Guyana Times, Sunday August 19, 2018

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

Issue No. 3660

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Sunday, August 19, 2018

PRICE

$18M worth of cane spoils at Uitvlugt factory – source

$120 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

GTU, Govt impasse

Page 3

…“shredder negligence” being considered in probe DHB feasibility

Police probing Public Infrastructure Ministry's procurement breaches – SOCU Page 9

Former P7 Education Minister recommends arbitration Wife fined for assaulting disabled husband P10 Green economy

Jagdeo P9 questions Granger’s global commitment

…to bring 2M hectares of forest under conservation

Hairdresser nabbed with cocaine, P10 ecstasy stuffed in bra

Essequibo Coast braces for more P16 power outages

…as 2 major power units fail

Former UN chief Kofi Annan dies

P16

Fans from the United States joined the 'Biggest Party in Sport' on Saturday evening when the Jamaica Tallawahs and the Guyana Amazon Warriors played at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida

PNCR to select Chairman, Vice Chairman today Page 2

…“dine and wine” event ends in chaos …Govt vehicle among 5 vehicles damaged

Confusion reigns as City Hall relocates more minibus P13 parks

…drivers complain of inadequate security

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NEWS

SUnDAY, august 19, 2018 | guyanatimesGY.com

PNCR to select Chairman, Vice Chairman today …“dine and wine” event ends in chaos …Govt vehicle among 5 vehicles damaged

By Michael Younge

O

ver 100 delegates from the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) will either create history or maintain the status quo when they vote in a critical poll to elect the new Central Executive Committee of that party today.

That Central Executive Committee will be tasked with leading the PNCR into the upcoming Local Government Elections and the subsequent 2020 General and Regional Elections.

On Friday night and all day Saturday, the high-ranking officials who are vying for top posts held independent and informal meetings with delegates in order to canvas their electoral support ahead of today’s vote.

The most critical aspect of the voting process is related to the selection of a new party chairman. That post is currently being held by PNCR executive member Basil Williams, who has served two consecutive terms.

Williams, the country’s current Attorney General, is seeking a third term in the post, which actively means that he could become the next in line to replace the party’s leader, David Granger, if Granger chooses not to run in 2020 as the party’s presidential candidate.

The damaged vehicles outside The Georgetown Club on Friday night following the collision

Over the weekend, Williams and the groups that nominated him seemed to be a bit uneasy, as a majority of the delegates who had earlier pledged support to him were apparently deflecting to his competitors.

Also contesting for the position of party chairman is head of the PNCR Women’s Arm, Volda Lawrence.

Lawrence currently serves as the country’s Public Health Minister after a short stint as its Social Protection Minister.

“She’s one to beat”, a party insider had opined during an exchange with the Guyana Times on Thursday last.

Lawrence’s support base is drawn from Georgetown and Region Four generally. She also commands a strong support base in Regions Five, Nine and 10.

The final competitor for the post of party chairman is PNCR executive member Joseph Harmon. In the lead up to the Congress, he managed to launch an effective social media campaign, and has been visiting various regions, where he has been holding a number of engagements.

Harmon serves as the country’s Minister of State, and is generally viewed as the closest confidant of President David Granger, who is the leader of the PNC/R. On Friday, news swept through the congress that Harmon had managed to secure the blessings of the top party executives, but this could not be confirmed by this publication.

Meanwhile, a slew of young people have thrown their hats into the ring when they signalled their intention

to run for the post of party vice chairman. Chief among the contenders is current Vice Chairman Volda Lawrence and Dr George Norton, who were nominated again.

New challengers include Christopher Jones, who is the country’s current Director of Sport; while Annette Ferguson, who is serving as the Junior Public Infrastructure Minister in the coalition Government, has also signalled her interest.

Other contenders include party executives Aubrey Norton and Thandi McAllister. One of the party’s diaspora representatives, Cosford Roberts, has also indicated his intention to seek election to the office.

“Dine and wine” social

The party’s election process is taking place after day

one ended in controversy and a myriad of problems which stemmed from an after-conference event.

On Friday evening, the event saw complete chaos taking place after at least five vehicles belonging to attendees -- one of which is attached to the Social Cohesion Ministry -- became involved in a collision outside of the after-conference venue, Georgetown Club on Camp Street, Georgetown.

While details are still sketchy, Police “A” Division Commander Marlon Chapman and Traffic Chief Ramesh Ashram have both confirmed the incident.

However, while Chapman noted that he had no information regarding what transpired, Ashram disclosed that one vehicle belonging to the

Social Cohesion Ministry was involved.

The Traffic Chief further explained that the multi-vehicle collision was deemed minor, as only vehicles were damaged.

When Guyana Times spoke to Ashram on Saturday afternoon, he said he had only been briefed on the accident, and had not received a full report.

While unconfirmed, information has surfaced that the accident occurred as a result of the PNCR Congress attendees over imbibing and attempting to drive.

It is also alleged that following the accident, Government officials quickly fled the scene to avoid possible encounters with the media. Investigations are ongoing.

news

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SUnDAY, august 19, 2018 | guyanatimesGY.com

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

Sunday, August 19 – 11:30h-13:00h and Monday, August 20 – 13:00h-14:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, August 18 – 09:05h-10:35h and Sunday, August 19 – 11:50h-13:20h.

$18M worth of cane spoils at Uitvlugt factory – source …“shredder negligence” being considered in probe

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Early morning sunny intervals are expected to give way to light cloudy skies, with sunny weather returning in the afternoon. Partly cloudy skies can be expected in the evening, with temperatures expected to range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 5.81 metres.

High Tide: 10:35h and 22:59h reaching maximum heights of 2.16 metres and 2.19 metres respectively.

Uitvlugt Estate (Agriculture Ministry photo)

Low Tide: 04:02h and 16:28h reaching minimum heights of 0.96 metre and 1.09 metre respectively.

ome $18 million worth of sugar cane produce at the Uitvlugt Estate, West Coast Demerara, was left to spoil, a source close to the estate has revealed.

Guyana Times understands that an investigation has been launched by senior management of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) in the spoilage and also to understand just how 64 out of 70 knives were sent flying when the Estate’s cane shredder lost control. A source familiar with the probe told this newspaper in a recent interview that from preliminary investigations, management is considering that it may be “negligence” that was responsible for the damage that wrecked Uitvlugt’s number two turbine on Saturday, August 11, 2018.

“I think someone should answer for that, but we can’t say yet... the investigation will determine if anyone will be sanctioned,” a GuySuCo source told this newspaper.

From images that surfaced last week, well over 300 tonnes of sugar canes in punts were seen waiting to be processed and according to the source, this amounted to $18 million in value.

Guyana Times was told that the sugar canes were in line since two Saturdays ago. It was disclosed that tonnage lost in sugar canes would have yielded 220 tonnes of produced sugar for the sec-

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By Shemuel Fanfair

S

ond crop.

An official attached to GuySuCo said on Saturday that the losses at Uitvlugt will adversely affect the entity achieving its 2018 target, which was set at 10,780 tonnes. Reports coming out of Uitvlugt state that some of the canes began to smell

holic beverages.

According to information sourced from the GuySuCo investigation, it was unearthed that 10 components from the turbine were destroyed. The Estate Manager, Yudhisthira Mana, is still to disclose the full cost to repair the shred-

the recent mishap.

It was around 09:30h on August 11, 2018, that workers started up the number two turbine. However, a section called the “governor” was reportedly not maintained properly in the out of crop period. The turbine has 70 knives on the sharp which spins to shred the canes. However, on the day of the mishap, when worked started the machines, it overspun, and the knives flew out several feet away, forcing workers to take cover. The workers were shouting praises that no one was injured or killed via the raining knives.

Mana told another section of the media that at the start of the second crop, the knife turbine had not been tested at the time other sections of the factory were

Burnt sugar cane in a punt (filed photo)

which suggested that the produce was losing viability.

There was a trial on Friday, but this did not yield the desired results and up to Saturday, the cane shredder was still not performing its indented functions.

However, it is expected that another trial could commence soon to crush canes.

It is not clear if any of the produce can be saved for sugar production. However, it is understood that the management at Uitvlugt attempted to salvage the situation by opting to produce molasses; a key ingredient in the manufacture of alco-

der machine which is expected to be in the millions.

Guyana Times understands that the number two turbine was completely damaged, and it was replaced with a turbine from the defunct La Bonne Intention Estate (LBI). It was said that the turbine from LBI has to get “a new sharp” because the current one was bent. The sharp is a part of the machine used to set the knives and its issues were only discovered when workers checked it on Monday last. The original sharp from the Uitvlugt Estate was completely damaged in

tested. These knives, which are made out of carbon steel, weigh 20lbs each. One observer recently called for a probe into the procedures that GuySuCo uses for testing its turbines, trip-speed tests and on-site verification by qualified engineers.

The Uitvlugt Estate is the lone Demerara Estate, with Wales and East Demerara having been shuttered. The Special Purposes Unit assumed control of all of the closed estates. Many of the former workers of the Wales Estate which numbered over 1000 obtained employment at Uitvlugt.

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guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, august 19, 2018

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

Editorial

Secondary school exams results

G

uyana is once again indulging in its annual overthe-top celebration of the results of our secondary school exams. As we wrote last year and so many years before: “Our obsession with results of exams taken in the Grade 11/Fifth Form, when our children are merely around sixteen years old, is a sign of our country’s repressed development. Like the results of the NGSA at the end of Grade 6, these exams, as well as those of CAPE at Grade 13, the excitement surrounds the top performers who will be the recipients of scholarships for furthering their studies.

“And it is this drive for scholarships - with a few exceptions - that will be pushing our high school graduates to write every increasing numbers of subjects at these exams. It is a sign of our poverty-stricken economic status, where most of our students know they cannot afford the tuition to top quality universities outside of Guyana.” Unfortunately, there have been intermittent but inconclusive debates about the pros and cons of having children being pushed to write subjects that have absolutely no substantive utility in the advancement of their career goals.

Take, for instance, the top CAPE student. She was quite candid that because her 20 subjects at CSEC – with 18 Grade 1’s -- did not secure a scholarship, she turned to CAPE as a “second chance”. Desiring to be a medical doctor, she yet wrote Pure Mathematics; Applied Mathematics and Environmental Science to boost her numbers for the scholarship jackpot rather than for further preparatory “education” in her field. The top CSEC student’s experience illustrates the personal sacrifice demanded from the students to achieve their prodigious feats.

Attending the top secondary school, the student yet had to take lessons in the mornings; in the afternoons; on weekends; and, with his mother as schoolteacher quitting her job to devote her time full time to him, study regularly until 2:30 in the morning. These are students who know the loneliness of the long-distance runner because they have felt it. The effort has to take a toll that will manifest itself in the next tertiary stage of their education, where they have a high chance of suffering from “burnout”. Guyana has produced a string of “high flyers” at the CXC, CSEC exams over the past decade, and it might be useful to conduct a survey of those who have now completed their tertiary studies, on their assessment of their earlier marathon efforts.

Another point we have been making in this space over the annual exams hoopla has been for us to spare a thought for those outside the charmed top 5 per cent. As usual, the Ministry of Education has been focusing on issuing aggregate results up to Grade 3, which count as “passes”. By this measure, one learns there has been marginal improvement that has bumped “passes” into the high sixty percent range.

But what should have been done was to reveal how many students actually “matriculated”, or received at least 5 subjects including English 1 and Pure Mathematics. After all, this is the minimum qualification to enter university for non-professional studies, and also for most non-manual jobs. Even aggregately, only 43% of passes were secured with at least a Grade 3 in Pure Mathematics.

We can perhaps get a flavour of the skewed performance from the fact that only 233 students out of 12,269 secured Grade 1 passes in eight or more subjects, while over 600 failed to secure even a Grade 3 in a single subject. And this number has to be viewed against an ever-decreasing number of students sitting the CSEC, from a high of 16,000 to now merely 12,000 countrywide. Did the “missing candidates” drop out of the school system?

It is rather serendipitous that the announcement of the lacklustre secondary school exam results coincide with that of the teachers union declaring they will be striking because of the impasse on salary increases. They are related.

Bollywood superstar, Priyanka Chopra and American singer, Nick Jonas made their relationship official with a traditional Roka ceremony at the actress’ residence in Mumbai, Indian. Roka is a chance for the couple to exchange gifts and makes the union of their families’ public. (Times of India)

Tribute to VS Naipaul

Dear Editor, Renowned West Indian author Vidya S Naipaul drew his last breath on Saturday, August 11, 2018, just a week shy of his 86th birthday. Naipaul was perhaps the most controversial contemporary literary figure, vilified and criticised as a man, but as a writer, he drew unparalleled admiration from the literate world.

Naipaul not only wrote in a lucid, unambiguous style but he playfully exposed men and women for their falsity. VS Naipaul was just 18 years of age when he entered Oxford University in the United Kingdom in 1950. By 1957, he had published The Mystic Masseur which lovingly poked fun at the Trinidad he grew up to and remembered from every angle but which also exposed false gods, men who were mimics and who had no sense of identity. His characters, such as “GR Muir”, “MBE”, are emblematic of the wider society.

We in fact came to that delightful book of short stories, simply titled Miguel Street (1959; Somerset Maugham Award), before we came to The Mystic Masseur, and those stories made us realise that ordinary people were the characters in fiction, that the purpose of fiction is to hold up a mirror to the society and who stared back was yourself (and many of us did not like what we saw in the mirror). Characters such as “Hat”, “Bolo”, “ManMan”, “B Wordsworth”,

“Bogart”, and the unforgettable “Laura” became immortal for us of that age.

Those characters are timeless. Novel after novel by VS Naipaul revealed the dilemma of being a colonial, the complex matters of dispossession, placelessness, and identity, the emptiness of the post-colonial world, the quest for self-knowledge and freedom.

Among the fictional works Naipaul wrote are The Suffrage of Elvira (1958); A House for Biswas (1961); The Mimic Men (1967; WH Smith Award); In a Free State (1971; Booker Prize); A Bend in the River (1979); The Enigma of Arrival (1987).

Naipaul embarked on travel in 1960, and produced writings too many to list in this letter; in one of them, Finding the Centre (1984) is a perceptive discussion of his emergence as a writer.

His travel writings were a way of questioning the imperialist form of the novel that we had inherited.

He even ventured into the Muslim world in his pursuit of truth and said things which angered Muslims. He angered Africans, women, and West Indians by saying, “History is built around achievement and creation; and nothing was created in the West Indies….”, but Naipaul did not care what people thought of him; he was a man with a mission even if he was accused of transferring his own neuroses onto his characters.

A writer does not need philosophical training to

write; he is the philosopher.

Naipaul richly deserved the Nobel Prize (2001) and his Honour of Knighthood bestowed by Queen Elizabeth 11 in 1989.

In 2007, on a visit to Trinidad, VS Naipaul appeared on a public platform, a few of us from Guyana (including Bernadette Persaud, Ryhaan Shah and myself) travelled to Trinidad to celebrate Naipaul week with the hope of catching a glimpse of the man who had done us all proud.

At question time, a man from the audience ventured a question whereupon, Naipaul, as gentle as a lamb, like a father to a four-year-old child, replied, “Please find another question, you asked me that one already.” That is the writer who people vilified as being “strange” and “cold”.

At that meeting, I presented the writer with copies of The Arts Journal. I doubt he gave them a second glance, and I don’t fault him for that because I appreciate that he spent this life educating us, giving us a clear sense of who we are and our place in the scheme of things.

VS’s younger brother, Shiva, was also a prolific writer whose Fireflies (1970; winner of three awards including the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize, the Jock Campbell New Statesman Award, and the Winifred Holtby Prize) and The Chip-Chip Gatherers (1973; Whitbread literary Award) are also

profound statements on the complicated questions of culture and place of Indians in Trinidad. Shiva died in 1985 at age 40 but not before he had written four more works: North of South (1978); Black and White (1980); A Hot Country (1983); and Beyond the Dragon’s Mouth (1984).

In fact, it was their father, Seepersaud Naipaul, a journalist, who was first bitten by the writing bug; by example, he led the family into a scalding awareness of the post-colonial world.

His Gurudeva and Other Stories was ultimately published (1976) by Andre Deustch long after his death. Now, the news has it that their sister Savi has just released a book about her brother.

Perhaps, in her book, we shall discover the reason her brother, so critical of the imperialist world, chose to spend his entire life in England. Trinidad and the English-speaking Caribbean owe much to this family and Hanuman House has a place in history.

The Arts Journal records its condolences to family and admirers. VS’s passing has left a lamentable void; it would be decades before the West Indies produces a writer as fearless as Naipaul to tell us bluntly about ourselves.

Ameena Gafoor Founder and Secretary, The Arts Forum Inc Founding Editor, The Arts Journal

guyanatimesgy.com

SunDAY, august 19, 2018

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

It is time!

Dear Editor, In my letter to the Guyanese media, dated August 13, 2018, and captioned as “The time is now for the GTU to act”, I mentioned the fact that President’s David Granger’s Government can easily find G$1 billion annually to travel internationally but cannot find the same amount of money for teachers. Such funds can easily increase each teacher’s salary by some $7900 per month. Now, I am reading that the Granger Government did not enter these negotiations with the GTU for the teachers alone but for all public servants. Isn’t that against the spirit of collective bargaining? Any labour union leader will advise that collective bargaining is done between an employer and a union for the members of that union, not every worker because the process was designed to empower the trade unions. Am I to believe that the People’s National Congress (PNC) is up to its same old ways where today they plan to infiltrate and dis-empower these trade unions.

That is what the Education Minister said in a Ministry of the Presidency press release and I shall quote “I would want to ensure that what we offer to teachers is what we can afford but also what we’re going to offer to other categories (of workers).”

This is a plain old game of political subterfuge and deception at conning the teachers out of bread by commingling their negotiations with the entire public service. Such wicked political acts create the occasion and cause for a national teacher strike.

If nothing else, the actions of the Granger Government is gross “eye pass” and disrespectful to the services of the teachers. After all, they mould the minds of the nation’s most valuable asset – its future; its children which is very different from what other public servants do. It is a totally different deliverable and must be treated differently.

Luckily, there are still opportunities to correct this injustice conceived and perpetuated by Granger’s Government; all he has to do is think constructively for all of Guyana rather than remain so focused on self-preservation.

First off, Granger must familiarise himself with a budget created in his name, he must not remain so aloft from the process.

With the right knowledge, I am sure he will instruct areas for cutting some fat and make the entire system more effective and efficient.

One thing he can call

for is an impact and outcome audit of the last three budgets to evaluate what has the people gotten for him taxing them, borrowing in their name and then spending some $900 billion.

Such an exercise will expose what a public circus we have under Granger and how he can find the money to immediately pay the teacher $5000 per month on top of what they are currently making. That would-be money spent that is worth its weight in gold compared to what is happening today – overseas trips, parades, and bodyguards.

As an example, let us reflect on the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, which is not even a Ministry but a Department in the Ministry of the Presidency.

