Grove and Strangroen ...complaints of dust from the burning of paddy husk and dust from the mill,” he said.

He stated that since receiving complaints, they have met farmers in the area who have been very communicative.

“So, we met with the millers and the respective communities and got assurances from the millers to put measures in place to address,” he stated.

“As part of our investigation, we are monitoring the emissions to determine what

measures we may have to stipulate to address,” Parsram added.

To reduce the effects of the operations conducted by some of the rice mills, the EPA has since suggested several measures that can be taken such as the use wet suppression techniques, heavy-duty filters, appropriation of adequate buffer zones between the mill and residential areas, and the use of covers for trucks.

Meanwhile, the EPA head elaborated a bit more into the initiative that focuses on rice mills.

“This is a campaign we also started to address these long-standing issues related to rice mills close and within communities and upwind of residents,” he explained.

“Since we boosted our capacity with state-of-the-art monitoring equipment including remote real-time technology,” he added.

The agency back 2021 received the state-of-the-art air quality sensors which can conduct real-time monitoring as a donation from IQ Air, which is a Swiss air quality technology company that specialises in the protection against airborne pollutants and developing air quality monitors and air cleaning products.

Sensors have since been set up by the EPA at areas in Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam, and Hampton Court.

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ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING

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he Environmental Protection Act requires that, among the numerous functions outlined, pollution is prevented or controlled; that assessments of the impacts of economic development on the environment are done; and that environmental regulations are established, monitored, and enforced. As a reminder, the Act and the following regulations fall under the purview of the EPA: * Air Quality Regulations * Water Quality Regulations * Noise Management Regulations * Hazardous Waste Regulations 2000 * Authorisation Regulations 2000 * Litter Enforcement Regulations 2013, and * Expanded Polystyrene Ban Regulations 2016.

These legal instruments serve as the foundation of the work of the EPA. It is important to remember that, before any activity that is likely to have an impact on the environment commences, an authorisation from the EPA has to be issued in the form of an Environmental Permit. In order to issue this permit, the Agency must be provided with a description of the project, including the foreseen impacts and the actions that would be taken to address them.

What is environmental monitoring?

Environmental monitoring refers to the tools and techniques designed to observe an environment, characterise its quality, and establish environmental parameters (air quality, water quality, noise levels etc.) for the purpose of accurately determining the impact an activity has on the environment.

The main objectives of environmental monitoring are to mitigate or lessen the harmful effects on the natural environment, and to protect human health and ensure compliance with laws and regulations. Additionally, monitoring ensures the effectiveness and efficiency of activities of businesses and development projects, and can save money in the long term.

The importance of compliance monitoring cannot be sufficiently emphasised. The EPA ensures that compliance monitoring is carried out for every activity in Guyana that can pose a threat to our environment. Once a project is issued a permit, compliance monitoring is scheduled by the EPA: to ensure that these measures are implemented, and, of course, to determine how effective and efficient they are. Some of the parameters monitored are air and water quality, noise levels, and waste and land management techniques.

Since December 2021, the EPA has acquired the technology, equipment, and personnel required to conduct environmental monitoring remotely; that is: through the use of satellites, programmes, and partnerships with external agencies. In the EPA’s Monitoring Room, staff are able to see in real time – and, in some cases, near real time - activities both on-shore and off-shore Guyana, including vessel movement and air quality information from sensors across the coast and in Linden. If, at the end of the monitoring exercise, a developer is found to be in breach of his/ her permit conditions, the Agency can take actions which were identified in our July 17 article.

The slogan “the environment is everybody’s business” suggests that the responsibility of environmental monitoring does not fall solely on the shoulders of the EPA; developers and members of the public are also required to be complaint and observant.

Note: Some images displayed are a representation of the equipment used by the Agency, and not necessarily the exact models of the pieces of equipment.

Source: https://www.heavy.ai/technical-glossary/environmentalmonitoring You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O ECEA Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at eit.epaguyana@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance

FEATURE

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By Alva Solomon

T

he North Rupununi villages of Massara and Aranaputa were abuzz with excitement during the Caricom Weekend, earlier this month, as scores of residents, visitors and participants converged there to witness a highly anticipated marathon and canoe regatta.

Both events were inaugurally being held at these two villages, which sit near to the Annai sub-district. And while the activities were performed in the sweltering heat of the savannah lands, the organisers, Climb Guyana, ensured

that the rest of the country was kept abreast of each event via social media.

The Rupununi Marathon

According to Amanda Wilson, founder of Climb Guyana, this 26.2-mile marathon was successfully hosted on July 3, and the results were beyond the organisers’ expectations. As far as she could recall, it was the first mountain-marathon held in the Rupununi, and the organisers had mapped out a unique course for the participants.

The event commenced with 25 athletes dashing out from the Oasis Service Centre

And they are off! Athletes participating in the inaugural Rupununi Marathon set off from the starting point outside the Oasis Service Centre at Annai during the Caricom Weekend event held earlier this month (photo courtesy of Climb Guyana)

in Annai to race along the swampy terrain at the foot of the Pakaraima Mountain Range and along mountain tracks above the Aranaputa Valley.

Besides runners from the Rupununi, there were both male and female participants from neighbouring Venezuela and Brazil competing with the locals.

“I was happy to see so many young people running in a marathon for the first time, including members from the FC Basin in Aranaputa,” Wilson has said.

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FROM PAGE 15

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uyanese Owen Brown, who hails from Aranaputa, comfortably won the race and walked away with a cash prize worth $100,000.

Brazilian Wellington Barbosa DaSilva and Guyanese Aaron Paulin crossed the line in second and third place, and earned for themselves respective cash prizes of $50,000 and $30,000.

Wilson has said this event would be hosted annually, and marathon enthusiasts from Suriname and Brazil have already indicated their interest in participating in the event next year.

She describes the event as adding to the tourism product that Aranaputa has to offer; the other aspects of

the product include hiking, fishing and bird watching.

Wilson has said that the marathon was a popup event, which she described as “different”. She said it gave the participants a chance to see the beauty of the Aranaputa Valley, and it presented a unique challenge for them to explore that valley in search of the winning prizes. The Aranaputa Village Council was fully involved in the event, Wilson added.

She has said that Climb Guyana, conceptualised in the North Rupununi in 2021, is making a name for itself. “The territory’s serene and mountainous beauty matched our inner adventurer spirit, and we wanted to share our unbelievable and memorable experiences

the Massara main road.

Wilson has said that the Caricom Weekend events could not have been possible without several corporate entities boosting the successful hosting of these two events. The sponsors include ANSA McAL, Banks DIH Ltd, Sterling Products Ltd, Massy, Matt Falloon, Green Mango Media, the Island Swim Collection, BVI, and Cindy’s Bus Service, among

Participants in the Canoe Regatta paddling across the waterlogged landscape at Massara village during the event held earlier this month

with others,” she declared.

