Guyana Times 27 August 2017

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

Issue No. 3314

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Sunday, August 27, 2017

PRICE

Prison fires

$120 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Security lapses chasing away investments in Guyana – PSC

Police claim serious crimes down by 11% … 59 killed on Guyana’s roadways

Page 3

… chides Govt for failing to hold any officials accountable

Guyana Amazon Warriors wrap up home leg with tour of Essequibo Coast

Rice farmer's son tops GSA

… urges youth to help develop Region 2 agriculture sector

Exxon contract

Guyana will be paid royalties, profit % from first barrel – Trotman

Page 15 Students at the New Opportunity Corps posed with members of the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Saturday when the team visited the Essequibo Coast. The day’s events were organised by telelphone giant, GTT

Motorcyclist dies after being struck by minibus

Page 9

Jagdeo urges Barama concessions public not to 800,000 hectares given Page to new companies 17 participate in Page 7 land CoI

… says will put Amerindians, Afro-Guyanese in conflict

Toshaos Conference failed to achieve objective – Amerindian leaders

Complaints against Cops increase by P13 23%

2 news Police claim serious crimes down by 11% SUnDAY, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

… 59 killed on Guyana’s roadways

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he Guyana Police Force on Saturday announced that it has recorded an 11 per cent decrease in serious crime up to the end of July, when compared to the same period last year. In June, the Force also reported a seven per cent decrease in serious crime.

Based on statistics provided by the Guyana Police Force, there has been a 16 per cent reduction in the incidents of murder for the month of June; a four per cent decrease in incidents of robbery wherein no instrument was used; a five per cent decrease in incidents of robbery under arms; a four per cent decrease in incidents of robbery under arms wherein instruments other than firearms were used; but there has been a 64 per cent increase in incidents of robbery with violence, and a 53 per cent increase in incidents of larceny from the person.

In addition, the Police have recorded a six per cent decrease in incidents of rape,

as well as a 1 per cent decrease in incidents of burglary and a 19 per cent decrease in incidents of break and enter and larceny.

Meanwhile, for July, there has been an 18 per cent decrease in incidents of murder; a 17 per cent decrease in incidents of robbery under arms; and a 10 per cent decrease in incidents of rape.

Other crimes – such as robberies with violence, robbery with aggravation, and larceny from the person – are on the increase.

However, the stats provided proved that 70 murders were committed for the year thus far, with those stemming from disorderly behaviour topping the list with 32. Thirteen murders were committed as a result of domestic disputes, 11 stemmed from robberies, eight unknown, four executions and two persons were killed other than the reasons mentioned above.

Of the 70 murders committed, A Division (Georgetown-

zure of fire arms, the police have intercepted 81 illegal firearms including 51 pistols, 10 revolvers, 12 shots guns and eight rifles. At least 36 of the seized weapons were found in “A” Division followed by F Division (Interior locations).

Meanwhile, the Traffic Department also reported a reduction of fatal accidents and the end of July by 25 per cent.

At the end of June, there was a reduction by 27 per cent. The department reported that there have been 59 deaths up to the end of July from a total of 54 accidents.

According to the Traffic Department, speeding was

East Bank Demerara) topped the list with 26 followed by B Division (Berbice) with 13; F Division (Interior locations) with 15, six each for C (East Coast Demerara) and D (West Bank Demerara-East Bank

Essequibo) Divisions and two in E Division (LindenKwakwani). There have been no murders recorded in G Division (Essequibo coast-Islands).

With respect to the sei-

the contributing factor for 35 of the fatalities up to the end of July. Eight were caused as a result of inattentiveness, six from driving under the influence of alcohol and four persons were killed after they failed to confirm to signs. One person was killed on a pedestrian crossing.

The department has also confirmed that 41,170 cases were made out against errant drivers. Of the total 13,362 were for speeding; 2071 for breach of condition of road service license/music; 1211 for driving under the influence of alcohol; 850 for using cellphones while driving and 724 were charged for tinted motor vehicle.

Father of 2 fined for stealing Samsung phone

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father of two, who on Friday confessed to stealing a Samsung cellphone, was fined for committing the act, after he appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman.

Randy Lewis, of Parade Street, Kingston, Georgetown, who stole the phone from a taxi driver made his appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The charge against him stated that on August 19, 2017, at Parade Street, Kingston, he stole one Samsung phone valued $46,000; property of Keon Mendonza.

According to the prosecution’s case, the defendant approached the Virtual Complainant (VC), who operates his taxi in in the vicinity of Demico House and requested to be taken to

Parade Street.

While en route to the said destination, the accused asked to use the VC’s phone to make a call but upon arrival at his destination, left the car with the said phone, never to return.

A report was made of the incident to the Police and the 32-year-old man was arrested and charged.

However, he told the court that he paid $1500 to be taken to his destination and also had a few drinks not only with the VC but some other friends before he was taken to Parade Street.

However, he admitted to leaving the car and entering his yard with the phone.

The accused, who was previously found guilty on a dangerous driving charge, was fined $50,000. Failure to pay the fine would result in two years in prison.

NEWS

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Sunday, August 27 – 08:30h-10:00h and Monday, August 28 – 09:00h-10:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, August 27 – 07:25h-08:55h and Monday, August 28 – 08:00h-09:30h.

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

WEATHER TODAY

Weather: Thundery to heavy rain showers with sunny intervals can be expected throughout the day, with clear skies in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 25 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East South-easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 07:56h and 20:13h reaching maximum heights of 2.47 metres and 2.44 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 01:29h and 13:47h reaching minimum heights of 0.67 metre and 0.80 metre respectively.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 2017

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DAILY MILLIONS 06 07 15 17 18 LUCKY 3 1 7 2 Afternoon Draw

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SunDAY, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Prison fires

Security lapses chasing away investments in Guyana – PSC

… chides Govt for failing to hold any officials accountable

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t is almost as if the country has settled down to a state of normalcy, despite the upheavals back in July when the Camp Street Prison was razed and over a dozen high profile inmates escaped.

But the business community has reported that they are still dealing with the fall out.

Private Sector The Commission (PSC) had raised its concerns with President David Granger, who then referred them to Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.

Following a meeting with the Minister earlier in the week, the Commission revealed that due to the security lapses, tourism and investments into the economy are suffering.

Public confidence in security, according to the Commission in a statement after the meeting, is worsening due to the fact that no official, at any level, has even been held accountable and charged for the prison fire and escapes.

“The Commission emphasised the serious damage that these events have caused to investor confidence here, at home and abroad, and to tourism and underlined the fact that scheduled business visits from abroad and planned events have either been postponed or relocated,” they stated.

The Commission further expressed its concern over the inability of the Police to effectively curb the incidence of violent crime reaching into business places and homes across the country. “Our citizens, the Commission stressed, are now living in a constant state of fear.”

The Commission noted that acting Police Commissioner David

Members of the Private Sector Commission with Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan and other officials

Ramnarine, in responding to their concerns, had promised that a Police investigation into the fire was underway.

He had told the business executives that the probe would soon be completed.

“The Minister acknowledged the need for the urgent restoration of public confidence in the security and safety of our prison system and was open and frank in addressing the challenges faced by the country from the threat of violent crime. The Minister assured the Commission that every effort was being made to recapture the escapees who are still at large and to return the situation to normalcy,” the PSC said.

According to the PSC, Minister Ramjattan informed them that “gross overcrowding neglected over a long number of years will demand substantial sums of money not readily available to construct a new and expanded system sufficient to accommodate the present prison population.”

Confidentiality

The business body noted that a “comprehensive and confidential brief” was provided on the current steps being taken to improve the prison system. The Minister also shared with the Commission Government’s plans for the

construction of a modern facility in the Mazaruni.

When it comes to the status of the prisoners, including those who are still at large, the PSC was also given a confidential brief. According to the Commission, Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, made a comprehensive statistical presentation which covered the current and historical status of prisoners both in the system and at large.

“The Commission strongly recommended to the Minister that he make the presentation public since it would go a long way towards reassuring the public that the authorities were in control of the situation,” the PSC stated.

On the question of rehabilitation of convicted prisoners, the Minister and his team also outlined the significant efforts and arrangements in place, in spite of extremely limited re-

sources and space, to ensure that released prisoners were able to be gainfully employed on their reintegration into society, the PSC said.

According to the Commission, however, the Minister lamented the fact that ex-convicts generally have a hard time reintegrating because the stigma attached to ex-convicts makes it difficult to find employment for them.

A total of 19 prisoners escaped in two separate jail breaks over the course of weeks. When the smoke cleared, however, all but four were recaptured. Those still at large are Uree Varsyck, the Camp Street inmate who is alleged to have shot and severely injured prison officers; Royden Williams, who had been on death row for the Bartica Massacre; Cobena Stephens; and Paul Goriah.

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guyanatimesgy.com

sunDAY, august 27, 2017

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

Essence of the Cinderella County

Editorial

Land Contretemps

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n March of this year, President David Granger established a Commission of Inquiry (CoI): “To examine and make recommendations to resolve all issues and uncertainties surrounding the claims of Amerindian land titling; the individual, joint, or communal ownership of lands acquired by freed Africans; and on any other matters relating to land titling in Guyana.”

The Indigenous peoples, through their National Toshaos Council (NTC), have taken severe umbrage at this move, and declared: “The National Toshaos Council, a body comprising all Toshaos of Guyana and a representative body of the Indigenous Peoples of Guyana, having never been consulted in the formation of such a body, cannot, with any degree of sanity or confidence, respect such a body, and will refuse to cooperate with such a body.”

The Government agreed to take this off the agenda of the CoI, which began taking submissions this month.

What was therefore left on the CoI’s agenda was, “To resolve all issues and uncertainties surrounding the individual, joint or communal ownership of lands acquired by freed Africans in Guyana.” This was necessary because, as stated in the terms of reference of the CoI, “…the status of lands that were purchased by the freed Africans around and after 1839, and formed the first villages in Guyana, (but) have not been accessible to their descendants for various reasons. Lands which were acquired by freed Africans and were the subject of joint or communal ownership, or of individual ownership, are now subject to much uncertainty.”

However, the CoI has allowed to be made presentations which, as Opposition Leader Bharat Jagdeo pointed out, have only served to widen divisions in Guyana between Amerindians and African Guyanese, and thereby exacerbate racial tensions in Guyana. Notable among these presentations was the one by Eric Phillips, an Executive member of the African Cultural & Developmental Association (ACDA), Chair of the Guyana Reparations Commission, and, most pertinently, an Advisor to the President and to the State Assets Recovery Agency.

Phillips asserted, “Our Amerindian leaders, if they’re honest, know that the Amerindian Act of 2006 was an act that gave them reparations. Africans were here in Guyana before three of the Amerindian tribes who were given lands in the Amerindian Act of 2006. That is unjust.”

Comparisons, it is said, are odious, but this one is particularly so, because the basis of the comparison are so fatally flawed. First of all, the Indigenous peoples were not given lands on any “reparatory” basis.

Land for the Indigenous peoples was part and parcel of the Articles of our Independence from Britain. And they cannot be abrogated or conflated with any other claim, which ineluctable cannot have the same standing.

Indigenous Peoples’ MP Stephen Campbell attended the 1965 Independence Conference in London and ensured the official Agreement for the Independence of Guyana (Annex C) required the independent government provide legal ownership or rights of occupancy for Amerindians over: “areas and reservations, or parts thereof, where any tribe or community of Amerindians is now ordinarily resident or settled, and other legal rights, such as the rights of passage, in respect of any other lands they now by tradition or custom de facto enjoy freedoms and permissions corresponding to rights of that nature. In this context, it is intended that legal ownership shall comprise all rights normally attaching to such ownership.”

The British were merely formalising what the Dutch, while claiming “sovereignty” over Guyana, acknowledged: the Indigenous peoples’ “full and free ownership” of land they occupied. The British had agreed to keep Dutch land law at cession and acknowledged the right of the Indigenous peoples to their land.

In reference to Phillips’s vehement rejection (“unjust, unfair and pernicious “) of the Indigenous peoples’ demand that the full 24% of land agreed to in 1969 be transferred, Guyana should note that modern norms of justice - led by the judiciary in Australia and South Africa - are evolving to amend the inequities imposed by the bootstrapping, positivistic stance of European jurisprudence.

The essence of the Cinderella County. Guyana Amazon Warriors players from left: Steven Taylor, Jason Mohammed, Rashid Khan, Rayad Emrit and Keemo Paul enjoying refreshing coconut water as the team toured the Essequibo Coast on Saturday before winging out to continue their CPL campaign (Carl Croker photo)

Disappointment in nonpassage of the ERC motion Dear Editor, Guyanese breathed a sigh of relief after the Minister of Social Cohesion made headlines, including in your publication, on the likely appointment of Commissioners for the Ethnic Relations Commission.

But this headline lost its vigour in the same way the Minister lost his vigour to present the motion. To not present the motion was a shameful act.

The motion appeared on the agenda of several sittings of the

Parliament; unfortunately, it never made it through. Guyanese are unsure if it ever will, considering the pending matters Parliament has to address when it reopens.

The competence of the Minister is once again at stake. Many would recall that this Minister once held the portfolio of Public Health, but for many reasons, he was removed. He has a chance to shine in this Ministry. It is appalling that a simple motion as this he was unable to influence his colleagues

on its importance, thereby garnering support that would have resulted in the motion moving up the Order Paper. Is this an indication of his ability?

Guyanese are watching his performance.

The need for such constitutional body can never be overstated. Only recently, a disturbing event made social media headlines as it related to the discrimination meted out to some Chinese who were victims of a robbery. With all the tension in the country and rising feelings of

discrimination, the ERC is needed more than ever.

The ‘pageantry’ activities promoted by the Ministry cannot solve our problem as a nation.

The big questions remain: Do this Government and the present Opposition really want this body? Was money budgeted for its formation? When will the motion be tabled? Can we expect one before the year comes to an end?

Dear Editor, We, the Executive and members of the Enmore Shiv Mandir, wish to openly record our gratitude to the Guyana Power and Light Inc for responding positively to the Mandir’s plea for the installation of a transformer to improve the supply of electrici-

ty to the Enmore Pasture area, including the Shiv Mandir.

For over two decades, residents of the Enmore Pasture Dam suffered from low voltage.

Representations to GPL went unheeded. This time round, the Mandir’s representation produced re-

sults, and on the evening of 24th August 2017, smiles appeared on the faces of most Enmore Pasture residents, thanks to a more responsive GPL and all others, including GPL’s Chairman Mr Badal, who may have intervened. An additional transformer was in-

stalled. Residents can now enjoy their TVs, and are certainly less fearful that their appliances will be damaged as a result of low voltage.

Yours truly, A William

Kudos to GPL!

Yours sincerely, Taajnauth Jadunauth Member, Enmore Shiv Mandir

guyanatimesgy.com

SunDAY, august 27, 2017

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News

Pork-knocker Day brings curtain down on Mining Week 2017

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n exciting and funfilled Pork-knocker Day of activities held in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) on Saturday brought the curtain down on this year's Mining Week 2017. The event was organised by the Guyana Geology and Mines

hundreds turned up to experience small mining activities.

Process Coordinator of the GGMC, Donald Singh told members of the media that the event was also a means of creating awareness and celebrating pork-knockers, who were

A display of batel spinning

Commission (GGMC).

The Pork-Knocker’s Day event, which showcases the many aspects of the life of small miners was held at the Bayroc Community Centre Ground this year, where

pioneers in the frontiers of Guyana's mining sector.

Attendees and participants which included Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland, were af-

forded the opportunity to be a part of competitive activities such as the Warishi Race, Tacouba Crossing Competition, camp building and Bahir/cooking competitions; shoveling jigging, bateling competitions and life saving mine rescue demonstrations. Other side attractions also included story-telling, football, cricket and dominoes. Numerous exhibition booths including the GGMC, the Guyana Forestry Commission, Digicel and GuyTrak were among those on showcase.

The Healthy Living Club of Linden which also formed part of the event utilised the opportunity to offer free blood sugar and blood glucose level testing. Singh described the turn-out at the event as "excellent" despite rain showers later on in the day, but noted however that it was not well supported by miners. This he noted may have been due to various issues experienced by min-

Part of the day’s activities

ers which are being reported in sections of the media.

Singh nevertheless thanked

GACF donates back-to-school hampers

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eventy-five students were the recipients of back-to-school hampers on Saturday, when the Give Another Chance Foundation (GACF) in collaboration with V Net, Island Style, Atlantic Mining Inc and Cerulean Inc gave back to the community.

Top performers at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment and exceptional performers at various levels from JE Burhnam Primary, Sophia Primary, Paradise Primary, Ketley Primary School and Hopetown Primary school among others in the Georgetown area received backpacks, tablets and laptops to facilitate learning during the new school year.

In addition, students from St Rose’s High School, Bishops High, Christ Church, and Brickdam Secondary School were among the recipients of these hampers while one third-year student of the University of Guyana was awarded a cash token.

“Your life has a value, your education is even more valuable and for the greater future... education is very, very important,” a representative of the Foundation urged.

As such, the Foundation saw it most fitting to start with those who are in the second stage of their education; from primary to secondary education.

The GACF was established to provide basic comforts and financial aid leading to the development and improving the lives of children throughout Guyana.

Over the past seven years, the trustees and members of the Foundation have continuously strived to motivate and support children from less fortunate circumstances.

Lindeners for their support and hospitality. The Porkknocker playoffs, which is a mini version of the events, was also hosted last year in the mining town of Linden.

However, missing from

(GGDMA), along with the National Mining Syndicate which boycotted the events.

The two organisations in a statement accused the Government of only taking from miners, without devel-

Life saving mine rescue demonstration

Recipients pose with their back-to-school gear at the Island Style Café, Brickdam, Georgetown on Saturday

the activities and festivities of Mining Week 2017 were the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association

oping infrastructure or providing adequate services in return. (Utamu Belle)

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SunDAY, august 27, 2017

Page

Foundation

“I do not love to work out, but if I stick to exercising every day and put the right things in my mouth, then my diabetes just stays in check.” – Halle Berry

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Anu Dev

have mentioned before the Region’s commendable decision to focus more resources on noncommunicable diseases (NCD), of which “Diabetes Mellitus” (or “sugar” as it is known colloquially) is right up there as a threat to better health for our citizens. There are actually 4 types of Diabetes Mellitus, but the one most people think of and the one that seems to be particularly troublesome in Guyana is Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. And that’s the one I’ll be focusing on in this article.

We need energy to live, and this energy is provided to the cells of the body in the form of a sugar named “glucose”. It is provided by the blood after it is absorbed from our stomachs.

Glucose would be there either because it was eaten (rarely!), or, more frequently, digested from other sugars and carbohydrates, like in grains and ground provisions etc.

Now, Type 2 Diabetes begins with “insulin

resistance”. Insulin is a hormone produced by an organ under our stomach called the “pancreas” - which is responsible for regulating blood glucose levels. If the levels are high, many organs of the body are gradually damaged. In Type 2, the pancreas is still producing insulin, but the cells of the body are unresponsive to the insulin -- they’re resistant.

So if the cells aren’t paying attention to the insulin, and are plucking the glucose out from the blood, that glucose will remain in the blood and cause what people like to refer to as “high sugar” in the blood.