In 2017, it spent some $882 million but what did it achieve for the people?

This Department delivered less work over three years than its predecessor did in even three months. Isn’t time to cut all the pageantry, sirens and public waste that is happening in places like the Prime Minister’s Secretariat and pay the hardworking teachers a living wage?

Then there is the food bill for the National Parliament?

Come on now, $700,000 per sitting?

Then there is the Public Telecommunications Ministry?

Guyana after three years is yet to benefit from the sort of advances made in the world in this sector even after spending some GY$6.5 billion in this sector under Minister Cathy Hughes since she took the job.

Again, this Ministry under Hughes is set to spend some GY$4.6 billion in 2018. Where is the progress? Where are the deliverables?

The Office of the Auditor General has asked for payment voucher valued at billions of dollars in unaccounted expenditure on that parade ground at D’Urban Park, but the PNC are sand-dancing on the issue in full compliance to their historical DNA. But yet Clive Thomas and his State Assets Recovery Agency is in a dead asleep on this issue. The hypocrisy is off the charts and the collateral damage for such public theft sufferation to the entire teaching profession and some people are starved so that some people can have their parades, sirens, and international trips.

I call on all teachers to come out and support the strike again this injustice being meted out to them in 2018.

Sincerely, Sasenarine Singh

Incomplete road works in Agriculture Road Dear Editor, After writing several letters about the deplorable state of Agriculture Road, Triumph, East Coast Demerara, I am compelled to write this letter again.

About three weeks ago, I saw the same project engineer sent by the Public Infrastructure Ministry to patch the bad holes I highlighted in one of my previous letters. I believe this engineer was sent back to complete his ‘’bogus work’’ he left unfinished since he started this work. I was happy that he came back to patch the holes in this road; I note with interest he started the work from in-front of National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) going to the front from back. The

holes in-front NAREI he patched properly. Then I noticed he just dug out the bad parts and threw in some crush and run and rolled it over and did not put bitumen for over 200 meters that now has two more holes already. What infuriates me was he worked a few days and left the work to go and fix two roads in Block Eight – a road they called ‘’Jail Man Bridge’’. He fixed those two roads but left about 600 meters with deep holes and left to return to Agriculture Road to patch more holes he left unfinished in the rains.

It’s mind-boggling that this engineer will work in the rains and not on the hot days. The middle of the road that had a big hole that broke the road into pieces; he tried to fix it proper-

ly but if you look at the bottom, when it was dug out and what they threw in and rolled it over, you will know it cannot last a year. He failed to level the twisted parts of the road and sleeve the corners of the road.

As I go out on the road, he has cut off about 600 meters of the road approximately four feet in width that has now become an accident zone when vehicles are coming from the opposite directions. He threw some red sand into the hole and left. It’s now a deep hole that can land a vehicle into the Mon Repos trench if you don’t know the road when driving.

He left lots of holes on the edges of the road as he did not cut off and fill it up with crusher run and bitu-

men. The 600 meters of bad work he left incomplete infront and over 400 meters at the back is a next bad testimony of the bogus work this contractor is doing, and he is paid by the Public Infrastructure Ministry to execute these deplorable road works all over Guyana.

In my firm opinion, this man needs to be taken to court to refund the Ministry its money for the deplorable road works he has failed to complete.

I am calling on the Public Infrastructure Minister to send a team into Agriculture Road to examine the bogus road work that is executed by the contractor.

Regards, Reverend Gideon Cecil

$30B could have gone into restructuring sugar industry Dear Editor, The greatest enigma Guyanese have experienced is the way forward for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) – to close the estates, to diversify, to make all viable and then sell some, and to downsize and to ‘upsize’. Even the sugar workers who were dismissed are being fed with euphemistic epithets to give them some mental reprieve.

We were told in February this year that $10-15 billion is needed to open the closed estates and then sell them to fetch a ‘good’ price and then a week later we were told that $30 billion is needed ‘to provide much capital injection, support infrastructure maintenance, and upgrades at Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt’.

There are so many variations, combinations and permutations that Guyanese are perplexed and in a quandary as to what actually is the fate of GuySuCo and those who depends on it. The $15 billion loan was supposed to be finalised in March this year but that did not come to pass. However, what is more mysterious is the fact that although the $30 billion loan did materialise, it is just apparently sitting in the bank accumulating interest which will cost us US$40 million. It was supposed to be utilised for capital injection and infrastructure maintenance and other upgrades. This apparently did not happen, since the starting of the second crop was postponed because of impassable dams.

The Special Purpose Unit (SPU) had the entire out-ofcrop period to fix the dams but they did not and it is evident that any amount of rainfall will surely affect the achievement of this crop’s target. This is what happened in the first crop this year. If the SPU is so short-sighted as to not fix the dams, it makes us won-

der how they are going to make GuySuCo viable.

In fact, during the out of crop period, I saw a backbreaking exercise at one of the estates where tractor and bell loader operators have to break concrete columns to fill holes at the back-dam. It just goes to show the ingenuity the estate managers must employ to get the crop started whilst the SPU is sitting on the $30 billion loan oblivious of the struggles faced by management.

However, apart from the harsh economic realities which the dismissed sugar workers have to grapple with, the depressed state of the communities affected and the overall economic decline, the embarrassingly short-sighted and dumb decision to close the Skeldon Estate is now affecting the profit-making Skeldon Energy Company Incorporated (SECI) which despite millions being spent to get it in operation, there is not enough biomass to generate power. When the Estate was in operation, the source was the bagasse from sugarcane production but with the closure of the Estate and the downsizing of sugar production, this cannot be realised. In addition, though a meeting was held earlier this year to source wood, cone husk and rice straw to be substitutes, this is yet to be realised. The former President of the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, Mohamed Raffik had bluntly said ‘it is not possible’ and it seems that his prophecy is being fulfilled.

Therefore, we can expect to have frequent blackouts since the back-up from the Skeldon Energy Company Incorporated (SECI) to the Guyana Power and Light grid will be unavailable.

The coalition Government, when in Opposition had lambast-

ed the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government for the subsidising of GuySuCo to keep it afloat, to inject much needed capital and to support infrastructure maintenance. During the period of 2011 to 2015, the PPP injected $26 billion dollars with all the estates in operation with no job loss.

On the other hand the coalition Government in less than three years injected more than $32 billion, and managed to close three estates, dismiss 7000 workers and could only manage to produce just over 100,000 tonnes of sugar. Now another $30 billion is needed to make the estates viable. It makes me wonder if

this coalition Government will ever make GuySuCo viable or the $30 billion loan is just another victim of the gross mismanagement and squandermania we have witnessed during the past three years!

I am in total agreement with the Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo that the $30 billion could have gone into restructuring the industry, while keeping all of the estates open and GuySuCo’s workforce employed and engaged.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf RDC Councillor, Region Six

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guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

CXC, CAPE scholars

Behind the scenes: Proud parents tell their story

By Rupadai Seenaraine

A

adilah Ali and her younger brother Areeb Ali share what their parents term a ‘normal’ sibling relationship; and when it comes to their studies, they are always willing to assist each other.

This was the position shared by the parents of the top performers Areefa and Shabeer Ali during an interview with the Guyana Times. Aadilah has been named as the top performer at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), while Areeb was among the top five candidates in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations this year.

Speaking on the performances of the young scholars, their mother Areefa Ali indicated that, while growing up, there was a touch of sibling rivalry that prompted one of them to reach the other one. However, she explained that they were both very consistent in their studies from a very young age.

“Their relationship is just like any other brother and sister. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not so good, but one would always help the other whenever they need it. My daughter was older, so she would always help in whatever way she could. I think

Aadilah, Areeb and their parents The top performers, Aadilah and Areeb Ali

both of them were very consistent in their studies,” their father, Shabeer Ali asserted.

Hailing from the West Bank of Demerara, the siblings were born two years apart, and both of them attended the Vreed-en-Hoop Primary. They both gained entrance to Queen’s College after writing the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

Nevertheless, Shabeer and Areefa ex-

plained that there were never any expectations.

Their children were given the encouragement and support that was needed for them to exceed. When they entered into high school, the competition of excelling pushed them further to perform to the best of their abilities.

“Earlier, there was a bit of competition because they were two years apart. When one of them got Queen’s

College, I think that set the pace for the other one to try to get there. Growing up, I don’t think we had any expectations. We just let them do what they were capable of doing,” said their mother Areefa.

She added, “We didn’t do anything extra special.

Everything had to do with their determination. That determined if they would do well or not. I think when they were exposed to others and there was competition to do well, that gave them

the additional urge and motivation to do well.”

Areefa also gave a little insight on some of the preparations they would’ve made to ensure that a good educational foundation was laid. This ensured that they complete their academic work and also allowed them to interact with their peers.

“In primary school, leading up to exams, we used to go over the work. That’s how we studied. We would not do it by term, but start from the beginning; and

that’s how I grow them coming right up. In high school, it was much more relaxing as in studying. We weren’t really behind them to study, but what I do know is that in secondary school we would just ensure that they do their work.”

According to the parents, motivation and commitment are the driving forces behind their children’s success. “Blessed” is the word they use to describe themselves for being parents to the outstanding performers.

They noted that over the years, spending quality family time had always been difficult with all of the academic and work-related activities, but they would spend time when everyone is together.

“I think every child develops in their own way.

We’re blessed to have them to have really motivated themselves to do well. In the past couple of years, it has been difficult to try to find a specific time to spend together as a family, but we would always do so wherever we could,” said Shabeer.

“Most Saturday and Sunday, when they were home from school and after classes, then we would spend more time. We weren’t having a lot of special moments during the last couple of years,” Areefa explained.

Aadilah acquired eight grade ones at CAPE while Areeb secured 17 grade ones, three grade twos and one grade three at the CSEC examination.

While she expressed astonishment at her performance, Areeb was expecting to do better.

Eighteen-year-old Aadilah told this publication, “I feel relieved. I didn’t expect to do this amazing.”

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SUnDAY, august 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

GTU, Govt impasse

Former Education Minister recommends arbitration I n light of the current stalled negotiations between the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU) and the Education Ministry, former Education Minister Dr Henry Jeffery, who was also a former Foreign Affairs Minister, has recommended that the GTU request arbitration to help bring the matter to a possible conclusion.

He told Guyana Times on Saturday that if the GTU believe they have come to the end of the negotiating process and they are not satisfied with what they have been given, and they have to strike, they should go ahead, or seek to use arbitration to resolve their issues.

“My concern with this matter is collective bargaining. When the Government came into office and before… in its manifesto, it promised collective bargaining.

Collective bargaining would entail a process that would mean the union does not have to strike,” he stated.

For instance, Dr Jeffrey said, both parties would negotiate; if they fail to come to an agreement, the Labour Department will then intervene and try to conciliate. If that process does not bring the desired results, then the next step would be to go to arbitration.

“Nobody wants to go through the process. If you go through the process we wouldn’t be here at this

Former Education Minister, Dr Henry Jeffrey

point in time. And that’s my concern about this. If the Government decides to follow the process, we won’t have to be here. It’s their reluctance to go through the proper process of collective bargaining which I can’t understand,” he opined.

The former Education Minister told this newspaper that the GTU has also allowed Government to frustrate the entire braining system by following the long drawn out discourse.

“The GTU is going along the road that the Government is going…it is not the road of collective bargaining…As I said, there is a process. The Government is meeting with them yeah, but they seem (unable to come) to some sort of conclusion that is acceptable to both parties,” Jeffrey ex-

GTU President Mark Lyte

plained.

He feels that the GTU should have requested conciliation from the Labour Department. He said the Minister responsible for that sector will have to use his power to order an arbitration.

“An arbitration is a simple matter of court, and (the dispute) would not have been where it is. They (Government) have a mandate to ensure that due course is followed in this matter,” he added.

While Dr Jeffrey has doubts that a strike action will take place as planned, he feels if the strike is to take effect, it would have a huge impact on the education sector.

“We know the repercussions. Disruption of family life and what it will cost from an educational standpoint…exams and the need

Albouystown man’s bail bid fails

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hirty-year-old Leonard Allicock of James Street Albouystown, Georgetown was on Friday further remanded to prison when he appeared before Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly arraigned for robbery under arms.

Unrepresented, Allicock, on his first court

appearance had pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stated that on July 29, 2018, while in the vicinity of Albouystown, Georgetown, and while being armed with a gun, he robbed Christopher Gonsalves of four gold chains valued at $340,000, and one cellphone valued at $240,000.

The Police prosecutor had objected to Allicock being placed on bail, citing the serious nature of the offence and noting that a dangerous weapon had been used during or before the alleged robbery.

Allicock was again refused bail, and the matter was adjourned to September 14.

Education Minister Nicolette Henry

to change the timings. It will have that kind of implication. So they have to be careful and prepare if any such thing is to happen,” he stated.

The GTU has circulated a letter to inform its members that they are not to report for pre-term activities until further notice. The Union has also urged head

teachers to begin handing over school keys to the respective regional Education Departments.

GTU President Mark Lyte envisions that 90 per cent of teachers in the public schools are ready to support the union’s move to have strike action on August 27.

GTU has outrightly rejected Government’s request for teachers to agree to a debunching payoff of $200 million for 2018/19. The union similarly rejected the $700 million cap that was placed on salary increases.

The stalemate also revealed that Government was not budging on the clothing allowance, which remains at $8000. For the Whitley Council leave, teachers still have to wait four years before getting their one month off. GTU was appealing for three years.

The Ministry indicated that it wants to maintain school boards with an improved staff, but the GTU

is not in favour of this proposal, since school boards and the Teaching Service Commission are “operating at a different level and there are a lot of problems”.

Nevertheless, the Ministry and the GTU did come to an agreement for improved salaries for Special Education Needs (SEN) teachers, which would help those schools that have dormitories to remove some of the “burden” that rests with head teachers.

The two sides also determined that hinterland teachers would be allowed to return to their homes once per term. The Education Ministry will set up a Revolving Fund Committee to deal with the Teachers House Revolving Fund.

There was also some consensus on class sizing for certain categories of schools.

Despite these agreements, the GTU was adamant that teachers must not accept what has been proposed.

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Accused bandit further remanded

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hamar Charles, who had been made to answer four robbery-under-arms charges before two Georgetown Magistrates earlier this month, was on Friday further remanded to prison when he reappeared before Magistrate Leron Daly.

The first charge Charles faces allege that on July 27, 2018, while in the vicinity of Houston, East Bank Demerara; while being in the company of others; and while being armed with a gun, he robbed Devindra Persaud of one Samsung cellphone valued at $120,000, and of $50,000 in cash.

Shamar Charles

Charles denied the allegation when it was read to him by Senior Magistrate

Fabayo Azore.

He also appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on three robbery-under-arms charges, all of which he denied.

One of those charges read that on July 25, 2018, while in the vicinity of Bagotstown, EBD, and while being armed with a gun, he robbed Debby Atwell of a quantity of jewellery valued at $230,000.

Another charge allege that on July 24, 2018, at Eccles, EBD, while being in the company of others and while being armed with a gun, he robbed Ellis Valenzuela of a cellphone valued at $14,000.

The last charge allege that on that same day and in the vicinity of Eccles, while being in the company of others and while being armed with a gun, Charles robbed Weifins Wong of a quantity of jewellery, cash, and a cellphone, all valued at $2.6 million.

The Police prosecutor objected to Charles being placed on bail due to the seriousness of the offences and the fact that a gun was used in committing the crimes.

Charles was again refused bail, and was further remanded to prison.

The cases will continue on October 1.

Robbery accused to spend more time in prison

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dinga Haywood of Drysdale Street, Georgetown was on Friday further remanded to prison by Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly when he reappeared before her on three counts of armed robbery.

The 20-year-old has denied that on February 21, 2018 at Waterloo Street, Georgetown, while being armed with a knife, he robbed Trevor Singh of a Samsung Galaxy cellular phone valued $60,440.

He had also denied that on that same day at Lamaha Street, Georgetown, while being armed with a knife, he robbed Ibrahim Takur of a Samsung Galaxy cellular phone valued $70,000.

He further denied that on the same occasion, armed with a knife, he robbed Mohamed Takur of an iPhone and headset valued $122,000.

Attorney George Thomas, appearing for the accused, said his client would be willing to lodge his travel documents and comply with any bail conditions, once released.

However, the Prosecutor objected to the defendant being placed on bail, stating that a weapon was used to commit the crimes, and the defendant had admitted to the offences after he was arrested.

The case will continue on September 21.

Accused: Odinga Haywood

Rewards…

Y …for ‘swotting’

our Eyewitness must confess that, every year, when the exam results are announced, his jaw drops to the floor!! How the heck do these kids do this??

Last year there was a 25-subject pass at CSEC, and this year a 16-point pass at CAPE? Wow!! He knows there are steroids that can make your muscles to just balloon you out like the Hulk, but what do they use to inflate their brains? Back in the day, your Eyewitness has to confess, he was an indifferent student.

But when he reads about the amount of time these “high flyers” devote to ‘swotting’ to get those doubledigit passes, he must now confess he feels a wave of concern for them. They will never know what it is to have a normal, balanced adolescence – their most crucial stage of life. This is when boys and girls should have been exploring who they are – solidifying their identities; what do they actually like, and most of all, cultivating the art of developing relationships. Is all of that not also “education”?

For one, how about following through with those crushes past the stage of having one’s heart stop beating when bumping into that special someone?? How about learning to move past blushes and a mumbled, “Sorry”??

Not to “boast and brigah”, but your Eyewitness did all right with significant others in secondary schools; all right – and that has served him better than all the mathematics he was forced to endure during that time. He has, for instance, never had to use even one of the several solutions for Quadratic Equations, while the easy patter developed in secondary school has gotten him out of a lot of tight spots!!

Now, don’t get your Eyewitness wrong, it’s not that he is saying one has to be a slacker in school – far from it.

But one doesn’t have to be a Buddhist or Aristotelean to accept there has to be a balance in life…a middle way. Your Eyewitness’s mind boggles that a mother would quit her teaching job just to focus on preparing her kid for exams?

Can you imagine the kind of pressure this places on the kid to perform? Kids already face the general societal pressure to do well at exams, do they really need more at home?

Politics has been called the continuation of war by other means, and your Eyewitness is beginning to suspect, from the comments on the blogs, that education has also been conscripted into this war! So, like the child soldiers of the Congo or the Central African Republic, we now have those from the high schools of Guyana?

It’s a shad, shad situation!! Let’s return childhood to children!!

…for securing power

One of the motivations for entering politics, the world over, is to be able to distribute the largesse of the state – which includes control of the entire economy – to supporters of the party placed to control that state, as its “government”. The PNC had its first chance between 1964 and 1992, but ensured that in its one-sided distribution, not only that the economy collapsed, but the very fabric of our society did.

Well, the PNC’s presently holding its Biennial Congress, where it’ll elect an executive to ensure Guyana repeats the experience. What else can you say when the present leader of the PNC – supposedly an apolitical Army General – can boast he was “PNC since 1965”, the year he entered the army?!! Or say with a straight face at the opening of the Congress, “The PNCR has done more and gone far further than any other party in Guyana’s history to create ‘an inclusionary democracy’.