It has also been noted that this event, and future events which Climb Guyana plans to host in the area, would bene-

fit the economic growth of the North Rupununi.

Importantly, Wilson said, the Climb Guyana team has been working closely with Indigenous villages in the

Two female runners traversing the roadway at Aranaputa in their quest to win the top prizes in Climb Guyana’s Rupununi Marathon, which was held earlier this month (Photo courtesy of Climb Guyana)

area, and visitors would revel in the joys of the savannah region through the eyes of its Indigenous inhabitants as future events are undertaken there.

The Massara Canoe Regatta

The village of Massara

many other generous entities.

Climb Guyana was launched in November 2021 with an expedition held in the Kanuku Mountains. The focus of this tourism/sports/ adventure-branded entity is to showcase Guyana’s rug-

Two participants in the inaugural Rupununi Marathon trekking through the swamp lands below the Pakaraima Mountain Range in their quest to win the $100,000 top prize

was the venue for a highly competitive canoe regatta that was held on July 4, the day after the marathon was held at Aranaputa.

Villagers and spectators were treated to several exciting moments as the participants battled in races across the waterlogged portions of the savannah near

ged beauty by using competitive adventures, from trekking the mountains to marathons and savannah canoe regattas.

A race up the Kanuku Mountains towards Schomburgk’s Peak has marked the culmination of an eventful first step in the plans of Climb Guyana.

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

FEATURE

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

HEALTH TIPS

PAINFUL MENSTRUAL PERIODS CAUSES It’s not always possible to identify the cause of painful menstrual periods. Some people are just at a higher risk of having painful periods. These risks include: * Age below 20 * Family history of painful periods * Smoking * Heavy bleeding with periods * Irregular periods * Never having had a baby * Puberty before age 11 Dr. Tariq Jagnarine Family Medicine, Endocrinology/Diabetes

M

enstruation occurs when the uterus sheds its lining once a month.

Some pain, cramping, and discomfort during menstrual periods are normal; excessive pain that causes a person to miss work or school is not.

Painful menstruation is also called dysmenorrhea. There are two types of dysmenorrhea: primary and secondary.

Primary dysmenorrhea occurs in people who experience pain before and during menstruation. Having a normal period that becomes painful later in life may be secondary dysmenorrhea. A condition affecting the uterus or other pelvic organs, such as endometriosis or uterine fibroids, can cause this.

A hormone called prostaglandin triggers muscle contractions in the uterus, and those contractions expel the lining.

Those contractions can cause pain and inflammation. The level of prostaglandin rises right before menstruation begins.

Painful menstrual periods can also be the result of an underlying medical condition, such as: * Premenstrual syndrome (PMS). PMS is a common condition that’s caused by hormonal changes in the body, occurring 1 to 2 weeks before menstruation begins. Symptoms typically go away after bleeding begins. * Endometriosis. This is a painful medical condition in which cells from the lining of the uterus grow in other parts of the body, usually on the fallopian tubes, ovaries, or tissue lining the pelvis.

* Fibroids in the uterus.

Fibroids are noncancerous tumours that can put pressure on the uterus, or cause abnormal menstruation and pain; though they often don’t cause symptoms. * Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID is an infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes, or ovaries. It is often caused by sexually transmitted bacteria that cause inflammation of the reproductive organs and pain. * Adenomyosis. This is a rare condition in which the uterine lining grows into the muscular wall of the uterus, causing inflammation, pressure, and pain. It can also cause longer or heavier periods. * Cervical stenosis. Cervical stenosis is a rare condition, in which the cervix is so small or narrow that it slows menstrual flow, causing an increase of pressure inside the uterus, which causes pain.

DIAGNOSIS When trying to find out what is the underlying cause of painful menstruation, doctors would likely take a medical history and perform a physical exam. This would include a pelvic examination to check for any abnormalities in the reproductive system and to look for signs of infection.

If a doctor thinks an underlying disorder is causing the symptoms, imaging tests may be per-

formed. These can include: * an ultrasound * a CT scans * an MRI Depending on the results of the imaging tests, a doctor may order a laparoscopy. This is a test in which a doctor makes small incisions in the abdomen, into which they insert a fiber-optic tube with a camera at the end to see inside your abdominal cavity.

HOME TREATMENT At-home treatments can be helpful in relieving painful menstrual periods. Types of things to try at home include: * Heating pad on the pelvic area or back * Massaging the abdomen * Taking a warm bath * Regular physical exercise * Eating light, nutritious meals * Practising relaxation techniques or yoga * Taking anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen several days before you expect your period * Raising the legs, or lying with the knees bent * Reducing the intake of salt, alcohol, caffeine, and sugar to prevent bloating * Vitamins and supplements such as: o vitamin B-6 o vitamin B-1 o vitamin E o omega-3 fatty acids o calcium

o magnesium MEDICAL TREATMENT If at-home treatment doesn’t relieve menstrual pain, medical treatment options exist.

Treatment will depend on the severity and underlying cause of your pain. If PID or sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are causing the pain, a doctor would prescribe antibiotics to clear the infection.

Prescribed medications may also include: * Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Other pain relievers. This includes over-the-counter options like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or stronger prescription pain medications. * Antidepressants.

Antidepressants are sometimes prescribed to help lessen some of the mood swings associated with PMS. * Doctors may also suggest trying hormonal birth control.

Hormonal birth control is available as a pill, patch, vaginal ring, injection, implant, or IUD. Hormones prevent ovulation, which can control your menstrual cramps. * Surgery can treat endometriosis or uterine fibroids. This is an option if other treatments haven’t been successful. The surgery removes any endometriosis implants, uterine fibroids,

or cysts.

In rare cases, a hysterectomy (the surgical removal of the uterus) is an option if other treatments haven’t worked and the pain is severe. Having a hysterectomy would result in women no longer being able to have children. This option is usually only used if someone isn’t planning on having children, or is at the end of their childbearing years.

If menstrual pain is interfering with one’s ability to perform basic tasks each month, it may be time to talk to a gynaecologist. Talk to a doctor about any symptoms if you are experiencing any of the following: * Continuing pain after IUD placement * At least three painful menstrual periods * Passing blood clots * Cramping, accompanied by diarrhoea and nausea * Pelvic pain when not menstruating * Sudden cramping or pelvic pain could be a sign of infection. An untreated infection can cause scar tissue, which damages the pelvic organs and may lead to infertility.

If having symptoms of an infection, seek prompt medical attention: * Fever * Severe pelvic pain * Sudden pain, especially if pregnant * Foul-smelling vaginal discharge.

