Guyana times 21 january 2018

LOOK INSIDE !

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

Issue No. 3457

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Sunday, January 21, 2017

PRICE

Investments in Guyana

$120 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Opposition Leader demands Govt come clean

P11 Govt accused of violating labour law

Page 3

…“Guyana’s drive for investors remains fruitless” – US report

Poor infrastructure adding to rice farmers’ woes See stories on pages 2 and 13

…as 10,000 acres under threat in Corentyne … over 1000 acres remain uncultivated in Region 2

Farmer hospitalised P8 after Essequibo River boat collision

Pomeroon executions

Wife, other suspects P14 released from custody

Lack of P9 investment crippling Region 2’s economy – Chairman

…calls for integrated approach to tackle high unemployment

Rice farmers in Region Two are forced to endure poor infrastructure as they seek to earn a livelihood. In these Dexter Ceres photos, several dams to farmlands are in a deplorable state as very little is being done to assist them

Guyanese man gunned down in T&T Page 11

Students suspended from school for 2 months Page 10

…over social media comments …not allowed to submit SBAs for CXC

Armed bandits rob teacher, nurse Page 7

UG multimilliondollar bursary established P15 through philanthropic gift P14 $11.4M project targets Sophia, East La Penitence students

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news

SUnDAY, january 21, 2018 guyanatimesGY.com

Poor infrastructure adding to rice farmers’ woes …as over 1000 acres remain uncultivated in Region 2

Some of the deteriorating dams on the Essequibo Coast

By Lakhram Bhagirat

F

or years, rice farmers have been battling fluctuating paddy prices, crop infestation, flooded rice fields and a whole host of other issues, but for the farmers in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), those issues seem never-ending and to add to that, they have to now battle the poor infrastructure to cultivate and access their fields.

Regional Vice Chairperson Nandranie Coonjah explained that the farmers have been complaining about the lack of maintenance of the roads leading into their farms, saying very little is being done to assist them at the national level. She explained that currently, there

are over 35,000 acres of rice under cultivation in the region, noting that this number represented a decline of over 1000 acres.

“Over 1000 acres… the farmers did not go into the fields. This is because of bad lands. Bad lands is a spill off of the intrusion of salt water from the previous crop. So after salt water came into the rice land, they had lots of acres that were burnt so the farmers went back for one crop to plow and sow again. When they did this they came in very late so at the time of harvesting, they reaped late and the land damaged up so they could not have gone in back. The farmers are also calling for some intervention from the Government because nothing is being done to assist

them,” she related.

She further related that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has been of tremendous help to the farmers in maintaining the drainage channels and providing technical support. However, Coonjah added there is only so much the Authority could do, hence the reason she would have made representation to the Communities Ministry for the provision of two excavators to aid the work of the NDIA to boost the region’s capacity.

“The NDIA is not agreeing to work in undeclared areas and the farmers in the undeclared area have our concerns because they have a right to a livelihood, the region doesn’t have the capacity. We have to wait to

see if we get the excavator but we saw nothing in the (2018) budget,” Coonjah related.

The Regional Vice Chairperson explained that undeclared areas refer to areas not in the control of the regional administration.

Rice farmers have since complained of the region’s inability to properly manage the dams that access their farmlands. On a visit to the region, several of the dams were in deplorable conditions, as farmers were forced to use the already badly deteriorated dams to spray insecticides on their growing rice plants.

The farmers are also calling for increased cooperation with the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) to tackle the production and protection aspects of their

crop. Additionally, they related that they would like to see more emphasis being place on the development of the rice industry.

“We can produce the rice, but we don’t have the market for it and that is what affecting us and we got to work together man,” farmer Mohindra Persaud told this newspaper.

To further cement the farmers’ plight, Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt said more that 80 per cent of the region’s 50,000 plus residents are directly or indirectly connected to the rice industry. He noted that the disparity in the prices for paddy is one of the major contributing factors for the lack of motivation for rice farmers to return to the fields.

“Before 2015 and the early part of 2015, the price per bag of paddy was around $3500 and now it has reduced significantly. It is around $2200 and below. I’ve personally had discussions with the Minister of Agriculture asking him to have more interactions with our rice farmers of this region so that we can have more farmers or have a clearer understanding of what is happening in the industry and maybe potentials for the industry to be further enhanced and developed,” he explained.

He noted that despite his request, the Agriculture Minister visited the region no more than three occasions in the past year, despite it being one of Guyana’s premiere agricultural regions. turn to page 8

news

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Sunday, January 21 – 05:00h-06:30h and Monday, January 22 – 05:00h-06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Sunday, January 21 – 06:35h-08:05h and Monday, January 22 – 07:15h-08:45h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Light rain showers with cloudy skies can be expected throughout the day, with cloudy skies in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 23 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to Easterly between 4.02 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 07:07h and 19:24h reaching maximum heights of 2.53 metres and 2.59 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 00:42h and 12:57h reaching minimum heights of 0.60 metre and 0.68 metre respectively.

SATURDAY, january 20, 2018

LOTTERY NUMBERS F

03 06 11 15 19 23 12 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

DAILY MILLIONS 01 02 12 17 20 LUCKY 3 1 4 1 Afternoon Draw DRAW DE LINE

02

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08 10

2

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Evening Draw

13 15 21

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

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SunDAY, january 21, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Investments in Guyana

Opposition Leader demands Govt come clean …“Guyana’s drive for investors remains fruitless” – US report

W

hile the coalition Government has bragged that it was able to attract billions in investments for 2017, both Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and a United States Department of State report for last year refute this assertion.

In a November 12, 2017, column entitled ‘A fresh message of hope to drown out the noise’ Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo boasted of 240 investment projects worth $187 billion in Guyana that are “now moving through the pipelines”.

Then, in his January 14 column ‘My Turn’, the Prime Minister assured that $187 billion in investments were facilitated by the Business Ministry last year.

This time, however, he stated that investment agreements were entered into for 136 projects. Very little specifics were offered and at a recent press conference, Jagdeo took the Prime Minister to task for the unsubstantiated and in fact conflicting figures he quoted.

“I saw it said; new jobs are being created, not to lose hope. That is what Prime Minister in his column told sugar workers. And this is what he said. Investment agreements were entered into for 136 projects valued at $187 billion, via the Ministry of Business, last year.”

“Can you tell me where (is) this $187 billion of investment we got?” Jagdeo questioned. “And how many jobs have been created?

In fact, we have lost jobs, about 25,000 jobs, since this Government took office.

We’re haemorrhaging jobs every single day, because of the state of the economy.”

Noting that this was equivalent to US$2 billion in projects, Jagdeo questioned the veracity of the quoted figure. He urged Business Minister Dominic Gaskin to come clean and explain specifically which jobs were created.

“If you look at the balance of payment, you have an anaemic sum coming in. It’s dropped. Foreign direct investment has fallen dramatically,” Jagdeo said, adding that the coalition remains reliant on projects and investments attracted by the former administration.

US report

Meanwhile, the 2017 US State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs investment climate report on Guyana has declared that the country’s long-term efforts to attract investors remains largely unsuccessful.

According to the report, the Government does indeed publicly encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). But it noted that suc-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

cess outside of Guyana’s extractive sectors remain limited.

“Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Guyana is actively encouraged and seen by the Government of Guyana as critical to Guyana’s economic development,” the report states. “Numerous incentives are offered to investors.

Despite these incentives, Guyana’s long-term record in attracting Private Sector investment remains poor.”

The report acknowledges the existence of the Guyana Office for Investment (GoInvest) and noted that new management, such as a Board and Chief Executive Officer, were recently appointed. It also acknowledged that incentives are provided for foreign and domestic investors, like duty-free concessions.

“Over the past decade, the [Government of Guyana] GoG enacted new laws or amended existing ones to encourage FDI, with mixed levels of success. Due to the State’s significant role in the domestic economy and the preference for centralised decision-making, relatively large foreign investments often receive intense political attention.”

“The current Administration is roundly criticised for its poor record so far in attracting new FDI, even though leadership signalled its intention to attract FDI through its various Embassies and Missions abroad,” the report observes.

Amaila

According to the US State Department economic bureau, “political gridlock and infighting” is to blame for hampering Guyana’s development efforts in several instances. Relative to this, the report cites the example of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP), which the coalition Government has officially abandoned.

“The Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP), which would have been the largest capital project in the country’s history, fell apart after a decade of planning when the US developer and equity partner withdrew from the multinational de-

velopment team in August 2013.”

“The company expressed concerns over political risk following objections to the venture by the then-Opposition party APNU,” the report continues. “The Norwegian Government subsequently conducted a new feasibility study on the AFHP and submitted the report to the Government.”

This is a reference to a report from Norwegian international consultant Norconsult. The new report had in fact concluded that the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) was the only realistic way for Guyana to achieve an emission free electricity sector. Norconsult had noted the merits of the project, such as its completed feasibility study and a higher plant load than the other alternatives.

However, the report had recommended the BOOT (Build, Own, Operate and Transfer) public private partnership model is used.

The consultant had urged that an international investor specialising in hydro power be invited to take a majority stake in the project.

It is unclear whether this advice has been acted upon by the Government.

The report states; “The only realistic path for Guyana towards an emission free electricity sector is by developing its hydro-

power potential. The fastest way forward is to maintain AFHP as the first major step for substituting its current oil fired generation. AFHP was prioritised as the first hydropower plant because it was the only project with a full feasibility study completed; it has a higher plant

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

load factor than the alternatives, a smaller reservoir and a unit cost in the same range as the most attractive alternatives.”

In the absence of Amaila, the US State Department report acknowledged the Government touting other areas and renewable energy sources. It noted that if potential renewable energy projects are successful, this would promote more investments as high energy costs are barriers to value added investments.

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SunDAY, january 21, 2018

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

Editorial

Guyana Security Sector Reform Action Plan

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T

he British are coming!! The British are coming!”

Those were the words of Paul Revere to warn of the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord in the American War of Independence, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”.

In Guyana, the British are indeed coming, but in this instance, they have been invited in by President David Granger to resuscitate the “Guyana Security Sector Reform Action Plan” (GSSRAP), which had been abandoned back in 2009 by the then PPP Administration.

That plan was first mooted in 2007 at a time when Guyana’s security forces were in the throes of confronting an armed uprising emanating from Buxton and led by five prison escapees. The escapees declared they were “African Freedom Fighters” and targeted in particular the Guyana Police Force and civilians assumed to be supporters of the PPP Administration. One ideologue, supportive of the group’s agenda, publicly made these assertions over the TV airwaves.

In light of the foregoing situation, it was not surprising that some of the short-term objectives of the GSSRAP were to establish a “Special Weapons and Tactics” (SWAT) Unit, boost crime intelligence, and develop forensic capacity.

By Jan of 2009, Major General (Ret) Michael Atherly had been appointed to coordinate a Secretariat within the Office of the President to oversee the GSSRAP. An “Oversight Committee” had also been created by the National Assembly.

The Plan was very comprehensive, and was to complement an ongoing IDB-funded “Citizen Security and Justice Reform” programme, so that the entire law and order system could be integrated and reformed.

One of the PPP’s major concerns in the scrapping of the SSRAP later in 2009 was their claim that the British were insisting their personnel become embedded in the local operations. This, the PPP claimed, implied that Guyanese were incapable of implementing and executing the SSRAP. The PPP eventually launched a SWAT unit in 2014 with a US trainer.

The GSSRAP was to improve the operational capacity of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), and this mission was reiterated last week at the handing over of the new iteration by the British security expert. He had spent a year in Guyana, working from the Ministry of the Presidency quarters. The upper echelons of the GPF were severely shaken up, and hopefully will settle down soon. But after the formation of several other new crime fighting units, State Asset Recovery Agency (SARA) and Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), it is not clear at this time whether policy making across the security sector would also be included in the new plan.

Another British expert was quite instrumental in the establishment and training of SOCU personnel, and the Opposition PPP had accused him of becoming operationally involved. From all indications, it would appear that the present APNU/AFC coalition Government is much more sanguine about British personnel becoming directly involved in the security sector. The official who helped launch SOCU is back in the country in a second stint, and has been rather scathing about the Police Legal Advisor and the Director of Public Prosecutions working as assiduously on cases as he would have liked.

At the presentation ceremony of the new GSSRAP, President Granger accused the PPP regime of not focusing on the “root cause” of crime in Guyana, which in his estimation is narcotics trafficking. Presumably, the plan would address this claimed lacuna, which implies that the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) under the new leadership appointed by the Government is still not executing its mandate effectively.

The President did not allude to the potential for political violence that periodically punctuated our post-independence history, most intensely during the 1999-2008 decade, when the PPP was in office, and which the first GSSRAP took in its sight.

There is no question that crime in all its manifestations is a pressing concern of the Guyanese people, and it is hoped that the new GSSRAP would be “holistic”.

A child hangs on tight to a sheep during the “Mutton Bustin” event at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado, USA. Mutton busting is an event held at rodeos similar to bull riding or bronco riding, in which children ride or race sheep (The Telegraph)

Neither PM nor Agri Minister ever engaged sugar workers

Dear Editor, On December 8, 2017, I wrote a letter to the press about the reluctance of the Alliance For Change (AFC) leaders and Ministers to meaningfully engage the sugar workers.

I stated that, ‘There seems to be reluctance on the part of the Government, especially the Minister of Agriculture and the Prime Minister to meaningfully engage sugar workers at Rose Hall and Skeldon Estates and try to alleviate some of their fears and try to convince them how they will continue to benefit from the privatisation/ diversification process. It is unacceptable for GuySuCo and the Department of Public Information to star in video productions and TV programmes. Personal visits and engagement of sugar workers in these communities would have done wonders to appease

the sugar workers, but sadly this was above their skyhigh status. Leaders must meet and interact with the masses. Sugar workers are more interested where their next meal will come from and not who caused the downfall of GuySuCo!’ However, in a brazen and unabashed attempt by the Leader of the AFC Raphael Trotman to glorify Messrs Holder and Nagamoottoo, he said, “The party will continue to engage sugar workers…since it is concerned about the plight of the sugar workers…and the PM has been making frequent visits to the sugar belt engaging the sugar workers and their families…’ He said that he says this ‘without fear of contradiction.” I do hope that Trotman in the future will verify his statements before going public since not everyone will accept such falsehoods. Neither

the PM nor the Agriculture Minister had done this!

The sugar workers at Rose Hall Estate and Skeldon Estate can attest to the fact that neither the Prime Minister not the Agriculture Minister held any consultations or meetings with them. In fact, Nagamootoo ‘graced’ the 104th anniversary of the Rose Hall Martyrs commemoration with a pledge ‘to make sugar workers’ lives better’ since sugar has been his’ singular obsession since entering politics’.

With this deep obsession, one would have thought that Nagamootoo would have been on the ground aggressively engaging the workers in order to appease them. If this was done then maybe the lives of Mohabir and Bissesar from Rose Hall and Wales Estates respectively would not have been wasteful-

ly lost. This ‘avatar’ has failed the sugar workers and no amount of empty rhetoric will eradicate the widespread feeling of betrayal now being openly expressed by them.

I wish to express my agreement with one letter writer who correctly stated that the PM only visits a few selected areas with great pomp and ostentation, such as Courtland and Whim and, once in a while, to give egocentric speeches on certain occasions such as openings and graduations but has never indulged in ‘engaging the sugar workers and their families. I think he is too mortified to do that.

Minister Trotman, indeed you stand contradicted!

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf RDC Councillor, Region Six

Is this organisation serious?

Dear Editor, “We, the under-signed representatives of the sovereign people of the Caribbean hereby declare that President Donald Trump of the United States of America is “Persona Non Grata” in our Caribbean region.

We further declare that as a “Persona Non Grata” President Donald Trump is not welcomed in any territory of the Caribbean, and we hereby affirm that we – the Caribbean people – will vehemently protest against and take whatever measures are necessary to prevent President Donald Trump’s entry into any portion of the sovereign territory of our Caribbean region.”

The above quote is taken from a Declaration issued Saturday, January 13, 2018, by an organisation called the ‘Pan African and Socialist Forces of the Caribbean Nation of Barbados’.

Is this organisation serious? Does a Pan African and Socialist organisation speak on behalf of our Indigenous people, Indians, Portuguese, Chinese and mixed-race people of the Caribbean? Does it even speak for all Caribbean people of African descent? Does it speak for persons born and bred in the Caribbean who do not support socialism but instead endorse free enterprise, peoples’ capitalism (my ideology) and other non-socialist ide-

ologies?

While this organisation enjoys the right to pass declarations and issue statements these should be done in the name of its members.

I have vehemently condemned Trump time and again, including his most recent reported comments about Haiti and Africa inter alia. But we must be careful that in our condemnations of Trump we don’t make ourselves look as foolish as him. This organisation is in order to say Trump is not welcome in the Caribbean.

But it can’t say so in the name of the people of the Caribbean, it has to say so in the name of its members and no one else.

He is the President of the United States with

which the Caribbean has enjoyed long standing mutually beneficial relations based on traditionally shared values, especially with the American people.

America is home to millions of Caribbean nationals. It is our largest trading partner.

If Trump has an interest in visiting the region, or if there is any regional meeting to which the President of the US is normally invited, the usual protocols should remain in place...he should be welcomed to visit.

As he goes low the governments and people of the Caribbean region, including its Diaspora must go high.

Sincerely, Wesley Kirton

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Need to regain loss of trust, GTUC welcomes Govt and unions’ engagement confidence in our society Dear Editor, The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) welcomes the 19th January meeting on sugar’s future between Government and the sugar unions, Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) and National Association of Agricultural Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE).

The instant meeting of the parties marks a positive step for the development of the nation; and it must be noted and encouraged.

GTUC calls on GAWU and NAACIE to remain at the table, and ensure that proper representation is given to the workers, and by extension their communities. Whatever decisions are taken will not only im-

pact workers’ livelihoods in the workplace, but also the communities within which they reside.

Government and the unions are reminded that the only politics that must be played on sugar is the one that would ensure the welfare and interest of the workers, industry and country.

Cognisant of experience that informs the reservation that leaders are prone to talk the talk and not walk the talk, the parties must ensure initial engagement is not seen as merely a talk shop, followed by excuses to derail future engagement. Resisting dilatory tactics, partisan upmanship, and extrication is critical to hammering out realistic agreement(s) on

the way forward. The instant news must not be recorded as a photo opportunity, but the beginning of good faith and arriving at consensus.