When he doesn’t even give his coalition partners the time of the day!!

…for stoking racial divisions

Basil Williams, fighting to be re-elected PNC Chairman, announced, “The PPP starved us and discriminated against us, marginalised us. It is therefore up to the PNC to save and protect the nation.”

The PNC “us” is the “nation”??

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

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SUnDAY, august 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Green economy

Jagdeo questions Granger’s global commitment …to bring 2M hectares of forest under conservation

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few months after President David Granger pledged to allocate two million more hectares of land and waterways for conservation, in keeping with his Government’s commitment to the development of a ‘green economy’ and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, there may be some uncertainty regarding this.

Opposition Leader and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo has questioned whether this will be delivered as the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Foreign Affairs, which met on August 3, 2018 and heard that reclaimed forestry concessions could be considered for protected status.

He was referring to comments made by Head of

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

Planning at the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), Pradeepa Bholanauth, who hinted to the committee that 1.4 million hectares of land which have reverted to the state forests estate after initially being allocated for forestry concessions under the

former administration in areas in the south of Guyana may be considered for protected status.

The lands reclaimed include 680,000 hectares which had been allocated to the Chinese investor Baishanlin International Forest Development Inc, as well as Simon and Shock Inc, and some 392,000 hectares that had been held by another foreign investor, the GFC had revealed.

In a presentation on Guyana’s National Determined Contributions (NDCs) that reflected on Government’s forest sector commitments, Bholanauth said the contributions were categorised in unconditional commitments to be met from existing resources and capacities, and condition-

DHB feasibility

Police probing Public Infrastructure Ministry’s procurement breaches – SOCU

T

he Parliamentary Opposition People’s Progressive Party has written to the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), asking that the procurement breaches in relation to the award of consultancy contract for the feasibility study and design of the new Demerara River Bridge be investigated; and SOCU has responded, informing that the issue is engaging the attention of the Guyana Police Force.

Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira wrote to SOCU head Sydney James on August 15, requesting that the procurement breaches be investigated “with a view to instituting criminal charges against the Minister of Public Infrastructure, Minister David Patterson.”

In a response dated August 16, James acknowledged receiving the correspondence, and said, “The matter is now engaging the attention of the Guyana Police Force.”

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

Additionally, he informed that Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine, and Police Legal Advisor, Retired Justice of Appeal Claudette Singh, have been informed of the request for an investigation.

Teixeira had, back in September, written the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), asking that that body inves-

tigate the selection and award of a $146 million contract to Dutch consulting firm LievenseCSO for the feasibility study of the new Demerara River Bridge after it was revealed, and later confirmed by Minister Patterson, that the company was sole-sourced and had not even bid for the project.

In the Commission’s report to the Opposition, it highlighted the breaches in the Procurement Act. In response, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, said Patterson would now have to justify his actions before Cabinet.

“It was not discussed at Cabinet [as yet], but certainly I expect the Minister of Public Infrastructure would address the matter, and that by the next Cabinet meeting, would bring to Cabinet a position on the issue that has been put into the public domain,” Harmon told reporters at his Post-Cabinet press briefing on Thursday. turn to page 11

al commitments that will be supported by new resources.

Included in the unconditional commitments were improved sustainable forest management and compliance with the code of practice for forest operations, which is provided for in the Forest Act. The code and forest regulations had been tabled in the National Assembly at

cent of its land space to the ERP. To proceed, extensive consultations with communities, Government agencies, civil society and external donors, among others will be conducted. The entire process, which will involve various assessments, among other things, will be done in stages.

Granger had said

President David Granger has made a commitment to allocate two million more hectares of Guyana’s land and waterways for conservation (Essequibo River, Guyana. Conservation International photo)

the end of June.

Meanwhile, the Committee also heard that other conservation areas under Local Government instruments and not only standing forests could potentially make up the two million hectares of forests Granger had committed in 2016 to the global Emissions Reduction Programme (ERP).

To date, Guyana has already committed 8.5 per-

Guyana’s proposed commitments, through avoided emissions, can contribute the equivalent of up to 48.7 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide to the global mitigation effort. He said Guyana is prepared to sustainably manage conserve and protect the national patrimony.

Jagdeo has however taken note of the President’s silence on the issue in the past months. He said that

he would like to hear from the Guyanese Head of State himself, whether he has any real intention to allocate the two million hectares. The Opposition Leader has also argued that the green economy is not the same as conservation.

“How are they going to get that done? It could mean they are going to take back lands from the people who have forest leases, from miners; and even if they don’t, that would be two million hectares more of our land that we can’t bring into productive use,” he opined.

On that note, the former president blasted the coalition, stating that those responsible for the natural resources sector are incompetent. He claimed that they cannot handle or manage the sector, and may not be able to deliver on the commitment to fight climate change.

In pointing out that Guyana has one of the lowest rates of deforestation, Jagdeo argued that there was no need to convert more of Guyana’s forest. He feels that it could have been utilised in an environmentally friendly way to boost production and ultimately generate revenue for the country and its people.

He recalled that the coalition had criticised the PPP for its Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), but they are now finding it hard to accept the globally lauded initiative.

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Wife fined for assaulting disabled husband

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couple who have been married for several years appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday after the wife was fined for assaulting her husband, who is wheelchair bound.

Stacy London admitted to the charge when it was read to her by Senior

Magistrate Leron Daly.

The court heard that on two different occasions, the woman assaulted her disabled husband, Ethan London.

In her defence, Mrs London told the court that both incidents occurred while she was attempting to drive her vehicle out of their

driveway when her husband tried to prevent her from doing same.

“As I was about to back out of the yard, he rolled his wheelchair to block me from driving out, so I came out of the car and tried to remove him but instead he held on to my hands and started behaving in a disorderly manner”.

Further, the woman stated that as a result, he fell out of the wheelchair.

After listening to her explanation, Magistrate Daly told the woman that she was wrong to assault the man since he is disabled.

Nevertheless, the woman was fined $10,000 on each charge.

Hairdresser nabbed with cocaine, ecstasy stuffed in bra

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The drugs found stashed in the suspect’s bra

Surinamese hairdresser has been taken into custody by the Guyana Police Force after she was found with a quantity of cocaine and ecstasy pills stuffed in her brassiere on Saturday morning.

The discovery was made at about 08:30h, shortly after the woman arrived in Guyana

at the Backtrack Route at the Number 78 Foreshore, Corentyne, Berbice.

According to Public Relations Officer of the Police Force, Jairam Ramlakhan, the 27-year-old, who is said to be a hairdresser of Charlesburg, Paramaribo, Suriname, arrived in Guyana via the backtrack route and when a routine search was conducted by officers manning the port, the prohibited substances were found stashed in her undergarment.

Upon further examination, it was revealed that the suspect was in possession of 247 grams of cocaine and 100 grams of ecstasy (192 pills).

The Surinamese was taken into custody and is being processed for court.

Free food and drinks

S

atiricus was agog at the grog the Opposition Leader claimed was being consumed in the Parliament. Not that Satiricus had anything against drinking liquour in Parliament during debates. Personally, he found his tongue was always lubricated when he imbibed at the Back Street Bar to make him much more eloquent than he normally was!

“So why your leader Jagdesh against our MPs drinking in Parliament when they have their meals?” Satiricus asked the fellas after he’d joined them at the back table. “’E na ‘gainst de drinking,” said Bungi. “’E ‘gainst dat de likka free!”

“What’s wrong with having a drink or two with your meal?” demanded Satiricus indignantly. “We always do that.”

“A drink or two?” mimicked Cappo sarcastically. “W’en dem rum sucka fram yuh KFC done, dem cyaan even walk back to dem seat in Parliament!!”

“I think the point the Opposition Leader was making was he didn’t mind the drinking, but the MPs should pay for drinks,” observed Hari in his usual quiet way.

“C’mon fellas,” said Satiricus. “That’s being petty, isn’t it?”

“Petty? Petty?!” asked Bungi, his voice rising. “Dem fellas only drink Grey Goose, Chivas and Janny Wa’ker!”

“An’ dem drink am like watah!” said Cappo. “Wha’ mek yuh t’ink Rum Jhaat na mek de vote fuh gi’e tax free to ev’ry Tam, Dick an’ Harrylall?”

“I still think it’s petty!” insisted Satiricus doggedly.

“Budday!” said Hari. “A $700,000 food and drinks bill for every sitting – with most of it drinks – isn’t chicken feed, you know!”

“An’ chicken feed na suh cheap!” smiled Bungi.

“Wid all de drinkin’ in Parliment,” observed Cappo, “now me know wha’ mek dem ah call am “sitting”! Dem cyaan stan’ up!!”

“Well, maybe some of them need a few drinks to get them to speak freely,” said Satiricus. “What about that?”

“Let them do what Jagdesh suggested,” said Hari, with finality. “Buy their own drinks like we do at our Back Street Parliament!!”

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SUnDAY, august 19, 2018 | guyanatimesGY.com

Ganja, phones unearthed at NA Prison

A place of his own

By Ryhaan Shah

L

ast Saturday, we lost a family member with the death of Sir Vidia Naipaul. For the Indian Caribbean especially, the earliest writings of V. S Naipaul were our stories. We all laughed and cried with Mr Biswas as he pursued his dream of building a house. That aspiration of wanting to set down roots in a new world still eludes us as our journey continues to northern cities. So, too, was Naipaul himself stateless and homeless until he found a place of his own through his writings, and, from that vantage point, produced a body of work that won him just about every literary award, including the Nobel Prize in 2001.

One of his earliest books, “Miguel Street,” continues to delight each new generation. It is a Caribbean classic. We all know the characters, and I felt privileged to hear Naipaul read from the book when he was the guest of honour at UWI’s St Augustine campus as Trinidad celebrated their most famous son in 2007. With his sonorous voice and Trini accent, he brought to life the characters – Hat, Bogart, Man Man – who will inhabit Miguel Street forever.

Naipaul also did a signing, and I got my copy of “The Enigma of Arrival” autographed. I treasure it. The opening lines of this book, an autobiography of sorts, are pure poetry: “For the first four days it rained. I could hardly see where I was. Then it stopped raining and beyond the lawn and outbuildings in front of my cottage I saw fields with stripped trees ….”

The easy flow of words is lyrical. As someone who writes, I know what talent – and work – it takes to make any writing appear so effortless and to bring the reader along with each sentence as you build the story.

Naipaul always used simple, direct prose. His choice of words was precise, and his sentences clean and crisp. He wrote with a surgical precision that left no doubt as to the meaning or intent of his words. There was no subterfuge, no evasiveness to his writing, and his insights were often startlingly new and sometimes harsh, and earned him a reputation for being dispassionate and even cruel.

When he wrote in “The Middle Passage” that “History is built around achievement and nothing was created in the West Indies” he was roundly criticised, but Naipaul never compromised his position on anything. And is there not truth to his statement? For how many decades have we been talking about Guyana’s potential, and where are we today? Is it that some cannot bear the truth and prefer to be lulled into contentment by comforting evasiveness?

He did not suffer fools gladly, and at that UWI celebration, an academic posed a question to which Naipaul, smiling and in an avuncular tone, said: “That’s not a very good question. Do you have another?” It was classic Naipaul. He took an impish delight in answering ridiculous questions with an equally ridiculous answer, and his earliest works drew on the often comic absurdities of life, love and politics, especially in the West Indies.

But he accepted that he, too, was part of the world’s flawed humanity. In his authorised biography, “The World is What it is”, Patrick French gives us the writer’s warts and all, especially with regard to his relationships with women: his wife, mistress and his second wife, a Pakistani, whom he courted while his first wife, Pat, was dying of cancer.

Naipaul read French’s manuscript and changed nothing. He accepted that his genius did not preclude him from being flawed and from being presented to the world as imperfect. This was his truth, and he did not flinch from it. Perhaps he wrote with an uncompromising honesty, always believing that the world should regard its truths with that very same fortitude.

I was one of the letter writers who defended Naipaul when “Stabroek News” published a mean-spirited editorial on his Nobel Prize win. But Naipaul himself was hardly ever troubled by his critics. Despite their barbs and stinging critiques, he won the Nobel Prize, and “A House for Mr Biswas” will stand forever as one of the best books of the 20th century.

At that UWI celebration in 2007, the audience was almost all Indian – Trinidadian, and, like myself, Indians from other Caribbean countries. Naipaul had given us a voice and a presence, and helped shape our consciousness as Caribbean people through his remarkable, imaginative expression. We were there to honour him for, in a sense, he had built us a house we can call our own.

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Some of the items which were unearthed during the search of the NA Prison

search conducted at the New Amsterdam Prison on Saturday morning unearthed a number of contraband and other prohibited items.

According to information received, the raid was conducted by ranks of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) and Guyana Police Force (GPF), and five grams of marijuana, five cellular phones, and a number of improvised weapons, lighters and phone chargers were discovered.

Less than one month ago, it was reported that officers had unearthed some 146

Ziploc bags containing marijuana and more than forty prohibited items from the Prison during an impromptu search of the penal facility.

Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, had informed that 146 Ziploc bags of narcotics, amounting to 292 grams; six cell phones, 12 phone chargers, five packets of cigarettes, eight improvised weapons, three SIM cards and seven lighters were discovered.

Meanwhile on Friday, a raid conducted at the Lusignan Prison uncovered another set of illegal items, which included syringes

with needles, six bottles of pepper sauce, six earphones, a number of razor blades, 17 chargers, 24 lighters, five cellular phones, 10 improvised weapons, eight metal spoons, two pairs of scissors, one plastic knife, two nail clippers, four bottles of oil with suspected cannabis seeds, three mirrors, one wrist watch, one pack of cards, one memory card, and a quantity of wire and Ziploc bags.

Additionally, just one month before, a similar routine search had removed a number of knives, scissors and blades from the peni-

tentiary.

The Director of Prisons had at the time also indicated that five officers had been relieved of their duties after they were reportedly involved in an incident in which a package containing cannabis had been tossed into the Lusignan Prison Holding Bay area.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan was greatly displeased with the numerous attempts being made to smuggle illegal items into the Prisons. He is of the belief that it is due to a possible collusion between officers and the prisoners.

Police probing Public Infrastructure Ministry’s..

According to the PPC report, seen by this publication, some 23 companies had expressed an interest in providing consultancy services; 12 were shortlisted, and two managed to submit their proposals on time. However, Government failed to reach an agreement with either of the two companies in their negotiations, and as such, the tender was annulled.

The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) then recommended that the Public Infrastructure Ministry (MPI) re-tender, but it did not, the PPC report said. It went on to note that the Permanent Secretary of the MPI then “informed the Public Procurement Commission that subsequent to annulment of the tender

by MPI, [Dutch Company LievenseCSO] Engineering contracting BV submitted an unsolicited proposal to provide consultancy services for the Demerara River Bridge project.”

As such, the Commission added, Minister Patterson approached Cabinet on November 18, 2016, seeking consideration and approval to use funds from the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) to fund the feasibility study and to commence a contractual engagement with LievenseCSO as of January 1, 2017.

The Commission found that there was a breach when this request to Cabinet was made by the Minister and not through the NPTAB. The PPC also noted that Cabinet considered the memorandum submitted by the Minister, and in November

2016 approved a total sum of $161,514,420 to be used from the DHBC to cover cost for the feasibility study for a new bridge across the Demerara River.

According to the PPC, General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge,

Rawlston Adams, indicated that the DHBC Board was not a party to the decision to use these funds for this purpose as approved by Cabinet, and further stated that he had not signed the contract on behalf of the DHBC, but only because he was request-

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ed to do so by the Public Infrastructure Minister.

As a result of the findings of the probe, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has called for Minister Patterson to be charged with corruption.

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SUnDAY, august 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Miner dies after “catch cow” falls on head

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olice in F Division (Interior Locations) are currently probing the death of a 26-yearold miner, who died after a chunk of mud fell on his head.

Dead is Neville Rodrigues, a miner of

Karasabai Village, South Pakaraimas, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).

The incident occurred at about 09:00h at Apanda Mines, Kamarang, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

According to reports, Rodrigues was working in

a pit at the Apanda Mines along with other workers when a chunk of hard mud referred to as “catch cow” reportedly fell on his head.

As a result of injuries sustained, the 26-year-old was rushed to the Jawalla Health Post in a serious condition.

However, the young man subsequently died at the health centre while receiving treatment. His body is at the Kamarang Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

In the meanwhile, investigations are ongoing.

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SUnDAY, august 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Confusion reigns as City Hall relocates more minibus parks …drivers complain of inadequate security

gun happen when people got to travel night time?”

She added that she fears that after hours, the Police will stop working and the citizens will be left to worry about their safety there.

Already, drivers have been confronted by the Police for not adhering to the new laws

Naipaul and being West Indian

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his is excerpted from my response to a black WI intellectual, Abu Bakr, in 2001, soon after VS Naipaul accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature.

“In his letter captioned “Naipaul has become the stubborn incarnation of the worst of a past generation”, Bakr fulminates about Naipaul’s “maledictions” and sneers that the latter’s Nobel was greeted with “disgust”; that he is “intellectually inadequate” and a “good minor talent” to whom the Caribbean had just wished “good riddance”.

Mr Bakr opined that, coming “after Garvey, or CLR James or Jean Price Mars and Aime Cesaire”, Naipaul could not possibly be “offering any original insights” in his critique of Caribbean society. He allowed that while “we were offered hope and redemption” by the aforementioned gentlemen, Naipaul cynically proposed “deliverance...in flight”.

Now, it’s of more than Ravi Dev passing interest that Mr. Bakr chose those particular four Caribbean pioneers, whose social commentaries he deemed so profound and all-encompassing as to have pre-empted any modification or elaboration -- much less refutation -- by one such as Naipaul.

Each of these stalwarts was focused throughout their lives on the definition and deliverance of the souls of African folk: Garvey with his “Back to Africa Movement”; James struggling with his Trotskyite/Black Power oxymoron, and Mars and Cesaire with “Negritude”. Whether through a lapse of omission or a sin of commission, one finds in their emancipatory musings nary a concern for the other peoples inhabiting our winsome islands. Where was the Indian content, say, in the message of “redemption and hope” for “us”? Not so coincidentally, all of these “giants” are now being deconstructed for their exclusivist and essentialist formulations. Even Cesaire has come under severe fire from his fellow Martiniquean and young lion Chamoiseau for (among other transgressions) ignoring Indians (yes, Martinique has Indians from India) in his Negritude notes of blood and soul. And more to the point, isn’t this what Naipaul bitterly protested in The Middle Passage (1962), when he quoted the Jamaican writer John Hearne to reject “the sentimental camaraderie of skin which provides the cheap thrill of being African”? But, of course, Naipaul is unqualified and incapable of “offering any original insights”.