Uncontrolled Diabetes is very dangerous, and can cause many complications. The kidneys are a prime target of diabetes. In fact, after a heart attack, renal failure is the 2nd most common cause of death from Diabetes. Diabetes can also cause damage to the nerves and eyes, make you more susceptible to infections, and increase the risk of developing heart disease or suffering a stroke.

Given that there’s currently no cure for diabetes, prevention is definitely better than cure. There are several risk factors that predispose you to diabetes. Diet is one of the most important factors triggering diabetes. Especially our diet, chock-full of carbsroti, rice and more roti. And, of course, chugging copious amounts of sugary soda isn’t doing your body any favours.

Short of consulting an actual nutritionist or a dietician, there are many apps out there that can give you an idea of the caloric breakdown of your meals. One I would highly recommend is “My Fitness Pal”.

It is a chore to log your meals every single day, but you can keep it up for at least a week, or to be able to spot trends in your diet and areas where you’re falling short.

When I tried it for a month or so, I realized that I seemed to usually be falling short of the amount of protein I should be eating, so I started incorporating more protein into my diet.

Dietary changes known to be effective in helping to prevent diabetes include a diet rich in whole grains and fiber; and choosing good fats, such as polyunsaturated fats found in nuts, vegetable oils, and fish. Limiting sugary beverages and eating less red meat and other sources of saturated fat can also help in the prevention of diabetes.

A sedentary lifestyle plays a huge part in your risk of developing diabetes. Exercise, especially aerobic exercise like yoga, can help prevent the development of diabetes.

It is important to do regular blood glucose tests, for early diagnosis and to monitor your blood glucose levels if you already have diabetes.

Anyone 45 or older should get tested for diabetes or prediabetes, especially if they are overweight or obese.

People younger than 45 should also get tested, if they are overweight or obese and have one or more risk factors, like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or a family history of diabetes.

guyanatimesgy.com

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for successful school mornings

(Continued from Saturday)

Make a plan

Everyone, especially children, thrives on the comforts of a regular routine. In general, self-esteem and confidence are bolstered when expectations are clear and goals can be achieved.

Once your children’s feet hit the floor, they should be able to slide smoothly into their next move.

Outline the morning schedule during a family meeting.

A plan generated through teamwork is more motivating than a mandate, as no one feels that they were coerced into following someone else’s ideas.

Tasks should be age appropriate. Encourage independence whenever possible and you’ll find your mornings much quieter, not punctuated constantly by “Can someone help me?”

List, laminate and hang up the morning itinerary, leaving nothing out. Even the most obvious jobs, such as “wake up and get dressed,” should be posted for all to see. This will save you from chasing your kids around and shouting out reminder commands.

Make mornings fun

Children love to play games. You can transform the entire morning into a race, with each family member competing for the best time or racing against the clock, setting time limits for finishing specific tasks. The winner should be rewarded with an attractive prize.

Keep focus

Concentrate on your morning itinerary and avoid distractions. School mornings aren’t the time to finish the last chapter of that book or to add the final strokes to your landscape painting. In addition, don’t get bogged down in any complicated or heavy, emotional discussions. Push these off until evening.

Breakfast in a snap

Breakfast should be as simple and effortless as possible, while still serving up nutrition that will jumpstart the day.

Whole-grain cereals and milk, protein bars, or yogurt topped with fruit and granola are all tasty, satisfying options that are easy to put together. Foods that demand more attention or preparation should be made in advance.

Mornings are a time to transition from sleep hours into an activity-filled day. Changing modes can be hard for anyone; even implementing the aforementioned tips can be challenging. Why not give these ideas a whirl in advance?

Pretend it’s morning, and try out your routine when you’re not genuinely immersed in the frenzy of school mornings.

Although practice may not make the mornings perfect, it’s sure to help your family get through the morning and out the door. (childdevelopmentinfo.com)

news

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sunDAY, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Jagdeo urges public not to participate in land CoI … says will put Amerindians, Afro-Guyanese in conflict

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iven the complicated nature of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) which will be looking into ancestral lands and other land matters, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, has advised members of the public not to take part in the process, as it only seeks to bring division among Guyanese.

Addressing a press conference on Friday at his Church Street, Georgetown office, Jagdeo told media operatives that the CoI will not solve a single-issue people face on the ground, describing it as another ‘political gimmick’ that is intended to cause racial division.

The former Head of State said given this fact, Guyana may never achieve its objective of bringing its people together across all racial lines. He opined that the land CoI in its current form, to a large extent, will put Amerindians and AfroGuyanese at conflict with each other.

“Most people in Guyana, ordinary people have gone pass that, have gone pass those issues. But now in this racially inflammatory way… they are putting out who came before whom, and who has too much etcetera,” he said.

Jagdeo also believes that the CoI is being used to generate a feeling among Afro-Guyanese that the coalition Government de-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

fends their interest. He feels Government is doing this because they recognise that people, who supported them including many AfroGuyanese, are very disappointed with their performance.

He lashed out at Government for allegedly attempting to ‘play the race card’ again, instead of focusing on policy.

“So you say that you defend interest, but it’s not going to happen in the future. If you come up with the African ancestral lands, that’s why at the beginning I asked how a report would help a young kid in South Georgetown who has no job or who is looking for a job.

Will he get land?”

The Opposition Leader also believes that the land CoI is just another means by

which Government is trying to create what he dubbed “jobs for the boys.” “This is a wedge issue,” he added, stating that Afro-Guyanese have more land today at their disposal than they had in 1992.

In making reference to comments made by the Guyana Reparations Committee, which is chaired

by Dr Eric Phillips, in relation to Africans being in Guyana before three Amerindian tribes who have been given titles to their lands, embraces the same views made by Minister Keith Scott.

The Minister within the Communities Ministry had told Parliament that Amerindians are “greedy” and that the National Toshaos Council (NTC) had made it clear that it

was not satisfied with the lands already given to them some (24 per cent of lands) leaving nothing for AfroGuyanese. However, Scott has refused to apologise to the Amerindian community.

In April, the Opposition People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) motion calling for the revocation of the appointment of the Lands CoI was shut down by the Speaker of the House, Dr Barton Scotland as he deemed it ‘not urgent,’ although the Opposition claimed it was of national public importance.

The Opposition has been calling on President David Granger to hold consultations with all the relevant stakeholders in order to determine a course of action that would accelerate the issuance of title to Amerindians for traditional lands and address all mat-

ters in relation to that issue.

The NTC had rejected Government’s decision to establish the CoI into land rights, on the grounds of lack of consultation and that the two issues – lands acquired by free Africans, along with Amerindian land titling issues – are unique and need to be addressed separately.

“While we support reparations and repatriation of African Lands and addressing that issue with a great degree of urgency, the Indigenous land issue cannot and should not be viewed in the same light, nor can it be addressed under the same framework,” the Council had said in a statement.

The NTC called for the establishment of two separate entities to deal with the two different issues as it voiced

its refusal to cooperate with the current land CoI. The organisation noted that failure to do so would demonstrate that Guyana’s Indigenous peoples are being marginalised

by Government. The NTC also highlighted that in the Amerindian Act of 2006, as a matter of law, there exists a process that speaks to the issue of Amerindian Lands.

Several Amerindian organisations, including the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) have maintained strong objections to the land rights CoI, stating that the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the CoI were vague, as they did not define clear objectives of addressing the issue of communal lands belonging to Amerindians and, as such, the organisation is calling for them to be reviewed.

8 news

SunDAY, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

Phone technician charged for stealing phone

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phone technician, who reportedly stole a phone, was taken before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to the charge.

Derwin Singh, 25, of Sophia, Greater Georgetown, denied the charge which alleged that on August 21, 2017, at Merriman Mall, he stole one gold coloured Samsung Galaxy phone valued $95,000 property of Gavin Thomas.

According to the prosecution’s case, the defendant went to the Virtual Complainant’s (VC’s) shop at Merriman Mall and asked to borrow his phone. However, while the VC was attending to another customer, the defendant used the opportunity to escape with the phone.

Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves told the court that the matter was reported and the defendant was arrested

and charged. He was granted bail at the sum of $60,000 and is expected to return to court on September 15.

In the meanwhile, a Hadfield Street, Lodge, Georgetown resident was granted bail in the sum of $10,000 when he appeared before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts also charged for stealing a phone.

Garfield Agard, 55, pleaded not guilty to the charge

which alleged that he on August 19, 2017, at D’Urban Street, Lodge, Georgetown stole one cellphone valued $12,000; property of Andrea Gibson.

The defendant vehemently denied that he stole the phone and revealed that he is constantly being accused by family members for such offences.

He is expected to return to court on August 25.

9 years for con man recently released from prison

A

con man, who was recently released from prison, and who clearly did not learn his lesson, will have the next nine years to rethink his approach after Magistrate Judy Lathcman sent him to jail on several fraud charges.

Troy Webster, 37, initially pleaded guilty with explanations to the six charges read to him but later confessed.

The charges against him allege that between August 17 and 21, 2017, at Georgetown and with intent to defraud, he obtained from Lisa Prince, Tamara Summerset, Marissa Williams, Kenisha Boyce, Nekeisha Haynes and Anesia Jones $7000 each, pretending to be in a position to offer them a job.

When asked to provide his explanation to the court, Webster remained

tight-lipped thus forcing Magistrate Latchman to have the matter stood down.

When recalled, Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves revealed that defendant would pose as a businessman seeking females to work either in the Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) area or on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).

He would request a sum of $7000 along with a copy of their identification card but will however; vanish after informing them that he would make contact with them to commence work.

The matter was howev-

er reported to the Brickdam Police Station and the defendant was apprehended, arrested and charged with the offences.

However, what prompted the harsh sentence is the fact that Webster was previously before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and jailed for the same offence.

Magistrate Latchman sentenced him to 18 months in prison for the six charges, which will be ran consecutively.

In handing down the sentence, Latchman told the accused “it is obvious that you did not learn your lesson”.

Power means…

B …never having to say you’re sorry

ack in the day, there was a schmaltzy movie, “Love Story”, with the tag line, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry,” precipitating cascades of tears at the young heroine’s death. The phrase has inevitably been mocked, since it’s just so wrooong!! Just because you’re in love you can get away with any dumbass move?

What’s right is when the phrase is linked to power! Can’t imagine Hitler telling the Jews he’s sorry, can you??

When folks get power, they automatically assume others are all yelling, “Do wha’ yuh want wid me!!” We see that all the time in Guyana with those whom we’ve elected to office, don’t we?? Yes, WE give them the POWER to do whatever they want - without ever having to say, “Sorry”.

Just go back to those twenty-one promises APNU/AFC were supposed to fulfil within 100 days. Have you heard any “sorries” about, say, Constitutional Change -- still not implemented? Or that Code of Conduct?

Now, you government workers, don’t even TALK about getting that 20% raise! That 100% raise of your eyebrows at THEIR 50% raise your Ministers got right after the elections should be enough for you!! Drugs have been short in all the public health facilities for the past two years. Has anyone said “sorry”, even though folks are dying? Don’t hold your breath; YOU might just croak, since they don’t have any oxygen to resuscitate anyone!! And that’s why they fly to Ireland for treatment!

But this latest refusal by Keith Scott to say ‘sorry” to our Indigenous peoples takes the cake - if for no other reason than it’s soooo gratuitous! Now Scott isn’t just ANYBODY. He’s a Minister and a one-man coalition member of APNU!!

And in Parliament - where it’s all on record in Hansard he claimed Indigenous peoples are “greedy” for asking that the original 1976 agreement granting them 24% of Guyana’s land be implemented, when African Guyanese aren’t getting 18% of Guyana.

Now this, of course, is ACDA’s position, as adumbrated

by Eric Philips. So it appears that’s now the official Government position, since Scott was speaking on behalf of the Government against a PPP motion to scrap the illadvised CoI. So here it is, Scott shows up before the National Toshaos Council this week and refuses to apologise, since he claims there is nothing for his to apologise for!!

He’s therefore maintaining (on behalf of the Government) that the Indigenous peoples are “greedy”!

But where exactly are these folks getting their spunks from?

Could it be they’re emboldened by Pressie refusing to say “sorry” for saying his “perception” of the Constitution trumps the Judiciary’s?

…the law applies to others

Your Eyewitness just saw the new hit movie, “The Hit Man’s Bodyguard”. It was a very, very funny movie on a pretty serious subject - a despotic ruler of an ex-Soviet Republic in front of the International Criminal Court for war crimes. But then, what else can you expect from Ryan Reynolds teaming up with Samuel Jackson? A friend wondered why an American movie didn’t even have the US as a jump-off spot for the plot. Your Eyewitness didn’t have the heart to tell him it was most likely because the US has REFUSED TO BECOME a signatory to the ICC’s jurisdiction!

But it’s true. The country that’s at the forefront for putting away rogue leaders for doing bad things has refused to join the ICC in fear that one of its citizens might have to appear in front of it!! What’s fair for the goose is NOT fair for the gander.

But then, if they’d signed on, George W. might just have found himself on the docks for Iraq!!

…no difference between million and billion

This Minister Patterson continues to put his size 12s into his mouth. His latest blooper was claiming Exxon would be extracting only half a million barrels of oil initially from Liza.

Oooops! He meant half a billion!!

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

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SunDAY, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Exxon contract

Guyana will be paid royalties, profit % from first barrel – Trotman

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esponding to concerns about when profits will actually be split between ExxonMobil and Guyana, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman has posited that Guyana will be paid its two per cent royalty and its percentage share of the profits from the time Exxon first starts extracting oil.

“From the first barrel, Guyana will receive two per cent royalty. It will also receive a percentage of the profits. So 75 per cent of

the profits will go towards (Exxon’s) cost recovery. So far, we’re looking at a $5 billion investment,” he explained.

Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (Exxon’s subsidiary) is the operator of the 6.6 million-acre Stabroek Block, and holder of a 45 per cent interest therein.

Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds a 30 per cent interest therein, and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited holds a 25 per cent interest

as well.

The minister noted that the remaining 25 per cent of the profits would be split between Guyana, ExxonMobil and its partners. At present, the world market price for oil stands at US$50. The resource is notoriously volatile, however, and is vulnerable to the ripples caused by global politics and economics.

“So 25 per cent will be shared between Government and the partners,” Minister Trotman stated. “So we’ve

worked that out, and at about US$50 a barrel (of oil), Guyana is going to get a lot of money from day one.”

The Government has justified the two per cent royalty by contrasting it with the 50/50 share of the profits; an arrangement that the Government has said is a reasonable one, arrived at through the advice of experts. Some had opined that a revenue-sharing arrangement would be a better option than a profit-sharing one.

Motorcyclist dies after being struck by minibus

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motorcyclist was killed in the wee hours of Saturday morning after he was struck by a minibus in the vicinity of the Goed Fortuin Public Road, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

Dead is 42-year-old Joseph James of Walter Terrace, West La Penitence, Georgetown. James was returning home from a party when the accident occured.

Reports are the driver of the minibus claimed that he was robbed and held hostage by armed bandits, causing him to hit the cyclist.

According to reports, the incident occurred at about 03:00h as he was returning home from a party on the West Bank of Demerara.

Guyana Times was told that the now dead motorist was struck by a minibus bearing registration number BSS 9898 that was at the time proceeding North along the roadway.

Joseph James

Reports indicate the driver of the minibus was at the time of the accident above the legal limit of alcohol. He told Police he was attacked and robbed of his jewellery by occupants of a motorcar.

He claimed that after being robbed, he was forced back into his minibus and

in a bid to escape, struck James who was proceeding in the said direction on his motorcycle.

The minibus driver claimed he lost control of the bus and ended up toppling into a nearby trench.

However, James, whose head was smashed from the impact, was picked up by public spirited persons and rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

When this publication visited the home of the dead man, family members were still trying to ascertain how the father of three died.

A neighbour of the dead man who visited the scene revealed that she saw the motorcycle that James was riding mangled at a corner of the road.

“The motorbike was in two pieces, it was broken in two and I didn’t go and see the body because I didn’t

want see him like that,” the neighbour related.

Relatives told this publication that residents related a different story than that which the driver reported to the Police.

Mother of the dead man, Gloria Lewis, who kept repeating that her son was a very loving person, said she wants justice for him.

“Ow… I want justice for he… he don’t drive fast, he does always tek he time and drive… I want justice for me son. Anything you could’ve ask him for do and he would do it, anything,” she related.

The driver of the minibus is now in Police custody as investigations into the incident continue.

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman

In May 2015, the oil giant ExxonMobil confirmed significant discovery of oil at its Liza 1 exploration well, where more than 295 feet of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs were encountered.

In late June 2016, Exxon’s drilling results at Liza 2 revealed more than 58 metres of oil-bear-

ing sandstone reservoirs in Upper Cretaceous formations.

Drilling results confirmed recoverable resources to be between 800 million and 1.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Data from the Liza 2 well test is being assessed.

The company later announced that it made its third significant discovery in its drilling explorations offshore Guyana. Its partner, Hess Corporation, had noted that the Liza 3 exploratory well’s net value could be US$6.2 billion, based on calculations from the Bank of Montreal (BMO) Capital Markets.

Exxon’s oil find in Guyana has attracted international attention.

In addition, assistance is being provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to boost Guyana’s administrative capacity to handle the expected inflow of revenue.

10 news

sunDAY, august 27, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

Air traffic at CJIA to be disrupted T

he management of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport has announced that aircraft operations will be interrupted during the last two weeks of October, to facilitate consolidation of the existing main runway with the new Taxiway Kilo.

The runway is being extended from 7500 feet to 10,800 feet. In light of this exercise, the aerodrome will be closed between 18:00h and 06:00h on specific days between October 13 and 31.

As such, no aircraft will be permitted to land.

Guyana Times understands that the days ear-

CEO of CJIA, Ramesh Ghir

marked for the consolidation exercises are Tuesday and Thursday. However, all flights scheduled to land in the evenings of the days will be brought forward.

This decision was made following several rounds of meetings and consultations with airline officials and other aviation stakeholders.

Chief Executive Officer of CJIA, Ramesh Ghir stated that they are eagerly looking forward for the new phase of the expansion work where a new taxiway will be constructed to connect with the new remote parking apron to the main

runway.

“The project team is working zealously to ensure that this task is completed in a timely manner so as to minimise the impact on aircraft flight operations,” he added.

Meanwhile, upon completion of the US$150 million expansion, the facilities at Timehri will be transformed by the inclusion of a new Arrivals Terminal Building; two boarding bridges, with the provision to install an additional two at a later stage; increased duty-free shops and parking facilities; and a renovated Departures Terminal.

No fair weather fan

S

atiricus had enjoyed the West Indies turnaround in England, and was smiling as he ambled over to the Back Street Bar. When was the last time that two West Indians had made centuries in the same test?

Satiricus was sure the answer was “NEVER!” if it followed being bowled out twice in one day during the previous game!! Ahhh…how the worm had turned!!

“Eh! Eh! How come all yuh teeth a show?” asked Bungi as Satiricus reached the table where he and Hari were already ensconced. “Like Ca’stic treat yuh nice las’ nite, or wha’?”