GTUC, encouraged as it is by this new development, shall continue to monitor the situation and hold both sides, collectively and individually, to account for the workers’ welfare.

The attainment of social cohesion and good governance is possible in an environment where fundamental rights and freedoms, laws, and time-honoured principles are respected.

Sincerely, Guyana Trades Union Congress

Dear Editor, On Saturday, the media reported of the Friday meeting between Government and the Unions operating in the sugar industry and is a most welcome sign. I am sure all Guyana feels a collective sense of relief that while such meetings ought to have been held as pre-requisites before the Government initiated the decisions that led to the closure of factories and displacement of thousands of sugar workers (virtually putting the cart before the horse!), some reparation might be forthcoming.

I wish the Government and unions the best of luck and pray for divine guidance in their future talks. In this regard I wish to recommend the following to both sides:

Letter to Communities Minister Dear Editor, For 10 years now, the access roads and cross streets at the front Compound Housing Scheme at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice, have been neglected.

Although residents have been paying their rates and taxes, nothing is being done to ensure they can walk and drive in comfort and in ease in their ingress and egress.

The Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of this region seems to be heartless and unconcerned about the peo-

ple (public servants, teachers, nurses, Police Officers, welfare officers and doctors) who live in this Onverwagt Front Compound.

Access roads and cross streets in other villages from Cotton Tree to Tempie Village have been rehabilitated over a period of years, excluding Onverwagt.

The Neighbourhood Democratic Council of Union/Naarstigheid has been telling some residents since 2015 that the roads will be rehabilitated the next year 2016, then 2017,

but up to the end of last year nothing has been done.

T h e r e f o r e , Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan and Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson – could you please through your official and kind intervention take and make note of this report, because apart from the residents there are also Government businesses such as GWI, the Agriculture Ministry, NAREI, the GLDA Regional Office and the GPL located in the commu-

nity and sometimes cannot be readily accessible especially during the heavy rainy season.

The entrance road to these buildings which is also the entrance road for the Front Compound Housing Scheme at Onverwagt is flooded and hazardous to customers.

Thank you.

In anticipation, Long suffering resi dent, Grace Pollydore and others

A recent publication of the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel Development) featured an analysis of the loss of trust and confidence in society and the need to build trust and a common purpose.

The publication, in my view, resonated so much with our Guyanese situation that I feel obliged to publicly share the gist of it, with the hope that our decisionmakers might be moved accordingly: Thematically, the article highlights that “economic and political upheavals reflect a misalignment between business and economics on one side and accepted societal outcomes on the other; we therefore need to re-examine some long-held assumptions”.

The article claims that too many people feel that they are being left behind by a system unfairly stacked against them and identifies a number of factors in this regard, including: • Lack of confidence in how the economy operates and in trust in institutions such as government, media and business as well as partisan politics.

• Financialisation; that is, the narrow view of value being based on financial metrics. Regular readers of our own Dr

Ian McDonald’s “Ian on Sunday” articles will recall how consistently he has also been identifying the myopia inherent in “the GDP” being used as a primary indicator of national success and shareholder value as a primary indicator of corporate success.

We now also see the fallacies of the above in Government’s approach, so far at least, to our sugar industry which has obviously created quite a tragedy with the powers that be apparently unmindful of the effects of the closure of several estates on the thousands of sugar workers and their communities.

Finally, the authors advise against losing sight of the fact that “well managed market economies have consistently delivered economic growth and social progress more successfully than the alternatives and can continue to do so. They also noted that “change entails managing a set of dualities instead of seeking answers in the choice among apparent opposites like ‘financialisation’ or ‘technology’ or ‘people’. They conclude that both financial and societal targets should be explicitly framed.

Sincerely, Nowrang Persaud

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Foundation

Lessons from the past “I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. “Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death” – Leonardo da Vinci

T

Anu Dev

his side of the New Year, especially since I’m on the final leg of my Med School journey, I’ve been getting a bit reflective about the past few years. I've especially been thinking about one of the courses called PECH (Professionalism, Ethics and Communication in Health), which we had to take in our first 2 years in addition to our medical courses.

The purpose of the course was to train us to become "wellrounded doctors"-- not just some jaded automatons treating diseases instead of treating the actual human patient.

At the time, I did more than my fair share of complaining about the additional work I had to do for this course, but now that I’ve spent the past two years in the hospital interacting with patients, I can appreciate the importance of such a course. I think anyone who’s ever stepped

into a hospital has had at least a few instances when they’ve had to deal with a medical professional who really wasn’t very professional at all. And working in the system, I’ve seen doctors at both ends of the spectrum -- some impatient and snappy, and others endlessly patient and caring. For the most part, I’ve worked with doctors who fall somewhere in-between, just people trying their best to do their jobs the best they could.

There were a few takeaways from those PECH courses that proved to be useful even outside of a medical setting.

First of all, there's the notion of integrating work and action with the acquiring of knowledge itself -- all within an ethical framework. I come from a tradition t h a t

insists that information isn't knowledge when one hears it, or even cogitates upon it and integrates it with other ideas.

It becomes "knowledge"

when it is put into action. And "informs" you. So PECH was not entirely a novel experiment.

In our first semester, a big portion of our assignments for PECH was to write a series of reflective essays. We were supposed to select news articles, videos, or even TV shows, reflect on what feelings they evoked, and then write down our thoughts on the matter. And it wasn’t that bad, except for the part where our tutors kept telling us that we needed to dig deeper and pour out more of our feelings into these essays, and it all felt like impromptu (and unwanted) psychiatric sessions. Kind of an extended Woody Allen movie.

But at least the course forced us to take the time to reflect on the things around us. In this current time, when the Internet is so accessible and there’s so much information accessible, so much information just filters through, doesn’t stick, and we don’t think much about

all of this new information.

At the time, a piece of new information might cause you to think, “Oh. That’s interesting.”

You’d pause for a moment, and then you’d keep scrolling and move onto something new, and probably forget about that other thing. We don’t really process and internalize much of this information.

Of course, much of it isn’t really worth retaining. And this is where your ethical values come in handy: so that you have a framework -- in addition to the purely "medical" or "scientific" rules -- to evaluate information. I don’t think there’s a prize out there for remembering all of the details of celebrity marriages.

But some of it you should at least try to think about -how the issue might impact on you, on your life, and on the people around you. It’s nice to step out of your personal bubble and take a genuine interest in the things you read, hear, or see, instead of letting them pass you by.

So, slow down a bit in your incessant scrolling through information. Take some time to actually read though an article, and pass it through your ethical screen before commenting, instead of forming an opinion off of just a headline.

By Scarlet Paolicchi

P

arenting teens can be hard work. We all know that many parents dread the teen years, partly because we all dread "losing our babies".

However, it is important to remember that we aren't really losing our babies. We are actually raising strong men and women. I have witnessed too many parents stop raising their teens because they start to think that their teens don’t really want or need them anymore. Newsflash: Teens still want you and they need you more than ever! As they embark on a journey to leave the nest, teens need to test their independence, but they also need your guidance. It is critical that parents help their teens see the consequences of their actions and get teens to think before they act. Making mistakes in the teenage years can have lasting repercussions.

As with most things in parenting, the best advice I can give you is to open the door to communication with your teen. Teens don't always seem like they are listening, but it is OK to demand your teen’s attention on important things. However, it’s also important to remember that communication is a two-way street and you need to listen to your teen as well.

And not just when you are engaged in "important conversations". Real open communication begins with listening to and talking about the little stuff, too. If they know you make time for discussing little things, teens will also feel more comfortable discussing big things with you.

Once the door for communication with your teens is open, go ahead and broach the important topics. Don't be afraid of uncomfortable topics, but remember: You can't cover everything in one sitting. Spreading out these important conversations will give you the chance to go into more details, ask questions and really listen to what your teen says. The difficult topics (such as drinking, smoking, interacting with the opposite sex, texting while driving and trying new fads for

getting high) won't go away if you don't discuss them.

They will just happen without you having a chance to share your advice with your teen. You don't want peer pressure to be the only influence on your teen when they find themselves in a tricky situation.

A discussion around a potential danger facing your teen should include talking about why the danger is something to be avoided in the first place. The more information teens have, the more likely they are see your perspective. The conversation should also include asking questions. Ask if your teen has heard of the risky behaviour and if they – or any of their friends – have encountered it. The purpose of your questions is not to accuse or get angry. The purpose is to listen to what your teen has to say. It is also important to find out if you teen has questions. Talk through potential scenarios with your teen and help them brainstorm how they could respond to peer pressure. Ask your teen to think about what the potential consequences of an action might be. Do they really understand all the dangers a specific situation presents? Are there legal implications they may not have thought of? Helping teens think through the situations and come up with the possible consequences themselves is great practice for the logical thinking they will need to help them think before they act when you are not around.

These discussions are not the easiest, but they help to build character. They are also very rewarding – just think about how much grief you could be saving your teen and yourself by helping your teen to understand that their actions can have very real and lasting consequences. These conversations are so important, but don't stop there.

Keep observing your teen’s behaviour, keep asking questions and keep listening. Trust your gut. Stay in the loop because your teen still needs you, even when it seems like they are pushing you away.

These teen years can be tricky, but if you work on continuing to raise your teen even when it gets tough, you will be so proud of the adult your teen grows into! (stopmedicineabuse.org)

7 Armed bandits rob teacher, nurse A news

headteacher and a nurse were recent victims of armed bandits operating in the desolate Tucber Park community in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Reports reaching this publication state that three men, each masked and carrying a handgun, attacked and robbed 51-year-old Moira Thomas, Head Teacher of the Zorg Primary School, as she was about to park her motor cycle in her yard at Tucber Park in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Thomas explained to this publication that she had left home at about 21:30h on Wednesday to purchase dinner. She returned shortly afterwards, and was in the process of mounting her motor cycle on its stand when she was held from behind and a cold piece of metal was placed against her neck.

“They tell me not to scream, but I loose the bike and it fall, and I start to scream out of fright; and then I see is three of them, and the two in front of me had what appeared to be guns in their hands, so I calm myself down,” Thomas detailed.

She said that by that time she had fallen to the ground, and began begging for her life while indicating that she would give the bandits whatever they wanted. But even before she had so said, the box of food was pulled from her hand. The men also took a pouch containing her driver’s licence and other docu-

SunDAY, january 21, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

-- held a nurse at gunpoint as she was walking home in Tucber Park, New Amsterdam. The men es-

caped with the woman’s cash, jewelry and a cellular phone.

Significantly, that inci-

dent took place just outside of Thomas’s premises.

Police say they are investigating both incidents.

PPP fires back at President over security comments

P

ments for her motor cycle.

“They just collect everything and run out the yard, and I get up and start running to go inside; but I had to turn back to turn off the bike and take out the key, because the house key and the bike key (are) on the same bunch,” she said.

Thomas said she called the Police and informed them of what had transpired, even as she expressed fear that the bandits might return now that she was inside the house. She said she was told that a patrol was in the area.

The woman said she also called one of her daughters and several friends, and related the incident as she waited for the Police to arrive.

Police a no-show

At about 01:30h on Thursday, still in fright because she had not seen the Police, Thomas called a taxi,

and when it arrived, she left her home and went to a relative’s home to sleep.

“When the taxi come I peep outside, and then I run out the house and in the taxi with speed,” she detailed.

She said that when she returned home at about 06:30h on Thursday, there were two officers in her yard.

They said they were responding to a call. She said the officers told her that they were given the wrong direction.

“They say that I was hysterical and so the direction (I gave them) was wrong. They lie! I know I give them the right direction to my house every time I call. What about my daughter? What about my friends? They were hysterical?” she questioned.

Thomas has since filed a report of the Police action, or rather lack of action.

On the evening prior to Thomas’s attack, three men -- also carrying guns

resident David Granger found him on the receiving end of additional criticisms by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo over comments he made during Thursday’s handing over of the Security Sector Reform Programme report, done with support from the United Kingdom.

Granger stated that the former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government was insincere about wanting to reform the security sector and that the PPP/C was “all a bluff” in this area.

Jagdeo, at a news conference held at his Church Street office, fired back at the President on the issue. Jagdeo noted that it is shameful for a President to condemn the work of the previous Administration, when under Granger’s Government the largest security initiative is the Citizens’ Security

Programme, which the PPP/C negotiated. “This is their biggest crime-fighting tool right now… and he says the PPP is all bluff,” he said.

Currently the Government is rolling out the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) negotiated Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP), he noted.

He added that President Granger is “all about ceremony” and the public handover of the report of the Security Sector Reform Project is quite likely because he is “acutely” aware that his Government is failing in the security sector.

Taking another jab at Granger’s Government, the Opposition Leader noted that the members of the coalition Government seem to have an “inferiority complex” when it comes to foreigners.

“Does it not seem strange or

apparent to Guyanese now that this Government has a chip on its shoulder, an inferiority complex for foreigners – one will solve corruption and one will solve crime,” Jagdeo said.

UK advisor

Referring to the blitz surrounding Sam Sittlington, the UK advisor to SOCU, the Opposition Leader charged that the moves seem deliberate on the part of the Government. “Every time they are on the back-foot, they resurrect SOCU…and true to form, he (Sittlington) seems to have taken over the Government PR (public relations) campaign (in this regard),” Jagdeo said.

According to him, the PPP/C is supportive of “any work done properly and objectively” to address corruption, but will oppose witchhunts and public relations campaigns as seen in the last few weeks.

8 news

SunDAY, january 21, 2018 | guyanatimesGY.com

Father of 4 remanded on robbery charge

T

hirty-six-yearold Seon Lewis of D’Urban Park, Georgetown was late last week remanded to prison on allegations that he had stolen a 13-pennyweight gold chain, valued at $160,000.

The virtual com-

plainant, Nadine Reddy, is alleging that Lewis stole the item from her on January 13, 2018 at the Stabroek Market.

However, when the father of four appeared before Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore, he entered a not-guilty plea; and his

Farmer hospitalised, 1 in custody after boat collision

S

upenaam village farmer Lesley Moses is currently a patient at the Suddie Public Hospital on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two, nursing injuries he sustained to his chest and right leg following a boat collision that occurred at about 15:30h on Friday at Karabarow, Essequibo River.

The 51-year-old Moses was reportedly with four other farmers, travelling in his 12’ x 4’ boat which is propelled by a 15 hp engine, when another boat,

captained by a female farmer of Wakenaam and proceeding at a fast rate, collided with his boat.

The collision caused everyone to be thrown overboard.

Following the collision, the female captain rescued the men, and Moses was rushed to the Suddie Hospital, where he was admitted. None of the other famers received any injury.

The female captain has been taken into Police custody as investigations continue.

defence counsel, in asking the court for reasonable bail for her client,

said Lewis was recently released from hospital after a stabbing incident, and that he works at a wharf.

The Police Prosecutor, however, objected to Lewis being placed on bail on ground of the seriousness of the offence. The magistrate upheld the prosecution’s application and bail was refused.

The case will continue on February 7 at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Poor infrastructure...

“We need to develop strategies to address in the first case the issue affecting the rice sector and here is where the Ministry with responsibility for agriculture and the Guyana Rice Development Board, they need to meaningfully engage all key stakeholders so that we may have a very clear understanding as to where the future of this industry is going,” Ramdatt added.

from page 2

Finance Minister Winston Jordan in his 2018 Budget presentation noted that the rice industry was expected to record an output of 602,087 tonnes for 2017, an increase of 12.7 per cent over 2016.

He credited the increase mainly to an additional 14,000 hectares planted for the 2017 spring crop and a further 74,481 hectares planted in the autumn crop.

Shutdown…

N …in government

ews of the “shutdown” of the American Government is dominating our newsfeed. This fourth shutdown in the past quarter of a century is interesting since it’s related to Trump’s immigration shakeup. While Guyana wasn’t identified as one of the “sh*thole” countries Trump insisted he wanted to radically cut immigration from, we’re undoubtedly on his list.

After all, if Haiti heads the list, and we’re just above them in the poverty hit parade, what’s our claim to fame in sending hordes of immigrants to the US? Our hordes get a free pass because of the present American immigration laws that allow naturalized citizens to sponsor parents and adult children etc. This will be changed to a Canada-like system wherein immigrants have to ‘qualify” according to criteria, such as skills etc that can help America. Nothing to quarrel about with that, is there? The (moral) fly in the ointment are the hundreds of thousands of “dreamers” – children of illegal immigrants who’d been given permission

by Obama to stay if they registered – who’ll now be deported.

Anyhow, what’s of greater interest to your Eyewitness is the PROCESS by which the shutdown was brought about, which is due to the STRUCTURE of the American Government. There, they have a REAL separation of powers between the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. And when it comes to spending – and it’s money that makes the world go ‘round, in case you forgot – it’s a matter of the Executive proposing and the Legislature disposing.

And in this instance, one House of Congress that forms the American legislature –the Senate – has balked at paying the salaries of government bureaucrats who aren’t deemed ‘essential”, like, say, soldiers. The Government has to SHUT DOWN, since there aren’t bodies to do the job!!

Now, even though we say we have a “democracy” in Guyana, where there is “separation of powers”, there isn’t really. Think of it. The Members of the Executive – the Ministers – are also MPs in the Legislature, and the latter tongues are hanging out to do the Executive President’s bidding!! Especially those MPs who want to become Ministers to enjoy the perks!!

So the American Government shutdown demonstrates that democratic forms of government can be varied to suit the needs of the country. The American constitutional framers didn’t want to appoint a President who’d be a dictator like the King they threw out. So they “balanced” his powers with that of the Legislators, who’re independently elected and aren’t in the Cabinet.

We, however, have a co-joined Executive and Legislature – with only the Judiciary to take them on.

And which is now being subverted.

Shouldn’t we also separate our legislature to prevent a dictatorship?

…of sugar

Your Eyewitness was just reminded by a friend of how devious and downright low this Government can be to those it considers not its supporters. And sugar workers are by definition in that category. Think of what’s now dominating the headlines – yup! - the 50% severance payout! With this GAMBIT – and a gambit it is - the President has effectively removed the debate and focus from his unilateral sugar estate closures, promises of land and alternate employment, to sugar workers!!

Didn’t think of it that way, did you? Neither did your Eyewitness. Workers – and even the Opposition -- are going to be so focused on getting the remaining 50% severance they’ll be even praising the Govt when they finally get it in their hands!! Never mind the Government’s callous closures and firing of 5700 sugar workers and dooming their communities into an endemic life of poverty for another generation.

But who thinks that far ahead? Not those who’re only fixated on getting the balance of their severance!