As he mentioned in his Nobel speech, Naipaul is not enamoured of giving lectures, but in 1975 (seventy-five years after the first Pan African Conference), he delivered one to the First Conference of East Indians in the Caribbean. He warned Indians against any easy essentialism: “I don’t think there is any magic in any racial inheritance” and “the problems of the Indians are no different from the problems of everybody else here. I don’t think it is possible for any one here, of any community, to seek the camouflage of some larger cultural entity, because that again is only a form of ‘dropping out’”.

Wasn’t the retreat into Negritude a form of “flight”? One can always create hope, but how lasting has been the redemption?

While Naipaul has spoken candidly of his desire to escape from Trinidad because it did not provide the environment to sustain what he wanted to be since he was ten -- a full time writer -- he has never advocated “flight” for anyone else.

He proposed we create our own culture, and not live in a borrowed one which forces us to play the “Bongo Man” role.

In 1962 he had advocated the devolution of real responsibility to the people in positions and their measurement by the standard of efficiency, “to bring political organisation to the picaroon society”. We still have not heeded that advice, and we are still paying the price in cons and scams.

In the 1975 lecture mentioned above, Naipaul emphasised that we have to “arrive at some understanding of all the strands of our upbringing. And we have so many strands here, on this island in the New World. We have to acknowledge them all.” He quotes Mommsen, the German historian of republican Rome: “The history of every nation... is a vast system of incorporation.” Naipaul’s “we” incorporated all the peoples of the Caribbean, not just one master race.

In his Nobel speech, Naipaul returned to this point in explicitly acknowledging he travelled to Africa, to India, to the non-Arab Muslim world, and South America to better “understand... all the strands of our upbringing.”

Sadly, most African-Caribbean persons still have not accepted this point. Witness the PNM’s skit on the “disrobing” of a saried woman.

which they too have complained about their safety in.

The move made by City Hall to remove the Grove/ Diamond route 42 buses, along with short-drop car drivers, to facilitate the vendors of the Stabroek Market Wharf area, was described as “ridiculous” and “visionless”

The new area from which the Highway and Timehri drivers will now operate

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he Mayor and City Council (M&CC) on Saturday morning removed yet another set of bus drivers from their parks to facilitate the vendors of Stabroek Market Wharf, whose facility collapsed about two weeks ago.

The drivers of the Soesdyke-Linden Highway and Timehri, East Bank Demerara zones are now placed on High Street, Georgetown, and are currently utilising customer parking spaces in front of Ashmins and at the side of Silvies’ General Store.

The move by City Hall to shift the minibus parks was made at about 08:00h on Saturday morning.

Mayor of Georgetown Patricia Chase Green has since said these drivers were also removed to facilitate the Stabroek Market Wharf vendors. “That was a temporary move. We are working in collaboration with the traffic department and because of the relocation of vendors, we are trying to relocate the minibus drivers to (the) most appropriate spots, temporarily,” she said.

However, the Mayor was unable to say how long the drivers would have to operate in that area.

Close to 50 drivers, who operate within the zones, have since complained that they were never notified prior to the drastic move by M&CC. Raghoo (only name given) who plies his trade via the Linden Highway route said, “I was at the park and the Police them come and say we have to move and come park up by Ashmins… this area here is terrible because a lot of people is get rob around here and (this is) the alley way where all the thief man them is come through. Is right at the back here.”

That driver opined that adequate security must always be available in the area, which he highly doubts will be made available. He also shared, “The vehicles them are driving fast, fast through here. People could get knock down”.

Another driver, Amos Luciano explained, “Well normally our park is be on the other side and now they bring we till round here, which is a far distance… to me it rough to work from till round here

by Ashmins. It hard because from the market to here is far…”

He shared the view with the other drivers that the

area is prone to criminal activities and is very unsafe, not only for the drivers but passengers as well.

A vendor, Neisha Mentor, who operates in the area, venter her frustration as she explained how the removal affects her. “Once the buses move I gun move and right now I am annoyed about the situation because these people, the Council, has no system or no plan. If they wake up today and feel like they should move people, they comin and move people and that is wrong. They certain about they money and we got to look for it hay on the road,” Mentor explained.

The vendor said she is very concerned about her safety, “because this is easy access for the thief men them. They gun come and is a set ah robbery gun do because Leopold ain’t deh far from here… wah

The area where the Highway bus park was previously located

as it relates to the new parking area.

This is the second bus park that has been removed by City Hall to facilitate the vendors of the wharf which collapsed. The Grove/Diamond bus park, which was housed in the Stabroek Square was cordoned off on July 31.

The short drop car drivers who operated in the area have since agreed with City Hall to occupy two lanes in the area at a fee of $1500 weekly.

Meanwhile, the bus drivers are now plying their trade on Bugle Street, an area

by the President of the United Minibus Union (UMU), Eon Andrews.

“I think it was ridiculous.

I think it is visionless because I know a couple of years ago there was a plan to put these persons (vendors) who were on that wharf North of the Digicel place where they had an Outpost so that they can do the necessary repairs. The postponement of that has caused the situation to worsen and now people could have died because of that thing breaking off,” head of the UMU posited.

14 news

SUnDAY, august 19, 2018| guyanatimesgy.com

Retinablastoma diagnosis

Linden girl returns EPA’s Application and Permit Fees for Environmental after successful Authorisation treatment

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ollowing successful treatment overseas, three-year-old Lindener Crystal John has returned home and has now been deemed cancer free.

John, who travelled to receive treatment in Cuba for Neuroblastoma and retinoblastoma (cancer of the eye) has successfully conducted radio and chemotherapy during her five-month stay.

Her parents LaShawn and Ivan John are now keeping hope alive that she will soon be able to see again.

John's mother recently indicated that she is doing well except for some complaints of burning in her eyes.

"She aint getting no pains, all she crying out is that it burning. That means that she getting some kind of sensitivity to the light.

Everything else is ok. We trying to teach her how to move around, walk, eat.

Remember she have to learn everything again. So we getting there,” her mother

Three-year-old Crystal John

pointed out.

The three-year-old is slated to return to Cuba early next year for follow-up treatment as her parents

continue to hope for the best.

"There is still hope because if he (specialist) say he want to see her back in January and know what more he can do for her means there is still hope," her mother said. "We didn't do the surgery because the tumor wasn't on the optic nerve, it was just beneath the eye rim so it reduced in size and the chemotherapy killed it,” she continued. John, of Amelia's Ward, Mackenzie, Linden, was diagnosed with the life-threatening disease Retinablastoma when she was just eight months old, which resulted in the removal of her left eye. She later began losing vision in her right eye after the tumor returned. This prompted urgent medical attention and an outpouring of monetary assistance from the public and nonprofit organisations.

Despite her challenges, the three-year old is scheduled to begin school come September. (Utamu Belle)

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he Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its environmental management and conservation efforts, continues to support socioeconomic development. The wise use of natural resources, while ensuring the health and wellbeing of all Guyanese, is pivotal to the Agency’s work. One of the many tools we use to achieve this is the authorisation of developmental activities.

Our Environmental Authorisation process provides a robust framework to ensure that developmental activities do not cause adverse impacts to the natural environment and human health. This is achieved through the enforcement of the

granting of Environmental Authorisation from the fees that are required. All applications coming to the Agency MUST pay a non-refundable application fee before the application can be processed.

These fees are stipulated by the EPA Act. However, the final cost of the permit is determined based on the scale of the project (small, medium, large, extra-large), the likely impacts to the environment (low to high), and the validity period of the Permit (between 1-5 years). All applications undergo a screening process to guide the final decision of the EPA.

Environmental Protection Act, Chapter 20:05, Laws of Guyana (EP Act) and its associated regulations. Additionally, the Agency is working assiduously to enhance this process through education, partnership, and collaboration.

This week’s article will focus on the fees that are associated with obtaining Environmental Authorisation issued by the EPA. The authorisation process has an established fee structure which allows all developers/operators an equal opportunity to adhere to the regulations enforced by the EPA. The Agency also recovers its costs of processing and

Be reminded that projects related to infrastructure, service industries, processing plants, mining/mineral processing, agriculture, wood processing, waste handling, and activities with the use of loud speakers or other sound-making devices MUST be authorised by the EPA. Therefore, if you are operating in any of these sectors without an Environmental Authorisation, you are breaking the law and can be persecuted.

Further, under the EP Act, fines and penalties can be imposed for failure to comply with the conditions of any permit granted by the EPA.

*C1-C3 – indicates low to high significance in terms of environmental impact, based on EPA fee screening criteria for new projects. @ - fee stated is per year, permit can be issued for up to five years You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O ECEA Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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SUnDAY, august 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

3 secondary schools record decline in CAPE pass rates

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Guyana’s financial sector coverage and the viability of financial institutions: especially for new hinterland branches

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n the previous column featured last week, it was argued that the analysis of Guyana’s financial sector coverage, particularly the benchmark used to arrive at such conclusion in the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) report, was deeply flawed.

It was shown that Guyana had less bank branches per capita in comparison to two of its regional neighbours – Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. This columnist thus argued that it was imprudent to benchmark Guyana to these two countries in the light of the very unique and substantive differences of the economic dynamics and status of these countries altogether.

Now, for simplicity, GDP (Gross Domestic Product), is the market value of all final goods and services produced in a country or economy in a given time period. GDP therefore measures (domestic) the value of production, which also equals total expenditure on final goods and total income within a country in a given time period, usually in a year or quarter of a year.

The equality of income and output shows the link between productivity and living standards. With respect to GDP per capita, levels of GDP per capita are obtained by dividing GDP at current market prices by the population of a country. This indicator is a basic economic indicator that measures the level of total economic output relative to the population of a country. It also reflects changes in total well-being of the population. In other words, this indicator shows the extent to which the total production of a country can be shared by its population. As such, the growth in real GDP per capita indicates the pace of income growth per head of population. As a single composite indicator, it is a powerful summary indicator of economic development. However, while it does not directly measure sustainable development, it is a very important measure for the economic development aspects of sustainable development.

There are six commercial banks in Guyana, with a spread of 40 branches across the country. Georgetown, or the capital city, alone has seven branches in addition to the head offices – giving rise to 13. On the East Coast corridor, there are three branches; the East Bank corridor has four; between Vreed-en-Hoop and Parika there are five; Bartica has three; Anna Regina has three; the county of Berbice alone has 10; Linden has two; Lethem has two; and Port Kaituma one. Looking at the population density from the table below, Regions Two, Three, Four, Six, Seven, Nine and Ten, where there are sufficient bank branches – the combined population is about 661,030 which represents 88 per cent of total population, with Georgetown and Region Three (where the majority of the population is concentrated) accounting for 420,845 persons, or 56 per cent of the total population. Given this, branch per capita is 15 to the combined population, where the highest population concentration is; that is, Regions Three and Dour, and this means the population is well served in Guyana’s context.

It would appear that the GSDS report on this aspect of financial sector coverage was implying that Guyana perhaps needs more bank branches in hinterland regions. While this notion might contain some amount of sensibility, such would also have to consider the viability of extending more bank branches in these areas across the country against the backdrop of the geographic, logistics, population spread, and sufficient sustainable economic activities to accommodate the extension of more bank branches nationwide.

Taking the aforesaid factors into consideration, places like Mahdia and other hinterland regions in Guyana – for persons who are familiar with these regions – often depend on one economic activity, for example gold mining. Secondly, the people are living far apart, further into the dense forest, which is very costly to travel at times; and, more importantly, these areas are often not regularised. There are inherent collateral issues and many other limitations which are too numerous to discuss in today’s article.

Hence, in the final conclusion, it is not feasible in Guyana for banks to establish more branches, especially in hinterland regions, unless these regions are more fully developed in many respects.

Table showing average population across the 10 administrative regions

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

hree of the country’s secondary schools, which have over the years performed outstandingly at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) have recorded a decline in 2018.

This is according to the Education Ministry statistics provided on Friday when the CAPE results for 2018 were announced.

On Friday, the Education Ministry officially released CAPE and the Caribbean Secondary Examinations Council (CESC) results at the National Centre for Education Resource Development, on Battery Road, Kingston, Georgetown.

According to the Ministry’s statistics, the three schools were Bishops’ High School, Mackenzie High and New Amsterdam Secondary. The Bishops’ High School moved from 99.02 per cent in 2017 to 97.82 per cent in 2018.

Mackenzie High recorded a pass rate of 78.5 per cent in 2018 as against 90.55 per cent in 2017 and New

Bishops’ High School

Amsterdam Secondary recorded a pass rate of 82.41 per cent in 2018 and 88.73 per cent in 2017.

Moreover, the Ministry said a total of seven subjects this year were underperformed nationally when compared with last year, in units one and two.

E c o n o m i c s 2 , Environmental Science2, Law1, Physics2, Logistics and Supply Chain Operations1, Tourism2 and Financial Services Studies1 were the areas which saw a decline in performance.

Meanwhile, Agricultural Science1 and 2, Applied Mathematics2, Biology2, Caribbean Studies1,

Communication Studies1, Computer Science1 and 2, Environmental Science 1, Food and Nutrition1 and 2, Geography1, Integrated Mathematics1, Pure Mathematics1, Physical Education and Sports1 and 2, Entrepreneurship1 and 2 and Green Engineering1 recorded a stable pass rate as compared with last year.

Increase

This year, a whopping 18 subject areas recorded increased performances namely: Accounting1 and 2, Applied Mathematics1, Biology1, Chemistry1 and 2, Economics1, History1 and 2, Law2, Literatures

in English1 and 2, Management of Business1 and 2, Physics1, Sociology1 and 2 and Tourism1.

This year, 923 students wrote CAPE from nine secondary schools and five privately operated centres. As such, Guyana has seen an overall improvement in its pass rates as well as an increase in the number of entries for the exam.

As of 2017, the pass rate was 92.57 per cent with 851 entries from students.

In 2018, the country documented 93.68 per cent passes with 923 entries from students. Last year 3923 subject entries were made whereby 4224 were made this year.

This year, Queen’s College managed to produce nine of the top 10 students at the examination.

First on the chart was Aadilah Ali who secured eight Grade Ones in Communication Studies, Integrated Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Pure Mathematics and Physics.

16 news

SUnDAY, august 19, 2018 | guyanatimesGY.com

Essequibo Coast braces for more power outages …as 2 major power units fail

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esidents on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) are experiencing load shedding due to inoperable equipment housed at its power station; as such, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) said it is to rush a generator into the area by Monday.

The power company on Saturday said the region has been experiencing frequent service interruptions since August 13 because two of its units, the Number 3 and Number 8 with an aggregate capacity of 2.8 MWs became

inoperable, due to major mechanical and electrical issues respectively.

It is because of this that the company is unable to meet the approximate 4.2 Megawatts (MWs) peak demand.

“On Monday, August 13, and Thursday, August 16, two of GPL’s units – the Number 3 and Number 8 – with an aggregate capacity of 2.8 MWs became inoperable due to major mechanical and electrical issues respectively. Since the Number 5 Unit with a capacity of 1.4 MWs was unavailable due to a ma-

jor overhaul, only two units totalling three MWs are currently in operation,” GPL explained.

According to the company, the available units are unable to meet the demands of the entire coast and resulted in the load shedding. GPL has since noted that normalcy in electric flow is expected to return by Monday as two Caterpillar units of 2.8 MWs total capacity is being taken to the area from its Canefield, Berbice Generating Station.

The generators are expected to arrive today and Tuesday. When installation

is completed, the units will provide adequate generation capacity to meet peak demand, the power company assured.

Just recently, a single mother struggling to make ends meet for her family was forced to dump over $200,000 worth of meat and fish owing to GPL’s faulty service.

Eresha Prashad, of La Belle Alliance, Essequibo

Coast, a meat and fish vendor at the Anna Regina Market, said she stocked her freezer as she prepared for the busy weekend. According to the woman, when she returned to the market on Saturday morning, she observed that the freezer was not freezing.

She said she immediately went to the fisheries and purchased ice, but by then her stock had already spoilt.

The single mother is laying the blame for her losses at the feet of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL). According to the woman, her business is her only hope of survival and she is now indebted to suppliers. She said that there was a power outage and the subsequent fluctuation of electricity damaged her freezer.

Recently, three homes went up in flames in the region. The Guyana Fire Service has since launched an investigation into the fires which were suspected to be electrical in origin.

Residents have since called on the power company to educate customers on the cycle change and how it can affect appliances which are not compatible.

Former UN chief Kofi Annan dies

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ofi Annan, the only black African to become UN secretary-general, has died.

The 80-year-old “passed away peacefully on Saturday after a short illness”, the foundation named after him said.

His home country, Ghana, has declared a week of national mourning.

Annan served two terms as UN chief from 1997 to 2006, and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.

World figures have been paying tribute to former UN secretary-general and Nobel laureate.

Current UN chief Antonio Guterres hailed him as “a guiding force for good” and Russian President Vladimir Putin described a “remarkable person”.

Ex-US President Barack Obama said Annan had always pursued “a better world”.

The Ghanaian national served as UN chief from 1997 to 2006 and is the only black African ever to hold the post.

Since then he has served as the UN special envoy for Syria, leading efforts to find a solution to the conflict.

Former UN chief, Kofi Annan

The career diplomat died in hospital in the Swiss city of Bern. He had been living near Geneva for several years.

He “passed away peacefully on Saturday after a short illness”, the Kofi Annan Foundation said.

He was a “deeply committed internationalist who fought throughout his life for a fairer and more peaceful world”, the statement added.

Guterres led the tributes to his predecessor. “In many ways, Kofi Annan was the United Nations. He rose through the ranks to lead the organisation into

the new millennium with matchless dignity and determination,” he said in a statement.

UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said in a tweet he was grief-stricken over Annan’s death.

Obama, the first African American to win the White House, said: “Long after he had broken barriers, Kofi never stopped his pursuit of a better world.”

President Putin said the memory of Annan would “forever live in the hearts of Russians”.

Meanwhile, Indian PM Narendra Modi said “the world has lost not only a great African diplomat and humanitarian but also a conscience keeper of international peace and security”.

Kofi Annan will be remembered for the way he drew attention, over and over again, to the plight of those caught up in war, environmental disaster, or simply grinding poverty.

The way he quietly but firmly reminded world leaders, however powerful, that they needed to put their duty to their citizens above their political careers. (BBC)

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SUnDAY, august 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

WCD farmers dissatisfied with GRDB’s Linden entrepreneurs sharpen professional business skills response to infested rice fields …want comprehensive review

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bout two weeks after rice farmers in Hague, West Coast Demerara, raised their concern over what was believed to be an infestation of several acres of rice fields, subsequent intervention by the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) has reportedly resulted in little or no improvement. This has now left farmers in a state of disgruntlement. Several of these farmers reached out to Guyana Times on Saturday and what was related was a sense of dissatisfaction on the part of the GRDB. The farmers initially claimed that some 120 acres of their lands were being affected by a termite infestation but GRDB later dismissed this claim, saying that advice was given to the farmers to drain the fields and apply systematic pesticides, but the farmers refused to do so. However, according to 80-year-old farmer, Ganga Persaud, GRDB and the extension officers need to carry out an intensive investigation of their plight.