“I always get good treatment, bai!” Satiricus grinned.

“I was thinking about West Indies in England.”

“What can you say?” said Hari, signalling for a beer for Satiricus. “They break your heart, and now this!!”

“Leh abee drink to dem,” said Bungi raising his beer to “clink”, ‘an’ abee Warriah too!”

“Hear! Hear!” smiled Satiricus, after downing his entire bottle and signalling for another. “We going all the way, you know!”

“Sato, me fr’en’, me always tell yuh,” began Bungi, “Cuss when yuh ah guh, nah wheh yuh ah come out!”

“Now, now, Bungi,” grinned Hari. “Sato is not a fair weather cricket fan!”

“Budday!” said Bungi, “Na Sato bin a cuss dem bais in England when dem get bowl out two time in waan day?”

“And he did say the Warriors were out of it!” conceded Hari. “What you have to say for yourself Sato?”

“Well, I didn’t tell you guys,” replied Satiricus with a sheepish grin. “I had bet some REAL money on them when they lost!”

“Suh me ti’nk me know wha’ mek yuh skin yuh teet’ suh big dis marnin,” said Bungi as he ordered beers all round. “Yuh bet pan dem again!!”

“Damn right!!” said Satiricus as he mentally counted up his winnings with the bigger odds after his teams’ losses!

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SunDAY, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

A critical review of the mid-year report on the performance of the economy (Part II)

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ast week, we began our discussion reviewing the mid-year report. Extending from where I concluded therein, today I will examine the performance under the External Sector and the Monetary Sector of the report.

Under the External Sector’s section, it was recorded that a deficit of US$46 million was attained for the first half of 2017 in the overall balance of payments or the current account, compared to a surplus of US$12.1 million in corresponding period for the fiscal year of 2016.

The reason cited for this unfavourable position in the current account, was that there was an increase in the value of imports for merchandise and services. But, dissecting this, it is not really because the prices for these imported products and services have increased, the real causation for this is the exchange rate for US currency is still relatively high; in fact the commercial banks selling rate is around G$216 – $218 to US$1. Just a few years ago, the exchange rate was stable between $210 – $212 per US$1 (recall in April, 2017 when this column started, the author did a series of articles on this – the foreign currency shortage).

This, however, is now compounded by declining export earnings, overall, a fact which is a contributory factor to a gradual depletion the country’s foreign reserves.

The aforementioned assertions could be further substantiated by the fact that the marginal increase of US$4.6 million in merchandise exports was more than offset by the substantial increase in imports of US$97 million, for the half-year of 2017 when compared to the corresponding period of 2016. Exports stood at US$685.1 million and imports at US$808.9 million as at the end of the reporting period (mid-year, 2017). Additionally, international reserves fell by US$18.3 million or 3.1 per cent to US$578.4 million compared to US$596.7 million, compared to the corresponding period in 2016 – another substantiating point.

The monetary sector experienced growth in broad money by 4.3 per cent for the first half of 2017, compared to the first half of 2016. During the reporting period for 2017, the Central Bank continued to mop up excess liquidity through the sale of Treasury bills. This points to the fact that commercial banks are well-capitalised, with a capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of 26.6 per cent as at the end of June, 2017, compared to the corresponding period in June, 2016, of 25.8 per cent. At the same time, non-performing loans increased from 11.9 per cent in June, 2016, half year period, to 13.1 per cent for the corresponding period June, 2017, with 61 per cent of this level concentrated among business enterprises. On the other hand, while net domestic credit grew by 9.1 per cent for the mid-year ended June 2017, when compared to the same period in June, 2016, this outturn was largely driven by growth in mortgage lending and the services sector. This was offset by declines in the agriculture, mining and quarrying sectors.

These indicators, as outlined above, correlates to an overall, declining performance of the economy. Though a number of factors could explain the excess liquidity in the banking system, the more pronounced and obvious reason at this time, is that there is a slow-down in lending, when lending contracts, it means either firms have curtailed their investment agendas and/or the banks in general have curtailed lending. Bearing in mind that the level of nonperforming loans also have a bearing on these outcomes.

In fact, the outcome of non-performing loans is two-fold – there is the macroeconomic factor and there is the bank factor (to explain this further, I shall dedicate a separate article on this topic at a later date). All of this, together are partly due to the volatility within the external environment, that is to say, the macroeconomic landscape. These indicators are not aligned to growth prospects, nor are they stimulating confidence within the economy from both investors’ perspective and consumers.

I will pause here for now and next week, I shall examine the fiscal performance together with an analysis with the country’s total debt position, within the framework of an empirical and academic standpoint.

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

12 news

SunDAY, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana Amazon Warriors tour Essequibo Coast

Rayad Emrit hands over a donation of cricket gear to the New Opportunity Corps on behalf of the Guyana Amazon Warriors. The day’s events were organised by Guyana Telephone Telegraph

Chadwick Walton as he interacts with students at the NOC

Steven Jacobs signing a Warriors flag for a fan

Chadwick’s catch

GTT Public Relations Officer Allison Parker interacting with students

Chadwick Walton testing his hand at cast net throwing

Guyana Amazon Warriors Captain Rayad Emrit autographs flags for young fans at the New Opportunity Corps when he and his team visited the Essequibo Coast on Saturday

The Guyana Amazon Warriors and fans after they visited the Bacchus Market's Wakapow Cafe for lunch Esuan Crandon autographs a bat for a fan

Fans eagerly await as Veerasammy Permaul signs their bats

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SunDAY, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Complaints against Cops increase by 23%

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"When Unity in Diversity?"

I

n my last two articles, I examined the ideas the late Indian political leader Deen Dayal Upadhayaya put forward towards creating a really independent nation in a society that had been colonised for a thousand years. As I followed the hearings of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into “land titling issues”, I could only think of how far away we are from being a “nation” by Upadhayaya’s definition, much less an “independent” one: “When a group of persons live with a goal, an ideal, a mission, and look upon a particular piece of land as motherland, this group constitutes a Nation.”

It had been conceded at independence, we had inherited a “state”, but not a “nation”. We were a “land of six peoples” that had been formed, not out of some hoary past, like India, but thrown together by the Dutch and then the British with just Ravi Dev one aim - to provide the cheapest labour possible to extract the wealth of Guyana for the “mother country”.

Unfortunately, the Europeans were the worse caricature of the “evil stepmother” when it came to the needs of her “children”.

But one would have hoped that, after fifty years of independence, we would have progressed a bit further than what was exhibited at the CoI towards becoming a nation, where one group was pitted against others in a most divisive manner. Why is this so? Deen Dayal suggested, as I wrote last week, that one reason was because we attempted to apply various foreign “isms” with their operational institutions without first having a clear understanding of the nature of our society. Fundamentally, because of our history, Guyana was a classic “plural society”, as described by the eminent Jamaican anthropologist MG Smith. Our challenge in all matters is to deal with our immanent diversities.

Take the structure of the state and its governance institution we had been given by the British, along with the ideology of Liberalism to govern it. Sir Arthur Lewis, the West Indian Nobel prize winner in economics, had in 1964 addressed the needs of plural societies after his experience in West Africa. Very pithly, he said this could be summarised as “Federalism” and “coalitions”. His advice, however, was ignored, even though he was made Chancellor of UG in 1965 and helped draft the PNC’s 19721976 Five Year Development Plan. The plan failed as much for not addressing the ethnic divisions in the country as for anything else: the peoples did not feel they were all on a common mission.

Because of the fortuitous concentration of the several larger ethnic groups in Guyana -- Indian, African and Indigenous Guyanese -- in separate parts of the country, a federal structure of the state, as suggested by Lewis, would have ensured that every ethnic group, for instance, had some real share of power in the part of the country they predominated. Lewis’s second suggestion on “governance” - coalitions at the centre - would have had all groups included in the decision making of the country, and so feel part of a common endeavour. quickly jettisoned The post-Independence PNC the ideology of liberalism for another foreign “ism” - “socialism” - but augmented all the state institutions the British had used to govern the polyglot society with an iron fist - a tightly controlled centralised bureaucracy, an armed police force to which was now added an army from the disbanded “Volunteer Force”, militia, national service and other militarised bodies.

Throughout their reign, the British had implemented a policy of “divide and rule” through a policy of differential recruitment into the armed forces. Rather than reversing this policy, as had been recommended by an International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) as part of the independence package, the PNC government increased the size of the armed forces and the proportion of African Guyanese, who just happened to be their supporters. Not surprisingly, other groups were alienated from these state institutions as they were from the central government, and never conferred the legitimacy necessary for their integrative functioning and the country’s progress.

Unless we deal with the realities of our society, we will be pulling each other down for the foreseeable future, like crabs in a barrel, as exhibited at the land CoI.

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) has recorded a 23 per cent increase in complaints against ranks compared to the same period last year.

Acting Top Cop, David Ramnarine made the revelation at a passing out parade held on Friday at the Police Officers Training Centre, Eve Leary, Georgetown.

The Assistant Commissioner expressed his disappointment with the records stating “No, we cannot be happy about that”.

In highlighting the records, Ramnarine revealed some of the gross misconduct of some in the GPF which he noted is contributing to the lack of confidence.

In one case, a Police Constable that was on duty, left his rifle with a civilian.

A Supervisor’s visit revealed the Constable’s recklessness.

Another Constable at Brickdam, Georgetown, armed with a revolver and rounds allegedly discharged a round in a threat-

Acting Top Cop David Ramnarine

ening manner at another Constable. The ranks, the Assistant Commissioner said, claimed that it was a fire cracker but investigations proved otherwise.

Ramnarine strictly stated “he cannot be a member of the Force”.

After President David Granger gave directives on the promotion of senior Police Officers, two officers reportedly took to their Facebook pages to make grossly disrespectful com-

ments in derogatory language, condemning the Commander-in-Chief’s directive.

According to the Commissioner, that matter was sent for advice and the appropriate recommendations were put forward “because that is what we have to do and it will be done very swiftly”.

In another incident, a Constable who was on duty, took his helmet off, hung it on a traffic light signal and

left it there.

For the year so far, 19 accidents involving Police Officers have been recorded. In 13 of those cases, Police vehicles were being used and in six the private vehicles of officers. Three of those accidents were fatal.

Ramnarine stated sternly “We cannot have these things going on and we have to be strong to deal with these issues”.

According to the acting Top Cop, there has been an appalling decline in the standards of the Police Force.

However, he expressed confidence that “If we will forge ahead with professionalism and intelligence led policing in collaboration with then we need to cultivate respect, integrity, quality service, competence, accountability, quality service, consideration and consistency”.

The Commissioner vowed to do the best he can in his capacity to ensure that the standards of the GPF change for the better.

14 news No laws broken when PPDI was formed – Chairman SunDAY, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

… promises company will be transparent, accountable

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ith questions emerging about the incorporation of Power Producers and Distributors Inc (PPDI) as a company specially intended to replace Wärtsilä, officials are denying that anything sinister surrounds the company's origins.

According to Chairman of PPDI Board of Directors, Mark Bender, all financial laws were obeyed when the company was incorporated in December 2016. The Chairman stressed the company was incorporated under Chapter 89:01 of the

Company Act, as was necessary under the law.

“Once you set up a company, there are certain things you have to do legally. And all the procedures were followed,” Bender stressed. “It was incorporated under the Company Act, and all the attendant things necessary for the establishment of the company, as spelt out in the regulations, were followed.”

Bender emphasised that PPDI had nothing to hide and was an accountable and transparent company. He noted that as such, tours such as one facilitated by

PPDI Chairman Mark Bender

the company for media operatives on Thursday, would continue to be held.

“We have nothing to hide.

The Government of the day thought that it was the best option for them when they set up the company. They have put a Board to overlook the company. And the Board has some very competent and experienced professionals. And I think the management team is doing a splendid job. We are fulfilling the expectations of the Government.”

“Going forward, in terms of the legislation, we will follow all the provisions of the legislation. So at the end of the year we'll have audited accounts, we'll hold an (Annual General Meeting).

So best practises incorporate governance (will be followed) and that includes compliance with our legislation.”

The Board now comprises of the Chairman, Mark Bender; Chief Executive Officer of PPDI, Arron Fraser; Secretary, Ronald Burch-Smith; and the Permanent Secretary of MPI, Geoffrey Vaughn. The other members are Attorney Stephen Fraser, Verlyn Klass, Amanza Walton-Desir and Harryram Parmesar.

In the National Assembly, PPDI was the subject of heated debates. Opposition parliamentarian Juan Edghill had argued against the replacement of Wärtsilä, stat-

ing that Government may not have been truthful in their justifications to drop Wärtsilä.

But when the MP stated that Wärtsilä was being paid US$7.5 million per year, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

mistic that working with PPDI would reduce operating costs. According to Patterson, capacity was a key consideration and he stressed that the company will continue to be fully manned by a Guyanese workforce.

One of the engines being managed by the company

had hit back by releasing a list containing the payments to Wärtsilä from 2008 to 2015. Edghill had subsequently accused Patterson of bypassing the issue and not providing clarification about PPDI, as the list proved his quoted figure was an average.

PPDI replaced Wärtsilä, a company from Finland which for two decades has maintained over a dozen engines for GPL, as of January 1. The new Government had announced last year that it would not renew Wärtsilä’s contract.

During the instalment of the Board, Minister Patterson had been opti-

According to PPDI’s CEO, Arron Fraser, there would be a significant difference in the rate. He said other things such as improving operational efficiency and labour will also play a part in the reduced price structure for PPDI. “Going forward, Wärtsilä (was) proposing a rate of US$20.1 per megawatt of power, while PPDI will have a rate of US$16 per megawatt. So that’s $3.70 cents saving per megawatt and if you multiply that by production of 620,000 megawatts per year, you have savings in the vicinity of US$2 million per year,” Fraser had explained.

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sunDAY, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana Amazon Warriors wrap up home leg with tour of Essequibo Coast

By Ashraf Dabi

T

he Guyana Amazon Warriors on Saturday brought the curtain down on their home visit with a well-earned tour to the Cinderella County – Essequibo Coast.

Following the recent conclusion to what was perhaps the most intense four matches in this year’s Hero Caribbean Premiere League (CPL) tournament hosted at the Providence National Stadium, the team’s major sponsor Guyana Telephone Telegraph (GTT), in bidding farewell to the players, facilitated an interactive session at the New Opportunity Corps in Onderneeming, Essequibo Coast, after which they were taken across the county on a series of sight visits, as well as meet and greets with scores of fans.

The day kicked off with the Warriors being treated to an ideal Guyanese adventure as they were whisked

Words of encouragement. Former West Indies cricketer, Guyana Amazon Warriors head Coach Roger Harper speaking to students of the New Opportunity Corps

First off on the agenda, the Guyana Amazon Warriors met with and mentored the underage offenders currently detained at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC).

As the Warriors disembarked the bus in Onderneeming, the excess of 70 boys and girls housed at the juvenile detention institution cheered and rushed to meet with the stars of their

organisations to direct attention to those residing outside the capital city as well.

Moreover, while acknowledging the unfortunate circumstances which led to the underage offenders being detained at NOC, the PRO reassured the youngsters that all is not loss, and thereby encouraged them to only look forward.

Sharing a similar view was the newly inducted cap-

Guyana Amazon Warriors, all-rounder, Steven Jacobs mentors some of the students at the NOC when the team visited the Essequibo Coast on Saturday

away from the comforts of the Georgetown Marriott Hotel, at which they were stationed, and made their way across both the Demerara and Essequibo rivers.

Despite their battle with inclement weather, the team of local and international cricket stars arrived in Supenaam, Region Two, in high spirits and full of anticipation of what promised to be a memorable day ahead.

home team, chanting praises and congratulating the team on their recent victories.

Introducing the home squad to the detained youths was GTT Public Relations Officer (PRO), Allison Parker, who expressed delight in the materialisation of this significant interactive session.

In doing so, Parker outlined what prompted her company to organise such a visit, noting that it is necessary for businesses and other

tain of the Guyana Amazon Warrior, all-rounder Rayad Emrit, as he took to the forefront to address the youngsters. In recapping their 2017 CPL experience in Guyana, the Trinidadian pinpointed their time spent with various groups of Guyanese youth as part of their highlights.

As such, Emrit took the opportunity to extend best wishes to the detainees while urging the young minds to use their time spent in the

institution as a positive investment towards a successful future.

Remaining on that note, homeboy Steven Jacobs while speaking at the NOC, charged the young offenders to erase their past misfortunes, as he posited that these very detainees are capable of following in his team’s footsteps at repre-

senting Guyana as sportsmen or even at other forums.

As such, he challenged both boys and girls to work towards such ambitious goals.

In addition to the words of advice, the youth population housed at the institution also cashed in on a number of cricket gear and equipment, such as bats and balls. Continuing their journey, the Amazon Warriors travelled further up the Essequibo Coast to the community of Affiance. The players spent the time meeting and interacting with the local supporters, during which the Essequibians took the best of the photo opportunity and scored the autographs of their favourites among the squad.

The Warriors made a spontaneous stop to the Imran Bacchus Cricket Ground within the same community, at which they were greeted by a group of

cricket enthusiasts deep in the game.

The team subsequently moved on to the Amazon Warriors country home where they spent the remainder of the afternoon indulging in recreational adventures.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors is set to take their leave today from which they will progress to Barbados in preparation for the remaining matches, crucial to their qualification for the playoffs.

This is after the local team took on four games at home, striking down the Barbados Tridents and the St Lucia Stars for much needed wins, while also recording two significant loses.

Nevertheless, the Warriors is set to face off against the Tridents once more on Tuesday as they play to secure their spot in the competition, with high hopes of advancing to the finals.

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SunDAY, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

Rice farmer’s son tops GSA graduating class …urges youth to help develop Region 2 agriculture sector

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iving in Region Two, the predominantly agricultural region known as the Pomeroon-Supenaam, the start to a successful future for 19-year-old Maheepa Ramballie was naturally to enroll at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA).

This resident of Better Success village, Essequibo Coast was recently awarded the Chairman’s Prize for his overall outstanding performance at the Guyana School of Agriculture Essequibo branch, where he was recognised as the best graduating student, earning himself a diploma in Agriculture and a certificate in Water Management after studying for two years.

Speaking with this newspaper, Ramballie said Essequibo youths, particularly those who recently left secondary school, should pursue their tertiary education at the GSA, particularly in efforts to help develop agriculture in Region Two. He has described this institution as a “blessing”, and said persons should

tablished on the Essequibo, but Maheepa is confident that his decision to enroll with the GSA has drawn him closer to his dream career.

“This diploma I can use at the University of Guyana

as it relates to reducing the years of study. It also offers exemption for some courses. Then there are promising careers that await me in the agro sector,” he explained.

Principal of the GSA,

Horatio Ramdass, has said the Essequibo Branch of the GSA supports the younger population who may feel the need to take up careers in agriculture. (Indrawattie Natram)

GPF should return to its former glory – Ramnarine Maheepa Ramballie collecting his certificate from Principal of the GSA, Horatio Ramdass

embrace the opportunity to enroll at the institution.