…and 'woulda, coulda and shoulda'

President Granger said, in the security area, it’s been 20 years of “woulda, coulda, shoulda”. Your Eyewitness didn’t know he was a fan of Brian McKnight. But on the sugar workers, he should remember Brian’s refrain: “Shoulda been a better man!”

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

news

9

SunDAY, january 21, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Lack of investment crippling Region 2’s economy – Chairman …calls for integrated approach to tackle high unemployment

By Lakhram Bhagirat

R

egion Two (PomeroonSupenaam) has for more than two years not seen any major investment to boost its crippling economy which is plagued by issues affecting the rice industry.

This is according to Region Two Chairman, Devanand Ramdatt, who, in an interview with this newspaper, said that the crippling economy is due to the lack of consultation and engagement of the administration and residents of Region Two. He explained that for the predominantly farming community, the lack of markets for produce has been severely affecting the investment opportunities in the region.

“In the case of Pomeroon, the farmers were affected due to lack of market for their produce, especially those persons who produce

Non-operational: Morning Glory Rice Cereal Factory

fruits; and that is a direct link due to the loss of the contract by a local company to supply juice, because most likely some of those produce came from the Pomeroon,” he detailed.

“We visited a lot of the communities, and we have seen farmers having their produce deteriorating in their fields, and their explanation is pointing us to the direction of a lack of mar-

ket,” Ramdatt noted.

He opined that there ought to be a more holistic approach in dealing with the lack of investment and the high unemployment rates. He added that the Government, through its agencies, has to formulate a developmental plan to address the economic woes affecting the region.

“We have not had, also, (any) major expansion or de-

velopment of any new sector in the region -- no new development; and there are very high levels of unemployment. More and more, qualified persons are not getting jobs. We are having

more persons coming back from Venezuela, and they, too, would add to that level of unemployment, and that high percentage of unemployment will increase.

We had absolutely no new investment in Region Two,” Ramdatt explained.

He added that Central Government, through its agencies like GO-Invest and the Ministry of Business, can engage the region and its people to formulate a developmental plan to help the region’s struggling economy.

“In many communities, we have students not going to school because of the negative impact of the economy.

We have challenges (in regard) to youth unemployment. We want new investment opportunity to develop

our people, and we need it now,” he added.

In 2015, the sod was turned for the Institute of Applied Science and Technology’s (IAST) $100 million rice cereal factory, which later came into operation. The factory was expected to create more than 200 jobs for Essequibians by utilising rice from the Region.

However, the Regional Chairman explained, the factory operated for a while, but has now ceased operation for unknown reasons.

He added that as far as the statistics show, the factory made very little impact in terms of the unemployment rate and its contribution to the overall economic development of the region. turn to page 15

10 news

SunDAY, january 21, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Students suspended from school for 2 months …over social media comments …not allowed to submit SBAs for CXC

F

ive students attending a West Berbice secondary school have been sent home from school since November and not allowed to submit their School Based Assessments (SBA) for the Caribbean Examination Council later this year. The punishment was meted out to the students as a result of “derogatory” comments in a social media chat group. In the private chat group, the students gave the head teacher a “nick” name.

The issue was raised when the Region Five Regional Democratic Council met last Thursday. Coalition

harmful to their academic career.

“The President had pardoned youths who were incarcerated for various infractions and said ‘pris“The President had pardoned youths who were incarcerated he on is not the for various infractions and he said ‘prison is not the place place for them, let them go for them, let them go and find themselves back in school’. find themWhy should we threat these naive students in such a man- and selves back in ner, do we want to make them future criminals, drunkards, school’. Why should we gamblers? What are they going to do for their future?” the threat these coalition Councillor questioned. naive students in such Councillor Takoor Singh report was made and the stua manner, do we want to said a teacher of the school dents who were part of the make them future crimigot a hold of one of the stu- group were all suspended for nals, drunkards, gamblers? dent’s cellular phones and two months and were reportWhat are they going to do for while searching the student’s edly not allowed to submit their future?” the coalition phone, the teacher found the their SBAs. Councillor questioned. chat group where the head Singh asked the RDC to Singh told the RDC teacher was being referred to have the matter investigated that the Chief Education as “alligator face”. As such, a and expressed concern over Officer instructed that the the way the students are befive boys be allowed to reing treated. turn to school. However, the “From November to know Department of Education in these children don’t have the region is not permitting any sort of tutoring. They them to attend school. were on the street kicking “The department remains bricks wondering what will intransigent on this matter,” be the next move. I considhe told the RDC. er this move the anile. Why Noting that $2 billion is this asperity? I am bemused; being spent on education, I think the character of these Singh referred to the action guys has been demonised. I by the school’s administraam wondering why human tion as harmful. He said the beings will attack others in administration acted with such a malevolent, deficit destructive hate. and irresponsible manner.”

“The action taken by the Singh referred to what department is irrational, abis being allowed to hapsorb, vacuous, malicious and pen to the students as bespiteful.” ing destructive in nature and

Coulda, woulda, shoulda in suga

S

atiricus was anxious to get down to the Back Street Bar. This was his usual disposition on a Saturday evening, but this time there was an extra spring to his steps. After all the stick he’d taken from his buddies about his KFC party, today he’d be able to hold his head up high.

“How do you like my fearless leaders, Nagga Man and Rum Jhaat, solving the crisis in the sugar industry?!” Satiricus burst out, as soon as he took his seat.

“Solved the sugar crisis?” demanded Hari. “What the arse you talking about Sato?”

“Didn’t you read Nagga Man’s column, ‘Sugar and Politricks’, in the Sunday Chronic?” asked Satiricus aggrievedly.

Everyone around the table nodded.

“My leader outlined the plan he came up with, and which Pressie had the unions agree to next Friday,” said Satiricus with a smirk. “What a guy!!”

“Nagga Man mek up da plan?” asked Cappo in disbelief. “Suh who a play politricks?”

“What do you mean?” asked Satiricus truculently. “If it wasn’t for Nagga Man, the half severance woulda never been paid.”

“Budday! Da na no fava; de law seh dem shoulda get dem whole severance,” said Cappo. “Me a talk ‘bout all de jab he seh ‘e guvment fin’ fuh dem suga worka.”

“Yes, Sato,” said Bungi, who had gone and found the Chronic with Nagga Man’s column and was pointing to it. “Read da an’ tell me which suga worka get dem jab!”

Hari read slowly to the table of friends: “2,448 persons received technical training in the fields of graphic design, photography, orchard establishment, leather craft, climate-smart agriculture and book-keeping.”

“I’m not sure,” Satiricus said. “What about the rest?” he said.

Hari obliged: “Some 301 micro-enterprises received grant funding in the amount of US$421,000.”

Satiricus shook his head in disbelief, “No. I don’t think those were for sugar workers.”

“Nagga man t’ink beca’se abee bin fetch cane, abee brain saaf!” said Bungi. “He a de waan wha play palitricks!”

“I give up,” said Satiricus, holding his head. “I coulda been at home!!”

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SunDAY, january 21, 2018 | guyanatimesGY.com

Govt accused of violating labour laws

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The high crime rate

By Ryhaan Shah

T

he local US Embassy issued a travel advisory on January 10 last to American citizens in Guyana to exercise increased caution due to crime. “Violent crime,” the advisory states, “such as armed robbery and murder is common. Local Police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents.”

Among the precautions advised are: to be extra vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs; to avoid walking or driving at night; to avoid displays of wealth such as wearing jewellery or expensive watches; and to not resist any robbery attempt – all good advice for us locals as well.

No one, including the US, is reassured by the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) year-end statistics that boasted serious crime, among others, was down. What we all do is put faces to the faceless numbers and remember that 87-year-old Constance Fraser, known as “Mother Fraser”, and her 75-year-old niece Phyllis Caesar were brutally murdered last October during a burglary at their city home. This is Guyana today.

Carjackings last year were up from 2016 to nearly one per week but it took a child being brutally shoved from a hijacked vehicle for the Police to step up and issue a statement that they would be taking a multi-departmental approach to this particular crime. Immediately, the carjackings stopped. Was a coded message given and received?

There is undoubtedly a ready market for stolen vehicles, cellphones and jewellery. In a country with a small population, it is unacceptable that the Police appear to have no information – especially in a place where everybody minds everybody else’s business – on the whereabouts of traders in stolen property.

They have to be either grossly incompetent, shamefully obtuse or are themselves a major part of Guyana’s criminal enterprise. Most believe it is the latter, especially since most of the bandits are going about unmasked. This does suggest that they feel very sure they will not be caught by the Police.

Rogue elements dismissed from the GPF appear to be the tip of a giant iceberg given the number of times that crimes are reportedly committed by ex-Cops, or serving Police, or Army personnel like the Guyana Defence Force soldier Jamal Hazel who was remanded for his alleged involvement in a recent $5,000,000 hold-up.

These bring the armed forces’ recruitment procedures into question since it appears that would-be bandits are entering the forces to gain tactical knowledge and training in weaponry, not in order to serve and protect, but to use in criminal activities.

Public trust in the Police is so low that many crimes go unreported. Many feel it’s a waste of time. One such unreported incident was recounted by an acquaintance who shared her recent horror story. It has valuable lessons for everyone using the roadways.

She was stopped at a traffic light and was the last car in the line. She was alone, and her windows were wound up. A well-dressed young man tapped at her driver’s window. Since he was insistent she cracked the window to hear what he was trying to say. As soon as she did that, he pushed the window down and grabbed her gold bangle and ring. She drove her car up onto the sidewalk to try and escape and damaged the side of her car.

When driving, keep your windows up and your doors locked. Do not open them for anyone. If your vehicle is bumped from the back – a trick used to stop your vehicle – and you are on a lonely stretch of road, do not stop or exit your vehicle. Turn on your hazard lights, blow your horn to attract attention, and speed away until you get to a populated area. Try and escape also if a motorcycle rides up ahead of you and tries to stop your vehicle.

Because Guyana is a cash-based economy, the vulnerability to robberies is obvious. Blaming the victim is never useful but everyone does need to be extra vigilant when withdrawing cash from banks.

Guyana is what it is, and no one is safe. Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has issued no useful policy directives to the Police to combat the high crime rate.

With thousands of sugar workers out of work, Guyana’s economy is set to shrink even more this year. This will result in even higher unemployment and more crime.

With a Police Force perceived as being part of the problem, it is up to every citizen to take precautions. The best option we all have is to try and protect ourselves by being alert and aware of our surroundings at all times.

he Government of Guyana is being accused of violating the labour laws by issuing contracts to firms which pay persons below the minimum wage.

The Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is asking that the Administration address the issue where security guards and being paid below the minimum wage while they perform duties at Government locations.

Addressing the RDC, People’s Progressive Party Councillor Zamal Hussain criticised the Administration for awarding contracts to security companies at rates which makes it impossible for firms to pay guards wages at the minimum level or above.

He told the RDC that Government is contributing to the company breaking the law.

“The persons working with the company are being paid below the minimum wage, they are not being paid overtime and they are

least receive the minimum wage as stipulated by the Government.”

This publication was told that the guards are paid at a rate which represents twothirds of the stipulated minimum wage.

Meanwhile, at a recent meeting held with the guards and the company which has the contract to pervade security services to Government buildings in Region Six, the guards Councilor Zamal Hussain

not given proper treatment.

In fact, some of them are in arrears with their creditors,” he pointed out.

Hussain said some of the underpaid guards perform duties at the compound of the RDC. Others, he said were at schools health centres and hospitals in the region.

“The blame is coming to the region. I am pleading to the RDC and the Government that when they make out these contracts they have ground rules that persons must at

complained of poor working conditions and also of the low wages.

The Chief Executive Officer of that company allegedly told the guards to take him to the Social Protection Ministry, which holds the responsibility for labour, and if they were not successful with the New Amsterdam office they should take the matter up with the head office in Georgetown.

Guyanese man gunned down in T&T

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hirty-year-old Guyanese Troy Allen, who had been residing in San Juan, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, was killed in a shooting incident on Nelson Street in Port-ofSpain, the Trinidad capital, on Saturday at about 06:00h.

Information reported by local media in the twin-island republic detail that

Allen was found in an unconscious state by ranks of the Duncan Street Police Post, and was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, where he was receiving treatment; but he subsequently succumbed to his injuries.

A probe into the man’s killing has since been launched by the Trinidad authorities.

12 news PPP confident of grass root support for LGE 2018 SunDAY, january 21, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

…membership growing as APNU/AFC betray principles – Jagdeo

P

eople’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo is optimistic of his party’s chances in this year’s Local Government Elections (LGE).

The party’s leader addressed the question of his party’s participation in the upcoming elections.

Jagdeo expressed indifference to what opposing parties’ do, as he maintained that his party would win massively.

“I believe that you have a large number of people who supported APNU, who genuinely believed that they were going to make a difference in their lives and who are totally disappointed because they believed that they are going to fight corruption, because they made a big issue about corruption and they are totally disappointed.”

Jagdeo pointed to the lack of investments, the billions in new taxes be-

AFC Chairman Raphael Trotman

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

ing collected and broken promises to the youths.

According to him, the party has been approached by many disillusioned former supporters of the coalition party.

“And I made it clear that the PPP is open to people.

It was set up as a working-class party. It was not set up as a party based on

race, but class based. We are working class, but we support the Private Sector.

And we support people of every race and every religion would find a home in the PPP.” The General Secretary noted that efforts will be doubled to make the Party’s composition more diverse.

“We’re hoping that we can work more to get more Afro-Guyanese into the PPP, because our support is predominantly IndoGuyanese and a lot of Amerindians… maybe 70 per cent. So we have to do harder work in the AfroGuyanese communities, to make sure more people come into the Party, so that the Party looks like Guyana.”

“And we’re making a serious effort to do this, because we genuinely believe that’s the only way forward. Guyana can only move forward and realise all of its potential if everybody is included. So yes, we have seen more people.”

AFC split

Since it made a pact with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), the Alliance For Change (AFC) has been a faithful partner to the larger party. It even contested the 2016 LGE as a coalition.

But last week, the party suddenly indicated that it may split from APNU for this year’s election.

Offering his opinion on the AFC’s intimation that they may contest the elections on their own, Jagdeo described it as an attempt

to reconnect to its grass roots ground support.

According to the former President, however, the junior coalition partner has more than lost touch with its grass roots.

“You want to bet they’re not going to go separately. And if they go separately, it does not matter.

And now (AFC Chairman Raphael) Trotman belatedly admitting, we may have lost touch a bit with people on the ground. It’s not

the bit of touch that you’ve lost. You’ve betrayed all the principles that people who voted for you stood for. That’s their biggest beef with the AFC.” Local Government elections are expected to be held later this year, after a two-year interval. In the 2016 Local Government Election, the PPP won the majority of popular votes and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils.

Region 1 man charged for stealing gasoline

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hief Magistrate Ann McLennan has released on $30,000 bail Orson Williams, a Port Kaituma man whom Police contend had stolen 20 gallons of gasoline, 16 empty Banks beer bottles, and other articles all to the accumulative value of $96,000.

This heist was allegedly committed at Port Kaituma, North West District, Region One between January 8 and 10, 2018.

The 30-year-old Williams, who gave his address as Mc Doom, Port Kaituma, said he works on a dredge. He denied

that he had stolen property belonging to virtual complainant Elroy Allan.

Although disclosing that nothing of the stolen items was recovered, the prosecution had no objection to Williams being placed on bail, thus he was placed on bail.

He has, however, been ordered to report to the Port Kaituma Station every other Friday for the duration of the matter.

The case has been transferred before the Mathew’s Ridge Magistrate for February 6.

news

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SunDAY, january 21, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

10,000 acres of rice under threat in Corentyne PNC’s nation

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ith the PNC back in power (under the fig leaf of “APNU”) and its leader, Mr David Granger, insisting he would fulfil the legacy of its founder-leader, Forbes Burnham, we should familiarize ourselves with some of the elements of that legacy. We begin with the notion of nation.

The PNC, during its first twenty-eight-year regime, accentuated the African element of Creole culture as the official culture, even as it made some innocuous accommodations to other hybrids, such as “Guyanese-Indian”.

Many insist Burnham had a “multicultural” approach for the state, since he introduced two Muslim and two Hindu festivals as national holidays.

Actually, that was a feint in Mr Burnham’s quest for total control over the state.

Because the colonial state had privileged the Christian Church, the church retained great influence and authority on state matters, which Burnham would not brook. In 1976, Burnham nationalised the schools of all the religious bodies. State recognition of Hinduism and Islam as Ravi Dev ‘Guyanese’ religions simply served to dilute the old, established Christian influence (which had external guidance), while Mr. Burnham quickly moved to control the Hindu Maha Sabha and the Muslim Anjumaan so that the new kids on the block offered no challenge.

Mr. Burnham had a totally different position on “Culture”, which he saw as ‘secular” as opposed to “religious”. While the ambiguities of such a disjuncture are legion, Burnham accepted the homogenising premises of the European “nation-state” ideal. He fervently opposed “multiculturalism,” and summed up his position as “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”, which of course he would “mould”.

The question was: what practices would be the cultural markers to define the “one nation”, and to which all others would be assimilated? We can look at the record.

The symbols of a state signal its cultural orientation, since these are expected to ensure that the people can identify with the state at an emotional level. The colours of our flag, chosen by the National Arts Council, were the Garveyite Pan-African colours black, green and red (which were already the PNC’s colours), along with yellow from Ethiopia’s green, yellow and red, which most African countries had chosen as their Pan-African colours.

The National Hero was Cuffy – the African slave who had fought the Dutch in Berbice almost seventy years before Berbice became part of a unified Guyana. The National Anthem has no hint of an Indian raga, much less any words. Mr. Burnham, like many non-Indians, also had a problem with the Indian cultural fare over the airwaves. He mandated that on the Indian radio shows that played Indian songs (through private sponsorship) there were to be included an equal number of English language songs. There was no T.V. under Burnham, and we may now possibly surmise why. Mr. Burnham also demanded that “ethnic clubs” change their names; for instance, the “East Indian Association Cricket Club” changed its name to “Everest”.

However, Mr. Burnham accepted the African Society for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa (ASCRIA) as the PNC’s de facto cultural arm – until 1973, when its head, Mr. Eusi Kwayana, declared that Mr. Burnham had sold out to Indian and Portuguese bourgeoise elements. The names of all organisations (except African ones) were changed, and Indian programs had to be mixed with English music.

Everybody was supposed to be “Guyanese,” and to say that one was an “Indian” was somehow a betrayal of the thrust to modernity.