“I am of the opinion that this thing can [result] in a big outbreak and if don’t figure out what is the problem, we are going to suffer seriously in this area,” Persaud pointed out.

He said the GRDB only visited them once within the last two weeks and pulled out some rice plants for inspection. Persaud added that while there was some improvement, most of the crops died and as such, they want a comprehensive assessment.

A rice field on the West Coast of Demerara

The GRDB said it determined that the farmer needed to drain the field, apply a systematic pesticide; in this instance it was recommended that Pronto and Regional at the recommended rates be used. According to General Manager Nizam Hassan, a subsequent visit by the GRDB showed that the farmer had water weevils and had not been spraying with the required pesticide recommended by the team. The GRDB Head claimed that the farmer also admitted to not draining his field despite being advised to do so and was, in fact, applying a contact insecticide instead, rather than a systematic pesticide. Based on a report compiled by an investigating team, dead water weevil larvae were found on the roots of some plants, the GRDB noted, adding that only one farmer, and 3.4 acres of rice fields, was presently affected.

Guyana Times reported that close to 15 rice farmers were currently affected and lost much of their crop in the villages of Hague, Den

Amstel, and several other areas.

Omar Dhanny, a farmer who cultivates about seven acres of land at Hague, had said he and other farmers exhausted all efforts to address the situation, but to no avail.

“This here affects me a lot, because this amount of rice here what damage for me, I already (gone) through all the doses of fertiliser and I already sprayed about six times. If you calculate, it is a lot of money, and nobody don’t know if we gonna get anything from the Rice Development Board,” he pointed out earlier this month.

In recent years, farmers across the country have been earning reduced profits for their rice, especially with the collapse of the PetroCaribe (rice-for-oil) deal with Venezuela. Government has sought alternative markets such as Mexico and Panama.

However, millers are delaying payments to farmers owing to challenges with ready access to payments from the foreign markets.

Mollison addressing the participants at the workshop

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ntrepreneurs from Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) were recently beneficiaries of a twoday community outreach programme conducted by Atlanta-based professional and technical services company, Libra Management Group, in collaboration with the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN).

The workshop was based on various aspects, including sustainable business management, and health and safety. One of the speakers, US-based Guyanese Stacey Mollison noted that the programme aimed at equipping entrepreneurs with professional skills and was also a means of giving back to the Linden business community.

“The outreach programme was really about how we could give (back) to the business community here in Linden. So, our idea really was that we come and we do a series of workshops,” she explained.

Mollison said the workshop

also featured ‘Health and wellness for business owners’ – a training which was facilitated by Dr Melissa Varswyk of the Georgetown American University.

In this regard, she pointed out that it is important for business people to focus on their own physical health and well-being as this is often overlooked.

The workshop also featured information on construction and business safety.

Meanwhile, her piece focused on entrepreneurship and how to manage a sustainable business. “A lot of times I think people become entrepreneurs without setting a foundation for what that really looks like.

So, this class is really about how do you make sure that we create sustainable business. As an entrepreneur, we need to understand all the physical structures.

So, we break down, ‘what do you really do to start a business’, ‘what is the financial piece to managing that business’. And then the second part of that is what

we call professional management,” Mollison further explained. She noted that this aspect was conducted by a psychologist and also featured training on customer service and setting the right tone for business.

Additionally, she said the workshop focused on how to create a business environment that allows entrepreneurs to keep abreast as it relates to professionalism.

“There’s two parts – there’s the running of the business and then there’s the development of self so you can create a long-term sustainable business,” Mollison said.

According to Mollison, the group also provides programme management, entrepreneurship development, cyber security and Information Technology (IT) services, in addition to working for the United States Federal Government.

The workshop also featured a business pitch competition.

Other Speakers included Denny Coxall, Colena Brown and Louis Simon.

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SUnDAY, august 19, 2018 | guyanatimesGY.com

City Hall’s financial woes

M&CC to begin reevaluation campaign

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he Mayor and City Council (M&CC) would be embarking on a re-evaluation exercise in and around Georgetown in a measure designed to aid in its struggle to find finance.

According to Town Clerk Royston King, the project is one of the many initiatives being undertaken by the Council with support from central Government.

He said the M&CC recently wrapped up a series of meetings with Canadian company Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, which is tasked with undertaking the re-evaluation exercise. The project is expected to commence in the coming months.

The last time property was evaluated was in 1996, and according to the Valuation Act, property must be valuated every five years. For a long time, City Hall has been crying foul when it comes to property valuation, since it is contending that some businesses are paying below value for their property.

King previously explained that a number of residential properties have been convert-

Town Clerk Royston King ed for commercial use, but those owners are still paying residential rates. This, King says, starves the City Treasury of much needed finances.

Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan announced in January that the Finance Ministry is providing technical assistance and expertise to effect a mass valuation of properties. The valuation exercise would require at least between 12 and 18 months, and Government is seeking to engage a Canadian institution, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), which does property evaluations for the state of Ontario and other jurisdic-

tions in Canada and internationally.

City Hall quite often finds itself in a difficult situation as it relates to the management of its financial resources. The municipality has been unable to pay workers their wages and salaries, resulting in mass protests. It deducted NIS, PAYE and Credit Union dues from the workers but did not pay those monies to the relevant agencies. When these shortfalls occur, the Council would then run to the Central Government for a bailout.

Just at the end of 2017, the Communities Ministry had to grant City Hall a bailout of over $600 million after its garbage contractors had withdrawn their services.

Despite their financial situation, City Hall recently launched its $19 million celebrations for Georgetown’s 175th anniversary. However, King informed that ‘friends of the city’ would be putting up the funds. This has drawn some criticisms from some councillors since they are of the view that the monies expended could be geared towards restoring the building as well as offset other expenses.

Exams Division urges students to query ungraded CSEC results

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tudents who would have written the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations this year are asked to query the results which were marked as ungraded, or any other issues which they might be skeptical about.

This advice was given by Assistant Superintendent of Examinations, Dawn Griffith, who told media operatives that an investigation can be carried out if students were marked as ‘ungraded’.

This comes in light of the fact that one of the top students at this year’s examination, from Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice), was given a similar label to her Spanish subject area even after she would’ve reportedly submitted an SBA (School Based Assessment) and sat the examination.

For this, Griffith explained, “Ungraded means that either the child did not submit an SBA or the child was opting for a particular part of the paper. You have paper one and two. They probably would’ve written one part of the paper and not the other one, but we do have

Assistant Superintendent of Examinations, Dawn Griffith

persons that would come in and query, as in the school.”

She noted that private candidates can probe a query by visiting the Examinations Division in the Queen’s College Compound, at the junction of Camp Street and Thomas Lands. However, students from the public schools can do so at their respective schools.

“If it was done privately, they come directly to us, and if it’s a (public) school candidate, they go straight to the school, who would in turn prepare a letter and we will send that to CXC, who will

investigate,” the Assistant Superintendent informed.

As of Friday, only one person reportedly requested an investigation into their grades, but Griffith is cognisant that more will be coming in the coming weeks. She related candidates should pay attention to the slip which they would’ve collected to verify which component of the examination was lacking.

“Another thing that we tell the candidates is when they receive their exam slip or when they check online, there’s a little asterisk at the bottom which says if it was an SBA or whether its paper component.

If its paper component, they need to return to us the receipt that the supervisor would’ve returned to them at the end of the examination.”

This year saw a reduced number of persons writing the examinations, with some 12,266 candidates being registered to sit the examinations when compared to 12,684 candidates in 2017.

The top student this year, Christian Pile of Queen’s College, secured 19 Grade Ones.

Miner nabbed, gun found after gold stolen

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ive persons, including the victim, are currently in Police custody over stolen raw gold. The incident occurred at about 11:00h at Takutu Backdam, Puruni Main Road, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

The Police stated that

they received a report of an alleged simple larceny committed on a 33-year-old gold miner of a quantity of raw gold and as a result, ranks from the Bartica Police Station responded.

However, during the course of the investiga-

tion, the officers discovered an unlicensed single barrel shotgun.

The Police have since arrested five persons, including the victim and a female who are in custody assisting with the investigation as it continues.

sunDAY, august 19, 2018

19

Pollard leads from front as Stars end 2-year wait for victory A

maiden T20 hundred from skipper Kieron Pollard at last propelled St Lucia Stars to a first Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) victory in 15 matches as the disappointment of 24 hours earlier was washed away in a dominant 38-run victory over Barbados Tridents.

The Stars had appeared certain to end their losing streak a day earlier against Trinbago Knight Riders, but failed to defend 85 in the last five overs to slide to a demoralizing five-wicket loss.

The schedule, though, presented the Stars with the chance to put things right immediately, and it was their captain who led by example, blasting his way to a six-laden 53-ball century – remarkably his first in T20s in his 384th innings – and sharing a sparkling 148run partnership with Andre Fletcher (80 from 52) in a Hero CPL record score of 226/6.

And, despite 58 off 45

from Tridents opener Dwayne Smith, there was to be no repeat of the previous night’s heartbreak as Barbados’ runchase stalled in the middle overs and came up well short on 188/6.

The Stars needed a good start with the ball to stop the old doubts resurfacing, and Mitchell McClenaghan provided it. The experienced New Zealander gave up just 20 runs in three Power Play overs with the new ball and picked up the key wicket of his international team-mate Martin Guptill.

Leg-spinner Qais Ahmad, who didn’t bowl a single ball in defeat to the Knight Riders, then stopped the run-chase in its tracks conceding just 29 from four overs bowled off the reel in the middle of the innings and picking up the big wickets of Dwayne Smith and Hashim Amla.

The required rate was up to 17 – the point it reached with

SCOREBOARD St Lucia Stars Innings (20 overs maximum) ADS Fletcher † c Mohammad Irfan b Wahab Riaz 80 DA Warner c †Pooran b Holder 0 RRS Cornwall c Holder b Wahab Riaz 30 LMP Simmons lbw b Wahab Riaz 0 KA Pollard (c) c DR Smith b Reifer 104 DJG Sammy c Nurse b Reifer 0 Qais Ahmad not out 0 KAR Hodge not out 0 Extras: (lb 3, nb 2, w 7) 12 Total : (6 wickets, 20 Overs, RR: 11.3) 226 Did not bat: MJ McClenaghan, OF Smith, OC McCoy Fall of wickets: 1-20 (DA Warner, 1.2 ov), 2-57 (RRS Cornwall, 4.3 ov), 3-57 (LMP Simmons, 4.4 ov), 4-205 (ADS Fletcher, 18.3 ov), 5-226 (KA Pollard, 19.4 ov), 6-226 (DJG Sammy, 19.5 ov) Bowling: Mohammad Irfan 4-050-0, JO Holder 4-0-42-1, RA Reifer 4-0-67-2, Wahab Riaz 4-0-35-3, AR Nurse 4-0-29-0

Barbados Tridents Innings (target: 227 runs from 20 overs) DR Smith c Simmons b Qais Ahmad 58 MJ Guptill b McClenaghan 7 HM Amla st †Fletcher b Qais Ahmad 14 N Pooran † c Warner b McCoy 23 SPD Smith c Hodge b McCoy 28 SD Hope not out 25 JO Holder (c) c Simmons b McCoy 14 RA Reifer not out 1 Extras: (lb 2, nb 1, w 15) 18 Total: (6 wickets, 20 Overs, RR: 9.4) 188 Did not bat: Wahab Riaz, AR Nurse, Mohammad Irfan Fall of wickets: 1-44 (MJ Guptill, 4.6 ov), 2-84 (DR Smith, 10.6 ov), 3-92 (HM Amla, 12.2 ov), 4-108 (N Pooran, 13.2 ov), 5-166 (SPD Smith, 17.2 ov), 6-185 (JO Holder, 19.3 ov) Bowling: MJ McClenaghan 4-044-1, KAR Hodge 4-0-41-0, OF Smith 3-0-33-0, Qais Ahmad 4-0-29-2, RRS Cornwall 1-011-0, OC McCoy 4-0-28-3

five overs to against the Knight Riders, but this time with eight overs remaining.

It was too much. Nicholas Pooran smashed a couple over the ropes but was deceived by an Obed McCoy slower ball attempting a third and sliced the ball to deep extra-cover where David Warner held a steepling catch.

Steve Smith slapped three fours in the 16th over from namesake Odean Smith, but by now the required rate was well into the 20s.

Understandably perhaps, the Stars were visibly n e r vo u s a s they

looked to close out the game after such a long winless streak.

McClenaghan’s final over cost 24 runs with Shai Hope hitting two sixes and Smith another.

It would ultimately prove telling that those three sixes doubled the Tridents’ tally for the innings on a pitch that had seen more than 50 Hero Maximums in the previous three innings.

The relief around the Daren Sammy Stadium was palpable when Steve Smith perished in the next over, carving McCoy to deep point to depart for 28 from 16 balls. Finally, with the Tridents’ target reaching 58 from 12, the players and supporters in St Lucia could relax.

The Stars had made it

clear right from the start of their innings that their response to the previous day’s disappointment was going to be an aggressive one.

Fletcher, the one batsman to miss out for the Stars against the Knight Riders, went after Mohammad Irfan from the off with the second and third balls of the innings disappearing into the stands.

The next two both went for four and the Stars had 20 on the board

after the first over.

W a r n e r, perhaps caught up in the excitement of Fletcher’s early fireworks, flashed at the second ball of Jason Holder’s opening over to be caught behind.

Rahkeem Cornwall continued his pinchhitting role at number three and he too took the fight straight to the Tridents attack. It was shot-a-ball stuff from the big all-rounder who hit two fours and three big Hero Maximums to reach 30 in just 10 balls before skying Wahab Riaz to mid-off.

Wahab had been held back until the second half of the innings in the Tridents’ opening victory in Guyana, but Holder had little option but to turn to him early here such was the extent of the carnage as the Stars raced to 56/1 from the first four overs. It paid off, with Lendl Simmons adjudged lbw to the very next ball after Cornwall’s departure.

It was clear, though, that

the Stars were not in the mood to take the foot off the pedal here. The return of Irfan saw Fletcher carving a six over point and four more insideout over extra cover as a breathless Power Play ended with 67/3 on the board.

Kieron Pollard, on the back of that 18-ball 50 against the Knight Riders, was soon also clearing the boundaries against his former team as the Stars raced to three-figures before the halfway stage of the innings.

Two boundaries for the Stars skipper took him into the 40s as 11 runs from Irfan’s final over saw the leftarmer bring up his own unwanted halfcentury.

Fletcher and Pollard b o t h reached h a l f centuries, in 34 and 33 balls

high no-ball for six and then dispatched the resultant freehit for another Hero Maximum and then drilling the last ball of the over downtown for six more.

Holder couldn’t stem the flow this time as Pollard pulverised a short ball over midwicket onto the grass bank before going even bigger next ball as he sent a full delivery screaming high over the pavilion.

Another Pollard six brought up the 200 at the start of the 19th over; it was the 50th six in three innings at the Daren Sammy Stadium.

And the man himself was at the crease moments later when Fletcher fell for 80 from 52 as an attempted ramp found only short fineleg.

A four through midwicket took Pollard into the 90s and with it his highest T20 score.

A pair of

scampered twos took Pollard to 98 and kept him on strike to launch another six down the ground and register that elusive first T20 hundred.

He fell to the next ball, with Sammy following to his first, but it mattered not.

This time, at last, the Stars had enough.

r e s p e c t i v e l y, but the Tridents were able to keep a lid on the scoring with only 41 runs coming from five overs between the 12thand 16th of the innings.

Ashley Nurse, Holder and Wahab were all giving the Tridents some control, but Barbados’ problems were Irfan and Reifer.

The return of Reifer for over 17 got the Stars back into top gear as Fletcher swatted a

Qais Ahmed celebrates the wicket of Dwayne Smith

Ronaldo makes winning start on dramatic Juventus debut C

Cristiano Ronaldo is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner

ristiano Ronaldo made a winning start to his Juventus career as his new club came from behind to beat Chievo 3-2 in a dramatic start to the Serie A season.

Federico Bernardeschi scored the 93rd-minute winner, moments after Juve had a goal ruled out by VAR with Ronaldo at the centre of the incident.

The Portugal captain, a

£99.2m signing from Real Madrid, appeared to handle the ball before colliding with Chievo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino in the buildup to Mario Mandzukic’s goal, which referee Fabrizio Pasqua ruled out on review.

Sami Khedira had put Juventus ahead from close range in the third minute, before Mariusz Stepinski headed in the equaliser.

Emanuele Giaccherini

won and scored a penalty to put Chievo in front on 56 minutes, but a Mattia Bani own goal pegged them back before Bernardeschi struck late on.

Ronaldo forced several saves from 39-year-old Sorrentino, who left the match on a stretcher after his late collision with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

(BBC Sport)

20

guyanatimesGY.com

SUnDAY, august 19, 2018

Colors Boutique outfits table tennis champion O

Kaysan Ninvalle and Colors representative Creanna Damon

ften described as the epitome of determination and strength, one of Guyana’s most promising young table tennis players, Kaysan Ninvalle, is gearing up to represent Guyana on the regional stage once again.

This 13-year-old, who has shown his dominance with the paddle in hand over the past 8 years, will set out once again to represent Guyana at the Caribbean MiniCadet and Pre-Cadet Table Tennis Championships.

In light of this, Colours Boutique has seen it fit to gear up the young man once again, as he prepares to compete in the Dominican Republic next weekend.

Speaking on behalf of the benevolent company, store representative Creanna Damon stressed on the boutique’s commitment to sports and aspiring athletes. The representative also highlighted that the company is aware of, and is very proud of, Kaysan’s achievements prior to and during the course of their sponsorship.

“On behalf of the management and team of Colours boutique, I would to

take this opportunity to congratulate Kaysan for the excellent playing he has been doing so far. I just want to wish him the best in his future endeavours,” she stated.

In reply, Kaysan had an outpouring of gratitude towards the company for the timely contributions.

“Thank you to my sponsors for all the equipment; it has made me a better tennis player. It will also push me further to play harder and focus more,” the 13-year-old said.

Despite having to compete in a higher category this time around, Kaysan is ready to battle from August 26-31.

He noted that he would have to put in

much more work this time around.

“I expect that I would have to fight, and put my mind to it,” he said.

Speaking on plans for the future, the young man sees himself progressing through the table tennis ranks over the next few years.

He is hopeful of getting opportunity to participate in the largest international sporting event, come 2020.

“In future, I hope to attend the World Championships for my country, and also to reach the Olympics in 2020,” he confidently stated.

When he competed in 2016, the youngster copped gold in the “11 and under” category of the same competition. Additionally, he is Guyana’s “15 champion”, one category higher than his actual range.

Finally! Kane scores a Premier League goal in August H

Harry Kane

arry Kane has finally broken his August duck in the Premier League at the 15th time of asking.

The Tottenham striker produced a superb finish to round off his side’s 3-1 win over Fulham at Wembley on Saturday.