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

47 new COVID-19 cases recorded …1 in ICU, 623 in home isolation F

rom 347 tests that were processed as of Saturday, 47 more persons were infected with COVID-19 in Guyana.

The Health Ministry’s dashboard showed 31,985 males and 37,807 females testing positive to date.

The country’s death toll has also remained at 1271.

Only one person is seeking treatment in the Intensive Care Unit. There are 23 persons in institutional isolation, 623 in home isolation and three in institutional quarantine.

Meanwhile, 67,874 persons have recovered completely.

Since the coronavirus was detected here, 676,380 tests have been processed to date.

A breakdown of new infections reflected two for Region One (BarimaWaini), two for Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), 10 for Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 21 for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), five for Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and seven for Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

There were no increases in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice), Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Region

Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), and Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni).

The most recent vaccination numbers show that so far, 443,977 or 86.7 per cent of adults have taken a first dose, while 344,642 or 66.2 per cent of persons 18 years and over are fully vaccinated.

For adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, 35,379 or 48.5 per cent have received a first dose. Second doses stand at 25,881 or 35.5 per cent.

Vaccines are also available for children within five to 11 years, whereby 6455 persons or 6.3 per cent have taken a first dose. Meanwhile, in excess of 71,000 persons have returned for their first booster dose.

Booster doses have been made available for the adolescent age group, as well as second booster doses for the adult population.

Persons are encouraged to take these shots before their immunity wanes.

In the Region of the Americas, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases are pegged at over 169 million with a death toll of 2.7 million. Globally, the confirmed positives stand at

over 571 million with more than 6.3 million reported deaths.

While COVID-19 cases decreased in the Americas for the first time in five weeks, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Director, Carissa F Etienne, has urged countries to remain alert to COVID-19 and other health issues, such as monkeypox, which was declared a public health emergency of international concern last weekend. Despite an overall drop in COVID-19 in the region, Dr Etienne warned that cases remain high, with countries reporting 1.6 million new infections over the past week.

The PAHO Director highlighted that, as is also the case in Europe, Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sub-lineages are becoming the predominant strains in the Americas, but with one key difference – vaccination coverage.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 or needs any additional information, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit www.health.gov.gy.

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD JULY 30, 2022 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

47

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

23

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

623

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

1

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

3

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

37,807

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

31,985

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

69,792

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

67,874

REGION 1

2676

REGION 2

3070

REGION 3

8605

REGION 4

34,729

REGION 5

2543

REGION 6

6689

REGION 7

2605

REGION 8

886

REGION 9

4311

REGION 10

3678

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN BE SAFE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Wear a face mask.

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

444,950

FULLY IMMUNISED

344,596

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020

1271

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

Wash your hands or use handsanitizer If you have any symptoms, call the COVID-19 Hotline.

GET MEDICAL ADVICE ON COVID-19 FROM MOH 24/7 HOTLINE NUMBERS: 2311166; 226 7480; 624 6674; 624 2819; 624 3067 OR 180/181.

24 FEATURE

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

IPS partners with local company to provide power solutions NPP, MK Batteries (Deka) and C&D Technologies.

Meanwhile, Vishnu Panday & Associates Inc is a fully owed Guyanese company with more than 20 years’ experience providing technological support to medium and large companies in Guyana.

VPA is known for the introduction of the most advanced technologies to corporate clients and Government Ministries in Guyana. VPA has similar relationships with IBM World Trade Corporation, Lenovo, Lexmark, Cisco, Microsoft, Accendi, and various other partners.

With the changing land-

scape of technology in Guyana, Vishnu Panday & Associates continues to strengthen their position on the market with this IPS/VPA agreement.

Innovative Power Systems Limited (IPS) was founded in 2004 by Ian De Freitas, who is no stranger to the Guyanese market since he has been serving companies here since mid-1980s when he was employed with IBM. IPS’ Executive and Management team are in fact all ex-IBMers who serviced the Guyana market starting some 30 years ago, when they would have worked with

Guyanese companies including financial institutions, hotels, Government Ministries and the telephone company.

IPS CEO and Managing Director of IPS, Nicole De Freitas, said that the partnership will add more than 125 years of combined experience to the existing knowledge, skills and abilities of the VPA team. The combined team of technical sales engineers and certified field service technicians will be supported by the management and administrative teams in Trinidad & Guyana.

IPS/VPA Management after the finalisation of the service-support partnership

I

nnovative Power Systems Limited (IPS) recently entered into a service partnership agreement with local tech support entity Vishnu

Panday & Associates (VPA). This partnership will enable the two companies to provide integrated cutting-edge technology and power solutions and

services to the market.

IPS, headquartered in Trinidad, has been providing power quality and backup power solutions, products and services to companies in Trinidad, Guyana and the wider region for the past 18 years.

IPS, one of the leading power quality companies in the region, is the authorised sales and service distributors for Eaton Corporation and are also distributors for a wide range of batteries from leading battery manufacturers Enersys, CSB,

Digicel has been a proud supporter of ACDA’s Emancipation Festival for many years. This year is no different for the telecommunications provider. Receiving a cheque from Digicel’s CCO, Simone Pierre, on behalf of ACDA, is a member of the Emancipation Committee and ACDA’s Sisters in Unity, Gail Napoleon

FEATURE

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

New parenting manual teaches non-violent methods of discipline …parents to be supported in overcoming personal dysfunction

I

n another important step to better aid the development of children across the country, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry launched a special parenting programme facilitator’s manual.

It was compiled within the Child Care and Protection Agency with support from other agencies and spearheaded by former Director, Ann Greene and Senior Probation and Social Services Officer, SherriAnn Vandeyar-Francois.

Parents will be exposed to knowledge of child development and non-violent methods of discipline and assistance to overcome personal dysfunction that are affecting their parenting role.

Speaking on the importance of this manual, Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud expressed her optimism of the manual complimenting other initiatives of the Ministry.

“The special parenting manual is an excellent investment by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security. I am very happy this manual could be launched right now because the “Every Child Safe” campaign could be rolled out across the country and this is an important component where we would be focusing on the parents and helping to navigate the challenges of parenting,” Minister Persaud said.

She added, “Before working with parents,

there would be a massive

Director, Levine Gouveia noted that this parenting manual is one that is needed and awareness is paramount as it looks to create a holistic environment that caters for their social and emotional development.

“There is a generation gap between the parents, grandparents, caregivers and children. Hence there is the need to bridge those gaps through parenting.

This training will help par-

skills since the way those adults were raised will be the very way they raise their children,” Gouveia said.

The Deputy Director related that sessions will be held at the community level to help eradicate child abuse and help family units to function better.