In Guyana, there is great resentment generated in the Indian community by the insistence of the other sections that they can become “Guyanese” only by discarding their culture. That culture was not officially sought to be preserved; for instance, even though there is a “National” Museum, an African Museum and an Amerindian (WALTER ROTH) museum, there in none for Indians. The National School of Dance is bereft of an Indian repertoire.

Mr. Burnham went so far with his identification of African culture that he modified Marxist-Leninist theory, risking ridicule from orthodox quarters (“utopian”), to declare that Guyana’s economic model would be the co-operative -- based on the Ujaama socialism of Tanzania. Mr. Burnham introduced Mashramani as the grand festival for Guyana, with its CreoleCaribbean Carnival inspiration hardly masked by the allegation that it was about “cooperation” and taken from the Amerindians.

We should evaluate the present firestorm over the PPP’s PIO MP attendees against the foregoing background.

R

ice farmers on the Corentyne, in Berbice, are in urgent need of water to save 10,000 acres of rice in the 52-74 Neighbourhood Democratic Council area. The regional administration’s irrigation pump has run out of fuel and the dam in now inaccessible to get fuel to the pumps.

They are calling on the Water Users Association as the need for water grows by the day. Some farmers told this publication that they could lose up to 10 acres daily until water is pumped into the affected areas.

However, the pumps are without fuel because of a new system implemented by the regional administration to get fuel to the pumps which are situated along the Canje River.

Region Chairman David Armogan speaking on the matter said the decision to change the system did not come from the local regional administration.

“The problem we have is that the boat which would normally take fuel into the Canje Creek area has to find additional money to operate. The management of the Berbice Bridge has told the owner of the boat that he has to provide marine insurance before he can cross the bridge. We all know that marine insurance is a very expensive insurance,” he pointed out.

According to Armogan, the boat operator is being asked to pay $2 million for the marine insurance, and as such, the regional administration has been forced to engage a new contractor.

According to Armogan, there is a

Regional Chairman David Armogan

truck system also which takes fuel to these pumps but because of the deplorable state of the dams – due to heavy rainfall – this process is hindered.

At present, the dams are impassible. Chairman of the 52-74 water Users Association, Neezam Rajab, in an interview with Guyana Times said farmers are under a lot of pressure for their livelihood.

“Right now about 10,000 acres is under threat, especially the young ones. I would say about two-thirds is under threat and we start losing already,” he told this publication.

Rajab said the only answer at this

time is for sunshine lasting for two successive days. With that the truck will be able to take fuel to the Manarabisi pump. Even that will be inadequate since that truck can only take in 2000 gallons at a time.

And that amount of fuel will not last three days. The boat, which is being asked to have a marine insurance, had the capacity to take 22,000 gallons per trip but the owner said it is unprofitable to pay $2 million when he still has to pay to cross the Berbice Bridge to transport the fuel.

The Regional Chairman said there are three options being explored, one of which is to approach the Berbice Bridge Company with a request for them to wave the insurance rule for that contractor.

“If we can get the Bridge Company to relax that rule that they have put in place, then the contractor is willing to come as from Monday,” he said.

“If the sun comes out and the weather conditions are good then we will continue to move the fuel overland and we don’t need to push the bridge company in that event.

If the rain continues to fall, then we can explore the option of the barge and the big tanks... if the situation gets out of hand we might have to rent a barge and hire a few tanks and purchase the fuel from Guyoil and take it in. That will be far more expensive to do it that way but it might be our only option,” the Regional Chairman said. (Andrew Carmichael)

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Pomeroon executions

Younge’s Take

Wife, other suspects Riding solo released from custody L T he three persons who were held in connection with the alleged execution of two Pomeroon farmers have been released following advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

This was revealed by “G” Division Police, who said the wife of one of the deceased and two other suspects were all released, as investigators are now following new leads.

Recent autopsies conducted on the dead farmers -- Ambrose Baharally, called “Jadge,” 28, of Grant Stelling Hope, and 23-yearold Martin Goddete of Friendship Canal, Lower Pomeroon River -- determined that the men died as a result of gunshot injuries.

The two men were shot to their heads and killed reportedly by men who were said to be imbibing with them earlier this month.

Dead: Ambrose Baharally

According to information, the incident occurred at about 15:30h.

Information reaching Guyana Times revealed that the two suspects had, earlier in the day, made contact with Baharally and Goddete, indicating that

they were going to visit them during the day.

The suspects reportedly visited the two now dead men at about 15:00h, and this time they were armed.

Baharally’s widow, Cilicia Williams, told this publication that Goddete had visited their home at about 09:30h, and after some time, her husband and Goddete began to drink “High Wine” on a culvert by the river.

She disclosed to Police that at about 15:10h on Sunday last, she saw the suspects drive up in a boat, and they subsequently shook the farmers’ hands.

She said the group of men were having a conversation and were in high spirits when she left the men and went to tend to her children.

She said she soon heard two loud bangs, and then discovered her husband

and his friend lying on the ground.

The gunmen reportedly headed east on the river immediately after committing the horrendous act.

Following investigations, a 9mm pistol and magazine; one .38 revolver; 16 live 12-gauge cartridges; 21 live .38 rounds; a quantity of .32 rounds; two 9mm spent shells and 51 and onehalf grams of cannabis were found in close proximity to where the crime was committed.

Another witness to the crime allegedly gave Police a difference version of events than what was reported by the dead man’s wife.

That witness said two men, one called “Wood”, a farmer of Pomeroon, and Williams, Ambrose’s wife, were arrested for questioning in connection with the murders.

$11.4M project targets Sophia, East La Penitence students

From left to right: Roya Sadeghi of the Nancy Campbell Academy; Head of School of the Nations, Dr Brian O’Toole; and Louisa Macey, coordinator of the after-school programme in East La Penitence, at last week’s press conference

F

ifty young people in the East La Penitence and Sophia communities are to benefit from an $11.4 million (US$57,000) USAIDfunded project that would see them receiving after-school tuition in vari-

ous subject areas.

Awarded to School of the Nations, the project seeks to equip students with the skills and tools necessary to seek gainful employment, as opposed to the alternatives of crime and violence.

Head of School of the Nations, Dr Brian O’Toole, speaking late last week, noted that for the next six months, the private institution will run the after-school classes in Sophia for 25 youths aged 10-16, and for another 25 from

East La Penitence. The classes will be held from Monday to Friday at the Nations premises on New Market Street and at the Brickdam Secondary School on Brickdam, Georgetown.

“The idea of that project is to look at some high-risk areas which, according to USAID, are high-crime areas, and try to see if we can offer the kids some path out of potential dangerous occupations. So we’re working on art, music, making videos, teaching the use of the computer, (and) also on vocational skills. We have a big entrepreneurial project that we are doing with them,” Dr O’ Toole detailed.

Coordinator of the after-school programme in East La Penitence, Louisa Macey, has said that literacy and numeracy are among the key areas on which much focus will be placed. She explained that some of the sixth formers at Nations have been trained in empowerment programmes, and will be working with the youths to this end.

Meanwhile, Assistant Programme Manager Othneil Lewis told Guyana Times that he expects to see transformed young people at the end of the programme.

“They’re in a safe space, they have something constructive to do all the time, and my hope is to not only see them transformed as persons, but in their academics as well,” Lewis indicated on Tuesday last.

A delegation from the Nancy Campbell Academy in Stratford, Ontario, Canada is also supporting the initiative, especially in the field of music.

ast week, Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Raphael Trotman announced that his party was contemplating contesting this year’s Local Government Elections as an individual political party. Trotman was careful to say that while no concrete decision has been taken, there were very strong views in his party that believed contesting the upcoming LGE polls alone would assist the party with maintaining its individual identity.

He did mention that there were also those within the leadership of the party that preferred the AFC to contest as part of the coalition that won the last General Elections, as he explained that nothing in the Cummingsburg Accord signed with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) prohibits the Michael Younge party from going solo at the local level.

He would offer no other reasons for the departure from what obtained at the last Local Government Elections where the AFC competed in certain areas alone but on behalf of the coalition and where the PNC and APNu competed in other areas. The two did not challenge each other but the AFC came out feeling undermined as the PNC and its APNU counterparts ate a large portion of the seating allotted after the election.

Also, one does not have to look hard to understand the rationale in the minds of those who would prefer the AFC to compete independent of the coalition. On one hand, the party wants to test its strength and likeability as well as popularity at the local level. It wants to see if indeed it has lost grassroots support and if it is able to wield the same political influence that it did when it competed alone at the 2011 General and Regional Elections.

If the party choses this route, then it will also be able to test the criticisms that it is dying as many of those cross over it commanded have returned home because of neglect, the party abandonment of its core principles and internal corruption in the party’s groups across the country. Were it to go down this path too, the party could also see how viable it would be to quit the coalition alliance in 2020 and compete alone as well as against the APNU in its bid to take the control of the Executive and introduce its own brand of transformative politics and governance.

On the other hand, any decision by the AFC to face the electorate of this country alone at the local level could prove disastrous and lethal. Mr Trotman, Khemraj Ramjattan and Moses “Elder” Nagamootoo know too well the dynamics on the ground. They know that since their decision to coalesce with the PNC-led APNU, it betrayed many of the right-wing, middle-class and traditional anti-PPP/PNC grassroots people from whom the AFC originally drew its support.

The AFC’s defence of the Government’s approach to the so-called restriction of the sugar industry and its decision to make thousands of predominantly East Indian Guyanese unemployed while denying them their full severance at the time of dismissal, sealed the deal as far as betraying those groups that it won electoral support from in order to secure a victory against the still very popular People’s Progressive Party (PPP) at the last election.

The truth may come out. And the fact that the AFC’s influence has declined significantly will be laid bare. The fact that it is not a party that is ‘the party of the future’ and can never be viewed as a credible third force in this country again because of both the track record of those who held ministerial posts in its leadership and their poor performances. Also, the AFC’s inability to force the coalition Government to deal seriously with issues relating to constitutional reform, ethnic inclusivity and good governance. It’s treatment of senior Executives, both past and future, who have had dissenting views will also flavour the poison that it will drink were it to move away from the shield provided by the coalition alliance.

Today, the AFC is weaker than it has ever been in its history. It is internally divided as seven leaders in its Executive seek to manipulate and heavily influence the path it must traverse through dubious means and cliquism which see them sabotaging other newcomers to stay relevant or enjoy the “fat” perks and benefits of political and Executive power.

The entire leadership of the AFC aside from Cathy Hughes and Trevor Williams should resign and give way for newer and less tainted blood if the party wants to be reborn again in order to prove its political acumen at any future election.

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UG multimillion-dollar bursary established through philanthropic gift Sovereign Wealth Fund: A proposed framework for Guyana’s petroleum sector – (Part 2)

L

ast week’s edition on the forgoing topic – a proposed framework for Guyana’s Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) – was more or less an introductory piece of a series of forthcoming articles on the subject matter (including today’s piece). In the interest of simplicity for the readers of this column, hereunder stated is an outline of the structure of the articles that will be featured on the SWF proposed model.

Following a definition of SWFs – an examination of the institutional structure and governance framework will be conducted; the legal framework, objectives and macroeconomic linkages; investment policies and risk management frameworks; these together with an overview of the SWFs of other established oil producing countries will be examined, including both the Uganda and Norway models – the final component of the article will then conclude with recommendations in the context of a developing economy.

“The emergence of SWFs has signalled a major reshaping of the world’s economy: financial actors from developing countries playing on an equal footing with the financial giants of the OECD countries.

Rising financial centres such as Singapore, Dubai or Shanghai have nurtured leading financial institutional and asset managers independent of the traditional Western financial centres of New York, Boston or London”, cited from OECD Working Paper (2008).

SWFs are defined by the US Treasury as “government vehicles funded by foreign exchange earnings but managed separately from foreign exchange reserves” (Lowery,1) cited by Balin (2008). Together with financing, SWFs also differ from other Government vehicles in their objectives, terms and holdings: though foreign reserves have historically invested in sovereign fixed income notes for the purpose of intervention on the foreign exchange market, SWFs usually take a longer-term approach, where international equities, commodities, and private fixed income securities are used to achieve the long-run strategic and financial goals of sovereign (Balin, 2008).

The first SWFs were established alongside the initial oil strikes in the Persian Gulf states in the 1950s. In 1953 for example, the Kuwaiti Investment Board began in 1953 for the purpose of managing the ‘excess’ oil revenues Kuwait was expected to garner. The next set of SWFs were established during the oil boom of the 1970s. Oil exporters such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Alberta used their SWFs as a way to absorb excess liquidity that could potentially overheat their economies (the term ‘overheat’ is used to describe a situation where the aggregate demand is increasing so fast that it cannot be met by the economy’s productive capacity and is, thus, liable to cause or fuel inflation).

Top 5 largest Sovereign Wealth Funds in the world:

T

he University of Guyana has received its first major philanthropic grant -- from a private family -- by way of a gift of land that would facilitate the erection of a permanent bursary.

The property which was given to the University by Rajdai Elizabeth Outar is located in Berbice, and is expected to be developed or liquidated into funds which would then be invested within two years of the conveyance of the property to the University of Guyana. Thirty per cent of the money received would be used in perpetuity to fund the bursary on an annual basis.

The bursary, which will be titled the ‘Rajdai Elizabeth and Seobarran James Outar Bursary’, was designed to support tuition, living expenses, and books for outstanding students from Port Mourant, Berbice and surrounding areas who are unable to afford their education at the University. The bursary is open to any discipline.

Rajdai Elizabeth Outar and her late husband, Seobarran James Outar, both Berbicians, placed great value on education. The Outars left Guyana in the late 1970s for educational opportunities in the United States, and thus they have always hoped to give back to their homeland for the foundation they

received in Guyana.

Following her husband’s passing in June 2014, Mrs Outar decided to gift a parcel of land and other remaining assets in Guyana to the University to establish the bursary.

In a statement, Mrs Outar said, “Education is the cornerstone of life, and higher education provides an opportunity to create leaders, advance knowledge, and to improve society. My family and I hope that our gift will not only benefit worthy students, but that it also will inspire other expatriate Guyanese to support talent development at a critical time in our nation’s history.”

Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Prof. Ivelaw Griffith, expressed his gratitude for the gift and

emphasized the need for private support to complement Government funding.

“Mrs Outar’s gift provides an opportunity for the most talented students to have access to a world-class education, regardless of their ability to pay.

We hope that her generosity will serve as an example for others to follow. Gifts like Mrs Outar’s have an impact not only on the recipient, but also their families, their community, and society at large,” he said.

Deputy Vice Chancellor (PACE) Paloma Mohamed also expressed sincere appreciation to Mrs Outar and her family, as well as to former DVC Elizabeth Ramlall, Christine Chowgrir, and University Registrar Dr Nigel Gravesande, who worked for several months to realise the project.

The Rajdai Elizabeth and Seobarran James Outar Bursary is expected to be administered through the University’s Student Support Fund mechanism. Application materials, awards committee composition, and the decision rubric for the award of the Rajdai Elizabeth and Seobarran James Outar Bursary also will be available on the University of Guyana’s website, once the funds become available.

Kaneville murder

Gunman identified, to be arraigned this week

T

he killer of Ishwar Ramanah, who succumbed days after he was shot by an armed bandit who had invaded his home, was on Friday allegedly identified.

The suspect, a 22-yearold of Diamond, East Bank Demerara, was arrested by ranks of “A” Division Police and placed on an Identification Parade, where he was positively identified as the man who had robbed, shot and killed

Ramanah.

Ramanah, 30, called “Jack,” of 624 Macaw Drive, Kaneville, East Bank Demerara, was shot to his abdomen on December 13, 2017, when two armed bandits invaded his home just after midnight.

Guyana Times understands that the machine operator was attacked and relieved of a gold chain valued at some $40,000, then one of the perpetrators whipped out a firearm and

Dead: Ishwar Ramanah

shot Ramanah before the bandits made good their escape.

The injured man was taken to seek medical attention at a medical facility, and had undergone surgery. However, he succumbed to his injures one month after the incident.

The Police were able to recover a spent shell casing of a small calibre weapon at the crime scene.

Charges are expected to be laid shortly.

Lack of investment crippling...

from page 9

Source: Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute (SWFI) – updated December 2017.

Why do countries establish SWFs? Generally, countries establish SWFs for four primary reasons.

Firstly, SWFs act as intergenerational transfer mechanisms, where future government pensions, asset liquidity and fiscal revenues are guaranteed by today’s export earnings such that, future generations can continue to live prosperously when the countries natural resources are exhausted – using the earnings of their forefathers.

Secondly, most SWFs of all country types are created to diversify a country’s income so that it can respond to shocks to the country’s comparative advantages. In the event of a competitiveness crisis faced by a country, it can utilise its SWF assets to reinvest in new sectors of the economy that can revive the country’s competitive advantages. Thirdly, SWFs are established to increase the return on assets held in their central bank reserves. They can raise returns above the three to five per cent annual returns garnered by most foreign exchange reserve holdings, by investing in securities other than US or European sovereign bonds. In recent times, this desire has become prevalent with the rapid expansion of foreign exchange stocks in many emerging markets and the decline of the US dollar – and thus lower returns on dollar denominated debt (Balin, 2008).

And finally, the fourth is that some SWFs seek to promote investment from multinational corporations and technological transfer to domestic industries. In so doing, a fund would have to acquire a majority stake in a company or form a coalition with shareholders. Henceforth, with its voting power the SWF can appoint corporate board members who could direct a company to invest in the SWF’s home country and especially, establish research and development facilities there (Balin, 2008). *The author is the holder of a MSc. Degree in Business Management, with concentration in Global Finance, Financial Markets, Institutions & Banking from a UK university of international standing.

(For comments, questions and responses on articles featured in this column, readers can reach the author at jbinsights@outlook.com).

He said the region previously had the Aurora Land Development Project. “That project utilized thousands of acres of land in the southern part of the region, being developed to have crop production so that many of our farmers can have an area that has useful infrastructure to deal with crop production,” Ramdatt related.

He said he is hopeful that the project would be developed again, so that it could be an investment opportunity for the region. He related that Government should also provide more assistance for the development of the Pomeroon coconut industry, noting that it has unexplored potential.

Tourism sector

In relation to the region’s tourism sector, the Region Two Chairman noted that more needs to be done to further develop the sector, since the infrastructure leading to two of its major attractions are in deplorable state.