It concluded a remarkable dry run for one of the English top-flight’s most prolific goal-getters during games in the opening month of the season.

During the Fulham game, Kane ticked passed 1,000 August minutes without a goal before ending the drought after 77 minutes of the contest and 1,065th minute overall.

The England captain hit the post with his 48th August shot but Cottagers goalkeeper Fabri was beaten with number 49. (Sportsmax)

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sports

21

Sporting associations urged to submit 2019 programmes I

n the recent past, sporting associations have lamented their not being able to acquire funds from the Government in order to participate in, or host, regional and international tournaments.

They now have opportunity to acquire funds, since Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, has made an urgent call for all organisations to submit their proposals for the 2019 budget.

Speaking briefly on this issue, which has caused several sporting associations to claim that they have had to secure their own funding when they wished to participate in international engagements, Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, has made a bold call on the leaders of associations which have not yet submitted budget proposals to hasten the submission of their budgets.

“We have requested information from the boxing association as well as (from) several other sports associations and federations as it relates to their 2019 programmes,” Jones disclosed.

Once approved, the National Sport Budget would be able to cover all, or most, of the cost, instead of associations having to bear them alone.

“Once those associations (with budget proposals outstanding) would have submitted that information before the stipulated deadline, those associations will be seeing significant funding being provided to them, whether it be for regional or international

tournaments,” Jones disclosed.

In the same light, President of the Guyana Boxing Association, Steve Ninvalle, noted that he has already submitted his association’s agenda, and has encouraged other associations to do so as well.

“The Guyana Boxing Association has already sent in its budget. Some information was requested from us relating to some of the major tournaments that we would have liked to participate in in 2019. So we have beat the deadline,” Ninvalle said.

Earlier this year, two sporting associations had made calls for the Government to support them financially when they were ready to travel. However, it was later disclosed that those associations had not submitted their 2018 plans.

This year’s deadline for the submission of their programmes to the National Sports Commission is Monday, August 20 (tomorrow).

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones

Kohli and Rahane dominate, but England fight back

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ndia’s batsmen breathed life into their tour of England on day one of the third Test at Trent Bridge.

Virat Kohli made a superb 97 and Ajinkya Rahane 81 to help the visitors to 307-6 after England won the toss.

Chris Woakes’ three wickets had reduced them to 82-3, only for Kohli and Rahane to add 159 for the fourth wicket.

India were set to end the day in a very strong position, only for James Anderson to remove Hardik Pandya with the final delivery.

India’s quest will be to reach 400 on Sunday morning against a second new ball that is only seven overs old.

England - 2-0 up and aiming to seal a series victory - looked set to have their decision to field first vin-

dicated as the ball moved around on a grassy surface.

But, Woakes aside, their pace bowlers did not carry a consistent threat until an improved Stuart Broad removed Rahane after tea.

Ben Stokes, returning to the side after being cleared of affray, was particularly ineffective, returning 0-54 from 15 overs.

As well as India competed in the thrilling first Test at Edgbaston, their capitulation in the second at Lord’s raised fears the remainder of the series would be one-sided.

Prior to this match, they had won only one of 11 Tests in England and passed 200 just once in their previous nine completed innings.

For the 45th consecutive Test, they tinkered with their team - including fitagain pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah, giving a debut to

20-year-old wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and recalling opener Shikhar Dhawan.

Dhawan provided much-needed positivity at the top of the order and, after Kohli and Rahane dominated the middle of the day, Pant hit his second ball in Test cricket for six.

England were not quite at their best and ended up

spending a full day in the field for the first time in the series.

While that is damaging to their hopes of defeating the world number ones at the earliest possible opportunity, it is good for the spectacle of the remainder of this match and the two that follow. (BBC Sport)

SCOREBOARD India 1st Innings S Dhawan c Buttler b Woakes 35 KL Rahul lbw b Woakes 23 CA Pujara c Rashid b Woakes 14 V Kohli (c) c Stokes b Rashid 97 AM Rahane c Cook b Broad 81 HH Pandya c Buttler b Anderson 18 RR Pant † not out 22 Extras: (b 12, lb 4, w 1) 17 Total: (6 Wickets, 87 Overs, RR: 3.52) 307

Yet to bat: R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, I Sharma, JJ Bumrah Fall of wickets: 1-60 (S Dhawan, 18.4 ov), 2-65 (KL Rahul, 20.6 ov), 3-82 (CA Pujara, 26.4 ov), 4-241 (AM Rahane, 66.6 ov), 5-279 (V Kohli, 75.6 ov), 6-307 (HH Pandya, 86.6 ov) Bowling: J M Anderson 22-8-52-1, SCJ Broad 216-64-1, BA Stokes 15-1-540, C R Woakes 20-2-75-3, A U Rashid 9-0-46-1)

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guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, august 19, 2018

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018 Match 12…

F

Ross Taylor

Boundary-filled encounter expected as Tallawahs battle TKR

resh off a record run chase, defending Hero Caribbean Premier League champs Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) come up against the in-form Jamaica Tallawahs in a highly-anticipated clash at the Fort Lauderhill Ground, Florida on Sunday, August 19.

Each side having demonstrated their power-hitting abilities over the course of the competition, TKR will certainly have their tails up following their gunning down of a 200-plus run record total a few nights ago.

The orchestrators of that heist were Darren Bravo and Brendon McCullum, who mauled the St Lucia Stars’ bowlers to end on 96 and 68 respectively.

Against a strong Tallawahs bowling attack, with leg-spinner Adam Zampa, Pakistan’s Imad Wasim, Guyanese off-spinner Steven Jacobs, Samuel Badree, along with their two main weapons in Oshane Thomas and leftarm veteran Krishmar

Darren Bravo

Santokie, Trinbago would want more from their top three.

W h i l e Sunil Narine remains an X-factor with the ball and bat, it is the form of Chris Lynn that will worry TKR, as the Aussie power-hitter has mis-

fired on a few occasions but could turn his luck around playing in home-like conditions.

C o l i n Munro, with a couple of CPL tons under his belt and a few starts this season, will need to kick on batting at three, along with the veteran Denesh Ramdin, who remains a key figure in the middle.

With the six-hitting exhibition Bravo and McCullum put on a few nights ago, TKR would want to see the left-handed pocket rocket and the former New Zealand skipper -- who has one of the fastest Test hundreds -- pick up from where they left off days ago.

The Champs’ bowling flaws were exposed by the Stars, with skipper Dwayne Bravo’s economy rate climbing in T20s as he leaked runs, while Speedster Shannon

Gabriel, medium-pacer Javon Searles, USA fast bowler Ali Khan, Australian spinner Fawad Ahmed and Narine will all have roles to play with the ball for TKR.

Jamaica c a n breathe easy, as their batting has been clicking in a huge way, with the flashy South African Glenn Phillips and his partner Kennar Lewis both having runs under their bat, while former New Zealand Captain Ross Taylor, Rovman Powell and Russell are all in dangerous hitting form.

Coupled with their wide array of quality bowling, the former champs will fancy this encounter, as a high volume of boundaries is expected to rain at the Lauderhill Park Ground when these two powerhouse franchises collide from 18:00h. (Clifton Ross)

Brendon McCullum

guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, august 19, 2018

23

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018…

Sensational Hetmyer puts Warriors on top – Amazon Warriors beat Tallawahs by whopping 71 runs

S

Imran Tahir made the Tallawahs very uncomfortable with superb bowling that gave the Warriors two points

himron Hetmyer’s magnificent form with the bat continues in this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with a match winning maiden T20 century that gave the Guyana Amazon Warriors a table topping win over the Jamaica Talalwahs at the Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale Florida on Saturday night.

In just his fifth T20 match, Hetmyer was brilliant from the moment he walked to the crease after the crowd favourite, Guyana Amazon Warriors lost an early wicket in match 10 as the ‘Biggest Party in Sport’ reaches North America for the third straight season.

In fact, Hetmyer was ready for battle from as early as the second ball of the second over after opener Chadwick Walton was given out LBW to Samuel Badree, who got his first game of the season at the expense of Steven Jacobs.

He featured on two partnerships on his way to his maiden T20 century. First, he dominated a 41-second wicket partnership with Luke Ronchi who once again failed to get going.

It was another occasion that Walton and Ronchi exposed the middle order early this time scoring just 13 runs for the opening wicket to follow 9, 54 and 10 scored in the earlier matches but yet again, Hetmyer was in a league of his own.

Ronchi became Andre Russell’s first victim in his first over and the final of the power play before what was seen as the partnership of the match.

Hetmyer and Captain Shoaib Malik then scored 108 runs for the third wicket from just 8.4 overs that set the Warriors on course for the seventh 200-plus score of CPL 2018 ending on 209 for 7.

At the halfway stage, the Warriors were 110 for 2 with Hetmyer and Malik hitting boundaries at will and the hosts searching for answers.

However, the assault continued until the 15th over when the Tallawahs hit back with the dismissal of the young Berbician for exactly 100 from 49 balls.

Along the way, the 21-

year old Hetmyer became the youngest of seven centurions in the history of CPL and the third of the season behind Andre Russell with 141 versus Trinbago Knight Riders and Kieron Pollard 104 against Barbados Tridents.

The former Windies U-19 winning captain got to the land mark from 47 balls with 11 fours and five sixes which is also the third fastest in CPL century. Russell holds numbers one and two spots with 40 and 44-ball efforts.

When he holed out in the 15th over, the Warriors were in a commanding position with Malik still going strong.

However, the Tallawahs sneaked back into the contest with five quick Warriors wickets for 34 runs in 4.5 overs including Malik who made an even half century to join Hetmyer as the only batsmen to get out of single digits.

Badree who got the early wicket also got some stick and with fellow spinner Imad

Wasim, they conceded 72 runs from just six overs. The seamers also received some rough treatment on the good track but were more successful with Oshane Thomas, Andre Russell and Krishmar Santokie taking two wickets each.

In the field, the Warriors were tested by the Tallawahs top order but after David Miller and Glenn Phillips were dismissed in the 11th over bowled

by Imran Tahir it all went downhill for the former champions. First, Miller who was playing his first game of the season after international assignments was run out from a Tahir direct hit after backing up too far at the non-strikers end and Phillips followed next ball when he played back to a googly.

It was the beginning of the end as the rest of the Tallawahs batting fell like nine pins in quick succession. In fact, the home team lost their last eight wickets for 36 runs in 36 balls when they moved from 102 for

SCOREBOARD

Guyana Amazon Warriors Innings (20 overs maximum) CAK Walton lbw b Badree 9 L Ronchi † c Miller b Russell 8 SO Hetmyer c Powell b Thomas 100 Shoaib Malik (c) c Imad Wasim b Santokie 50 SE Rutherford b Thomas 5 JN Mohammed not out 13 CJ Green c Imad Wasim b Russell 6 KMA Paul c Zampa b Santokie 2 RR Emrit not out 7 Extras: (lb 4, nb 1, w 4) 9 Total: (7 wickets, 20 Overs, RR: 10.45) 209 Did not bat: Imran Tahir, D Bishoo Fall of wickets: 1-13 (CAK Walton, 1.1 ov), 2-54 (L Ronchi, 5.4 ov), 3-162 (SO Hetmyer, 14.2 ov), 4-177 (SE Rutherford, 16.2 ov), 5-186 (Shoaib Malik, 17.3 ov), 6-193 (CJ Green, 18.3 ov), 7-196 (KMA Paul, 19.1 ov) Bowling: K Santokie 4-0-352, S Badree 3-0-37-1, Imad Wasim 3-0-35-0, AD Russell 3-0-31-2, O Thomas 4-032-2, A Zampa 3-0-35-0

Jamaica Tallawahs Innings (target: 210 runs from 20 overs) K Lewis c Shoaib Malik b Paul 14 GD Phillips † b Imran Tahir 43 LRPL Taylor c †Ronchi b Green 30 DA Miller run out (Imran Tahir) 11 R Powell b Green 13 AD Russell (c) c Hetmyer b Bishoo 1 Imad Wasim c Green b Imran Tahir 14 K Santokie c Shoaib Malik b Emrit 0 A Zampa run out (Walton/Imran Tahir) 3 S Badree run out (Bishoo/Shoaib Malik) 2 O Thomas not out 2 Extras: (lb 3, w 2) 5 Total: (16.2 Overs, RR: 8.44) 138 Fall of wickets: 1-16 (K Lewis, 0.6 ov), 2-82 (LRPL Taylor, 7.3 ov), 3-102 (DA Miller, 10.2 ov), 4-102 (GD Phillips, 10.3 ov), 5-103 (AD Russell, 11.1 ov), 6-129 (R Powell, 13.5 ov), 7-130 (K Santokie, 14.2 ov), 8-133 (Imad Wasim, 15.1 ov), 9-134 (A Zampa, 15.3 ov), 10-138 (S Badree, 16.2 ov) Bowling: KMA Paul 2-0-19-1, CJ Green 4-0-19-2, D Bishoo 3-0-341, Imran Tahir 4-0-26-2, RR Emrit 3-0-35-1, Shoaib Malik 0.2-0-2-0

The crowd came out at the Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale Florida in full support for the Amazon Warriors

2 in the 11th over to 138 all out in 16.2 overs.

At the half-way stage of the run chase, the Tallawahs were in a comfortable position at 101 for 2 with Phillips on a solid 43 from 27 balls and Miller on 10 after Kennar Lewis and Ross Taylor were fluent in their brief innings respectively.

Tahir ended with two wickets but it was off-spinner Chris Green with 2.19 from his

four overs who strangled the Tallawahs after Keemo Paul, Rayad Emrit and Devendra Bishoo were taken to the cleaners early but came back well.

With the 71-run win, the Warriors are now back on top of the points table while the Tallawahs have slipped to second position heading into tonight’s clash with third placed Trinbago Knight Riders at the same venue from 18:00h.

Hetmyer was named Man of the Match and is now the second leading batsman with 222 runs from four games behind Kieron Pollard with 239 runs from five games.

The Amazon Warriors next match is against the St Lucia Stars in Match 15 on Friday August 24 at the Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium in St Lucia.

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

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018…

Sensational Hetmyer puts Warriors on top

Pg 23

– Amazon Warriors beat Tallawahs by whopping 71 runs

Shimron Hetmyer

The Guyana Amazon Warriors have displaced the Jamaica Tallawahs with a clinical performance at the Central Broward Regional Park on Saturday night

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018 Match 12…

Boundary-filled encounter expected as Tallawahs battle TKR Pg 22

Darren Bravo

Oshane Thomas

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - lezas@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.

August 19, 2018

Star Times Bollywood: Hollywood:

Priyanka Chopra flaunts her engagement ring at Manish Malhotra’s party Page 14

Page 8

2 Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

I

t was the great humanitarian Mother Theresa, who famously said: “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love”, and it is on that premise that the Prabhu Sharan Orphanage was founded. The idea of doing small things to improve the lives of those in gloom, particularly children, has always been at the fore of Pandit Prem Gangadin and when he moved to Canada, the Orphanage materialised.

The doors of the Prabhu Sharan Orphanage were opened on August 21, 2005 in the compound of the Vedic Mandir, Prabhu Sharan Drive, North Scheme, Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara. One of the main objectives of the home is to ensure the children in its care reach their optimum potential through a comprehensive education and social curriculum.

“We are a home ideal for unprivileged children. This home provides love, care, compassion, respect and a

Currently, the home has 30 children in its care and those children are mostly from abusive households.

The children are placed in the home’s care after the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) remove them from the care of their abusive parents or guardians.

Dowlat said the children were a joy to care for, but explained that there was a dark side because of the struggles they would have gone through. She notes that when the children come into their care they would, more than often, lash out and have anger issues, which they view as a defence mechanism.

The home would work closely with those children in order to bring their behaviour to some sort of normalcy.

The home provides counselling to the children, but as of late there has been a challenge in getting a counsellor to meet with the children.

“One of the major challenges is the lack of a social The Children of the Prabhu Sharan Orphanage

tend public schools, the older children attend one of the most prestigious private schools – the Saraswati Vidya Niketan on scholarships. So far they would have seen past children excelling at their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, gaining as many as 15 passes.

The home, like most, runs on public donations.

Dowlat said that there was usually one annual fundraiser by the Prabhu Sharan

Organisation in Canada to supplement donations.

Dowlat has been at the helm of the Prabhu Sharan Orphanage for over eight years, and issued a call for more volunteers like herself.

She says service to those in need has always been a big part of her life and sees her volunteer work with the home as just one part of giving back.

“Personally, it is a feeling of satisfaction knowing I can make a difference without any comparison of eth-

The Prabhu Sharan Orphanage

safe environment. The children learn to live in love, empathy to help each other also help to build self-confidence and self-esteem. When our children step out into the outside world as an adult, they possess the relevant knowledge, skills, attitudes and divine values to live in dignity a balanced life for the best of both the material and spiritual world, being worthy citizens with a sense of social responsibility. So they can make the world a better place,” Administrator Indira Dowlat said.

worker. Because we have so many children from all backgrounds and from all situations there are a lot of challenges dealing with them.

We try our best; in the past we had a social worker from the Agency (CC&PA) coming to meet with the children, but now that don’t happen and we really need that especially here,” Dowlat noted.

Apart from tackling the emotional issues of the children, the home also ensures that they are exposed to a solid education. While the younger children would at-

The Prabhu Sharan Orphanage during the early days

nicity, culture, religion and political ties. To do so with no strings attached makes me feel great and that feeling is beyond comparison.”

For now the Prabhu Sharan Orphanage continues to work with the children in its care to get the best possible result from each one of them. The interest and effort are being placed in them because the mission of the home is to ensure every child gets the tools to position themselves to be the best they can be.

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Feature

T

here are quite a few things children need in order to properly develop into adults and among those things are a roof over their heads, food and, most importantly, love.

However, not all children are fortunate to have those necessities and many find themselves in unsavoury situations but the Joshua House Children Centre has been providing a safe space for those children to develop for a number of years.

The mission of the home is to rescue children who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances; these include children whose parents are unable to look after them, street children, abused children, and orphans. Moral and religious principles form the foundation for overall development; therefore, these principles are taught to the children in the care of the House.

The Joshua House Children Centre was established in 1977 by Barbara Burrows, daughter of a wellknown Guyanese artist, ER Burrows. After residing in England for many years, she returned to Guyana as a missionary in 1970.During the course of their work, members of her group sought to have a place for their children to stay when they had to be out in the field. Money was accumulated and the present building at Thomas Street, Georgetown was purchased.

As missionaries visited various parts of the country, they rescued children whom they met in unfortunate conditions. Over a period after all of the missionary children had left, the residence was converted into a home for needy children in 1977. The Children’s Home was then taken care of by the church. However, as the number of children grew, the Unification Church could no longer support it fi-

Prince Harry with the children of The Joshua House Children Centre

nancially.

The period of 1978-1985 saw a metamorphosis of the building and surroundings from a three-storied family house in the midst of dense vegetation into a two-flat structure on a double lot.