Vandeyar-Francois commented, “CPA has recognised that parenting training is essential for

ents to improve parenting

parents since family dis-

Human Services Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud reviewing the special parenting programme facilitator’s manual

training of trainers’ exercise so that all communities across the country would be able to help the Ministry of Human Services to roll out the parenting manual. I look forward for persons coming on board, wanting to work with us as trainers and I look forward to a time

when parents can breathe a sigh of relief because there is that kind of support that will help them deal with all kinds of situations that can be considered modern in the sense of difficulties and challenges, so it is that kind of comprehensive manual.”

CC&PA Assistant

function continues to be high, creating serious vulnerability for children that warrants their separation from the family. The parenting training programme is a preventative one which aims at providing capacity building for couples or single parents to improve their social functioning and parenting skills to enable them to provide effective care for their children.” (G12)

26 FEATURE

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Emancipation 2022 celebrations

Young African Guyanese entrepreneur develops unique hair products was an international brandname hair product. Little did they know that Akiesha was testing out her very own brand.

The secret? The ingredients she uses to make her products.

Sourcing

Bambi’s Collection CEO, Akeisha Aaron-Braithwaite

By Shane Marks

O

n Monday, Guyana along with other countries around the world join in celebrating the 184th anniversary of Emancipation. In Guyana, Bambi’s Collection, a selfcare business owned by young, vibrant, and studious 21-year-old Akeisha Aaron-Braithwaite is seeking to help people of African ancestry take special care of their hair.

Established in 2019, Bambi’s Collection started as a hair care business after Akeisha was faced with her own haircare struggle after “chopping” off her locks. As she was starting to lose her self-confidence because of her shorter hair, she wanted to find that product, the right one, that would not only grow her hair but make it healthy.

“I was a Rasta,” she said. “I did a big chop. I took it all off because mostly interlocking used to be very tight. People with Rasta hair know that it’s a challenge. So, my hair was very long and it was getting a little heavy for my head. So, I chopped it all off and I had very short hair. So, my confidence was a little low. My self-confidence was low.”

She said she did not find that hair product in the selfcare aisle at supermarkets and so this led to her make it herself. Akeisha said it took her a while but it was an adventure, not a literal one, but an adventure nevertheless.

She told Guyana Times in an interview that she went on a research marathon for two years, trying to find the right information about how hair is grown and what ingredients enable healthy hair growth. Not

only that, she wanted it all to be an organic process. She was fascinated with the way hair grew and the texture of hair from all races.

“Well, it’s not so much of an overnight thought. But it was something that was deep inside of me for a long time. I always had this fascination with hair. I always love the way hair grew. And I couldn’t get my hands around how beautiful hair can be in any texture in any race,” Akeisha explained.

She went on, “So I just started to dabble into a lot of research and I buried myself into research for two years.

Our stuff is research-based and we test it on ourselves and our family members and close friends before we introduce ourselves to

Bambi’s Collection bestselling chopstick the public. So that is how it started, my love for hair.”

After being her own Guinea pig and posting her hair growth journey on Facebook using her own products, Akeisha said that many persons reached out to her asking what she was using that made her hair grow so fast. They were demanding what they thought

Most of the ingredients Akeisha uses in her products are imported from Ghana and other parts of Africa. This, she explained, is important in the making of her hair, skin, and other products.

She said that based on the research she did for two years, she found out that the ingredients coming out of Ghana and other parts of Africa are rich in the necessary minerals that contribute to luscious and healthy hair growth.

“We do import most of our ingredients from Ghana and other parts of Africa.

And we do have some local vendors that supply us with ingredients like jars on Garnett Street and maybe we will go and buy some shea butter or mango butter right in our city mall in Guyana. So, we do have some of our ingredients right here,” she said.

“But most of our ingredients we shipped from Ghana and other parts of Africa because we need that, the right original product or ingredient from where it’s actually coming from, right from where it’s like originated from.”

Like any smart businesswoman, she did not disclose those ingredients.

“It’s highly important to me because the research base proves it’s statistically proved that the ingredients from those regions are a c -

t u a l ly working, so we actually want the best for our customers, we wouldn’t mind going 100 miles to get the right ingredients to make our products work because we want working products so we can continue to get customers and our business can be a reputable one,” she said about the importance of sourcing the ingredients from Ghana.

Support system

At just 21 years old, Akeisha has accomplished a lot. She’s a mother, a wife, a business owner, and a thirdyear International Relations student at the University of Guyana. She has to balance multiple parts of her life while maintaining her growing business which is slowly demanding most of her attention.

Her support system,

even me coming here. She’s looking after my daughter.”

Her husband plays his part too.

“My husband, after he comes home from work, he helps to make products as well on his days off so I have a support system that helps me around those challenges.”

Without the help of her mom and her hus-

Bambi’s Collection organic hair growth oil

Bambi’s Collection personal care products which consists of her mother and her husband, is the most important thing to her and they are what enables her to focus on the business and her studies.

Finding time for her daughter is one of her biggest challenges.

“One of my main challenges is the fact that I have a little daughter, she’s two years old, and I’m studying in the university and I’m managing a business. So sometimes it’s hard when I have to manage her needs.

And I have to like schedule some time to m a k e p r o d ucts and schedule some time to study because I want to pass my courses and I do want my business to function well,” she expressed.

She said that her mother – from whom she gets her entrepreneurial skills – babysits her two-year-old daughter when she’s busy making products, out making a delivery, or studying for an upcoming exam.

She said, “My mom is one of my biggest supporters.

She helps me tremendously; I couldn’t ask for a better mom. Actually, I have her stored on my phone as ‘Best Mom’. So, she helps me with babysitting at all times,

like us shipping our products abroad to other countries so that they can feel the love that we put into our products as well. So that is a dream for Bambi and I’m hoping with the grace of the most high that this is an actuality very soon, maybe sooner than five years,” she expressed.

Bambi’s Collection will continue to grow as Akeisha has made available an ar-

band, Akeisha doesn’t think she’d be able to maintain a balance between building her business, studying, motherhood, and being a wife.

“The support system, it’s like the lifeline to everything that’s going on in my life because without that support system I don’t think that I will be able to effectively handle or juggle these different circumstances or challenges that I face. So, with her being in my life, my mom being in my life and her being there to assist with my daughter and my husband, his financial capability to assist me in different areas of the business. That is something that I’m very grateful for. So, I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

Bambi means: special, unique, and different

Akeisha said that the name Bambi is special to her and her family. She said that he wanted a name that spoke to her personally.

“I wanted a name that would speak of who I am personally and what the line would represent. And Bambi to me and to me and my family means special, unique, and different. Our organic line is something that is unlike no other. We try to bring the best to the public and give our all in what we’re doing,” she explained.