Expressing satisfaction at his achievement, Ramballie said, “I am very much elated at my performance! There were many challenges, but I knew I had to conquer them. I think I was successful in the course because I was focused, I laid my foundation." His parents, Mahendra and Ravenna Ramballie, are elated at their son’s performance. Moreover, the teenager hopes to one day fulfill his dream of becoming a ca-

… as new recruits and junior officers were awarded

reer agronomist.

“I believe a career as an agronomist would help farmers tremendously. My father happens to be a rice farmer; I can even work along with him, taking the steps towards increasing production. I would encourage the younger folks to explore the agro-sector in an effort to improve it. It’s a sector that we can bring into the scientific world. Our farmers need us," he declared.

There is no branch of the University of Guyana es-

Fourteen officers out of recruit courses along with 23 for the Junior Officers’ Course received special recognition at a Felix Austin Police College passing-out parade on Friday

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he performance of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) came under scrutiny by Assistant Commissioner David Ramnarine, who declared that it is important for the Force to return to its former glory.

Ramnarine made the declaration as 14 officers out of recruit courses along with 23 for the Junior Officers’ Course received special recognition at a Felix Austin Police College passing-out parade on Friday.

Held at the Police Officers’ Training Centre, Eve Leary, the ceremony concluded the five-month training of some 113 new officers to be added to the

Police Force.

The ranks underwent rigorous mind building training, especially in discipline even as they were introduced to policing which looked at basic policing such as traffic, crime, anger management, English language, domestic violence and communication.

Aquatic classes, martial arts, physical training and operation readiness, post-mortem examination conducting, first-hand experience of court proceedings, preparation of case jackets, sessions of drills and firearm classes – which included live firing exercises – was all taught to the new recruits.

Delivering the feature address, the Assistant Commissioner made a stern call for the Force to drive out any lackadaisical behaviour by “improving our professionalism, our professionalism must improve”.

According to Ramnarine, the quality of service of the GDF needs to be improved in order for it to be acceptable, for trust, confidence, respect and more over for public support and recognition to be reciprocated, “our professionalism must improve”.

“This involves all of us as a collective. We must rebuke firmly those amongst us who are prone to unprofessional acts and be open and willing to be openly citizen in the process. The Guyana Police Force is an organisation

whose members sworn to serve and protect. Ever since the advent of the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) in 1998, the strengthening of the Police complaints authority, the veracious scrutiny of the media and other bodies, strong ministerial and parliamentary oversight, it has become increasingly clear that our Police Force will be subjected to greater and a more incisive scrutiny. A fact that we must quickly accept, embrace and fix our problems,” Ramnarine said.

The Commissioner called the attitude of some members of the Force, acts of unprofessional conduct, gross indiscipline and poor quality of service.

The members of the Force were urged to “rise from the sleepwalking days and erroneous believes!”

He highlighted behaviours exhibited by ranks, one of which was drugs being found in the systems of six Police Constables.

“If indeed we agree that professionalism is about the qualities of behaviours we exhibit then certainly, the poor quality, unbecoming and disgusting behaviours displayed in the instances in which I just highlighted confirms to unprofessional conduct,” Ramnarine remarked.

As such, he called for change in order for the Force to move forward and achieve its objectives.

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SunDAY, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Anna's

Indigenous land rights vs Eric Phillips’ racist banter

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t is no coincidence that Chairman of the Guyana Reparations Committee, Dr Eric Phillips, appeared before the Lands Commission of Inquiry to claim fifteen thousand square miles of Guyanese territory, at the same time that the National Toshaos Council’s annual conference was in session last week.

In his pursuit to seek reparation for the atrocities committed on African slaves and the consequences on their descendants by the British Crown, Phillips relentlessly attacks the pillar of Indigenous peoples’ survival: land rights.

The incoherence and daftness of his argument continues to find ears by the Government of Guyana in his onslaught against Indigenous land rights, as he attempts to obtain buyin for his cause. His theatrics seems to have gained favour with the coalition, and so far, he has succeeded in diminishing Indigenous land rights. As a result, the Amerindian Land Titling Project was recently forced to a halt after the Lands Commission of Inquiry was opened by a Presidential Order.

Indigenous land rights have Anna Correia been suspended in Guyana – a first since Independence.

In his scurrilous quest to delegitimise Indigenous land rights, Phillips claims: “careful research has shown that Africans installed the following: 2.58 million miles of drainage canals, trenches and inter-bed drains; 3500 miles of dams, roads and footpaths; and 2176 miles of sea and river defence. No one else in Guyana has done that, yet they’ve gotten reparations”. Whether by choice or not, Phillips pursues in a path of ignorance by persisting to equate Indigenous land rights to African land reparation despite that each matter evolved within two very distinct historical contexts, rendering their treatment under the one umbrella incompatible.

African slavery reparation is a matter which in all logic ought to be brought before the former slave traders for resolution, in this case the British Crown. In 2014, some fourteen Caribbean States made a move in this direction, with hopes of opening dialogue with former European slave trading nations. Phillips’ discourse however, seeks to inflict on Guyanese a sense of culpability for a horrendous passage of history for which they are not responsible. Additionally, his narrative omits hardships of all the other indentured immigrants who were brought to the colony following the emancipation of African slaves. It overlooks the fact that life on the plantation had its own harsh realities for the Portuguese, Chinese and Indians.

But more importantly, Phillips builds his argument on an altered version of history, whereby Amerindians are being given reparation for which they are less deserving than Africans.

Again, he must be reminded that Indigenous peoples are not just the first inhabitants of the lands that later became Guyana, but they were the natives of the Americas for as far back as can be anthropologically and scientifically proven today. Phillips and those who support his delusional demarche must also be reminded that Indigenous peoples had their lands stolen by the European settlers, were pushed out of their homes, had 90 per cent of their population decimated, lost their cultures and languages, are still stigmatised and are still marginalised.

No other peoples have suffered the same fate as the first known inhabitants of the Americas. Yet, Indigenous peoples provide that bridge between humanity’s past and present, a quickly eroding fragment of our history. And their right to exist depends on the ancestral lands which were stolen from them.

The 13.8 per cent of lands which today are legally owned by Guyana’s First Nations, are therefore not reparation; contrary to the cause of African land reparation, these belong by ancestral rights to Amerindians. The specificities of Amerindian land titling as ordained by the Amerindian Act 6 – 2006, (as well as guaranteed by the Independence Act Cap 14 S 17, the Constitution of Guyana, and the UNDRIP) cannot therefore rationally inspire African land reparations, nor as Phillips defends “set a precedence” for it.

Eric Phillips is pandering to divisiveness in a society that is already under the strain of economic and social disparities.

The tensions which have since flared between Indigenous peoples and the Government of Guyana are a consequence of his recklessness, contributing to the increasing antagonism between Amerindians and the coalition.

His agenda is subsequently not only a threat to Indigenous land rights, but also to the integrity of the Guyanese nation itself.

It is the responsibility of the PNC-led coalition Government to prove its commitment to Guyana’s First Peoples, by reign its ill-advised advisor Eric Phillips, so that Guyana doesn’t have to pay for his unsolicited imprudence.

Contact sundayarrow@gmail.com

Barama concessions

800,000 hectares given to new companies

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he Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) has awarded to RongAn Inc and R.L. Sukhram two lots of Barama Company Limited’s former concessions, totalling more than 800,000 hectares.

The move comes after Malaysia-owned Barama announced in 2016 that it would not be seeking a renewal of its 25-year-old forest concession agreement with Government, and would be scaling back its operations.

According to the Natural Resources Ministry, a decision has been taken, in tandem with input from the GFC, to divide the former Barama Company Limited concession into four parcels, each approximating 400,000 hectares.

“The ministry advertised two of those parcels as State Forest Exploratory Permits, which means that there is a three-year process of assessment prior to commercial full-scale harvesting. The third parcel was identified for conservation and research, while the fourth was identified for small concession allocation of areas 20,000 acres and less,” the Ministry stated on Saturday.

“Parcel 1 is a forest area of size 417,809.23 (hectares) and is located in the Essequibo region (North West, MazaruniPotaro District). Parcel 2 is a forest area of size 432,262.59

There are questions about how many Barama workers will benefit

(hectares) and is located in the Essequibo region (North West, Mazaruni Potaro District).”

According to the Natural Resources Ministry (MNRE), the concessions are located in Northwest Guyana in Region One in the Barima-Waini, and Region Seven in the CuyuniMazaruni sub-regions. The ministry has said the concession areas both have a high occurrence of a number of high-value commercial timber species, including Baromalli, Greenheart, Purpleheart, Mora, Wallaba, Crabwood and Kabukalli.

“Parcels 1 and 2 were opened for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the period ending February 10, 2017.

These were advertised in the local media as well as in the international publications ‘Development Business’ and ‘The Economist’, and placed on several websites.

“Ten submissions were made at this deadline, some for both parcels while others were for one or the other. These firms were invited to submit State Forest Exploratory Permit (SFEP) applications, pay the non-refundable fee, and complete a Business Plan Summary by April 28, 2017.”

The release said that at the deadline of April 28, 2017, five applications were received from the following entities: Chemtech (Trinidadian firm) for Parcel 1, R.L. Sukhram and Sons Sawmill for Parcel 2; Rong-An Inc. for both Parcels 1 and 2; Forlene and Sons for Parcel 2; and ACE Resources (Canadian firm) for both parcels.

“Following the receipt of applications, the Technical Sub-Committee of the GFC Board of Directors conducted a full review of each application. The review of the

Technical Sub-Committee concluded that Parcel 1 should be issued to Rong-An Inc., and for Parcel 2 to be issued to R.L. Sukhram and Sons Sawmill, for a threeyear period commencing July 2017 to July 2020.”

Following this process, a recommendation was made to the full Board of Directors, and the 129th Meeting, held on June 27, 2017, approved Parcel 1 to be allocated to Rong-An Inc, and for Parcel 2 to be allocated to R.L. Sukhram and Sons. This decision was approved by the full Board and has been implemented by the GFC, the MNRE said.

The MNRE expressed optimism that awarding of the two parcels would result in benefits to the forestry sector, including a total investment of US$9.5 million by 2020 and a total of 524 new jobs being created when the operations are at full scale.

Barama had announced the scaling back of its operations in October last year, but the company is reportedly still deciding whether it is profitable to continue its sawmilling and veneering and plywood manufacturing here.

According to reports, Government’s slothfulness in reviewing the renewal of the contract was the main reason behind Barama’s decision to leave the market.

National Toshaos Conference concludes

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s more than 200 Indigenous leaders prepare to return to their respective communities to debrief their councils after attending the week-long National Toshaos Conference

lighted fair, transparent, and progressive accountability as qualities of good governance, and charged the leaders to be law-abiding, determined, and able to withstand criticism in their line of duty.

The minister applauded the leaders in whose communities the Indigenous Language Revival Programme has been maintained, and those who continue to practise ancestral dialects.

Meanwhile, Indigenous Peoples Affairs (MPA) Minister Sydney Allicock commended Belizean

and Nine, and to the drought in 2016, both of which had severe implications for the livelihood and very survival of Indigenous peoples.

Allicock also announced that the MPA is in the process of implementing a tenyear sustainability village action plan for the benefit of hinterland residents as Guyana prepares to receive millions from the burgeoning oil sector.

While stressing the need for appropriate preparation, the minister was quick to caution Indigenous leaders not to lose sight of agri-

deemed the exchange important, one which facilitates learning and sharing of information and experiences, as “we do not live too long to make the same mistakes”.

Miz gave the audience, who paid rapt attention, an overview of the Mayan culture, which he described as just as complex as any other.

He described his people as a people, or children, of corn.

Additionally, the audience saw episodic and astounding cultural performances by the St Cuthbert’s Cultural Group during the course of the day’s programme, and the attend-

Belizean Pablo Mis spoke at the closing of the National Toshaos Council Conference on Saturday

at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) in Turkeyen, Georgetown, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Valerie GarridoLowe, has urged toshaos to practise good governance in leading their people towards a bright and successful future, in spite of the challenges faced as the first peoples of this country.

In her charge to the toshaos at conclusion of the Annual National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference 2017, Minister Garrido-Lowe high-

A section of the gathering at the NTC Conference

Indigenous peoples activist Pablo Mis, who is of Mayan ancestry, for sharing challenges faced and how things are done in another country with a population of Indigenous villages.

Allicock said some of those challenges are global.

In regard to the struggle for land rights and food security, he referred to this year’s episode of flooding in villages across Regions Seven, Eight

culture, logging and tourism, “since not everyone can get into the oil and gas”.

Meanwhile, Pablo Mis of the Maya Leaders Alliance, who briefly addressed the gathering, expressed pleasure at being a part of the conference, and indicated that Indigenous leaders in Belize are also having a conference of their own around this time.

The Mayan leader

ees were specially treated to refreshments and lunch during breaks.

The National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference aims at enabling Indigenous village leaders to voice challenges faced in Amerindian communities while making plans and projecting solutions for same, and to discuss the status of progress in these relevant areas on an annual basis.

18 News

sunday, august 27, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

Toshaos Conference failed to achieve objective – Amerindian leaders

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he 11th Annual National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference came to an end on Saturday with several toshaos voicing disappointment with its outcome and stating that nothing concrete was achieved, and that they have nothing positive to report when they return to their villages.

Guyana Times spoke with several toshaos, most of whom asked not to be named because of fear of victimization. They all said they felt this year’s conference was no different from what had obtained previously.

They claim that “NTC 2017 was a total waste of time,” and partially blamed the NTC executive for it.

The toshaos claimed there were many hiccups during the six days they met to discuss important issues affecting their villages.

That apart, they felt they were not granted adequate opportunity to speak on behalf of their various communities.

Yupukari Toshao Russian Dorrick told this publication that the NTC Executive did not stick to the agenda for the conference, and this may have led to a number of unresolved issues. “To be honest, I am not too sure what I am going to tell my people. I came to the NTC with the hope that I would have had a response

Toshao for Yupukari, Russian Dorrick

to go back and tell the people what I got,” Dorrick laminated.

While acknowledging that some of the discussions went beyond schedule, Dorrick said many of the issues that were expected to be brought up for discussion were not. “What I’ve seen is (that) we, the toshaos, were not being properly represented by the entire NTC Executive. Only two persons were talking and convincing people to follow them and agree with their opinions, even if they think otherwise.”

The Indigenous leader felt that the NTC failed as an organisation to follow up with the issues that were raised at previous conferences. He said that if the

conference is held for leaders to repeat the same concerns every year with little to no progress, then it defeats the entire purpose of holding a conference in the first place.

“I feel they could have gathered all the concerns before the NTC Conference and they should have met with the Government and other agencies to see how these issues could have been resolved. There wasn’t any response, just a rehash of what were the concerns in the previous years,” he added.

In Dorrick’s opinion, the conference was basically useless, and the NTC Executive did not give leaders of the various Community Development Councils (CDCs) that fall within various Amerindian villages a fair chance to voice their concerns and have them treated with some level of urgency.

And according to Dorrick, while a few toshaos were given the opportunity to speak, “We didn’t have enough time to raise our concerns. It was the Executive talking and taking up useful time.”

Chairman of the Aruputa Village CDC, Adon Jacobus, concurred with Dorrick’s assessment of the conference. He said, “In this year’s NTC, many things were not achieved. From day one, we started on the wrong foot.

We, as Indigenous leaders and toshaos for our various communities, were here for a

Younge’s Take By: Michael Younge

London’s backdoor politics

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Aruputa Village CDC Chairman, Adon Jacobus

reason, and that reason was to report to the Government and the different ministries what are some of the challenges we are facing in our communities. But that has not happened.”

Jacobus also lamented that the NTC Executive did not stick to the agenda, and that more politics was played out at the conference.

“The NTC Executive was very dominant in the way they said things and (were) begging toshaos to agree to certain things. The toshaos were manipulated, and that should not be the case. I am disturbed and lost as to what are we going back and tell our people.”

Despite these concerns, on the second day of the conference, Chairman of the NTC, Joel Fredericks, gave his assurance that the Executive team would work hard to ensure that something tangible is achieved.

Fredericks had said Amerindian leaders would each have equal opportunity to have their voices heard, and the NTC would work closely with Government to have the issues addressed.

Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock had stated in his address at the opening of the annual conference that the NTC leadership appears to be weak and disjointed, and he had urged leaders to work towards strengthening this institution. Allicock said, however, that leadership among villages and communities seems to be much stronger than that of the NTC Executive.

On Wednesday, several members of the NTC Executive staged a walkout over what they described as an attempt by Government to ‘undermine’ the issues being put forward for discussion.

Vice Chairman of the NTC, Lenox Shuman, had claimed that as the toshaos were trying to consolidate their position with Government, so that they could have meaningful action, there was no minister present until the evening. “The fact that seven Government ministers showed up just to engage the NTC at this very last moment is questionable. It brings to my mind the question of sincerity,” he had lamented.

ast week, controversial Pastor Nigel London, and others, orgainsed and led a march in the mining town of Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) to express their dissatisfaction with the work and progress made by the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) as far as promoting equality, human rights and non-discrimination against people based solely on their sexual orientations were concerned.

Pastor London charged into SASOD, accusing it of attempting to brainwash Lindeners and promoting illegality, as the country’s laws currently prohibit buggery and same sex relations. He therefore equated homosexuality as anti-God and anti-scripture, referring to it as an abomination.

London and his supporters did not stop there. They went further.

He argued that SASOD’s work in the community was sending the wrong message to children and youths. According to him, the organisation’s work could place young Lindeners in severe danger, as homosexuals or LGBT people were sexual predators, paedophiles and somehow abnormal.

From his rants and raves during the rally, it was clear that Pastor London was highly homophobic to the point where one newspaper quoted him as urging supporters of the march to “stand up for what is right” by riding the community of “homos”. The goodly Pastor said he wanted President David Granger and the Government to treat the march he organised as his response to their invitations for views on the decriminalisation of same sex intimacy and homosexuality. He even warned that the President, considering his recent statements, may be inclined to support “gay marriages” moving away from the scriptures.

As this embattled “Shepard” led his “flock” in what he said was the religiously right direction, social media and the wider Region 10 community exploded with debate. While those in the belly of the march aggressively promoted violence against homosexuals openly and their imprisonment as a means of ridding the community of the growing “plague” that SASOD somehow ironically created over the past few weeks via its activism, others who stayed away and were no doubt more educated, enlightened and familiar with the subject matter, rejected the entire purpose of the march.

While it is not clear what is London’s real motivation for holding such a march at this time, many other things however are very clear.

Every Guyanese has the right, protected by law, to peaceful protest as means of freely expressing themselves. I fully support those who choose this route and salute them for attempting to impact public policy and influence legislators to keep the current status quo because they feel it will somehow assist in the maintenance of righteous in Linden and the very ‘high’ levels of mortality there. No one should attempt to personally attack these heterosexuals, as Guyana is still a democratic State even though its well on its way to autocracy under the new political configuration and convenient coalition.

What is strongly objectionable, however, is the rhetoric of Pastor London and those who spearheaded the march or movement at Linden.