In 1983, the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF) of New York adopted Joshua House after doing some filming and renovation work. The present building was realised in 1986 mainly through a grant by the IRFF and generous public assistance.

According to the House’s Facebook page, during the years, many youngsters came in and out of its doors; at one time, the Centre housed over 60 children and eight adults. Children

in need came from as far as Linden, West Berbice, and Matthews Ridge.

The children in the home’s care are exposed to a number of activities as well as schooling. There are volunteers who would visit from time to time to engage the children in art and craft, sports and other activities.

Additionally, the children are all part of the public education system with some of them excelling despite the adversities they face.

During the holiday season, the children are quite often treated to meals, trips, and toys from various organisations as well as private persons. The Home is mainly run off donations from the public and organisations.

A recently constructed dormitory at The Joshua House Children Centre

Children on a trip to Kaieteur Falls

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Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

“M

ake the orphan come close to you, be nice to him, wipe his head and feed him from your food. This will cause your heart to be soft and your needs to be fulfilled,” Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) commanded. It is that command that gives the Ally-Rahaman family the drive to still operate the Shaheed Boys and Girls Orphanage under the Guyana United Sad’r Islamic Anjuman banner.

The Home was founded in 1937 by Yakoob Ally to address the needs of children in abused

The Shaheed Boys Orphanage

homes and on the streets.

He felt that it is his duty as a Muslim to ensure that these children in need are given the guidance that they deserve.

The Home’s vision is “to realize the full potential of our children and to ensure that they will be able to reintegrate in their community as healthy, happy, responsible and independent children and adults.”

According to Ally’s relatives, the name Shaheed came about after a man bearing that name donated a plot of land and a building at Oleander Gardens, East Coast

Demerara which now houses the Girls Orphanage. The Boys are being housed at Alexander Street, Kitty.

After Ally died, his brother Abdool Rahaman took over the Orphanages and to date his children are running it. His daughter, Raheema Rahaman serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer of the Home and according to her, the vision remains the same.

She said that it is their mission to meet the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of the children in their care. They achieve this by pro-

viding the children with a safe space, love, guidance and access to a comprehensive education. Currently, there are 30 children in their care.

“We are more than just an orphanage. We are an alternative home to these children because we treat them as our own.

We have children coming from all over the country and from all kinds of situations. I would personally have one on one sessions with them and make sure that they know they are being loved and everything is okay. It is our duty as humans to make sure that they are taken care of and it is one of the principles of Islam,” Rahaman says.

The children are referred to the Home by the Child Care and Protection Agency and are mostly from the streets or rescued from abusive households.

When the children are handed over to the Home, they are evaluated by a Social Worker and would receive counselling to deal with their issues. They are exposed to a number of activities which includes martial arts classes, swimming, cricket and their schooling is mandatory.

“We used to send them to a Private School but they would come back and say that the

Raheema Rahaman

children treat them differently and so on. So we started to send them to the Government Schools and since then we have had very little complaints. I would take them on trips and so on because to me they are like my children.”

For Rahaman, serving these children is just a way of her attaining peace with herself. She says that it is her duty to do that and one she has no qualms about fulfilling. She explains that all children, no matter their religion prior to coming into the Home, are exposed to the teachings of Islam. It is a mandatory requirement and if a child refuses then alternative arrangements would be made for their housing.

As like many nonprofit organisations, Rahaman ex-

plains that funding can be a little stressful. She says that most of the funding comes from the Muslim community during the month of Ramadan and they would have to “stretch to make ends meet” after.

Additionally, she notes that her immediate family would also chip in to make the children as comfortable as possible.

For now the children at the home are living the most comfortable lives. They have their chores outlined and must complete that but they are quite often rewarded with trips to the creek and various parts of the country, many of those trips includes Rahaman or Auntie Dolly as they call her driving them and even joining in the fun with them.

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Sunday Times Magazine 5

Feature

F

or Miranda ThakurDeen education is a prized possession and to be in a position to aid someone to realise his or her full potential makes her extremely satisfied. Miranda hails from the island of Wakenaam in the Essequibo River and credits her humble beginnings to the success she has achieved.

She remembers growing up in poverty and having to walk long distances to school as well as not having the luxury of a television in the home. It is those struggles coupled with the push of her parents that led Miranda to appreciate the very little things one takes for granted. For most of her adult life Miranda has been giving back to her community in whatever way she could have afforded, but in 2008, those efforts intensified.

In 2008, Miranda, along with her husband and sib-

With the children in Wakenaam

children on the island and then graduated to awarding top performers with educational grants and scholarships.

tunate we continued doing it. That is where I was inspired to start a foundation.

In 2015, I asked friends who shared the same vision if we

Miranda Thakur-Deen (right) with First Lady Sandra Granger (centre) and GACF’s Public Relations Officer, Sophia Dolphin

lings, ventured into the mining industry and saw some amount of success.

They then began intensifying their charitable efforts on the island of Wakenaam.

It started with providing Christmas presents to the

“About eight years back, we decided to go back to the primary schools and we decided to buy a bicycle for the top student. We then bought a laptop for the top students and that is where we started and because we were for-

could open a foundation and there it was we birthed Give Another Chance Foundation [GACF],” she said.

GACF is committed to helping provide basic education from pre-school to university and health care to

A student receiving a laptop in Wakenaam

underprivileged children in rural and urban communities. It is the belief of the organisation whether you are addressing healthcare, poverty, population control, unemployment or human rights, there is no better place to start, than in the corridors of education.

According to the GACF Facebook page, the vision is to provide children and young adults with the building blocks for a better future.

“Our main aim is to provide them with the necessary resources and tools to ensure that every child is given the chance to evolve into a productive citizen.”

Miranda says that it is her humble beginnings that she credits much of her work to. She stressed that the GACF was not only working in Wakenaam, as it has been assisting the community of Baramita in Region One (Barima-Waini) ever since they started mining in that area. Additionally, they have expanded their services to almost every community in the country.

“I want to give people a chance to excel and give them the hope they need to push forward. We believe that a proper education is

the key to addressing a number of issues in our communities.”

Currently, the GACF has been giving out a number of educational grants and back-to-school backpacks and is even paying the tuition fees for a student at the University of Guyana.

Miranda says she hopes to provide three yearly scholarships to the University of Guyana among other assistance.

The GACF has persons from various disciplines on

staff in order to tackle issues in a number of areas to better equip communities to find long-term solutions to poverty through innovative education and livelihood projects, which empower an individual to earn a livelihood. Its goal is to increase awareness on a range of issues – from health care to appropriate social behaviour to understanding one’s rights, and in the process help persons become better citizens.

Miranda says that the Foundation’s Board of Directors is committed to the financial, operational, and intellectual vitality of the organisation.

The Foundation works on self-reliance projects where its education programmes focus not just on access, but on attainment – ensuring vulnerable children have the right infrastructure, resources, teaching and parental support in order to have a quality education so that they go on to lead productive, happy lives.

This is complemented by the Foundation’s livelihood programmes that work to create secure incomes. The organisation also helps to improve agricultural practices and market awareness in farming communities.

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Feature

“O

ur religion teaches us that service to man is service to God. Also service teaches us humility and it teaches one to love and respect God’s creation. I have always loved service and giving back, because it teaches you to see divinity in everything,” says Swami Shivashankarananda of the Guyana Sevashram Sangha.

S w a m i Shivashankarananda has been with the Sevashram Sangha since 1994, dedicating most of his life to the service of others. He said that even before becoming

a member of the Sangha, he had always been fond of serving others. Swami Shivashankarananda is responsible for the operation of the Cove and John Ashram on the East Coast of Demerara and said that there are a number of persons who volunteer at the Ashram and are dedicated to serving humanity.

“I loved to share especially to those in need. I feel elated, satisfied, so happy.

The experience is beyond explanation. The peace I get I cannot explain. We have shared, because it helps society when we can reach out

to our brothers who have nothing, because it brings in togetherness and unity and peace, happiness. It helps to develop one another when we can share a little.”

The Ashram has two major roles: the educational aspect, which is being fulfilled through the Cove and John Hindu College, and the seva aspect. Seva translates to service and according to the Swami, service is at the foundation of everything they do.

“We have selfless workers who give service to the organisation, and we have the school and we have a

Swami Shivashankarananda

very extensive programme.

Our organisations stands for seva, which is service

and we reach out to people on different grounds, not only from the religious but humanitarianly. We do hampers, we do medical outreaches and education also.

We are committed to serving the people despite religion or class. Everyone is treated equally,” he said.

According to the Swami, sharing while expecting something in return is a recipe for disaster. He says that when we are in the position to share, it basically means that God has given you enough and that you should share that gift.

“Sharing teaches you to see divinity in everything and when you are able to serve, it helps you to be humble and gives you an opportunity to reach out. You must share everything you have. When you are prepared to share, that...it is very sacred. Service teaches us to share whatever we have, because whatever you get, that is a gift and you have to be prepared to share some of that. You will get more in return.”

S w a m i Shivashankarananda says our blessings increase infinitively when we provide our services to those in need and hence he advises the practice of seva to better humanity.

He encourages people to come to the Cove and John Ashram and learn how they can better serve their fellow human beings.

In 1955, Guru Swami Purnanandaji Maharaj came to Guyana to establish the Guyana Sevashram Sangha. The Cove and John Ashram has since become a pilgrimage site for a number of Hindus especially on the occasion of Maha Shivraatri.

The Hindu College is also attached to the organisation as they seek to provide a comprehensive curriculum to benefit all their students.

S w a m i Shivashankarananda encourages all to visit the Ashram and be engaged, despite religion because service to humanity transcends all boundaries.

The Cove and John Ashram compound

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AUGUST 19 , 2018

Sunday Times Magazine 7

Literary Corner

Preserving our literary heritage

by

Petamber Persaud

A

Survey of Guyanese History is written from the perspective of one man, however, this does not diminish the extent, depth and validity of the work because the perspective of this one man encompasses an impressive and extensive array of research and writing, teaching and preaching experiences going all the way back to when Winston McGowan came into this world at a historic time during the early years of WWII, going on to attend the best schools –Sacred Heart Roman Catholic School and Queen’s College - in

Georgetown, Guyana, stretching his imagination and his thirst for knowledge by entering the University College of the West Indies where he gained a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Special Honours, extending his search for answers to England where he secured a doctorate degree in West African History from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, and most importantly returning home to serve his country which he did (and continues to do even in retirement) with distinction by first joining the Department of History at the University of Guyana, serving in various capacities

Inside the great big global village not everything is rosy even a cat knows it a leaf can sniff it.

The Moon shines not in every night nor God promised always a blue sky.

Still the roses bloom Cinderella has the heap the reasons to groom.

The richest among the folks turns philanthropist in the globe.

The wisest among the men celebrate the era for it’s the civilisation at its peak.

Hooray what now triumphs at last is the wisdom and humanity!

Really? O please tell me?

Not very far, nor for much, just because some differ in faith mothers and fathers left in pain.

Not because they are to lose Rohingyan sun nor the land beneath their feet but in no time their sons and daughters can be put to death into fire that too before their eyes before the silent established world!

By Shofi Ahmed

until he retired in August 2008 during which time plus a few more years wherein he occupied the Walter Rodney Chair in History for many years, crowned with the prestigious title Emeritus Professor, entrusted with the careers of emerging academics/historians as he served in the capacity of External Examiner for Doctoral dissertations at the University of Waterloo and as Examiner for the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate in History, honoured by his country with two national awards, the Arrow of Achievement (A.A.) and the Cacique Crown of Honour (C.C.H.), and launched his magna opus under the patronage of a sitting Head of State, President Granger – historian and man of letters.

Furthermore, according to historian Dr. James Rose writing the foreword of the book ‘[t] he process of historical writing involves investigation and analysis of competing ideas, facts and purported facts to create coherent narratives that explain “what happened” and “why or how it happened” and modern historical writing is not shy on drawing upon the social sciences... to explain historical events’.

The book runs into almost 500 pages, perhaps significant of the number of years since Columbus sojourned in this part of the New World that we are writing our own history. The number of pages matters to both the reader and the writer. For the reader, it may take quite a few sittings to weed through a few sections of the text. But for the writer, it had taken a number of years to put together; in fact, A Survey of Guyanese History, constitutes a life’s work, a man’s life’s work which ought to be afforded due regards and full respect in order to fulfil the expectation of the author that ‘this collection of essays will be of benefit not only to the general public, but also especially to teachers and students of Guyanese and Caribbean History. If that hope is realised, the collection will be a useful addition to the existing body of knowledge on this subject’. That number of pages is divided into eleven sections which are further subdivided into short essays and long papers of which many are ‘original works, many in areas previously unattended’ (James Rose), all designed for easier access, comprehension and appreciation, intent on the sharing of knowledge.

The quality of the work is even more impressive than

President David Granger and Dr Winston McGowan at the launching of his book

its quantity evident in the first two essays of the book ‘Guyana, 200 years ago’ and ‘Guyana, 100 years ago’ which set the tone for the collection, evident in the acknowledgement of previous studies from which the author benefited but he gingerly pointed out that none of the essays is ‘merely a synthesis of previously available information’, evident in questioning previous text sometimes running counter to previous ‘facts’, evident in providing a very useful section to each essay labelled

Notice to Readers

‘For further reading’, evident in the extensive bibliography, a very handy index, and the use of primary source material especial in the essays on fishing, cricket and church history.

There are more than a hundred and one relevant uncovered gems to take away from this book but the reader is encouraged to polish those gems for his or her self.

The quality of the work is even more impressive than its quantity as the author in the first sentence of his pref-

ace declared that [t]his is not a General History of Guyana’ and in the following sentence lamented ‘the lack of an authoritative modern general text still remains a major deficiency in the growing historiography’ of Guyana, goading those change makers and those in authority to action.

(Copies are available from Guyenterprise and Austin’s) Responses to this author please telephone 226-0065 of email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com

If you have a poem and/or short story you would like to publish on our Literary Corner page, please email to timessundaymag@gmail.com. Kindly include your correct name and a contact number in your email. If you have any questions, please call 223-7230 or 223-7231.

8 Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

T

he Jagan Dental Centre proudly welcomes back to its team, Dr Ian Jagan, after completing his masters degree in Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics from the Dr D.Y.Patil School of Dentistry in Navi Mumbai, India.

At twenty-six Dr Ian Jagan is currently the only certified, registered and permanently residing endodontist in Guyana and is the youngest dental specialist in Guyana's history. This field of dentistry specialises in the saving teeth through treatment and procedures relating to the internal structures of the tooth that is root canal therapy and

other such procedures.

Dr Ian Jagan is among

the third generation of dental professionals in his fam-

ily, his grandfather was a dental technician, his fa-

Dr Ian Jagan

Dr Ian Jagan (right) with his father Dr Clive Jagan ( second left) and brothers Dr Shane Jagan (left) and Dr Kyle Jagan (second right)

ther Dr Clive Jagan is an established dentist with over forty years of experience, and his two older brothers are also dentists; Dr Shane Jagan is a general dentist and Dr Kyle Jagan specialises in dental implants and laser dentistry. Together with their father, they own and operate The Jagan Dental Centre, a state of the art dental facility at the corner of Lamaha and Light Streets.

When asked why he pursued a career in dentistry, Dr Ian noted that he was always fascinated with dentistry because of his father.

As a young boy he would visit his father's clinic and would enjoy watching him work and interact with patients.

"I would beam with pride when people came up to my dad and thanked him for helping them and it was in those moments that I knew I wanted to pursue a career where my service would help others. For me there was no alternative option, my goal was to become a dentist."

Dr Ian obtained his Primary education at Mae's Under 12, School of the Nations and ABC Academy after which he successfully gained admission to St Joseph’s High School which he attended from 20032008. He then moved to Canada and completed his 12th grade studies and at the age of seventeen, he was admitted to the Dr D.Y. Patil School of Dentistry and moved to India. Moving half way across the world and away from the comforts of home was not easy, but studying in India had become a family tradition, his father and both of his brothers completed their dental studies there.

"The experience was like no other" he said, "to be immersed in the culture was both beautiful and humbling and to study alongside my brothers was most rewarding, it has strengthened our bond as brothers and as colleagues."

In 2014, Dr Ian graduated with a Bachelor ’s Degree in Dental Surgery, returned to Guyana, and joined his father and brothers in the family practice. It was during this time that he observed the need for quality endodontic treatment and

with encouragement from family and friends he decided to specialize in endodontics.

In 2015, he returned to the Dr D.Y.Patil School of Dentistry to pursue his master’s degree in Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics and will be graduating in March 2019 with the gold medal award for his outstanding performance in both the theoretical and practical components of the program.

Dr Ian credits his success thus far to his parents and siblings, "they have been my pillars of support through every goal I have set for myself. My mentors at university gave me the guidance and exposure I needed to build my confidence in the field and excel and my friends made India feel like my home away from home."

While Dr Ian knows that hard work is critical for success, he strongly believes in a balance, work hard, play hard. The young dentist values spending quality time with his family and friends and is passionate about cricket. He was a member of the Georgetown Cricket Club and participated in numerous university tournaments while in India.

"Cricket has taught me how to learn from both my losses and victories and the importance of teamwork."

He is keen on applying these very principles as he joins his brothers at their family practice, "at the Jagan Dental Centre we recognise the value of working as a team together with our patients to ensure long term optimal oral health."

Dr Ian is eager to start building his dental career in Guyana and together with his brothers and team at the Jagan Dental Centre, is committed to providing and maintaining modern high quality dental services. Dr Ian is grateful for the opportunity to contribute towards the development of dental health in Guyana and hopes to not only provide dental services but to share his knowledge and skills with students pursuing dentistry as a career. He hopes to one-day leave a mark on his patients and the dental profession much like his father has done.

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Sunday Times Magazine

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10 Sunday Times Magazine

AUGUST 19 , 2018

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Fashion

" T

he name Sonia Noel is synonymous with the Local Fashion Industry and Noel is back again with exquisite pieces.

She just returned from her book tour and is back at work. This time she took to the beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to show off her new collection.

The pieces are all white and according to her, it is great for summer events especially when they are from an exclusive collection. You can select from unisex shirts to sundresses and convertible kaftan tops to step out to that beach party or enjoy a casual night out with the girls.

"I enjoyed this shoot with my friend Janice. It created a buzz on the beach with many curious onlookers and people interested in buying the outfits," Noel said.

Photos by Tamalee Lynkeechow

"

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Sunday Times Magazine 11

Home & Cooking

Throw out your bathroom cleaners, because with a little lemon, baking soda and ammonia you can do just about anything. From home remedies to secret cleaning techniques, this is your guide to getting your bathroom sparkling.

Cou Cou, Barbados’ national dish is made with cornmeal and okra and it’s amazing. Like many other dishes in the Caribbean, this dish has African roots and is similar to grits or polenta.

Savory cornmeal dishes are popular around the world but this has a Caribbean stamp when it comes to flavor. In other parts of the Caribbean this dish is also known as fungi and is usually served with some sort of stew.