Ramdatt explained that while the Regional Administration maintains the roads leading to Lakes Mainstay and Capoey, more needs to be done, since it requires the construction of a

proper road network to access the sites.

On the issue of roads, Ramdatt said the region’s main road is in dire need of rehabilitation to help curb the high accident rate. He said the road has outlived its time and it is beginning to sink in some parts, creating unexpected “drops” for motorists utilising the mostly unlit stretch of road. Quite often,

the unexpected drops result in drivers losing control of their vehicles and running into ditches, or even colliding with other vehicles or utility poles, he said.

This publication ventured to the Charity Market Centre on Thursday, and vendors operating there reported that they have seen a decline in sales for the entire 2017.

“We know January is

a hard month, but for the whole of last year business take blows… Them people ah save them money and not spending like before,” vendor Andrew reported.

Collectively, the vendors are contending that not enough is being done to boost the economy in the region, so that residents would spend more.

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GFF/Pele Alumni Frank Watson U15 Intra Association League…

Grove Hi-Tech win opener

GFF President Wayne Forde officially kicks off the League

GFF President Wayne Forde lines up with EBFA executives and coaches of the clubs after the march pass at the Grove Playfield

T

he historic Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Pele Alumni Frank Watson Under 15 Intra Association League got underway on Saturday with a colourful march pass and an exciting opening fixture at the Grove Playfield, East Bank Demerara.

The league which was launched last year March by President of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, Victor Montagliani who was on a short visit to Guyana.

However, due to adverse

weather conditions it was delayed until now. In all, 10 of the East Bank Football Association affiliates turned up for the official march pass and start of this historic, GFF/Pele Alumini Frank Watson U15 Intra Association League.

GFF President joined EBFA President Franklin Wilson, Secretary Wayne Francois and other executives to usher in the first national competition at this age group level much to the delight of the clubs and fans that attended the occasion.

The clubs attending

were Agricola Red Triangle, Herstelling Raiders, Diamond United, Diamond Upsetters, Samatta Point/Kaneville, Grove Hi Tech, Friendship All Stars, Kuru Kururu Warriors, Timehri Panthers and Soesdyke Falcons.

Absent was Mocha Champs.

In welcoming the teams and congratulating the players on being a part of this significant competition, EBFA President Franklin Wilson encouraged the clubs to work hard, play fair and ensure that discipline is the hallmark of their participation.

GFF President, Wayne

Athanaze, Yadram 5-for help...

from page 20

But having added 68, Kallicharan played a rash drive and was bowled, and with captain Emmanuel Stewart coming and going for a single, West Indies were five down and still with more than 20 overs to bat. A total of 250 looked beyond them, but Athanaze rebuilt and then accelerated, shepherding the tail expertly. His partnership with No.8 Nyeem Young was especially exhilarating, the pair taking 119 off 14.3 overs to put West Indies firmly in the driving seat.

Kenya enjoyed a much improved performance from their record-breaking pummeling by New Zealand, but dropped catches continued to hurt them. There were almost too many to count, and certainly more than they caught. Athanaze himself gave one life, skying one the ball after reaching his hundred. But it was a sole black mark on an otherwise spotless innings.

But if Kenya were better with the ball, they were much worse with the bat. In their first two games they had batted out their 50 overs, though they

Alick Athanaze cracked a blazing 101 not out

were never in danger of forcing a win. Today, having made their way to 50/0, they collapsed to the left-arm spin of Jeavor Royal and the medium pace of Bhaskar Yadram. The two also had a superb fielding effort to thank, with one catch taken by Melius off Royal particularly

brilliant.

It highlighted the difference between the sides in all three disciplines and shows why, despite a poor start to the tournament, West Indies should be counted among the favourites for the Plate. (ICC)

Forde in feature remarks before officially kicking off the league stated that the tournament forms part of the federation’s strategy to implement

comprehensive youth football development in the nation.

He noted that the top players emerging from this league would have the opportunity to be drafted into the academy training centre.

GFF Technical Director Ian Greenwood was praised for the implementation of a structured youth development programmes in Guyana.

Meanwhile, the first match of the league saw Grove Hi Tech facing off with Kuru Kururu Warriors with the former coming from behind to win 4-1.

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Griffith calls for more ‘risk-taking’ batting

By Akeem Greene

G

uyana Jaguars Assistant Coach Rayon Griffith is advocating for his batsmen to play more freely when the Regional Super50 gets cracking on January 30 in Barbados and Antigua.

While reaping monumental success in the red-ball format over the past four seasons, the white-ball title has eluded them since 2005, something that Griffith is seeking to change this year.

“I think that some of them [batsmen] don’t want to take that risk in getting out when it comes to playing big shots. Rotating the ball is an issue and that is an area we have been working on [and] we will continue to work on with them. If we can get that right we believe the Jaguars can do well,” he expressed to Guyana Times Sport in a recent interview.

In the 2017 tournament which was played in the aforementioned countries, Jaguars did not qualify for the knock-out phase. Grouped with eventual winners Barbados Pride, Jamaica Scorpions, CCC Marooners and ICC Americas, they only defeated the latter two in the round-robin format where teams played each other twice; the said format will be used again this year.

Based in Antigua this year, they will be grouped alongside Scorpions Leeward Islands Hurricanes, United States along with English side Kent who they play their first match against on January 31 at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

Any autopsy of their performances over the years would show a lack of inno-

vative batting has been one of the sickening factors in their downfall, especially at the top-of the order.

runs at an average of 40.50.

The next best was Assad Fudadin, who has joined the Scorpions with 237 runs but

Captain Leon Johnson looked to be the Guyana Jaguars most assured batsman at the crease in the last tournament

At the last tournament, the first wicket fell before 50 on six occasions. They had one 50-run partnership and one century stand which came in their final match against ICC Americas (they were already knocked-out at this stage).

“Looking back the couple years we have been struggling at the top of the order, we do have some other players that we look into, when that team releases you will see a different,” the former national pacer contended.

Under the individual microscope, captain Leon Johnson was the highest run scorer in 2017 with 243

he averaged 29.62.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul (101) scored the only century for the team.

With the ball, left-arm Barbadianborn seamer Raymon Reifer led the charge with 16 wickets at an economy rate of 4.89 while Ronsford Beaton was in sec-

Assistant Coach Rayon Griffith

ond with 14 scalps at economy rate of 4.67.

Though the stats point at signs of inconsistency, the coach still believes they have the quality of players needed to reap success.

“We do have players who can play that format, w e need to be aggress i v e a n d our fitn e s s h a s to be good.”

With o t h e r franchises already making their squads public, it is understood the Jaguars’ squad has been selected and will be released in the coming days since they depart on January 28 for Antigua.

In an exclusive interview late last year, Griffith stated “you will see a different Guyana one-day squad, different quality; a bunch of guys who you will see ready to play One-day cricket.”

Windies Under 19s K Simmons run out ( Kavinya) 17 60 K Melius c Hirani+ b Desai B Yadram st Hirani+ b Desai 0 A Athanaze not out 116 K Kallicharan b Singh 36 E Stewart+* c Ager b Chidambaran 1 J Royal c Ojijo b Desai 24 N Young c Ojijo b Mwendwa 57 J Hoyte not out 0 Extras: (nb 2, w 4, lb 1) 7 Total:(7 wickets, 50 overs) 318 DnB: A Nedd, K Pemberton FoW: 1-78 (K Simmons, 14.4 ov), 2-81 (K Melius, 15.2 ov), 3-82 (B Yadram, 15.6 ov), 4-150 (K Kallicharan, 27.1 ov), 5-155 (E Stewart, 28.2 ov), 6-198 (J Royal, 35.2 ov), 7-317 (Nyeem Young, 49.5 ov) Bowling: Bhudia 10-2-360, Ager 3-0-34-0, Mwendwa 4-0-42-1, Desai 10-0-54-3, Kundi 6-0-42-0, Chidambaran 10-1-55-1, Singh 7-0-54-1

Kenya Under 19s (target 319 from 50 overs) A Gandhi c Stewart b Hoyte 37 D Kavinya c Melius b Royal 18 S Singh c Yadram b Royal 0 A Desai lbw Royal 0 T Ojijo c Royal b Yadram 2 S Bhudia* b Bhaskar Yadram 19 J Kundi c Nedd b Yadram 0 A Hirani+ not out 5 A Chidambaran c Stewart b Yadram 0 G Mwendwa c Stewart b Yadram 2 M Ager b Royal 1 Extras (w 5, b 4, lb 3) 12 Total (all out, 24.4 overs) 96 FoW: 1-51 (A Gandhi, 9.6 ov), 2-59 (S Singh, 12.3 ov), 3-65 (A Desai, 14.1 ov), 4-66 (D Kavinya, 14.4 ov), 5-76 (T Ochieng, 17.4 ov), 6-80 (J Kundi, 19.2 ov), 7-87 (S Bhudia, 21.1 ov), 8-87 (A Chidambaran, 21.3 ov), 9-95 (G Mwendwa, 23.4 ov), 10-96 (M Ager, 24.4 ov) Bowling: Pemberton 5-1-18-0, Hoyte 5-2-28-1, Royal 7.4-025-4, Yadram 7-1-18-5

C

ricket West Indies (CWI) would like to express heartfelt condolences to WINDIES U19 player Joshua Persaud on the death of his mother, who died in a car accident in the USA. Persaud has been a part of the WINDIES U19 team currently participating at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. All arrangements were made

by CWI to allow him to immediately depart for Guyana to be with family and close ones during this difficult time.

Both Persaud and injured player Raymond Perez, left New Zealand on Friday night and are on their way back home to Guyana. Brad Barnes will depart the Caribbean today, en route to New Zealand to replace Perez.

No replacement has been requested for Persaud.

CWI sends its prayers and thoughts to the Persaud family and with

Joshua Persaud arrived in New Zealand just days before receiving the sad news

Joshua’s teammates in New Zealand during this time.

Arinze Chance

If not on Windies duty Shimron Hetmyer is expected to provide the fireworks at the top of the order

Athanaze, Yadram 5-for help Windies register 1st win SCOREBOARD

CWI extends condolences to Joshua Persaud

A

see-sawing first-innings contest between West Indies and Kenya ended with the Full Member side decidedly on top thanks to a superb Alick Athanaze hundred before Bhaskar Yadram and Jeavor Royal rammed home their advantage, securing victory by 222 runs.

West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl, getting off to a blistering start thanks to Kimani Melius, who plundered 23 runs off the second over of the innings, Maxwel Ager’s first, and didn’t look back, eventually dismissed for 60 off 45 balls. At the other end was a complete contrast, Keagan Simmons blocking away and struggling for timing, eventually having his stay mercifully ended after facing two more balls than Melius and scoring just 17. After a mini-collapse of 3/6 - Bhaskar Yadram falling for a duck - Athanaze and Kirstan Kallicharan joined forces, and gave a repeat of their partnership against South Africa, which looked for a moment to have given them the advantage in that game. turn to page 19

Medium-pacer Bhaskar Yadram took 5-18 in seven overs

Bishops’ assist Chance ahead of South Carolina scholarship

Y

oung and upcoming sprint prodigy Arinze Chance was given a timely boost by his alma matter The Bishops’ High School, through their old students’ association, prior to his departure last week to pursue studies in Chemical Engineering at the University of South Carolina, United States of America.

The Bishops’ High School Old Students Association’s (BHSOSA) assistance came in the form of financial pledge towards the sprinter’s airfare who was awarded a scholarship at the institution based on

his stellar performances in the track and field arena.

The 22 year-old was based in Trinidad and Tobago where he completed his Diploma in Petroleum Engineering while being the captain of the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) track team.

Competing in various meets, the former North Georgetown athlete managed to he lower his personal best (PB) in the 300M dash to 33.79s, shaving over a second off his previous of 34.65, which he achieved in 2016.

The time stood as the new school record which adds to his 400M record time of 46.81s at the institution.

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sports

21

“Speedy” Memorial Golf Tourney set for January 27 -Ramdial to donate 4 golf carts

T

he Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) in partnership with Vish Trading will be hosting the “Speedy” Memorial Golf Open in memory of Prabhudyal “Speedy” Ramdial.

The one-day tourney set for the last Saturday of the month, is played in memory of Ramdial, better known as “Speedy” was a close friend to the golf club and fraternity that passed away some seven years ago.

“Speedy’s” love for the sport and his legacy lives on through his son Vishnu Ramdial of Vish Trading, who for the past seven years has been remembering his father by virtue of the game he loved so dearly.

On Saturday, Vishnu confirmed that the 2018 edition of the tournament was going to set the benchmark for future memorials.

Although he had been supporting the club over the years and has been sponsoring a memorial for his father since he passed, Ramdial said that this year

Vishnu Ramdial (left) handed over the sponsorship cheque for the “Speedy” Memorial Golf Open to LGC Treasurer Aasrodeen Shaw on Saturday at the Club

is more special as the tourney was officially named the Speedy Open.

Ramdial said that his father was very close to the sport and the community, adding that it would have been his wish to see the sport grow from strength

to strength. He pointed out with the tournament now being officially named; he can further push to make the annual event among the biggest on the clubs list of premier competitions.

Ramdial, who recently joined the Club, said that

hosting a memorial was not only a good way to keep his father’s memory alive, but was ideally important to the fraternity who has been supportive of them over the years.

He believed that with much emphasis being

placed on the sport as of late, he wants to give back to the club not only once a year but continuously as he was officially inducted as a member on Saturday.

Staying true to his commitment in golf, Ramdial disclosed to the members that he will be donating four brand new electric golf carts within a month, to the club as part of their ongoing expansion and rehabilitation project.

Meanwhile, LGC President Aleem Hussain told this newspaper that the gesture of four new golf carts was an amazing move and he was lost for words at the amount of support the club has been receiving since his new body took office.

With the Speedy Memorial now officially branded as a significant event on the club’s calendar, Hussain added that he was going to ensure that the tournament is one of the club’s premier annual events.

GLTA/Trophy Stall awardees recognised P

hillip Squires and Joseph DeJonge were among the top awardees of the last year’s 7th Annual Trophy Stall Doubles Championships who were honored at the club’s award ceremony.

At the recently held Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) Annual Awards Ceremony for 2017, the local tennis players were recognized for their efforts in the tourney which got underway last December with some players being awarded from four respective categories which featured 32 matches.

The categories are; the Men’s Doubles, Ladies Doubles, Mixed Doubles and Men’s Over-45 Doubles.

Both DeJonge and Squires, who have been household names in tennis, headlined the list of awardees as they captured the Men’s Double award.

Women’s Doubles Award went to the pair of Afruica Gentle and Cristy Campbell

Sitting from left: Assistant Director of Sport, Brian Smith; GLTA President Jamal Goodluck and GOA President KA Juman-Yassin share the spotlight with the awardees

while the seasoned pair of Godfrey Lowden and Anthony Ameerally copped the Men’s 45 and Over doubles title, beating runners-up Dr. Steve Surujbally and Guyana Baseball League (GBL) President Robin Singh.

Due to inclement weather, players were forced to re-

schedule their games to the more suited Le Ressouvenir Tennis Club center.

Meanwhile GLTA are currently formulating plans to ensure that the 2018 calendar of activities are not affected by the weather as it has been the catalyst behind most of the association’s troubles.

List of Awardees:

Men’s Doubles: Winners Phillip Squires/ Joseph DeJonge, Runners up Heimraj Resaul and Jordon Beaton.

Women’s Doubles: Winners Afruica Gentle/ Cristy Campbell, Runners up Shelly Ramdyhan/Fiona

Titans Junior invitational serves off February 24 T itans Table Tennis Club will host a Junior Invitational tournament on February 24 and 25 at the Queen’s College Auditorium, Camp road Georgetown. The tournament which comes under the Malta Supreme brand and is sanctioned by

the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) caters for boys and girls nine years and under, 11 years and under, 13 years and under and 15 years and under.

Competitors will be able to wield their racquets in Singles, Doubles and

mix doubles along with novelty events for prizes.

Parents, Coaches or players are asked to walk with their birth certificate or clinic card to verify ages. There is also expected to be special door prize compliments of Payless Variety Store.

Bushell.

Mixed Doubles: Winner Shelly Ramdyhan/ Phillip Squires, Runners Up Afruica Gentle/Devon Gonsalves.

Men’s 45 and over: Winner Godfrey Lowden and Anthony Ameerally, Runners up Dr Steve Surujbally and Robin Singh.

22

guyanatimesgy.com

sunDAY, january 21, 2018

Allicock, Williams among 1st athletes to receive GOA Stipend O

n Saturday morning at the Olympic House, Liliendaal, the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) took the first step to making local full time athletes and coaches a reality.

With funding from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Solidarity, the GOA took the opportunity to disburse monthly stipends to 30 local and overseas based athletes and 13 coaches from 10 disciplines retroactive to December 2017. The annual figure will be in the region of $18 million.

According to President of the GOA, K.A JumanYassin, the monthly stipends will vary according to individuals with the lowest being $20,000 while the

Athletes and coaches will begin to receive monthly stipends from the Guyana Olympic Association for their efforts

highest would be $60,000.

He maintained; “I have been speaking for years that our athletes and coaches need to be rewarded. It will not fully reward them but it’s the first step.”

Juman-Yassin added “Once you make the first step it’s easier to make the second.” He then encouraged the government “to come onboard since the resources can be pooled.”

The GOA boss then reinforced “this is just a start” since the list of disciplines and recipients will be expanded in the future.

One of the association’s Vice Presidents, Godfrey Munroe noted that there will be specific conditions and reporting requirements which must be fulfilled by

the recipients in order for them to receive stipends.

Another VP, Dr Karen Pilgrim, added that the timely completion of WADA whereabout forms along with attending anti-doping seminars are a few of the obligations that athletes must fulfill in order to continue to receive the stipends which will be paid out bi-monthly.

General Secretary of the GOA, Hector Edwards also added, “Today’s event is one that we can all embrace and at a later time have much appreciation.”

He added that the days of being a successful part time athlete are long gone. In the same breath he stated that the GOA will do everything in its power to make local athletes successful. Edwards

also pointed out that it is important to be successful academically as well as athletically.

Among the first set of athletes to receive stipends are rising track star Daniel Williams and youth boxer Keevin Allicock.

Williams is the World U-18 400m Silver Medalist while Allicock punched his way to Commonwealth Youth Games silver last year as well.

Below is the full list of Athletes and Coaches who will be receiving GOA Stipends:

Athletics Association of Guyana Coaches: Johnny Gravesande, Linden Phillips, Julian Edmonds and Glenton Pantlitz.