After reviewing their speeches and assessing their postures during the event, it is clear that they are incapable of understanding the internationally accepted definition of human rights. Also, they seem to be having immense difficulty in understanding the characteristics of the category of people that are more likely to be child sex offenders and paedophiles. The goodly Pastor should take a trip to the Social Protection Ministry and the other relevant agencies to inform himself on the subject matter before seeking to inform others. Pastor London did his flock a major disservice in this respect and has created more confusion which SASOD must clear up. In his haste to find out reasons apart from the scriptures to justify his intolerance and hate, he sought solace in alternative facts and dishonesty.

Equally objectionable was London’s description of the lifestyle led by people in the LGBT community, giving the impression that he somehow was an insider. All he did however was to repeat the manufactured controversies surrounding LGBT people. For the record, aside from those persons who are sex workers and other extreme personalities, most people in the LGBT lead normal lives, pay their taxes, contribute to the wellbeing of their country and are tolerant of others. Because they are a minority and most times suffer immense rejection and abuse because of the provocateurs of violence like Pastor London, some have moved undergone out fear, while others like SASOD are standing proudly to point out the systemic injustices and discrimination in this country’s legal framework that punishes LGBT doubly.

Pastor London must recognise that Guyana is a secular state. And his religion has no monopoly or God-given right to decide solely how, and what standards all Guyanese should aspire to, or live by. We all have a say and we must continue to demonstrate tolerance even though we may disagree with people’s choices and lifestyles. If Pastor London’s religious ministry as the amusingly named ‘Come as Are’ Church is effective then he would have no reason to rail against SASOD with his march and subliminally hateful rhetoric. But the reality is, as SASOD and other governments educate young people they are less likely to support those barbaric and archaic laws. Too many families in Linden and Guyana comprise LGBT people for them to support any measure that would have them further victimised, unjustly jailed for their sexual orientation; whether chosen, learnt or not. Churches in Guyana and other religions will not win souls or LGBT people over (if that’s still their aim) by the machinations and flamboyance displayed by Pastor London. Demonstrating love and preaching the doctrine peacefully and honestly, without hate and judgement, may have a chilling effect on those who are not sure about their sexuality.

Also, Pastor London should lead a delegation to the Government and make his presentations there in a professional and orderly manner if this matter is so dear to him. The last thing Linden or Guyana needs are extreme personalities who would see Pastor London march as a call to action and an excuse to kill or unleash violence against LGBT people, as we saw in the Orlando shooting in the US and the dastard killing of three LGBT people in separate incidents right here.

Linden has bigger problems than the work of SASOD or the lifestyles of LGBT people. Why doesn’t Pastor London pray for jobs for the people there or hold a pro-jobs rally? Even starting an organisation to restore morals and values would be good.

Lastly, I don’t believe Pastor London was trying to remain relevant or increase the popularity of his church when he hosted that march. I also don’t believe that he has a soft spot for SASOD or Joel Simpson because of some insecurity he still harbours. I do believe that Guyana is big enough for all people to reside side by side regardless of our colour, political choices, RELIGION and SEXUAL ORIENTATION. I believe if there cannot be full acceptance then there must be tolerance or the end result will be war and violence.

sunDAY, august 27, 2017

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Patient United move clear ahead – City seal last-gasp win

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anchester United stayed patient to beat Leicester City 2-0 and move two points clear at the top of the Premier League as Manchester City secured a dramatic late win at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Surprise packages Huddersfield Town were held 0-0 by Southampton but stayed unbeaten and Newcastle United earned their first points of the season with a 3-0 victory over West Ham United that left the London side bottom of the table.

Crystal Palace are also without a point after losing 2-0 at home to Swansea City but Brighton and Hove Albion are off the mark following a 0-0 draw at 10-man Watford.

Manchester United were frustrated by Leicester and Romelu Lukaku had a penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel before substitutes Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellani scored in the last 20 minutes to seal

their third successive victory.

“I think we played very well,” manager Jose Mourinho said.

“If I have to choose a word to describe my team, I would have to say ’solid’.”

City were stunned on the south coast when Charlie Daniels gave Bournemouth the lead with an unstoppable left-foot drive from an improbable angle.

The visitors, who left Sergio Aguero on the bench and gave a debut to 52 million-pound ($67 million) signing Benjamin Mendy and a first start to Bernardo Silva, equalised before halftime when Gabriel Jesus poked home from David Silva’s fine pass.

It looked like being a frustrating afternoon for City, however, before, in the seventh minute of stoppage time, Sterling’s deflected shot floated past keeper Asmir Begovic to seal a 2-1 win.

Sterling celebrated in front of the ecstatic City fans

and was engulfed as several spilled on to the edge of the pitch, forcing stewards and police to intervene and leading to referee Mike Dean showing the England forward a second yellow card.

Chaotic scenes

It was later reported that a steward had made a police statement accusing substitute Aguero of striking him during the chaotic scenes.

“This allegation is false and the TV pictures prove it,” Aguero said on Twitter.

Dorset police said two City fans had been arrested for coming on to the pitch and that they were reviewing CCTV footage “as part of an ongoing investigation to establish whether any other offences may have been committed”.

Guardiola was bemused.

“Maybe someone can explain to me because I would like to know,” he told Sky Sports of the Sterling sending-off.

“He ran to celebrate. If you can’t celebrate with the

Marouane Fellani scored in the last 20 minutes to seal United’s third successive victory

fans maybe we should play without fans.”

Huddersfield remain unbeaten and second in the table after dominating their game against Southampton and David Wagner’s side are yet to concede a league goal this season.

“We will go into this international break with a smile on our face,” he said.

Newcastle finally got their campaign rolling against a poor West Ham side.

Spain striker Joselu

Hamilton equals Schumacher’s all-time pole position record

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ewis Hamilton equalled Michael Schumacher's alltime record of 68 Formula 1 pole posi-

tions at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver did a sensational lap to beat title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, who was on top form himself, by 0.242 seconds.

Hamilton was 0.541secs ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who was third ahead of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari.

Max Verstappen headed teammate Daniel Ricciardo to an all-Red Bull third row.

The key to Hamilton's pole was arguably a stupendous effort through the middle sector of the lap at the demanding Spa-Francorchamps track in the Ardennes mountains.

The Ferrari had been quicker than the Mercedes through sector two throughout the weekend but Hamilton pulled something out of the bag on his final run to set the pace there by 0.2secs.

Afterwards, F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn delivered a message from Schumacher's family. Brawn said: "His wife Corinna said that Michael always believed records were there to be broken, and they want to offer their congratulations."

Schumacher has not been seen in public since the skiing accident

in 2013 that left him with severe head injuries and in a coma for some months. His family have consistently said his recovery will be long and hard and have given no other news of his condition.

"It's a special day," said Hamilton.

"I knew it was on the horizon and knew I'd get the 68th pole, but I haven't thought about it much.

"But now being there it is an unusual place to be. I remember coming here in 1996, my first grand prix, and watching Michael come by and the engine vibrated my rib cage and that was when my love for the sport took another step.

"And I have now equalled him on poles and it is very surreal. It is a humbling experience knowing Michael is such a legend. It is an incredible feat he achieved and I am very proud to be up there with him.

"To be able to put a lap together like that is a dream. I have the best job in the world. It's a pleasure to be here.

"To hear the message Ross just gave, I have to say a big thank you.

I followed Michael and raced against him and always admired him. My prayers are for him and the family and he will always be one of the greatest of all time." (BBC)

scored their first league goal of the campaign before halftime and Ciaran Clark and Aleksandar Mitrovic wrapped up the points in the second half.

West Ham have lost their first three games for the first time since the 20102011 season when they were relegated.

Swansea shrugged off the departure of Gylfi Sigurdsson to Everton with a 2-0 victory at Frank de Boer's Palace - teenager Tammy Abraham scored his

first Premier League goal.

Watford remain unbeaten after grinding out a 0-0 draw with Brighton despite having Uruguayan defender Miguel Britos sent off midway through the first half for a reckless tackle.

Champions Chelsea play Everton on Sunday when Liverpool host Arsenal, last season's runners-up Tottenham Hotspur face Burnley and West Bromwich Albion take on Stoke City. (Reuters)

Murray pulls out of US Open due to hip injury

B

ritain’s world number two Andy Murray has pulled out of the U.S. Open because of a hip injury, he said on Saturday.

The Scot, who had not played since Wimbledon, said he had tried everything to be fit for the final grand slam of the year which starts on Monday.

“I tried obviously resting, rehabbing to try and get myself ready here,” Murray told a news conference.

“I was actually practising OK the last few days but it’s too sore for me to win the tournament, and ultimately that’s what I was here to try and do.”

The three-times grand slam winner, who won the U.S. Open in 2012, has been struggling with the chronic injury to his right hip for several years, but it has hampered his performances significantly this season.

He was suffering during his French Open semi-final defeat by Stan Wawrinka in June and had to pull out of two exhibition matches in the run-up to Wimbledon.

It was clearly a big problem during his home grandslam tournament, when he bowed out, clearly in pain, in the quarter-finals, to Sam

Querrey.

He withdrew from the Rogers Cup in Montreal this month in the hope of giving his injury more time ahead of the U.S. Open.

Murray hinted that he may have to follow the example of Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka in taking off the rest of the year to allow the injury to heal fully.

“I’ll definitely make a decision on that in the next few days,” Murray said.

“That’s something that I’ll sit down and decide with my team. But I’ll decide on that in the next couple of days, for sure.”

Murray held the number-one world ranking for 41 weeks before being overtaken by Rafa Nadal last week.

“I want to be back on court as soon as I can,” he said. “If it means that ... I can play before the end of the year, then that's what I would love to do. I miss competing, and I'll try to get myself back on court as soon as I can.

“But obviously I'll need to make the correct decision and really think it through these next couple of days with my team, and then make that decision.” (Reuters)

20

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sunDAY, august 27, 2017

GCC teams dominate

opening day of 2nd Igloo Hockey Festival Scorpions thumped Saints Scorchers 11-4 to seal a final berth.

The second semi-final, to be played today, features the Hikers going up against the Old Fort Arrows for a chance to face the Saints Scorpions in the final.

Originally, three teams

T

were slated to battle it out in the U-21 ladies category, but a cancellation from Hikers meant that the GCC Spartans and the Old Fort Lady Bugs will now play three rounds to determine the victor in that category.

In the first round that was played on Saturday, the GCC Spartans drew

first blood with a resounding 12-2 victory.

Over in the opening round of the U-17 Boys category, GCC held on to a slender lead to emerge 4-3 winners over the Old Fort Gunners, while the St Joseph Warriors overcame defensive hiccups to win 4-2 against Saints.

Action in the U-17 Girls category

he GCC teams racked up wins across two age categories when play was staged on day one of the second Igloo Hockey Festival.

In the final of the U-10 mixed category, GCC Hurricanes clashed with sister side GCC Thunder, and the former emerged victorious, scoring two

goals without response.

And in the U-14 Girls category, GCC Marian took on Saints’ Sensations and won convincingly -- 5 goals to 2 in the first semi-final -- to book a spot in the finals.

The GCC Marian girls will be facing the GCC Challengers, who needed a penalty shootout to defeat

the GCC Warriors.

The Challengers and the Warriors played to an entertaining 4-4 draw in full time, and it was down to penalties to decide the victors.

The Challengers held their nerves and won 6-5 on penalties.

In semi-final one of the U-14 Boys category, Saints

Saints (in white) get one past the St Joseph Warriors’ goalie for a goal

BCB Under-13 Competition

Upper Corentyne secure second win U

nder-13 action continued on Friday, August 25, at the Albion Community Centre ground in Berbice with the Upper Corentyne taking on Lower Corentyne in this one day-two innings competition.

The former won the match by seven wickets, to secure their second outright victory in as many matches.

Winning the toss and electing to take first strike, the Lower Corentyne bats-

men scored 83 runs and lost five wickets in their allotted 25 overs. Batting for Lower Corentyne, Tameshwar Mahadeo struck a brilliant 37 in his innings. All the other batsmen failed to reach any significant mark.

Bowling for Upper Corentyne, Matthew Pattaya took 2 for 14 off 5 overs, and skipper Rampersaud Ramnauth took 2 for 16 in 4 overs.

In their reply to the 83 set by Lower

Guyanese trio return from Lawyers Cricket World Cup

C

harles Ramson, Sanjeev Datadin and Timothy Jonas and other members of the West Indies Lawyers Cricket Team recently returned from the Biennial Lawyers Cricket World Cup hosted this year in Sri Lanka from the 10th Aug-21st Aug. The tournament was opened by the Honourable Chief Justice of Sri Lanka and cricketing legend Arjuna Ranatunga and saw the highest number of teams competing in the tournament. Twelve teams played in two pools and the finals was won by Australia as they defeated the host team Sri Lanka. The West Indies finished 4th in the tournament. The

West Indies was captained by Trinidadian Shashi Seecharan and Guyanese Charles Ramson was the vice-captain. Ramson was only able to play three matches as he was concluding an academic programme on a Chevening Scholarship had an outstanding tournament with 5 wickets and a score of 32 off 20 balls in the first match, 89 run out in the second, and 116 not out and 2 wickets in the third match and won two man of the match awards. He finished the tournament with a batting average of 237 and strike rate of 126. The next World Cup is expected to be either in New Zealand or India.

Corentyne, Upper Corentyne scored 110 in their 25 overs, losing six wickets in the process. Skipper Rampertab Ramnauth again proved useful, as he scored a belligerent 40 which was decorated with 4 x 4s. Opener Reyad Rahaman scored 16 and Matthew Pattaya was run out on 11.

The second innings did not favour the Lower Corentyne lads, as they lost 7 wickets for 35 runs. D. Cecil was the only batsman to reach double figures, as he scored 11. Bowling for Upper Corentyne, Matthew Pattaya recorded 3 for 13 in 2 overs.

Upper Corentyne batsmen were given an easy task, as they had to score only 9 runs to secure another outright win over their Lower Corentyne counterparts. They made light work of this task, securing victory in 3 overs, with 7 wickets to spare.

The Points standing for the Competition are as follows: Upper Corentyne 24, Lower Corentyne 0, and New Amsterdam Canje, 0.

The competition continues on Tuesday, August 29th, 2017, when Lower Corentyne will take on New Amsterdam /Canje at the Albion Community Centre, while Upper Corentyne will go up against the West Berbice lads at the Port Mourant community Centre.

The Berbice Cricket Board wishes to express its profound and heartfelt gratitude to the Young Warriors Cricket Club; its President, Rafeek Kassim; Secretary, Carl Ramsammy; along with the Albion Cricket Club; its President, Lloyd Kanden; Asst. Secretary, Vemen Walter; and Community Development Officer for Albion Estate, Orvin Mangru, for all their support to this Under-13 competition, conducted in such a professional manner. The assistance rendered by these two clubs and their Executives have so far ensured the success of this Under-13 initiative.

The BCB is encouraging members of the public and members of the business community to support them in their endeavours to promote the game of cricket at all levels in the county.

On the calendar for 2017 are the

Under-15, under-17, Under-19, and the female under-19 competitions. Businesses and individuals desirous of offering sponsorship are asked to kindly contact the BCB office on telephone # 333-2375, or visit their offices at 8-5 St. Ann Street, New Amsterdam.

Rampertab Ramnauth

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Pollard scores big in South Africa T20 draft

Camptown, Rangers continue winning ways

– Bravo, Gayle also in

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C

amptown FC and Northern Rangers were yet again on the winning side when the Corona Invitational Football Tournament continued on Friday evening at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground at Bourda.

Camptown defeated a dull Black Pearl 2-0 via skilful play and conversions from Okeri Codrington (3rd minute) and Ozelea Small (27th minute).

The improving Rangers won their game against Flamingo by an identical score. The youthful exuberance of Stephon Reynolds and Sunil Logan orchestrated the victory.

Reynolds netted in the 5th minute, while Logan made his mark in the 29th.

The other match of the night was an exciting but goalless draw between Pele and Riddim Squad.

35 participants conclude Homesafe Security/ Sheltez Tennis Camp

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Kieron Pollard

The competition continues with the final day of the round-robin segment on Monday, when Santos clash with Riddim Squad from 17:00 hrs, followed by the clash between GFC and Beacons from 19:00 hrs; after which Western Tigers will resist being arrested by Police FC from 21:00 hrs.

The tournament is played on a round-robin knock-out phase involving two groups of six teams. The top four teams from the respective groups will advance to the knockout phase.

The teams are playing for first place prize of one million dollars and championship trophy, while second to fourth place finishers would respectively pocket $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000 and corresponding accolades.

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21

n Friday, the curtains came down on yet another successful Homesafe Security/ Sheltez Tennis Club Summer Camp, where top participants were honoured with certificates and other prizes for their outstanding participation.

The event, held between August 14 and 25, saw growth in participants, as 35 novices between the ages of 3 and 17 attended the camp, held at the National Racquet Centre.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony at the end of the camp, National Coach and Facilitator of the event, Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan, informed that the main focus of the camp was to take a look at future prospects.

Daly-Ramdyhan noted that the coaches were able to identify talent and recommend that they become members of local clubs.

The camp is the second summer camp sponsored by Homesafe Security, and manager of that entity, Maurisia Johnson, expressed elation at its successful staging as she pledged continuous support for the event.

“We are grateful to the Guyana Tennis Association and the Sheltez Tennis Club for allowing us to be part of an activity geared towards the development of sport in Guyana.

This is yet another indication of our commitment to working together with the club to improve the level of play among our youth,” she declared.

W

indies all rounder Kieron Pollard continues to be a wanted man around the world after big right hander was Bloemfontein's first pick for South Africa's Global T20 draft.

Pollard will be joined by Chris Gayle, who was the third pick of the Cape Town Knight Riders, and Dwayne Bravo, who was picked fifth by the Pretoria Mavericks.

The three West Indians will play alongside or against five other international players in, New Zealand's Brendon McCullum, England's Eoin

Morgan, Jason Roy and Kevin Pietersen, as well as Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga.

Roy will play for Benoni Zalmi, while the South Africa-born Pietersen will turn out for the Nelson Mandela Bay Stars, and Morgan the Durban Qalanders. Malinga is down to play for the Stellenbosch Monarchs.

Shahid Afridi, who was also in the draft, will miss the tournament because of commitments to the Dhaka Dynamites in the Bangladesh Premier League. (Sportsmax)

Open League Basketball action

Royals slaughter pistons 151-31 – Raiders and Bulls also victorious

U

nbeaten third-rated Victory Valley Royals continued their savage display of basketball tenacity and skill with a 151-31 pummelling of Christianburg Pistons, as, in an effort to remain afloat among the top clubs in Linden, Retrieve raiders gained their first win -- a 65-60 victory over Bankers Trust Falcons -- after earlier suffering two losses; while number two seed Half Mile Bulls downed Amelia’s Ward Jets, who are ranked fourth, on Wednesday night, after the Jets had previously scored a 64-41 win over Block 22 Flames, in the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSDC) Open League Basketball Championship organized by the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) and currently being played at the tournament venue, the MSC hard court in Linden.

A rescheduled double-header tonight will see Block 22 Flames and Retrieve Raiders meeting at 18.30hrs, and Christianurg Pistons face Bankers Trust Falcons at 20.30hrs, as both teams go after their first win.