Her dream is that in the next five years, her business would be internationally recognised to the point where she would be supplying her products to other countries.

“I do hope that in five years or four years that our products can be internationally recognised. I mean,

ray of locally made products, from her bestseller, chopsticks which comes in flavours of vanilla, strawberry, cocoa butter, and chocolate to her stomach rub that helps with a cold and stuffy nose. All organically made.

Bambi’s Collection also offers other products like black soap that gets rid of pimples, dark spots, blackheads, blemishes, unwanted wrinkles, and tightens pores; hair growth oil that helps with dandruff, itchy scalp, breakage, and repairs damaged edges; moringa and shea butter hair cream which retains moisture, provides that hair growth you’re looking for, decreases breakage and dryness; and so much more, all at affordable prices.

Bambi’s Collection will soon be offering clothing options to its customers.

“We do intend to be in the business of clothing because our line is not just skin and hair care. It’s a collection. So, we want to integrate art into our life. We want to implement craft into our line and clothing into our line that is designed by the same small businesses in Guyana. So, we’re not taking anything outside. We want to develop everything in Guyana.”

In conclusion, Bambi’s Collection is on the rise with products that are promising and not to mention, they’re safe for the environment.

So, gift yourself or a loved one with one of Bambi’s Collection products.

Persons who are interested in trying some of Bambi’s products out can visit their Facebook page or call/WhatsApp at (592) 6440367.

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022

27

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Exxon, Chevron post blowout earnings, oil majors bet on buybacks

T

he two largest US oil companies, Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp, posted record revenue on Friday, bolstered by surging crude oil and natural gas prices and following similar results for European majors a day earlier.

The US pair, along with UK-based Shell and France's TotalEnergies, combined to earn nearly US$51 billion in the most recent quarter, almost double what the group brought in for the year-ago period.

Exxon outpaced its rivals with a US$17.9 billion quarterly profit, the most for any international oil major in history.

Chevron, Shell and Total ran to catch up with Exxon's aggressive buyback programme, which was kept unaltered.

The four returned a total of US$23 billion to shareholders in the quarter, capitalising on high margins derived from selling oil and gas. The fifth major, BP Plc, reports next week.

The companies posted strong results in their production units, helped by the surge in benchmark Brent crude oil futures, which averaged around US$114 a barrel in the quarter.

High crude oil prices can cut into margins for integrated oil majors, as they also bear the cost of crude used for refined products. However, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and numerous shutdowns of refineries worldwide in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, refining margins exploded in the second quarter, outpacing the gains in crude and adding to earnings.

"The strong second-quarter results reflect a tight global market environment, where demand has recovered to near pre-pandemic levels and supply has attritted," said Exxon Chief Executive Darren Woods, in a call with analysts. "Growing supply will not happen overnight."

The results from the majors are sure to draw fire from politicians and consumer advocates who say the oil companies are capitalising on a global supply shortage to fatten profits and gouge consumers. US President Joe Biden last month said Exxon and others were making "more money than God" at a time when consumer fuel prices surged to records.

Earlier this month, Britain passed a 25 per cent windfall tax on oil and gas producers in the North Sea. US lawmakers have discussed a similar idea, though it faces long odds in Congress.

A windfall tax does not provide "incentive for increased production, which is really what the world needs today," said Exxon Chief Financial Officer Kathryn Mikells, in an interview with Reuters.

The companies say they are merely meeting consumer demand, and that prices are a function of global supply issues and lack of investment. The majors have been disciplined with their capital and are resisting ramping up capital expenditure due to pressure from investors who want better returns and resilience during a down cycle.

Worldwide oil output has been held back by a slow return of barrels to the market from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, including Russia, as well as labour and equipment shortages hampering a swifter increase in supply in places like the United States.

Exxon earlier this year more than doubled its projected buyback programme to US$30 billion through 2022 and 2023.

Shell said it would buy back US$6 billion in shares in the current quarter, while Chevron boosted its annual buyback plans to a range of US$10 billion to US$15 billion, up from US$5 billion to US$10 billion.

Exxon shares rose 4.6 per cent to US$96.93. Chevron shares rose almost 9 per cent, closing at US$163.78. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Ukraine says scores of Russians killed, rail links cut in southern fighting

T

he Ukrainian military said on Saturday it had killed scores of Russian soldiers in fighting in the south, including the Kherson region that is the focus of Kyiv's counter-offensive in that part of the country and a key link in Moscow's supply lines.

Rail traffic to Kherson over the Dnipro River had been cut, the military's southern command said, potentially further isolating Russian forces west of the river from supplies in occupied Crimea and the east.

South of the town of Bakhmut, which has been cited by Russia as a prime target in the eastern region of Donetsk, the Ukrainian military said Russian forces had been "partially successful" in establishing control over the settlement of Semyhirya by storming it

Firefighters work at a site of a residential house destroyed by a Russian missile strike, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, July 29, 2022

from three directions.

"He established himself on the outskirts of the settlement," the military's evening report said, referring to Russian forces.

Defence and intelligence officials from Britain, which has been one of Ukraine's

Iraqi protesters storm Parliament for 2nd time in a week

P

rotesters have once again breached Iraq’s Parliament in a show of support for influential Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, leaving at least 125 people injured and escalating a political standoff.

Saturday’s demonstration comes days after protesters stormed the legislative body and suspended a session to nominate a new Prime Minister.

Thousands of supporters rallied by al-Sadr and his Sadrist Movement tore down

concrete barriers on Saturday and entered the Green Zone, which houses Government departments and foreign missions, before breaking into Parliament.

The scenes followed similar protests on Wednesday, although this time at least 125 people – 100 civilians and 25 members of the security forces – were wounded, according to the Ministry of Health.

Al-Sadr’s supporters threw stones and police fired tear gas and stun grenades.

“We are calling for a

A

port a claim from Nigeria's museums commission.

It will be considered by the Charity Commission before it can be authorised.

In a statement the university confirmed the Pitt Rivers Museum had received a claim for the return of the 97 items, including bronzes, from Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM).

Government free from corruption … and those are the demands of the people,” one protester, Abu Foad, told the Reuters news agency among crowds of protesters carrying placards with al-Sadr’s photograph and national flags.

The media office of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had issued a statement calling on security officers to guarantee the safety of state institutions.

Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Baghdad, said that supports

of al-Sadr “are now in full control of the headquarters of the Parliament.

“What’s new this time is that they’re not planning to leave until, as they say, their demands are met,” Abdelwahed said.

Demonstrators oppose the candidacy of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, a former Minister and ex-provincial Governor, who is the pro-Iran Coordination Framework’s pick for the premier’s post.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Havana announces blackouts, cancels carnival as crisis deepens T he Cuban capital of Havana will begin electricity blackouts in August, has cancelled carnival and is taking other measures as the country’s energy crisis worsens, state media reported on Saturday.