Athletes: Compton Caesar, Jermaine King, Kenisha Phillips,

Deshana Skeete, Chantoba Bright, Joanna Archer, Toyan Raymond, Daniel Williams, Daniel Melville, Winston George, Troy Doris, Brenessa Thompson and Kadecia Baird.

Guyana Amateur Boxing Association

Coaches: Terrence Poole and Sebert Blake Athletes: Keevin Allicock, Christopher Moore

Guyana Badminton Association Coach: Gokarn Ramdhani Athletes: Narayan Ramdhani and Priyanna Ramdhani

Guyana Judo Federation Athlete: Joshua Buchanan

Guyana National Rifle Association

Athletes: Lennox Braithwaite and Ransford Goodluck

Guyana Amateur Swimming Association

Athletes: Andrew Fowler, Leon Seaton, Hannibal Gaskin and Jamila Sanmoogan

Guyana Squash Association Coach: Carl Ince Athletes: Mary FungA-Fat and Sunil Seth

Guyana Table Tennis Association

Coaches: Hillary Anderson and Idi Lewis Athletes: Shamar Britton, Christopher Franklin, Chelsea Edghill and Trenace Lowe

Guyana Rugby Football Union Coaches: Theodore Henry and Larry Adonis

Guyana Volleyball Federation Coach: Kirenia Ballard

Tennis ace Hussain cops LGC Open trophy gives back to L young players R ising tennis ace Sachia Vickery on Friday evening at the GBTI Sports Club’s Tennis Courts in Bel Air Park met with a number of junior tennis players and in a show of support she distributed a number of tennis racquets and other gears.

The 22-year-old tennis star said that with her donations; “maybe I can inspire some of these kids, they could go on to develop love for the sport and excel as well.”

Vickery is currently visiting her parents’ homeland Guyana for the first time in two years; she recently had the best run of form of her career in Auckland, New Zealand which catapulted her up in the world rankings.

Sachia’s mother, Paula

Liverpool hails from Kwakwani while her father Rawle Vickery was born in Linden.

Vickery is still relishing her well-deserved climb in the latest World Rankings and is on the verge of breaking into the WTA’s Top 100 for the first time after she had the best week of her career in Auckland, New Zealand.

She not only reached the first WTA semi-final of her career, but also set a brand new career-high ranking of 106 in the world (according to the latest WTA Rankings).

usignan Golf Course (LGC) President Aleem Hussain beat off his fellow executives to clinch the club’s organized Open tournament played on Saturday.

The LGC executives in keeping with their mandate to host a tournament every weekend, the team decided to test out their constantly upgraded greens with the expertise of the 28 pros.

Hussain hit a Gross 82 and a Net 66 on a difficult Course,

From left: Second place finisher Bridgenannan Harry, Best gross Mike Mangal, First place winner Aleem Hussain, Nearest to the Pin Joaan Deo and Club Captain Chatterpaul Deo following Saturday’s Open at Lusignan

Joaan Deo receives her Nearest to the pin Prize from former LGC President Hilbert Shields

to beat off the likes of second place Bridgenannan Harry who ended with a Gross 89 Net. LGC Vice-President, Peyton George rounded off the top three winners row with his Gross 94 and 71 Net Score.

Former Guyana Women’s champ Joaan Deo who managed to hit one, eight feet from the hole bagged the Nearest to the Pin Prize. Best Gross went to Mike Mangal for his Gross 80.

Following the presentation

ceremony, Hussain thanked the players for coming out and putting on a competitionworthy event.

He further praised ground supervisor Mike Guyadin for his continued work in ensuring the Course remains playable throughout the year.

The President closed by announcing that the club will continue to celebrate the Course being open for the first time in January, with a huge Memorial tournament billed for Saturday January 27.

23

guyanatimesgy.com

sunDAY, january 21, 2018

CWI/Digicel Regional 4-Day Championship 2017-18…

Record-breaking Jaguars 2 wickets away from flawless season By: John Ramsingh

F

our-time winners of the prestigious Headley/Weekes

fore wicket to the season’s most successful bowler, Veerasammy Permaul leaving Jason Mohammed unbeaten on 92 (14x4).

ing Mohammed with more than useful knocks.

The 22-year-old Webster, set the national stadium alight just after lunch with a

since they knew he was the glue that was holding the innings together and denying the inevitable.

Ramdin added 117 for

were determined and their persistence eventually won.

Earlier, Raymon Reifer and Paul converted their

Tion Webster drives the Keemo Paul pitched up delivery for four (left) and pops the short ball straight to mid-off

Trophy, Guyana Jaguars are two wickets away from finishing the Digicel Regional Four-Day tournament unbeaten after leaving Trinidad and Tobago Red Force steering down the barrel at stumps on day three at Providence.

The visitors batting a second time are 282 for 8, still 123 runs away from making the champs bat again and with two wickets in hand it is unlikely they will make the Jaguars bat again.

In the day’s final over on an extended third day Saturday, Daniel St. Clair was out leg be-

Permaul and Red Force leg-spinner, Imran Khan be-

breezy innings of 77 from 54 balls with 11 fours and four

the fourth wicket with Mohammed and his dismiss-

Jason Mohammed who ended the day on 92 not out is congratulated by Tangernarine Chanderpaul and Chandrapaul Hemraj (right) for the good knock

gan the final round with 46 wickets each but the Guyanese left-arm spinner has three wickets so far in the match taking him to 49 while Khan only added two more from the Jaguars first innings. Since Khan may not have an opportunity to bowl again in this the tenth and final round, Permaul will finish as the season’s leading wicket taker.

Despite a spirited batting display from the Red Force in their second innings, a likely defeat is on the cards. After rolling over for 135 in their first knock, the Red Force made amends with Tion Webster and Souvenir! When Keemo captain Denesh Paul bowled Imran Khan Ramdin supporthe broke the stumps

sixes. After he was bowled first ball in the first inning, he tore into the attack and was especially severe on medium pacer, Keemo Paul. In one over Webster muscled 24 runs (2x6; 3x4) which made Paul furious and responded with the short ball and eventually got his revenge.

In all, Webster and Mohammed who was a spectator put on 84 for the third wicket after openers Amir Jangoo and Jeremy Solozano were cleaned up by the leftarm spinners Permaul and Gudakesh Motie.

Skipper Ramdin was on course for a second consecutive half century but was spectacularly caught and bowled by Sherfane Rutherford looking for his eighth four from his 121st delivery. When the Jaguars saw the back of Ramdin, there was wild celebrations

al triggered a collapse that saw the Red Force losing three wickets for two runs when Yannic Cariah and Steven Katwaroo were sent back without scoring and the Jaguars were sensing an early victory. It was the second duck in the match for Katwaroo.

However, Khan hung around with Mohammed to frustrate the champions momentarily before he became Paul’s second victim when he was clean bowled breaking the stump in the process.

As it approached stumps and with just three wickets in hand, the Guyana Jaguars captain Leon Johnson requested and was granted an additional 30 minutes to push for the early victory and was again held up.

St. Clair blocked wonderfully well for most of his 30 deliveries but the Jaguars

overnight scores to milestones. Paul who was first to his half century was also the first to be dismissed to a patient Khan leaving Refier in the 90’s with Permaul and Motie to bat.

Permaul however, supported him well to reach his maiden First Class century when he drove Cariah to long on for a single. After Permaul was dismissed Motie and Reifer continued until the Jaguars passed 571 which was the record for Guyana’s highest score against Trinidad and Tobago in Regional First Class cricket since 1971.

When Johnson called his batsmen off, Reifer was on 108 with 10 fours from 217 balls and the lead a staggering 405.

Needing a herculean effort to remain in the game, the Red Force openers began much better than in the first innings and saw off the eight overs to lunch and it was in the second session that the bacchanal started.

Jangoo was taken at slip off the second ball after

the break and paved way for the Tion Webster show.

The session eventually yielded 175 runs from 31 overs and three wickets, possibly another record which was not enough to deny the champs Raymon Reifer brought up his maiden century against Red Force on Saturday at Providence in his 55th First Class match

in their own back yard.

Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) director of cricket, Jimmy Adams was at Providence on Saturday and will no doubt be back today to hand over the Headley/ Weekes Trophy to the Jaguars who will remain unbeaten this season.

Meanwhile, Jaguars head coach Esuan Crandon is urging cricket fans to join them at Providence in celebration when the trophy is presented. Speaking during radio commentary where he was a special guest, Crandon said the team will appreciated if the fans come out.

The action continues from 09:30h and admission is free.

SCOREBOARD

Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 1st Innings 135 Guyana Jaguars 1st Innings (Overnight 466-7) T Chanderpaul c Charles b St. Clair 36 C Hemraj c St. Clair b Charles 72 S Hetmyer c Phillips b Charles 46 L Johnson c Solozano b Cariah 17 A Persaud b Khan 21 A Bramble c Webster b Cariah 42 R Reifer not out 108 S Rutherford b Webster 93 K Paul lbw b Khan 53 G Motie not out 17 Extras:(b-14, lb-1, w-3, nb-8) 26 Total:(For 9 wickets declared, 152 overs) 540 Bowling: Phillip 26-7-63-0, St. Clair 18-3-69-1, Charles 327-107-2, Webster 11-0-56-1, Khan 45-7-130-2, Mohammed

6-3-9-0, Cariah 14-1-91-3 Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 2nd Innings A Jangoo c Johnson b Motie 16 J Solozano b Permaul 16 T Webster c Rutherford b Paul 77 J Mohammed not out 92 D Ramdin c & b Rutherford 47 Y Cariah lbw b Rutherford 9 I Khan b Paul 17 D St. Clair lbw Permaul 2 Extras (b-5, lb-2, w-1, nb-7) 15 Total (For 7 wickets; 81.2 Overs) 282 FOW: 1-33, 2-43, 3-127, 4-244, 5-245, 6-246, 7-269, 8-282 Bowling: Paul 16-4-88-2, Reifer 7-1-32-0, Motie 245-73-2, Permaul 25.2-8-612, Rutherford 9-2-21-2 Position: Red Force trail by 123 with 2 wickets in hand

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

SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

CWI/Digicel Regional 4-Day Championship 2017-18…

Record-breaking Jaguars 2 wickets away from flawless season Pg 23

- Headley/Weekes Trophy to be handed over today Umpire Deighton Butler sends Daniel St Clair on his way on the stroke of stumps on Saturday at Providence

Tennis ace gives back to young players Pg 22

World number 106 ranked tennis player, Sachia Vickery (centre) with some of the young players at the GBTI Tennis Courts on Friday evening

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January 21, 2018

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guyanatimesgy.com

JANUARY 21, 2018

Feature

Knowing your heritage

By Dmitri Allicock

G

uyanese children, accustomed to microwave ovens, computers, fast food and cell phones, are truly fascinated by the artefacts of their culture and time. It prompts the older generations to reminisce on the changes that they have experienced, and how technology – or its absence –has affected their lives and the lives of their descendants.

So many of yesterdays comforts are now obsolete and being rapidly lost to the fog of history.

While the modern age of appliance and technology wizardry is available to Guyanese, it still remains a country of contrasting means and methods. There is nothing more fascinating for an older Guyanese to discuss or look at some of the implements and devices which were once traditionally used.

Functional household items The ‘flat iron’ The general name for the hand-held iron was the ‘flat iron’, consisting simply of a handle and a solid, flat, metal base, and named for

The flat iron

the flat ironing face used to smooth clothes. Several flat irons were heated directly by the charcoals in the coal pot. The iron was held by a thick pad, removed from the heated coals and wiped with a cloth laced with a few drops of oil, soft grease or animal fat before pressing clothing.

The charcoal iron was more expensive and generally used by tailors who fashioned some of the best suits ever made. These charcoal irons were used in the Victorian epoch, which represented an age of elaborate and elegant fashion.

cook stove is very hard to follow, and continues into the present as inexpensive iron coal pots are now made in Guyana.

The abundance of wood for charcoal making would see the coal pot dominate a significant period of Guyana’s life. The coal pot was used for cooking and baking. The pot, with glowing embers of coal was placed into a wood crafted box- oven that was lined with asbestos and zinc sheeting. When a uniform temperature was reached, this oven made some of the tastiest bread and pastries of Guyana.

T h i s method is still limited-

The coal pot The history of the Guyana’s coal pot is obscure, but the form itself indicates that the clay versions produced today evolved as copies of colonial-era l y iron coal pots, and u s e d did not enter the in outlayarchaeological ing regions record until of the country the nine'Pointer' broom and is now comteenth plemented with a vacentury. riety of other systems The hisof cooking and baking. torical relationship beThe cast iron wood tween clay and burning stove metal versions of the The cast iron wood burn-

ing stove was primarily used in the early part of the 1900s. Here again, the wood of Guyana featured extensively.

Bundles of wood and charcoal were common and conveniently sold at the market.

This stove required duct work and a chimney for the escape of the smoke. All the Demerara bauxite company houses built for their workers of Upper Demerara came equipped with this wood burning stove that was safe to use despite the open fire of the now attached kitchen.

The ‘pointer’ or ‘coconut’ broom The ‘pointer or coconut’ broom is made out of the

as the coconut. The manicole broom is used for sweeping outdoors and also serves as a deterrent by the believers of the feared spook, the mythical Guyanese old soul or witch called Ole Higue.

The resourceful coconut palm tree provides endless products and is still a vital part of Guyanese life.

The pointer broom is generally used today for sweeping outdoors in Guyana and symbolises one of the things which make Guyanese abroad feel “at home”.

Many of the Guyanese diaspora still keep a pointer broom around as keepsakes and showpieces to remind them of home and heritage.

Sewing machines

cessful chine.

Singer built the first sewing machine where the needle moved up and down rather than the side-to-side, and the needle was powered by a foot treadle.

The first sewing machines, powered by hand crank or feet peddle, were a vital part of many homes.

The ‘safe’ The ‘safe’ or kitchen cabinet was used for storage of either food stuff or kitchen essentials. Utilitarian cabinets like this were no-frills designs to simply serve its purpose.

The process of change

Evolutionary theorist, Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, or the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

Since the Industrial Revolution, when the speed

An old Singer sewing machine

Before the advent of cheap, mass produced factory clothing, the faithful sewing machine had the daunting task of keeping Guyanese clothed.

A coal pot

stems of dried coconut leaves.

The manicole palm also provided a broom, though not as elegant

ly sucma-

Sewing machines did not go into mass production until the 1850s, when Isaac Singer built the first commercial-

of change accelerated, society has been transforming accordingly. It began with a shift from a rural, agrarian society to an urban, industrial society. That led to a whole range of changes in lifestyle, family structure, culture and values.

The computer revolution, which started around 25 years ago, sent the rate of change into its exponential rise. It is the hope that as we will adapt to the changing world that we take time out to reflect how far we have come and what may exist beyond the horizon of tomorrow.

The article aims to build appreciation within our young generation about how we have developed, so they embrace a technologically advanced age. It seeks to urge the younger generations not familiar with the gadgets mentioned in this article, to do research and try to connect with our rich Guyanese heritage.

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Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

G

uyanese in the Rupununi had a vested interest in the outcome of an NFL football game for the second week in a row, as the Jacksonville Jaguars (Florida, USA) took on the Pittsburgh Steelers (Pennsylvania, USA) last weekend. But this was not just a game; it was friendly wager between the city’s zoos that created potentially significant benefits for Rupununi wildlife and the Rupununi people.

The terms were set. If the Jaguars defeated the Steelers for a second time this year, the Pittsburgh Zoo would make a donation to the Rupununi Wildlife Research Unit, a coalition of researchers working to increase understanding and inform the management of some of Guyana’s most iconic species (including jaguars), and send the Jacksonville Zoo sandwiches from the famous Primanti Brothers.

If the Steelers won, the Jacksonville Zoo would do-

RWRU supporters in Lethem turn out to cheer on the Jaguars

nate to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's Sea Turtle Second Program, a project that brings in sea turtles in need of urgent medical care to be rehabilitated and then released back into the wild, and throw in some locally famous fried chicken.

Two weeks ago, the Jacksonville Zoo made a sim-

ilar wager with the Buffalo Zoo, and it paid off. Would Rupununi wildlife benefit for the second week in a row?

In a high-scoring affair, the Jaguars took down the favourite Steelers 45 42. Thanks to four rushing touchdowns (including three by star RB Leonard Fournette) and a late TD

RWRU's human-caiman conflict team members show their support for the Jaguars.

This project is supported by additional funding from the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens through the Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission of Guyana

Kanuku Mountains’ rangers cheering on the Jaguars for the second week in a row at the Protected Areas Commission office in Lethem

pass from QB Blake Bortles to FB Tommy Bohannon, the Jaguars were able to outlast the Steelers and advance to the conference championship game. In what ended up being a back-and-forth game that went right down to the wire, the Jaguars got enough big plays down the stretch to the put the game away, and ultimately secure another contribution to research and conservation in Guyana.

Dr Matt Hallett, founder of the Rupununi Wildlife Research Unit (RWRU), said: “The Jags performance this week more closely resembled their wild mascot… they stealthy and methodically moved the ball down the field before unleashing surgical scoring strikes with deadly precision.

It was fun to watch. The Jaguar (Panthera onca) is known for its ability to stalk very close to its prey before making a kill with a single leap and

crushing bite.”

Asked about how this resembled a back-and-forth game that went down to the final seconds, Hallett added, “Every tough opponent refuses to go down without a fight, but the king of the jungle has the strength and endurance to overpower and subdue prey that are double or triple their size.”

For the second week in a row, American football will be benefitting wildlife in Guyana. "When wildlife wins, everyone wins," said the Jacksonville Zoo said in a news release following the game.

On receiving another donation as a result of a friendly wager over football, Hallett shared, “We are honoured to be the beneficiaries of effort… and we are even more thrilled that both zoos have seized the opportunity provided by such a popular sporting event to raise

awareness and direct contributions to wildlife conservation.”

The Jacksonville Jaguars will take on the New England Patriots (Massachusetts, USA) at Foxboro Stadium in the AFC Conference Championship game today at 3:05 PM EST. No word yet on whether the New England Aquarium or Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo has stepped up for another friendly wager for the sake of conservation.