In the latest set of matches on Wednesday, the Bulls scored a 70-68 win to maintain an unblemished record in this seven-club championship. Swing man Michael

Turner and power forward Travin Dryden returned to score 18 and 10 points respectively, to support leading scorer Terron Welch, who had 24 game high points.

Performing well for

their running game, scoring 151 against the hapless Christianburg’s 31.

Harold Adams scored a tournament-high 46 points, Orlando Glasgow 33, Chris Williams 27, and Linnel Warden and Yannick Tappin

It has been high-octane action to date in the league

the Jets were Emmanuel Archibald who netted 19 points, Akini Wilson who netted 12 and Donnel Benjamin who netted 10.

Also on Wednesday, Linden champions Retrieve Raiders earned a 65-60 win over Bankers Trust Falcons, with Duel Montrose contributing 21 points, Shamar Anderson 12, and Coel Winter eight, as Shawn Tim led the scoring for the Falcons with 11.

And the red-hot Victory Valley Royals dumped Christianburg Pistons with

12 each. For the Pistons D. Benjamin got 10 points.

And in other results, Amelia’s Ward Jets gained a 64-41 victory over Block 22 Flames, with improving youngster Akini Wilson leading them with 23 points, while Joel Webster got 16 and Donnel Benjamin 15.

Selwyn Henry played a good game for the Flames, scoring 15 points in the process.

The top four clubs will advance to the semi-finals, to determine the finalists and senior basketball champions of Linden.

22

guyanatimesgy.com

sundAY, august 27, 2017

England v West Indies 2nd Test, Day 2

M

agnificent centuries by opener Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope put West Indies in a commanding position against England on the second day of the second test at Headingley on Saturday.

Brathwaite was joined

by Hope during a tricky morning session for the visitors when they were 35 for three in reply to England’s 258.

The pair shared a 246run partnership as West Indies, written off after a humiliating innings-and209-runs defeat in the first test, reached stumps on 329-5, a lead of 71.

Brathwaite was eventually bowled by Stuart Broad for 134, a textbook innings which contained 17 fours and two sixes, the second of which took him to his sixth test century.

Roston Chase followed shortly afterwards but Hope moved on to 147 and

an inside edge and to the struggling Moeen Ali -- as West Indies moved to 109 for three at lunch.

The afternoon session belonged to West Indies as Brathwaite completed his century by launching parttime spinner Tom Westley over long-on for a huge six.

Hope offered impressive support and played some beautiful cover drives as he also closed in on a century, reaching 85 at tea

as England's bowlers desperately sought a breakthrough.

His maiden test century arrived in the 70th over of the day when, after pulling Ben Stokes for a boundary, he nudged a single off his hip from the following ball.

With Hope set and Blackwood a dangerous hitter, West Indies will hope to build a commanding lead on Sunday. (Reuters)

SCOREBOARD

Jermaine Blackwood again played his shots © Getty Images

was joined by Jermaine Blackwood who played aggressively to score 21 not out in 23 balls.

West Indies resumed on a muggy morning on 19-1, and with James Anderson swinging the ball at will, another West Indies collapse looked on the cards

as two early wickets fell.

Nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo departed in the fifth over of the morning, edging one from Anderson who then removed Kyle Hope thanks to a great catch from captain Joe Root at second slip.

Brathwaite was then

joined by Hope and the duo began to chip away at England’s total, playing with discipline and verve to put away any loose balls from England’s attack.

Twice Braithwaite was reprieved with successful reviews after being given out lbw -- to Broad when he got

Inter-Guiana Games in Suriname

Guyana soaring after 2 days of intense action

England 1st innings 258 West Indies 1st innings (Overnight: 19-1) K. Brathwaite b Broad 134 K. Powell c Cook b Anderson 5 D. Bishoo c Bairstow b Anderson 1 K. Hope c Root b Anderson 3 S. Hope not out 147 R. Chase c Cook b Stokes 5 J. Blackwood not out 21 Extras (b-4 lb-7 w-2)13

Total (for 5 wickets, 102 overs) 329 Fall of wickets: 1-11 K. Powell,2-31 D. Bishoo,3-35 K. Hope,4-281 K. Brathwaite,5-296 R. Chase To bat: S. Dowrich, J. Holder, K. Roach, S. Gabriel Bowling : Anderson 23 - 7 46 – 3, Broad 20 - 2 - 73 – 1, Woakes 13 - 2 - 58 – 0, Stokes 22 - 8 - 60 - 1(w-2) , Ali 20 - 3 69 – 0, Westley 4 - 0 - 12 - 0

CWI Regional U-19 50-Over Cricket

Guyana edge closer to retaining title

Action in the swimming events

T

he Guyana contingent in Suriname was too hot to handle on day one of the Inter-Guiana Games. The swim team copped 29 medals, including 7 individual silver medals, 3 relay silvers, and 19 individual bronzes; while the athletics team dominated the field, and the Volleyball team retained its title.

Toyan Raymond copped the Girls 100m gold in a time of 12.5s, while Surinames Sabrina Menso was second in 12.9s and Guyana’s Binka Joseph was third in 13.2s.

Guyana failed to medal in the Boys 100m event, with Suriname’s Marciano Shepper and Dwayne Wee Wee taking gold and silver in 11.71s and 11.72s respectively.

In the Girls 400m race, Guyana snatched gold and silver with Deshauna Skeete and Kezra Murray finishing in that order in 1m 03.3s and 1m 04.2s respectively; while Suriname’s Chenelva Winamba claimed bronze in

The victorious volleyball team

1m 13.1s.

As was expected, Daniel Williams easily won the boys 400m race, despite being well off his best form.

He clocked a time of 52.1s, while Samuel Lynch was second in 53.1s.

Middle distance prodigy Joanna Archer held off her countrywoman Shaquka Tyrell in the 1500m race to finish first in 5m 04.5s, while Tyrell was second with a time of 5m 08s.

Linden’s Chantoba Bright as usual had no real competition, and she won the Girls Triple Jump with a leap of 11.2 metres, while Virlyn Gibson was second with a leap of 9.76 metres.

Ronaldo Greene made it a Triple-Jump double for Guyana when he won the boys event with a leap of 13.81 metres, while Suriname’s Ronaldo Letterbo (12.31 metres) and Dorniegill Wersen (11.71 metres) came in second and

third respectively.

In the girls 4x100m relay, the Guyanese quartet of Binka Joseph, Deshauna Skeete, Chantoba Bright and Toyana Raymond copped gold.

Despite not winning a gold medal, the swim team performed remarkably, with Accalia Khan and Daniel Scott being the standout male and female swimmers.

Khan captured the sole female silver medal, while Scott was the top medal earner for the boys with three silvers and a bronze.

After breaking records at the recently concluded Goodwill Swim meet, Leon Seaton managed two bronze medals.

The U-18 Volleyball team retained its title without dropping a set, dominating Suriname in straight sets of 25-22, 25-20 and 25-21.

The Male Cycling team was also victorious in their event, winning the Time Trials even as the females placed second in theirs.

G

Raymond Perez

uyana completed a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday to move within sight of another regional under–19 double when the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional U-19 50-Over tournament continued in St Kitts and Nevis.

Chasing 111 for victory, Guyana cruised home to 111 for 2 in 21.5 overs, with the consistent Raymond Perez stroking an unbeaten 47 which included five fours and a maximum. He shared in a 78-run opening stand with West Indies U-19

player Joshua Persaud, who made 44 while lacing the same amount of boundaries and hitting two sixes.

The South Americans had earlier dismissed for 110 their counterparts from the Twin-Island Republic, with Bhaskar Yadram (319), Ashmed Nedd (2-23) and Richie Loonaught (2-27) sharing the spoils.

Only Kirstin Kallicharan, who made 48, mustered an innings of substance against a tightly-knit bowling attack.

Guyana will play their last match on Monday against Windward Islands.

guyanatimesgy.com

sundAY, august 27, 2017

Sangakkara keeps Stars winless

A

calm fifty from Kumar Sangakkara guided Jamaica Tallawahs to a six victory against St Lucia Stars in Match 23 of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Sangakkara’s unbeaten 74 marshalled the Tallawahs to a venue-record run-chase as they supassed the Stars’ innings of 172 for 8, who had Shane Watson’s 80 to thank for their imposing total.

Sangakkara was fortunate to be dropped twice, but his composure helped negotiate a steep chase in which the run rate climbed to nearly ten runs per over.

The Tallawahs run-chase was given an early boost by the inaccuracy of the Stars bowlers who delivered six wides in the first 2.3 overs, costing 14 runs. Lendl Simmons hit one magnificent straight six before he was trapped lbw by a full straight ball from Jerome Taylor.

Some quick footwork and two straight sixes from Glenn Phillips helped lift the Tallawahs to 52 for 1 after six overs.

Aside from those two sixes and a four, Phillips struggled to rotate the strike and was eventually bowled by Rahkeem Cornwall, chopping onto his stumps.

Cornwall bowled brilliantly, maintaining a tight line and a pace that extracted turn and bounce from the surface. His four overs, which cost just 20, increased the required rate to 9.25 by the end of his spell with Sangakkara and Andre McCarthy being forced to work hard for their runs.

A period of sloppy play from the Stars then released the pressure.

After Sangakkara manufactured a four off Watson, he was gifted another by Kyle Mayers. Three simple dropped catches within seven

didn’t work. After a tight start from the Tallawahs, Cornwall failed to pick a Krishmar Santokie slower ball and was caught at long off.

The control of the Tallawahs pace bowlers forced Andre Fletcher to attack the first over of spin in the last over of the Powerplay. When Gary Mathurin cleverly held the ball back Fletcher mis-timed it to long on to leave the Stars 35 for 2 after six. Three overs later Marlon Samuels fell too, when he heaved across the line against Kesrick Williams and was bowled.

A partnership of 41 off 30 balls between Shane Watson and Johnson Charles finally gave the Stars innings some impetus. It was a partnership that owed a

considerable amount to fortune with Tallawahs dropping three straightforward chances in the field: Watson twice and Charles once. The drop of Charles was not too costly, with him picking out mid-wicket off Mathurin shortly after for 20 off 18. Watson however, made the Tallawahs pay.

After a hesitant start took Watson to 23 off 20, an emphatic pull shot for six off Williams seemed to get him going. Watson was quick to pick up length and peppered the leg side boundary as he reached his fifty off 30 balls. With four overs remaining the Stars were 130 for 4 and the match was finely poised.

Consecutive sixes off Mohammad Sami by Watson helped take 14 from the 17th over.

The wicket of Darren Sammy,

23

duped by a slower ball from Williams, set the Stars expectations back but Watson continued on unperturbed, striking another pulled four and a brilliant straight six before falling to a slower ball from Santokie. A huge six from Kyle Mayers in the final over elevated the Stars to 172 for 8 from their 20 overs - a total that demanded that venue-record chase from the Tallawahs for them to claim victory. (CPLT20)

SCOREBOARD Kumar Sangakkara at his best (CPL T20 via Getty Images)

balls, two of Sangakkara and one of McCarthy were also missed. Two brilliant straight sixes from those batsmen then put the Tallawahs in charge once more, requiring 33 off 24.

Despite McCarthy falling to Watson for a composed 36 the Tallawahs had no problems in getting over the line with Sangakkara punishing some errors in length and Rovman Powell clubbing a huge six. The victory takes the Tallawahs four points clear of fourth place and in a good position to qualify for the play offs.

Earlier in the evening the Stars were put into bat and promoted Rahkeem Cornwall to open.

The move was well-intentioned but

Captain Shane Watson finally found some form (CPL T20 via Getty Images)

St Lucia Stars A Fletcher † c McCarthy b Mathur in 20 R Cornwall c Foo b Santokie 7 S Watson * c Powell b Sami 80 M Samuels b Powell 4 J Charles c McCarthy b Mathur in 20 D Sammy c Sami b Williams 8 K Mayers run out (Phillips / Sangakkara) 13 S Shillingford c Powell b Santokie 0 J Taylor Not out Extras (11 wd,4 lb,4 B,1 nb)20 Total (8 wickets, 20 overs) 172 Did not bat : S Ambris, O McCoy Fall of wickets : 1-10 (R Cornwall,2.1), 2-36 (A Fletcher,5.3), 3-60 (M Samuels,8.1), 4-101 (J Charles,13.1), 5-144 (D Sammy,17.1), 6-158 (S Watson,18.4), 7-171 (S Shillingford,19.5), 8-172 (K Mayers,19.6) Bowling: Santokie 4-0-33-2 ( wd 2),

Sami 4-0-34-1 ( wd 2, n 1), Williams 4-0-31-1, Mathurin 4-0-26-2 ( wd 5), R Powell 4-0-0-40-1 ( wd 2) Jamaica Tallawahs L Simmons lbw Taylor 11 G Phillips b Cornwall 21 K Sangakkara *† Not out 74 A McCarthy c Samuels b Watson 36 R Powell hit wicket b Mayers 9 M Mahmudullah Not out 1 Extras (20 wd,1 lb,3 nb) 24 Total (4 wickets, 19 overs) 176 Did not bat : J Foo, G Mathurin, K Santokie, K Williams, M Sami Fall of wickets : 1-27 (L Simmons,2.5), 2-69 (G Phillips,7.2), 3-140 (A McCarthy,16.1), 4-171 (R Powell,18.4) Bowling: J Taylor 3-0-40-1 ( wd 12, n 1), McCoy 3-0-29-0 ( wd 2, n 1), Samuels 2-0-19-0 ( wd 1), Shillingford 2-0-23-0 ( wd 5), Cornwall 4-0-20-1, Watson 3-0-24-1 ( n 1), Mayers 2-0-20-1

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

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Inter-Guiana Games in Suriname

The boys’ cycling team celebrates after they won gold in the Time Trials

Guyana soaring after 2 days of intense action Pg 22

England v West Indies 2nd Test, Day 2 Pg 22

Brathwaite, Hope tons assert Windies’ dominance Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope shared a 246-run partnership for the fifth wicket to give their team the upper hand (Getty Images)

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August 27, 2017

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AUGUST 27, 2017

Feature

G

uyana is blessed with a host of precious and semi-precious stone resources, minerals and rocks. These rocks are testimony of Guyana’s rich natural resources, which we should all cherish and not exploit.

First let’s distinguish a rock from a mineral and an ore, and then we’ll delve into the different types of rocks found in Guyana.

A rock is a naturally occurring collection of mineral or minerals, which constitute a significant part of the earth’s crust. On the other hand, minerals are naturally occurring inorganic substances with a definite and predictable chemical composition and physical properties.

An ore is a mineral or a collection of minerals from which valuable element, especially a metal, can be profitably mined or extracted.

There are three basic types of rocks – igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.

Igneous rocks

Igneous rocks are called ‘fire rocks’ and are formed either underground or above ground. Underground, they are formed when the melted rock, called magma, deep within the earth, becomes trapped in pockets. As these pockets of magma cool slowly underground, the magma becomes igneous rocks.

Additionally, igneous rocks are formed when volcanoes erupt, causing the magma to rise above the earth’s surface. When magma appears above the earth, it is called lava. Igneous rocks are formed as the lava cools above ground.

Sedimentary rocks

For thousands, even millions of years, little pieces of our earth have been eroded - broken down and worn away by wind and water.

These little bits of our earth are washed downstream where they settle to the bottom of the rivers, lakes and oceans. Layer after layer of eroded earth is deposited on top of each. These layers are pressed down more and more through time, until the bottom layers slowly turn into rock.

thoidal (a group of minerals) by volume, and where at least 65 per cent of the feldspar is in the form of plagioclase (a member of the feldspar group). Over half of the Earth's crust is composed of a single group of minerals known as feldspar.

Conglomerate is a course

form by the consolidation and lithification (process of sediments gradually becoming solid rocks) of gravel. Conglomerates typically contain finer grained sediments such as silt, sand, clay or a combination of

when molten magma is trapped beneath the Earth’s surface and slowly cools into a holocrystalline (made up wholly of crystals or crystalline particles) mass.

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium car-

An igneous rock

Conglomerate

Slate Metamorphic rocks

A metamorphic rock is a result of a transformation of a pre-existing rock. The original rock is subjected to very high heat and pressure, which cause obvious physical and/or chemical changes. Examples of these rock types include marble, slate, gneiss, schist.

Remarkable rocks

Basalt is an example of igneous rock. It is actually an aphanitic igneous rock (igneous rocks that are so fine-grained that their component mineral crystals are not detectable by the unaided eye) with less than 20 per cent quartz and less than ten per cent feldspa-

Phyllite Sandstone

Limestone grained clastic sedimentary rock that is composed of a substantial fraction of rounded to sub angular gravel-sized clasts such as pebbles, granules, cobbles and boulders larger than 2mm (0.079 in) in diameter.

Clasts are fragments of geological chunks and smaller grains of rock broken off other rocks by physical weathering. Conglomerates

bonate (CaCO3).

Calcium carbonate is a white insoluble solid occurring naturally as chalk, limestone, marble, and calcite, and forming mollusc Basalt shells and stony corals. these, which are called ‘maMost limestone is composed of skeletal fragments trix’ by geologists.

Gabbro refers to a large of marine organisms such group of dark, often phane- as coral and molluscs. ritic (coarse-grained), intruMigmatite is a rock sive igneous rocks. It forms that is a mixture of meta-

morphic rock and igneous rock. It is created when a metamorphic rock partially melts, and then that melt recrystallizes into an igneous rock creating a mixture of the unmelted metamorphic part with the recrystallized igneous part.

Phyllite is a type of foliated (repetitive layering) metamorphic rock created from slate that is further metamorphosed so that very fine grained white mica (form of mineral) achieves a preferred orientation. It is primarily composed of quartz, sericite, mica and chlorite all minerals.

P i n k granite is a comPink Granite mon type of igneous rock.

The word ‘granite’ comes from the Latin word granum, a grain, in reference to the coarse grained structure of such a rock.

Sandstone (sometimes known as arenite) is a classic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.

Slate is a fine grained, foliated, homogenous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash.

Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals.

(Information by Guyana Geology and Mines Commission)

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Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

O

n September 1 we celebrate Eid-ulAdha.

According to the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), Eid-ul-Adha commemorates one of the greatest acts of sacrifice in human history and should be used as a time of reflection.

It is a major religious festival of Muslims and a spiritual institution meant to be observed with a perfect spiritual attitude.

“The most important part of this holy and auspicious day is that it is a day of reflection; it is a day of rededicating our [lives] to the service of the Creator and Sustainer of this Universe.

It is a day of understanding that in order to effect any change in our masjids, community, society and the world at large we have to start first by changing ourselves,” said Fazeel Ferouz, president of the CIOG, at a past Eid event.

Eid-ul-Adha means the “festival of sacrifice” and is so named because of the sacrifice of animals by Muslims and sharing the meat to the needy on this day.

Ferouz mentioned that Muslims “must understand that we are going to sacrifice

A Time for Reflection our evil inclinations, egos and unworthy deeds at the same time… By doing the sacrifice, we are pledging to make a change for the better of ourselves…”

CIOG noted that the annual sacrifice in Islam is not an end in itself, but only a means towards an end. It is the external symbol of an internal dedication. As an institution commemorative of Abraham’s sacrifice, its function is not propitiative, but creative - creative of an avenue through which divine light enters to strengthen us in the ideal of sacrifice.