The capital, home to a fifth of the population of 11.2 million and centre of economic activity in Cuba, had been spared the daily power outages of four or more hours that the rest of the island has endured for months.

Blackouts have sparked a few small local protests this summer and a year ago in July fuelled a day of unprecedented unrest across the country as discontent boiled over.

For now, a schedule of power outages will mean each of Havana's six municipalities will have its electricity cut every three days during peak mid-day hours, according to the local Communist Party daily, Tribuna de la Habana, which reported on a meeting of local authorities.

Looted artefacts in Oxford museums could be returned to Nigeria lmost 100 artefacts that were looted

by British colonial forces in 1897, could be repatriated following a request from Nigeria.

The objects were taken from Benin City and are currently held in the collections of Oxford's Pitt Rivers and Ashmolean museums.

Oxford University Council has decided to sup-

staunchest allies since Moscow launched its invasion on Feb 24, portrayed Russian forces as struggling to maintain momentum.

Ukraine has used Western-supplied longrange missile systems to badly damage three bridges

across the Dnipro in recent weeks, cutting off Kherson city and - in the assessment of British defence officials leaving Russia's 49th Army highly vulnerable on the river's west bank.

Ukraine's military said more than 100 Russian soldiers had been killed and seven tanks destroyed in fighting in the south on Friday.

Just to the north of Lysychansk, which Moscow's forces captured in early July after weeks of fighting, Ukrainian partisans destroyed a railway junction box near the Russiancontrolled town of Svatove on Friday night, making it harder for Moscow to bring in ammunition to the front lines by train, Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Gaidai said in an online post. (Excerpt from Reuters)

"The claim is now being processed by the university following its Procedures for Claims for the Return of Cultural Objects.

"As one of several UK museums that hold significant materials taken from Benin in 1897, the Pitt Rivers has been involved in long-term research and engagement projects in partnership with Nigerian stakeholders and repre-

sentatives from the Royal Court of the Benin kingdom.

"The university is now submitting the case to the Charity Commission, recommending transfer of legal title to the objects to the NCMM," it added.

It is expected the Charity Commission will have considered the claim by autumn. (Excerpt from BBC News)

People walk under a Cuban flag hanging in downtown Havana, Cuba, October 8, 2021

The blackouts reflect a deepening economic crisis that began with harsh new US sanctions on the island in 2019 and worsened with the pandemic that gutted tourism, and then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Soaring prices for food, fuel and shipping have exposed import dependence and vulnerabilities such as a decaying infrastructure.

The country’s economy declined 10.9 per cent in 2020,

recovering just 1.3 per cent last year.

Cubans have withstood more than two years of food and medicine shortages, long lines to purchase scarce goods, high prices and transportation woes. The blackouts have only added to the frustration, leading to an exodus of more than 150,000 Cubans since October to the United States, and more elsewhere.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

28

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022

ARIES (March 21April 19)

You can have fun without indulging. Refuse to let anyone take advantage of you. Seek out people who can offer expert advice. Take better care of your home, family and health.

Moderation will be key.

TAURUS Take change seriously, and think matters through be(April 20May 20) fore you make a move. Get the go-ahead from those affected by the decisions you make. A change of heart will influence where and how you live.

Keep your emotions in check GEMINI to avoid saying something that (MAY 28puts you in a precarious posiJune 20) tion. Protect your home and family from anyone trying to outmaneuver you. Read between the lines.

CANCER Call on people who support (June 21- your efforts. Learn from the July 22) best, and you’ll gain respect.

Look for value in what you do.

Refuse to give away what you have to offer for less than it’s worth.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO

Dilbert

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Peanuts

Don’t let anger set in when you need to get things done. Know what others expect of you. Set yourself up for success by being realistic and focusing on your happiness. Don’t give in to temptation.

Get together with people who make you smile. A positive attitude will help change how you view situations as they develop. Work toward a goal that will encourage you to live life your way.

Spend less time worrying about the things you cannot change and more time strengthening your relationships with people you love. A physical improvement will boost your confidence.

Put more thought into what you do, and the results will surpass your expectations. Let your mind wander and encourage you to be unique. Offer a different perspective on life to a loved one.

Being honest with yourself SAGITTARIUS and others will help you avoid (Nov. 23getting caught in an awkward Dec. 21) position. Be open to suggestions and learn from those with more experience than you.

A financial gain looks CAPRICORN promising.

Put more thought (Dec. 22and energy into making your Jan. 19) space functional. Certain adjustments will make your life easier or encourage you to make a prosperous move.

Calvin and Hobbes

Clear up a misconception AQUARIUS someone has by being hon(Jan. 20est about your feelings and Feb. 19) what you want. You’ll face op-

position, but at least you will know where you stand and what’s possible moving forward.

PISCES Revise your long-term (Feb. 20- plans to suit your needs.

Mar. 20) Changing how you live, work

and handle your financial affairs will ease stress and encourage you to enjoy life more and worry less.

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022

29

Commonwealth Games 2022…

Women’s table tennis team exit at quarter-finals …Coach Lewis praises team's efforts L

ike had obtained in 2018, the run of Guyana’s female table tennis team at the Commonwealth Games came to an end in the quarter-final stage of the competition.

Guyana’s team, comprising Chelsea Edghill, Natalie Cummings and Priscilla Greaves, went down 0-3 to Singapore yesterday at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.

Thuraia Thomas did not feature against Singapore.

Guyana had finished second in their Group behind India, following commanding victories over Fiji and South Africa.

Against Singapore, the pair of Chelsea Edghill and

Natalie Cummings faced Zhou Jing Yi and Zeng Jian and were defeated 115, 11-8, 11-6.

Olympic Bronze Medallist Feng Tianwei then brushed aside Prescilla Greaves 11-3, 111, 11-4.

Already up 2-0, Singapore's Zeng Jian battled Edghill, and the World’s #60-ranked player easily defeated the Guyanese 11-5, 11-4, 11-2.

Since table tennis was introduced at the Commonwealth Games in 2002, Singapore's only defeat in the team events was in 2018, when they lost to India in the finals.

Coach Idi Lewis, although lauding the Guyanese women's perfor-

Arsenal confirm Odegaard as new captain

M

artin Odegaard has been confirmed as Arsenal's captain ahead of the new Premier League season.

The Gunners were without a first-team skipper after Alexandre Lacazette, who took the armband from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last term, joined Lyon.

Odegaard was expected to be appointed in his place, with manager Mikel Arteta saying earlier this month: "The captaincy is going to be decided pretty soon." He had added: "Martin has a lot of qualities that we want as a captain."