Follow the Rupununi Wildlife Research Unit on Facebook, rupununiwildlife on Instagram, @RupWildlife on Twitter, or subscribe to their Rupununi Wildlife channel on YouTube. (By JJ Vitale, Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens; Tracy Gray, Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium; Matt Hallett, Rupununi Wildlife Research Unit)

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Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

Guyana - A diverse culinary mecca

P

epperpot, garlic pork, cassava bread, cookup rice and a wide array of curries are among the many offerings which characterise the unique culinary landscape of Guyana, and indeed visitors and locals alike can attest to lure of the mouth-watering options available.

A few months ago, a group of Canadian media representatives and travel agents spent three days in Guyana on a familiarisation tour, as tourism officials continue to enhance their drive to attract more Canadians to the destination. The visiting team comprised of owner and CEO of Roraima Travel, Syed Rayman; publisher of the Caribbean Graphic Newspaper, Tony McWatt; travel agent, Shararazad Hack-Gill; and one of Canada’s top food stylists, Nathan Fong.

Guyana is attractive for

Pepperpot is a Guyanese favourite, and many regional and international tourists as well

many reasons: the rich culture, amazing wildlife, pristine beauty and its unique tourism offerings. With the amalgamation of the six cul-

tures, undoubtedly the cuisine would stand apart from other destinations.

While Guyana’s appeal was unquestionable, with

offerings such as Kaieteur Falls and the Essequibo, it was the view of Fong, one of Canada’s culinary ambassadors, that Guyana has a bright future in food tourism.

In an interview in November, immediately fol-

notice of relevant authorities. In fact, the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) partners with restaurants annually to host the Guyana Restaurant Week, which is a culinary celebration of restaurants and eateries in Guyana. During the designated period, participating restaurants offer an exclusive menu at a significantly reduced price; this in turn gives visitors and local foodies an opportunity to enjoy “specialty prix fixe menus from skilled local chefs”.

To further showcase Guyana’s culinary offerings and to stimulate the taste buds, several local publications educate the public and provide a guide to the many dining establishments in Guyana.

According to the World Food Travel Association, while there are many definitions of what “food tourism” is, the term has been simplified into the following: “The pursuit and enjoyment of unique and memorable food

Flavours of India can be enjoyed right here in Guyana (Photo from Guyana Restaurant Week Facebook page)

lowing his trip to Guyana, Fong shared his perspective with local representatives, which was publicised by the Guyana Tourism Authority.

“I think Guyana’s tourism has great potential; their culture and culinary background varies. Seeing the vast richness of their cultural background - the Chinese, East Indians, African - it’s a melting pot of cuisines,” he expressed.

The fact that Guyana’s cuisine can be a major selling point of the destination has not escaped the

and drink experiences, both far and near.”

This definition suggests that while we may not be aware of it, we are all “food travelers” by the mere act of going to a special restaurant, grocery store or eating out at our favourite place; which is even more evident by the overwhelming response to Restaurant Week over the years. The fact that visitors to our beautiful country can be attracted by our culinary diversity and offerings is another bonus.

Seeing its success, obvi-

ously there are numerous economic benefits of promoting food tourism.

The World Food Travel Association adds that a more engaged food and drink tourism strategy will be beneficial in many ways, including more visitor arrivals, more sales (rooms/airplane seats/ restaurant meals/wine/beer/ car rentals/and much more), more media coverage, a new competitive advantage or unique selling proposition (that is, unique food and drink), more tax revenue to government authorities, increased community awareness about tourism in general and increased community pride about, and awareness of, the area's food and drink resources.

The organisation has added that its decade of experience in the food tourism industry has led to the conclusion that approximately 25 per cent of visitors’ spending can be attributed to food and drink while traveling.

This percentage, the World Food Travel Association noted, tends to be higher in more expensive destinations and lower in less expensive destinations.

Alluding to the importance of food tourism in the Global Report on Food Tourism, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) also noted that the main aim of the study is to highlight the economic, social and promotional importance of gastronomy in the development of local and national economies and its impact in the tourism and travel industry.

“The growth and resilience of the Food Tourism segment has become increasingly evident in recent years, as destinations and businesses have become aware of the positive benefits not only in tourism development, but also in the value chain of gastronomy as part of the national or local economy,” UNWTO concluded.

Given Guyana’s rich potential to become a prime ‘food destination’, it is a definite and welcomed possibility that this country can harness the power to stand out in the region and attract more visitors.

A plate of hot cook-up rice is another favourite meal in Guyana

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Sunday Times Magazine 5

Feature

F

or local tour operator and Managing Director of Rainforest Tours, Frank Singh, 2017 ended on a high note, which also signalled that 2018 was going to be a great year for tourism promotion in Guyana.

Late last year, Rainforest Tours hosted a Familiarisation Trip (FAM) for several members of Los Exploradores Hiking Club of Rio Claro, South Trinidad. According to Singh, the ‘buzz’ created by the Trinidadian media about Guyana was phenomenal and a step in the right direction.

FAM Trips are by no means new to Guyana, and over the years, several tour companies, in collaboration with the Government of Guyana, have hosted quite a number of these events, which have resulted in numerous international features and documentaries.

Singh further explained

that the push behind the initiative was to explore avenues for heightened collaboration in the interest of eco-tourism promotion in the two countries.

“The team from Los Exploradores was given the opportunity to visit Kaieteur and to get a firsthand look at the product.

The Tourism Minister of Trinidad bought into it,” Singh proudly explained to Sunday Times Magazine, while he happily announced that several other groups have already visited since the initial FAM in September 2017. He mentioned that this was a direct result of the marketing efforts in Trinidad.

While there are many benefits of such exposure, the Managing Director emphasized that Guyana will continue to stand out with its unique tourism offerings, including aspects of eco, sustainable and adventure tourism.

One member of the

FAM group, and journalist attached to the Trinidad Guardian, Shastri Boodan narrated his adventures in an article. An excerpt on Kaieteur Falls read: “The fog-like mist splits sunlight to create what seems to be one of the longest lasting rainbows on a sunny day.”

Singh explained that both Guyana and Kaieteur Falls were marketed, as he provided details of the marketing drive.

The first group to visit Guyana immediately following the FAM Trip here was a team of scientists, who came in November 2017.

Alluding to upcoming initiatives, Singh revealed that his company will soon introduce weekend tours to Suriname, which will be affordable and will guarantee that participants have an enriching and rewarding experience.

“This will be an all-inclusive package, which

Members of the first tour to visit Guyana after the initial FAM Trip

Frank Singh (second from right), Managing Director of Rainforest Tours, and members of the FAM group while in Georgetown

The group at Kaieteur Falls

will see our guests benefiting from one cover price for transportation, accommodation and meals,” he said.

Additionally, he stated that Rainforest Tours collaborates with the

Government of Guyana and the private sector to host four safari excursions in Guyana annually: the North Pakaraima Mountain Safari; South Rupununi Safari; Bartica

Safari; and the Sand Safari to Moraikobai, which was launched in February 2017. These events continue to attract local, regional and international participants every year.

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JANUARY 21, 2018

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Sunday Times Magazine

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8 Sunday Times Magazine

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Travel and Tourism

Kumerau Falls

K

Breathtaking view of the Falls (Photo by George Bailey)

umerau Falls is one of Guyana's many beautiful and uncharted waterfalls. It is located on the Kurupung River a few miles before it meets the Mazaruni River in Region Seven, one of the major tributaries of the Essequibo River.

Fishing enthusiasts may find fishing near or at Kumerau Falls very exhilarating. This could be one of the best fishing or outdoors adventure locations in the region.

Aerial view of Kumerau (Photo by George Bailey)

Yurong Paru

T

he journey to the quaint, remote Makushi village of Yurong Paru may seem daunting to most, but to the ardent adventurer, the destination is well worth the long trek deep into the Pakaraima Mountains.

The community is part of the Karasabai sub-district, located in South Pakaraimas, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), and is accessible by land.

Scenic view of a section of the village (Photo by Deon K Johnson)

With a population of approximately 375, the main source of income is derived from subsistence farming and cattle rearing - primary products sold are meat (beef and pork) and cassava. Although small, the village is equipped with a primary school, health hut and teachers quarters.

Hospitality of residents is one of the commanding attributes of Yurong Paru – a village of simple joys.

A child from the village with a warishi on his back

The Falls is located in the vicinity of the Kurupung mountain (Photo by Nicholas Chuckasang)

View of Kumerau Falls from the abandoned upper Mazaruni road (Photo by Nicholas Chuckasang)

Children relaxing under the village's famous mango tree

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Sunday Times Magazine 9

Health

Surprising Foods That Can Help Your Thyroid

T

hyroid issues are a very common problem for women. If you have been feeling sluggish lately, your thyroid may be to blame. If you think you have a thyroid problem, you may notice improvements by simply adjusting your diet. Make sure you’re eating foods rich in nutrients that specifically help improve your thyroid health. Check out these five surprising foods that can give your thyroid a boost. If symptoms persist, you should go see a doctor and get your thyroid checked.

Cocoa Powder Your thyroid needs zinc in order to function properly.

Zinc helps your body produce thyroid hormones that keep it healthy. Make sure you are getting 30 to 40 milligrams of zinc in your daily diet. You can do this with a number of different foods such as spinach, chickpeas, cashews, and lean ground beef. Surprisingly enough, even natural cocoa powder contains almost three milligrams of zinc per serving. Try mixing cocoa powder into your snacks or dessert for a delicious and healthy indulgence.

Cabbage If you have an overactive thyroid and need to slow it down, goitrogenic foods should be incorporated into your diet. Iodine is used to speed up a slow thyroid, but goitrogenic foods block iodine from affecting your thyroid and slow it down. Cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, dark leafy greens, and other root vegetables are popular goitrogenic foods. Add one or more servings of these foods into your meals for noticeable improvement.

Pumpkin Spice The main spices found in a pumpkin spice mix – ginger and cinnamon – are helpful thyroid regulators. Cinnamon is anti-inflammatory which is good for your whole body, and ginger contains zinc, potassium, and magnesium which are all important nutrients for your thyroid. Just make sure you’re eating these spices in their purest form instead of indulging in artificially flavored pumpkin spice items.

Health News

Sunflower Seeds Brazil Nuts Sunflowers seeds contain tyrosine which is an amino acid that Selenium is an important mineral for optimal thyroid function. regulates thyroid hormones in your body. Snack on some seeds Conveniently, Brazil nuts are loaded with selenium. In fact, just a during the day, or blend them into a smoothie to enjoy their few nuts can do the trick and provide your daily recommended powerful thyroid benefits. amount of selenium.

O

nce you've scheduled the surgery, you might wonder what to eat after tooth extraction. And as you might expect, soft foods are ideal during the first few days of recovery.

S

What to Eat

Eat: Ice Cream Unless you have particularly sensitive teeth, ice cream tops of the list of what to eat after tooth extraction. It's cool and soft, so you can eat it comfortably even when your mouth is tender.

Because ice cream is cold, it can help minimize any natural swelling that occurs in the mouth.

Choose your ice cream with care, though. Soft ice cream is ideal right after surgery, since it doesn't require as much jaw muscle to eat. You'll also want to avoid any mix-ins or solid sprinkles along the top of the ice cream. Remember to pick a cup over a cone so you don’t have to chew.

Eat: Cool Soup Pureed, lukewarm or cool soups are also great to eat after a tooth's removal. Soup is not only easy to eat after your surgery, but it also contains plenty of nutrients and, in some cases, protein, to help the muscles in your face feel better. To avoid any discomfort, make sure the soup is as smooth as possible before you eat it. A few small pieces of cooked vegetables or pasta in the soup should be manageable, but you want to avoid anything that will require a lot of chewing.

Eat: Smoothies One of the best ways to enjoy fruits after you've had a tooth pulled is in smoothie form. Blend the fruits with some yogurt to add protein, calcium and probiotics to the drink. Adding yogurt or a similar type of dairy to the smoothie also helps it become less acidic, and less likely to irritate tender gums as a result.

Eat: Scrambled Eggs As long as they aren't too hot, scrambled eggs are another good pick following a tooth extraction. They're gentle, high in protein and don't require much effort in the way of chewing when eating them.

The black arrow points to the air streaks (in black) in the soft tissue area

What not to Eat

Avoid: Spicy and Acidic Foods You may love adding a dab of hot sauce to the things you eat during the day, but after you have a tooth removed, the best thing to do is put the bottle down and play it "cool." If you've ever felt the burn of a hot pepper, you know that spicy foods can irritate your gums and mouth. And because outside irritation is the last thing you want while your mouth is healing, it's best to wait until your dentist gives you the all-clear before enjoying your favorite spices.

Like spicy foods, acidic foods can irritate your mouth after a tooth extraction and should be avoided just the same.

Avoid: Crunchy Snacks During the first week after your tooth is pulled, steer clear of crunch snacks, even those that may be cold or otherwise forgiving. Not only are they difficult to eat when your mouth is sore, but there's also the chance they'll break off and bits of them will get stuck in the socket. Stick to soft foods until your dentist tells you otherwise.

Straws and Other Concerns

As the U.S. National Library of Medicine notes, using a straw right after you have a tooth pulled causes a sucking motion that can increase your risk for developing dry socket. To minimize your risk for these complications, it's best to take small sips of cool beverages after surgery, without a straw.

To keep your mouth in good shape, it's usually OK to start brushing again the night after your extraction. But be as gentle as possible, sticking with a soft-bristled toothbrush and avoid brushing near the area of the extraction. (www.colgate.com)

tifling a sneeze by clamping your nose and mouth shut can cause serious physical damage, doctors are warning.

A 34-year-old man in England was treated for rupturing his throat while trying to stop a high-force sneeze.

With nowhere to escape, the pressure ripped through the soft tissue, and although rare and unusual, they say others should be aware of the danger.

Trapping a sneeze could also damage the ears or even rupture a brain aneurysm, they warn in journal BMJ Case Reports.

The man said he felt a "popping" sensation in his neck when it happened and then immediately experienced pain and difficulty swallowing and speaking.

When the doctors checked him over they found he had swelling and

tenderness around his throat and neck.

An X-ray revealed air escaping from his windpipe into the soft tissue of his neck through the rupture.

The man had to be fed by a tube for the next seven days to allow time for the tissues to heal.

After spending a week in hospital, the man was sent home and made a full recovery.

Doctors said: "Halting a sneeze via blocking nostrils and mouth is a dangerous manoeuvre and should be avoided."

Sneezes can spread diseases, so although it is good to "let them out", make sure you catch them in a tissue, say experts.

Children and adults should be encouraged to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough and sneeze and then throw the tissues away in a bin and wash their hands to stop the spread of germs. (BBC)

10 Sunday Times Magazine Fashion

G

uyanese designer Andy Anthony Cummings recently participated in Suriname

Fashion Week and was inspired by the country’s African culture to create his latest collection of stylish

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JANUARY 21, 2018

men’s shirts.

“I have visited Suriname several times and every time I’m inspired by its rich

African culture, which continually amazes me with the effortless, timeless wearable art. My recent collection was

inspired by the African culture of Suriname, but with a Caribbean twist to it. The hand-painted designs on each shirt tell a different story. I was also inspired by the female dancers at the event.

Each dancer had designs on their dresses that sent a message to the person they were dancing for. This collection is my interpretation of those stories. I would like to say thanks to all the models who wore my designs.

Special thanks to Warda Monica, Raviq de vries and Bentik Paulus,” the designer said in an interview with Sunday Times Magazine.

Designer’s brief bio Cummings graduated from the Burrowes School of Art in 2012 with a major in Ceramics and minor in Textiles. He was awarded best graduating student and best ceramic student for his year. In that same year, he won the Guyana Model Search/Designers Portfolio, which gave him the oppor-

tunity to be fashion partner with veteran Guyanese designer Sonia Noel. Cummings was named Most Promising Young Designer of 2013.

Forever looking for newer and bigger challenges to conquer, in late 2014 the designer decided to enter “Mission Catwalk” - a regional designer competition that targets the Caribbean’s best young designers. He made inroads again when he became the first designer from Guyana to make it to the finals of the competition. Cummings was able to secure the “Most Promising Designer of the Year” title.

Now, the designer’s dreams, which he is working feverishly to make a reality, are to pursue a fashion degree from an accredited university and to work for an international fashion company with the aim of one day operating his own establishment.

For more information, email a.acummings68@yahoo.com or Andy Anthony Cummings on Facebook.

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JANUARY 21, 2018

Sunday Times Magazine 11

Home & Cooking

Recipe of the week

Ingredients:

8 cups rice cereal 1 container (1.75 oz) rainbow mix sprinkles (about 1/3 cup) 2 tablespoons butter,

Method:

Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Spray large bowl with cooking spray. Add cereal and 1/4 cup of the sprinkles to bowl.

Spray medium microwavable bowl with cooking spray. Add butter and marshmallows. Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.

Stir in 1/2 cup of the frosting and the white vanilla baking chips.

Continue to microwave uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds; stir until well blended.

Pour hot marshmallow mixture over cereal mixture; stir until

The 2018 Colours of the Year have been unveiled! Now, take a cut into pieces look at what shades leading industry brands are calling the stars of 1 bag (10 oz) miniature their fresh, new colour palettes. (Cont’d from last week) marshmallows ¾ cup vanilla frosting (from 16-oz container) ½ cup white vanilla baking chips

cereal is well coated. Press firmly in pan.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining 1/4 cup frosting uncovered on High 5 to 10 seconds, stirring until melted and smooth. Drizzle over top of bar with fork. Sprinkle remaining sprinkles over top.

Cool at least 1 1/2 hours until firm. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Tips: Make sure to really compress the cereal bars; that will make them easier to cut. Customize this cereal bar for any holiday by using other colours of decors.

Whether you're outfitting an entire living room or dressing up the family bathroom, a bright blue hue is a perfect colour to make a bold, fun statement in any space— no matter the size. Throw this lively turquoise on any wall to create a tropical getaway in the comfort of your own home.

Greatest Cooking Tips

A good soup is made a day in advance. Let it sit in the fridge overnight, then warm it gently and all the flavours will marry beautifully.

Add dried fruit to oatmeal before you add the milk or water. The fruit will cook and plump up slightly, adding a juicier, more intense taste.

Make sure the lettuce is completely dry – it helps the dressing stick for a more flavourful salad.

When making dough, freeze the butter and grate it into the dry ingredients. You'll handle the cold dough less, resulting in more tender and flaky piecrusts, biscuits, or scones.

Whether you desire a beachy escape or a rustic look, this light blue hue can match any taste.

Paired best with crisp whites and neutrals, this comfortable spruce blue is a great choice for virtually any space. Throw in some greenery to add even more freshness to the overall look.