Prophet Abraham (A.S.) virtually sacrificed his beloved son Ishmael to seek the pleasure of God and his act forms a landmark in the history of religion. Muslims commemorate that great act on the day of Eid-ul-Adha, and affiliate themselves spiritually with it by performing animal sacrifice.

This spiritual affiliation signifies dedication to the ideal sacrifice in life, which is renewed every year. On this point, God Almighty, in the final revelations 22:36-37, said: “It is not the meat or the blood that reaches God, it is your pi-

CIOG headquarters at Woolford Avenue, Thomaslands, Georgetown

ety that reaches Him.” The animal sacrifice is an act of ‘Ibaadah’ or “expression of gratitude”.

As the Muslim nation invokes the tradition of Prophet Abraham (A.S.), the friend of Allah and leader of mankind on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, let us be fully conscious of what it actually undertakes to do so. Those who make a solemn resolve to follow his footsteps should know that his path is strewn with a series of tests and trials that one with unflinching faith alone can face. A renewal of

the supreme spirit that inspired Prophet Abraham to surrender all that was dearest to him is as such a reward in itself. The measure of success in this lofty mission depends upon the degree and depth of one’s commitment.

Virtues of the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah

Wednesday, August 23 was the first day of Dhul Hijja, which is the last month of the lunar hijri year in the Islamic calendar; it is also the month of pilgrim-

age.

Moreover, the first ten days of it are the best days in this world according to the words of the Prophet PBUH in a sound piece of Tradition in Sahih Ibn Hibban.

According to CIOG’s Shaykh Muhammad AlYaqoubi, “Allah Almighty made a special mention of these ten days and honoured them by making an oath by them in the beginning of Surat Al-Fajr”.

“By the Dawn, and by the Ten Nights”, according to the commentators, are the first ten days of this month.

Al-Yaqoubi said that “Allah ordered us to make dhikr of Him in these days when He Almighty referred to them in Surat Al-Hajj.

‘To make mention of Allah in these known days’, our Beloved Prophet PBUH made good works in these ten days better than working in any other days as in hadith narrated in the Sahih of imam Bukhari”.

Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani explains why these days are the best days of the year by pointing out to the fact that they include all major acts of worship in Islam, namely prayer, fasting, charity and pilgrimage,

which do not come together except in other months.

So, it is recommended to do a lot of extra acts of worship in these days such as fasting the first nine days; doing a lot of extra dhikr, especially takbir and tahlil; reciting the Holy Qur'an and much more.

“Seize this opportunity, as we are never sure whether we live till next year, to compensate. Show the best of yourself in the field of prayer, dhikr, Qur'an and visit the masjids more often to deserve the celebration of Eid even if you do not go for hajj,” Al-Yaqoubi encouraged.

(Information provided by CIOG)

Eid-ul-Adha Notice

The Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana wishes to inform the Guyanese public and the Muslim community that the month of Dhul- Hijja 1439 AH commenced on Wednesday, August 23, 2017.

The 9th of Zul Hijja (the day of Arafah - recommended for fasting) was August 31, 2017.

Eid-ul-Adha (10th Dhul Hijja) will be celebrated on Friday, September 1, 2017.

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Sunday Times Magazine

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AUGUST 27, 2017

Feature

Dr Anand Roopsind (second from left) guiding participants through the logging experiments at the Pibiri Biological Research Station

A

group of researchers from the University of Guyana recently emerged from the forest, south of Mabura Hill, with several new and noteworthy scientific discoveries.

The team of nine young women and three men investigated various aspects of mixed greenheart forest ecology and management. They studied palm regeneration in logged areas, tree crown growth in response to forest gaps and seedlings of greenheart, Guyana’s most important commercial timber tree species.

The discoveries were made by the Guyana Rainforest Research Rally (GRRR).

Guyana Rainforest Research Rally

GRRR was made possible through an on-going collaboration between the University of Guyana (UG) and the University of Florida (UF), with support from WWF-Guianas and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD). The two universities will be embarking on an academic programme

GRRR at the Pibiri Biological Research Station, one of the longest on-going experiments on tropical forestry in the world

to strengthen technical capacity within Guyana to achieve sustainable forest management associated with Guyana’s Green Development path.

Through academic and research exchange between faculty and students, in the form of short courses and expert mentoring and financial support for scientific research, the project aims to place UG at the forefront of high impact academic research on natural resource

management.

Discoveries in Guyana’s Forests

The GRRR team looked at the regeneration and growth of greenheart seedlings, Guyana’s iconic timber species. Devya Hemraj and her team are still analysing their data, but their study makes clear that even under the seemingly ideal conditions created by careful selective logging, greenheart seedlings grow exceedingly slowly. This finding adds to

concerns about the sustainability of harvests of this important species.

Another finding highlights the impact of logging on palm diversity and populations. The team, led by Ewart Smith, found that there were few apparent harmful impacts of careful, selective, reduced-impact logging back in 1994 on palms today. This result will help allay the fears of some people that logging is a biodiversity destroying intervention, especially to palms, which are important to wildlife and people.

GRRR also looked at the growth of tree crowns/ branches into gaps/holes created in the forest canopy by logging back in 1994. The team, led by Wilda Marhnen Hungito, found that over the past 24 years the rates of tree crown encroachment into felling gaps varied with species, but was sufficient to close the smaller openings.

This finding is important as it suggests that small gaps may not be sufficient to promote regeneration of commercial species.

The team also looked at the growth response of three timber species - greenheart, crabwood and baromalli - to liberation thinning, that is removal of vines and trees that were competing with the selected trees that are to constitute the next timber crop. The team, led by Sherica Isaacs, discovered that the treatment, which was applied in 1996, still had positive effects on the growth rates of these valuable timber species. Previous research around the world assumed that the benefits of liberation thinning diminished in 5-10 years, but no previous studies on this topic had anywhere near the 21year record available at the Pibiri Biological Research Station.

When asked how she felt about the discoveries, Sherica Isaacs said: “When I joined GRRR just a few

weeks ago, I was focused on fish and had no idea that trees are so fascinating. I am happy that we were able to make discoveries that can help to maintain the commercial and environmental values of our lovely forests.”

Research expedition

The research expedition was led by Professor Francis E. Putz, distinguished professor of Biology and Forestry at UF, and his former Guyanese graduate student, Dr Anand Roopsind.

Over the past three decades, Putz has actively promoted science-based approaches to pedagogy at UF and around the world.

This was his second visit to Guyana.

According to Roopsind, ten participants of the research expedition are Guyanese, one from Papua New Guinea doing her masters at the University of Guyana, and another from the Suriname Foundation for Forest Management and Production Control (the Suriname equivalent to the Guyana Forestry Commission). Participants included both graduate students and faculty from UG, and professionals from natural resource institutions, mainly the Guyana Forestry Commission.

“A researcher from Suriname was included because we believe it important to build strong connections with our neighbours so as to better integrate conservation efforts across the region,” Roopsind stated.

Challenges

In regards to GRRR’s accomplishments, Putz said: “I am astounded by what the research team accomplished under very challenging conditions. It’s great to have Guyanese researchers making discoveries about Guyana’s forests.”

Putz and Roopsind pointed out that doing field research and living deep in the

tropical rain forest, without internet connections, telephone service, or line power are always challenging. They added that their field campaign was made particularly challenging by frequent rain, which was sometimes intense.

“When the ridgepole, to which all 16 of our hammocks were tied, started to break in the middle of the night, in the rain, complaints might have been expected, but everyone chipped in and the problem was soon rectified. The same is true for when the camps started to flood; everyone was out digging trenches and otherwise keeping the water at bay,” the GRRR members recalled.

Pibiri Biological Research Station

The Mabura Hill hosts the Pibiri Biological Research Station, which has one of the longest on-going studies in the world on sustainable forest management.

For the past three decades, dozens of important studies have been carried out in that area by Guyanese and international researchers.

The information from the Pibiri Biological Station is also the main source of information that the Guyana Forestry Commission uses to determine the sustainable levels of timber harvesting in Guyana.

GRRR expect its four recent studies be published in international scientific journals, but the studies need to undergo a rigorous scientific review process. Participants are currently revising their data analyses and manuscripts so as to raise both to the standards for publication in international peer-reviewed journals.

The team hopes that the findings serve to inform forest management in Guyana, Suriname, and elsewhere in the tropics.

They believe a great deal remains to be learned about how to best manage forests under timber production for biodiversity conservation, and long-term sustainability of timber harvests, but these studies represent substantial contributions to their understanding.

Follow up studies are still in the planning stages, but as usual, as GRRR learns more, they also realise more about what they do not yet understand. It is GRRR hope that the Pibiri Biological Research Station will become a major field site for UG, where students and researchers will continue to learn about Guyana’s forests and how to better manage them for current and future generations.

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AUGUST 27, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 5

Preserving our literary heritage

By Petamber Persaud

A

s in his poem, “Mirrors”, O.R. Dathorne was always asking questions. Some of the answers found, he shared in a hefty corpus of writing: “The Black Mind: A History of African Literature”, University of Minnesota Press, 1974.

“African Literature in the Twentieth Century”, University of Minnesota Press, 1976.

“Dark Ancestor: The Literature of the Black Man in the Caribbean”, Louisiana State University Press, 1981.

“In Europe's Image: The Need for American Multiculturalism”, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1994.

“Imagining the World: Mythical Belief Versus Reality in Global Encounters”,

Greenwood Publishing Group, 1994.

‘Asian Voyages: Two Thousand Years of Constructing the Other’, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996.

“Worlds Apart: Race in the Modern Period”, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001.

Other answers he distilled into novels and poetry: “Dumplings in the Soup”, Cassell, 1963 “The Scholar-Man”, Cassell, 1964 “Dele's Child”, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Incorporated, 1986 “Songs for a New World” (poems), Association of Caribbean Studies Press, 1988.

“Dumplings in the Soup” was Dathorne’s first novel; it is farcical and satirical, inspired by his student days in England. “The ScholarMan”, Dathorne’s second novel, is different, describing the academic world in Africa. To appreciate his writing, it is useful to look at his working experience: Ahmadu Bello University,

Zaria, Nigeria, assistant professor, 1959-63; University of Ibadan, Nigeria, associate professor, 1963-6; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Milton Magai Training College, 1967-70; University of Sierra Leone at Njala, English Department, chair and professor of English literature and Black literature, 1967-70; Yale University, visiting professor, 1970; Howard University, Department of African Studies, professor, 1970-1; University of Wisconsin, Department of Afro-American Studies, professor, 19701; Ohio State University, Department of English, professor, Department of Black Studies, professor and co-director, 1971-7; University of Miami, Caribbean, African and African-American Studies Program, director and professor of English, 1977-87; University of Kentucky, English department. turn to page 9

Feature

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Travel & Tourism

Water cascades over a rock wall

H

osororo Falls, located in the Mabaruma sub-region (Region One), is a scenic series of rapids running down a steep hill shaded by trees growing along the banks of Falls creek.

‘Hosororo’ means “running water” in an indigenous dialect; this is aptly represented by the Hosororo Falls. Water gathers at the ‘foot’ of the Falls, forming a pool used for swimming and bathing purposes. It then cascades down a steep hill into another pool laden with

Canopy provides shade

boulders.

The remains of a hydro-station, which was used to provide water to the residents of Hosororo Hill, are still seen at the Falls.

Hosororo village is a hilly community with spectacular views. This picturesque location is good for exploring, where tourists might get an opportunity to spot various animals and birds endemic to the area. (Cover photo: 'Low end' of the Falls, normally used by residents for bathing and washing purposes)

A section of the 'pool' laden with boulders

The remains of a hydro-station still exist at the Falls

Water flows from the Falls into a 'pool'. The pipes shown in the photo were once used at the hydro-station many years ago

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AUGUST 27, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 9

Health

P

soriasis (pronounced: sore-EYE-ah-sis) is a chronic (long-lasting) disease. It develops when a person’s immune system sends faulty signals that tell skin cells to grow too quickly.

New skin cells form in days rather than weeks.

The body does not shed these excess skin cells. The skin cells pile up on the surface of the skin, causing patches of psoriasis to appear.

Psoriasis may look contagious, but it's not. You cannot get psoriasis from touching someone who has it. To get psoriasis, a person must inherit the genes that cause it.

Types/symptoms of psoriasis

If you have psoriasis, you will have one or more of these types: Plaque (also called psoriasis vulgaris). Symptoms for this type include raised,

I

reddish patches on the skin called plaque (plak); patches may be covered with a silvery-white coating, which dermatologists call scale; patches can appear anywhere on the skin; most patches appear on the knees, elbows, lower back, and scalp; patches can itch; scratching the itchy patches often causes the patches to thicken; patches vary in size and can appear as separate patches or join together to cover a large area.; nail problems — pits in the nails, crumbling nail, nail falls off.

Guttate.

Symptoms include: small, red spots (usually on the trunk, arms, and legs but can appear on the scalp, face, and ears); spots can show up all over the skin; spots often appear after an illness, especially strep throat; spots may

f the number on your scale is inching back up, the solution is simple: Grab a pen and paper, a digital fitness device or your favourite wellness app—and get tracking.

"You need to evaluate how everything from nutrition and exercise habits to sleep and stress levels may have changed from when you were actively working to lose weight," says Bartolome Burguera, MD, PhD, director of obesity programs at the Cleveland Clinic and executive medical director of the National Diabetes & Obesity Research Institute. "Are you getting less sleep? Exercising three days per week instead of five?"

While tracking is often used as a way to lose weight, it's also a great tool to identify how your habits may have changed to cause the weight regain. You can't truly address the problem until you figure out what

T

he perfect breeding ground for bacteria (including E. coli and MRSA) is unclean makeup brushes.

Dirty makeup brushes can not only aggravate acne, but also spread all sorts of viral, fungal and bacterial infections.

Here are the dangers of dirty brushes that you should know about to reduce risks of skin infections:

1. Your pores can get clogged

It's great that you're not touching your face so much

maintain its normal temperature of 98.6° F. Person gets very hot or very cold; heart beats too fast; intense itching; intense pain.

If it looks like a person has erythrodermic psoriasis, get the person to a hospital right away. The person’s life may be in danger.

Some people get more than one type. Sometimes a person gets one type of psoriasis, and then the type of psoriasis changes.

Treatment

clear up in a few weeks or months without treatment; spots may appear where the person had plaque psoriasis.

where the bumps appear; pus-filled bumps will dry, and leave behind brown dots and/ or scale on the skin.

Symptoms include skin red, swollen, and dotted with pus-filled bumps; bumps usually appear only on the palms and soles; soreness and pain

Symptoms include skin looks like it is burned; most (or all) of the skin on the body turns bright red; body cannot

Pustular.

it is, he says. For example, if your stress levels are what's truly behind your weight regain, adding in more exercise, isn't going to directly address the underlying cause. What will? Learning and implementing stress-management techniques.

What might be getting in your way

Weight loss doesn't come with start and finish dates, because once you've hit your goal weight and decide you're "off" of your diet, the weight is going to come right back.

"Every 'diet' fails by definition because diets are short-term solutions," Burguera says. "If you cannot keep something up, whether it's a diet or an exercise plan, it's a waste of time."

So, unfortunately, if you originally lost the weight through an intense training regimen, or an extremely restrictive diet, it's likely that you are going to put some, if not all, of

with your fingers when you apply makeup, but if your tools are filthy, you could still wind up breaking out.

2. You could get a staph infection

Through daily use, makeup brushes can accumulate dead skin cells, dirt, oil, pollution, and bacteria. These can include staphylococcus, streptococcus, and E. Coli, fungus, and viruses.

3. You could get conjunctivitis

Sharing cosmetics and makeup brushes can spread conjunctivitis. Whilst it's a

Erythrodermic (also called exfoliative psoriasis).

the weight back on. Eventually, your motivation to stick with those practices will wane. You'll get tired of your eating plan and you won't always have the time to devote to your workouts that you once did, says Wendy Scinta, MD, president-elect of the Obesity Medicine Association.

She has seen it time and time again with her patients. Once they reach their goal weight, they loosen up on their healthy behaviours and dig into foods that previously had been on the no-fly list. The common thinking is that once they have lost the weight, the hard work is over.

According to a Columbia University study, the hard work really comes once you've lost the weight. Researchers found that losing as little as 10 percent of your body weight (if your starting weight is 180 pounds, that's just 18 pounds!) significantly slows your metabolism.

common and easily treatable infection, it's definitely probably something you want to avoid.

5. Your skin can get irritated

When all that bacteria and grime builds up, you can be left with stiffer bristles that can aggravate your skin.

6. You'll waste your money

Brushes that are looked after last longer. So don't let your hard-earned cash go to waste — keep your tools clean!

7. You can pull your eyelashes out

Curling your lashes can make a big difference to

Treating psoriasis has benefits. Treatment can reduce signs and symptoms of psoriasis, which usually makes a person feel better.

With treatment, some people see their skin completely clear. Treatment can even improve a person's quality of life.

Thanks to on-going re-

Meanwhile, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that following a low-calorie diet for as few as 10 weeks may affect your body's levels of hunger-controlling hormones and increase your appetite.

Remember the longer-term plan

To figure out what changes are truly doable for you—both to lose the weight and to keep it off—take a look back at your tracker. Ideally, you used it for at least a few weeks, which allows you to get a feel for your consistent behaviours. Where is there room for improvement?

What eating-exercise-sleep changes can you realistically make today that are going to still be doable after a year (or more) of repetition?

What's going to fit with your life-

your look but when your eyelash curler is already full of sticky mascara it can pull at your lashes and pull them out. Leftover bits of mascara can also create clumps on

style even when you're stressed with work and family obligations?

Taking a 5 a.m. fitness class five days per week might not fit, but getting in some form of exercise every single day might. In fact, in a metaanalysis of 59 weight-loss studies, researchers found that the most effective long-term diet is the one that you feel works best for you.

"Focus on the small changes that you are able to keep long-term," says Burguera. "The changes you make to lose the weight need to stick with you for the rest of your life." (www. oprah.com)

your eyelashes.

8. You risk accelerating wrinkles

search, there are many treatments for psoriasis. It is important to work with a dermatologist to find treatment that works for you and fits your lifestyle. Every treatment has benefits, drawbacks, and possible side effects.

Psoriasis cannot be cured.

This means that most people have psoriasis for life. By teaming up with a dermatologist who treats psoriasis, you can find a treatment plan that works for you.

Dermatologists encourage their patients who have psoriasis to take an active role in managing this disease. By taking an active role, you can reduce the effects that psoriasis has on your quality of life. (American Academy of Dermatology)

Dirty makeup brushes can expose the skin to oxidative

stress from free radicals, which causes a breakdown of collagen and elastin and can result in premature aging. (Cosmopolitan)

Preserving our literary...

Dathorne was indeed the “scholar-man”, as a look into his educational background would reveal: University of Sheffield, England, BA, English, 1958; University of London, Certificate of Education, 1959; University of Sheffield, MA, English, 1960; PhD, English, 1966; University of London, Diploma in Education, English as a foreign language, 1967; University of Miami, MBA, business administration, and MPA, public affairs, 1983.