Odegaard, who captains Norway, was an-

nounced as Arteta's skipper on Saturday, ahead of Arsenal's final pre-season friendly against Sevilla in the Emirates Cup. "We wish Martin every success as our captain," a short statement read.

Odegaard joined Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid in January 2021, before the move was made permanent in August of last year. Since his Gunners debut, the midfielder ranks second among Arsenal players for Premier League appearances (50), and third for both starts (41) and minutes played (3,657).

He has scored eight goals and provided six assists in the league for the London club. (Sportsmax)

mance, has added that with more support in Guyana, the results could be better.

"I thought the girls played amazing. There was nobody looking like us in the quarter-finals. We were seeded fourth in the group, we were supposed to finish last in the group; so, to come with such a low seeding and to finish second in the group…," Lewis said.

He further noted, "Coming from under the current financial structure that we're under, the financial constraints as far as budget goes (in regard to) preparation for these games, I think these girls have delivered way beyond what we're experiencing and going through in

(L-R) Guyana's Table Tennis team at the Commonwealth Games: Chelsea Edghill, Natallie Cummings, Prescilla Greaves and Thuaria Thomas

Guyana."

The focus now shifts to the singles competition, as coach Lewis again reiterates that, with the lack of resources, the females are

still delivering.

On the sidelines, following his defeat to Singapore, Lewis has said that if the team can be properly prepared, they would be able

to give themselves a chance at major tournaments like the Commonwealth Games. (By Rawle Toney in Birmingham (Team Guyana Press Attache)

30 GPF holds highly successful Annual Athletics Championships GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022

T

he Guyana Police Force’s 67th Annual Athletics Championships were concluded on Friday July 29, 2022 at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora, West Coast Demerara.

Events commenced at 10:00h with Deputy Commissioner, Administration, Calvin Brutus delivering opening remarks and welcoming participants and patrons to a day packed with excitement and highly competitive events.

This year’s Championships were held under the theme “Integrating Professionalism and Social Cohesion through Sports”, and athletes from Trinidad and Tobago participated in the various events.

Among the highlights of

the day’s proceedings were: the 100m male and female subordinate officers’ finals; 100m male and female junior officers’ finals; male and female 4×100m relay races; and the senior officers’ races. Also, the tug-o-war events involving different divisions were exciting, and had spectators off their seats.

Besides the GPF’s mandate of “Service and Protection”, the Force, through its Sports

Secretariat, has been involved in a number of community engagements to help bridge the gap between the GPF and the public. The Force has been incorporating Police Officers into its sports programmes for generations, using them as coaches and mentors to youths

in the various communities across all Regional Police Divisions.

The winning teams for this year’s Athletics Championships were: Police Headquarters, combined with President Guard, had a score of 576 points; followed by Regional Divisions 4A, 4B and Special Constabulary combined in second place with 280 points.

Divisions 4C, 5 & 6 combined with 216.50 points to occupy

third place, while Trinidad and Tobago Police were in fourth with 163.50 points. Guyana Police Force ‘A’ was in fifth place with 148.50 points, followed

by Regional Divisions 1-3 and Regional Divisions 7,8,9 and 10 respectively.

The person adjudged Best Overall Male in ‘A’ Class was Michael Mackenzie of Trinidad and Tobago with 46.50 points; and the runner-up in this classification was Quacy Morian of the Guyana Police Force, who scored 45 points.

Sheldon Mason of Trinidad and Tobago came in third with 34 points.

The Best Overall Male in ‘B’ Class was Cleveland Thomas of Headquarters combined with President Guard, with 25 points.

Second place was occupied by Osafa Dosantos from Region 4 ‘C’, 5 & 6 combined with 24 points, and Williams Anthony from Region 4A, 4B and Special Constabulary combined, who also had 24 points.

Aaliyah Moore from Region 4A, 4B and Special Constabulary combined, and Analissa Redmond from Headquarters and President Guard combined were both crowned Best Overall Females with 30 points respectively, while Chief Inspector Natasha Alder from

Headquarters and President Guard combined came in second with 28 points.

Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken met with the athletes at the end of the event and thanked them for their exemplary performances and discipline exhibited at the event.

The Commissioner noted that training for the upcoming Joint Services Sports would commence in the coming

week, and he encouraged the ranks to continue participating in sporting events to showcase their talents.

Mr. Hicken thanked the Trinidadian athletes for participating in the Force’s Athletics Championships, and applauded them for their outstanding performances at the event.

Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips was also present at the Championships,

along with Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Bishop Patrick Findlay; Deputy Commissioner, Operations, Ravindradat Budhram; Deputy Commissioner, Law Enforcement, Wendell Blanhum; Head of Special Branch, Errol Watts; and divisional commanders and heads of department, as well as other senior and junior ranks of the Guyana Police Force. (GPF)

BFA Men’s Senior League 2022…

Wolves United draw game against Mil Ballers – Rising Stars thrash Lazio 4-1

T

he Bartica Football Association (BFA) Men’s Senior League continued on Wednesday with two exciting games, wherein Wolves United took on Mil Ballers from 7:00pm, and Rising Stars took on Lazio thereafter.

The first game was very competitive, and countless attacks and attempts on goal were made by both teams. The deadlock was, however, broken when 44-year-old Lionel Jacobus, center back of the Wolves United, tried his luck from the halfway line and scored a ripper, to leave the small crowd astonished.

Mil Ballers managed to level the game in the second half, after creating a wonderful run

44-year-old Lionel Jacobus levelled things for the Wolves

towards the Wolves’ goal. That game ended 1-1.

The second game was one of the best games played by the Rising Stars, who thrashed the struggling and winless Lazio 4-1.

his goal, Jermaine Christian added another to the one he had secured in the first half, and the final goal came from 14-yearold Ezekiel Baldeo as soon as he came on the field as a substitute.

The first half was considered a moderate football session, with each team scoring a goal.

The opening goal came from the Rising Stars forward Jermaine Christian.

The second half was without a doubt dominated by the Rising Stars, the boys in blue, who utilised every area of the field to score three more goals. After Marcus McKenzie had scored

He created history by scoring the fastest goal ever scored by a substitute in the Bartica Men’s Senior League.

The game ended 4-1, and Lazio FC were sent home with no points, while the Rising Stars now again sit atop the table with 14 points, two points ahead of Beacons FC, who are currently on 12 points and in second place.

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SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022

31 Allicock revels in victory GUYANATIMESGY.COM

P

romising Guyanese pugilist Keevin Allicock started his Commonwealth Games 2022 campaign on the right track on Saturday afternoon.