Home Help

Before a DIY manicure, dip fingers in a bowl of mayonnaise and soak for five minutes to soften nails and cuticles.

To remove water rings on wood, rub toothpaste onto the wood with a soft cloth then wipe with a damp one.

To keep the food inside a storage bag fresher longer, when you put in food seal nearly all the way, then stick a straw in and suck air out.

Remove straw, sealing quickly. The lack of air helps leftovers and produce last longer.

If you run out of scrubbing pads, try using crumpled-up foil instead.

It works great on baked-on foods and is a good way to reuse foil.

Paired with dark wood furniture, light linens and crisp home accents, a calming blue can turn a dingy bedroom into the perfect tranquil hideaway. A perfect mix of soft green and blue, this shade is just as much versatile as it is cool and calm.

12 Sunday Times Magazine

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Puzzles

Crossword

1

6

11

16

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

32

34

36

38

40

42 43

45

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49

52

53

54

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58 59

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61

62

63

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68

69

70 72

73

74

75 77

78 79

82

83

84

88

ACROSS Squirrel away Low dice roll Advertising ploy Thick rope Squander Damp Governed Host with a book club Organic compound Skirt the issue Gide or Previn Bearings Dog days in Dijon Musical key (2 wds.)

Backbone Crackers go-with Beauty parlor special Radius neighbors Ms. Dunne Is shy of "-- vincit amor" Oil-well capper Red -Bea Arthur sitcom Pekoe packets (2 wds.)

"Dave" actor Living fence Width of a cir.

Urbana 11 Mexican buddy Markets Large movie ape Duo -- Vanilli Blueprints Lots and lots Bat's navigational system NASA counterpart Remain loyal Beach toys Modernized Warrior princess "Kon-Tiki" craft Heads' opposite Condo buyer, maybe Ice crystal deposit Brand of spandex High-IQ group Overview Brought on board Leafy vegetable Castle part Misgiving

89 Vagabonds

90 Opinion

92 Travel on powder

93 "-- Some Lovin'"

94 Clothes horse

95 Jamie Lee's mom

96 Like amber

98 Be optimistic

99 Dark line on Mars

100 Small gulls

101 Respectable

102 Tunnel blaster

103 Made bales

104 Just manage (2 wds.)

105 South Seas wear

106 Quick raid

107 Windshield device

108 Raul's brother

109 "-- Accomp'ny Me" 111 Map feature

113 Felt under par 115 Important decades

119 St. Francis' home 121 "The Zoo Story" penner

123 Aquamarine's mineral

125 Baseball great Mel 126 Try to catch

127 Downward trend

129 Less noble

131 It makes scents

133 Prods along 134 Company avoider

135 Betel nut source

136 Cash, casually

137 Facetious tribute

138 Player's rep

139 WXY phone buttons

140 Before due DOWN

1 Wield a broom

2 Likes and dislikes

3 Purplish flower

4 Sault -- Marie 5 Mint or cumin

6 Arbor

7 Fine cigar

8 Vaquero's rope

9 Result

10 Watches carefully

11 Treeless region

12 Sled piece 13 Bygone

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 31 33 35 37 39 41 44 46 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 58 59 60

Debussy subject Ben Jonson works Good friend -- -- of the action Coffee -Secures a contract Codgers' queries Mushrooms Chopin's instrument Electrical connectors It merged with Exxon Brackish Fixes a manuscript Enthusiasm, plus Archaeological sites Supplements Cheap horologe Beethoven's "Fur --" Poe's middle name Retail giant Emulates Galen Generous one Beyond banal Jibe with Hang -- -- (turn) Monsieur's shout Ferocious bear

62 Moon position

63 Clan leader 64 Hardens, as cement

67 Monotonous hum

68 Acts worried

69 Ms. Zellweger

71 Ignited

73 Alpine region

74 Fixed the pilot 76 Gentle slope

77 Defame

78 All uncles 79 Must

80 Civil War side 81 Entice

82 Phony surfer (hyph.)

83 Loggins or Rogers

85 German industrial center

86 Barely scraping by

87 Ale portions

89 Sweethearts

90 Ms. Streisand

91 Jacques, in song

94 Empire builder 95 Leap in a tutu

97 Mademoiselle's

school 99 Sandburg et al.

100 Sioux dwelling

101 Pop

103 Most sacred

104 "H.M.S. Pinafore" lyricist

105 Mountain ranges

106 Nitpicks

107 Thoreau's pond 108 Wool coat

109 Google rival

110 Port near Kyoto

112 Queeg's ship 114 Norwegian playwright

116 Generator part

117 -- -- costs

118 Digress

120 "La -- Bonita" (Madonna song) 122 Meir contemporary

124 Glittery fabric

126 Paramedic's skill

128 Cut timber

130 Jackie's tycoon

132 Burns' "-- -- Mouse" See Solution on Pg 13

KATHLEEN SAXE

WORD GAME TODAY'S WORD -- ARGUABLE (ARGUABLE: AHR-gyoo-uh-bul: Open to dispute or question.)

Average mark 40 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 62 or more words in ARGUABLE? able abler agar ager ague algae algebra arable area argue auger

aura aural rage rale real regal rube ruble rule gable gala

gale garb garble gaur gear glare glue grab grub gruel guar

gular urea urge bagel bale baler bare barge bear beau beluga

berg blare blear blue bluer blur brag bugle bugler bulge burgle

burl laager lager large luge lure earl

RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of "s," such as "bats" or "dies," are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a "d" or an "s" may not be used. For example, if "bake" is used, "baked" or "bakes" are not allowed, but "bake" and "baking" are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

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Sunday Times Magazine 13

Tech

China’s new biggest radio telescope to help detect alien signals

C

hina plans to amp up its ability to search for aliens, dark matter, gravitational waves and other mysteries of the universe by building the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope.

The country already hosts the world's largest radio telescope, the Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST).

It and Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory are basically huge stationary dishes built into the landscape. But fully steerable radio telescopes like the Green Bank telescope in West Virginia (currently the largest of the type) can be moved and rotated to aim at specific targets.

China approved plans for the new telescope this week. It will be located in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and known as the Xingjiang Qitai 110m Radio Telescope (QTT). It will have a steerable dish 10 percent larger in diameter than that of the Green Bank observatory with the ability to cover 75 percent of the sky.

"The antenna, the world's largest, will be able to trace the origins of any signals received," Song Huagang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said in a statement.

FAST can cover some frequencies that are lower than what QTT is able to cover,

G

oogle has long given fast-loading web pages preferential placement in search results, but for now that only happens when people search on personal computers. Starting in July, particularly slow web-

but the two huge radio telescopes will also have overlapping coverage in the range between around 150 MHz and 3 GHz. Doug Vakoch of METI International, which searches for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and develops potential messages for E.T., said this overlap is significant because it includes the so-called "water hole" of particular interest to SETI researchers.

"It's a quiet space between prominent spectral lines created by hydrogen and hydroxyl, the constituents of water that is so central to life on Earth," he explained via email. "The partially overlapping frequency range of the QTT and FAST means that the detection of a candidate signal by one telescope can be followed up immediately by the other instrument, assuming the data is being analyzed in real time."

But the value of QTT, Vakoch adds, may not be so much in its ability to search for signs of distant advanced civilizations, but in how it will contribute to unraveling other natural mysteries of the universe. During its tria testing phase, FAST already managed to discover two pulsars.

QTT isn't scheduled to go into operation until 2023. (CNET)

A

new "text bomb" affecting Apple's iPhone and Mac computers has been discovered.

Abraham Masri, a software developer, tweeted about the flaw which typically causes an iPhone to crash and in some cases restart.

Simply sending a message containing a link which pointed to Mr Masri's code on programming site GitHub would be enough to activate the bug - even if the recipient did not click the link itself.

Mr Masri said he "always reports bugs" before releasing them. Apple has not yet commented on the issue.

On a Mac, the bug reportedly makes the Safari browser crash, and causes other slowdowns.

But users should not be alarmed.

Security expert Graham Cluley wrote on

his blog that the bug does not present anything to be particularly worried about - it's merely very annoying.

After the link did the rounds on social media, Mr Masri removed the code from GitHub, therefore disabling the "attack" unless someone was to replicate the code elsewhere.

"I'm not going to re-upload it," he said.

"I made my point. Apple needs to take such bugs more seriously."

Bugs in Apple's software have been a recurring problem of late.

In November it apologised to its customers for a glaring password flaw which meant its latest Mac operating system could be accessed without a password.

Less serious but highly frustrating was a bug that autocorrected the letter "I" into a strange symbol. (BBC)

sites will be penalized in search results, Google said in a blog post recently.

"People want to be able to find answers to their questions as fast as possible," Google search

Crossword Solution

team members Zhiheng Wang and Doantam Phan said in the blog post.

"Studies show that people really care about the speed of a page."

Speed isn't the only factor. Slow pages that are strongly related to what people search for can still rank high in search results.

Bringing the web to phones has been a challenge for website programmers. Phones have small touch screens, limited memory, pay-by-the-megabyte data plans and often anemic processors. The web and the browsers used to reach it are gradually adapting, but often we'll use apps, not web browsers, to reach the online services we're interested in.

(CNET)

R

ights and democracy advocates are calling attention to Facebook's role in spreading misinformation again — this time in the Philippines.

The social media giant's hosting of inaccurate stories that support strongman President Rodrigo Duterte's administration has been newly spotlighted after Manila moved to shut down a local news site that had been the victim of a misinformation campaign.

In response to such

complaints, Facebook told CNBC it has taken steps to ensure the network is a safe space for people to express themselves politically. Those include new tools and technologies to prevent fake accounts, false stories, clickbait, harassment and hate speech.

"We recognize that the same tools that give people more voice can sometimes be abused, by anyone, to spread hoaxes and misinformation," a company representative said.

"We prohibit people from

setting up fake accounts and have developed improved automated systems — using machine learning and artificial intelligence — to better identify and remove them quickly."

The Philippines boasts one of the world's most active social media populations and is a crucial market for Facebook, which has an office in Manila and recently partnered with Duterte's administration on a high-speed Internet infrastructure project. (CNBC)

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JANUARY 21, 2018

Bollywood/Hollywood

Bipasha Basu quells pregnancy rumours again B

ollywood diva Bipasha Basu, who married TV actor Karan Singh Grover in April 2016, is tired of dismissing rumours about her pregnancy. On January 17, she took to Twitter to quell such a rumour and sounded irritated.

She wrote: “Amused yet again. I kept a bag on my lap while getting into my car and certain media ppl started my pregnancy speculation again. Guys i am not pregnant.

Kinda getting irritating. Stay calm.. it will happen only when we want it.”

Apparently, this is the second time in her nearly two years of marriage that such a rumour has started doing the rounds. In March 2017 too, the gossip mills were abuzz with her pregnancy news.

She had written then: “The curiosity about me being pregnant...is sweet and a tad annoying. I am sorry to disappoint the ppl who are so eager for this to happen.” And continued, “We are not planning to have a baby right now.When we do plan..it will be joyous news which we will share with our well wishers then.” She ended it by saying, “The constant guessing game is tiring..as am more than straightforward person.So pls

do not believe anything that gets written.

Thank you all.” (Hindustan Times)

Kim Kardashian denies naming her baby Louis Vuitton

A

nnouncing the news on her website, Kim exclaimed: "SHE'S HERE!" "Kanye and I are happy to announce the arrival of our healthy, beautiful baby girl," she wrote.

"We are incredibly grateful to our surrogate who made our dreams come true with the greatest gift one could give and to our wonderful doctors and nurses for their special care."

"North and Saint are especially thrilled to welcome their baby sister."

The buzz around baby names has already started, with many waiting with baited breath to find out what the third Kardashian-West child will be named.

Despite Kanye being quoted saying they were struggling to think of a name, fans of the star are looking for even the tiniest hint and think they've found one in one of her latest Instagram posts – a photo of a Louis Vuitton pattern.

Kim has since cleared things up revealing that he posted the LV picture to celebrate brand designer Kim Jones’ final catwalk show.

Sharing a link to an article which revealed fans believed she was naming her

daughter Louis, Kim told her followers: “NOPE! It was Kim Jones last show and wanted to snap a LV pic." (Glamour)

Pope Francis marries couple Application filed against Salman Khan, Shilpa Shetty on plane 36,000ft in the air

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n application has been filed against Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty in Mumbai's Bhoiwada court for allegedly using casteist slur against the Scheduled Castes.

They have been accused of humiliating and insulting the Scheduled Castes by using the word 'bhangi' in separate shows.

Presumably, Khan had used the word

during the promotion of his action film, while referring to his dancing skills.

Shilpa had reportedly used the word to describe how she looks at home.

The application is filed under sections 156(3) of the CrPC seeking FIR under section 295 of the IPC and section 3 (1) (s) of the SC / ST act. (Times of India)

P

ope Francis married two flight attendants on a plane 36,000 feet in the air during a flight on Thursday, January 18, the Associated Press reports.

It happened after the flight crew gathered at the front of the plane to take a photo with the religious leader. The couple, bride Paula Podest and groom Carlos Ciuffardi, told the pope that they had been married in a civil service in 2010 but had been unable to have a church ceremony because of the February 27, 2010, earthquake that rocked Chile.

The pope then offered to marry the LATAM flight attendants aboard the Airbus 321 and they quickly agreed. After a Vatican official drafted up an official though handwritten marriage certificate, the pope performed the first-ever airborne papal wedding, with the head of the airline as the witness.

The groom shared, "We told him that we are husband and wife, that we have two daughters and that we would have loved to receive his blessing... All of a sudden he asked us if we were married in the church, too... He liked us and he asked, 'Do you want me to marry you?' " Carlos went on gushing, "He told me it's historic, that there has never before been a pope who married someone aboard a plane."

He also revealed what the pope told them, "This is the sacrament that is missing in the world, the sacrament of marriage. May this motivate others to get the sacrament of marriage. I'll do it for this reason."

The bride was then surrounded by around 70 journalists who travel with the pope on his foreign trips. To the reporters, Paula revealed the advice that the Bishop of Rome told them, "The wedding rings shouldn't be too tight, because they'll torture you, but if they're too loose, they'll fall off. So we have to be careful." (AceShowbiz)

Twinkle Khanna takes ‘PadMan’ to Oxford University students Taylor Swift stalker allegedly threatened to kill her and her family W

riter-producer Twinkle Khanna was invited to speak at The Oxford Union, the world's most prestigious debating society.

The 43-year-old actor-turnedauthor addressed the students of the Oxford University where she also showcased her upcoming production, “PadMan”.

Based on the life of social entrepreneur and activist Arunachalam Muruganantham, who revolutionised sanitary hygiene in rural India 20 years ago, the film stars Twinkle's husband actor Akshay Kumar in the title role.

Through her address, Twinkle gave an insight into the story of the movie and how it would play an interesting role in tackling taboos and addressing stigma around menstrual hygiene “PadMan” will be the first Indian film to be screened at The Oxford Union. (Yahoo)

T

aylor Swift stalker Frank Andrew Hoover is facing new charges after prosecutors say they uncovered a new batch of creepy emails he had sent to the singer's father, Scott.

Frank, 39, reportedly threatened to kill Taylor and her family in the emails.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that Frank sent the emails to Scott between May 2015 and October 2016.

According to the 122-page indictment, he wrote in one email, "Decided that we are going to end all the Swifts on one day because I can’t stand that virus s**t your daughter spread."

Other threatening sentences in the emails includ-

ed, "The evil family of devils: Scott, Austin, Taylor, Andrew. Sincerely, the end real son of god," "This article is not a joke and is why god is going to burn them into the desert for me," and "Go to hell, Swift." Frank allegedly also told Scott, "Enjoy the brain aneurysms and death."

Frank was arrested in November 2016 after he allegedly violated a restraining order Taylor had taken out against him by tailing her when she was in Texas.

According to police docs, Frank was following the 28-year-old songstress after her concert at a Formula 1 race in October.

The night of the show, he

allegedly followed her motorcade from the track to the airport where a private jet was waiting for Taylor and her parents. Her bodyguards told police Frank got within 25 to 50 feet of Taylor's car, and when they asked what he was doing there, he said he was there to get a pic and "possibly accompany Taylor wherever she goes."

Frank allegedly also sent emails to Taylor's dad from August 28 until October 27.

One of the creepy emails read, "Without her, I walk the earth alone forever and she'll continue to experience failed relationships that break her heart."

(AceShowbiz)

guyanatimesgy.com

JANUARY 21, 2018

Sunday Times Magazine 15

16 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

JANUARY 21, 2018

Fun Times

Archie

ARIES Work on self-improve(March 21- ment as well as helping othApril 19) ers. Your life will be enriched through interactions you have with people as innovative and enthusiastic as you. Romance is encouraged.

What you offer others will TAURUS bring interesting returns. Do (April 20- your part to help make a difMay 20) ference to your family or com-

munity. Take steps to ward off bad health and indulgent behavior.

GEMINI (May 28June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Dilbert

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Peanuts SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

You'll have big ideas and plans, but before you decide to move forward, check the costs involved. You may want to scale down before making promises you won't be able to keep.

Hone your skills and prepare a presentation that spotlights your intelligence and desire to take on new projects.

Children, friends and relatives will play an important role in the decisions you make.

Initiate discussions if it will help clear the air between you and a loved one.

Host a family gathering or reconnect with people you haven't seen for some time.

Getting together with people from your past will be revealing and will spark your interest in something you haven't done for a long time.

Expand and explore your interests and friendships.

Take action and put your energy to good use. Look for the most efficient way to improve your life and secure your assets. Don't leave anything to chance.

Home improvements will bring you peace of mind. You cannot change what others do, but you can change the way you respond. Strive for peace, tranquility and simplicity.

Before making a move, use your intelligence to filter what is and isn't true.

Have your facts ready and face a challenge head-on.

Emotional manipulation is apparent.

Look for ways to use your

CAPRICORN talents. Putting your skills (Dec. 22- to the test will stir up interJan. 19) est. Someone will point out the

Calvin and Hobbes

flaws in your plan, and someone else will highlight the possibilities. Accept good advice and proceed.

AQUARIUS Indulgent tendencies (Jan. 20- should be avoided. Taking Feb. 19) care of your health through diet and exercise will help you gain the strength you'll require to put your plans in motion and excel.

PISCES Concentrate on personal (Feb. 20- and financial improvements.

Mar. 20) Lay out a practical plan that

will help you investigate the best way to move forward.

Combine what you enjoy doing with your professional pursuit.