Dathorne also made a significant con-

from page 5

tribution to Caribbean literature through his editorship of “Caribbean Narrative”, “Caribbean Verse”, and the “The Journal of Caribbean Studies”.

Oscar Ronald Dathorne was born in 1934 in Georgetown, British Guiana. His father was an electrical engineer. Dathorne attended Queen’s College. During the 1950s, he went to England to further his studies.

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

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Sunday Times Magazine 11

Home & Cooking

Recipe of the week

&

Items you can use to organise your home T

Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour ½tsp ground cardamom (elaichi) ¼tsp ground ginger 8tbsp butter (1stick) 1¼ cup evaporated milk Canola oil to fry

here are all sorts of clever storage solutions that you might be overlooking while you're busy filling up your cart with cleaning, office and party supplies. The next time you hit up the general store, be on the lookout for these smart, penny-pinching organising solutions for your home, car and more.

Sugar Syrup: 1 cup sugar 1 cup water

Method:

To make the dough, place flour, cardamom and ginger in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes, and then rub into flour using your fingers. Next add evaporated milk and combine to form a soft dough.

On a floured surface, roll dough to about ¾ inch thickness then cut into small diamonds about 2-3 inches in length. You can also pinch off small pieces of dough and form into an almond shape. In a shallow pan add about oil about 1 inch deep and heat over medium fire.

When oil is hot, gently add the dough and fry until both sides are golden brown. Place on a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Work in batches so the oil doesn’t drop in temperature, this will cause the dough to be oily. When all the dough has been cooked, set aside.

To make the sugar syrup: Place the sugar and water in a small pot and attach a candy thermometer. Place the cooked fritters into a heat safe bowl and set aside. Next cook the syrup to 235-240 degrees. If you do not have a candy thermometer, cook until sugary crystals begin to form on the side of the pot. Carefully pour the hot syrup over the fritters, then stir with a spoon to coat. Let dry. As it dries, the sugar will become white and slightly powdery.

Peanut Punch

Use an inexpensive cosmetic bag to create a portable emergency kit to keep in your purse, diaper bag or car. Include items like bandages, scissors, antibacterial spray, hand sanitizer, pain relievers, bobby pins, tweezers, floss, one-time use toothbrushes and an extra copy of your health insurance cards.

Ingredients:

2 cups milk 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter 4tbsp sugar Pinch of nutmeg

Method:

Mix all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined. Garnish with a bit of nutmeg. (Recipes and photos from www.jehancancook.com)

Greatest Cooking Tips

Desk drawers are typically a spot in our homes that can quickly get out of control. A simple solution like these small, inexpensive tins is a great way to get a handle on your mess. Measure your drawer before shopping to see how many you can fit, and purchase as many as you need. Then you can use them for all of your smaller office supplies.

Don’t store your bananas in a bunch or in a fruit bowl with other fruits. Separate your bananas and place each in a different location. Bananas release gases which cause fruits (including other bananas) to ripen quickly.

Separating them will keep them fresh longer.

Home Help

To bleach stains from tomato soup and other acidic foods on dishwasher-safe items, rub lemon juice on the spots, let dry in a sunny place, then wash as usual.

If two drinking glasses become stuck together after stacking, just put ice in the inner glass and dunk the outer glass in warm water. The warm glass will expand and the cold glass will contract, making the glasses separate easily.

Hooks are one of the most versatile solutions you can use in your organisation toolkit. In this example, we see how five simple hooks have greatly expanded the storage on this kitchen island, creating extra space for oven gloves, measuring cups and other cooking tools.

12 Sunday Times Magazine

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AUGUST 27, 2017

Puzzles

Crossword ACROSS 1 Sand bar 6 Actress -- Sommer 10 Be frugal 15 Required liniment 20 Bogart in "High Sierra" Condo luxury 21

22 Up to

23 Utah city

24 Minneapolis suburb 25 Girl-watcher 26 Salt water 27 Microsurgery tool 28 Quick solution (2wds.)

30 Remote area Errands 32 Hagar's comics wife 33 35 Job

36 Take apart

39 World Series mo.

40 Tommy -- Jones

41 Caesar's man

42 Like lime pie

46 Tyrannosaurus - 47 Rapper Dr. - 48 Uncivilized 51 Increase

53 RN employer

54 Nitrogen compounds

56 First-magnitude star 57 Recognized 59 Transports

61 Longest French river

62 Cher's ex

63 Half of zwei

64 Rushing sound

65 Retired professors

67 New Year's Eve word

68 "Road" movie locale

69 What the cast takes (2 wds.)

72 Doze off

73 Hokkaido metropolis 76 Passionate 80 Gullet

81 Look over to rob

82 Narrow inlet 83 Spellbound

85 Suffix for "press"

86 Bath powder 88 Relies

92 Sun Devils' campus

93 Toga party site

94 Before, in combos

95 Horse's hair

96 Flattened circle 99 Saunter

102 Chaplin's wife

103 Slammer and clink

104 Byron contemporary

108 Greet the morn 109 Nips

110 ABA mem.

111 Ushers' beats

112 Little swallow

113 Wet thoroughly

115 Scottish Gaelic

116 Kid's ammo

117 London's Big - 118 Garden implements

120 Compass pt.

121 Acorn dropper

123 Tijuana "Mrs." 124 Holm and Fleming 125 Garment for a sheik 127 Perimeters

129 Open spots

131 Sidewalk layer's need (2 wds.)

135 Looked forward to 140 Non-earthling

141 Coeur d'- 142 Beauty aid

143 Dark wood

144 Remain at anchor (2 wds.)

145 Not wordy 146 Pulpits 147 Uncanny 148 Topsy-turvy

149 Basso Simon - 150 Plover's dwelling 151 Toboggans

DOWN

1 Appear to be

2 -- -- fit (got mad)

3 Not a repro.

4 Magnet alloy 5 Percolate

6 Young bird of prey

7 Breathing spells

8 Patella site

9 It has a crust

10 Loose rock

11 Provoke greatly

12 City on the Mohawk

13 Laundry room fixture

14 End of a race

15 Top grade (hyph.)

16 Winches

17 Party thrower

18 Hardly - 19 Rowboat 21 Fountainhead

29 Uncooth ones

31 Boathouse items

34 Yore, of yore

36 Siberian river

37 Verne's skipper

38 CCLVI doubled

41 Wedding ritual

43 Where Columbus is

44 Ballpark figures

45 -- Hashanah

47 View as

48 Hit the road

49 -- fatuus 50 Wager

51 Dumb mistake

52 Casual wear (hyph.)

55 Sketched

56 Nullified

57 ATM panel

58 El -- (ocean current)

60 Tough guy

62 Bygone sellout notices

64 Finish (2 wds.)

66 Tooth coating

67 Porcupine quill

69 Lb. or tsp.

70 Sheep's cry

71 Potter's messenger

74 Ice hockey locales

75 By word of mouth

77

78

79

81

84

87

89

90

91 93 97

98

99

100

101

Old World cont.

Firearms lobby New Year in Hanoi -- up (got comfy) Tag-sale disclaimer (2 wds.)

USN noncoms Chew the scenery Stamp purchase Installs in office Charges Lo-cal Zooms on runners Bathrobe tie Musical ensemble Plump and juicy

KATHLEEN SAXE

WORD GAME TODAY'S WORD -- MEDICAL WORD GAME by Kathleen Saxe TODAY'S WORD -- MEDICAL (MEDICAL: MED-ih-kul: Of or relating to the study or practice of medicine.)

Average mark 45 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 59 or more words in MEDICAL? mace made maid mail male malice mead meal medal media

medial medic meld melic mica mice mild mile email dace

dale dame deal decal decimal declaim deli dial dice diel

dime iced idea ideal idle calm came camel clad claim

clam clime aced acid acme aide ailed aimed amice amid

lace lade laic laid lame lead lice lied lime

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.

102 103 105 106 107 109 111

Seine feeder Pickle holder Canadian prov.

Archie or Jughead 9-digit IDs Fellow camper Calculator precursors

114 Step -- -- (hurry)

115 Make ends meet

116 Shores up

119 Torrents of rain

121 Danish seaport

122 Sees eye to eye 123 Tap

124 A Peron 126 Irk

127 Put forth effort

128 Food wrap

129 Ticket remnants

130 Duelers' weapons 131 Serene

132 Nobellist -- Wiesel

133 -- van der Rohe

134 Cousteau's islands

136 Icy burg 137 Split

138 Wife of Geraint

139 Changes color Solution on Pg 13

guyanatimesgy.com

AUGUST 27, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 13

Tech

Your iPhone will be ‘smarter’ in September A pps will soon leverage new tools from Apple to identify almost everything.

Apple said on Wednesday that it will take a look at some of the first applications that will leverage this technology. Apple is doing all of the processing on the device, which means nothing is sent out to the cloud.

Take a look at what’s possible

This app is called LoseIt, and it’s meant to help you lose weight by making wise eating choices. With iOS 11, you’ll be able to point your phone like this bowl of spaghetti, and Lose It will identify it.

Tech news

Samsung working on home smart speaker

Then there is Visual DX. This app is already used by doctors and hospitals around the world. The new version is smarter.

There might be a rash a patient might ask his or her doctor about. The doctor can take a picture and the app can identify it even without an internet connection. This function wasn’t available at all in prior versions of the app. You had to search through symptoms and dig through multiple menus to find what the ailment might be.

These are just two examples of updated apps that are coming soon.

Apple also spoke about another app that’s not quite finished that can detect a face so that, when you take pictures, the person in the photo automatically receives a copy of the image.

The possibilities seem pretty endless, and that’s just a small taste of what machine learning can do.

Tech news

G

S

amsung has confirmed it is developing its own voice-controlled “smart speaker” for the home, to rival devices by Amazon and Google.

DJ Koh, head of Samsung’s mobile division, told CNBC News: “I am already working on it.”

The company already has a voice-controlled assistant called Bixby on some of its devices, which can send messages and set reminders.

One analyst said Samsung would have to differentiate itself from competitors.

Voice-controlled smart speakers are typically used to play music, set a timer, add items to a shopping list and control other internet-connected gadgets around the home.

Amazon’s Echo speaker can be used to buy products from the online retailer, while Google’s Home speaker can retrieve search results in a conversational way, and play YouTube videos on a compatible television.

Crossword Solution

Google launches test for mental health

oogle has teamed up with a mental illness group to provide a test to check if you are depressed or mentally ill.

Those who type “clinical depression” in Google search via a mobile device will now be invited to check if they are clinically depressed via a screening questionnaire.

The partnership has been developed by Google and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Google said those who click through from the search suggestion will see a “Knowledge Panel” which will give you an option to “check if you are clinically depressed”.

The test, called a PHQ-9, is described by the search engine as a clinically validated screening questionnaire and is designed to test what level of depression a person may be suffering.

Tech TIP

T

hird-party apps and sites for hunting down images are available, but Google offers its own way to use its image search engine if you are using a tablet or smartphone at the time.

On a computer, you drag a file into the search box (or rightclick it) to do a reverse search for similar images on the web.

On a mobile device with the Chrome browser for Android and iOS, you start with a photo that has already popped up in the search results.

When you have an image you want to research in the Chrome app, tap it to open the photo to a full-screen view.

Next, press and hold your finger on the screen and choose “Search Google for this image.” The results page returns other web pages where Google has found that particular image, often with text accompanying it for additional information.

Another method in the Chrome app involves switching

to the desktop version of the Google image search page by tapping the menu button in the top-right corner and selecting “Request Desktop Site.” Once you are on the desktop version of the page, tap the camera icon in the search bar.

You can now choose a file to upload from your device’s photo app or from an online file-storage site.

You can also take a picture of something and instantly upload the photo to the Google image search.

14 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

AUGUST 27, 2017

Bollywood/Hollywood

U

sher wants one of those pesky herpes lawsuits tossed out, because the woman suing him has no proof he gave her anything, TMZ has learned.

The singer has responded to the US$20 million lawsuit filed by a Georgia woman who claims he gave her genital herpes back in April.

In Usher's legal docs, obtained by TMZ, he notes her lawsuit says nothing about whether she had been tested prior to their alleged sexual encounter. He says, "A previous sexual partner very well may have already infected her."

And, Usher says, she could have contracted the STD after their alleged encoun-

ter.

And he takes another shot, saying she assumed the risk of getting herpes by having "casual, unprotected sexual intercourse and/or oral sex."

Interestingly, Usher did not attack the lawsuit by saying he couldn't have given her herpes. Additionally, Usher's lawyer grouses the woman is suing under a pseudonym, claiming there's no cause for her to secretly file her lawsuit. He's asking the judge to throw out her lawsuit. (TMZ)

Sidharth Malhotra’s dream role is Bane from ‘Batman’ movie

B

ollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra has never played a grey character, but guess what his dream role is? It’s Bane from the film, “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012).

Sidharth is all praise for Hollywood actor Tom Hardy, especially for the way the latter portrayed the negative role in the superhero film.

According to the “Ek Villain” (2014) actor, it’s laudable how Hardy, despite having his face covered, performed with his voice.

“How cool it is for an actor in Hollywood, which is Tom Hardy, to play a character where all throughout the film his face is covered and all his performance is through his voice, which is

modified ... and it’s all in his body language, how his head tilts, that’s all he has to play with... And I think it was an incredible performance.

His face actually comes only for one shot in the whole film. I’m a big (Christopher) Nolan fan, and a big ‘Dark Knight’ fan and it’ll be interesting to play him,” Sidharth said on Neha Dhupia’s podcast #NoFilterNeha.

Meanwhile, on the same podcast, Sidharth declared he is single, hinting that he may have separated from his rumoured girlfriend, Alia Bhatt. “I am very much single,” said Sidharth, who is currently busy promoting his latest film, “A Gentleman”, also starring Jacqueline Fernandez.

B

ollywood actress Sonam Kapoor, in a tweet, confirmed that she was working in the big screen adaptation of Anuja Chauhan’s novel “The

Zoya Factor”.

There had been speculations about Sonam’s involvement with the project for quite some time now. The actor finally said

she was a part of the film and looking forward to start the project. “Super excited to work with amazing sister duo Aarti Shetty and Pooja Shetty with brilliant Abhishek Sharma on Anuja Chauhan’s Zoya factor,” wrote Sonam, who will next be seen in “Padman” alongside Akshay Kumar.

“The Zoya Factor” is a story about a woman, Zoya Singh Solanki, who works in an advertising agency. She ends up becoming a lucky charm for the Indian cricket team, whom she meets through her job.

Meanwhile, Sonam has also started prepping for “Veerey Di Wedding”, which also features Kareena Kapoor Khan and Swara Bhasker. (Hindustan Times)

Taylor Swift releases new song I

t's been a busy week for Taylor Swift.

Hot on the heels of winning her law suit against the DJ who groped her at a signing (and then sued her for the loss of his job), she removed all the content from her social media channels, including her bio, link and profile pictures, and subsequently uploaded a series of caption-less snake gifs, which led to the announcement of her new album, Reputation, set to be released November 10.

Thursday night, TayTay dropped her first single, “Look What You Made Me Do”, that declares “the old Taylor is dead”.

The singer has been given an edgy rebrand, interpolating Right Said Fred's “I'm Too Sexy” with house, dance and pop elements.

It is clear that Taylor is referenc-

ing someone in this song with lyrics like, “Honey, I rose up from the dead I do it all the time/I got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined I check it once/Then I check it twice.” But who? Katy? Kanye?

It is widely believed that “Bad Blood” was written about Katy Perry, so is this a continuance of that feud? Or could this be Taylor getting her own back following her epic fight with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian over his song “Famous”.

Her album ‘Reputation’ suggests that it will be themed around appearances, social media, maybe even her recent law suit. (Glamour)

K

im Kardashian has blocked snake emojis from her Instagram profile after Taylor Swift released her comeback single, “Look What You Made Me Do”.

Swifties immediately began posting snakes in Kim's comments after clips of the reptiles appeared in Taylor Swift's so-

cial media teaser videos.

Kim Kardashian may have used a filtering tool to stop the snakes, which was ironically created for Taylor Swift last year.

Instagram created it after the singer's feud with the Kardashian-Wests last year over Kanye West's song “Famous”.

(Hindustan Times)

Ajay Devgn speaks on Kajol, Karan Johar’s relationship

O

n her birthday, Kajol decided to leave all the bitterness between herself and Karan Johar behind and invited him to celebrate her big day.

Karan reportedly teared up to meet his friend of 25 years after a solid tiff.

Since the entire spat started because of the big

box office clash between Ajay Devgn's “Shivaay” and Karan Johar's “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil”, Ajay was recently quizzed about his views on the patch up. He said, "I have never ever spoken about personal topics and issues. So this is something very personal I really wouldn't like to talk about

it. I've maintained this, in general, that I do not speak about personal life.”

He added, "Box office clashes don't matter. It has become common and happens with almost every film.

It's just that some people voice their opinions, while others don't."

guyanatimesgy.com

AUGUST 27, 2017

Sunday Times Magazine 15

16 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

AUGUST 27, 2017

Fun Times

Archie

Anger due to loyalty isARIES sues will not help fix an emo(March 21- tional situation. Take a moApril 19) ment to consider what’s really bothering you before you make unrealistic demands that won’t solve anything.

Put your energy into pasTAURUS sion, not into an emotional (April 20- argument. It’s important to May 20) be clear about what you want and how you feel. Working with someone to build a better future is encouraged.

Make time for the ones GEMINI you love. Sharing a romantic (May 28- moment or getting involved June 20) in physical activities with youngsters, siblings or peers should highlight your day.

Being too soft with youngsters or anyone trying to take (June 21- advantage of your kindness July 22) will cause emotional stress.

Don’t jeopardize your health just to fit in. Say no to temptation.

CANCER

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Dilbert

Peanuts

Emotions will be difficult to control. Don’t let anger take charge or you could face unwanted changes in a relationship with someone you want and need in your life.

Be willing to compromise.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

A short trip will motivate you to meet people from different backgrounds or implement different lifestyles into your current daily routine. Share your thoughts and feelings with someone special.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Do what you can to give something back to your community. Donating possessions will leave you feeling good and will help you get rid of clutter.

If you don’t use or want something, pay it forward.

Rely on your uniqueness SCORPIO and creative ability to come up (Oct. 24- with ideas or plans that will Nov. 22) make your surroundings more conducive to the lifestyle you want to pursue.

Use your strength, courSAGITTARIUS age, desire and discipline to (Nov. 23get things done your way.

Dec. 21) Home improvements will make you feel safe and secure. Romance will encourage a better relationship.

Calvin and Hobbes

Taking a unique approach CAPRICORN to the way you move forward (Dec. 22- professionally will lead to Jan. 19) positive change in your income and will boost your reputation.

Question anyone or any AQUARIUS situation that seems suspi(Jan. 20- cious or untrue. A fast-talkFeb. 19) ing salesperson will give you false information. Do your research before you buy into something. Romance is highlighted.

A bargain is only good if PISCES (Feb. 20- what you get is something Mar. 20) you actually need. Don’t get caught up in the moment or talked into something that you can do without.