¾ tsp ginger 1 wiri wiri pepper (scotch bonnet or habanera can be used also) 2 tsp oil ¼ cup sugar 1 cup diced tomatoes 1 tbsp ketchup 1 tsp salt

Ingredients

1 ½ lb beef (preferably chuck roast) 2 tsp crushed garlic 3 tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp black pepper ½ tsp paprika 10 sprigs thyme 1 medium onion

Directions

Place beef in a small bowl and season with garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, paprika, thyme, onion, ginger and pepper. Mix to combine then set aside.

In a heavy bottom pot, add oil and sugar over medium heat. Let the sugar caramelize, it will melt then turn dark brown and start to smoke. When the caramel is dark brown (not black) add the marinated meat. Stir to coat and allow it to cook in its own juices until the liquid evaporates.

Add tomatoes, tomato ketchup and salt and cook until the tomatoes softens and breaks down the add enough liquid to cover. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover pot. Cook until the meat is tender. If the liquid evaporates before the meat is tender, simply add more water.

Ingredients

10 okra, thinly sliced 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 6 sprigs thyme 1 cup cornmeal 1 tsp oil 2 cups chicken stock 3 cups water Salt to taste

Directions

In a heavy bottom pot over medium heat add oil. When oil is hot add okra, onion, garlic and thyme and sauté for a few minutes until the vegetables soften. Add water and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes.

While the okra cooks, add ½ water to the cornmeal and stir.

After about 10 minutes remove the okra, onion and thyme with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Slowly add the cornmeal to the pot while stirring. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to low. Cover and cook for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. The cornmeal will thick and the grains will no longer be hard.

Add okra and onion mixture back to the pot; add salt and stir. Remove from heat. Allow to cool before serving. (Jehan Powell)

Ingredients

4 cups mango juice or nectar Juice of 3 limes 1 cup simple syrup (1 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup water) 2 cup seltzer water Lime slices to garnish

Instruction

Place all the ingredients in a pitcher and stir to combine. Chill before serving.

Garnish with slices of lime.

(Jehan Powell)

Toilet Cleaning Made Easy

Cleaning a toilet ranks somewhere around zero on the Pleasant Cleaning Tasks scale, but you have no choice but to tackle it. Here are a few ways to make the job easier and pocket the cost of specialty cleansers.

– Antacid Tablets: Drop 2 antacid tablets or 1 denture tablet containing baking soda into the bowl, let them dissolve for about 20 minutes, then scrub the bowl with a toilet brush. A vitamin C tablet will do the trick as well.

– Mouthwash: Grab a bottle of mouthwash from the medicine cabinet and pour ¼ cup into the bowl. After about half an hour, scrub the bowl with a toilet brush and flush.

– Cola: Empty a can of cola into the bowl and let sit for 30-60 minutes before scrubbing and flushing.

Get Mildew-free Shower Curtains

The moist environment of a bathroom is just made for mildew, so don’t be surprised when it appears on your shower curtain. You can keep it at bay for a while, at least, by soaking curtains and liners in salt water before hanging them. Once they’re up and any mildew appears: – Add ½ cup borax and ½ cup vinegar to 2 cups water, pour onto the affected areas and let sit for 8-10 minutes.

Then scrub with a sponge or cloth.

– Mix 2 tablespoons washing-up liquid with 1 pint household bleach and spray the solution on the curtain.

– Make a paste of vinegar and salt, and spread it onto the mildewed area. Let it dry for 1-2 hours and then clean it off with a damp cloth.

Get Spotless Bathroom Tiles

The grouting between bathroom tiles is a magnet for dirt and germs and it’s easy to miss these hard-to-reach crevices during regular cleaning. It also looks awful so every so often: – Make a paste of 1 part borax, 2 parts baking soda and 1-2 parts water and scrub it onto the grout with a toothbrush.

– Rub away grime with a new pencil eraser, that’s well suited to reaching these narrow spaces.

– Scrub with a mouthwash containing a tooth-whitening agent.

– Soak a cotton wool ball in household bleach and set it on a spot of badly stained worktop grout for a few hours; for walls, attach the cotton ball with gaffer tape.

12 Sunday Times Magazine

AUGUST 19 , 2018

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Puzzles

1 6

11 16

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

32 34

36

38

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45

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49 52

53 54

57

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72

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77 78 79

82

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88 89 90

92

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100

ACROSS Wee parasites Agave Chew the scenery Stroll Related to mom For -- -- (cheap) Ice-fishing tool Greeted the moon Cup fraction Dry white wine More discourteous Becomes a dad Fashion accessory Shape clay Kickboxer Jean-Claude Van -Zone Portico Analyze, in a way Scare off Reddish horses Deer with antlers Kind of jacket Deli crepes Driving hazard Stream Aspired to Oath Marsh stalkers Paris cash of yore Pounds on the door Kappa preceder Wrinkled fruit Loses energy Wouldn't hurt -- -Shortens an article Da or ja Ill will Epsom -Like some arches Mach 1 breakers Heavy gold chain Faint glows Lascaux attraction (2 wds.)

Elegant coiffures Gold brick Modify Backer Ply the broom Casanova type Burger side Shirt part Thorn Least IRS time Ledger check Cross one's heart Talks wildly A Muppet Bart Maverick's brother Spoke like ewe?

Jane or Henry

101 Bulova rivals

102 FICA number

103 Thick board

104 Satisfies

105 Camper's shelter (2 wds.)

106 Santa --, Calif.

107 Relieve

108 Advise against

109 Taxi riders

111 Tanker leak

113 Delete a file

115 Knuckle under

119 "Forgot" a letter

121 Noted quilt makers

123 -- nous

125 Centurion's sweet nothing?

126 Nasal tone

127 Column type

129 Woody Allen movie

131 Sensational 133 Brink

134 Ulterior motive

135 007 portrayer -- Moore

136 Archaeology find 137 Pistol-packing

138 Bottle- -- dolphin

139 Fish habitats

140 Canvas support

DOWN

1 Kitten's pleas

2 Aleut language

3 Ballroom number

4 And so forth

5 Give the impression

6 Gridiron gain

7 Flashlight carriers 8 Slinkies

9 TV news source

10 Grew mellow

11 Set aside for

12 Wakiki wear

53

13 Humorous -- Nash

54

14 Concert souvenir

55

15 Hits the wrong key

56

16 Fly the coop

58

17 Rum drink (2 wds.)

59

18 "Don Juan" poet

60

19 Knowing looks

62

20 Bradley and Sneed

63

31 Iridescent gems 64

33 As needed (2 wds.)

67

35 Ohio Indians

68

37 White as a sheet

69

39 Make furious

71

41 Some steaks (hyph.)

73

44 Pole carving

74

46 Immense times

76

48 Links org.

77

49 Diary keeper

78

50 Horrible bosses

79

51 Confidence 52 Reinforce

KATHLEEN SAXE

WORD GAME TODAY'S WORD -- NARCOSIS

(NARCOSIS: nar-KO-sis: A deep stupor produced by a drug or other chemicals.)

Average mark 23 words Time limit 35 minutes Can you find 30 or

more

words in NARCOSIS? naris acorn across arson rain rani roan rosin cairn caisson

casino coin coir corn crass cross oasis orca sans sari

scan scar scion scorn soar sonar sonic sora icon iron

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.

Puts an end to "There you are!"

Sleek swimmer "That -- so bad!"

Tosses a coin Musical key (2 wds.)

Goof-offs Knock for a loop Slugger Hank -Overhang Fire of the mind Diner freebie Fearsome trio Naturally bright Had -- -- miss Gumshoe's finds Exam for jrs.

Noted war story Major artery Injury reminders

80 Serves the wine

107 Metaphor kin

81 Like days of yore

108 Went to the sock hop

82 Fishing spot

109 Not so many

83 Tears apart

110 Watch feature

85 Jessica of "Cape Fear" 112 Twinges

86 Like a bee

114 Be a monarch

87 Twist violently

116 Tells all

89 Safari leaders

117 Work by Rousseau

90 Capelike garment

118 Matterhorn echo

91 Arizona city

120 Zoologist -- Fossey

94 German industrial region

122 Stringed instrument

95 Muddy the waters

124 "What -- is new?"

97 Type of rocket

126 Water-power org.

99 Indifferent

128 Lennon's wife

100 Oil and kerosene

130 London lav

101 Farther from the middle

132 Tony-winner -- Hagen

103 Solemnly promised

104 Experimented with genes

105 Drives bananas 106 Recoil

See Solution on Pg 14

guyanatimesgy.com

A

pple is working on a dedicated custom health chip that would help it process biometric data from its suite of devices, according to job listings unearthed by CNBC on Wednesday. The company currently designs custom chips for its iPhone and is rumored to switch to custom processors for its Mac line of computers as early as 2020.

Currently, the Apple Watch is powered by the custom S3 chip.

CNBC reports that these new job listings indicate Apple would like to go one step further with regard to health data and integrate a custom chip that would be solely responsible for processing metrics like heart rate and helping improve battery efficiency on devices like the Apple Watch.

One listing reads, “We are looking for sensor ASIC architects to help develop ASICs for new sensors and sensing systems for future Apple products. We have openings for analog as well as digital ASIC architects.”

Another says Apple is looking for engineers to “help develop health, wellness, and fitness sensors.” The job listings have since been removed.

We don’t know if Apple is

AUGUST 19 , 2018

simply looking to integrate better health tracking and monitoring features or sensors into its existing chip sets for the iPhone or Apple Watch, or if it’s interested in developing a custom chip that would work in tandem with other hardware components. At the moment, the Apple Watch uses a custom optical sensor for measuring heart rate. A new chip could work with that existing sensor or a next-generation one to better process the data, or it could help the accompanying device be more efficient while it collects and analyzes that data.

The A11 Bionic chip, found in both the iPhone X and iPhone 8, contains a special “Neural Engine” dedicated to helping speed up artificial intelligence-related tasks like FaceID and Animoji. A new health-focused chip could be engineered similarly, in that it’s responsible for standard computing tasks in addition to health-related ones. The next Apple Watch is expected to launch this fall alongside the newest iPhone models. However, the timing of the job listings indicate that these efforts may not manifest in parts used in consumer products for quite some time. (The Verge)

Android Pie is coming to eight Motorola phones

A

ndroid Pie, the latest OS from Google which was previously limited to Pixel phones and the Essential phone, is

arriving on Moto phones.

Motorola announced yesterday that the updates will hit eight phones sometime this fall.

Notably missing from the line-up is the Moto E5 which launched earlier

this year, and the Moto G5, a pretty great phone from last year. That means E5 and G5 owners are missing out on the latest Android Pie feat u r e s like system-level gesture controls (though Motorola has its own), exp a n d ed AI smarts, improved notifications, and more. Android Pie is Google’s most conscious effort to reduce notification overload and help users develop better relationships with their phones, so hopefully it’ll start rolling out to more phones soon.

Sunday Times Magazine 13

14 Sunday Times Magazine

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AUGUST 19 , 2018

Bollywood/Hollywood

Priyanka Chopra flaunts her engagement ring at Manish Malhotra’s party F

ans finally got a glimpse of Priyanka Chopra’s engagement ring and we need to thank Raveena Tandon for it.

Priyanka attended designer Manish Malhotra’s party and photos from the do were shared by Raveena on her Instagram account.

Sharing a few photos with Priyanka, Raveena wrote, “Peecee and I getting our pouts in order!” In one of the photos, Priyanka is seen flaunting her engagement ring. But not only with Raveena, Priyanka was also seen posing with Sophie Choudry, Karan Johar and others at the bash and her ring was very evident.

Nick Jonas had, reportedly, shut down a Tiffany store in order to buy a ring for his lady love. The two, reportedly, got engaged on the eve of Priyanka’s birthday. Priyanka was earlier caught taking off her ring from the finger and sliding it in her pocket as paparazzi was waiting for her outside Mumbai airport.

Jonas and Chopra only dated for about two months

S before he reportedly popped the question, but they've definitely built a strong foundation. Romance rumors were first sparked between the pair after they walked the red carpet together at the 2017 Met Gala.

Chopra played coy about a possible romance with

Jonas at the time, but by Memorial Day weekend this year, they were spotted out together enjoying several dates. In the weeks that followed, she met his family on the East Coast and in London, and he met hers in India.

ultry songstress Rihanna and rapper/ actor Donald Glover have been spotted in Havana, Cuba together and are reportedly on the Caribbean island shooting a new movie.

According to Cuban publication Vistar, the two musician/actors are shooting the Hiro Murai directed Guava Island, said to be starring Black Panthers’ Letitia Wright and British actor Nonso Anozie, however, details are yet to be confirmed.

Murai is the sensational director behind Gambino’s Atlanta series on the Starz network and his already legendary “This Is America” video.

J

E

ver since Shahid Kapoor announced that he would be reuniting with filmmaker Imtiaz Ali for a project at an award ceremony in December last year, there has been a constant speculation about the film and also its delay. Now, amid the rumours of it getting shelved, the Jab We Met director says he never said he was collaborating with the actor.

Reports of the two teaming up went on for a few months last year before Shahid told the press in December, “We are going to do something soon together and I am really excited.

I think Imtiaz is a phenomenally talented filmmaker. We made a film together towards the beginning of both our careers and it’s something people still talk about.”

“Jab We Met’ is very spe-

cial and to work with the guy, who gave me Aditya Kashyap (the name of his character in the film) and whose work I have loved over the years, will be amazing,” the actor had said, adding he would begin working on the film after he finished Batti Gul Meter Chalu.

In March, Imtiaz told PTI that he indeed had met the actor for a script but nothing was official. Earlier this week, Imtiaz met media persons for a group interactions ahead of the release of his co-production Laila Majnu, which he has also penned.

When asked about the reports that the project might never take off, Imtiaz answered with a sarcasm-laced reply, “There will be more news like this because the fact is, I keep meeting actors because some of them I have worked with and there are going to be friendships,

we meet, there is always going to be some speculation…

“I never announced a film. I never said I am making a film.

I never said I am working with Shahid Kapoor. So now when people ask me that the film is not happening, I reply, ‘Which film?’ I never said it. Jisne bola usko bolo (Go talk to the person who spoke about it). There’s no truth to it,” the director said.

Talking about his own projects, Imtiaz said he has been developing four scripts.

“I have developed two screenplays. I have turned producer so I have to keep some material ready… The only asset that you have in this work is a script. So once these four scripts are ready, depending upon the availability of the suitable actors, I will start working.”

As of now, Imtiaz is geared up for Laila Majnu, directed by his brother and debutant Sajid Ali. The film, starring Avinash Tiwari and Tripti Dimri, arrives in theatres on September 7

im Carrey is opening up about his decision to return to the entertainment industry.

The 56-year-old actor has taken some time away from the acting world in recent years, but he'll soon return to the spotlight when his new HBO show Kidding premieres at the end of August. In his cover story for The Hollywood Reporter, Carrey gets candid about wanting to leave Hollywood, explaining, "I just didn't want to be in the business anymore."

"I didn't like what was happening, the corporations taking over and all that," he continues. "And maybe it's because I felt pulled toward a different type of creative outlet and I really liked the control of painting — of not having a committee in the way telling me what the idea must be to appeal to a fourquadrant whatever."

Even though he's making his Hollywood return with Kidding, Carrey says that he's not completely back in the game.

"I'm not back in the same way," he explains. "I don't feel I'm little Jim trying to hang on to a place in the stratosphere anymore — I don't feel like I'm trying to hold on to anything."

Reflecting on his role in 1994's Ace Ventura and how he wanted to poke fun at Hollywood's leading men, Carrey tells THR, "My plan was not to join Hollywood, it was to destroy it. Like, take a gigantic sledgehammer to the leading man and to all the

“The film’s locations are less frequented areas of the capital,” reports Vistar, “among them, the textile factory in the Alamar district and the Abreu Fontán Social Circle in Miramar.”

This is one major claim, but fans are also theorizing that they’re filming a music video together. Earlier in the week, Rihanna announced the line-up for her Diamond Ball charity show, where Glover will perform.

Guava Island would be Rihanna’s fourth appearance on the silver screen, following up her appearances in Ocean’s Eight, Valerian and Battleship.

serious­ness."

After the film's successful release, Carrey became a movie star, but he didn't enjoy the fame that came along with that title. "There's a weightlessness to it," Carrey shares. "You can dream about it all you want, but until you get it, you don't realize that it's really not a place that's very comfortable for very long."

Talking about his return to the spotlight in Kidding, Carrey says, "You're always waiting for that thing that you recognize as some part of yourself. And the life experience here matched up."

"I've gone through great loss, and somehow I ended up on the other side in a place where I can look anybody in the eye and feel like I'm on the same page," he continues. "I understand how the river of grief can grab you at some point in your life and just throttle you."

Crossword Solution

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AUGUST 19 , 2018

Sunday Times Magazine 15

16 Sunday Times Magazine

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AUGUST 19 , 2018

Fun Times

Archie

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Don't let anyone limit what you can do. Someone in a superior position may try to bring about unwanted change. The choice to decline is yours. Do what's best for you.

Embrace change and visit TAURUS a place you've never been be(April 20- fore. Make new friends and May 20) learn more about different cultural backgrounds. The wisdom and knowledge you gain will be powerful assets moving forward.

GEMINI An energetic approach (MAY 28- to what you want to do will June 20) help you overcome any challenge you face. Personal improvements can be made, and problems can be solved.

If you change the way you deal with others, you'll gain (June 21- respect. Offer suggestions, July 22) but don't give in and do the work that someone else is responsible for. Develop a creative idea.

CANCER

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Dilbert

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Peanuts

Children, loved ones, family and close friends will have an impact on you. Spend time nurturing important relationships and making personal changes that will enhance your life.

Romance is featured.

Short trips will lead to interesting changes and plans.

The people you meet along the way will offer insight into new possibilities. Be receptive to suggestions and offers of assistance.

Refuse to let anyone make demands of you. Get involved in organisations or events that contribute to society.

Getting together with old friends or colleagues will be eye-opening.

Big ideas should be toned SCORPIO down. Start small and look for (Oct. 24- unique alternatives. Taking a Nov. 22) different path may not be appreciated by others, but if it satisfies your needs, you should proceed.

SAGITTARIUS Emotional deception is (Nov. 23- present. Whether it's you or Dec. 21) someone else being dishonest, a reality check will be required to get back on track. Let intelligence and facts guide you.

Calvin and Hobbes

Change begins within. A CAPRICORN new start will help you see (Dec. 22- things differently. The effort Jan. 19) you put in will bring results that will not disappoint you.

Follow your instincts.

Partnerships will undergo change. You are best AQUARIUS off listening and observing (Jan. 20- without offering too much Feb. 19) input. Once you decipher what's happening, you will know how to best respond.

Anger won't solve anything.

Emotional manipulation PISCES (Feb. 20- is apparent. Consider what's Mar. 20) being offered and the strings attached in order to get what you want. Renegotiation should be strongly considered.