The first member of Guyana’s three-member boxing team to step into the ring, Allicock came up against Nicholas Okongo Okoth of Kenya in a Bantamweight Round-of-32 bout. Fighting in the red corner, Allicock, coached by Terrence Poole and Sebert Blake, was unstoppable,

impressing the panel of judges.

At the end of three rounds, the judges, hailing from Sri Lanka, Botswana, Canada, Bulgaria and Fiji, unanimously graded Allicock with all tens, as compared to 9’s for his opponent. As such, the Guyanese won the bout unanimously, and will move on to the Round-of-16.

“It feels good, you know, to start off with a victory for the team. The performance was good. Going forward, it will be much…better,” Allicock

about a lot of things, even to when I was small (and) training, you know, coming up in the sport of boxing. At

said following his victory on Saturday.

When quizzed about his mindset going into the bout, Allicock answered, “I thought

the Commonwealth Games is where it all started. I think of that, and I said, ‘God will do it again’. So, I’m here keeping

FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022: Chennai, India…

FM Anthony Drayton records first win for Guyana

F

IDE Master Anthony Drayton has recorded Guyana’s first win in the FIDE Chess Olympiad being played in Chennai, India. He created one of the biggest upsets in the first round of the Open division when he defeated Andorra’s Jordi Fluvia.

Drayton, rated at 1928, has been elated at the victory, noting that Fluvia is the highest rated opponent he has ever defeated.

Fluvia has a rating of 2451, and is an International Master, a ranking which is just below the title of Grandmaster.

Guyana is ranked 152 out of 188 teams, while Andorra is ranked 58th in the Open tournament.

This victory for FM Anthony Drayton will improve his ELO ratings. The win for Drayton has resulted in Guyana moving to 98th in the standings after the

FM Anthony Drayton

first round.

The Guyana Open team was, however, unsuccessful in their face off with the highly rated Andorra team, and lost the match 1-3.

The Guyana Women’s team also lost against Mexico 0-4.

Mexico are ranked 54th in the world out of 150 participating

countries.

Guyana's players have had more chances to rack up points on July 30th when Round 2 commenced at 3pm IST. Guyana’s Open team players, consisting of Taffin Khan, Anthony Drayton, Roberto Neto and Ethan Lee, faced off against Nicaragua; and Guyana’s Women’s team players, consisting of Pooja Lam, Sasha Shariff, Nellisha Johnson and Jessica Callender, faced off against Hong Kong. Results will be published later.

The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1. The games are played using the Swiss system and consists of 11 rounds.

The games are played using the electronic clocks and boards approved by FIDE.

focus and heading for the goal.

“I’m trusting God all the time, because He’s the One that’s doing this for me; I can’t win these bouts on my own. So, just to stay calm and keep focused. This is just the beginning of something great, and we will execute well again,” an optimistic Allicock has said, as he looks ahead to the remainder of the Commonwealth Games.

Guyana’s Light Welterweight boxer Colin Lewis is set to head into the ring today, Sunday, against Louis Richarno Colin of Mauritius, and Desmond Amsterdam will also be in action in the Middleweight class today. He is making his Commonwealth Games debut against New Zealand's Emile Richardson.

Wounded West Indies aiming to bounce back in second T20I against India West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran

N

icholas Pooran and his West Indies side will be aiming to bounce back in the second T20 International against India, to be played on Monday, August 1, in St Kitts and Nevis.

After the first T20 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Pooran said, the men in maroon are hurt, but this is the first of five games, and returning strong in the second match is high on their agenda.

"Disappointed as a team.

The crowd here has been absolutely amazing, and we have disappointed them. The players have been feeling very hurt, but this is the first game of the T20 Series and we will look to bounce back," Pooran has said.

West Indies were “behind the overs” while bowling, and Pooran noted that the side was undisciplined. "Yes, it was. In 18 overs, it was 150, we were undisciplined and we paid the price, and the guys know that.

190 was always going to be challenging," Pooran explained.

The West Indies made 122-8 in 20 overs, and the highest score was 20, which came from the bat of Shamarh Brooks.

Voicing his opinion on the batting performance, the West Indies captain has said: "We got a good start, but the batters did not carry on. We lost wickets every time we had some momentum, and that cost us. We had already lost four wickets in the first ten overs, and that cost us the game."

West Indies are without the services of left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie. In the first T20I against India, West Indies played one spinner, the left-arm Akeal Hosein, who impressed with his good spell. Pooran has said the West Indies decided to play an extra all-rounder to chase down a total of around 180.

"In hindsight, when you look at it, the spinners did bowl well. Out mindset was to restrict them to 170-180; with the extra

allrounder, we would have been able to chase it," Pooran said.

India’s squad for the five T20Is: Rohit Sharma (capt), Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav*, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.

West Indies T20 Squad: Nicholas Pooran (Captain), Rovman Powell (Vice Captain), Shamarh Brooks, Dominic Drakes, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Devon Thomas and Hayden Walsh Jr. (Brandon Corlette)

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

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

CAC Bodybuilding Championships 2022…

Fung earns long-awaited Pro Rank Card as Team Guyana bags 12 medals

T

hey say good things come to those who wait, and the sensational Rosanna Fung was able to cop two gold medals and her long-awaited Pro Rank Card, while Team Guyana was able also to bag a 12-medal haul at this year’s CAC Bodybuilding Championships in Barbados.

The 22-year-old sensation has now joined the ranks of the IFBB Elite Pros. After winning the Junior Wellness class ahead of her compatriot Asanti Conway, Fung returned to the dimly lit Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Stage in the senior class and won that also. She then used her wonderfully-defined and statuesque physique to decimate the competition in the overall category and bag herself another gold in one of the most attractive red bikini suits.

Fung has gleaned two gold medals and the Pro Card in just her second outing at this flagship regional bodybuilding event.

Disappointingly, Men’s Physique standout Emmerson Campbell was again edged out of the apex position, and finished with another silver medal at the annual fixture, which heads to Aruba next year and Guyana in 2024.

Campbell has again fallen short of attaining his goal of earning that elusive Pro Card.

Meanwhile, Team Guyana finished with a haul of five golds, six silvers and a bronze medal. The medalists are Julio Sinclair (gold

in the heavyweight), Rawle Green (Masters Under-50 gold and bronze) Nicholas Albert (silver x2/junior and 75kg), Roger Callender (silver bantamweight), Christina Ramsammy (silver bikini) and Asanti Conway (silver Junior wellness).

The medal count for Guyana is as follows: Rosanna Fung - 3 golds

Rawle Green - 1 gold, 1 bronze Julio Sinclair - 1 gold Nicholas Albert - 2 silvers Emmerson Campbell - 1 silver Asanti Conway - 1 silver Roger Callender - 1 silver Christina Ramsammy - 1 silver

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